Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 18, 2012:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- All together now: Single rule accounts for diverse decision systems in animal collectives- New insight into an intriguing state of magnetism
- Frog killing fungus found to infect crayfish too
- Metamaterials experts show a way to reduce electrons' effective mass to nearly zero
- A cosmic holiday ornament, Hubble-style
- Researchers find a 'glitch' in pulsar 'glitch' theory
- Researchers use liquid metal to create wires that stretch eight times their original length
- Study of pipestone artifacts overturns a century-old assumption
- Award-winning A/C uses old idea, new materials
- A mathematical formula to decipher the geometry of surfaces like that of cauliflower
- Researchers discover how hepatitis C virus reprograms human liver cells
- The best-laid plans: How we update our goals based on new information
- Study shows yields have plateaued or dropped in many places for world's most important crops
- Small, portable sensors allow users to monitor exposure to pollution on their smart phones
- Tracking the origins of HIV
Space & Earth news
Discovered crystals: Scientists in Poland name new minerals for UMaine geologist
Russian geologists at the University of Silesia in Poland have discovered two minerals new to science and have named them "edgrewite" and "hydroxledgrewite" in honor of University of Maine geologist and research professor Edward Grew.
Consequences of abandoning Alpine meadows: Observation alone will change nothing
Agriculture is increasingly vanishing from the Alps. Land that was cultivated for centuries is now being abandoned and scrubs are encroaching on it. This affects not only the landscape, but also the water balance and will in future also have an impact on power generation. These are the conclusions reached by an interdisciplinary research group supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).
Asking the hard questions about climate change: Q&A with climate and geoengineering expert
David Keith is Gordon McKay Professor of Applied Physics at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Professor of Public Policy at Harvard Kennedy School. The award-winning scientist, who was named one of TIME magazine's Heroes of the Environment in 2009, has worked near the interface of climate science, energy technology, and public policy for twenty years. He divides his time between Boston and Calgary, where he serves as president of Carbon Engineering—a start-up company developing industrial-scale technologies for capture of CO2 from ambient air. Here, Keith answers questions about his research and ideas for reducing climate change using innovative and sometimes controversial methods.
Low-frequency radio emissions from high-altitude sprite discharge
When lightning strikes from a towering cumulonimbus cloud down to the ground, the electrical discharge can perturb the atmosphere's electric field, potentially triggering a second event-sprite discharge. This more elusive type of electrical discharge, which produces lightning that is red in color, initiates from high altitudes, with streamers propagating down toward the top of the cumulonimbus cloud.
Harvard Forest's response to CO2 reveals past and future for the New England landscape
You might never know it, but the seemingly quiet Harvard Forest in Massachusetts is actually hard at work. Like other forests, it's busy doing some serious global housekeeping, which is being monitored by scientists at Harvard University.
NASA's GRAIL lunar impact site named for astronaut Sally Ride
(Phys.org)—NASA has named the site where twin agency spacecraft impacted the moon Monday in honor of the late astronaut, Sally K. Ride, who was America's first woman in space and a member of the probes' mission team.
Mussel power: Ocean shells can help predict rise in sea levels
Ocean mussels could be key to helping scientists predict more accurately the rise in sea levels caused by the melting of the Greenland Ice Sheet.
Botany experiment will try out zero gravity aboard space station
(Phys.org)—Gravity: It's the law in these parts. But to reach the stars, humans may have to learn to live outside the law.
Storms in the machine
NASA researchers are constructing a statistical typhoon model that can quickly generate millions of synthetic typhoons from birth through termination. Their work could provide new details about the climate of Earth, and what the future may hold for life on our planet.
Antarctic sea ice thickness affects algae populations
In the waters off Antarctica, algae grow and live in the sea ice that surrounds the southern continent-a floating habitat sure to change as the planet warms. As with most aquatic ecosystems, microscopic algae form the base of the Southern Ocean food web. Distinct algae populations reside in the sea ice surface layers, on the ice's underside, and within the floating ice itself. The algae that reside on the floating ice's underside are particularly important for the region's krill population, while those on the interior or surface layers are less accessible. How changing sea ice properties will affect the regional biology, then, depends on understanding how algae populations interact with the ice.
Central European summer temperature variability to increase
More extreme heat waves have been observed in central Europe in recent years as summer temperature variability has increased on both daily and interannual timescales. Models project that as the climate warms throughout the 21st century, this increased variability will continue.
