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Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for September 20, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Small is beautiful: Viewing hydrogen atoms with neutron protein crystallography- Dawn mission discovers hydrogen on giant asteroid Vesta (w/ Video)
- Scientists erase fear from the brain
- How the cheetah got its stripes—a genetic tale
- Mars rover Curiosity targets unusual rock enroute to first destination
- New research uncovers path to defect-free thin films
- Researchers use SSRL to decipher structural details of deadly enzyme
- Largest genomic study shows Khoe-San people are unique
- Apple fans complain of missing landmarks in new map system
- Move to less impoverished neighborhoods boosts physical and mental health
- Unusual symbiosis discovered in single-celled algae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria
- Pesticides not yet proven guilty of causing honeybee declines, new study says
- Non-communicable diseases prevention 'more important than life or death'
- Intrinsically disordered proteins: A conversation with Rohit Pappu
- Taming physical forces that block cancer treatment
Space & Earth news
Record Arctic ice low drives urgent global action
Today's announcement of a record low for Arctic sea ice extent shows the need for urgent local and global actions, say WWF experts. According to satellite monitoring, the low of 3.41 million square kilometers was reached on September 16. This is a loss of ice nearly twice the size of Alaska, compared to the average minimum from 1979 to 2000.
Discovering 'hot towers'
Two hours before Hurricane Isaac made landfall, a satellite orbiting hundreds of miles above the storm used a radar instrument to map the storm's inner structure. The instrument on the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) observed two extremely tall complexes of rain clouds called hot towers in the eyewall, a sign that Isaac was trying to strengthen. The towering clouds were so high that they punched through the troposphere (the lowest layer of the atmosphere where most weather occurs) and sent air loaded with ice crystals rushing into the stratosphere, a higher layer that normally contains very little moisture.
Sustainable coastal management and climate adaptation examined in new book
(Phys.org)—Sustainable management of Australia's much-loved coast is complex and challenging. Much is already known about coastal environments, but to date, coastal management has had limited success; in some cases management decisions have made problems worse.
Sussex astronomer probes 'dark energy' mystery as captured on camera
A University of Sussex astronomer has described seeing the first images captured by the world's most powerful sky-mapping camera as a "punching-the-air moment".
Emergency planning: Green thinking with a sense of urgency
Six of Harvard's deepest thinkers on the environment warned about a worsening climate crisis, even as they shared promising new technology, new ideas about city design, and examples of how markets can be used to meet the challenges of sustainability.
Novel plastic-and-papyrus restoration project
Plans are being implemented to create plastic floating islands containing papyrus plants to help protect the ecosystems of a renowned lake in the Rift Valley, Kenya.
Kelly, Giffords watch Endeavour fly over Ariz.
(AP)—The last commander of the space shuttle Endeavour said "That's my spaceship" as it flew over Tucson, Ariz., in honor of him and his wife, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
New Chinese 'commitments' to tackle spiralling emissions: EU
China has made a "commitment" to tackle spiralling greenhouse gas emissions in return for EU financial aid and expertise, the European Union announced Thursday.
'Planetary emergency' due to Arctic melt, experts warn
Experts warned of a "planetary emergency" due to the unforeseen global consequences of Arctic ice melt, including methane gas released from permafrost regions currently under ice.
African dust forms red soils in Bermuda
In Bermuda, red iron-rich clayey soil horizons overlying gray carbonate rocks are visually stunning topographical features. These red soils, called terra rossa, are storehouses of information not only on past local processes that crafted the topography of the island but also on atmospheric circulation patterns that drove global climate during the Quaternary period (roughly 2.5 million years ago). The origin of the terra rossa, however, has remained a mystery for well over a century.
Sea level controls carbon accumulation in the Everglades
How much carbon is stored in the organic soils of tropical wetlands is becoming an important question as erosion, agriculture, and global climate change slowly set into motion a series of processes that could potentially release carbon locked up in these wetlands. In a recent study, Glaser et al. reconstructed a complete, carbon-14 dated 4,000-year history of both organic and inorganic matter accumulation in the Everglades of south Florida.
Climate change threatens permafrost in soil
In the coming century, permafrost in polar regions and alpine forests in the Northern Hemisphere may thaw rapidly, potentially releasing carbon and nitrogen that could cause additional regional warming. Permafrost occurs in soils where ground temperatures remain below freezing for at least two consecutive years. These special types of soil, called Gelisols, are large reservoirs of organic carbon and nitrogen. Thawing is likely to release the carbon and nitrogen in these soils to rivers and lakes, ecosystems, and the atmosphere; different soil types are vulnerable to different thawing processes.
China's Changbaishan volcano showing signs of increased activity
Roughly 1,100 years ago, the Changbaishan volcano that lies along the border between northeastern China and North Korea erupted, sending pyroclastic flows dozens of kilometers and blasting a 5-kilometer (3-mile) wide chunk off of the tip of the stratovolcano.
For first time, meandering river created in laboratory
Natural rivers are not straight, and they are rarely idle. Instead, they bend and curve and sometimes appear to wriggle across the surface over time. That rivers can meander is obvious but how and why they do so is less well known. These questions are complicated by the fact that researchers have for the most part been unable to realistically create a meandering river in a laboratory. Scientists have previously created simulated streams that bend and branch, but they were not able to limit the river to only a single main flow path or maintain such dynamic motion past the initial bend formation. Working with a 6-by-11 meter (20-by-36 foot) river simulator called the Eurotank, van Dijk et al. created a dynamically meandering river. In so doing, the authors identify two conditions necessary to induce meandering: the availability of mixed sediment and a continuously varying upstream water source.
