Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 11, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- How our sense of touch is a lot like the way we hear- Study: Infants process faces long before they recognize other objects
- Missile and meteorite impacts are more complex at the granular level than scientists previously thought
- Researcher finds hint of dark energy discussion in letters between Einstein and Schrodinger
- Ancient red dye powers new 'green' battery
- US doctors defeat leukemia with modified HIV (Update)
- Researchers make key discovery in fight against Alzheimer's disease
- Air Force sends mystery X-37B mini-shuttle back to space (Update 2)
- Battling brittle bones: Researchers pinpoint the origin of bone fractures
- Best of both worlds: Hybrid approach sheds light on crystal structure solution
- Capturing circulating cancer cells could provide insights into how disease spreads
- US to launch anew secretive space plane
- Mussel goo inspires blood vessel glue
- An older Vega: New insights about the star all others are measured by
- EUNIS mission: Six minutes in the life of the Sun
Space & Earth news
Report on climate change agreement released by C2ES
A new report by Professor Daniel Bodansky of the College of Law, which outlines major issues and options before the world's governments as they attempt to craft a comprehensive new climate change agreement, has been released by the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES).
Astronomers measure an elusive 'Rossiter-McLaughlin effect' during the last Venus Transit
A team of Italian astronomers performed a very difficult measurement for which it was necessary to use the most advanced instrumentation in combination with an unusual technique, so as to involve even the Moon as a natural astronomical mirror. The challenge was the observation of effect occurred during the transit of Venus across the Sun on June 6th, dubbed "Rossiter-McLaughlin effect". This is a phenomenon that occurs when a celestial body passes in front of a star, hiding a part of its rotating surface and that produces a temporary distortion in the profiles of the spectral lines of light coming from the eclipsed star. Astronomers led by Paolo Molaro, from INAF Astronomical Observatory of Trieste succeeded in this ambitious task, observing and measurirng the magnitude of this tiny effect. Their findings are published online today in a paper of the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Super-TIGER is up! Your chance to track a stratospheric balloon in real time
The Super-TIGER cosmic-ray experiment had a perfect launch Sunday at 9:45 a.m. New Zealand Daylight Time. The enormous balloon that will carry it to the limits of Earth's atmosphere was stretched out on the ice and then partially filled. (It rounds out nicely as it rises into the stratosphere.)
Poorer quality wheat when carbon dioxide levels in the air rise
Rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide have a negative impact on the protein content of wheat grain and thus its nutritional quality. This is the finding of researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, in a recently published study in the journal Global Change Biology.
ALMA: New telescope can detect hidden gases that might hold the key to star and planetary formation
At first glance, the bone-dry landscape of the Atacama Desert in Chile might seem inhospitable.
Astrobiology group among first granted access to new flying observatory
(Phys.org)—A team of astrobiology researchers—including two from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute—will use a series of nighttime flights on an airborne observatory to search newly born stars for the presence of precursors to life.
Researchers reveal scary news for corals from the Ice Age
There is growing scientific concern that corals could retreat from equatorial seas and oceans as the Earth continues to warm, a team of international marine researchers warned today.
NEES tsunami expert says improved research tools helped predict impact of this week's Japan earthquake
(Phys.org)—A leading tsunami researcher affiliated with the George E. Brown Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation (NEES) says improved computational models helped in more accuratelypredicting the impact of a strong earthquake near Japan on Friday.
New system for aircraft forecasts potential storm hazards over oceans
(Phys.org)—The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) has developed a prototype system to help flights avoid major storms as they travel over remote ocean regions. The 8-hour forecasts of potentially dangerous atmospheric conditions are designed for pilots, air traffic controllers, and others involved in transoceanic flights.
Student team provides real-time video of asteroid Toutatis
(Phys.org)—An asteroid that some day might threaten Earth is passing relatively close by on the night of December 11–12, and its gliding path among the stars will be tracked by a team of high-school students at the Clay Center Observatory in Brookline, Massachusetts.
US to launch anew secretive space plane
The United States is planning a new launch of its tiny, pilotless military space plane on Tuesday as part of a futuristic Air Force program that has fueled speculation over its mission.
What kind of iron is in the Southern Ocean?
(Phys.org)—The Southern Ocean, circling the Earth between Antarctica and the southernmost regions of Africa, South America, and Australia, is notorious for its High Nutrient, Low Chlorophyl zones, areas otherwise rich in nutrients but poor in essential iron. Sea life is less abundant in these regions because the growth of phytoplankton, the marine plants that form the base of the food chain, is suppressed. A study by scientists from South Africa's Steelenbosch University, Princeton University, and Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source (ALS) suggests the problem is not just a lack of iron but a lack of iron in easy-to-use form.
New knowledge about the remarkable properties of black holes
Black holes are surrounded by many mysteries, but now researchers from the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, have come up with new groundbreaking theories that can explain several of their properties. The research shows that black holes have properties that resemble the dynamics of both solids and liquids. The results are published in the prestigious scientific journal, Physical Review Letters.