Global ocean salinity changing due to anthropogenic climate change
Rising sea surface temperatures, climbing sea levels, and ocean acidification are the most commonly discussed consequences of anthropogenic climate change for the global oceans. They are not, however, the only potentially important shifts observed over recent decades. Drawing on observations from 1955 to 2004, Pierce et al. find that the oceans' salinity changed throughout the study period, that the changes were independent of known natural variability, and that the shifts were consistent with the expected effects of anthropogenic climate change.
Chamber measurements find plants potentially important methane sink
As a greenhouse gas, methane has a much higher heat-trapping potential than carbon dioxide when considered over the course of a few decades. In recent years, researchers discovered a potentially important new source of atmospheric methane-emissions from green plants.
Ecuador volcano blasts lava high above crater
Volcano monitors say Ecuador's Tungurahua volcano shot lava a half mile (1 kilometer) above its crater overnight and blasted hot rock and gas nearly 2 miles (3 kilometers) down its flank.
China launches Turkish satellite
China early Wednesday "successfully" launched a Turkish earth observation satellite into orbit aboard a Chinese rocket, according to state media, hailed in Turkey as a "historic moment".
Source of persistent Gulf sheen remains a mystery
Officials say underwater inspections at the site of BP's Deepwater Horizon rig disaster have failed to identify the source of a persistent sheen on the surface of the Gulf of Mexico.
Explosive origins for cosmic dust
(Phys.org)—The European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory has produced an intricate view of the remains of a star that died in a stellar explosion a millennium ago. This new view provides further proof that the cosmic dust which lies throughout our Galaxy is created when massive stars reach the end of their lives.
Researchers find a 'glitch' in pulsar 'glitch' theory
(Phys.org)—Researchers from the University of Southampton have called in to question a 40 year-old theory explaining the periodic speeding up or 'glitching' of pulsars.
A cosmic holiday ornament, Hubble-style
(Phys.org)—'Tis the season for holiday decorating and tree-trimming. Not to be left out, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have photographed a festive-looking nearby planetary nebula called NGC 5189. The intricate structure of this bright gaseous nebula resembles a glass-blown holiday ornament with a glowing ribbon entwined.
From super to ultra: Just how big can black holes get?
(Phys.org)—Some of the biggest black holes in the Universe may actually be even bigger than previously thought, according to a study using data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Analysis of Marcellus flowback finds high levels of ancient brines
Brine water that flows back from gas wells in the Marcellus Shale region after hydraulic fracturing is many times more salty than seawater, with high contents of various elements, including radium and barium. The chemistry is consistent with brines formed during the Paleozoic era, a study by an undergraduate student and two professors in Penn State's Department of Geosciences found.
Technology news
Cutting CO2 emissions with innovative technology
Researchers are testing a variety of technological solutions in the battle to reduce CO2 emissions. On this technological front, there is room for not just one but many winners
Compact MOS-Varactor simulation model for development of CMOS millimeter wave circuits
Toshiba Corporation today announced the development of a compact MOS-Varactor simulation model that delivers high level accuracy from DC to the millimeter wave (60 GHz) region. The new model was developed in cooperation with Professor Nobuyuki Itoh of Okayama Prefectural University.
On the road or in the kitchen: Novel storage solutions top engineering design competition
With a bicycle accessory that integrates several currently separate components, two University of Wisconsin-Madison mechanical engineering seniors won first place and $2,500 in the 2012 EMA/ME Design Competition, held December 12 on the UW-Madison engineering campus.
100-Gigabit per second RF communications link envisioned between airborne and ground assets
Fiber optic cables provide the core backbone for military and civilian networks, enabling Internet, phone, video and other data to move at super-high speeds with virtually no degradation over long distances. In deployed environments, where a fiber optic backbone doesn't exist, other communications modes are used resulting in reduced data-rate capacity for the warfighter.
New method for estimating thermal comfort in low-energy buildings at the design stage
Indoor environments that are too hot, too cold or draughty create discomfort and lower human productivity. MSc (Tech) Riikka Holopainen from VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, has written a doctoral thesis on a new method for estimating the actual level of human thermal comfort in low-energy buildings. The method is also the first of its kind to be integrated with a building simulation tool. Factoring in the different ways in which buildings are used and the different kinds of people using them at the design stage can help to improve energy efficiency and human comfort.
