Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 24, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Intel introduces first batch of Ivy Bridge processors- Field experiments show less than expected response to gaze of others
- New material shares many of graphene's unusual properties
- Improving on the amazing: Scientists seek new conductors for metamaterials
- Pay-what-you-want choices appear to be linked to self image
- Evidence shows that anti-depressants likely do more harm than good, researchers find
- Pod corn develops leaves in the inflorescences
- World's largest 3.2 billion-pixel digital camera project passes critical milestone
- Locked down, RNA editing yields odd fly behavior
- Creating nanostructures from the bottom up
- Researchers take steps toward fast, low-cost DNA sequencing device
- Scientists discover bilayer structure in efficient solar material
- Molecular probes identify changes in fibronectin that may lead to disease
- Trade Commission says iPhone infringes Motorola patent
- Smart bridges: Engineers load new bridge with damage-detection gauges
Space & Earth news
The 'Missile Woman' behind Indian test launch
Hailed as a trail blazer in male-dominated India, Tessy Thomas juggles domestic duties with her day job -- as the country's top ballistic missile expert.
Soil erosion modeling: It's getting better all the time
About 50 years ago, scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) devised the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE), a formula farmers could use to estimate losses from soil erosion. Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists will soon release a version that integrates models generated by cutting-edge computer technology, an updated soils database, and new findings about erosion processes.
Martian meteorite touches down at the University of Glasgow
(Phys.org) -- After hundreds of thousands of years drifting in space, a piece of the rocky surface of Mars has made its way into the hands of scientists at the University of Glasgow.
Northern Canada feels the heat: Climate change impact on permafrost zones
Permafrost zones extend over 50% of Canada's land area. Warming or thawing of permafrost due to climate change could significantly impact existing infrastructure and future development in Canada's north. Researchers Jennifer Throop and Antoni Lewkowicz at the University of Ottawa, along with Sharon Smith with the Geological Survey of Canada, have published a new study, part of an upcoming special issue of the Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences (CJES), that provides one of the first summaries of climate and ground temperature relations across northern Canada.
World's first sea-floor mine signs first customer
Canada-based mining firm Nautilus Minerals said Tuesday it had signed China's Tongling Nonferrous Metals Group as the first customer of its pioneering Papua New Guinean sea-floor mine.
Oil spilled in Russian Arctic
An oil spill in the Russian Arctic affected an area of up to 8,000 square meters after workers tried to open an old well, causing oil to gush uncontrollably for 37 hours, officials said Monday.
Devising a 'silver bullet' for measuring water use by plants
(Phys.org) -- Most gardeners can tell by rule of thumb how much water their tomatoes and carrots need, but taking an accurate reading of plants' actual water use is a very difficult problem. Although the measurement is critical for understanding how ecosystems are affected by drought, development or climate change, there is no easy way for scientists to verify estimates of water use. Right now, scientists have to use expensive, bulky laboratory equipment to analyze samples that allow them to directly track how much water plants are using. But if Ida Posner's senior thesis project works the way she hopes, that could all change.
Recycled, reusable storm drain filter
(Phys.org) -- A team of students from the University of California, Riverside Bourns College of Engineering won the top prize at an international environmental design competition this month for a reusable storm drain oil filter they designed out of 100 percent recycled materials.
One week of ash from Mexico's volcano
(Phys.org) -- Satellites continue to provide a look at the ash and gas clouds being emitted from Mexico's Popocatepetl Volcano. NASA has animated imagery from NOAA's GOES-13 satellite to provide a week long look at the volcano's activity.
Do urban 'heat islands' hint at trees of future?
City streets can be mean, but somewhere near Brooklyn, a tree grows far better than its country cousins, due to chronically elevated city heat levels, says a new study. The study, just published in the journal Tree Physiology, shows that common native red oak seedlings grow as much as eight times faster in New York's Central Park than in more rural, cooler settings in the Hudson Valley and Catskill Mountains. Red oaks and their close relatives dominate areas ranging from northern Virginia to southern New England, so the study may have implications for changing climate and forest composition over a wide region.
NASA tests GPS monitoring system for big U.S. quakes
(Phys.org) -- The space-based technology that lets GPS-equipped motorists constantly update their precise location will undergo a major test of its ability to rapidly pinpoint the location and magnitude of strong earthquakes across the western United States. Results from the new Real-time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster (READI) Mitigation Network soon could be used to assist prompt disaster response and more accurate tsunami warnings.
James Webb Telescope flight backplane section completed
The center section of the backplane structure that will fly on NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has been completed, marking an important milestone in the telescope's hardware development. The backplane will support the telescope's beryllium mirrors, instruments, thermal control systems and other hardware throughout its mission.
NASA goes on top of the Smokies, all covered in light rain
If you walk into a cloud at the top of a mountain with a cup to slake your thirst, it might take a while for your cup to fill. The tiny, barely-there droplets are difficult to see, and for scientists they, along with rain and snow, are among the hardest variables to measure in Earth Science, says Ana Barros, professor of engineering at Duke University. As part of the Science Team for NASA's Precipitation Measurement Missions (PMM) that measure rainfall from space, Barros and her research team trekked into the Great Smoky Mountains and other areas of the southern Appalachian Mountains, to learn more about where, when and how rain falls in the rugged terrain. What they found was eye-opening: much of the water people counted on falls as light rain, and no one knew about it.