Air Force sends mystery X-37B mini-shuttle back to space (Update 2)
The military's small, top-secret version of the space shuttle rocketed into orbit Tuesday for a repeat mystery mission, two years after making the first flight of its kind.
An older Vega: New insights about the star all others are measured by
Vega, a star astronomers have used as a touchstone to measure other stars' brightness for thousands of years, may be more than 200 million years older than previously thought. That's according to new findings from the University of Michigan.
EUNIS mission: Six minutes in the life of the Sun
(Phys.org)—In December, a NASA mission to study the sun will make its third launch into space for a six-minute flight to gather information about the way material roils through the sun's atmosphere, sometimes causing eruptions and ejections that travel as far as Earth. The launch of the EUNIS mission, short for Extreme Ultraviolet Normal Incidence Spectrograph, is scheduled for Dec. 15, 2012, from White Sands, N.M. aboard a Black Brant IX rocket. During its journey, EUNIS will gather a new snapshot of data every 1.2 seconds to track the way material of different temperatures flows through this complex atmosphere, known as the corona.
Technology news
UK gov't told to rethink data surveillance plan
(AP)—British lawmakers on Tuesday demanded the government water down plans to keep track of phone calls, email and Internet activity—a bill critics dub a "snooper's charter."
Will automated agriculture help meet the world's food demand?
Australia's potential to become the 'food bowl' of Asia has triggered a drive to develop robots for use in farming and agriculture and University of Sydney mechatronics experts are leading the way.
Silicon-verified process technology delivers 30% higher speed and up to 50% improvement in power
STMicroelectronics announced today another step towards the availability of its 28nm FD-SOI Technology Platform, now open for pre-production from its Crolles (France) 300mm manufacturing facility. The announcement confirms ST's ability to provide its planar fully-depleted technology from the 28nm technology node, essential in quenching the market's appetite for embedded processors in multimedia and portable applications that can meet the industry's highest performance and lowest power demands vital to deliver all the stunning graphics, multimedia and high-speed broadband connectivity without sacrificing battery life.
400Gbps-class optical transmissions technology to deliver optical networks that are energy efficient, flexible
Fujitsu Limited, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation and NEC Corporation today announced the commencement of joint research and development toward making the world's top-level,400Gbps/channel-class digital coherent optical transmissions technology. Bringing together the technological capabilities that have enabled the commercialization of 100Gbps-class optical transmissions methods, which are becoming more prevalent among the world's optical networks, the companies will work to further enhance the performance and functionality of the digital coherent optical transmissions method, a key technology in optical transmissions.
New study gives insight into crowd-sourced commuting
The New Cities Foundation today unveiled the results of its Connected Commuting Task Force, charged with helping cities all over the world better understand how real-time social networking among commuters can enhance the overall commuting experience and improve traffic management. The unprecedented study was conducted in the city of San Jose, California, in partnership with Ericsson, the City of San Jose's Department of Transportation and the University of California's Mobile Millennium team from the Center for Information Technology Research in the Interest of Society (CITRIS). The study used two of the most innovative commuter smartphone applications available, Waze and Roadify.
HSBC to pay $1.9B to settle money-laundering case
(AP)—HSBC avoided a legal battle that could further savage its reputation and undermine confidence in the global banking system by agreeing Tuesday to pay $1.9 billion to settle a U.S. money-laundering probe.
150 million tweets about London Olympics: Twitter
The London Olympics led to 150 million tweets—more than the US elections and Super Bowl combined, Twitter said Tuesday.
Amazon to collect sales tax from Mass. residents
Online retailer Amazon.com has reached a deal with Massachusetts to start collecting the state's 6.25 percent sales tax from Bay State residents.
NREL teams to analyze solar pricing trends and benchmark 'soft' costs for PV systems
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE)'s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBL) jointly released two reports examining solar photovoltaic (PV) pricing in the U.S.
Microsoft increases Surface tablet production
(AP)—Microsoft says it's increasing production of its Surface tablets and will sell them in more stores. Staples says it will start carrying them starting Wednesday.
Brief Facebook outage after infrastructure change
Facebook was unreachable briefly after the social network made a change to part of its infrastructure dealing with routing traffic to its online address.
iSolated: Bad Apple Maps directions lead to desert
(AP)—The city of Mildura is not at the end of a dirt road in the Australian bush, in tire-choking desert sand far from food and water. Unfortunately, Apple's much-maligned mapping application thinks it is.
More TV apps come to Xbox Live as usage grows
Microsoft is rolling out dozens of new apps for the Xbox 360, building on statistics that show members of its paid online subscription service spend more time on it watching video than they do playing multiplayer games over the Internet.
Twitter adds Instagram-style photo features
Twitter on Monday added Instagram-style smartphone photo sharing features after the Facebook-owned service made it impossible for Internet users to integrate its images into tweets.
Mobile news gains across generations, survey finds
Americans of all ages are increasingly using mobile devices for news, with many boosting their media consumption rather than just shifting from print sources, a survey showed Tuesday.
Philippines gives green-light to electric tricycles
The Philippines is to roll out 100,000 electric tricycles in an effort to replace the petrol-powered ones that currently ply its cities, one of the project's financiers said Tuesday.
