Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for August 22, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Ferroelectric materials could bring down cost of cloud computing and electronic devices- Molecule reorganises itself for new functions
- Green tea compound shows promise for tackling cancer
- Headset EEG hacking gives new meaning to PINheads
- Menopause evolved to prevent competition between mother and daughter-in-law, researchers say
- Curiosity rover takes first short spin around Mars (Update 2)
- Children of older men have more gene abnormalities: study
- Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields by 20 percent
- More sophisticated wiring, not just bigger brain, helped humans evolve beyond chimps
- Epic patent trial over iPhone goes to jurors (Update)
- Video shows the traffic inside a brain cell
- Elusive metal discovered
- Researchers probe invisible vacancies in fuel cell materials
- Self-awareness in humans is more complex, diffuse than previously thought
- 'Google on steroids': Scientists create chemical brain
Space & Earth news
Tidewatch forecasts go public: Predictions will help Bay-area residents better prepare for coastal flooding
Researchers at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science have added forecast capabilities to their network of Tidewatch water-level stations, giving residents of the lower Chesapeake Bay region a new on-line tool for gauging the magnitude of coastal flooding in a given location and minimizing its potential impacts.
Student commands Mars rover
Children are often mystified by remote control cars and how they can control them with a device while standing several feet away from them. This past week, Chris Tate was mystified by the same powerâ€Ââ€only he was controlling something 150 million miles away, on another planet.
Drastic desertification: Researchers study Dead Sea climate past, finding dramatic results
Over the past 10,000 years, climate changes in the Dead Sea region have led to surprisingly swift desertification within mere decades. This is what researchers from the University of Bonn and their Israeli colleagues found when analyzing pollen in sediments and fluctuations in sea levels, calling the findings 'dramatic.' They are presented in the current issue of the international geosciences journal Quaternary Science Reviews, whose print version is published on 23 August.
First words of safe landing on Mars - tango delta nominal
10:32 p.m. on the evening of Aug. 5 was turning out to be one long minute for Steve Sell. Of course, the previous six had been significantly protracted as well. When added together, the entry, descent and landing of NASA's Curiosity Mars rover had been touted as "Seven Minutes of Terror," and as far as Sell was concerned things were trending in that direction. What the 42-year-old engineer from Gettysburg, Pa., wanted more than anything in that seventh minute was to hear the words "UHF Strong."
Better air quality in harbours thanks to EU policies
Levels of sulphur dioxide in ports of the EU have been reduced by 66% as a result of European policies aimed to improve the quality of the air we breathe. Sulphur dioxide is a serious air pollutant that causes acid rain and also generates fine dust. This dust is dangerous for human health, causing respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and reducing life expectancy in the EU by up to two years. European research has shown that this reduction is a direct result of the EU Directive 1999/32/EC which required low-sulphur fuels for ships at berth or at anchor in ports and which came into effect as of January 2010. The findings were made by scientists at the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) who measured key air quality parameters in Mediterranean harbours before and after the entry into force of the low-sulphur requirements in January 2010.
Natural regeneration building urban forests, altering species composition
In forested regions of the nation, natural regeneration may help cities achieve tree cover goals at the expense of maintaining the desired tree species.
Fourth Galileo satellite reaches French Guiana launch site
The next two Galileo satellites are now in place at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, being prepared for their shared launch this autumn.
Singer Sarah Brightman could be next space tourist: report
British soprano Sarah Brightman could become the next space tourist to blast off to the International Space Station (ISS), a senior official at the Russian space agency hinted Wednesday.
Climate vs. weather: Extreme events narrow the doubts
Heatwaves, drought and floods that have struck the northern hemisphere for the third summer running are narrowing doubts that man-made warming is disrupting Earth's climate system, say some scientists.
Arctic cap on course for record melt: US scientists
The Arctic ice cap is melting at a startlingly rapid rate and may shrink to its smallest-ever level within weeks as the planet's temperatures rise, US scientists said Tuesday.
Court strikes down EPA pollution rule
A federal appeals court Tuesday struck down a key Obama administration air pollution rule meant to protect residents of some states from polluters in neighboring states, saying that the Environmental Protection Agency must grant states more time to implement protections.
Leak brings safety of Hanford nuclear site into question
As part of the biggest, costliest environmental cleanup in the nation's history-disposing of 53 million gallons of radioactive waste at the Hanford nuclear reservation in Washington state-one thing was supposed to be sure: Toxic waste stored in sturdy, double-wall steel tanks wasn't going anywhere.