SpaceX delays first private launch to space station
SpaceX has postponed by a week its bid to become the first private company to attempt to launch an unmanned cargo vessel to the International Space Station.
Company unveils plan to mine asteroids for riches
Space-faring robots could be extracting gold and platinum from asteroids within 10 years if a new venture backed by two Silicon Valley titans and filmmaker James Cameron goes as planned.
A new paradigm for active galactic nuclei
(Phys.org) -- Seyfert galaxies are similar to normal galaxies like our own Milky Way except in one critical respect: their nuclei are fantastically bright, in extreme instances as luminous as 100 billion suns. Astronomers think that these huge energies are generated in such active galactic nuclei by processes around their massive black holes. Matter, as it falls in towards the vicinity of a black hole, heats up and radiates intensely. The Milky Way also has a massive black hole at its center, and there is evidence that some matter is falling in towards it, but for reasons that are not understood the center of our galaxy is not particularly bright as compared to its star-filled spiral arms.
Cassini sees objects blazing trails in Saturn ring
(Phys.org) -- Scientists working with images from NASA's Cassini spacecraft have discovered strange half-mile-sized (kilometer-sized) objects punching through parts of Saturn's F ring, leaving glittering trails behind them. These trails in the rings, which scientists are calling "mini-jets," fill in a missing link in our story of the curious behavior of the F ring. The results will be presented tomorrow at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna, Austria.
Did exploding stars help life on Earth to thrive?
(Phys.org) -- Research by a Danish physicist suggests that the explosion of massive stars – supernovae – near the Solar System has strongly influenced the development of life. Prof. Henrik Svensmark of the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) sets out his novel work in a paper in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
World's largest 3.2 billion-pixel digital camera project passes critical milestone
A 3.2 billion-pixel digital camera designed by SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory is now one step closer to reality. The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope camera, which will capture the widest, fastest and deepest view of the night sky ever observed, has received "Critical Decision 1" approval by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to move into the next stage of the project.
Geophysicists employ novel method to identify sources of global sea level rise
As the Earth's climate warms, a melting ice sheet produces a distinct and highly non-uniform pattern of sea-level change, with sea level falling close to the melting ice sheet and rising progressively farther away. The pattern for each ice sheet is unique and is known as its sea level fingerprint. Now, a group of geophysicists from the University of Toronto, Harvard and Rutgers Universities have found a way to identify the sea level fingerprint left by a particular ice sheet, and possibly enable a more precise estimate of its impact on global sea levels.
Research estimates how long Titan's chemical factory has been in business
Saturn's giant moon Titan hides within a thick, smoggy atmosphere that's well-known to scientists as one of the most complex chemical environments in the solar system. It's a productive "factory" cranking out hydrocarbons that rain down on Titan's icy surface, cloaking it in soot and, with a brutally cold surface temperature of around minus 270 degrees Fahrenheit, forming lakes of liquid methane and ethane.
Technology news
India's TCS shares surge on upbeat earnings
Shares in India's biggest outsourcing firm Tata Consultancy Services jumped more than 10 percent in early trade on Tuesday after it reported better-than-expected quarterly earnings.
Official: Iran oil industry safe after cyberattack
(AP) -- An Iranian official says the country's oil industry is working well despite an attack from hackers and a computer virus that targeted the sector's computer systems.
Mobile lab takes hybrid electric vehicle technology on the road
Take some galvanized nails, vinegar, soda pop and copper wire, piece them together just right, and what do you get? A battery.
HP research identifies new era of security risk, shifting vulnerability landscape
HP today published the 2011 Top Cyber Security Risks Report, which identifies the growing sophistication and severity of security attacks and the resulting risks.
Samsung family in public spat over inheritance
(AP) -- A feud over the riches of South Korea's Samsung business empire has erupted in public as family members prepare to take an inheritance battle to court.
Google investing $300M to build Iowa data center
(AP) -- Google Inc. says it will invest $300 million to build another data center in western Iowa.
China's dream of electric car leadership elusive
(AP) -- China's leaders are finding it's a lot tougher to create a world-beating electric car industry than they hoped.
Facebook beefs up patent arsenal ahead of IPO
Facebook struck a $550 million deal Monday to get its hands on hundreds of AOL patents from Microsoft as the social network hardened its defenses before it goes public on the Nasdaq.
US commission says Xbox infringes Motorola patents
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) issued a preliminary ruling that Microsoft infringed on Motorola Mobility patents in its hit Xbox 360 videogame consoles.
Engineering a safer world
Innovations in software and technology are creating increasingly complex systems: cars that park themselves; medical devices that automatically deliver drugs; and smartphones with the computing power of desktop computers, to name a few. Such complex systems allow us to do things that seemed difficult or impossible just a few years ago.
Energy guzzler Singapore boosts 'green' buildings
From the bone-chilling air conditioning that pumps through Singapore's malls and offices to lights that burn all night, the city state is one of Asia's most intensive energy users.
Monthly smartphone bills down at AT&T
(AP) -- Hidden in AT&T Inc.'s financial statements is a story that runs counter to its optimistic profit projections: The company is making less and less from each new smartphone subscriber.
