Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for March 13, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Quantum strategy offers game-winning advantages, even without entanglement- Maglev track could launch spacecraft into orbit
- Barrier to faster graphene devices identified and suppressed
- Cassini spies wave rattling jet stream on Jupiter
- S.Korean, Russian scientists bid to clone mammoth
- Research team finds key to childhood brain disease lies in genetic junk
- Body clocks may hold key for treatment of bipolar disorder
- Biologists find potential drug that speeds cellular recycling
- More trans fat consumption linked to greater aggression
- Small is good in quest to resolve water crisis
- A new approach to faster anticancer drug discovery
- Just 60 seconds of combat impairs memory
- Rats match humans in decision-making that involves combining different sensory cues: study
- Reduced baby risk from another cesarean
- Data support theory on location of lost Leonardo da Vinci painting
Space & Earth news
NASA rocket launch scheduled March 15, 2012
NASA is scheduled to launch five suborbital sounding rockets in just over five minutes March 15 from the Wallops Facility in Virginia as part of a study of the upper level jet stream.
Asia climate disasters displace 42 million: ADB
Climate-related disasters have displaced more than 42 million people in Asia over the past two years, the Asian Development Bank said Tuesday in a report calling for swift action to avert future crises.
Mauritius, Seychelles to jointly manage Indian Ocean shelf
Mauritius and the Seychelles on Tuesday signed a pact to jointly manage a continental shelf in the Indian Ocean spanning 396,000 square kilometres in what was described as a pathbreaking accord.
Bill seeks to allow astronauts to keep space souvenirs
A dispute between NASA and former astronauts over ownership of space artifacts has led to a bill in Congress that would give the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts "full ownership rights" to items such as checklists and personal logs from their missions.
Prolonged space travel causes brain and eye abnormalities in astronauts
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the eyes and brains of 27 astronauts who have spent prolonged periods of time in space revealed optical abnormalities similar to those that can occur in intracranial hypertension of unknown cause, a potentially serious condition in which pressure builds within the skull. A retrospective analysis of the MRI data appears online in the journal Radiology.
Nitrate in drinking water poses health risks for rural Californians
One in 10 people living in California's most productive agricultural areas is at risk for harmful levels of nitrate contamination in their drinking water, according to a report released today by the University of California, Davis. The report was commissioned by the California State Water Resources Control Board.
Russia sets sights on Moon, Mars and beyond
Russia's crisis-hit space agency intends to send its first manned mission to the Moon and deploy research stations on Mars under an ambitious plan presented to the government this month.
X-ray monitoring mission comes to an end
On Dec. 30, 1995, NASA’s Rossi X-ray Timing Explorer (RXTE) was launched into orbit on a mission to observe and study X-ray sources in space. For 16 years, the satellite circled Earth, detecting X-rays emitted by some of our galaxy’s most extreme phenomena: bursting pulsars, flaring neutron stars and massive, spinning black holes. The instruments aboard RXTE — including one engineered by MIT researchers — captured data that helped scientists make major discoveries in X-ray astronomy for more than a decade.
New PacIOOS wave buoy deployed in waters off Hawai'i Island
On March 4, 2012, Captain Roger Antonio navigated his 35-foot Force, China Girl, in waters off of Hawai‘i Island to deploy a new Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) Datawell Mark II Waverider Buoy. The bright yellow buoy is in waters over 340 meters deep about 6.5 nautical miles northeast of Hilo Harbor. PacIOOS is a program led by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.
Detecting clouds from both sides now
Researchers have developed a more precise method to detect the boundary between clouds and clear air, by exploiting the swinging motions of a weather balloon and its payload.
Building Vega meant testing materials to their limits
When the first of Europe’s Vega rockets thundered skywards on 13 February, it was a new design based on some novel materials. Such novelty called for rigorous technical risk management by ESA’s materials specialists.
Taking stock of subsurface microbial communities at Hanford
Taking a census provides valuable information about residents' ages, employment, makeup, living conditions, etc. Most censuses are taken door to door or by mail. But if the community lives in areas that are inaccessible by typical methods, how do you get a meaningful census? That's the question scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory faced when they wanted to tally the microbes within a cross section of the Hanford Site subsurface in south-central Washington state.
Does Mars still shake, rattle and roll?
Compared to Earth, Mars is a relatively quiet planet, geologically speaking. Actually, very quiet, as in pretty much dead. While it has volcanoes much larger than any here, they have been inactive for a very long time; the latest studies suggest however that volcanic activity may have continued until only a matter of millions of years ago. That seems like an eternity to our human sense of time, but geologically, it is quite recent.