Cruze debuts industry-first flexible venting driver air bag
The 2013 Chevrolet Cruze introduces an industry-first driver-side air bag that uses a flexible venting technology designed to deploy more efficiently while providing equivalent crash protection to more expensive and complex air bag systems.
Mapping the wind as part of DOE offshore wind demonstration project
Mapping the wind patterns off the Oregon coast is just one part of the innovative work that scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will be performing in a new demonstration project just announced by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). As part of the U.S. government's "all of the above" strategy to develop more secure, domestic energy sources, the DOE announced seven offshore wind demonstration projects with an initial phase investment of $4M each over 2 years.
Research to link mobile phones and health
A Murdoch University PhD candidate envisions a future in which everyone wears a low-energy sensor to monitor their health – and he's doing the computing work to make it a reality.
EU: Online news least read in France—Estonia, Lithuania lead
Only about one in three internet users in France went online to catch the news or read their favourite newspapers in the last three months, the lowest in any EU nation, European Union data showed Tuesday.
New Facebook, Twitter ads boost mobile revenues
New ad products from Facebook and Twitter have given US mobile advertising a boost, bringing revenues for the sector to more than $4 billion this year, a research firm said Monday.
Developers worried about new rules for phone apps
Developers of smartphone software are bracing for regulations that they say will stifle creativity and saddle small businesses with legal and technical costs.
Pros dominate YouTube greatest hits in 2012
"Gangnam Style" topped YouTube's list of the most attention-grabbing videos this year, as other professionally produced works outshined the amateur clips that had originally made the website famous.
Nanoscale impulse radar measures depth of snow and ice
Snow is the be-all and end-all for alpine ski resorts. Now a tiny sensor has been developed to determine how much cold gold there is on the slopes and how much more should be produced. The sensor is based on Norwegian radar technology and is no larger than a match head.
New mobile app to keep us safe
Swinburne University of Technology Faculty of Design academics have devised a new smartphone app that can be used by teenagers to let parents know they are safe, and also by adults to let family, friends and emergency workers track their mobile in an emergency.
Water footprint could tip scale for sustainable, emission-reducing energy options
Green energy won't be sustainable if it uses too much blue. Low-carbon energy options that increase water consumption could be swapping one problem for another.
Facebook rejects German demand to allow fake names
Facebook says it won't comply with a German privacy watchdog's demand to let users register with fake names.
Texas Instruments to cut 517 jobs in France
Chipmaker Texas Instruments says will lay off more than 500 people at a research and development plant near Nice, France, in the coming months.
Facebook users hit 'like,' stores jump into action
(AP)—Facebook isn't just for goofy pictures and silly chatter. Whether shoppers know it or not, their actions online help dictate what's in stores during this holiday season.
EU to seek Google anti-trust accord: Almunia (Update)
The European Union will seek an accord with US Internet search giant Google as progress has been made in resolving EU anti-trust concerns, EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said Tuesday.
Samsung says to drop Europe case against Apple
South Korean tech giant Samsung is to drop a legal request to ban Apple products in five European countries but will maintain lawsuits for alleged patent infringement, a Samsung spokeswoman told AFP on Tuesday.
Twitter tops 200 million active users
Twitter said Tuesday the number of active users of the service has topped 200 million, in a sign of the sizzling growth of the messaging platform.
Internet outages in the US doubled during Hurricane Sandy
USC scientists who track Internet outages throughout the world noted a spike in outages due to Hurricane Sandy, with almost twice as much of the Internet down in the U.S. as usual.
US to study privacy impact of data brokers
US regulators Tuesday ordered data brokers to turn over information about how they collect and use information about consumers, in a move hailed by Internet privacy activists.
Instagram ad shift creates online uproar (Update)
Instagram faced a backlash Tuesday after the Facebook-owned photo-sharing service rewrote its rules to give itself the right to sell users' pictures for advertising without compensation.
Samsung is top 2012 phone brand, ousting Nokia
Samsung has overtaken Nokia as the top mobile phone brand for 2012 and has opened up a decisive lead over Apple in the smartphone market, a research firm said Tuesday.
'Sandwich chips' combining the best of two technologies
Two Leibniz institutes in Germany broke new technological ground and successfully combined their – up to now separate – technology worlds. Due to their high performance the novel chips developed within the HiTeK project shall open up new applications.
Oracle 2Q earnings rise 18 pct to top Street view
Oracle's latest quarterly earnings rose 18 percent as companies splurged on more software and other technology toward the end of the year.
