Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 9, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Graphene coating transforms fragile aerogels into superelastic materials- You snooze, you lose: Less sleep leads to more offspring in male pectoral sandpipers
- Deep sea temperature reconstruction reveals 1.5 million years of global ice volume history
- Cheaper, cleaner catalyst for burning methane created
- Freezing magnetic monopoles: How dipoles become monopoles and vice versa
- Toward 'universal' vaccine: Scientists describe antibodies that protect against large variety of flu viruses
- Plenty of dark matter near the Sun
- Google patent calls on eyes to unlock smart glasses
- Electrical brain stimulation curbs epileptic seizures in rats
- PLUMgrid funding advances efforts in software-defined networking
- Global water sustainability flows through natural and human challenges
- Wastewater key to quenching global thirst, review finds
- Neuroscientists find brain stem cells that may be responsible for higher functions, bigger brains
- Review: Newest Apple Mountain Lion OS adds nifty features
- Online education degrees skyrocket
Space & Earth news
Refinery fire highlights pollution concerns
(AP) — A massive Chevron oil refinery fire that sent hundreds of people rushing to hospitals and is pushing West Coast gas prices higher was just the latest pollution incident at the facility that records show has increasingly violated air quality rules over the past five years.
The random walk of pollutants through river catchments
River catchments play critical roles in regional economies and in the global economy. In addition, rivers carry large volumes of nutrients, pollutants, and several other forms of tracers into the ocean. An intricate system of pathways and channels, both on the surface and in the subsurface of catchments, allows rivers to carry large volumes of tracers. However, scientists do not yet fully understand how pollutants and other tracers travel through the intricate web of channels in the catchment areas of rivers.
Comparison with observations shows cloud simulations improving
Climate projections, such as those used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, rely on models that simulate physical properties that affect climate, including clouds and water vapor content. Clouds and water vapor are difficult to simulate in global climate models because they are affected by small-scale physical processes, and cloud feedback on climate is therefore a large source of uncertainty in climate predictions.
Armstrong, 1st to walk on moon, has heart surgery
(AP) — Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, was recovering Wednesday from heart surgery, days after his 82nd birthday.
Australian jet in Antarctica rescue mission
An Australian medical team and government jet have been dispatched to Antarctica to attempt a landing on an ice runway to rescue a sick scientist from the United States' McMurdo Station base.
China giant offers to help clean HK pellet spill
Chinese oil major Sinopec on Thursday offered to help pay to clean up tonnes of plastic pellets that have fouled Hong Kong beaches since a spill at sea during a typhoon two weeks ago.
Eruption's agricultural risk analysed
(Phys.org) -- Massey University researchers say ash from this week’s Mt Tongariro eruption poses no great human health or agricultural threat.
Clemson, Coastal Carolina universities to set hundreds of sensors in Savannah River
Clemson University researchers are teaming up with Coastal Carolina University (CCU) colleagues to deploy and monitor hundreds of sensors along the Savannah River to gather data for the $4-million Intelligent River project.
Senegalese villagers vow to fight biofuels project
Villagers from northern Senegal vowed Thursday to fight a project by Senegalese and Italian investors to produce biofuels on their land, a venture already forced to relocate once by deadly protests.
Philippine floods a man-made disaster: experts
Deadly floods that have swamped nearly all of the Philippine capital are less a natural disaster and more the result of poor planning, lax enforcement and political self-interest, experts say.
Atmospheric CO2 drove climate change during longest interglacial
Known as the marine isotope stage 11 (MIS 11), the interglacial period centered around 400,000 years ago was the longest and possibly the warmest interglacial in the past 0.5 million years. Because the orbital configurations, atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations, climate, and faunal characteristics during MIS 11 closely resemble those of the past 5,000 years, paleoclimatologists use MIS 11 as a geological analogue of the present and the near future.
Dams impact carbon dynamics in U.S. rivers
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC)—which leaches into freshwater systems from plants, soils, and sediments, and from other detritus present in the water itself—is the major food supplement for microorganisms and plays an important role in several environmental processes and in the global carbon cycle. In some aquatic systems such as estuaries the optically measurable colored component of dissolved organic matter (CDOM) is often proportional to the concentration of DOC.
Image: Mount Tongariro erupts
(Phys.org) -- Late on August 6, 2012, New Zealand’s Mount Tongariro erupted for the first time in 115 years, spewing a cloud of ash over North Island, closing roads, and cancelling domestic flights. A new satellite equipped with low-light imaging technology was able to capture the event in the dark of night, just an hour after it began.