Florida university unveils new 'Wall of Wind' hurricane simulator
Nearly 20 years after Hurricane Andrew, a Category 5 wind once again shredded roofs in Miami-Dade County.
Two CU-Boulder student rocket payloads set for launch Aug. 23
A sounding rocket launching from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Aug. 23 will be carrying two University of Colorado Boulder student-built payloads and a pair of other payloads developed by students from Virginia Tech, Baylor University and the University of Puerto Rico.
Study pinpoints nutrient behind fresh water algae blooms
University of Alberta ecologist David Schindler has reviewed data from studies of controlling human-caused algae blooms in lakes and says controlling the input of the nutrient phosphorus is the key to fighting the problem.
New climate history adds to understanding of recent Antarctic Peninsula warming
Results published this week by a team of polar scientists from Britain, Australia and France adds a new dimension to our understanding of Antarctic Peninsula climate change and the likely causes of the break-up of its ice shelves.
In Fiji, marine protection gets local boost
A new study by researchers from the Global Change Institute at the University of Queensland, the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University, and the Wildlife Conservation Society has found that locally managed marine protected areas within Fiji are playing an increasingly important role in the nation's strategy to protect inshore habitats.
Environmental behaviour
Promoting the financial benefits of car sharing can inhibit other pro-environmental behaviours, new research led by the University has shown.
NASA sees Tropical Storm Isaac and Tropical Depression 10 racing in Atlantic
There are now two active tropical cyclones in the Atlantic and NASA is generating satellite imagery to monitor their march westward. Tropical Storm Issac is already bringing rainfall to the Lesser Antilles today, Aug. 22, Tropical Depression 10 formed in the eastern Atlantic, and another low fizzled in the western Gulf of Mexico.
Double trouble continues in the Philippine Sea: Tembin and Bolaven
Typhoon Tembin and Typhoon Bolaven continue to churn in the Philippine Sea, and infrared satellite data from NASA showed the power within both storms.
Commercial natural gas was likely major factor in late-20th century stabilization
Increased capture of natural gas from oil fields probably accounts for up to 70 percent of the dramatic leveling off seen in atmospheric methane at the end of the 20th century, according to new UC Irvine research being published Thursday, Aug. 23, in the journal Nature.
Curiosity rover takes first short spin around Mars (Update 2)
Curiosity took its first test drive around the gravel-strewn Martian terrain Wednesday, preparation for the ultimate road trip to find out if life could have existed on the red planet.
Technology news
Apple labor fixes in China said ahead of schedule
(AP) — The labor group hired by Apple Inc. to assess working conditions at three manufacturing plants in China said Tuesday that the improvements it recommended in March are being implemented ahead of schedule.
Smartphone users exceed 30 million in S. Korea
More than 60 percent of South Koreans now have smartphones despite their belated debut in the country, according to the latest industry figures.
China Telecom profit down 8.3 percent
(AP) — China Telecom Ltd., one of the country's three major state-owned phone carriers, said Wednesday its first-half profit fell 8.3 percent amid intense competition and high technology costs.
Security first: New NIST guidelines on securing BIOS for servers
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is requesting comments on new draft guidelines for securing BIOS systems for server computers. BIOS—Basic Input/output System—is the first major software that runs when a computer starts up. Both obscure and fundamental, the BIOS has become a target for hackers.
Customer--not safety--still king in trucking industry
A 'master slave' relationship between trucking companies and retail supply chains is foiling efforts to improve safety in an industry involved in nearly 200 fatal crashes last year.
The research bench meets industry: new facility scales up production of battery materials
The path between technology discovery and commercialization can be so treacherous that it has been dubbed the “Valley of Death.” Not all products survive the test — and batteries are no exception.
How to act if there is a fire on the AVE
Researchers at the University of Cantabria have used computer models to analyse the best way to evacuate the Spanish High Speed Train, AVE, in the case of fire. The involvement of the crew in organising the fast transfer of passengers, completing the process before the train comes to a halt and collective collaboration to assist those with reduced mobility are just some of the strategies to be followed.
Israeli biblical park outfits donkeys with Wi-Fi
(AP) — It was nothing like this 3,000 years ago.
California weighs innovative community solar bill
Rooftop solar power is growing like crazy in California. But there's a big problem: About 44 percent of California residents are renters, not homeowners. That means that nearly half the residents of the state can't purchase solar-generated electricity even if they want to.