Student designs of 'intelligent' tires for tomorrow win kudos at a prestigious international trade show
(Phys.org)—Intelligent tires may be just around the corner – especially if designs by students in the University of Cincinnati's nationally number-one ranked industrial design program are realized.
Novel inline hydropower system for power generation from water pipelines
Generating electricity from water is not a new thing. Hydro power stations have already sprung up across the world in China, United States and Canada. However, scientists will not stop exploring advanced technologies for further improvement to benefit people's lives.
Low-energy GPS sensing looms large
Location sensing has become ubiquitous—it's present every time you turn on your smartphone or engage your car's navigation system. It's also become critical to a variety of outdoors and remote research applications, such as wildlife tracking, participatory environmental sensing, and personal health and wellness monitoring.
Ultra-thin hybrid floating gate cell presented at IEDM2012
Imec has developed an ultra-thin hybrid floating gate cell with demonstrated functionality. The results, which are presented at this week's 2012 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM, San Francisco, December 10-12, 2012), are an important step for further scaling of NAND Flash technology towards the 10nm half pitch node and beyond.
How cool are cool roofs? PPPL serves as the laboratory to find the answer
When Keith Rule and a team of interns walked onto the black and white roof of the main building of the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory one sweltering day last summer, they could feel the temperature difference between the two different colored areas in the soles of their feet.
New wave of wind energy
An offshore wind test turbine has been erected behind the University of Maine Advanced Structures and Composites Center on campus to evaluate sensor systems and controls in preparation for the installation of a floating turbine in the Gulf of Maine this spring as part of the DeepCwind Consortium project.
A new tool to enhance tasks of humanitarian demining
Researchers at the Centre for Automation and Robotics, a joint centre of the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid and the Spanish National Research Council (UPM-CSIC), have developed a training tool to improve the use of hand-held detectors in humanitarian demining and to increase user security.
China overtakes US in number of patent filings
The U.N. says the Chinese filed the most patent applications in the world last year, overtaking the U.S. for the first time.
Google sells off more Motorola assets
Google has agreed to sell manufacturing operations of its Motorola Mobility unit in China and turn over management of a Brazil plant to Singapore-based Flextronics, the companies said.
Yahoo revamps email in bid to catch up with Gmail (Update)
Yahoo is spiffing up and expanding its email service in an attempt to regain some of the ground lost to a Google alternative that lured away millions of users.
TripAdvisor snagged by Malone's Liberty group
Travel ratings website TripAdvisor changed hands Tuesday as media tycoon John Malone's Liberty Interactive paid $300 million for a controlling stake, the companies said.
Device helps children with disabilities access tablets (w/ video)
(Phys.org)—Imagine not being able to touch a touch-screen device. Tablets and smartphones—with all their educational, entertaining and social benefits—would be useless.
Japan researchers invent solar-cell fabric
Clothes that could literally light up your life were unveiled Tuesday by Japanese researchers who said their solar-cell fabric would eventually let wearers harvest energy on the go.
EU approves common patent rules (Update)
The European Union approved a new common patent system on Tuesday designed to cut red tape and streamline patent procedures across much of Europe.
For honest voting, write a message the 'man in the middle' can't intercept
(Phys.org)—In the run-up to the last election warnings about computer hacking were rampant. Experts demonstrated how the hardware in voting machines could be modified. Touch-screen machines visibly changed votes. One possibility that wasn't mentioned was the "man in the middle" who might change totals as they are sent in.
Password-cracking feats at blistering speed shown in Oslo
(Phys.org)—Remember when the running advice for password setup was to avoid using your name backwards? My how we have smelled the coffee. A new rig-and-burn presentation for an audience of academics and security professionals at the Passwords^12 Conference in Oslo, Norway, earlier this month, demonstrated that password-cracking is an easy game with crippling amounts of password theft capable of happening at crippling speed.
Medicine & Health news
Number of independent physicians continues to decline
(HealthDay)—Physician business models are transforming, with a sustained shift away from independent practice, according to report released by the consulting firm Accenture.
The cost of obesity examined
Researchers from The University of Auckland have announced the results of a recent study showing that overweight and obesity in New Zealand costs the country between NZ$722 million and NZ$849 million a year in health care costs and lost productivity.
Sequencing project will map DNA of up to 100,000 patients
A new £100m project will map the DNA of up to 100,000 patients with cancer and other rare diseases.
Detox diets don't work, expert says
Detox diets are just another weight loss wonder, says Flinders University's Head of Human Physiology, Professor Simon Brookes.
Child psychologist offers holiday tips for unruly kids
The holiday season can be particularly over-stimulating for young children, what with more pressure-packed traveling, shopping and even church-going. Boston University child psychologist Dr. Jonathan Comer offers parents these helpful tips on handling those unwanted tantrums and meltdowns by their kids—or by someone else's.