Groundwater footprint highlights challenging global water situation
(Phys.org) -- Farmers are unsustainably exploiting groundwater in a number of important agricultural regions, according to a team of researchers led by Prof. Tom Gleeson of McGill’s Department of Civil Engineering, in collaboration with researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. Indeed, widespread groundwater depletion has recently been reported in aquifers (the underground sand, gravel or rock formations that hold groundwater) around the world. In a recent article published in Nature, the researchers estimate that approximately 1.7 billion people, most of whom reside in Asia, live in areas where groundwater resources and/or groundwater-dependent ecosystems are under threat.
First 360-degree panorama from Curiosity Mars rover
(Phys.org) -- Remarkable image sets from NASA's Curiosity rover and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter are continuing to develop the story of Curiosity's landing and first days on Mars.
NASA Global Hawk pilots face challenges flying hurricane missions
NASA's Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel, or HS3, mission will be a complex one for the pilots flying NASA's Global Hawk aircraft from the ground. The mission, set to begin this month, will be the first deployment for the unmanned aircraft away from their regular base of operations at the Dryden Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. In addition the pilots will be operating the aircraft from two locations on opposite coasts.
Researchers combine remote sensing technologies for highly detailed look at coastal change
Shifting sands and tides make it difficult to measure accurately the amount of beach that's available for recreation, development and conservation, but a team of University of Georgia researchers has combined several remote sensing technologies with historical data to create coastal maps with an unsurpassed level of accuracy.
NASA's new way to track formaldehyde
NASA scientist Tom Hanisco is helping to fill a big gap in scientists' understanding of how much urban pollution -- and more precisely formaldehyde -- ultimately winds up in Earth's upper atmosphere where it can wreak havoc on Earth's protective ozone layer.
NASA sees Tropical Storm Kirogi headed for cooler waters
Sea surface temperatures cooler than 80 degrees Fahrenheit can sap the strength from a tropical cyclone and Tropical Storm Kirogi is headed toward waters below that threshold on its track through the northwestern Pacific Ocean, according to data from NASA's Aqua satellite.
NASA sees very heavy rainfall within Tropical Storm Ernesto
NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite, known as TRMM can measure the rate rain is falling with a tropical cyclone from its orbit in space, and data from August 9 reveals areas of heavy rainfall in Tropical Storm Ernesto as it heads for a second landfall in Mexico.
NASA's 'green' planetary test lander crashes
Earlier this week NASA safely landed a robotic rover on Mars 350 million miles (563 million kilometers) away. But on Thursday here on Earth, a test model planetary lander crashed and burned at Kennedy Space Center in the state of Florida just seconds after liftoff.
The cold power of Hurricane Gilma revealed by NASA satellite
High, cold cloud tops with bitter cold temperatures are indicators that there's a lot of strength in the uplift of air within a tropical cyclone. NASA's Aqua satellite passed by Hurricane Gilma and saw a concentrated area of very cold cloud tops.
Curiosity's second day on Mars 'flawless': NASA
NASA rover Curiosity's second day on Mars went "flawlessly," NASA said, confirming the antennas, communication links and generator on the $2.5 billion robot are all working well.
Students looking into bioengineering bacteria to help humans survive on Mars
(Phys.org) -- If after a lot of study, scientists decide that there just isn’t anything living on Mars, would it be wrong to introduce life there, engineered from organisms here on Earth? That may be a question in search of an answer soon, as right now, researchers are looking into creating bacteria that would be able to survive the harsh Martian environment and that could be used for such things as creating building materials or helping to grow food. More specifically, a team of students from Brown and Stanford Universities, as part of an international competition among college students, is working on ways to create microorganisms that could be useful to people, should we ever send them to colonize the red planet.
Study shows skin-aging radicals age naturally formed particles in the air
Pine trees are one of the biggest contributors to air pollution. They give off gases that react with airborne chemicals – many of which are produced by human activity – creating tiny, invisible particles that muddy the air. New research from a team led by Carnegie Mellon University's Neil Donahue shows that the biogenic particles formed from pine tree emissions are much more chemically interesting and dynamic than previously thought. The study provides the first experimental evidence that such compounds are chemically transformed by free radicals, the same compounds that age our skin, after they are first formed in the atmosphere.
Wastewater key to quenching global thirst, review finds
Parched cities and regions across the globe are using sewage effluent and other wastewater in creative ways to augment drinking water, but 4 billion people still do not have adequate supplies, and that number will rise in coming decades. Wildlife, rivers and ecosystems are also being decimated by the ceaseless quest for new water and disposal of waste. Changing human behavior and redoubling use of alternatives are critical to breaking that cycle.
Global water sustainability flows through natural and human challenges
Water's fate in China mirrors problems across the world: fouled, pushed far from its natural origins, squandered and exploited.
Mars rover sends back 1st 360-degree color view
The Curiosity rover has returned another postcard from Mars — the first 360-degree color view from Gale Crater.