Judge denies Apple request to ban Samsung phones
A federal judge has rejected Apple Inc.'s demands that its chief rival in the more than $100 billion global smartphone market cease selling models a jury recently found illegally used Apple technology.
Entrepreneur receives funding for 'tornado' power generator
(Phys.org)—Electrical engineer and entrepreneur Louis Michaud's AVEtec company has received funding from PayPal cofounder Peter Thiel's Breakout Labs program to build an experimental Atmosphere Vortex Engine (AVE). The $300,000 in startup funds is to go towards building a working engine to dispel or prove the viability of using such technology to produce electricity with virtually no carbon footprint.
Google launches Dead Sea Scrolls online library
More than six decades since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls—and thousands of years after they were written—Israel on Tuesday put 5,000 images of the ancient biblical artifacts online in a partnership with Google.
Award-winning A/C uses old idea, new materials
If thirst is crucial to knowledge, then one crucial step in the evolution of air conditioning was born in the 1970s, when Ron Judkoff was a hot, thirsty Peace Corp volunteer in Kedougou, Senegal, one of the warmest places on Earth.
Small, portable sensors allow users to monitor exposure to pollution on their smart phones
(Phys.org)—Computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego have built a small fleet of portable pollution sensors that allow users to monitor air quality in real time on their smart phones. The sensors could be particularly useful to people suffering from chronic conditions, such as asthma, who need to avoid exposure to pollutants.
Medicine & Health news
Immediate health risk must be weighed against radiation-induced cancer risk
The lifetime risks of cancer from medical radiation may be overemphasized relative to more immediate health risks, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
Health care satisfaction rated as high by unacculturated hispanics
(HealthDay)—Hispanic patients, particularly unacculturated Hispanics, rate their health care experience more highly than do other patient groups, according to a study published in the October issue of the Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health.
Scientists scrutinise the European diet
Italian risotto, Spanish paella and the British traditional Sunday roast (consisting of roasted meat, roast potatoes and vegetables). - these are only a small sample of foods which symbolise individual countries and the diversity of diets across Europe currently being scrutinised by scientists. The aim is to research Europeans' daily exposure to food contaminants, which could lead to changing eating habits for better health.
New mobile app helps providers better document conditions and care
One of the key features of health care reform is the linking of outcomes with reimbursement, a development that places even greater urgency on the thoroughness and accuracy of documenting a patient's condition and care. A new suite of tools – include a mobile app for iPhones and iPads – developed by the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) helps health care providers paint a more precise picture of the health condition of patients they treat.
Researchers find heart-surgery patients with elevated levels of anxiety, depression less able to care for themselves
It is quite common for patients who have had heart surgery to experience anxiety and short-term memory loss as side effects. New research from Ryerson University has found that heart-surgery patients experiencing these conditions are less successful at self-managing care and risk re-admission to hospital.
Evidence on abortion figures overestimated in Mexico fuels scientific debate in medical journal
A detailed letter entitled "Methodological flaws in the estimation of abortion in Latin America: Author's reply to Singh and Bankole" was published today in Ginecología y Obstetricia de México (Ginecol Obstet Mex), a Mexican peer-reviewed journal specialized in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The letter is a reply by researchers from the Institute of Molecular Epidemiology (MELISA) to researchers from the Alan Guttmacher Institute (AGI) regarding methodological flaws that led to a significant overestimation of induced abortions figures in the Federal District of Mexico (Mexico DF) before an after abortion legalization at this state. "Our letter is part of an intense scientific debate in Ginecología y Obstetrica de México that addresses issues raised in a previous article by Susheela Singh and Akinrinola Bankole in representation of AGI regarding our evaluation of the methodology employed to estimate abortion figures; we provide additional information supporting conclusions ! of our multinational collaborative study published two weeks ago in the International Journal of Women's Health, showing that abortion figures and maternal mortality rates were largely overestimated in Mexico" said Elard Koch, the Chilean epidemiologist leading the research.
Mayo Clinic launches pregnancy app for Windows 8
Available for desktop/laptop and tablet users on the Windows 8 platform, Mayo Clinic on Pregnancy is a trustworthy guide to pregnancy, childbirth, and baby's first three months. It was developed by Mayo Clinic leveraging the medical and lifestyle expertise of a team of Mayo's pregnancy experts in obstetrics and gynecology, genetics, nutrition, midwifery and lactation. The app also utilizes search, share and semantic zoom features for an improved user experience.