UK lawmakers seek moratorium on Arctic drilling
(AP)—International governments should seek a moratorium on offshore drilling in the Arctic amid concern an oil spill in the region could cause catastrophic environmental damage, British lawmakers said Thursday.
450 species: Study suggests Mozambique Channel is home to second most diverse coral reefs in the world
(Phys.org)—Researchers announced today that the results of a decade-long study has shown that the northern Mozambique Channel has the highest diversity of corals in the central, northern and western Indian Ocean. The researchers found that of 369 coral species identified so far in the region, sites in the northern Mozambique Channel had from 250-300 species, while sites in northern Kenya, the Gulf of Aden and the outer Seychelles islands had 200 or fewer species. The findings also suggest the total diversity of corals in the region may approach 450 species, equivalent to the Great Barrier Reef and Andaman islands, which are on the edges of the Coral Triangle, which would make the northern Mozambique Channel home to the second most diverse coral populations on the planet.
Saddle collapse behind rapid sea level rise
Researchers from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom have uncovered the mystery behind the rapid sea level rise in the past by using climate and ice sheet models. Funded in part by a Marie Curie Action grant under the EU's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), the results showed that the process, called 'saddle collapse', generated two rapid sea level rise events: the Meltwater pulse 1a (MWP1a), some 14,600 years ago, and the '8,200 year' events. The results were published in the journal Nature.
US space shuttle to honor Giffords with flyover (Update)
(AP)—The space shuttle Endeavour will honor former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords with a flyover of her Arizona hometown on its way to the California museum where it will be displayed, the U.S. space agency said Thursday.
Endeavour leaves Houston for new home in Calif.
(AP)—Space shuttle Endeavour has departed Houston on its trek west to retirement in a Los Angeles museum.
Rare earth metals: Will we have enough?
Life in the 21st century wouldn't be the same without rare earth metals. Cell phones, iPads, laptops, televisions, hybrid cars, wind turbines, solar cells and many more products depend on rare earth metals to function. Will there be enough for us to continue our high-tech lifestyle and transition to a renewable energy economy? Do we need to turn to deep seabed or asteroid mining to meet future demand?
What's it like to fly a plane with shuttle on top?
(AP)—It's the ultimate piggyback ride: A space shuttle perched atop a Boeing 747 as the pair crisscrosses the country.
NASA satellites and Global Hawk see Nadine display more tropical characteristics
Scientists and forecasters have been analyzing Tropical Storm Nadine using various NASA satellites as NASA's Global Hawk flew over the storm gathering information. Both the Global Hawk and NASA's TRMM satellite noticed that Nadine has continued to display tropical characteristics, indicating that it has not transitioned to an extra-tropical storm.
Endeavour salutes Giffords en route to California
(AP)—Space shuttle Endeavour returned to its California roots Thursday after a wistful cross-country journey that paid homage to NASA workers and former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her astronaut husband.
Astrochemistry enters a bold new era with ALMA
(Phys.org)—Combining the cutting-edge capabilities of the ALMA telescope with newly-developed laboratory techniques, scientists are opening a completely new era for deciphering the chemistry of the Universe. A research team demonstrated their breakthrough using ALMA data from observations of the gas in a star-forming region in the constellation Orion.
Solar fleet peers into coronal cavities
(Phys.org)—The sun's atmosphere dances. Giant columns of solar material – made of gas so hot that many of the electrons have been scorched off the atoms, turning it into a form of magnetized matter we call plasma – leap off the sun's surface, jumping and twisting. Sometimes these prominences of solar material, shoot off, escaping completely into space, other times they fall back down under their own weight.
Mars rover Curiosity targets unusual rock enroute to first destination
(Phys.org)—NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has driven up to a football-size rock that will be the first for the rover's arm to examine.
Dawn mission discovers hydrogen on giant asteroid Vesta (w/ Video)
(Phys.org)—The first measurements of the elemental composition of the surface of the giant asteroid Vesta indicate that hydrogen was brought to the body by impactors, research by a team led by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Thomas H. Prettyman has shown.
Technology news
Panetta talks computer hacking issues with Chinese
(AP)—Despite several years of escalating diplomacy and warnings, the U.S. is making little headway in its efforts to tamp down aggressive Chinese cyberattacks against American companies and the government.
Google blocks Singapore access to anti-Islam film
Google on Thursday blocked YouTube users in Singapore from viewing clips of an anti-Islamic film that has incited violent protests across the Muslim world, acting on a request by city authorities.
HP employees indicted in German graft probe
Current and former Hewlett Packard employees have been indicted in Germany as part of a nearly three-year probe into bribes paid for a multimillion-euro Russian contract, the US firm said.
UK regulator finds BSkyB 'fit and proper' (Update)
(AP)—British Sky Broadcasting is a "fit and proper" company to hold an operating license, U.K. regulators said Thursday in response to the phone hacking scandal that engulfed the parent company. But it criticized the former CEO and chairman, James Murdoch, for poor management.
Mobile-device technology: First on-chip CMOS power detector with temperature compensation
Fujitsu Laboratories today announced that it has developed a CMOS power detector with built-in temperature compensation, featuring a compact design and low power consumption suitable for use in smartphones and other mobile terminals.
French strike threatens to take shine off iPhone 5 launch (Update)
The reviews are almost universally glowing and the queues are dutifully forming at Apple stores across the world, but in France the much-hyped release of the iPhone 5 could be stymied by strike action.