Extracting uranium from seawater
(Phys.org) -- Fueling nuclear reactors with uranium harvested from the ocean could become more feasible because of a material developed by a team led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory.
Chinese solar industry faces weak sales, price war
Chinese solar panel makers that grew fast over the past decade are suffering big losses due to slumping global sales and a price war that threaten an industry seen by communist leaders as a role model for hopes to transform China into a technology leader.
Epic patent trial over iPhone technology wraps up (Update)
(AP) — A lawyer for Apple said Tuesday that Samsung was having a "crisis of design" after the launch of the iPhone, and executives with the South Korean company were determined to illegally cash in on the success of the revolutionary device.
Engineering students build UK's first hydrogen powered locomotive
Engineering students and staff at the University of Birmingham have designed and built a prototype hydrogen powered locomotive, the first of its kind to operate in the UK.
Computer program recognises any language
If computers are rendered capable of recognising speech it will one day be the norm to give commands by voice rather than via a keyboard. “Speaking” with a mobile phone is already commonplace for many people. The technology can also be used for searching through an audio archive for files or films on the Internet.
Amazon launches Kindle store in India
US e-commerce giant Amazon on Wednesday launched its Kindle Store in India, claiming to have the largest selection of any e-bookstore in the country.
US jury weighs epic case between Apple, Samsung
(AP) — The multibillion-dollar patent trial involving the world's biggest smartphone companies, Apple and Samsung, was set to go to a U.S. jury Wednesday in an epic struggle over the wildly popular iPhone.
YouTube launches US election hub, streaming video
YouTube launched a 2012 "elections hub" Wednesday devoted to the November vote in the United States, which will include live coverage from the two major party conventions and other political news.
US seizes websites linked to pirated phone apps
US authorities have seized three website domain names involved in distribution of pirated Android phone apps, in the first such action involving mobile app marketplaces.
Business group urges China overhaul patent system
(AP) — A foreign business group urged China on Wednesday to make extensive changes to a patent system it said hampers the country's ability to innovate and might hurt global companies.
China raises rare earths export quota for 2012
(AP) — China on Wednesday slightly increased this year's quota for rare earths exports under controversial controls on the exotic minerals needed by manufacturers of mobile phones and other high-tech products.
Facebook co-founder sells 450,000 shares
(AP) — Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz shed 450,000 shares of Facebook in the past few days for proceeds of about $9 million — a tiny chunk of his total stake.
Hewlett-Packard books $8.9 bn loss (Update)
Hewlett-Packard on Wednesday announced a quarterly loss of $8.9 billion as the US computer giant was forced to write down the value of some assets and take hefty reorganizational charges.
Voice-stress software is put to the test
(Phys.org) -- Computer scientists working in a range of departments, from pervasive computing to mobile computing to sensors, will converge in Pittsburgh for the 14th International Conference on Ubiquitous Computing (Ubicomp 2012) on September 5 through 8. They will learn more there about a team’s software that can recognize stress from vocal patterns. The researchers wanted to see if they could successfully train a system to pick up stress through a person's voice. Their paper, “StressSense: Detecting Stress in Unconstrained Acoustic Environments using Smartphones,” authored by Hong Lu, Mashfiqui Rabbi, Gokul T. Chittaranjan, Denise Frauendorfer, Marianne Schmid Mast, Andrew T. Campbell, Daniel Gatica-Perez, and Tanzeem Choudhury, details their success.
Epic patent trial over iPhone goes to jurors (Update)
(AP) — Nine Silicon Valley residents who presided over the epic three-week patent trial between smartphone titans Apple Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. began deliberating the multibillion-dollar case Wednesday.
PayPal to offer in-store payments thru Discover
PayPal is expanding its brick-and-mortar payment services to more than 7 million stores across the U.S. in a partnership with Discover Financial Services.
Headset EEG hacking gives new meaning to PINheads
(Phys.org) -- Researchers at the Usenix Security conference earlier this month demonstrated a way to get into your brain and learn facts that you don’t want to reveal. Using a commercial off-the-shelf brain-computer interface, the researchers created a custom program designed to find out personal data such as address and PIN. The study, “On the Feasibility of Side-Channel Attacks with Brain-Computer Interfaces,” is by Ivan Martinovic, Doug Davies, Mario Frank, Daniele Perito, Tomas Ros, and Dawn Song. The authors point out that it is just such a commercial off the shelf brain computer interface—costing a few hundred dollars—that can run the brain-hacking show.