Scientist discovers plate tectonics on Mars
(Phys.org) -- For years, many scientists had thought that plate tectonics existed nowhere in our solar system but on Earth. Now, a UCLA scientist has discovered that the geological phenomenon, which involves the movement of huge crustal plates beneath a planet's surface, also exists on Mars.
Curiosity's mysterious Mars photo stirs speculation
Did Curiosity capture the galactic equivalent of the Zapruder film when it landed on Mars?
Plenty of dark matter near the Sun
(Phys.org) -- Astronomers at the University of Zürich, the ETH Zurich, the University of Leicester and NAOC Beijing have found large amounts of invisible "dark matter" near the Sun. Their results are consistent with the theory that the Milky Way Galaxy is surrounded by a massive "halo" of dark matter, but this is the first study of its kind to use a method rigorously tested against mock data from high quality simulations. The authors also find tantalising hints of a new dark matter component in our Galaxy. The team's results will be published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Deep sea temperature reconstruction reveals 1.5 million years of global ice volume history
1.5 million years of climate history revealed after scientists solve mystery of the deep Study successfully reconstructed temperature from the deep sea to reveal how global ice volume has varied over the glacial-interglacial cycles of the past 1.5 million years
Technology news
Zynga chief operating officer leaves the game
Zynga's chief operating officer folded his cards on Wednesday, leaving the social games company just as heavyweight Amazon.com steps into the ring and rival Electronic Arts (EA) takes it to court.
Hong Kong police body cameras spark fears
In a first for Asia, Hong Kong police said Thursday they will trial the use of video cameras attached to their uniforms to film exchanges with the public, despite concerns from human rights groups.
Immediate identification
Soldiers in war zones, and law enforcement and first responders on the scene will soon have the ability to collect and immediately analyze trace amounts of potentially dangerous chemical, explosive or biological agents with the help of a surface swabbing device developed and prototyped by a Maine-based technology company with the help of the University of Maine Advanced Manufacturing Center (AMC).
Ultrafast pulsed lasers… more than just a lightshow
A Navy ship at sea is surrounded by water, with nothing but its carrier group in site, and searches the skies for activity overhead. Isolated radars on each ship in the group scan independently of each other with limited effectiveness. But consider if all of the ships’ radars could be coherently linked to function as one. Such a capability would improve the range and resolution of each radar system, making it possible to identify and characterize objects further away and with greater fidelity.
Facebook says helping Oslo police in missing girl case
Facebook said Thursday it is cooperating with Norwegian authorities who are probing the disappearance of a teenage girl after police earlier said the website had refused them access to her account.
Facebook pressured to remove page deemed racist
(AP) — Facebook is under pressure in Australia to take down a page that insults Aborigines with the government accusing the social networking company of using its U.S. base to avoid Australian anti-discrimination laws.
NIST focuses on testing standards to support lab on a chip commercialization
Lab on a chip (LOC) devices -- microchip-size systems that can prepare and analyze tiny fluid samples with volumes ranging from a few microliters (millionth of a liter) to sub-nanoliters (less than a billionth of a liter) -- are envisioned to one day revolutionize how laboratory tasks such as diagnosing diseases and investigating forensic evidence are performed. However, a recent paper* from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) argues that before LOC technology can be fully commercialized, testing standards need to be developed and implemented.
Shelling out evidence: NIST ballistic standard helps tie guns to criminals
(Phys.org) -- Thanks to a new reference standard developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), law enforcement agencies will have an easier time linking the nearly 200,000 cartridge cases recovered annually at U.S. crime scenes to specific firearms.
Commercial-free TV: Device impresses judges at technology contest
(Phys.org) -- A design by a team of Arizona State University engineering majors for a device that detects upcoming advertisements on television and videos – and can then automatically switch during commercial breaks to other programming selected by viewers – was successfully debuted at a recent international student technology design competition.
New York Times says in talks to sell About.com
The New York Times Company has confirmed it is in talks to sell off its how-to website About.com, but insisted that no definitive deal had been reached.
Solar power day and night: KIT controls fluctuation of renewable energies by using modern storage systems
Energy storage systems are one of the key technologies for the energy turnaround. With their help, the fluctuating supply of electricity based on photovoltaics and wind power can be stored until the time of consumption. At Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), several pilot plants of solar cells, small wind power plants, lithium-ion batteries, and power electronics are under construction to demonstrate how load peaks in the grid can be balanced and what regenerative power supply by an isolated network may look like in the future.
Multimillion-dollar verdict against RIM overturned
(AP) — A U.S. judge has overturned a multimillion-dollar patent-infringement verdict against BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.
GM CEO says old culture still hinders change
(AP) — A frustrated but upbeat General Motors CEO told employees that he's working to wipe out fiefdoms that remain in the company and bring its culture into the 21st Century.