New rheumatoid arthritis treatment shown to be effective: Half of all patients symptom-free within six months
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic disease characterized by inflammation of the joints. A rapid suppression of inflammation is important for a good prognosis. Marloes Vermeer, a PhD student at the University of Twente, investigated the effects of a "Treat-to-Target treatment strategy". Ms Vermeer explains that "The new treatment appears to be feasible in daily clinical practice. Even after a period of three years, disease activity is more effectively suppressed than with conventional treatment."
Researcher examines challenges of raising school leaving age to 18 for young people who are NEET
Some young people already find it difficult to enjoy and achieve at school. With the raising of the school leaving age to 18 by 2015, a new challenge is looming - of engaging them in learning for a further two years.
Feds seek end of religious birth control lawsuit
The federal government has asked a judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta and other religious institutions seeking to overturn a provision in the federal health care law that requires group health plans to provide free birth control.
Extreme macrocephaly treated by shunting and cranial reduction/fixation in 1st week of life
Neurosurgeons at All Children's Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine (St. Petersburg, FL) and the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine (Tampa, FL) recently achieved excellent physical and aesthetic results in an infant born with extreme macrocephaly due to hydrocephalus. This was accomplished with routine implantation of a ventriculoperitoneal shunt followed by a new operation to stabilize and reduce the size of the baby's head. Both surgeries were performed during the infant's first week of life. The surgeons report that as far as they know, this is the first reported case of cranial fixation in such a young child with extreme hydrocephalus. Full details of the surgical procedures and their successful outcomes can be found in the article "Cranial reduction and fixation with a resorbable plate combined with cerebrospinal fluid shunting for difficult-to-manage macrocephaly related to hydrocephalus," by Jotham Manwaring, M.D., and colleagues, published today on! line, ahead of print, in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics.
Contact precautions shown to modify healthcare workers care delivery
The prevention and control of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) can help reduce patient morbidity and mortality, but a common prevention effort for patients with hard to treat infections known as contact precautions, can have positive and negative impacts on patient care. A new report published in the January issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, found when patients with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other antibiotic-resistant bacteria are isolated in the hospital, these contact precautions reduced the number of visits by healthcare workers and outside visitors, but also increased compliance with hand hygiene upon exit of patients' rooms.
Tiotropium has advantages for patients with COPD
In order to widen the narrowed airways in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tiotropium bromide (tiotropium in brief) is one of the drugs available that can be prescribed for inhalation. The German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has examined whether tiotropium offers a perceptible advantage to patients compared to a dummy medication (placebo) and to other COPD drugs. In addition, the two currently marketed types of inhaler (HandiHaler and Respimat) for tiotropium (trade name: Spiriva) were compared.
Children born prematurely are at higher risk of esophageal inflammation, cancer
Infants that are born preterm or with impaired growth have an increased risk of developing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), possibly leaving them vulnerable to the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma later in life. Gestational age and size at birth affect the risk of an early diagnosis of esophagitis—inflammation of the esophagus—according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.
Primary care physicians play vital role in caring for diabetes patients
Previous research has shown that patients without a consistent primary care physician (PCP) have worse outcomes than those who do, but little is known about why this is true. New research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) has brought to light the importance of the role of a primary care physician in a population of diabetes patients. Their findings are published in the December 10, 2012 issue of Diabetes Care.
NIH scientists reflect on gains in emerging infectious disease awareness, research and response
In a new essay, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D., and David Morens, M.D., reflect on what has been learned about emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) in the two decades since a major report from the U.S. Institute of Medicine rekindled interest in this important topic.
The current state of lung cancer treatment
A review in the December issue of the journal Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine by Paul Bunn Jr, MD, University of Colorado Cancer Center investigator and past president of ASCO, IASLC and AACI describes the current state of lung cancer care.
Fear of falling may cause social isolation in older adults with vision problems
A new study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science found that between 40 to 50 percent of older adults with visually impairing eye disease limit their activities due to a fear of falling. Vision scientists warn that this protective strategy puts seniors at risk for social isolation and disability.
Intensified chemotherapy shows promise for children with very high risk form of leukemia
Young patients with an aggressive form of leukemia who are likely to relapse after chemotherapy treatment can significantly reduce those odds by receiving additional courses of chemotherapy, suggest the findings of a clinical trial led by investigators at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center in Boston.
Feeling lonely linked to increased risk of dementia in later life
Feeling lonely, as distinct from being/living alone, is linked to an increased risk of developing dementia in later life, indicates research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry.
Tobacco smuggling in Europe lower than industry figures suggest
The prevalence of tobacco smuggling in Europe is lower than industry figures suggest, reveals the largest study of its kind, published online in Tobacco Control.
Bedroom TV viewing increases risk of obesity in children
The average American child from age 8 to 18 watches about 4.5 hours of TV each day. Seventy percent have a TV in the bedroom and about one-third of youth aged 6-19 is considered obese. Previous studies have shown that TV viewing time during childhood and adolescence continues into adulthood, resulting in overweight and elevated total cholesterol. An investigative team from the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, LA reports new study findings, establishing the relationship between having and watching TV in the bedroom and childhood obesity, specifically high waist circumference.