Swedish zipper perfecter honored with Google doodle
Google dedicated a doodle Tuesday to the Swedish-American inventor of the modern zipper, Gideon Sundback, on what would have been his 132nd birthday.
Apple stock hit by AT&T numbers
(AP) -- Apple shares slipped in early trading Tuesday after AT&T Inc., the largest seller of iPhones in the U.S., reported a sharp drop in first-quarter sales compared to the holiday quarter.
IBM raises dividend, approves stock buyback
(AP) -- IBM Corp. is raising its quarterly dividend and repurchasing $7 billion more of its stock under a new buyback program.
Smartphone maker HTC posts 70 percent profit drop
(AP) -- Taiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp. reported a 70 percent drop in first quarter profit as it faces keener competition from Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.
Apple trumps expectations, sells 35M iPhones in 2Q
(AP) -- Apple Inc., the world's most valuable company, trumped skeptics once again by reporting blowout iPhone sales.
Industry kingpins predict stunning growth in online video
Consumer demand and technological change will drive stunning growth in online video for years to come, so long as Internet access is widely available to all, a Senate committee heard Tuesday.
China official says Proview owns iPad trademark
(AP) -- Apple Inc. risks losing the right to use the iPad trademark in China, a senior official suggested Tuesday, as a Chinese court was seeking to mediate a settlement between the technology giant and a local company challenging its use of the iPad name.
Online tool can detect patterns in US election news coverage
The US presidential election dominates the global media every four years, with news articles, which are carefully analysed by commentators and campaign strategists, playing a major role in shaping voter opinion. Academics have developed an online tool, Election Watch, which analyses the content of news about the US election by the international media.
German scientists unveil 'intelligent' tyre for all weather
Are you fed up of having to change your summer tyres for winter tyres at the first sign of snow? Or of being caught out on a long car journey by sudden changes in the weather?
Swiss scientists demonstrate mind-controlled robot (Update)
(AP) -- Swiss scientists have demonstrated how a partially paralyzed person can control a robot by thought alone, a step they hope will one day allow immobile people to interact with their surroundings through so-called avatars.
Vibrating steering wheel guides drivers while keeping their eyes on the road
A vibrating steering wheel is an effective way to keep a driver's eyes safely on the road by providing an additional means to convey directions from a car's navigation system, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and AT&T Labs have shown. The study, one of the first to evaluate combinations of audio, visual and haptic feedback for route guidance, found that younger drivers in particular were less distracted by a navigation system's display screen when they received haptic feedback from the vibrating steering wheel.
Google joins 'cloud' data storage trend
Google on Tuesday launched a long-anticipated "Drive" service that lets people store photos, videos, and other digital files in the Internet "cloud."
Smart bridges: Engineers load new bridge with damage-detection gauges
The new bridge over the Iowa River near downtown Iowa Falls is a major upgrade over the 1928 concrete arch structure it replaced last fall, once the longest arch span bridge in the state.
Trade Commission says iPhone infringes Motorola patent
The US International Trade Commission (ITC) on Tuesday backed a claim that Apple violated patented Motorola Mobility technology in iPads and iPhones that can connect to 3G wireless networks.
Medicine & Health news
Accelerating access to lifesaving rotavirus vaccines will save more than 2.4 million lives
Rotavirus vaccines offer the best hope for preventing severe rotavirus disease and the deadly dehydrating diarrhea that it causes, particularly in low-resource settings where treatment for rotavirus infection is limited or unavailable, according to studies published in the April 2012 special supplement to the journal Vaccine. The special supplement, "Rotavirus Vaccines for Children in Developing Countries," summarizes data on the performance of rotavirus vaccines to help maximize their impact in developing countries and adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating that rotavirus vaccines are a safe, proven, cost-effective intervention that save children's lives.
Emergency room CT exams have increased in children with abdominal pain
Computed tomography (CT) utilization in pediatric patients with non-traumatic abdominal pain increased in emergency departments each year between 1999 and 2007, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. The study authors found no corresponding increase in ultrasound use during the same period, despite research supporting it as an important diagnostic tool for assessing pediatric abdominal pain.
Gritti-Stokes amputations beneficial for trauma patients
(HealthDay) -- The Gritti-Stokes amputation procedure is beneficial and appears to be safe for patients in a trauma setting, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
'Why Calories Count' weighs in on food and politics
A calorie is simply a measurement of energy. But it's also the source of confusion and worry for many people trying to lose weight. At the same time, calories -- too few or too many -- are causing health problems resulting from malnutrition and obesity that affect billions of people around the world.
Novartis tries to make UK hospitals use $1000 drug
(AP) -- Drug maker Novartis says it is taking legal action in Britain to make hospitals use an eye drug that costs 700 pounds ($1,130) per shot instead of a cheaper one that costs 60 pounds ($97).
UN appeals for $3.2 billion to meet malaria goal
(AP) -- The global campaign to fight malaria is appealing for $3.2 billion to try to reach the U.N. goal of "near-zero" deaths from the mosquito-borne disease by 2015.