Medicine & Health news
NIH launches trial to evaluate anti-inflammatory treatment for preventing heart attacks, strokes, and cardiovascular dea
An international multi-site trial has launched to determine whether a common anti-inflammatory drug can reduce heart attacks, strokes, and deaths due to cardiovascular disease in people at high risk for them. This study is being supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), a part of the National Institutes of Health.
Tobacco ad blitz as New Zealand plans branding ban
British American Tobacco (BAT) launched an advertising campaign in New Zealand Wednesday opposing plans to introduce plain packaging, in a move the government immediately dismissed as a waste of money.
In Madagascar, little help for difficult pregnancies
When she was 20 years old, Alphonsina Zara was pregnant with her first child. After three days of excruciating labour, though she was in a health centre, her baby was stillborn.
MMV develops framework to assess risk of resistance for antimalarial compounds
Medicines for Malaria Venture has developed a framework to evaluate the risk of resistance for the antimalarial compounds in its portfolio. A paper based on this work: A framework for assessing the risk of resistance for antimalarials in development has been published in the Malaria Journal today.
Toolkit to help those with psychiatric disabilities reach educational goals
(Medical Xpress) -- All too often, when individuals experience a mental health impairment, it derails their education. Researchers at the Office of Mental Health Research and Training at the University of Kansas School of Social Welfare have released a new iteration of a toolkit designed to help mental health agencies support these individuals in the quest to achieve their educational goals.
Australian state mulls cigarette sales ban
An Australian state was Wednesday considering a ban on cigarette sales to anyone born after the year 2000 in an initiative that would see a "tobacco-free generation".
Ambos' call-outs rise and fall with the temperature
(Medical Xpress) -- If the temperature hits 30 degrees, Brisbane ambos can expect approximately 10 per cent more call-outs that day for people with chronic conditions, research from QUT's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation has found.
New research re-introduces athletes with learning difficulties into the Paralympic Games
As a result of extensive research and a robust new classification system conducted by academics at Canterbury Christ Church University, athletes are now eligible to compete again in the London 2012 Paralympics.
Texas Tech creates early warning system for fall-risk patients
Engineers at Texas Tech University are developing technology that can predict when a person might fall – even days in advance.
MR enterography is option for pediatric patients with Crohn disease
Parents with children nine years old and older who have Crohn disease should ask their children's doctor about MR enterography as a replacement for small bowel x-rays or CT enterography, a new study indicates.
Research offers new hope for HIV/AIDS patients with cancer
A proposed new treatment to help HIV/AIDS patients suffering from Kaposi’s sarcoma, the most common form of cancer in people with HIV, is now one step closer to becoming a reality.
Lack of food increases hospital use by HIV-infected urban poor in SF
UCSF researchers found that poor HIV-infected individuals living in San Francisco are significantly more likely to visit emergency rooms and to have hospital stays if they lack access to food of sufficient quality and quantity for a healthy life.
30 minutes of daily exercise does the trick
Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have shown that 30 minutes of daily training provide an equally effective loss of weight and body mass as 60 minutes. Their results have just been published in the American Journal of Physiology.
Typical IBD patients not represented in research studies
Major randomized controlled trials of new therapies for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are conducted on patients who are not typical of those who physicians see in day-to-day practice, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA).
Vaccine and autism debate masks real problem
The bitter debate over whether vaccines cause autism is masking real problems with the modern inoculation schedule and encouraging a growing number of parents to refuse recommended vaccines for their children, argues a Michigan State University scholar.
Information for older drivers is newest topic on NIHSeniorHealth site
The National Institutes of Health today unveiled a new online resource for older drivers and families seeking information on an often sensitive topic: Is it still safe to drive? Developed by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) at NIH and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Older Drivers topic offers up-to-date information on how aging may affect driving, including physical changes, safety issues and ways older drivers can cope when driving skills change.
New cancer therapy using ultra-violet C (UVC) pulse flash irradiation
Johbu Itoh at the Tokai University School of Medicine in Japan has developed a new and highly effective cancer therapy method where cancer cells are irradiated with ultraviolet C (UVC) light. The new method employs high intensity-UVC pulse flash rays (UVCPFR) of a broad UVC spectrum (230 to 280 nm) produced by a modified UV-flash sterilization system (BHX200). The experiments showed the pulsed nature of the spectrum to enhance the efficiency of destruction of neoplastic cells.
UK man who failed to overturn euthanasia law dies
(AP) — Tony Nicklinson, paralyzed and unable to speak, found life so unbearable he wanted to die. On Wednesday, the 58-year-old Briton got his wish.