British judge rules against mother in child cancer case
A judge ruled Tuesday that a seven-year-old British boy with cancer could undergo more surgery despite his mother's opposition, which had led her to run away with her son earlier this month.
Report recommends France legalise 'accelerated deaths'
France should allow doctors to "accelerate the coming of death" for terminally ill patients, a report to President Francois Hollande recommended Tuesday.
Belgium looks at euthanasia for minors, Alzheimer's sufferers
Belgium is considering a significant change to its decade-old euthanasia law that would allow minors and Alzheimer's sufferers to seek permission to die.
Irish government to legalize life-saving abortion (Update)
Ireland's government pledged Tuesday to pass a law soon that will allow women to receive abortions if continued pregnancy threatens their lives—including from their own threats to commit suicide if denied one.
Evidence insufficient to recommend routine antibiotics for joint replacement patients
The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), and the American Dental Association (ADA) found that there is insufficient evidence to recommend the routine use of antibiotics for patients with orthopaedic implants to prevent infections prior to having dental procedures because there is no direct evidence that routine dental procedures cause prosthetic joint infections.
Researchers find model system to study promising cancer drug
Researchers have found that the budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is an acceptable model system to study KP1019, an anti-cancer drug that uses ruthenium, a rare metal, a new study found. Researchers had previously been interested in studying KP1019 because it is believed to cause cancer cell death and is not known to have negative secondary side effects for healthy tissues.
Amgen to pay $762M settlement over drug marketing
Amgen will pay $762 million to settle litigation that accuses the drugmaker of marketing the anemia drug Aranesp for unapproved uses.
Little evidence to support TB interventions in real-world, low-resource settings
There is little evidence from real world situations in low-and-middle income countries to support the effectiveness and financial value of five interventions* recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to control tuberculosis, which may be a reason why these interventions have not been implemented in many countries, according to a study by international experts published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Humanitarian organizations must do more for older people in emergencies
Emergency aid has failed to address the needs of older people in emergency situations and so donors and humanitarian agencies must urgently ensure that this vulnerable group is included in any emergency response, according to experts from the humanitarian organizations Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders) and HelpAge International writing in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Cancer patients may not be getting adequate care for debilitating fatigue, study finds
(Medical Xpress)—Many people who have been through cancer and its treatment have trouble with their recovery because of severe, debilitating fatigue that can last for months or even years. But even though a variety of treatments exist for cancer-related fatigue, few doctors are recommending them to patients, according to a recent Mayo Clinic study appearing in Supportive Care in Cancer.
Insulin plus growth factor inhibitor limits vision damage in diabetic mice
A new therapeutic approach to diabetes that combines insulin and an inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) betacellulin could limit the progression of diabetic macular edema (DME), Cleveland Clinic researcher Bela Anand-Apte, MD, PhD, said at the American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting, on Dec. 17 in San Francisco.
Intensive therapy no better than traditional care at speeding up recovery from whiplash
More costly, intensive treatment works no better than usual care at speeding up recovery from whiplash injuries, according to new research published Online First in The Lancet.
Speed bumps could be a new way to help diagnose appendicitis
The presence of pain when travelling over speed bumps is associated with an increased likelihood of acute appendicitis, among patients coming into hospital with abdominal pain, finds a study in the BMJ Christmas issue and published online today.
Beware—over-indulging can take hours off your life
It may be the season to eat, drink and be merry, but each day of over-indulging can take several hours off your life, according to a Christmas article published on BMJ website today.
Popular TV chef recipes 'less healthy' than supermarket ready meals
Recipes created by popular television chefs contain significantly more energy, protein, fat, and saturated fat and less fibre per portion than supermarket ready meals, finds a study in the Christmas issue published on BMJ website today.
Experts discover why Rudolph's nose is red
Rudolph's nose is red because it is richly supplied with red blood cells which help to protect it from freezing and to regulate brain temperature.
Researchers identify enzyme linked to prostate cancer
Researchers at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have identified an enzyme specifically linked to aggressive prostate cancer, and have also developed a compound that inhibits the ability of this molecule to promote the metastatic spread of the cancer.
Signifor approved for Cushing's disease
(HealthDay)—Signifor (pasireotide diaspartate) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat Cushing's disease in cases that cannot be treated by surgery.
Cancer costs billions yearly in U.S. worker productivity, study finds
(HealthDay)—The cost of lost productivity among U.S. workers with cancer is equal to 20 percent of the nation's health care spending, according to a new study.