Children in Switzerland are using mobile phones to go online
In no other country in Europe do more children surf the Web using their mobile phones than in Switzerland. As a study by the University of Zurich shows, children in Switzerland are adept at handling social media—they don't surf the Net extensively and only four percent have set their social network profile to "public".
US judge rejects call to ban YouTube anti-Muslim film
A US judge rejected Thursday a request by an actress in the anti-Islamic video that set off violent Muslim protests to ban YouTube from showing the trailer in the United States.
Once usability becomes secure: German researcher optimizes 'Single Sign-On'
Risk increases with comfort: "Single Sign-On" permits users to access all their protected Web resources, replacing repeated sign-ins with passwords. However, attackers also know about the advantages such a single point of attack offers to them. Andreas Mayer, who is writing his PhD thesis as an external doctoral candidate at the Chair for Network and Data Security (Prof. Dr. Jörg Schwenk) at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, has now been able to significantly increase the security of this central interface for the simpleSAMLphp framework.
Rice launches sweeping Energy and Environment Initiative
Rice University today announced the Energy and Environment Initiative (E2I), a sweeping plan to support interdisciplinary research that will draw experts from every corner of the university to work with Houston's energy industry to overcome barriers to the sustainable development and use of current and alternative forms of energy.
Senate probe: Microsoft, HP avoid offshore taxes
(AP)—Senate investigators say that Microsoft Corp., the Hewlett-Packard Co. and other multinational corporations have avoided billions in U.S. taxes by shifting profits offshore and taking advantage of weak, ambiguous sections of the tax code.
House bill to increase high-tech visas defeated
(AP)—Democratic opposition has led to the defeat of a House Republican bill that would have granted more visas to foreign science and technology students but would have eliminated another visa program that is available for less-educated foreigners, many from Africa.
Samsung 'disappointed' at US judge's tablet decision
Samsung Electronics said Thursday it was "disappointed" at a US judge's refusal to lift a ban on US sales of its tablet computer as it fights a long-running global legal battle with arch-rival Apple.
Tokyo Game Show focuses on social, smartphones
It's not quite game over at the annual Tokyo Game Show opening Thursday, but with smartphones, tablets and other computer-like devices luring people away from the once-dominant consoles devoted to video games, the rules have changed.
US demanding harsh penalties for price fixers (Update)
(AP)—The U.S. Department of Justice is demanding that a Taiwanese company pay a $1 billion fine and two former top executives each serve 10 years in prison for their central roles in what prosecutors called the most serious price-fixing cartel ever prosecuted by the U.S.
Gordon supercomputer used in 61-million-person Facebook experiment
(Phys.org)—A recently published study led by the University of California, San Diego in collaboration with Facebook and done in part using large-scale simulations on the San Diego Supercomputer Center's (SDSC) data-intensive Gordon supercomputer, confirms that peer pressure helps get out the vote while demonstrating that online social networks can affect important real-world behavior.
Journalists 'can't work without social media,' study shows
(Phys.org)—More than a quarter of UK journalists are unable to work without social media despite an increasing number of concerns about productivity, privacy and the future of journalism, according to the 2012 social journalist study results.
New server cooling technology deployed in pilot program at Calit2
(Phys.org)—The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) at the University of California, San Diego has become the inaugural test site for a new approach to cooling computer servers – a technology that could improve energy efficiency and enable higher-performance computing.
Tracking people by their 'gait signature'
The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) has developed a walking gait recognition system that, in combination with other tools, can help track an individual though a CCTV monitored area by analysing the way that they walk.
Total autopilot: A step closer
(Phys.org)—Will planes someday fly without pilots? Three EPFL laboratories, commissioned by Honeywell and operating under the auspices of EPFL's Transportation Center, are working on this possibility by developing collision-prediction, avoidance, and real-time vision algorithms. The project is a formidable technological challenge.
Germany: Microsoft wins patent case vs Motorola
(AP)—Microsoft Corp. has won a patent case in Germany against Google's Motorola unit over technology for mobile devices.
Samsung says it will add iPhone 5 to court case
(AP)—Samsung Electronics says it plans to add the iPhone 5, set to be released Friday, to the list of Apple devices that it claims infringes its patents in a California court case.
Facebook to require firms to pay for 'Offers'
Facebook said Thursday it was revamping its "Offers" service, by making companies pay for what had been free advertising until now.
Taiwan co. fined $500 million for LCD price fixing
(AP)—A Taiwanese company was fined $500 million Thursday and its former president and executive vice president were each sentenced to three years in prison for their leading roles in a global LCD screen price-fixing conspiracy.
Microsoft fixing security bug in Internet Explorer (Update)
(AP)—Microsoft is releasing an update to its Internet Explorer browser to fix a security problem that could expose personal computers to hacking attacks.
World's first biofuel jet flight to take off in Canada
The world's first flight powered entirely by bio jet fuel will take off next month from Ottawa, the fuel makers announced Thursday.
Oracle's 1Q earnings rise, but revenue disappoints
(AP)—Oracle's earnings matched analyst estimates in the latest quarter, but a revenue decline signaled the business software maker is having a tougher time closing deals.
Bromium sets up business net around malware (Update)
(Phys.org)—Bromium has announced the availability of a product intended to make a significant difference in how enterprises cope with relentless attempts to attack their systems with malware, burdening IT departments and preventing employees from carrying on business as usual. The only headaches inherent in Bromium's product might beset rival security companies that do business in anti-virus software and data protection. Ian Pratt, Bromium co-founder, said, "Traditional security products rely on being able to look at any document in advance and decide whether it contains malicious code which can be identified by `signatures' already reported.... Yes, a bit like after the horse has bolted."