Many medications for elderly are prescribed inappropriately
Approximately one in five prescriptions to elderly people is inappropriate, according to a study published Aug. 22 in the open access journal PLOS ONE.
Patients with anorexia judge own body size inaccurately, view others' accurately
Patients with anorexia have trouble accurately judging their own body size, but not others', according to research published Aug. 22 in the open access journal PLOS ONE.
10 people die of suspected Ebola in Congo
(AP) — The World Health Organization says an outbreak of suspected Ebola in eastern Congo has infected at least 15 people, 10 of whom died.
Popular characters can help kids eat healthy foods too
(HealthDay) -- Superheroes and other popular kids' characters have been used to sell junk food, candy and other sugary treats to children for decades, but new research shows they also can be used to promote healthier eating habits.
Lifestyle changes among disadvantaged groups key to tackling diabetes
Unhealthy behaviors like being overweight, smoking and heavy drinking explain almost half of the social inequalities in type 2 diabetes, finds a study published in the British Medical Journal today.
Public health needs a radical shake up, say experts
Public health needs a radical shake up if it is to enable good health to flourish, say experts in the British Medical Journal today.
Spouses of people suffering a heart attack need care for increased risk of depression and suicide
Spouses of people who suffer a sudden heart attack (an acute myocardial infarction) have an increased risk of depression, anxiety, or suicide after the event, even if their partner survives, according to new research published online today in the European Heart Journal. They suffer more than spouses of people who die from, or survive, other conditions.
Melanoma expert reviews unique adverse events with newly approved drug
An internationally recognized melanoma researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the University of Kiel in Germany, including Axel Hauschild, M.D. and Katharina C. Kähler, M.D., have published an article in the current issue of The Journal of Clinical Oncology that describes immune-related adverse events for patients receiving either tremelimumab or ipilimumab, the latter a drug approved last year by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for treating metastatic melanoma and other cancers.
Unhappy kids are more materialistic, study finds
(HealthDay) -- Unhappy kids are more likely to become materialistic than children who are happy with their lives, a new study from the Netherlands suggests.
Thinking about kids? Men need to shed the kilos
(Medical Xpress) -- Melbourne scientists studying the impact obesity has on pregnancy, are urging men to get ‘match fit’ before conceiving to assist with fetal development.
Alzheimer's cure may be a matter of size
(Medical Xpress) -- Size really does matter according to scientists looking for ways to cure Alzheimer's disease.
Using science to catch a cheat
The truth is, doping in elite sports exists and with so much pressure to be the best, unfortunately some athletes turn to cheating. With the spotlight on the London Olympics and the recent doping scandal of the Tour de France it is evident that doping is still an issue that impacts on the integrity of the sports industry worldwide.
Scientists quantify nanofiber health risk to workers
Health risks posed to people who work with tiny fibres used in manufacturing industries could be reduced, thanks to new research.
Lawson researcher sings the baby blues
The impact of bipolar disorder during pregnancy has been hotly contended among the research community. Now, a new study from Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University is sorting out the debate and calling for more targeted, prospective research.
Simple tip to boost prep literacy
A three-year Queensland University of Technology (QUT) study has found that a prep-year child's literacy was boosted when parents or carers asked children simple questions about a book while reading it to them.
Nearly half of young Swedes believe cancer contagious: study
Nearly half of Swedes aged between 16 and 20 think cancer is a contagious disease, according to a study by a Swedish charity supporting young patients published Wednesday.
First evidence from humans on how alcohol may boost risk of cancer
Almost 30 years after discovery of a link between alcohol consumption and certain forms of cancer, scientists are reporting the first evidence from research on people explaining how the popular beverage may be carcinogenic. The results, which have special implications for hundreds of millions of people of Asian descent, were reported here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Income, 'screen time' affect soda, junk food consumption
Preschoolers from low-income neighbourhoods and kids who spend more than two hours a day in front of a TV or video-game console have at least one thing in common: a thirst for sugary soda and juice, according to research from the University of Alberta.
Australian general practitioners in training spend less time with peds patients than with adults
Australian doctors-in-training spend significantly less time consulting with pediatric patients than they do with adults, according to a new study published in the journal Australian Family Physician.
Researchers find benefits to early intervention in addressing brain abnormalities
an early intervention to address neuropsychiatric deficiencies—can help the brain function normally later in life, a team of researchers has found through a series of experiments on laboratory rats. Their findings, which appear in the latest issue of the journal Neuron, hold promise for addressing a range of brain impairments in humans, including schizophrenia.