Global warming skepticism climbs during tough economic times
The American public's growing skepticism in recent years about the existence of man-made global warming is rooted in apprehension about the troubled economy, a University of Connecticut study suggests.
NASA sees double tropical trouble in northern Australia
Northern Australia is dealing with two tropical systems today, and both were close enough to be captured on one satellite image. One of them has strengthened enough to be named Tropical Cyclone Lua, while the other is still getting organized and is a tropical low pressure area. The unnamed storm is currently close enough to the coast to generate warnings, while Lua is not.
Europe's Arianespace inks new deals at US conference
European satellite launch operator Arianespace announced at a satellite expo in Washington Tuesday that it had signed two new contracts this week for launches in the coming years.
University team says Canadian oil sands mining plans don't include damage to peatlands
(PhysOrg.com) -- David Schindler and colleagues at the University of Alberta have published a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in which they detail what they believe is the true impact of oil sands mining in Alberta Canada. In it, they dispute the degree of environmental impact given by mining companies, saying that such reports thus far have neglected to take into account damage to peatlands that will not be restored following mining operations.
The origins of a torus in a galactic nucleus
(PhysOrg.com) -- Quasars are among the most energetic objects in the universe, with some of them as luminous as ten thousand Milky Way galaxies. Quasars are thought to have massive black holes at their cores, and astronomers also think that the regions around the black holes actively accrete matter, a process that releases vast amounts of energy and often ejects a powerful, narrow jet of material. Because they are so bright, quasars can be seen even when they are very far away, and this combination of being both highly energetic and located at cosmological distances makes them appealing to astronomers trying to figure out the nature of galactic center black holes (our own Milky Way has one) and the conditions in the early universe that prompt these monsters to form.
Villain in disguise: Jupiter's role in impacts on Earth
Jupiter is often credited for shielding Earth from catastrophic asteroid and comet impacts. But new simulations of the influence of gas giant planets in solar systems casts doubt on Jupiter's reputation as Earth's protector.
Santorini: The ground is moving again in paradise
Do a Google image search for "Greece." Before you find pictures of the Parthenon or Acropolis, you'll see several beautiful photos of Santorini, the picturesque island in the Aegean Sea. The British Broadcasting Company named it the world's best island in 2011. Santorini is a tourist magnet, famous for its breathtaking, cliff side views and sunsets.
Ocean iron affects biological productivity: study
(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of researchers has just published a new paper, lead authored by Boston University Professor of Earth Sciences Richard W. Murray, that provides compelling evidence from marine sediment that supports the theory that iron in the Earth’s oceans has a direct impact on biological productivity, potentially affecting the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and, in turn, atmospheric temperature. These findings have been published in the March 11, 2012 online edition of the journal Nature Geoscience.
Maglev track could launch spacecraft into orbit
(PhysOrg.com) -- With the aim to make it easier to launch spacecraft into low Earth orbit (LEO), two researchers have turned to maglev technology to catapult a payload hundreds of miles above the Earth. While the concept may sound far-fetched, the researchers argue that the potential benefits to humanity far outweigh the costs.
Cassini spies wave rattling jet stream on Jupiter
(PhysOrg.com) -- New movies of Jupiter are the first to catch an invisible wave shaking up one of the giant planet's jet streams, an interaction that also takes place in Earth's atmosphere and influences the weather. The movies, made from images taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft when it flew by Jupiter in 2000, are part of an in-depth study conducted by a team of scientists and amateur astronomers led by Amy Simon-Miller at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., and published in the April 2012 issue of Icarus.
Technology news
DARPA chief leaving for Google job
Google on Monday confirmed that Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency chief Regina Dugan is taking a yet-to-be-revealed role at the Internet powerhouse.
World's fastest simulation technology able to faithfully reproduce CPU operations
Fujitsu Laboratories Limited today announced that it has developed the world's fastest simulation technology for systems using the ARM computing core, widely used in mobile phones and other electronic devices. This technology is able to faithfully reproduce hardware operations with cycle-for-cycle real-time accuracy.
New distributed processing technology developed to efficiently collect desired data from big data streams
Fujitsu Laboratories Limited today announced the world's first successful development of a distributed processing technology that efficiently collects enormous volumes of real-world data in the cloud through network-linked gateways. Services that collect and employ huge volumes of real-world data in the cloud—such as the location and health status of people and the status of different operations—are now expanding, and the increase in communications volumes associated with collecting this data poses a huge challenge. To address this problem, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed an algorithm that takes a portion of the data that would otherwise be processed in the cloud and instead performs optimized distributed arrangement in a gateway. Using this technology, it is possible to efficiently collect in the cloud only the data required from the big data streams being processed through the gateway, enabling a 99% reduction in transmission traffic volumes.