Apple fans complain of missing landmarks in new map system
Apple faced growing criticism on Thursday from users around the world who complained that the tech giant's new mapping system is riddled with errors.
Medicine & Health news
UNICEF studies highlight the importance of equity in maternal and child health improvement strategies
Two studies from UNICEF, forming The Lancet Series on equity in child survival, health, and nutrition, provide compelling evidence for the strategic importance of focusing global health improvement efforts on the poorest and hardest to reach children.
Development aid for maternal and child heath stalls, despite increasing number of donors
Latest figures from the Countdown to 2015 group, published in The Lancet, show that official development aid for maternal, newborn, and child health activities stalled for the first time in 2010, with the total volume of aid given decreasing slightly, despite a growing number of donors being recorded.
Equitable approach the best way to rapidly increase overall maternal and child health coverage
The first ever global study to examine how changes in health inequality are related to overall coverage of maternal and child health interventions has shown that the countries making the most rapid progress in increasing maternal and child health coverage are those with programmes which most effectively address the needs of the poorest women and children in a population.
Passive smoking under fire when Swiss head to the polls
Switzerland is deeply divided ahead of a vote Sunday on whether to beef up a ban on smoking in indoor workplaces and public spaces, with supporters stressing the health benefits of less second-hand smoke and opponents decrying a "witch-hunt".
Tax penalty to hit nearly 6M uninsured people
(AP)—Congressional budget analysts are now estimating that nearly 6 million Americans—most of them in the middle class—will have to pay a tax penalty for not getting health insurance once President Barack Obama's health care law is fully in place.
Stroke blood test that could increase use of most effective treatment five-fold
Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with UK company Proteome Sciences plc (PS) describe a simple blood test that could substantially increase the number of patients eligible for highly effective ischaemic stroke therapy in a paper "Blood Glutathione S-Transferase-pi (GSTP) as a Time Indicator of Stroke Onset", published last week in the journal PLoS ONE.
Adrift in foreign land: Study highlights failings when older people transferred between health and social care services
A major study of the experiences of older people moving between health and care services published today highlights significant problems in the quality of the service they received. The researchers from the University of Birmingham's Health Services Management Centre found that too often older people were excluded from decisions and carers in particular felt undervalued by statutory providers. This is despite patient and carer involvement being a central aim of current NHS reforms, championed by the phrase "Nothing about me, without me".
Patients at teaching hospitals don't fare worse with trainee doctors, research shows
(Medical Xpress)—A University of Florida physician and colleagues have "mythbusted" a notion long held in medical circles: patients at teaching hospitals fare worse in July when new medical graduates start their residency training and older residents take on more responsibilities. A large national study revealed no such "July phenomenon" or "July effect"—at least not in the field of neurosurgery.
Study reveals health impacts on Defence families
(Medical Xpress)—Partners of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel deployed multiple times were as physically and mentally well as those who had fewer deployments, a University of Queensland study shows.
New technology allows vital signs to be checked via webcam
Webcam software developed by a new Oxford University spin-out company will offer a simple, non-invasive way of monitoring patients' vital signs.
The molecular mechanisms behind the benefits of exercise
Leading a sedentary lifestyle increases risk of developing type 2 diabetes. European scientists focused on delineating the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects of exercise on our metabolism.
Gene regulation through non-coding RNAs
A number non-coding RNAs are transcribed in humans but their role in the human body has not been elucidated. European scientists are deciphering the role of such RNAs in a newly discovered imprinted human genome domain.
Novel therapy for improving airway hydration status in cystic fibrosis patients
Cystic fibrosis is one of the most common inherited single gene diseases, with an incidence of 1 out of 3,000 newborns in central Europe. An EU study developed a novel gene therapy approach for improving fluid absorption in diseased airways.
New framework for more effective vaccine vectors
Despite the development of new technologies for successful vaccination against contagious diseases and cancer, there is a lack of standard operation procedures (SOPs) and cross-comparison. European scientists built the framework for the systematic production, validation and comparison of effective vaccine vectors.
Bergen-Belsen lessons underline vital role that nurses can play in patient feeding
Nurses can play a key role in feeding people and restoring their humanity in times of great crisis and this was very evident during their little-known involvement in the liberation of Bergen-Belsen at the end of World War Two. That is the key finding of a historical research paper published in the October issue of the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
Macedonia reports first West Nile virus fatality
A person infected with the mosquito-borne West Nile virus has died in Macedonia and two other people are undergoing treatment in a Skopje hospital, the health ministry said Thursday.
Survival of safety-net hospitals at risk
Many public safety-net hospitals are likely to face increasing financial and competitive pressures stemming in part from the recent Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act, according to researchers at Penn State and the Harvard School of Public Health.
Virtual reality simulator helps teach surgery for brain cancer
A new virtual reality simulator—including sophisticated 3-D graphics and tactile feedback—provides neurosurgery trainees with valuable opportunities to practice essential skills and techniques for brain cancer surgery, according to a paper in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
No 'july phenomenon' for neurosurgery patients
For patients undergoing neurosurgery at teaching hospitals, there's no "July phenomenon" of increased death and complication rates when new residents start their training, reports a study in the September issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
Structural and functional abnormalities found in brains of relapsed alcohol-dependent patients
Scientists at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have succeeded in coming closer to determining the risk of relapse in detoxified alcohol-dependent patients. Using an imaging process (magnetic resonance tomography) it was shown that particular regions in the brain demonstrate structural as well as functional abnormalities in relapsed alcohol-dependent patients. Study findings are published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
RNA interference for human therapy
Leading scientists in the field investigated the potential of RNA interference (RNAi) technology as a therapeutic intervention for down-regulating the expression of disease-associated genes. Project deliverables hold significant exploitation ground in research and medicine.