With a little training, signs of schizophrenia are averted
Animals that literally have holes in their brains can go on to behave as normal adults if they've had the benefit of a little cognitive training in adolescence. That's according to new work in the August 23 Neuron, a Cell Press publication, featuring an animal model of schizophrenia, where rats with particular neonatal brain injuries develop schizophrenia-like symptoms.
Intense prep for law school admission test alters brain structure
Intensive preparation for the Law School Admission Test (LSAT) actually changes the microscopic structure of the brain, physically bolstering the connections between areas of the brain important for reasoning, according to neuroscientists at the University of California, Berkeley.
Close contact with young people at risk of suicide has no effect
Researchers, doctors and patients tend to agree that during the high-risk period after an attempted suicide, the treatment of choice is close contact, follow-up and personal interaction in order to prevent a tragic repeat. Now, however, new research shows that this strategy does not work. These surprising results from Mental Health Services in the Capital Region of Denmark and the University of Copenhagen have just been published in the British Medical Journal.
Mom's emotional health, education level linked to teen oral health
(Medical Xpress) -- A mother's emotional health and education level during her child's earliest years influence oral health at age 14, according to a new study from Case Western Reserve University's School of Dental Medicine.
First identification of a strong oral carcinogen in smokeless tobacco
Scientists today reported identification of the first substance in smokeless tobacco that is a strong oral carcinogen ― a health risk for the 9 million users of chewing tobacco, snuff and related products in the U.S. ― and called upon the federal government to regulate or ban the substance.
Job stress doubles diabetes risk in women
Work stress doubles the risk of developing diabetes for women who have little or no control over what they do on the job, according to a new Canadian study.
Toward medicines that recruit the body's natural disease-fighting proteins
Like recruiters pitching military service to a throng of people, scientists are developing drugs to recruit disease-fighting proteins present naturally in everyone's blood in medicine's war on infections, cancer and a range of other diseases. They reported on the latest advances in this new approach here today at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Officials: West Nile outbreak one of largest in US (Update)
(AP) — The current West Nile outbreak is one of the largest in the U.S., with four times the usual number of cases for this time of year, federal health officials said Wednesday.
Genome sequencing helps quell bacterial outbreak in Clinical Center
For six months last year, a deadly outbreak of antibiotic-resistant bacteria kept infection-control specialists at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Clinical Center in a state of high alert. A New York City patient carrying a multi-drug resistant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, a microbe frequently associated with hospital-borne infections, introduced the dangerous bacteria into the 243-bed research hospital while participating in a clinical study in the summer of 2011.
Targeting inflammation to prevent, treat cancers
Researchers at the Georgia Health Sciences University Cancer Center have identified a gene that disrupts the inflammatory process implicated in liver cancer.
Low back pain outcomes not improved by early imaging
(HealthDay) -- For workers with low back pain, early magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not associated with better health outcomes at one year, according to a study published in the Aug. 15 issue of Spine.
Prolonged dexamethasone cuts delayed nausea after chemo
(HealthDay) -- Adding dexamethasone to prochlorperazine on days two and three, following palonosetron and dexamethasone on day one, reduces delayed nausea (DN) in patients receiving chemotherapy containing a platinum-based drug or an anthracycline, according to research published online Aug. 20 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Process areas for improvement ID'd in early prostate cancer
(HealthDay) -- For men with early prostate cancer undergoing expectant management, compliance with RAND structural indicators is high, but there is considerable variability in compliance with process indicators, according to a study published in the September issue of The Journal of Urology.
T cells key in atherosclerosis-linked inflammation
(HealthDay) -- In a mouse model of atherosclerosis, CD4+ T cells interact with antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the presence of cognate antigen, leading to cell activation and proliferation and the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, according to an experimental study published online Aug. 13 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Many teens drinking, taking drugs during school: survey
(HealthDay) -- Ninety percent of American high school students report that some of their classmates are using illicit drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, during the school day, a new survey found.
MRI study sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defects
A collaborative research effort by scientists at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Duke University, and University College of London in the UK, sheds new light on alcohol-related birth defects.
Children's body fatness linked to decisions made in the womb
New born human infants have the largest brains among primates, but also the highest proportion of body fat. Before birth, if the supply of nutrients from the mother through the placenta is limited or unbalanced, the developing baby faces a dilemma: should resources be allocated to brain growth, or to fat deposition for use as an energy reserve during the early months after birth?