Shorter hospital stays don't compromise care, study finds
(HealthDay)—Fears that patients are being forced out of hospitals dangerously early may be unfounded, researchers report.
Recent increase noted in pubic hair grooming injuries
(HealthDay)—Over the last decade there has been a five-fold increase in injuries relating to pubic hair grooming presenting to the emergency department, most of which are due to the use of razors, according to research published in the December issue of Urology.
Supplementation of formula with LCPUFAs ups infant visual acuity
(HealthDay)—For infants, supplementation of formula with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFAs) correlates with improved visual acuity in the first year of life, according to research published online Dec. 17 in Pediatrics.
Risk factors ID'd for revision of total hip replacement
(HealthDay)—Younger, taller, and heavier patients who undergo primary total hip replacement (THR) are at a greater risk of needing a revision surgery, according to research published in the December issue of Arthritis Care & Research.
Bullying by childhood peers leaves a trace that can change the expression of a gene linked to mood
A recent study by a researcher at the Centre for Studies on Human Stress (CSHS) at the Hôpital Louis-H. Lafontaine and professor at the Université de Montréal suggests that bullying by peers changes the structure surrounding a gene involved in regulating mood, making victims more vulnerable to mental health problems as they age.
Four-year-old dies from bird flu in Indonesia
A four-year-old boy has died of bird flu in Indonesia, the health ministry said Tuesday, the 10th fatal case in the country this year.
2012 top 10 advances in heart disease and stroke research
Resuscitation, cell regeneration, a new high blood pressure treatment and developments in devices for treating stroke are among the key scientific findings that make up this year's top cardiovascular and stroke research identified by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association.
Study offers novel, inexpensive approach on improving public health
(Medical Xpress)—A new study out of Washington University in St. Louis is one of the first to use technology to effectively measure the use of built environments—parks, greenways, trails and other man-made public areas—as a means to improve public health.
Study shows starving cancer cells of key nutrient slows tumour growth
Depriving cancer cells of a key amino acid dramatically cuts their ability to grow and multiply, according to a new Cancer Research UK study published in Nature.
Study on benefits of coffee in preventing oral cancer requires follow-up research, Loyola dentist says
A recent study from the American Cancer Society purports that heavy coffee drinkers may reduce the risk of dying from mouth and throat cancer by half, but one dentist is not raising a coffee cup in support.
Researchers discover a chemical that fends off harm to organs
(Medical Xpress)—Anesthesia is quite safe these days. But sometimes putting a patient under to fix one problem, such as heart damage, can harm a different organ, such as a kidney.
Preventing deadly aortic aneurysms
(Medical Xpress)—A researcher with the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry and the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute is looking closely at a molecule linked to aortic aneurysms in the abdomen, and her findings could lead to a life-saving treatment to reduce swelling of the aortic artery.
Excessive alcohol when you're young could have lasting impacts on your brain
(Medical Xpress)—Alcohol misuse in young people causes significant changes in their brain function and structure. This and other findings were recently reviewed by Dr Daniel Hermens from the University of Sydney's Brain and Mind Research Institute in the journal Cortex.
REM sleep enhances emotional memories, study shows
(Medical Xpress)—Witnessing a car wreck or encountering a poisonous snake are scenes that become etched in our memories.
Aging, end-of-life expert offers advice for coping with holiday blues
It may be the most wonderful time of the year. But the holidays can also be a time of sadness and loneliness, especially for those dealing with recent death, illness or changes in family life.
Surgery not an easy fix for diabetes
(Medical Xpress)—Over the past few years, weight loss surgery has become an increasingly popular option to treat Type 2 diabetes, but Dr. Vivian Fonseca, professor of medicine at the Tulane University School of Medicine, says it is not a cure-all.
Research into bleeding prevention post-birth could save lives
Research brings together evidence about the potential for misoprostol to prevent bleeding after home births in low resource countries.
Transplant effective in treating those with severe Crohn's disease, study shows
(Medical Xpress)—Patients suffering from severe Crohn's disease who were no longer able to tolerate intravenous feedings were able to return to a normal oral diet and saw no clinical recurrences of the disease after undergoing intestinal or multivisceral transplants, according to a study of cases performed at UPMC over more than 20 years.
Silent stroke can cause Parkinson's disease
(Medical Xpress)—Scientists at The University of Manchester have for the first time identified why a patient who appears outwardly healthy may develop Parkinson's disease.