Online scammers using 'FBI message' to demand money
The FBI warned computer users on Thursday to ignore a fake message, purportedly from its officers, that freezes people's screens and demands that they pay a fine for visiting inappropriate websites.
Yelp's ad pitch gets bad reviews from some business owners
Some businesses say the consumer-review site Yelp isn't exactly what it claims to be: "Real People. Real Reviews." Instead, they say, Yelp manipulates how reviews appear to coerce businesses to advertise.
Computer scientists reveal how aquatic olympic gold is captured -- above and below the surface
(Phys.org) -- Computer scientists have isolated the movements of Olympic swimmers and divers through a cutting-edge technique that reveals their motions above and below the water's surface.
Google to $22.5M fine for latest privacy breakdown (Update)
Google is paying a $22.5 million fine to settle the latest regulatory case questioning the Internet search leader's respect for people's privacy and the integrity of its internal controls.
New 'Gauss' virus found by Russia's Kaspersky Lab (Update)
A new computer virus tied to some of the most sophisticated cyberweapons thus-far discovered has been found circulating in the Middle East, a Moscow-based computer security company said Thursday. If a link were confirmed, the find would expand the electronic arsenal reportedly deployed by the U.S. and Israel against their rivals in the region.
Online education degrees skyrocket
Virtually unknown a decade ago, big online teacher education programs now dwarf their traditional competitors, outstripping even the largest state university teachers' colleges.
Review: Newest Apple Mountain Lion OS adds nifty features
Macintosh users have been waiting for a year to get their hands on Apple's newest big cat - the operating system called Mountain Lion, or the more boring Mac OS 10.8.
PLUMgrid funding advances efforts in software-defined networking
(Phys.org) -- Tall order: Building company leadership in its startup years for the startup future of a new platform for networking. Founders of a California-based PLUMgrid want to do just that, with its focus on software-defined networking (SDN). PLUMgrid announced on Wednesday that it has raised $10.7 million in Series A funding from Hummer Winblad and US Venture Partners. “The networking industry is experiencing a major shift as infrastructure becomes software-driven,” said Lars Leckie, managing director, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. The funding comes a year after the company initially raised $2 million.
Google patent calls on eyes to unlock smart glasses
(Phys.org) -- In patent language, the application granted to Google this week says simply “Unlocking a screen using eye tracking information” but the message seems clear enough that Google plans to offer a way for wearers of Google headsets from its Project Glass to unlock their systems with just movements of their eyes. The patent describes a number of systems and methods for seeing to it that eye movements will cause the computing system to switch from being in locked mode of operation to unlocked mode, based on eye-tracking information.
Medicine & Health news
Hong Kong tests babies over Japanese milk formula
Hong Kong said Thursday it will test babies who have consumed Japanese-made infant formulas found to have insufficient levels of iodine, after the products were ordered off the city's shelves.
Blue killer unchecked in S.African toxic towns
Death knows the small town of Prieska all too well.
Vietnam, US begin historic Agent Orange cleanup
From deformed infants to grandparents with cancer, families near Vietnam's Danang Airbase have long blamed the toxic legacy of war for their ills. Now after a decades-long wait, a historic "Agent Orange" clean-up is finally beginning.
Vaccines could be the difference between life and death for a child
This year the U.S. has seen the worst outbreak of whooping cough in more than 50 years. In fact, it has reached epidemic levels in many states and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the number of cases reported is already twice as many as last year. With kids getting ready to head back to school, the numbers of children affected or killed by this disease could continue to rise if children aren’t vaccinated.
Helping kids describe cancer symptoms through cartoons and digital technology
How are you sleeping? Any nausea? How about pain? Monitoring symptoms is an important part of cancer care, as it guides treatment decisions.
Revealing the importance of culture in Latino dental health
Maria Orellana, DDS, PhD, assistant professor in the UCSF School of Dentistry, has long observed that Latino parents are often more resistant to having their children get braces or retainers to straighten teeth than parents of other ethnicities. But beyond simply recognizing this trend, Orellana wants to know why.
Easing complex medication management with computer tools
For the millions of heart patients taking warfarin, an anticoagulant drug used to prevent dangerous blood clots, dosing is a time-consuming hassle. Too little won’t work; too much can be dangerous.
Pills no answer to insomnia
Sleeping tablets are “counter-productive” and offer no real benefit in treating insomnia, Flinders University sleep expert Leon Lack says.
Retirement expert: Medicare woes mostly rooted in myth
(Medical Xpress) -- Various misconceptions surrounding the continued viability of Medicare can be debunked or discredited, making it more important than ever for voters and policymakers to fully understand the program’s existing contours and limitations, according to a paper published by a University of Illinois expert on retirement benefits.