Low calorie cranberry juice lowers blood pressure in healthy adults
Regularly drinking low-calorie cranberry juice may help get your blood pressure under control, according to new findings presented at the American Heart Association's High Blood Pressure Research 2012 Scientific Sessions.
As painkiller overdoses mount, researchers outline effective approaches to curb epidemic
Prescription painkillers are responsible for more fatal overdoses in the United States than heroin and cocaine combined. And while most states have programs to curb abuse and addiction, a new report from Brandeis University shows that many states do not fully analyze the data they collect.
Obese children have less sensitive taste-buds than those of normal weight
Obese kids have less sensitive taste-buds than kids of normal weight, indicates research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Researchers find sudden cardiac death is associated with thin placenta at birth
Researchers studying the origins of sudden cardiac death have found that in both men and women a thin placenta at birth was associated with sudden cardiac death. A thin placenta may result in a reduced flow of nutrients from the mother to the foetus. The authors suggest that sudden cardiac death may be initiated by impaired development of the autonomic nervous system in the womb, as a result of foetal malnutrition. The new study, published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, also found that sudden death was associated independently with poor educational attainment. However, sudden cardiac death was not associated with maternal body size, foetal size at birth, or the length of gestation.
A mother's nutrition—before pregnancy—may alter the function of her children's genes
Everyone knows that what mom eats when pregnant makes a huge difference in the health of her child. Now, new research in mice suggests that what she ate before pregnancy might be important too. According to a new research report published online in The FASEB Journal, what a group of female mice ate—before pregnancy—chemically altered their DNA and these changes were passed to her offspring. These DNA alterations, called "epigenetic" changes, drastically affected the pups' metabolism of many essential fatty acids. These results could have a profound impact on future research for diabetes, obesity, cancer, and immune disorders.
Procter & Gamble adds Wildberry flavor to Prilosec
(AP)—Procter & Gamble is adding a blast of fruit flavor to a pill that you swallow whole—a first for the world's largest consumer products maker.
Nonmedical school vaccination exemptions increasing
(HealthDay)—Nonmedical exemptions for school vaccination requirements have increased since 2005, particularly in states with easy exemption policies, according to a letter to the editor published in the Sept. 20 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Physiotherapy beneficial for people with Parkinson's disease in the short term
(Medical Xpress)—Results from a systematic review and meta-analysis led by the University of Birmingham in the UK suggest that physiotherapy benefits people with Parkinson's disease in the short term (< 3 months).
Biomarkers for antidepressant treatment response
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers from King's College London's Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) have identified new biomarkers for antidepressant treatment response, an important step towards developing personalised treatments for depression. The study, published today in Neuropsychopharmacology, is the first to identify blood biomarkers for antidepressant response in a clinical controlled study and is part of Genome-Based Therapeutic Drugs for Depression (GENDEP) project.
New gene-therapy approach could improve obesity treatment
(Medical Xpress)—Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have found a new way of using gene therapy to treat obesity. The treatment was successful, resulting in less weight gain, higher activity levels and decreased insulin resistance in lab models on a high-fat, high-sugar diet.
Researcher develops new coating to help bone implants last
(Medical Xpress)—Two Colorado State University professors have developed a nanostructured surface coating for bone that is expected to help improve the lifetime of bone implants.
Video games help patients and health care providers
(Medical Xpress)—Can video games help patients with cancer, diabetes, asthma, depression, autism and Parkinson's disease? A new publication by researchers from the University of Utah, appearing in the Sept 19 issue of the journal Science Translational Medicine, indicates video games can be therapeutic and are already beginning to show health-related benefits.
New study reveals the benefits of Alexander Technique Lessons for chronic pain
(Medical Xpress)—Chronic pain sufferers may benefit from learning the Alexander Technique in NHS outpatient pain clinics according to a new service evaluation project. More than half of the service users in the study stopped or reduced their use of medications between the start of the lessons and three months, making cost savings to the NHS.
Moving toward a faster, simpler Hendra virus detection system
(Medical Xpress)—CSIRO scientists, in collaboration with researchers at the Bio21 Institute at the University of Melbourne, have developed a new method which could pave the way for a portable Hendra virus biosensor.
Commercial weight loss programme evaluated
(Medical Xpress)—Anyone who wants to lose weight has a wide variety of diets to choose from, but knowledge of what works is often poor. Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University have now evaluated a Swedish commercial weight loss programme called Itrim, and found it to be effective. After one year, participants had lost 11 kg on average.
BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation research may offer treatment option to certain patients
(Medical Xpress)—Ongoing research at the Methodist Cancer Center could reveal whether metastatic breast cancer patients with BRCA gene mutations are particularly responsive to a drug regimen that includes Veliparib, an investigational drug believed to hamper cancer cells.
Genetically engineered rice: Protection from arsenic?
(Medical Xpress)—In an article this week, Consumer Reports is calling on the Food and Drug Administration to set standards for how much arsenic can be allowed in rice after finding the potential toxin in almost every rice product it tested. At FIU, researchers are working on a new process that could reduce the amount of the contaminant in rice grains.
Beetroot juice properties found to boost athletes' stamina
(Medical Xpress)—Athletes competing this summer have benefited from an unlikely ingredient to fuel their Olympic and Paralympic success.