5 Questions: Link on recent shortages in cancer-drug supply
In February, the United States came within weeks of running out of preservative-free methotrexate, a generic drug that is an essential component of chemotherapy treatments for the most common childhood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The crisis put hundreds of children’s lives at risk in a troubling way: Oncologists know how to save the lives of most of these children, but can’t do so without the drug. Sadly, the methotrexate shortage was not unique; in the last five years, drug shortages have escalated in a variety of medicines. Chemotherapy shortages, however, are generally more critical because there are no equivalent alternatives for most of these medications.
RANK protein promotes the initiation, progression and metastasis of human breast cancer
Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have shown that overactivation of the RANK signalling pathway promotes the initiation, progression and metastasis of tumours in human breast epithelial cells by dedifferentiation of breast cells to stem cells. The results of this study have been advanced in the electronic edition of the journal Cancer Research.
Dietary changes help some children with ADHD
Together with child and adolescent psychiatrists, researchers from the University of Copenhagen have just completed an extensive report which reviews the studies which have been done so far on the significance of diet for children and young people with ADHD. The report shows that there are potential benefits in changing the diets of children with ADHD, but that key knowledge in the area is still lacking.
Physical abuse may raise risk of suicidal thoughts
The study, published online this month in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, found that approximately one-third of adults who were physically abused in childhood had seriously considered taking their own life. These rates were five times higher than adults who were not physically abused in childhood. The findings suggest that children exposed to physical abuse may be at greater risk for suicidal behaviours in adulthood.
New Avalere study IDs 5 key practices that lead to successful hospital-to-home transitions
Community health plans are improving how patients transition from hospital to home by breaking down silos of care, coordinating among providers, and directly engaging with patients, according to a new report entitled Transitions of Care from Hospital to Home.
School climate can affect overweight children for life
Kids can be really mean – especially to other kids – and school-yard bullying can have serious immediate and long-term effects. One area of increasing concern in this regard is the possibility that overweight or obese children shoulder the brunt of bullying. With childhood obesity rates reaching unprecedented levels, this may translate into even more negative behavior being experienced by today's kids. It is also possible that children who are disliked by their peers may respond by becoming less active and more likely to overeat – compounding the issue even further. It's a vicious cycle, to say the least. Indeed, some research shows that obese children miss more school days than healthy-weight children. One reason might be because obese kids are unhappy due to being mistreated by other children; they might be avoiding school because of a negative emotional climate in the classroom.
Wide variations in charges for special lenses
A new study has found huge variations in what ophthalmologists charge for a device used in one of the most common surgeries in Ontario.
Watching and waiting is best management for pregnant women whose waters break early
Pregnant women whose waters break late in preterm pregnancy but before they are in labor—the medical term for this situation is preterm prelabor rupture of the membranes—are best managed by monitoring and waiting until they deliver spontaneously rather than by inducing labor according to a study by Dutch researchers published in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Many countries still lack a health research strategy
Although there has been a steady increase in medical research from low- and middle- income countries in recent decades, there are still many countries that lack anything resembling a health research strategy, according to international experts writing in this week's PLoS Medicine.
Disclosure of financial conflicts of interest may worsen medical bias
"Journals, professional associations, clinical guideline developers, and others need to worry not just that disclosure provides a band-aid to the real problem of the [conflict of interest] itself, but that any attempt to stem the trouble through disclosure policies may actually be worsening the problem," say the editors of PLoS Medicine writing in an editorial that discusses the response to a paper published in the Journal last month, which examined the financial conflicts of interest of members of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) responsible for updating the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).
More effort needed to prevent exposure to silica hazards as silicosis remains a major cause of illness, death worldwide
Immediate concerted efforts are needed to recognise and control exposure to silica hazards worldwide as the incurable and potentially fatal lung disease silicosis remains a major cause of illness and death around the world, concludes a Seminar published Online First in The Lancet. The paper calls for improved environmental controls and safety practices to help reduce the risk of acquiring this preventable disease, especially in developing countries.
Global measles mortality has fallen 74 percent between 2000 - 2010, short of the 90 percent target
In 2008 all WHO member states endorsed a target of 90% reduction in measles mortality by 2010 over 2000 levels. But new research from WHO, Penn State University, and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), published Online First by The Lancet, shows that measles mortality has fallen 74% across the decade. The study is by Dr Peter Strebel, Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, WHO, Switzerland, and colleagues, and is published to coincide with WHO's World Immunization Week.
Reliability, validity of clinical dehydration scale questioned
(HealthDay) -- A previously derived clinical dehydration scale (CDS) is characterized by moderate interobserver reliability and weak links with objective measures of disease severity for children administered intravenous rehydration, according to a study published online April 23 in Pediatrics.
High BMI tied to non-specific foot pain, plantar heel pain
(HealthDay) -- Increased body mass index (BMI) correlates with non-specific foot pain in the general population, and with chronic plantar heel pain in a non-athletic population, according to a meta-analysis published online April 13 in Obesity Reviews.
Malaria resurgence is linked to reduction of malaria-control programs
Since the 1930s, there have been 75 documented episodes of malaria resurgence worldwide, most of which were linked to weakening of malaria control programs, finds a new study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Malaria Journal. The study, which is allied to the theme of this year's World Malaria Day (25th April 2012) "Sustain Gains, Save Lives: Invest in Malaria", found that the most common reason for weakening of malaria control programs was funding disruptions.