Kim Dotcom's money won him New Zealand residency
(AP) -- In the eyes of New Zealand immigration authorities in 2010, Kim Dotcom's money trumped his criminal past.
Google links up with Belgian 'paper Internet'
Google linked up Tuesday with Belgian museum, the Mundaneum, which was set up as a 19th-century paper equivalent of the US Internet search giant.
'Homeless Hotspot' stunt stirs debate at SXSW
(AP) -- A charitable marketing program that paid homeless people to carry Wi-Fi signals at South By Southwest has drawn widespread debate at the annual Austin conference and around the country.
AT&T offers quiet settlement with iPhone user
(AP) -- AT&T is offering a settlement to an iPhone user who won a small-claims case that alleged the company was slowing down his "unlimited" data service.
Apple denied permission to sue bankrupt Kodak
Apple Inc. has been denied permission to file a patent-infringement lawsuit against Eastman Kodak by the film-maker's bankruptcy judge.
Gore says 'democracy has been hacked' at SXSW
(AP) -- In a wide-ranging talk about the Internet and government, Al Gore urged the techie crowd at South By Southwest to use digital tools to improve government.
Hackers violate user privacy at porn website
Online porn venue Digital Playground was recovering on Monday after hackers looted credit card numbers, email addresses and other sensitive member information.
India's Wipro shares fall on share sale to fund charity
Shares in India's leading IT outsourcer Wipro fell 2.2 percent at one point Tuesday after its chairman, Azim Premji, said he will sell a 1.4 percent stake in the firm to fund charitable causes.
Obama to announce rare earth trade case against China
US President Barack Obama will Tuesday announce a new trade suit against China prompted by Beijing's restrictions on the export of rare earth materials used in manufacturing high-tech products.
China defends rare earth export restrictions (Update 2)
China said Tuesday that it would "properly deal" with a complaint by the United States, European Union and Japan over rare earth minerals, but defended its right to restrict exports of the elements.
EU joins US, Japan in 'rare earth' trade case against China
The European Union joined the United States and Japan on Tuesday in a new complaint to the WTO against China over its restrictions on the export of rare earths used in high-tech products.
Ageing wooden power poles increase risk of fires
Research at RMIT University has proven conclusively that wooden poles used for electricity distribution deteriorate with age and that their electrical performance worsens over time.
Hydrogen power in real life
Since 2009, a hydrogen powered street cleaning vehicle has been undergoing testing on the streets. The project is intended to take hydrogen drives out of the laboratory in order to gain experience on using them under practical conditions. The result: hydrogen as a fuel for municipal utility vehicles saves energy, is environmentally friendly and technically feasible. To make it cost-effective, however, the prices of fuel cells, pressurized storage tanks and electric drives must all drop significantly.
Apple says Proview iPad trademark demands unfair
(AP) -- In its latest statement on a simmering dispute over the iPad brand name, Apple Inc. said Tuesday that Proview Electronics' insistence that it still owns the mainland China iPad trademarks is misleading and unfair.
Dell to buy SonicWALL, network security provider
(AP) -- Computer maker Dell Inc. said Tuesday that it agreed to buy network and data security provider SonicWALL Inc. for an undisclosed sum.
WTO action filed on China's rare earth controls
The United States, European Union and Japan teamed up Tuesday to lay assault to China's controls on exports of rare earth minerals, which are crucial in high-tech manufacturing.
S.Africa unveils wind atlas in renewable energy push
South Africa on Tuesday launched its first verified wind atlas which maps out potential hotspots as a tool for wind farm developers as the coal-hungry country pushes toward renewable energy.
Wal-Mart joins Hollywood's UltraViolet system
Wal-Mart is joining Hollywood's emerging system for letting consumers access movies they buy on discs over multiple devices including tablet computers and smartphones.
Apple sued over iPhone 4S 'assistant' Siri
An iPhone 4S buyer has sued Apple for promising more than it delivered with automated "Siri" voice-activated assistant software built into the coveted smartphones.
Britain allows student's extradition to US over website
Britain has authorised the extradition to the United States of a student who created a website allowing people to watch films and television shows for free, the interior ministry said on Tuesday.
Taiwan company, execs guilty of fixing LCD prices
(AP) -- A Taiwan company and two of its top executives have been found guilty of working with competitors to inflate prices of liquid screen display screens used in computer monitors and televisions.