Diabetes drugs helps boost Novo Nordisk in Q2
(AP) — Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk A/S says its net profit grew by 29 percent in the second quarter of 2012, chiefly spurred by strong sales of its new diabetes drugs.
New Genetics educational resource promotes active learning
As upper level undergraduate genetics instructors plan their syllabi for the fall semester, the Genetics Society of America's GENETICS journal offers a new educational resource, articles called "Primers." These articles are designed to bring cutting-edge scientific research into the classroom by making scientific papers accessible to students.
Scientists use worms to unearth cancer drug targets
Through novel experiments involving small nematode worms, scientists from Wyoming have discovered several genes that may be potential targets for drug development in the ongoing war against cancer. Specifically, researchers hypothesize that inhibiting these genes could reverse certain key traits associated with cancer cells. This discovery is published in the August 2012 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal GENETICS.
Poorly-performing hand implants unacceptable says leading medical journal
Poorly-performing medical implants have hit the headlines recently, and the trend looks set to continue: the September issue of the Journal of Hand Surgery (JHS) homes in on the unacceptable performance of hand implants for osteoarthritis patients. Citing several recent studies, the editorial asks why these implants – which perform worse that certain hip replacement implants now deemed unacceptable – are still widely used. JHS is an online and print, orthopedic surgery journal published by SAGE.
Are there gender differences in anti-HIV drug efficacy?
Women comprise nearly half of the HIV-infected population worldwide, but these 15.5 million women tend to be under-represented in clinical trials of anti-HIV drug therapies. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has created a database from 40 clinical studies to assess gender differences in the efficacy of antiretroviral treatments. The results of this study are presented in an article in AIDS Patient Care and STDs.
Spain schools to charge pupils for eating packed lunch
Several Spanish regions plan to charge pupils who bring their own lunch to school a fee to eat in the cafeteria, in the struggle to bring public deficits under control.
Argentina's miracle morgue baby now 4 months old
(AP) — Argentina's miracle morgue baby is now four months old and closer to home.
Gum disease four times as common in rheumatoid arthritis patients
Gum disease is not only four times as common among patients with the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis as it is among their healthy peers, but it also tends to be more severe, indicates a small study published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
'Substantial variation' in stocks of essential antidotes at UK hospitals
There is "substantial variation" in the stocks of essential antidotes used to treat various types of life threatening poisoning incidents in UK acute hospitals, finds research published online in Emergency Medicine Journal.
Crossing 5+ time zones more than doubles illness risk for elite athletes
Elite athletes who cross more than five time zones to compete are around two to three times as likely to get ill as when they compete on their home turf, suggests research published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.
New Herceptin delivery method could vastly simplify breast cancer treatment
A new method of delivering a commonly used breast cancer drug could result in considerably less time spent in hospital for some women undergoing breast cancer treatment, according to the results of a Phase 3 trial published Online First in The Lancet Oncology.
Maternal obesity increases risk of newborn death in sub-Saharan Africa where obesity is rising at alarming rate
"Sub-Saharan Africa already has the highest rates of neonatal death in the world. Whilst overall levels of obesity are currently fairly low by global standards, obesity is actually a rapidly emerging problem, with 5% of women presently classed as obese"*, explains lead author Jenny Cresswell from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Delirium increases risk of developing new dementia eight-fold in older patients
Older people who have experienced episodes of delirium are significantly more likely to develop dementia, according to new research. The study is published in the journal Brain today.
Tai Chi shown to improve COPD exercise capacity
Tai Chi can be used as an effective form of exercise therapy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to new findings.
Hormone in fruit flies sheds light on diabetes cure, weight-loss drug for humans
Manipulating a group of hormone-producing cells in the brain can control blood sugar levels in the body – a discovery that has dramatic potential for research into weight-loss drugs and diabetes treatment.
Doctors can now detect hard-to-diagnose prostate cancer
Researchers have successfully developed and tested a new prostate cancer screening method that uses the combined power of a novel drug therapy and changes in PSA levels over time to identify men with a high PSA who are more likely to have aggressive prostate cancer despite negative biopsies.
Study shows efficacy of new rheumatoid arthritis drug
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study involving researchers from Karolinska Institutet demonstrates the efficacy of Tofacitinib, a new drug for rheumatoid arthritis. According to the study, which is published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the drug is just as effective as biological medicines, but unlike them can be taken in tablet form.
Fruit fly research might change diabetes treatment
When you base your research career on something as minuscule as the period at the end of this sentence, you might have to deal with a questioning look or two.
Thinking abstractly may help to boost self-control
(Medical Xpress) -- Many of the long term goals people strive for — like losing weight — require us to use self-control and forgo immediate gratification. And yet denying our immediate desires in order to reap future benefits is often very hard for us to do.