Informatics approach helps doctors, patients make sense of genome data
The cost of sequencing the entire human genome, or exome – the regions of the genome that are translated into proteins that affect cell behavior – has decreased significantly, to the point where the cost of looking at the majority of a patient's genomic data may be less expensive than undertaking one or two targeted genetic tests. While efficient, the acquisition of this much genetic data – in some cases as many as 1.5 to 2 million variants – creates other challenges.
Researchers map molecular details that encourage H1N1 transmission to humans
The 2009 H1N1 pandemic influenza virus appears to have required certain mutations in order to be transmitted to humans, according to a paper in the September Journal of Virology. The research could prove extremely valuable for efforts to predict human outbreaks.
Men and women are different in terms of genetic predispositions, study shows
We are not all the same when it comes to illness. In fact, the risk of developing a disease such as diabetes or heart disease varies from one individual to another. A study led by Emmanouil Dermitzakis, Louis-Jeantet Professor at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Geneva (UNIGE) reveals that the genetic predisposition to develop certain diseases may differ from one individual to another depending on their sex. Together with his collaborators, the professor has shown that genetic variants have a different impact on the level of gene expression between men and women. The results of this research have been published in the scientific journal Genome Research.
A solution to reducing inflammation
Research carried out at The University of Manchester has found further evidence that a simple solution, which is already used in IV drips, is an effective treatment for reducing inflammation.
Study suggests that a poor sense of smell may be a marker for psychopathic traits
People with psychopathic tendencies have an impaired sense of smell, which points to inefficient processing in the front part of the brain. These findings by Mehmet Mahmut and Richard Stevenson, from Macquarie University in Australia, are published online in Springer's journal Chemosensory Perception.
In heterosexuals, transmitted HIV strains often resemble original infecting virus
A new study has found that even though HIV diversifies widely within infected individuals over time, the virus strains that ultimately are passed on through heterosexual transmission often resemble the strain of virus that originally infected the transmitting partner. Learning the characteristics of these preferentially transmitted HIV strains may help advance HIV prevention efforts, particularly with regard to an HIV vaccine, according to the scientists who conducted the study. The research was led by Andrew D. Redd, Ph.D., staff scientist, and Thomas C. Quinn, M.D., senior investigator, both in the Laboratory of Immunoregulation of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Two bionic ears are better than the sum of their parts
Cochlear implants—electronic devices surgically implanted in the ear to help provide a sense of sound—have been successfully used since the late 1980's. But questions remain as to whether bilateral cochlear implants, placed in each ear rather than the traditional single-ear implant, are truly able to facilitate binaural hearing. Now, Tel Aviv University researchers have proof that under certain conditions, this practice has the ability to salvage binaural sound processing for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
COPD patients experience poorer sleep quality and lower blood oxygen levels
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience poorer sleep quality than people of a similar age without COPD, according to research published in the journal Respirology.
Abnormal carotid arteries found in children with kidney disease
A federally funded study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center has found that children with mild to moderate kidney disease have abnormally thick neck arteries, a condition known as carotid atherosclerosis, usually seen in older adults with a long history of elevated cholesterol and untreated hypertension.
Study reveals teenage patients attitude towards social media and privacy
A study of how chronically ill teenagers manage their privacy found that teen patients spend a great deal of time online and guard their privacy very consciously. "Not all my friends need to know": a qualitative study of teenage patients, privacy and social media, was published this summer in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association and co-authored by Norwegian and Canadian researchers.
Cause of diabetes may be linked to iron transport
Scientists have been trying to explain the causes of diabetes for many years. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen and Novo Nordisk A/S have now shown that the increased activity of one particular iron-transport protein destroys insulin-producing beta cells. In addition, the new research shows that mice without this iron transporter are protected against developing diabetes. These results have just been published in the prestigious journal Cell Metabolism.
Playground peers can predict adult personalities
Even on the playground, our friends know us better than we know ourselves. New research has revealed that your childhood peers from grade school may be able to best predict your success as an adult.
Nutrient in eggs and meat may influence gene expression from infancy to adulthood
Just as women are advised to get plenty of folic acid around the time of conception and throughout early pregnancy, new research suggests another very similar nutrient may one day deserve a spot on the obstetrician's list of recommendations.
Treating disease by the numbers
Mathematical modeling being tested by researchers at the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) and the IU School of Medicine has the potential to impact the knowledge and treatment of several diseases that continue to challenge scientists across the world.
New strategies needed to combat disease in developing countries
So-called lifestyle diseases are gaining ground with epidemic speed in low-income countries. The traditional health focus in these countries has been to combat communicable diseases such as malaria, HIV and tuberculosis. However, research from the University of Copenhagen suggests that dividing campaigns into combating either non-communicable or communicable diseases is ineffective and expensive. A new article by Danish scientists published in the well-reputed journal Science provides an overview.
Walking to the beat could help patients with Parkinson's disease
Walking to a beat could be useful for patients needing rehabilitation, according to a University of Pittsburgh study. The findings, highlighted in the August issue of PLOS One, demonstrate that researchers should further investigate the potential of auditory, visual, and tactile cues in the rehabilitation of patients suffering from illnesses like Parkinson's Disease—a brain disorder leading to shaking (tremors) and difficulty walking.
Double assault on tough types of leukemias
Investigators at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine have identified two promising therapies to treat patients with acute megakaryocytic leukemia (AMKL), a rare form of leukemia where the number of cases is expected to increase with the aging population.
Free bus passes have health benefit, say researchers
Free bus passes for over-60s may be encouraging older people to be more physically active, say the authors of a study published today in the American Journal of Public Health.