UN nuclear body says ageing reactors fuel safety concerns
Eighty percent of nuclear power plants are more than 20 years old, raising safety concerns, the UN atomic agency warned in a draft report seen by AFP on Tuesday, a year after Japan's Fukushima disaster.
Rdio revamps Internet music service
Internet music service Rdio.com on Tuesday unveiled a redesign intended to make it "faster, simpler and more social" as it battles with rivals such as Pandora and Spotify.
In shadows of hype, dialogue of 'too much' at SXSW
(AP) -- At South By Southwest's 2012 interactive conference, there was, as usual, no shortage of eagerness for new developments and excitement for gadgetry.
Microsoft puts finger on 1ms touchscreen (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Touchscreen features in smartphones and tablets are satisfying perks in going wireless and mouse-less in mobile computing, but now Microsoft wants to make people aware of how much more satisfying the touchscreen experience might be. In a What-If demo by Paul Dietz of Microsoft Applied Sciences Group, Microsoft is suggesting that a far better experience can be had with a touchscreen display system with far less latency than what users are accustomed to. The video succeeds in suggesting what the speed-up might feel like, from finger to screen. In brief, goodbye to finger lag.
Small is good in quest to resolve water crisis
Can Peepoo stop the flying toilet? A small Swedish company believes so. At the World Water Forum in Marseille, it is promoting a cheap, smart fix for the world's billion slumdwellers.
Medicine & Health news
US Pfizer, India's Biocon scrap insulin pact
India's largest biotechnology firm, Biocon, and US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer said Tuesday they would scrap a joint plan to sell insulin products, sending Biocon's shares plunging.
Rugby Union: Polish ice-box is Wales' open secret
Wales are gunning for the Six Nations' Grand Slam next weekend against France, but a core part of their success lies far across Europe in a sub-zero medical unit in Poland.
Rush offering new motion sensor technology found in smart phones for chronic pain relief
Experts from the Rush Pain Center at Rush University Medical Center are the first in Chicago to offer patients a neurostimulation system that uses new, motion sensor technology found in smart phones and Wii video gaming systems to help patients manage chronic leg and back pain.
Autoimmune diseases the target of new research
A revolutionary medical breakthrough by researchers at Flinders University could pave the way to a cure for two debilitating autoimmune diseases.
Raiders of the lost blood spots
Almost every newborn in the United States is pricked on the heel within hours of birth for a few drops of blood that are then tested for conditions like PKU, sickle cell anemia, and cystic fibrosis. But then the sample is often put on small piece of blotter paper and filed away by the state. Few parents know about these millions of residual dried blood spots.
St. Michael's doctor uses wiki to empower patients and help them to develop asthma action plans
Imagine that you have asthma, and rather than give you a set of instructions about what to do if you have an attack, your doctor invites you to help write them?
NIH and Lilly to generate public resource of approved and investigational medicines
The National Institutes of Health and Eli Lilly and Company will generate a publicly available resource to profile the effects of thousands of approved and investigational medicines in a variety of sophisticated disease-relevant testing systems, NIH announced today.
Patients with high alcohol screening scores use more post-surgical health care resources
According to the results of a new study published in the March 2012 issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons, patients who score highest on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test–Consumption (AUDIT-C) experience longer postoperative hospital stays and more days in the intensive care unit (ICU); they are also more likely to return to the operating room (OR) within 30 days of a surgical procedure than patients with low AUDIT-C scores. As a result, study authors determined alcohol screening could be used to identify patients at risk for increased postoperative use of health care resources.
Practical strategies can ease death notification in the ER
(HealthDay) -- By using practical strategies based on available literature, notifying survivors of a death in the emergency department can be less traumatic for both the survivor and the physician, nurse, or other health care provider tasked with delivering the news, according to an article published in the March issue of the Journal of Emergency Nursing.
Сancer survival study uncovers wide racial disparities
African Americans in Georgia, especially in rural areas, have drastically poorer survival rates from cancer. These disparities are much larger when compared to national data, according to the findings from a study recently published in the journal Cancer by a team of researchers in the University of Georgia College of Public Health.
Uterine rupture is rare in the UK but increases with the number of previous cesarean deliveries
An analysis of the UK Obstetric Surveillance System published in this week's PLoS Medicine shows that uterine rupture—a serious complication of pregnancy in which the wall of the uterus (womb) tears during pregnancy or early labour—is rare but for women who have previously had a caesarean section, the risk of rupture increases with the number of previous caesarean deliveries, a short interval since the last caesarean section, and with induced labour.