Preschool within lymphatic vessels
Not only infants crawl. ETH researchers have shown that so-called dendritic cells, important cells of the immune system, use a similar mode of movement more often than previously assumed. The scientists used intravital microscopy to image dendritic cells crawling within lymphatic vessels of living animals.
Source of conflict: Study finds factors that can shape divorced mothers' co-parenting experiences
The type of relationship a woman has with her ex-partner is a factor in how the couple shares custody of children, according to a Kansas State University expert on postdivorce and co-parenting relationships.
Researchers investigate drug resistant ovarian cancer to improve clinical treatment
(Medical Xpress) -- A new study by TCD researchers investigates drug-resistant ovarian cancer cells. The findings which have been recently published in the international publication, PLoS One will increase understanding of molecular markers in drug-resistant ovarian cancer with a view to improving clinical treatment.
Helping multiple sclerosis patients face dizzying medication decisions
(Medical Xpress) -- There is no cure for multiple sclerosis, but several medications can help slow its devastating effects, and extend healthier years for the roughly 2.5 million people worldwide diagnosed with this chronic neurological disease.
Genomic study of rare children's cancer yields possible prognostic tool
A new study of the genetic makeup, or genome, of Ewing sarcoma, a rare cancer that strikes children, teenagers, and young adults, has produced multiple discoveries: a previously unknown sarcoma subtype, genetic factors related to long-term survival, and identification of a genetic change between the primary and metastatic stages of the disease that could lead to better, more targeted treatment.
Nonoperative approach feasible in advanced colon cancer
(HealthDay) -- Treating patients with surgically unresectable metastatic colon cancer and an asymptomatic intact primary tumor with bevacizumab and infusional fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) chemotherapy is a viable and safe option, according to research published online Aug. 6 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
89 million people medically uninsured during 2004 -- 2007
Eighty-nine million Americans were without health insurance for at least one month during the period from 2004 to 2007, and 23 million lost coverage more than once during that time, according to researchers at Penn State and Harvard University.
Bariatric patients with obstructive sleep apnea fail to show symptoms
A Rhode Island Hospital researcher has found that the majority of bariatric surgery patients being treated for obesity have clinically significant obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but report fewer symptoms than other sleep disorders patients. The study by Katherine M. Sharkey, M.D., Ph.D., of the department of medicine, division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at Rhode Island Hospital, and University Medicine, is published online in advance of print in the journal Sleep and Breathing.
Treating drug resistant cancer through targeted inhibition of sphingosine kinase
Scientists at Tulane University School of Medicine, led by Dr. James Antoon and Dr. Barbara Beckman, have characterized two drugs targeting sphingosine kinase (SK), an enzyme involved in cancer growth and metastasis. New treatments specifically attacking cancer cells, but not normal ones, are critical in the fight against cancer. The results, which appear in the July 2012 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, demonstrate the role of SK in drug resistance and therapeutic potential of SK inhibitors.
Ventricular assist device beneficial in youth heart failure
(HealthDay) -- For children with severe heart failure, use of a ventricular assist device as a bridge to heart transplantation is associated with improved survival compared with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), according to a study published in the Aug. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
R-CHOP benefits older mantle-cell lymphoma patients
(HealthDay) -- In older patients with mantle-cell lymphoma, a rituximab-based chemotherapy regimen (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone [R-CHOP]) followed by maintenance therapy with rituximab improves survival, according to a study published in the Aug. 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Scientists discover how iron levels and a faulty gene cause bowel cancer
High levels of iron could raise the risk of bowel cancer by switching on a key pathway in people with faults in a critical anti-cancer gene, according to a study published in Cell Reports today.
The making and unmaking of stem-like, aggressive breast cancer cells
Breast cancers that depend on the hormones estrogen and progesterone are susceptible to treatments targeting these hormones. Take away this dependence and you lose a valuable treatment option.
Hormone acting drugs + uterine artery embolization offers nonsurgical treatment for uterine fibroids
Women with uterine fibroids larger than 10 cm have a new nonsurgical treatment choice –hormone acting drugs followed by uterine artery embolization, a new study shows. The new treatment option can replace hysterectomy, which leaves women infertile.
Cholera outbreak in Guinea worsens
An outbreak of cholera in Guinea has killed 60 people since February and is showing no signs of letting up, the country's health ministry said Thursday.
Researchers uncover gender differences in the effects of long-term alcoholism
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) and Veterans Affairs (VA) Boston Healthcare System have demonstrated that the effects on white matter brain volume from long-term alcohol abuse are different for men and women. The study, which is published online in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, also suggests that with abstinence, women recover their white matter brain volume more quickly than men.