Secondhand smoke takes large physical and economic toll
Secondhand smoke is accountable for 42,000 deaths annually to nonsmokers in the United States, including nearly 900 infants, according to a new UCSF study.
Sleep apnea in obese pregnancy women linked to poor maternal and neonatal outcomes
The newborns of obese pregnant women suffering from obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to be admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit than those born to obese mothers without the sleep disorder, reports a study published online today in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.
'Half-match' bone marrow transplants wipe out sickle cell disease in selected patients
In a preliminary clinical trial, investigators at Johns Hopkins have shown that even partially-matched bone marrow transplants can eliminate sickle cell disease in some patients, ridding them of painful and debilitating symptoms, and the need for a lifetime of pain medications and blood transfusions. The researchers say the use of such marrow could potentially help make bone marrow transplants accessible to a majority of sickle cell patients who need them.
Health reform 2.0: Governors pushing back on Medicaid expansion
(HealthDay)—The Obama administration snatched victory in the battle over health reform when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the president's controversial health law earlier this year.
Year of taking risky blood thinners may be unnecessary after stent surgery
(HealthDay)—A full year of aggressive anti-clotting therapy—which can lead to heavy bleeding—may not be needed after surgery to implant a drug-coated cardiac stent, two new studies suggest.
Researchers find link between peptide that switches during stress and depression
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers working out of the University of Washington have found that a certain peptide normally involved in helping the brain experience pleasure is caused to switch when subjected to long term stress, leading to depression. The team in trying to understand why long term stress in people quite often leads to debilitating depression, ran some simple experiments in mice that showed, as they describe in their paper published in the journal Nature, that a peptide called corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), normally involved in helping to release dopamine in a certain part of the brain, causing pleasurable feelings, switches to a non active state leading to symptoms of depression when the mice were exposed to a stress inducing environment.
MicroRNA derails protein that blocks insulin production
(Medical Xpress)—Work by Michigan Technological University biologist Xiaoqing Tang is yielding new insights into how a tiny snippet of genetic material can promote healthy insulin production in mice.
In obesity, a micro-RNA causes metabolic problems
Scientists have identified a key molecular player in a chain of events in the body that can lead to fatty liver disease, Type II diabetes and other metabolic abnormalities associated with obesity. By blocking this molecule, the researchers were able to reverse some of the pathology it caused in obese mice.
Brain study reveals the roots of chocolate temptations
Researchers have new evidence in rats to explain how it is that chocolate candies can be so completely irresistible. The urge to overeat such deliciously sweet and fatty treats traces to an unexpected part of the brain and its production of a natural, opium-like chemical, according to a report published online on September 20th in Current Biology.
Move to less impoverished neighborhoods boosts physical and mental health
Moving from a high-poverty to lower-poverty neighborhood spurs long-term gains in the physical and mental health of low-income adults, as well as a substantial increase in their happiness, despite not improving economic self-sufficiency, according to a new study published in the Sept. 20 issue of Science by researchers at the University of Chicago and partners at other institutions.
Non-communicable diseases prevention 'more important than life or death'
Proposals designed to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as "fat taxes" will have wide-ranging effects on the economy and health but wider research is needed to avoid wasting resources on ineffective measures, according to an economist from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Taming physical forces that block cancer treatment
A Massachusetts General Hospital research team has identified factors that contribute to solid stress within tumors, suggesting possible ways to alleviate it, and has developed a simple way to measure such pressures.
Scientists erase fear from the brain
Newly formed emotional memories can be erased from the human brain. This is shown by researchers from Uppsala University in a new study now being published by the academic journal Science. The findings may represent a breakthrough in research on memory and fear.
Biology news
Infestation of stink bugs continues to spread across Virginia
(Phys.org)—In the 12 years since brown marmorated stink bugs were discovered in Allentown, Pa., the voracious insect has made a slow and steady march toward Virginia. Since it was found in the state in 2004, it has caused millions of dollars in damage as it destroyed apples and grapes in the Shenandoah Valley, pierced soybeans in north-central fields, and sucked the proteins and carbohydrates out of corn, tomato, green bean, and pepper plants in other areas of Virginia.
Growing better poplars for biofuels
(Phys.org)—It took mankind millennia of painstaking trial and error to breed hardier, healthier food crops.
U.S. seafood landings reach 17-year high in 2011, report details
(Phys.org)—U.S seafood landings reached a 17-year high in 2011, thanks in part to rebuilding fish populations, and the value of landings also increased, according to a new report released today by NOAA.
Flanders Institute for Biotechnology exceptionally sceptical about the Seralini research
Flanders Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) has reacted very sceptically to the "alarming" results of a health study into the consequences of genetically modified maize.
Phagevet-P: Applying viruses to treat bacterial diseases
The quest for enhanced food safety has driven research into novel treatments for bacterial diseases in livestock. A European consortium proposed the use of bacteriophages (bacteria-targeting viruses) to treat salmonella in poultry.
DNA analysis aids in classifying single-celled algae
(Phys.org)—For nearly 260 years—since Carl Linnaeus developed his system of naming plants and animals—researchers classified species based on visual attributes like color, shape and size. In the past few decades, researchers found that sequencing DNA can more accurately identify species. A group of single-celled algae—Symbiodinum—that live inside corals and are critical to their survival—are only now being separated into species using DNA analysis, according to biologists.
France will push for GM ban if cancer threat confirmed (Update)
France will seek an immediate EU ban on imports of a genetically-modified corn made by Monsanto if a study linking it to cancer in rats is deemed credible, Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Thursday.