Fewer complications, better outcomes with robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery
Robot-assisted surgery is now both more common and far more successful than radical "open" surgery to treat prostate cancer in the United States, according to a new Henry Ford Hospital study published in the current issue of the medical journal European Urology.
In Vegas, a new cure for monster hangovers
It's Sunday lunchtime in Las Vegas and Justin looks like he wants to curl up and die. He has a monster hangover after drinking for two days solid. But help, he hopes, is at hand.
CDC: Cholesterol levels continue to drop
(AP) -- U.S. health officials say only 13 percent of U.S. adults have high total cholesterol. That may seem incredible in a nation where two-thirds of adults are overweight.
Angiotensin receptor blockers reduce no-reflow post-PCI
(HealthDay) -- For patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), pretreatment with angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) is linked with reduced incidence of the no-reflow phenomenon after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), according to a study published online April 10 in Cardiovascular Therapeutics.
S. aureus, enterotoxins ID'd in atopic keratoconjunctivitis
(HealthDay) -- Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and S. aureus-secreted enterotoxins (SE) are frequently found in patients with atopic keratoconjunctivitis (AKC), particularly in those with corneal ulceration, according to a study published online April 10 in Allergy.
Cost of snakebite therapy may squeeze victims' wallets
(HealthDay) -- It goes without saying that bites from venomous snakes can be painful and dangerous, but they can also be very expensive, an expert warns.
Researchers find time in wild boosts creativity, insight and problem solving
(Medical Xpress) -- There’s new evidence that our minds thrive away from it all.
After family quarrels, who do teens turn to?
(Medical Xpress) -- When a teenager has an argument with their father, who do they seek out to talk through the situation? Do they turn to mom or dad? Associate Professor of Psychology Jeff Cookston explored this question in his latest study.
Students build wiki of medical devices designed for low-income countries
(Medical Xpress) -- In parts of the world without reliable electricity, a pedal-powered nebulizer could provide life-saving asthma treatments. Small wax-filled sleeping bags could keep premature infants warm. A salad spinner centrifuge for blood samples could help clinicians diagnose anemia.
WHO hopeful drug-resistant malaria can be contained
The World Health Organisation said Tuesday it was optimistic drug-resistant malaria that has emerged along Thailand's borders with Cambodia and Myanmar could be contained within the region.
Even positive stereotypes can hinder performance, researchers find
Does hearing that you are a member of an elite group – of chess players, say, or scholars – enhance your performance on tasks related to your alleged area of expertise? Not necessarily, say researchers who tested how sweeping pronouncements about the skills or likely success of social groups can influence children's performance.
Family life study reveals key events that can trigger eating disorders
Eating disorders can be triggered by lack of support following traumatic events such as bereavement, relationship problems, abuse and sexual assault, according to research published in the May issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. Even changing school or moving home can prove too much for some young people and lead to conditions such as anorexia or bulimia.
Scientists find anticonvulsant drug helps marijuana smokers kick the habit
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have found clinical evidence that the drug gabapentin, currently on the market to treat neuropathic pain and epilepsy, helps people to quit smoking marijuana (cannabis). Unlike traditional addiction treatments, gabapentin targets stress systems in the brain that are activated by drug withdrawal.
Leukaemia cells have a remembrance of things past
Although people generally talk about "cancer", it is clear that the disease occurs in a bewildering variety of forms. Even single groups of cancers, such as those of the white blood cells, may show widely differing properties. How do the various cancers arise and what factors determine their progression? Clues to these two issues, at least for leukaemias, have now been provided by Boris Kovacic and colleagues at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna). The results are published in the current issue of the journal EMBO Molecular Medicine and have extremely important consequences for the treatment of a particularly aggressive type of leukaemia.
Molecule movements that make us think
Every thought, every movement, every heartbeat is controlled by lightning-quick electrical impulses in the brain, the muscles, and the heart. But too much electrical excitability in the membranes of the cells can cause things like epilepsy and cardiac arrhythmia. A research group at Linköping University has now published new discoveries that can lead to new medicines for these diseases.
Bridging the gap in treatment for older women with breast cancer
Sheffield researchers are investigating ways to improve the treatment and survival rate of elderly patients diagnosed with breast cancer.
WHO hails big gains in anti-malaria fight
The World Health Organisation heralded major gains Tuesday in the fight against malaria, one of the developing world's biggest killers, but warned universal access to treatment remains elusive.
Could the childhood obesity 'epidemic' be ebbing?
(HealthDay) -- After two decades of steadily increasing rates of childhood obesity, at least one state may finally be turning things around.
Fibrosis and fatty liver disease increase risk of early atherosclerosis
Italian researchers report that severe fibrosis increases the early atherosclerosis risk in patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. A second study found that fatty liver disease also increases risk of developing atherosclerosis at an earlier period. Both studies appear in the May issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
Family history of liver cancer increases risk of developing the disease
A family history of liver cancer is reported to increase risk of developing hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC), independent of hepatitis according to findings published in the May issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. The study also shows 70-fold elevated risk of HCC in those with liver cancer in the family and markers for hepatitis B (HBV) or hepatitis C (HCV).