Height, weight and BMI changes seen in children treated with peginterferon alpha for hepatitis C
Follow-up research from the Pediatric Study of Hepatitis C (PEDS-C) trial reveals that children treated with peginterferon alpha (pegIFNα) for hepatitis C (HCV) display significant changes in height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and body composition. Results appearing in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, indicate that most growth-related side effects are reversible with cessation of therapy. However, in many children the height-for-age score had not returned to baseline two years after stopping treatment.
Hepatitis A vaccination in children under two remains effective for ten years
Vaccination against the hepatitis A virus (HAV) in children two years of age and younger remains effective for at least ten years, according to new research available in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD). The study found that any transfer of the mother's HAV antibodies does not lower the child's immune response to the vaccine.
Reductions in U.S. teen smoking stalled: CDC
(HealthDay) -- New data shows that while fewer American teenagers are smoking now than a decade ago, the rate of decline has slowed considerably.
Workers counseled on back pain return to job sooner
(HealthDay) -- Workers on medical leave because of lower back pain are more likely to return to work if they receive reassurance and medical advice on how to stay active, according to a new study.
Gonorrhea resistant to all but one antibiotic: CDC
(HealthDay) -- With options shrinking to a single antibiotic that can fight resistant strains of gonorrhea, U.S. health authorities issued revised guidelines for treating the sexually transmitted bacteria on Thursday.
Multifactorial mechanisms underlie leg weakness in hip OA
(HealthDay) -- Multiple factors contribute to leg weakness in people with hip osteoarthritis (OA), with muscle atrophy being the strongest contributor, according to the results of a systematic review published online July 25 in Arthritis Care & Research.
'Surgeon-tailored' mesh repair resolves urinary incontinence
(HealthDay) -- "Surgeon-tailored" polypropylene mesh (STPM) repair using a transobturator midurethral sling procedure alone or in combination with pelvic organ prolapse repair is an effective treatment for stress urinary incontinence symptoms, although some concerns remain regarding mesh-related complications, according to a study published in the August issue of Urology.
No increased risk of stroke after spinal fusion surgery
(HealthDay) -- In the three years following spinal fusion surgery, the incidence of stroke is similar to or insignificantly lower than that of controls, according to a study published in the June issue of The Spine Journal.
After bariatric op, controlled diet can aid CaOx supersaturation
(HealthDay) -- After bariatric surgery, following a diet that is normal in calcium, low in oxalate, and moderate in protein, can improve urinary calcium oxalate (CaOx) supersaturation, but not urinary oxalate excretion, in patients with a history of kidney stones, according to a study published in the August issue of Urology.
Caloric restriction restores glucose response in diabetes
(HealthDay) -- Neuronal responsiveness of the hypothalamus to glucose, critical in the regulation of feeding, can be restored in patients with type 2 diabetes by short-term caloric restriction, according to a study published online July 30 in Diabetes.
Thinking about others is not child's play: brain study
When you try to read other people’s thoughts, or guess why they are behaving a certain way, you employ a skill known as theory of mind. This skill, as measured by false-belief tests, takes time to develop: In children, it doesn’t start appearing until the age of 4 or 5.
Collaboration finds kidney disease tied to DNA damage
(Medical Xpress) -- A research collaboration involving Rockefeller University and more than two dozen other institutions has found a link between a gene mutation and chronic kidney failure. The study, published in Nature Genetics in July, found patients who had a specific kind of kidney disease — called karyomegalic interstitial nephritis — were likely to also have a mutation on a particular gene, FAN1, which codes for a protein that helps fix DNA damage.
Depression linked with increased risk of peripheral artery disease
(Medical Xpress) -- Depression was linked with an increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in a study of more than 1,000 men and women with heart disease conducted by researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center and the University of California, San Francisco.
Potential drug molecule shows enhanced anti-HIV activity
Researchers from Munich and Naples have shown that minimal modification of a synthetic peptide with anti-HIV activity results in a new compound with more than two orders of magnitude higher binding affinity to the chemokine receptor CXCR4 and greatly improved anti-HIV activity. This could be a step toward the design of new, more effective drugs against AIDS, inflammatory diseases, and some forms of cancer.
Neuroscientists find brain stem cells that may be responsible for higher functions, bigger brains
Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have identified a new stem cell population that may be responsible for giving birth to the neurons responsible for higher thinking. The finding also paves the way for scientists to produce these neurons in culture—a first step in developing better treatments for cognitive disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism, which result from disrupted connections among these brain cells.
Why living in the moment is impossible: Study finds decision-making memories stored in mysterious brain area
(Medical Xpress) -- The sought-after equanimity of "living in the moment" may be impossible, according to neuroscientists who've pinpointed a brain area responsible for using past decisions and outcomes to guide future behavior. The study, based on research conducted at the University of Pittsburgh and published today in the professional journal Neuron, is the first of its kind to analyze signals associated with metacognition—a person's ability to monitor and control cognition (a term cleverly described by researchers as "thinking about thinking.")