Wild boars are reservoir of HEV: High prevalence among forestry workers in eastern France
Nearly one third of forestry workers in parts of eastern France are infected with Hepatitis E virus (HEV), according to a paper in the September Journal of Clinical Microbiology. Wild boars in the same region are also heavily infected. HEV is endemic in developing nations, but heretofore, HEV infection in industrialized nations has been most closely correlated with travel to developing nations.
The detoxifying effect of microbes
Heavy metals and other toxins frequently contaminate food and water. The culprits read like a litany of bad actors—lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic, chromium—but their numbers run into the thousands. Microbes have long been enlisted for bioremediation, but they also have the potential to protect us from toxins, according to a minireview in the September Applied and Environmental Microbiology. "Beneficial bacteria are indeed capable of degrading pesticides and sequestering toxic chemicals," says coauthor Gregor Reid of the Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario.
Scientist won't allow EU agency to check GM findings
The French scientist who linked Monsanto genetically-modified corn to cancer in rats on Thursday refused to let the EU's food safety watchdog, EFSA, verify his results.
The original Twitter? Tiny electronic tags monitor birds' social networks
(Phys.org)—If two birds meet deep in the forest, does anybody hear? Until now, nobody did, unless an intrepid biologist was hiding underneath a bush and watching their behavior, or the birds happened to meet near a research monitoring station. But an electronic tag designed at the University of Washington can for the first time see when birds meet in the wild.
Global economic pressures trickle down to local landscape change, altering disease risk
The pressures of global trade may heighten disease incidence by dictating changes in land use. A boom in disease-carrying ticks and chiggers has followed the abandonment of rice cultivation in Taiwanese paddies, say ecologist Chi-Chien Kuo and colleagues, demonstrating the potential for global commodities pricing to drive the spread of infections. Their work appears in the September issue of ESA's journal Ecological Applications.
New uses for old tools could boost biodiesel output
(Phys.org)—Tried-and-true techniques could help optimize oilseed yield for biodiesel production, according to studies conducted by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.
Blind cavefish use teeth to find their way, research shows
(Phys.org)—In a single cave in Ecuador, a species of cavefish has evolved to do something perhaps unique to them, navigate with their teeth.
Manmade marshes poorer in plant life than natural ones
Artificially created salt marshes are no substitute for natural ones, hosting fewer kinds of plant and often ending up overrun by just a few species, scientists have shown.
New insight into complexities of cell migration
(Phys.org)—At any given moment, millions of cells are on the move in the human body, typically on their way to aid in immune response, make repairs, or provide some other benefit to the structures around them. When the migration process goes wrong, however, the results can include tumor formation and metastatic cancer. Little has been known about how cell migration actually works, but now, with the help of some tiny worms, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have gained new insight into this highly complex task.
PLOS ONE paper on cassava gene enhancement retracted
(Phys.org)—PLOS ONE, an open access peer review journal (launched in 2006) has issued a retraction regarding a paper it published recently touting the benefits of genetically enhanced cassava, saying that the results achieved by the research team could not be replicated and research materials used in the study could not be found.
Battles between steroid receptors to regulate fat accumulation
The androgen receptor in human cells inhibits fat accumulation, but its activity can be sabotaged by glucocorticoids, steroids that regulate fat deposition and are known drivers of obesity and insulin resistance, said researchers led by those at Baylor College of Medicine in a report in the journal Chemistry & Biology.
Adolescent male chimps in large community strive to be alphas
(Phys.org)—An Ohio University anthropologist reports the first observation of dominance relationships among adolescent male chimpanzees, which he attributes to the composition of their community.
Scientists uncover mechanism by which plants inherit epigenetic modifications
During embryonic development in humans and other mammals, sperm and egg cells are essentially wiped clean of chemical modifications to DNA called epigenetic marks. They are then held in reserve to await fertilization.
Understanding the flight of the bumblebee
Scientists from Queen Mary, University of London have tracked bumblebees for the first time to see how they select the optimal route to collect nectar from multiple flowers and return to their nest.
Largest genomic study shows Khoe-San people are unique
Genetically, culturally and ethically the Khoe-San have something special to add to this world. The importance of this study is to put the Khoe and San heritage in the right place in history and this research will provide a genetic backdrop for future studies - Mattias Jakobsson.
Unusual symbiosis discovered in single-celled algae and nitrogen-fixing bacteria
Scientists have discovered an unusual symbiosis between tiny single-celled algae and highly specialized bacteria. Their partnership plays an important role in marine ecosystems, fertilizing the oceans by taking nitrogen from the atmosphere and "fixing" it into a form that other organisms can use.
Pesticides not yet proven guilty of causing honeybee declines, new study says
The impact of crop pesticides on honeybee colonies is unlikely to cause colony collapse, according to a paper in the journal Science today. More research is now needed to predict the impact of widely-used agricultural insecticides, called neonicotinoids, on honeybee populations.
Intrinsically disordered proteins: A conversation with Rohit Pappu
If you open any biology textbook to the section on proteins, you will learn that a protein is made up of a sequence of amino acids, that the sequence determines how the chain of amino acids folds into a compact structure, and that the folded protein's structure determines its function. In other words sequence encodes structure and function derives from structure.
How the cheetah got its stripes—a genetic tale
Feral cats in Northern California have enabled researchers to unlock the biological secret behind a rare, striped cheetah found only in sub-Saharan Africa, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine, the National Cancer Institute and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville, Alabama. The study is the first to identify a molecular basis of coat patterning in mammals.
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