Combination of imaging exams improves Alzheimer's diagnosis
Employing a combination of imaging and biomarker tests improves the ability of doctors to predict Alzheimer's in patients with mild cognitive impairment, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
Brain angioplasty and stents found safe and effective for stroke patients
Some stroke patients may benefit from cerebral angioplasty and stent placement, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
New tuberculosis drug trial begins in South Africa
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced the first patient enrolled in a Phase 2a trial to assess the effectiveness of AZD5847, a new test drug for patients with tuberculosis (TB), including patients with HIV co-infection.
Indonesia says it has found more virulent bird flu strain
Indonesia has identified the bird flu virus that killed hundreds of thousands of ducks in recent weeks as a more virulent type which is new to the country, according to a letter seen Tuesday.
Researchers say effective immunotherapy for melanoma hinges on blocking suppressive factors
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center have found that delayed tumor growth and enhanced survival of mice bearing melanoma were possible by blocking the reconstitution of myeloid-derived suppressor cells and Tregs (suppressors of anti-tumor activity) after total body irradiation had eliminated them. Blocking myeloid-derived suppressor cells and regulatory T-cell reconstitution improved adoptive T-cell therapy, an immunotherapy designed to suppress tumor activity.
New tests could hamper food outbreak detection
It's about to get faster and easier to diagnose food poisoning. But there's a downside: It could make it harder to spot and solve dangerous outbreaks.
U.S. task force urges docs to counsel kids against smoking
(HealthDay)—Primary-care doctors should offer children and teens counseling and educational programs to prevent them from smoking, according to new recommendations issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Maternal BMI negatively linked to child cognition
(HealthDay)—Maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) is negatively associated with children's cognitive performance at ages 5 and 7, although the overall effect size is modest, according to research published online Dec. 10 in Pediatrics.
Readmission seen in 7 percent of elective spine surgeries
(HealthDay)—About 7 to 8 percent of Medicare beneficiaries who undergo elective spine surgery for degenerative conditions are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days, according to a study published in the October issue of The Spine Journal.
Diesel fumes increase risk of childhood brain tumours, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—A link between brain tumours in children and their parents' exposure to diesel exhaust fumes before birth has been found by researchers at The University of Western Australia-affiliated Western Australian Institute for Medical Research (WAIMR) and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research (TICHR).
Reducing the risk of burns at home
(Medical Xpress)—Home is where most of us feel safest, but it's also where nearly 80 per cent of all burn injuries occur, new research shows.
Inherited gene fault influences breast cancer survival
Researchers have shown that an inherited gene fault influences the chances of some women surviving breast cancer. It also increases the risk of women developing a second breast cancer. The research is published in this week's Journal of Clinical Oncology.
'Good' bug may have a role in bowel disease
(Medical Xpress)—A bug thought to be one of the 'good bacteria' in our gut may actually have a role in the development of a bowel disorder that is on the rise in Scotland.
Combating gastroenteritis
Gastroenteritis from food borne illness is a major public health concern both in Australia and overseas, and Swinburne University of Technology researchers are working on the early detection of bacteria that significantly contributes to it.
DARPA foam could increase survival rate for victims of internal hemorrhaging
The Department of Defense's medical system aspires to a standard known as the "Golden Hour" that dictates that troops wounded on the battlefield are moved to advanced-level treatment facilities within the first 60 minutes of being wounded. In advance of transport, initial battlefield medical care administered by first responders is often critical to injured servicemembers' survival. In the case of internal abdominal injuries and resulting internal hemorrhaging, however, there is currently little that can be done to stanch bleeding before the patients reach necessary treatment facilities; internal wounds cannot be compressed the same way external wounds can, and tourniquets or hemostatic dressings are unsuitable because of the need to visualize the injury. The resulting blood loss often leads to death from what would otherwise be potentially survivable wounds.
Two-faced drugs fight hidden killers
(Medical Xpress)—An outbreak of fungal meningitis recently resulted in one of the worst public health disasters in recent U.S. history. Thirty-two people died and more than 400 became ill after the New England Compounding Center distributed contaminated vials of injectable steroids.
Males hit by vehicles twice as likely to die, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—Worldwide, more than 1.2 million traffic fatalities occur yearly, and the lives of pedestrians account for a third of those lost. In the United States, pedestrians make up 12 percent of deaths from traffic collisions. According to a newly published study, male pedestrians struck by vehicles are more than twice as likely to die as their female counterparts.
Experimental agent briefly eases depression rapidly in test: Works in brain like ketamine, with fewer side effects
(Medical Xpress)—A drug that works through the same brain mechanism as the fast-acting antidepressant ketamine briefly improved treatment-resistant patients' depression symptoms in minutes, with minimal untoward side effects, in a clinical trial conducted by the National Institutes of Health. The experimental agent, called AZD6765, acts through the brain's glutamate chemical messenger system.
Exercise can extend your life by as much as five years, researchers find
Adults who include at least 150 minutes of physical activity in their routines each week live longer than those who don't, finds a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Promoting the years of life that can be gained from moderate activity may be a better motivator to get Americans moving, said study author Ian Janssen, Ph.D., of Queen's University in Ontario, Canada.