Conflicts of interest plague the next international manual of mental disorders
There are concerns that the revised Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM—an internationally recognised classification of mental disorders produced by the American Psychiatric Association), scheduled for publication in May 2013, has been unduly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry despite the APA's instigating a policy of disclosing all financial conflicts of interest.
How can guideline development and policy development be linked?
In the second paper in a three-part series on health systems guidance, John Lavis of McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada and colleagues explore the challenge of linking guidance development and policy development at global and national levels. Writing in this week's PLoS Medicine, the authors call for a division of labour between global guidance developers, global policy developers, national guidance developers, and national policy developers, and argue that a panel charged with developing health systems guidance at the global level could best add value by ensuring that its output can be used for policy development at the global and national level, and for guidance development at the national level.
Research suggests new therapeutic approach for spinal cord injury
A new study suggests that administering FTY720, an oral drug that has shown promise in trials for human multiple sclerosis, significantly improves locomotor recovery in mice with spinal cord injury (SCI). The research suggests a possible new avenue to counteract the degeneration of the spinal cord in human SCI. The study will be published in the April 2012 issue of The American Journal of Pathology.
Researchers identify optimal threshold for HbA1c test for prediabetes
The American Diabetes Association recommends hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) testing as one basis for identifying diabetes and prediabetes. Setting a specific HbA1c cutoff threshold for prediabetes, which could be used to determine eligibility for interventions to prevent progression to more serious type 2 diabetes, has generated much debate, with at least three different cutoffs recommended by different professional organizations. A new study led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention demonstrates that lowering the cutoff increases the health benefits of preventive interventions, although at higher cost. It concludes that a cutoff level of 5.7% would be cost-effective. The research is published in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Asymptomatic often sent for lung cancer screening tests
(HealthDay) -- A majority of primary care physicians report ordering lung cancer screening tests for asymptomatic patients, according to research published in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.
The more types of foods served, the more you'll eat: study
(Medical Xpress) -- The wider the variety of foods served at a meal, the more a person will eat, new Cornell research shows. Conversely, having a "one-pot" dish, such as a soup, pasta, stew or stir-fry, will cut down on the amount of food and calories consumed.
Warming up before flu vaccine could boost effectiveness
You might have heard of warming up for a football match, but researchers from the University of Sydney are hoping that warming up for a flu vaccine could improve its effectiveness and reduce illness and death in the elderly.
Bayer mulls challenge to India cancer drug ruling
Bayer AG said Tuesday it was mulling ways to challenge a ground-breaking Indian ruling allowing a local firm to produce a vastly cheaper copy of a cancer drug made by the German pharmaceutical giant.
Get me out of this slump! Visual illusions improve sports performance
(Medical Xpress) -- With the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament set to begin, college basketball fans around the United States are in the throes of March Madness. Anyone who has seen a game knows that the fans are like extra players on the court, and this is especially true during critical free throws. Fans of the opposing team will wave anything they can, from giant inflatable noodles to big heads, to make it difficult for players to focus on the basket.
Wiping memories to tackle alcoholism
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Cambridge believe connections developed in the brain between the ‘drug high’ of alcohol and the situations in which it’s used create loaded memories that unconsciously trigger cravings – often leading to relapse in alcoholics.
Snacking associated with increased calories, decreased nutrients
Snacking is a dietary behavior that has increased in recent decades in the United States, while percentages of the population who are overweight and obese also have increased. Now, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) researchers with the Food Surveys Research Group (FSRG) in Beltsville, Md., have examined dietary intake survey data from more than 5,000 adults aged 20 years and older to focus on snacking habits, which are associated with increased caloric intake and decreased nutrient intake.
Providers' attitude toward vaccinating young males against HPV may challenge new recommendations
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that a health care provider's attitude toward male human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination may influence the implementation of new guidelines. They believe targeted provider education on the benefits of HPV vaccination for male patients, specifically the association of HPV with certain cancers in men, may be important for achieving vaccination goals. These findings appear on-line in the American Journal of Men's Health.
Research suggests suicide rates higher in Protestant areas than Catholic
Research from the University of Warwick suggests suicide rates are much higher in protestant areas than catholic areas.
Simple, common BMI data stored in e-records can identify patients with heart disease risk
Electronic medical records provide new opportunities to monitor and improve patients’ health. New research released online in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine shows that body mass index (BMI) data, commonly available in electronic medical records, can accurately identify adults between 30 and 74 years-old at risk for cardiovascular (heart) disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S.