Spread of cancer cells may be slowed by targeting of protein
(Medical Xpress)—The spread of cancer cells may be slowed by targeting the protein km23-1, according to researchers at Penn State College of Medicine.
Research reveals hidden anguish of schoolchildren with autism
(Medical Xpress)—Schoolchildren on the autistic spectrum experience worrying levels of mental health difficulties, according to a new study by research psychologists from The University of Manchester.
Patients with diabetes may not receive best treatment to lower heart disease risk
For some people with diabetes, there may be such a thing as too much care.
Researcher: Hypnosis should be offered to patients with IBS
Hypnotherapy helps fight IBS symptoms. These are the findings of a thesis from Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden which proposes implementing this treatment method into the care of severe sufferers of this common disease.
Psychologists: Scrooge's transformation parallels real life-changing experiences
Psychologists studied 14 people who had sudden life-changing experiences. They say Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation fits right in. George Bailey from "It's a Wonderful Life" is another realistic movie character who embodies sudden change.
Long-term survival after less-invasive repair of abdominal aneurysm same as with 'open' procedure
Despite earlier signs that a less-invasive surgery is safer and better than "open" operations to repair potentially lethal abdominal aortic aneurysms, a study led by a Johns Hopkins professor shows survival rates after four years are similar for both procedures.
Long-terms benefits follow brain surgery for certain forms of epilepsy
Brain surgery for certain difficult forms of epilepsy often reduces or eliminates seizures for more than 15 years after the procedure, according to new research by neurologists at Henry Ford Hospital.
Way to make one-way flu vaccine discovered
A new process to make a one-time, universal influenza vaccine has been discovered by a researcher at Georgia State University's Center for Inflammation, Immunity and Infection and his partners.
Mistaking OCD for ADHD has serious consequences
(Medical Xpress)—On the surface, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) appear very similar, with impaired attention, memory, or behavioral control. But Prof. Reuven Dar of Tel Aviv University's School of Psychological Sciences argues that these two neuropsychological disorders have very different roots—and there are enormous consequences if they are mistaken for each other.
Study: Curbing car travel could be as effective as cutting calories
(Medical Xpress)—Those considering how to maintain a healthy weight during holiday festivities, or looking ahead to New Year's resolutions, may want to think twice before reaching for traditional staples like cookies or candy – or the car keys.
Host cholesterol secretion likely to influence gut microbiota
For more than half a century, researchers have known that the bacteria that colonize the gastrointestinal tract of mammals influence their host's cholesterol metabolism. Now, Jens Walter and colleagues of the University of Nebraska show that changes in cholesterol metabolism induced by diet can alter the gut flora. The research was published online ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.
MRIs reveal signs of brain injuries not seen in CT scans, researchers report
Hospital MRIs may be better at predicting long-term outcomes for people with mild traumatic brain injuries than CT scans, the standard technique for evaluating such injuries in the emergency room, according to a clinical trial led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and the San Francisco General Hospital and Trauma Center (SFGH).
More children surviving in-hospital cardiac arrest
Hospitalized children who suffer cardiac arrest are nearly three times more likely to survive than they were about a decade ago, and no more likely to suffer brain impairment, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes.
World Trade Center rescue, recovery workers have had increased incidence of certain types of cancer
Among rescue and recovery workers exposed to the dust, debris, and fumes following the World Trade Center terrorist attack, there was an increased incidence of prostate and thyroid cancers and multiple myeloma, although it is not clear how big a factor medical screening and non-WTC risk factors contributed to these increases, according to a study in the December 19 issue of JAMA. The authors did not find a statistically significant increased incidence for all cancer sites combined, and note that the findings on the three cancers that did increase should be viewed with caution for several reasons, including that they were based on a small number of cancers, multiple comparisons, and a relatively short follow-up time.
Regular aspirin use ten or more years ago associated with increased risk of type of age-related macular degeneration
Among nearly 5,000 study participants, regular aspirin use reported ten years prior was associated with a small but statistically significant increase in the risk of neovascular age‑related macular degeneration, according to a study in the December 19 issue of JAMA.
Intensive weight-loss intervention linked with increased chance of partial remission from diabetes
Among overweight adults, participation in an intensive lifestyle intervention (that included counseling sessions and targets to reduce caloric intake and increase physical activity) was associated with a greater likelihood of partial remission of type 2 diabetes, however the absolute remission rates were modest, according to a study in the December 19 issue of JAMA.