Warnings intended to dissuade women from overindulging might have contradictory effect, study finds
Australian study has found warnings intended to dissuade women from over-indulging in chocolate can actually prompt increased consumption.
Research may have important implications for combating diabetes
(Medical Xpress)—Research by University of Notre Dame biochemist Anthony S. Serianni is providing new insights that could have important implications for understanding and treating diabetes.
Researcher moves closer to 'cell' control
UC College of Engineering and Applied Science chemical and materials engineering associate professor, Chia-Chi Ho, announces ability to sort and steer cells, opening doors to a potential future of steering disease and cancer related cells into diagnostic and treatment solutions.
Study finds epigenetics, not genetics, underlies homosexuality
Epigenetics – how gene expression is regulated by temporary switches, called epi-marks – appears to be a critical and overlooked factor contributing to the long-standing puzzle of why homosexuality occurs.
Researchers identify nerves associated with ciguatera, deadly tropical disease
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers from The University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) have identified the nerves involved in the painful tropical disease called ciguatera.
Predictors of cancer disease progression improve patient selection for metastasis-directed therapy
Tumor metastasis, the ability of cancer cells to migrate from their tissue of origin and colonize elsewhere in the body, accounts for over 90% of cancer deaths. When patients die from cancer, it is usually caused by distant metastases established by malignant cells that split off from the primary cancer and began growing in new settings.
Common heart drug might dampen some autism symptoms
(HealthDay)—A medication typically prescribed to control high blood pressure that's commonly referred to as a water pill may ease some of the symptoms of autism, researchers say.
Borderline personality, bipolar disorders have similar unemployment rates
Unemployment poses a significant burden on the public no matter what the cause. But for those who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric illness, chronic unemployment is often coupled with significant health care costs. A Rhode Island Hospital study compared unemployment rates among those with various psychiatric disorders, and found that borderline personality disorder is associated with as much unemployment as bipolar disorder.
Foreign multidrug resistant bacteria contained in Toronto hospital
As the prevalence of antibiotic-resistant infections continue to rise around the world, a hospital in Canada detected the presence of New Delhi Metallo-ß-lactamase-1-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae (NDM1-Kp), a multidrug resistant bacteria that is resistant to carbapenems, one of the last lines of antibiotics. The retrospective report, featured in the January issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, analyzes risk factors and infection control strategies taken to prevent the spread of NDM1-Kp.
Does the brain become unglued in autism?
A new study published in Biological Psychiatry suggests that autism is associated with reductions in the level of cellular adhesion molecules in the blood, where they play a role in immune function.
New anticoagulant discovered based on the same used by malaria vectors to feed on
An international project lead by the Molecular and Cell Biology Institute of Porto University with the participation of researchers from IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) has, for the first time ever, deciphered the mechanism by which a substance called anophelin binds to an enzyme (thrombin) involved in the process of blood coagulation. This discovery was published in the last issue of the PNAS journal and opens the door to, on the one hand, designing a new generation of anticoagulant drugs with a totally different functioning to current ones and, on the other hand, fighting against the spreading of malaria by designing inhibitors for this substance.
Researchers highlight potential gene therapy approach to sickle cell disease
Researchers at Dana-Farber/Children's Hospital Cancer Center (DF/CHCC) have taken the first preliminary steps toward developing a form of gene therapy for sickle cell disease. In an abstract presented on Dec. 10 at the 54th annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, the research team—led by DF/CHCC's Raffaele Renella, MD, PhD, Stuart H. Orkin, MD, and David A. Williams, MD—announced that they had demonstrated in an animal model the feasibility of activating a form of hemoglobin unaffected by the sickle cell mutation.
Parents' knowledge of children's daycare experience incomplete, study finds
Nearly 1.5 million Canadian children grow up living double lives: one at home with their parents and another in some form of childcare environment. While parents hope to be informed of what goes on when they're not around, a recent Concordia study suggests that parents ought to be more involved in the daycare experience, a major component of their child's development.
Emotion in voices helps capture the listener's attention, but in the long run the words are not remembered as accurately
Does the emotion in our voice have a lasting effect? According to Annett Schirmer and colleagues from the National University of Singapore, emotion helps us recognize words quicker and more accurately straight away. In the longer term however, we do not remember emotionally intoned speech as accurately as neutral speech. When we do remember the words, they have acquired an emotional value; for example words spoken in a sad voice are remembered as more negative than words spoken in a neutral voice.
Weekly dose reduces targeted drug's side effects, but not its activity against ALL
A potent chemotherapy agent wrapped within a monoclonal antibody selectively destroys the malignant cells responsible for acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) in either weekly or monthly dosing, researchers report at the 54th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition.
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy beneficial in diabetes
(HealthDay)—For patients with diabetes and low levels of emotional well-being, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) improves emotional distress and health-related quality of life, according to a study published online Nov. 27 in Diabetes Care.
Women far more likely to live to 100 than men: U.S. census
(HealthDay)—Women stand a much better chance of becoming centenarians than men do, a new U.S. Census Bureau report shows.