Plague in Kazakhstan
Researchers are exploring the dynamics of plague in the wild in Kazakhstan to understand where it is and what is happening when it seems to disappear. The aim is to develop a cost-effective and accurate early warning system for when human outbreaks might be imminent.
Creating 'death-defying' insulin-producing islets for transplantation
Australian scientists have identified one way of making a frustratingly tricky transplant – of insulin-producing ‘islets of Langerhans’ into patients with Type 1 diabetes – more successful.
Opening the brain to new treatments
One of the trickiest parts of treating brain conditions is the blood brain barrier, a blockade of cells that prevent both harmful toxins and helpful pharmaceuticals from getting to the body's control center. But, a technique published in JoVE, uses an MRI machine to guide the use of microbubbles and focused ultrasound to help drugs enter the brain, which may open new treatment avenues for devastating conditions like Alzheimer's and brain cancers.
75-year study finds dramatic rise in U.S. lifespans
(HealthDay) -- A look at statistics stretching from 1935 to 2010 found significant improvements in Americans' expected lifespans, mainly due to factors such as better medical care and declines in smoking rates.
Hospital survival differs among Hispanic and non-Hispanic heart failure patients
The odds of surviving their hospital stay for heart failure differ between Hispanic and non-Hispanic white patients according to their level of heart function, even when they received equal care in hospitals participating in the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines®–Heart Failure quality improvement program, researchers said.
Sleep apnea treatment may protect against heart failure
A nightly breathing treatment may do more than help people with obstructive sleep apnea get a good night's rest — it may also help prevent heart failure.
Dietary patterns exist among US adults based on demographics
Scientists say they have identified five eating patterns for U.S. adults that are strongly influenced by age, race, region, gender, income and education.
Stopping low back pain: Researchers discover molecular mechanism responsible for vertebral column degeneration
Italian researchers at the Catholic University of Sacred Heart in Rome found an important molecular mechanism responsible for low back pain and other acute vertebral problems like cervical axial pain, all due to aging and degeneration of the vertebral column.
Gene known to protect against cancer can also promote tumor growth: study
Can a gene simultaneously protect against cancer and favor its growth? Researchers at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre have discovered a gene with this double-edged property and suspect there may be many more that share it. In the words of Oscar Fernandez Capetillo, head of the group responsible for the study, this gene "can be both Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, in that it can either protect us against the appearance of tumors or promote tumor growth".
New method doubles storage time for cartilage transplant tissue
For years, doctors have been able to treat defects in joint cartilage by grafting cartilage donated from cadavers into patients' bad joints. Using current methods, donated cartilage can be stored for 28 days for a transplant before the tissue becomes too degraded to transplant into a patient. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri have found a way to store donated cartilage more than twice as long.
MS study documents negative effect of warmer weather on cognition
Warm weather may hinder cognitive performance in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), according to results of a Kessler Foundation study e-published online ahead of print by Neurology. An accompanying editorial by Meier & Christodoulou, MS and heat: The smoke and the fire, details the study's unique aspects, ie, longitudinal followup in a cohort with apparently quiescent disease.
Spanish doctors announce world first in fetal surgery
When Alaitz was still a fetus in her mother's womb, Spanish doctors successfully operated on her lungs to fix a blocked bronchial tube in what they said Tuesday was a world first.
Web-Based program helps manage cancer-Related fatigue
(HealthDay) -- An Internet-based educational program helps disease-free cancer survivors better manage their cancer-related fatigue (CRF), according to research published online March 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Financial hardship common among colon cancer patients
(HealthDay) -- Nearly 40 percent of patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for stage III colon cancer experience financial hardship, even if they have health insurance coverage, according to research published online March 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Inflammation, fatigue tied to omega-3 intake after breast cancer
(HealthDay) -- For breast cancer survivors there may be an association between inflammation, intake of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA), and fatigue, with increased intake linked to decreased inflammation and fatigue, according to research published online March 12 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
A simple, low-cost yoga program can enhance coping and quality of life for the caregivers
For every individual who's a victim of Alzheimer's — some 5.4 million persons in the United States alone — there's a related victim: the caregiver. Spouse, son, daughter, other relative or friend, the loneliness, exhaustion, fear and most of all stress and depression takes a toll
Children at risk for schizophrenia show disordered brain networks
A team of neuroscientists led by a Wayne State University School of Medicine professor has discovered stark developmental differences in brain network function in children of parents with schizophrenia when compared to those with no family history of mental illness.
Cool hands may be the key to increasing exercise capacity
Cooling the palms of the hands while working out could help you stick with a physical activity program, according to a small study presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions.