Large health gaps found among black, Latino, and white fifth-graders
Substantial racial and ethnic disparities were found for a broad set of harmful health-related issues in a new study of 5th graders from various regions of the U.S. conducted by Boston Children's Hospital and a consortium of research institutions. Black and Latino children were more likely than white children to report everything from witnessing violence to engaging in less exercise to riding in cars without wearing seatbelts. At the same time, the study found that children of all races and ethnicities did better on these health indicators if they had more highly-educated parents with higher income or had the advantages of attending certain schools. Although white children were more likely to have these advantages than black or Latino children, when children with similar advantages were compared, racial and ethnic differences for most health indicators were smaller or even absent.
Potency of statins linked to muscle side effects
A study from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, published August 22 online by PLoS ONE, reports that muscle problems reported by patients taking statins were related to the strength or potency of the given cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Scientists reveal how river blindness worm thrives
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that the worm which causes River Blindness survives by using a bacterium to provide energy, as well as help 'trick' the body's immune system into thinking it is fighting a different kind of infection.
Experts say ethical dilemmas contribute to 'critical weaknesses' in FDA postmarket oversight
Ethical challenges are central to persistent "critical weaknesses" in the national system for ensuring drug safety, according to a commentary by former Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee members published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Researchers find possible cause of immune deficiency cases in Asia
A clinical study led by National Institutes of Health investigators has identified an antibody that compromises the immune systems of HIV-negative people, making them susceptible to infections with opportunistic microbes such as nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). In this study conducted at hospitals in Thailand and Taiwan, the researchers found that the majority of study participants with opportunistic infections made an antibody against interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), a cell-signaling molecule thought to play a major role in clearing harmful infections. The study findings will appear online in the August 23rd issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Archived Guthrie cards find a new purpose
Over the last 50 years, the spotting of newborn's blood onto filter paper for disease screening, called Guthrie cards, has become so routine that since 2000, more than 90% of newborns in the United States have had Guthrie cards created. In a study published online in Genome Research, researchers have shown that epigenetic information stored on archived Guthrie cards provides a retrospective view of the epigenome at birth, a powerful new application for the card that could help understand disease and predict future health.
Managerial role associated with more automatic decision-making
Managers and non-managers show distinctly different brain activation patterns when making decisions, according to research published Aug. 22 in the open access journal PLOS ONE.
Study: Obesity surgery can help prevent diabetes
Doctors are reporting a new benefit from weight-loss surgery — preventing diabetes. Far fewer obese people developed that disease if they had stomach-shrinking operations rather than usual care to try to slim down, a large study in Sweden found.
Video shows the traffic inside a brain cell
Using bioluminescent proteins from a jellyfish, a team of scientists has lit up the inside of a neuron, capturing spectacular video footage that shows the movement of proteins throughout the cell.
Male mice exposed to chronic social stress have anxious female offspring
A study in mice conducted by researchers at Tufts University School of Medicine (TUSM) suggests that a woman's risk of anxiety and dysfunctional social behavior may depend on the experiences of her parents, particularly fathers, when they were young. The study, published online in Biological Psychiatry, suggests that stress caused by chronic social instability during youth contributes to epigenetic changes in sperm cells that can lead to psychiatric disorders in female offspring across multiple generations.
Researchers return blood cells to stem cell state
Johns Hopkins scientists have developed a reliable method to turn the clock back on blood cells, restoring them to a primitive stem cell state from which they can then develop into any other type of cell in the body.
Rewired visual input to sound-processing part of the brain leads to compromised hearing
Scientists at Georgia State University have found that the ability to hear is lessened when, as a result of injury, a region of the brain responsible for processing sounds receives both visual and auditory inputs.
Low-dose sedative alleviates autistic-like behavior in mice with Dravet syndrome mutation
A low dose of the sedative clonazepam alleviated autistic-like behavior in mice with a mutation that causes Dravet syndrome in humans, University of Washington researchers have shown.
Study suggests early exposure to antibiotics may impact development, obesity
Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have made a novel discovery that could have widespread clinical implications, potentially affecting everything from nutrient metabolism to obesity in children.
More sophisticated wiring, not just bigger brain, helped humans evolve beyond chimps
Human and chimp brains look anatomically similar because both evolved from the same ancestor millions of years ago. But where does the chimp brain end and the human brain begin?
Children of older men have more gene abnormalities: study
Do older fathers doom their children to genetic disease?