Team inhibits Alzheimer's biomarkers in animal model by targeting astrocytes
A research team composed of University of Kentucky researchers has published a paper which provides the first direct evidence that activated astrocytes could play a harmful role in Alzheimer's disease. The UK Sanders-Brown Center on Aging has also received significant new National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding to further this line of study.
New research helps predict susceptibility to Burkitt lymphoma
New research, presented this morning at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), has identified important associations between Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria and endemic Burkitt Lymphoma (eBL) that may help researchers identify young children who are more susceptible to eBL.
My, what big teeth you have! Threatening objects appear closer
When we're faced with things that seem threatening, whether it's a hairy spider or an angry mob, our goal is usually to get as far away as we can. Now, new research suggests that our visual perception may actually be biased to help motivate us to get out of harm's way.
Even moderate smoking associated with sudden death risk in women
Women who are even light-to-moderate cigarette smokers may be significantly more likely than nonsmokers to suffer sudden cardiac death, according to new research in Circulation: Arrhythmia & Electrophysiology, an American Heart Association journal.
Combination therapy may help decrease sleep apnea symptoms at higher altitudes
For individuals with obstructive sleep apnea traveling to higher altitudes (which may exacerbate symptoms), use of a combination therapy resulted in improvement in symptoms including reduced insomnia and better control of sleep apnea, according to a preliminary study published in the December 12 issue of JAMA.
Prevalence of visual impairment in US increases
The prevalence of nonrefractive visual impairment (not due to need for glasses) in the U.S. has increased significantly in recent years, which may be partly related to a higher prevalence of diabetes, an associated risk factor, according to a study in the December 12 issue of JAMA.
Concussions affect children's brains even after symptoms subside
Brain changes in children who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion, persist for months following injury—even after the symptoms of the injury are gone, according to a study published in the December 12 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings highlight the potential benefit of using advanced imaging techniques to monitor recovery in children following concussions.
Long-term public health support needed to tackle infectious disease outbreaks
Outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as swine flu (H1N1) threaten global health and should be considered by funding agencies and humanitarian organizations as development issues rather than emergency situations, requiring long-term support and investment, according to US experts writing in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Taxes on sugary drinks and high fat foods could improve health
Taxes on soft drinks and foods high in saturated fats and subsidies for fruit and vegetables could lead to beneficial dietary changes and potentially improve health, according to a study by experts from New Zealand published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
New method quantifies uncertainty in estimates of child mortality rates
Measures of uncertainty should be taken into account when estimating progress towards Millennium Development Goal 4 (to reduce the mortality rate of children under 5 years by two thirds from the 1990 level by 2015) in order to give more accurate assessments of countries' progress, according to a study published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
New coronavirus has many potential hosts, could pass from animals to humans repeatedly
The SARS epidemic of 2002-2003 was short-lived, but a novel type of human coronavirus that is alarming public health authorities can infect cells from humans and bats alike, a fact that could make the animals a continuing source of infection, according to a study to be published in in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on December 11.
Postpartum women less stressed by threats unrelated to the baby, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—Following the birth of a child, new mothers may have an altered perception of stresses around them, showing less interest in threats unrelated to the baby. This change to the neuroendocrine circuitry could help the mothers adapt to the additional stress often accompanying newborns, say researchers from Indiana University's Kinsey Institute and the University of Zurich.
Gene knockout stops immune cell development
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute have identified the key gene in ensuring that our immune defences develop infection-fighting cells. No cells of the adaptive immune system - key to attacking and destroying bacteria and other pathogens - develop in the absence of the gene Bcl11a.
More than 3,000 epigenetic switches control daily liver cycles
(Medical Xpress)—When it's dark, and we start to fall asleep, most of us think we're tired because our bodies need rest. Yet circadian rhythms affect our bodies not just on a global scale, but at the level of individual organs, and even genes.
Disruption of gene used to transport proteins leads to ALS
(Medical Xpress)—A Purdue University biochemist has determined the function of a gene that when mutated leads to a genetic variation of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease.
What causes hot flushes during menopause? Research could lead to improved therapy
(Medical Xpress)—Hot flushes are not "in the head," but new research suggests they may start there. A UA research team has identified a region in the brain that may trigger the uncomfortable surges of heat most women experience in the first few years of menopause.
Battling brittle bones: Researchers pinpoint the origin of bone fractures
A new study from engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows, for the first time, how the little-understood protein osteocalcin plays a significant role in the strength of our bones. The findings could lead to new strategies and therapeutics for fighting osteoporosis and lowering the risk of bone fracture.
Researchers make key discovery in fight against Alzheimer's disease
Medical researchers at the University of Alberta have discovered a drug intended for diabetes appears to restore memory in Alzheimer's brain cells.
US doctors defeat leukemia with modified HIV (Update)
US doctors say they have saved a seven-year-old girl who was close to dying from leukemia by pioneering the use of an unlikely ally: a modified form of the HIV virus.