Treating intestinal E. coli infection with antibiotic may reduce duration of bacterial carriage
In the E coli outbreak in Germany in May 2011, treatment with azithromycin was associated with a lower frequency of long-term carriage of the bacteria and shorter duration of shedding of the bacteria in stool specimens, according to a study in the March 14 issue of JAMA.
Endoscopic procedure may result in better outcomes for patients with infected severe pancreatitis
In a small, preliminary trial, patients with infected necrotizing pancreatitis (severe form of the disease involving devitalized pancreatic tissue) who received a less-invasive procedure, endoscopic transgastric necrosectomy (removal of the pancreatic tissue), had an associated lower risk of major complications and death compared to patients who had surgical necrosectomy, according to a study in the March 14 issue of JAMA.
Study finds association between genetic mutation and age at diagnosis for common childhood cancer
Certain mutations of the gene ATRX were associated with age at diagnosis in children and young adults with advanced-stage neuroblastoma, a cancer that grows in parts of the nervous system, according to a study in the March 14 issue of JAMA.
Study examines outcomes among patients treated in universal health care system
Among hospitals in Ontario, Canada, those with higher levels of spending, which included higher intensity nursing and greater use of specialists and procedures, had an associated lower rate of deaths, hospital readmissions, and better quality of care for severely ill hospitalized patients, according to a study in the March 14 issue of JAMA.
Cancer drug improves memory in mouse model of Alzheimer's disease
A compound that previously progressed to Phase II clinical trials for cancer treatment slows neurological damage and improves brain function in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the March 14 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings suggest the drug epothilone D (EpoD) may one day prove useful for treating people with early-stage Alzheimer's disease.
New insights into the synaptic basis of chronic pain
A team of scientists has found a novel road-block in the pain pathway, which could be used to treat chronic pain. Their results are published March 13 in the online, open-access journal PLoS Biology.
Cancer epigenetics: Breakthrough in ID'ing target genes
Cancer is usually attributed to faulty genes, but growing evidence from the field of cancer epigenetics indicates a key role for the gene "silencing" proteins that stably turn genes off inside the cell nucleus. A new study from Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) promises to speed research in the field by rapidly identifying the genes that epigenetic proteins can target for silencing.
Discovery of Mer protein in leukemia cells' nuclei may be new, druggable target
Since the mid-1990s, doctors have had the protein Mer in their sights – it coats the outside of cancer cells, transmitting signals inside the cells that aid their uncontrolled growth.
Not enough young women getting tested for chlamydia: CDC
(HealthDay) -- Far too few sexually active young women are getting tested for chlamydia, an oversight that could lead them down a perilous path to severe health consequences, including infertility, later in life.
Scientists tap the genius of babies and youngsters to make computers smarter
People often wonder if computers make children smarter. Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, are asking the reverse question: Can children make computers smarter? And the answer appears to be ‘yes.’
Post-exposure antibody treatment protects primates from Ebola, Marburg viruses
Army scientists have demonstrated, for the first time, that antibody-based therapies can successfully protect monkeys from the deadly Ebola and Marburg viruses. In addition, the animals were fully protected even when treatment was administered two days post-infection, an accomplishment unmatched by any experimental therapy for these viruses to date. The work appears in this week's electronic edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Research team finds key to childhood brain disease lies in genetic junk
(Medical Xpress) -- As researchers come to understand better how the human genome is put together, they quite often stumble across what appear to be puzzles. One example of this is bits of the genome that appear to no longer serve a useful purpose. Such bits are referred to as junk genes. Some of the junk is dead genes while others are hopping genes that can move themselves to other parts of the genome, and some are what’s left of hopping genes after they can no longer hop. New research is indicating that some of this junk isn’t as useless as it first appeared, and now a new study by large group of scientists has discovered, as they write in their paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that an anomaly in one such bit of junk, surrounded by other junk genes, appears to be the cause of Ravine encephalopathy, a rare type of brain disorder that kills infants.
Body clocks may hold key for treatment of bipolar disorder
Scientists have gained insight into why lithium salts are effective at treating bipolar disorder in what could lead to more targeted therapies with fewer side-effects.
Biologists find potential drug that speeds cellular recycling
A University of Michigan cell biologist and his colleagues have identified a potential drug that speeds up trash removal from the cell's recycling center, the lysosome.
More trans fat consumption linked to greater aggression
Might the "Twinkie defense" have a scientific foundation after all? Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have shown – by each of a range of measures, in men and women of all ages, in Caucasians and minorities – that consumption of dietary trans fatty acids (dTFAs) is associated with irritability and aggression.