Electrical brain stimulation curbs epileptic seizures in rats
(HealthDay) -- Researchers report that they have created a device able to short-circuit epileptic seizures in rats.
Blood test for Alzheimer's gaining ground
The possibility of an inexpensive, convenient test for Alzheimer's disease has been on the horizon for several years, but previous research leads have been hard to duplicate.
Toward 'universal' vaccine: Scientists describe antibodies that protect against large variety of flu viruses
A team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute and Crucell Vaccine Institute in the Netherlands describes three human antibodies that provide broad protection against Influenza B virus strains. The same team had previously reported finding broadly neutralizing antibodies against Influenza A strains.
Biology news
Drought creating waves of uncertainty for livestock producers
Some of the key safety nets that benefit crop farmers dealing with this year’s scorching drought won’t help livestock producers who have been saddled with high feed costs and growing uncertainty, according to two agricultural experts at Iowa State University.
When the grass isn't always greener
Worries about Pennsylvania facing a severe drought seem to have faded with recent rainstorms, but the question of how to care for your lawn during this summer's heat is still important.
The difference between a mole and shrew is in their SOX
The family of small insectivores, Talpidae, includes the moles, shrew moles, and aquatic desmans. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal EvoDevo has found that the enlargement of moles' digging front paws, compared to their feet, is controlled by altered timing of expression of the gene SOX9.
Threatened shark species turning up in US restaurants
Threatened shark species are being used to make shark fin soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine, in several US cities, according to an unprecedented study based on DNA testing.
Listening to crops: Researcher is developing a sensor to detect when plants are under attack
(Phys.org) -- The smell of freshly cut grass may stir memories of baseball parks, cookouts or lazy summer afternoons in the suburbs, but what we perceive as a sweet aroma is actually the plant equivalent of a distress call, one that the grass releases to signal that the lawn is under attack.
Seven rare rhinos spotted in Indonesian jungle
Seven Sumatran rhinos have been captured on hidden cameras in an Indonesian national park where the critically endangered species was feared extinct, a conservationist said Thursday.
How geckos cope with wet feet
Geckos are remarkable little creatures, clinging to almost any dry surface, and Alyssa Stark, from the University of Akron, USA, explains that they appear to be equally happy scampering through tropical rainforest canopies as they are in urban settings. 'A lot of work is done on geckos that looks at the very small adhesive structures on their toes to really understand how the system works at the most basic level', says Stark. She adds that the animals grip surfaces with microscopic hairs on the soles of their feet that make close enough contact to be attracted to the surface by the minute van der Waals forces between atoms. However, she and her colleagues Timothy Sullivan and Peter Niewiarowski were curious about how the lizards cope on surfaces in their natural habitat.
Study of fruit fly chromosomes improves understanding of evolution, fertility
(Phys.org) -- The propagation of every animal on the planet is the result of sexual activity between males and females of a given species. But how did things get this way? Why two sexes instead of one? Why are sperm necessary for reproduction and how did they evolve?
Researchers find evidence that island biodiversity really is different from mainland
(Phys.org) -- Sometimes in science, despite what might seem obvious, researchers still need to perform studies to prove what everyone seems to know is true, because sometimes it’s not. In the case of island biodiversity, however, what has been believed to be true, appears to be so. A combined team of British and American researchers has undertaken a study of the turnover rate of two animal species that live on both Caribbean islands and mainland Central and South America, and have found, as they report in their paper published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B, that the rate does appear to be higher for the island group.
Biologists take journalists to task for sensationalizing animal sexual behavior headlines
(Phys.org) -- Andrew Barron and Mark Brown of Macquarie University, Sydney and Royal Holloway University of London, respectively, have a bone to pick with those who resort to tabloid sensationalism when creating headlines and indeed entire articles when writing for science journals and magazines, as they attempt to describe the sexual behavior of animals. In their commentary piece published in the journal Nature, they say that the media too often resorts to ascribing human sexuality terms to animals especially regarding atypical sexual relationships which can in some cases have negative connotations.
You snooze, you lose: Less sleep leads to more offspring in male pectoral sandpipers
During the breeding season, polygynous male pectoral sandpipers that sleep the least sire the most young. A team of researchers headed by Bart Kempenaers from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen has now discovered this extraordinary relationship. During three weeks of intense competition under the constant daylight of the Arctic summer, males actively court females and compete with other males. Using an innovative combination of tags that monitored movement, male-female interactions, and brain activity in conjunction with DNA paternity testing, the authors discovered that the most sleepless males were the most successful in producing young. As the first evidence for adaptive sleep loss, these results challenge the commonly held view that reduced performance is an evolutionarily inescapable outcome of sleep loss.
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