Binge eating may lead to addiction-like behaviors
A history of binge eating -- consuming large amounts of food in a short period of time -- may make an individual more likely to show other addiction-like behaviors, including substance abuse, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. In the short term, this finding may shed light on the factors that promote substance abuse, addiction, and relapse. In the long term, may help clinicians treat individuals suffering from this devastating disease.
Bile - not acid - is bad guy in triggering precancerous condition associated with reflux disease
For many people with gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, acid reflux drugs are the answer to their woes, curbing the chronic heartburn and regurgitation of food or sour liquid characteristic of the disorder. But when it comes to Barrett's esophagus, a condition commonly found in people with GERD, acid control may be less important than beating back another bodily fluid – bile.
Rhode Island Hospital researcher: Broadening bipolar disorder criteria is a bad idea
A Rhode Island Hospital psychiatrist and researcher explains the negative impact of broadening the diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorder in the upcoming Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5). In a newly published commentary in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Mark Zimmerman, M.D., explains that lowering the diagnostic threshold for bipolar disorder will likely do more harm than good for patients.
'Junk DNA' can sense viral infection
Once considered unimportant "junk DNA," scientists have learned that non-coding RNA (ncRNA) — RNA molecules that do not translate into proteins — play a crucial role in cellular function. Mutations in ncRNA are associated with a number of conditions, such as cancer, autism, and Alzheimer's disease.
Scientists develop new technique that could improve heart attack prediction
An award-winning research project, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), has tested a new imaging method which could help improve how doctors predict a patient's risk of having a heart attack.
Oxiplex improves outcomes after lumbar discectomy
(HealthDay) -- The use of Oxiplex gel (containing carboxymethylcellulose, polyethylene oxide, and calcium) to coat the surgical site during discectomy procedures for the treatment of lumbar disc herniation is associated with improved clinical outcomes, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of Spine.
Patients with acute low back pain have poor prognosis
(HealthDay) -- Few patients with acute low back pain (LBP), with or without sciatica, declare sick leave; however, approximately half have one or more recurrences and a considerable proportion experience chronic pain six months or longer after the initial episode, according to a study published in the April 15 issue of Spine.
Hip replacement outcomes similar with/without cement
(HealthDay) -- Hemiarthroplasty with the cemented Exeter implant provides pain relief comparable to hemiarthroplasty with the uncemented Alloclassic implant in elderly patients with a displaced femoral neck fracture, according to a study published in the April 4 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
Meds, clinic noncompliance linked to mortality in diabetes
(HealthDay) -- Insulin-treated patients with type 2 diabetes who are noncompliant with their medication or clinic appointments face increased all-cause mortality, according to a study published online April 17 in Diabetes Care.
Study finds chronic fatigue syndrome patients had reduced activity in brain's 'reward center'
Chronic fatigue syndrome, a medical disorder characterized by extreme and ongoing fatigue with no other diagnosed cause, remains poorly understood despite decades of scientific study. Although researchers estimate that more than 1 million Americans are affected by this condition, the cause for chronic fatigue syndrome, a definitive way to diagnose it, and even its very existence remain in question. In a new study, researchers have found differing brain responses in people with this condition compared to healthy controls, suggesting an association between a biologic functional response and chronic fatigue syndrome.
Component of pizza seasoning herb oregano kills prostate cancer cells
Oregano, the common pizza and pasta seasoning herb, has long been known to possess a variety of beneficial health effects, but a new study by researchers at Long Island University (LIU) indicates that an ingredient of this spice could potentially be used to treat prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in American men.
New biomarker may predict prognosis for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Researchers at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine have shown that G protein-coupled receptor expression may predict the prognosis of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Their findings may identify new ways to treat such patients. The UCSD researchers, led by Paul A. Insel, M.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Medicine, will present their findings on April 24.
Blood transfusions still overused and may do more harm than good in some patients
Citing the lack of clear guidelines for ordering blood transfusions during surgery, Johns Hopkins researchers say a new study confirms there is still wide variation in the use of transfusions and frequent use of transfused blood in patients who don't need it.
Outpatient surgery patients also at risk for blood clots
A University of Michigan Health System study examined who's having outpatient surgery in the U.S. today, and showed 1 in 84 highest-risk patients suffers a dangerous blood clot after surgery.
New clinical study evaluates first drug to show improvement in subtype of autism
In an important test of one of the first drugs to target core symptoms of autism, researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine are undertaking a pilot clinical trial to evaluate insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) in children who have SHANK3 deficiency (also known as 22q13 Deletion Syndrome or Phelan-McDermid Syndrome), a known cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Omega-3 fatty acids don't improve heart's ability to relax and efficiently refill with blood
Over the past three decades, researchers have firmly established that the omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil, including eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), have healthy effects on the heart. Omega-3 fatty acids seem to help both in preventing cardiovascular disease as well as in preventing future heart attacks, strokes, and other adverse events in people who have established cardiovascular disease. These findings have been so strong that the American Heart Association now recommends eating fish or taking fish oil as a preventive measure both for healthy individuals and those with cardiovascular disease. However, the mechanism behind omega-3's healthy effects isn't yet known.