Rats match humans in decision-making that involves combining different sensory cues: study
The next time you set a trap for that rat running around in your basement, here's something to consider: you are going up against an opponent whose ability to assess the situation and make decisions is statistically just as good as yours.
A new approach to faster anticancer drug discovery
Tracking the genetic pathway of a disease offers a powerful, new approach to drug discovery, according to scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine who used the approach to uncover a potential treatment for prostate cancer, using a drug currently marketed for congestive heart failure. Their findings are published in the current online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Just 60 seconds of combat impairs memory
Just 60 seconds of all-out physical exertion in a threatening situation can seriously damage the memories of those involved for many details of the incident, according to a new study of police officers.
Reduced baby risk from another cesarean
A major study led by the University of Adelaide has found that women who have had one prior cesarean can lower the risk of death and serious complications for their next baby - and themselves - by electing to have another cesarean.
Biology news
Cockatoo survival under threat
The long-term survival of three black cockatoo species endemic to the south west of Western Australia is under threat.
Virginia Tech wildlife researchers explore DNA research to help save Nepal's Bengal tigers
Tigers are fast disappearing from the modern world. The 2010 tiger census in Nepal estmates that only 155 of the Bengal tiger subspecies still exist there. Conserving tigers is a top priority for the government of this South Asian nation.
Under the microscope #15 - Elephant fish embryo
Dr Andrew Gillis shows us an embryonic skate head and explains how the red denticles dotted all over it have very similar properties to human teeth.
Fertilization by invasive species threatens nutrient-poor ecosystems
They can estimate whether native plants in the neighbourhood of invasive species incorporate the nitrogen fixed by the latter. The biologists examined the Sydney Golden Wattle (Acacia longifolia), an Australian shrub that has established itself in Mediterranean climates worldwide. They found that the invasive species threatens native ecosystems not only through its prolific growth but also by fertilizing the surrounding soil with nitrogen – this effect markedly extended beyond the area occupied by the invader. This innovative method (called 15N isoscapes) is being published today in the renowned journal Ecology Letters.
New research highlights: 'Conservation and Management of Eastern Big-Eared Bats'
A new publication from the USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS), 'Conservation and Management of Eastern Big-Eared Bats,' brings together the latest knowledge about eastern big-eared bats. Edited by SRS researcher Susan Loeb, University of Kentucky professor Michael Lacki, and Weyerhauser manager Darren Miller, the publication features proceedings from a 2010 symposium.
Looking a trophy buck in the mouth
Researchers at the Texas AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Uvalde have developed a more accurate technique than traditional methods for estimating the age of white-tailed bucks, said a Texas AgriLife Research scientist at the center.
Blood on the menu: New research could make it easier to grow health-promoting blood oranges
For the red pigmentation to develop, blood oranges normally require a period of cold as they ripen. The only place to reliably grow them on a commercial scale is in the Sicilian area of Italy around Mount Etna. Here, the combination of sun and cold/sunny days and warm nights provides ideal growing conditions.
Small DNA circles found outside the chromosomes in mammalian cells and tissues, including human cells
Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have helped identify a new DNA entity in mammalian cells and provided evidence that their generation leaves behind deletions in different locations of the cells’ genetic program, or genome.
NASA's astrobiology research sparks 'GreenTech' revolution
NASA’s astrobiologists study microbial life to understand how it transformed a rocky Earth into the thriving, diverse, life-sustaining planet we inhabit today. These studies of photosynthetic ‘green’ algae are creating sparks for new ‘green technologies’ on Earth and future human space exploration missions.
Threats to freshwater mussels and the consequences for ecosystems
At the University of Oklahoma's Aquatic Research Facility in Norman, zoologist Caryn Vaughn shows off freshwater mussels that she's recently collected from rivers in the southeastern part of the state. One river alone may have as many as 30 species of mussels.
Personalized chemotherapy, cheaper medicine, affordable health care -- they may be closer than you think
(Medical Xpress) -- New technology being developed at Florida State University could significantly decrease the cost of drug discovery, potentially leading to increased access to high-quality health care and cancer patients receiving personalized chemotherapy treatments.
Baboon-like social structure creates efficiencies for spotted hyena
As large, carnivorous mammals, spotted hyenas are well known for their competitive nature; however, recent work suggests that their clan structure has similarities to some primate social systems such as those of the baboon and macaque.
S.Korean, Russian scientists bid to clone mammoth
Russian and South Korean scientists have signed a deal on joint research intended to recreate a woolly mammoth, an animal which last walked the earth some 10,000 years ago.
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