How our sense of touch is a lot like the way we hear
(Medical Xpress)—When you walk into a darkened room, your first instinct is to feel around for a light switch. You slide your hand along the wall, feeling the transition from the doorframe to the painted drywall, and then up and down until you find the metal or plastic plate of the switch. During the process you use your sense of touch to develop an image in your mind of the wall's surface and make a better guess for where the switch is.
Study: Infants process faces long before they recognize other objects
(Medical Xpress)—Using brain-monitoring technology, Stanford psychology researchers have discovered that infant brains respond to faces in much the same way as adult brains do, even while the rest of their visual system lags behind.
Biology news
Research findings offer a glimmer of hope for one of the world's rarest primates
A research team from Fauna & Flora International's (FFI) Vietnam primate programme has observed a record number of the Critically Endangered cao vit gibbon. During a two-week census survey, the team (led by biologists Nguyen The Cuong and Brian Crudge) recorded a total of 129 gibbons in the Cao Vit Gibbon Conservation Area in Cao Bang Province in northern Vietnam, the last known habitat for this species.
Citizens recruited to fight the weed invasion
Australians have been urged to defend their native landscapes against an insidious invasion of slow-spreading weeds.
Researchers develop environmental assessment model for southern Tasmanian estuaries
Work has begun on a new computer model which will enable communities and aquaculture industries to better assess environmental and human impacts, on estuarine and marine environments in Tasmania.
Malaysian customs seize record 24 tonnes of ivory
Malaysian customs have seized 24 tonnes of unprocessed elephant tusks worth almost $20 million, the largest haul in the country to date, officials said Tuesday.
Scientists uncover how immune cells sense who they are
Scientists at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), a part of the National Institutes of Health, have demonstrated that DNA previously thought to be "junk" plays a critical role in immune system response. The team's findings were published in Cell and may lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets for the treatment of immune-related disorders.
Salmonella spreads by targeting cells in our gut, study shows
Scientists have gained fresh insights into how the salmonella bug makes us ill.
Dead or alive? A new test to determine viability of soybean rust spores
Spores from Asian soybean rust (Phakopsora pachyrhizi) pose a serious threat to soybean production in the United States because they can be blown great distances by the wind. University of Illinois researchers have developed a method to determine whether these spores are viable.
Reducing underwater noise to help health of marine wildlife
(Phys.org)—Research by scientists at the University of Bath is being used to help inform new EU legislation on levels of underwater noise, with the aim of reducing the impact of noise pollution on marine wildlife.
Research team recognizes predator-producing bacteria
Unique viruses called bacteriophages may play an important role in competition among bacterial strains, influencing the overall ecosystem of the human intestine, scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington and UT Southwestern Medical Center say.
Researchers study isotopes in feces to discern mountain gorillas' diet
(Phys.org)—Researchers from several universities in the US have together found that it is possible to follow changes in a wild animal's diet over a single year period by studying isotopes in feces samples. The team used the technique, as they write in their paper published recently in the journal PNAS, to study the diet of wild mountain gorillas in Uganda.
No need to prepare: New method to directly sequence small genomes without library preparation
(Phys.org)—For the first time, researchers sequenced DNA molecules without the need for the standard pre-sequencing workflow known as library preparation.
Researchers identify new components of the epigenetic 'code' for honey bee development
Researchers from the UK and Australia have uncovered a new element of the honeybee's genetic makeup, which may help to explain why bees are so sensitive to environmental changes.
Science used to catch serial killers helps control pests and disease
A technique designed to help criminologists catch serial killers is being used by scientists to locate sources of disease, control pests and study animal behaviour. Locating a serial killer's home is similar to finding the nests of animals or centres of disease outbreaks, explains an article in the December edition of the Society of Biology's magazine The Biologist.
Resurrection of extinct enzymes reveals evolutionary strategy for the invention of new functions
How does evolution innovate? We exist because our ancestors have had the ability to adapt successfully to changes in their environment; however, merely examining present-day organisms can limit our understanding of the actual evolutionary processes because the crucial events have been masked by the passage of aeons – what we need is a time machine. Scientists from VIB, KU Leuven, University of Ghent and Harvard have done the next-best thing; by reconstructing DNA and proteins from prehistoric yeast cells, they were able to directly examine the evolutionary forces that have acted over the last 100 million years to shape modern-day enzymes – biological catalysts that enable organisms to manipulate molecules to their will.
Researchers find algal ancestor is key to how deadly pathogens proliferate
Long ago, when life on our planet was in its infancy, a group of small single-celled algae floating in the vast prehistoric ocean swam freely by beating whip-like tails, called flagella. It's a relatively unremarkable tale, except that now, over 800 million years later, these organisms have evolved into parasites that threaten human health, and their algal past in the ocean may be the key to stopping them.
Fish have enormous nutrient impacts on marine ecosystems, study finds
(Phys.org)—Fish play a far more important role as contributors of nutrients to marine ecosystems than previously thought, according to researchers at the University of Georgia and Florida International University. In a pair of papers in the journal Ecology, they show that fish contribute more nutrients to their local ecosystems than any other source—enough to cause changes in the growth rates of the organisms at the base of the food web.
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