Fish oil could be therapy for periodontal disease
Periodontitis, inflammation of the tissue surrounding the teeth, affects more than half of adults and is linked to an increased risk of stroke and other heart problems. To evaluate whether fish oil supplementation could be an adjunct therapy for periodontitis, Dr. Alison Coates from the University of South Australia and colleagues from the School of Dentistry at University of Adelaide in Australia reviewed evidence from eight unique studies that involved humans.
Crew schedules, sleep deprivation, and aviation performance
Night-time departures, early morning arrivals, and adjusting to several time zones in a matter of days can rattle circadian rhythms, compromise attention and challenge vigilance. And yet, these are the very conditions many pilots face as they contend with a technically challenging job in which potentially hundreds of lives are at stake.
Guidelines for prostate screening widely ignored
New research confirms that the controversial decision by Warren Buffet – the 81-year-old CEO of Berkshire Hathaway – to undergo a blood test screening for prostate cancer despite his age is hardly unusual. Despite recommendations in 2008 from the United States Preventive Services Task Force against testing for prostate cancer in men aged 75 years or older, almost half of men in that age group continue to get screening tests.
Low-birth-weight infants born at hospitals known for nursing excellence have better outcomes on some measures
In a study that included more than 72,000 very low-birth-weight infants, among those born in hospitals with recognition for nursing excellence (RNE), compared with non-RNE hospitals, there was a significantly lower rate of hospital infection, death at 7-days and severe intraventricular hemorrhage but not lower rates of death at 28-days or hospital stay mortality, according to a study in the April 25 issue of JAMA.
Flu vaccination reminder via text messaging improves rate of vaccination among low-income children
A text messaging intervention with education-related messages sent to parents increased influenza vaccination coverage compared with usual care in a traditionally hard-to-reach, low-income, urban, minority population of children and adolescents, although coverage overall remained low, according to a study in the April 25 issue of JAMA.
Heart infection involving ICD associated with high rate of complications, risk of death
Patients with infective endocarditis involving implanted cardiac devices experience a high rate of complications such as valve infections, heart failure, and persistent bacteremia, and high in-hospital and 1-year mortality rates, particularly if there is valve involvement, according to a study in the April 25 issue of JAMA.
Botox injections associated with only modest benefit for chronic migraine and daily headaches
Although botulinum toxin A ("Botox") injections are U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for preventive treatment for chronic migraines, a review and analysis of previous studies finds a small to modest benefit for patients with chronic migraine headaches and chronic daily headaches, although botox injections were not associated with greater benefit than placebo for preventing episodic migraine or chronic tension-type headaches, according to an article in the April 25 issue of JAMA.
Study identifies gene critical to development and spread of lung cancer
A single gene that promotes initial development of the most common form of lung cancer and its lethal metastases has been identified by researchers at Mayo Clinic in Florida. Their study suggests other forms of cancer may also be driven by this gene, matrix metalloproteinase-10 (MMP-10).
Brain cell changes may cause sleep troubles in aging
Older animals show cellular changes in the brain "clock" that sets sleep and wakeful periods, according to new research in the April 25 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings may help explain why elderly people often experience trouble sleeping at night and are drowsy during the day.
Beyond apples: A serving a day of dark chocolate might keep the doctor away
Chocolate, considered by some to be the "food of the gods," has been part of the human diet for at least 4,000 years; its origin thought to be in the region surrounding the Amazon basin. Introduced to the Western world by Christopher Columbus after his fourth voyage to the New World in 1502, chocolate is now enjoyed worldwide. Researchers estimate that the typical American consumes over 10 pounds of chocolate annually, with those living on the west coast eating the most. Wouldn't it be great if only chocolate were considered healthy?
Gov't: New case of mad cow disease in California
The first new case of mad cow disease in the U.S. since 2006 has been discovered in a dairy cow in California, but health authorities said Tuesday the animal never was a threat to the nation's food supply.
How your eyes deceive you
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Sydney have thrown new light on the tricks the brain plays as it struggles to make sense of the visual and other sensory signals it constantly receives.
Violence puts wear and tear on kids' DNA
Children who have experienced violence might really be older than their years. The DNA of 10-year-olds who experienced violence in their young lives has been found to show wear and tear normally associated with aging, a Duke University study has found.
Chronic cocaine use may speed up aging of brain
New research by scientists at the University of Cambridge suggests that chronic cocaine abuse accelerates the process of brain ageing. The study, published today 25 April in Molecular Psychiatry, found that age-related loss of grey matter in the brain is greater in people who are dependent on cocaine than in the healthy population.
Rare muscular dystrophy gene mutations discovered
(Medical Xpress) -- Research co-led by Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has revealed gene mutations that account for 15 per cent of all babies born with Walker-Warburg syndrome, a rare congenital muscular dystrophy. The syndrome, which is associated with muscle wasting, brain and eye abnormalities, is fatal and most babies do not live beyond two years. A key symptom is hydrocephalus - having an enlarged brain filled with excess fluid.
Evidence shows that anti-depressants likely do more harm than good, researchers find
Commonly prescribed anti-depressants appear to be doing patients more harm than good, say researchers who have published a paper examining the impact of the medications on the entire body.