Self-awareness in humans is more complex, diffuse than previously thought
Ancient Greek philosophers considered the ability to "know thyself" as the pinnacle of humanity. Now, thousands of years later, neuroscientists are trying to decipher precisely how the human brain constructs our sense of self.
New AIDS-like disease in Asians, not contagious
Researchers have identified a mysterious new disease that has left scores of people in Asia and some in the United States with AIDS-like symptoms even though they are not infected with HIV.
Biology news
Nematodes with pest-fighting potential identified
Formosan subterranean termites could be in for a real headache. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists have identified species of roundworms, or "nematodes," that invade the termite brains and offer a potential bio-based approach to controlling them. Other nematodes that were identified invaded tarantula brains.
Recovery slows for California's sea otters, 2012 survey shows
The southern sea otter population continues its pattern of tepid recovery, according to the latest population survey led by scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey, UC Santa Cruz, and the California Department of Fish and Game.
Survival without water: A key trait of an aquatic invader to spread
Nowadays, an increasing number of rivers and lakes are being invaded by exotic snails, which come from remote regions, and even other continents. Such species represent a threat to native species, as they compete for food or space with them.
Losing stream in our battle to predict and prevent invasive species
Invasive species – plants, animals, and microbes introduced to regions beyond their native range – carry a global price tag of $1.4 trillion dollars. They are responsible for the loss of natural resources and biodiversity, damages to infrastructure, and an uptick in infectious diseases.
Good news for banana lovers: Help may be on the way to slow that rapid over-ripening
A solution finally may be at hand for the number one consumer gripe about America's favorite fresh fruit ― bananas and their tendency to ripen, soften and rot into an unappetizing mush, seemingly in the blink of an eye.
Biorefinery makes use of every bit of a soybean
The corn industry produces almost 4,000 products from every bushel. Oil refineries produce fuels and ingredients for an estimated 6,000 products with a thoroughness that actually squeezes 44 gallons of products from every 42-gallon barrel of crude.
Berlin zoo's last panda, gift from China, dead at 34
The oldest male panda bear in the world, a gift from China to former German chancellor Helmut Schmidt, died Wednesday aged 34 in Berlin, its zoo said.
Native landscaping in urban areas can help native birds
A recent study of residential landscape types and native bird communities in Phoenix, Ariz., led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst urban ecologist suggests that yards mimicking native vegetation and wildlands offer birds "mini refuges," helping to offset the loss of biodiversity in cities and supporting birds better than traditional grass lawns and non-native plantings.
Traumatic mating may offer fitness benefits for female sea slugs
Female sea slugs mate more frequently than required to produce offspring, despite the highly traumatic and biologically costly nature of their copulation, as reported Aug. 22 in the open access journal PLOS ONE.
Menopause evolved to prevent competition between mother and daughter-in-law, researchers say
The menopause evolved, in part, to prevent competition between a mother and her new daughter-in-law, according to research published today in the journal Ecology Letters.
Frogs' bright colors cue scientists to diversity
Tiny poison dart frogs living wild in Panama may provide clues about relatively rapid biodiversification, says Tulane University evolutionary biologist Corinne “Cori” Richards-Zawacki. Her team of students has spent most of the summer at two field sites on an archipelago studying natural selection.
Study identifies how RNA viruses hijack a host cell to multiply
(Phys.org) -- By discovering how certain viruses use their host cells to replicate, UC Irvine microbiologists have identified a new approach to the development of universal treatments for viral illnesses such as meningitis, encephalitis, hepatitis and possibly the common cold.
Scientists manipulate the Set2 pathway to show how genes are faithfully copied
The first step in gene expression is the exact copying of a segment of DNA by the enzyme known as RNA polymerase II, or pol II, into a mirror image RNA. Scientists recognize that pol II does not transcribe RNA via a smooth glide down the DNA highway but instead encounters an obstacle course of DNA tightly wound around barrier proteins called histones. Those proteins must be shoved aside for pol II to trundle through.
Gene breakthrough could boost rice yields by 20 percent
Scientists on Wednesday said they had developed a strain of rice that grows well in soils lacking the nutrient phosphorus, a feat that could boost crop yields for some farmers by as much as a fifth.
Parasitic wasps remember better if reward is greater
Two parasitic wasp species show similar memory consolidation patterns in response to rewards of different quality, providing evidence that the reward value affects the type of memory that is consolidated. The full results are reported Aug. 22 in the open access journal PLOS ONE.
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