Molecular probes identify changes in fibronectin that may lead to disease
Fibronectin plays a major role in wound healing and embryonic development. The protein, which is located in the extracellular matrix of cells, has also been linked to pathological conditions including cancer and fibrosis.
Study points to potential treatment for stroke
Stanford University School of Medicine neuroscientists have demonstrated, in a study to be published online April 24 in Stroke, that a compound mimicking a key activity of a hefty, brain-based protein is capable of increasing the generation of new nerve cells, or neurons, in the brains of mice that have had strokes. The mice also exhibited a speedier recovery of their athletic ability.
Field experiments show less than expected response to gaze of others
(Medical Xpress) -- It’s sort of conventional folk wisdom, if someone in a crowd starts staring at something, soon someone else will too. Eventually the whole crowd will start staring, even if they don’t know what they are supposed to be looking at. The problem is, the whole idea is wrong, at least that’s what a group of researchers found when filming crowds and using gaming software to track the gaze of people who happen across someone staring at something. They find, as they describe in their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, that following the gaze of others is far less pervasive than has been generally thought.
Biology news
Spring nitrogen fertilizing for optimal wheat production
With longer and warmer days, wheat seeding and fertilizing has begun across the state. Using the right fertilizer source, rate, timing and placement is important for optimal production. Montana State University Extension offers suggestions to help guide wheat producers in spring nitrogen fertilizing decisions.
A new insight into horse flu
The management of influenza outbreaks in horses will directly benefit from research by the Faculty of Veterinary Science at the University of Sydney.
Arctic marine mammals and fish populations on the rise
Arctic marine mammals and fish populations are on the rise, according to a report released on Monday by the the Arctic Council's biodiversity working group at a Montreal conference.
Satellite tagging cassowaries for more efficient management
(Phys.org) -- Wildlife researchers say they are making the cassowary conservation dollar go further by tracking the birds with satellite tags.
Wild birds respond differently to the first long days of a year
The lengthening of days in late winter is an important signal that stimulates the reproductive activity of many animals. Animals living in the milder climatic conditions of southern Europe usually begin breeding earlier in spring compared to animals living in colder habitats further north. Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and colleagues have now discovered that day length affects gene activity differentially in the brain of great tit populations from central and North Europe. This is particularly important because climate change has resulted in warmer temperatures in spring, and therefore day length has become a less reliable signal for the coming of spring. Since warmer spring temperatures also cause the insects that the birds need to feed their young to be available sooner, birds will have to change their breeding schedules accordingly.
Precise molecular surgery in the plant genome
Crop plants have always been adapted to the needs of man by breeding for them to carry more fruit, survive droughts, or resist pests. Green biotechnology now adds new tools to the classical breeding methods for a more rapid and efficient improvement of plant properties. A biotechnological technique developed by KIT botanists to more precisely and reliably install or modify genetic information in the plant genome is now presented by the expert journal PNAS.
Researchers discover bats may be a common source of many viral diseases
International researchers under the aegis of the University of Bonn have discovered the probable cause of not just one, but several infectious agents at the same time. Paramyxoviruses originate from ubiquitous bats, from where the pathogens have spread to humans and other mammals. This could make eradicating many dangerous diseases significantly more difficult than had been thought. The results of this study have just been published in the current issue of Nature Communications.
First-ever release of endangered burying beetles in Missouri
Beetle last seen in state in 1970s; Zoo has monitored for beetle since 2002. The Saint Louis Zoo's Center for American Burying Beetle Conservation; the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service; the Missouri Department of Conservation; and The Nature Conservancy are reintroducing up to 600 Zoo-bred American burying beetles – for the first time ever in Missouri -- beginning in June in locations across the 4,040-acre Wah' Kon-Tah Prairie in Southwest Missouri. The American burying beetle was the nation's first insect species ever to be designated as endangered.
Turing was right: Two proteins fit decades-old prediction
Today, Alan Turing is best known as the father of modern computer science, but in 1952 he sketched out a biological model in which two chemicals — an activator and an inhibitor — could interact to form the basis for everything from the color patterns of a butterfly’s wings to the black and white stripes of a zebra.
Pod corn develops leaves in the inflorescences
In a variant of maize known as pod corn, or tunicate maize, the maize kernels on the cob are not 'naked' but covered by long membranous husks known as glumes. According to scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne and Friedrich Schiller University in Jena, this variant arises from the activity of a leaf gene in the maize cob that is not usually active there. Thus, pod corn is not a wild ancestor of maize, but a mutant that forms leaves in the wrong place.
Locked down, RNA editing yields odd fly behavior
Because a function of RNA is to be translated as the genetic instructions for the protein-making machinery of cells, RNA editing is the body's way of fine-tuning the proteins it produces, allowing us to adapt. The enzyme ADAR, which does this editing job in the nervous system of creatures ranging from mice to men, even edits itself. In a new study that examined the self-editing process and locked it down at two extremes in fruit flies, Brown University scientists found some surprising insights into how this "fine-tuning of the fine-tuner" happens, including bizarre behavioral effects that come about when the self-editor can't edit.
Plant perfumes woo beneficial bugs
Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have discovered that maize crops emit chemical signals which attract growth-promoting microbes to live amongst their roots. This is the first chemical signal that has been shown to attract beneficial bacteria to the maize root environment.
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