Administration of clopidogrel prior to PCI associated with reduction in major cardiac events
Among patients scheduled for a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI; procedures such as balloon angioplasty or stent placement used to open narrowed coronary arteries), pretreatment with the antiplatelet agent clopidogrel was not associated with a lower risk of overall mortality but was associated with a significantly lower risk of major coronary events, according to a review and meta-analysis of previous studies published in the December 19 issue of JAMA.
JAMA article discusses critical need for iodine supplements during pregnancy and while nursing
A viewpoint in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) discusses the issue of iodine deficiency in pregnant women in the U.S. and the potential negative health implications for both mothers and their children from this deficiency.
Sleeping pills owe half their benefits to placebo effect, study finds
Half of the benefit of taking sleeping pills comes from the placebo effect, according to a major new study published in the British Medical Journal.
Cancer study overturns current thinking about gene activation
(Medical Xpress)—A new Australian study led by Professor Susan Clark from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research shows that large regions of the genome – amounting to roughly 2% – are epigenetically activated in prostate cancer.
Is the mental health system failing troubled kids?
(HealthDay)— In the aftermath of the mass shooting that claimed the lives of 20 children in Newtown, Conn., last Friday, voices around the nation are asking, "How could this have happened?"
Scientists discover how HIV virus gains access to carrier immune cells to spread infection
Scientists from the AIDS Research Institute IrsiCaixa have identified how HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, enters the cells of the immune system enabling it to be dispersed throughout an organism. The new study is published December 18 in the open access journal PLOS Biology.
Global rates of infertility remain unchanged over past two decades
In 2010, almost 50 million couples worldwide were unable to have a child after five years of trying. Infertility rates have hardly changed over the past 20 years, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
FDA warns about misleading advertising for some laser eye surgeries
(HealthDay)—Five U.S. eye care providers have been warned to stop misleading advertising about the special lasers used in vision correction procedures such as LASIK, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday.
Adalimumab relieves hidradenitis suppurativa
(HealthDay)—For patients with moderate-to-severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), a chronic skin disease characterized by painful abscesses, nodules, and draining fistulas in the axilla and groin, treatment with once-weekly adalimumab is associated with improvements in pain and inflammation, according to a study published online Dec. 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers report progress in quest to create objective method of detecting pain
A method of analyzing brain structure using advanced computer algorithms accurately predicted 76 percent of the time whether a patient had lower back pain in a new study by researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Clever gene construct combats metabolic syndrome
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers under ETH-Zurich professor Martin Fussenegger have created a new genetic network that could cure the various symptoms of so-called metabolic syndrome in one fell swoop. It already works in mice.
Hypertension traced to source in brain
(Medical Xpress)—When the heart works too hard, the brain may be to blame, says new Cornell research that is changing how scientists look at high blood pressure (hypertension). The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation in November, traces hypertension to a newfound cellular source in the brain and shows that treatments targeting this area can reverse the disease.
Study shows brain processing similarities between music and movement
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at Dartmouth College have devised an experiment that demonstrates how music and movement are processed by the brain in similar ways. They describe their experiment and discuss its possible implications in a paper they've had published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Antibiotics based on a new principle may defeat MRSA
(Medical Xpress)—Scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have presented a new principle for fighting bacterial infections, in other words, a new type of antibiotic, in the FASEB Journal. The new antibiotic mechanism is based on selectively blocking the thioredoxin system in the cells, which is crucial to the growth of certain bacteria. Scientists hope to be able to treat such conditions as stomach ulcers, TB and MRSA.
Researchers discover how hepatitis C virus reprograms human liver cells
Hepatitis C virus has evolved to invade and hijack the basic machinery of the human liver cell to ensure its survival and spread. Researchers at the University of North have discovered how hepatitis C binds with and repurposes a basic component of cellular metabolism known as a microRNA to help protect and replicate the virus.
The best-laid plans: How we update our goals based on new information
Humans are adept at setting goals and updating them as new situations arise—for example, a person who is playing a video game may switch to a new goal when their phone rings.
Tracking the origins of HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) may have affected humans for much longer than is currently believed. Alfred Roca, an assistant professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, thinks that the genomes of an isolated West African human population provide important clues about how the disease has evolved.
Blood test accurately detects lymphedema, study shows
Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have identified a set of proteins circulating in blood whose levels accurately flag the presence of lymphedema. The findings, to be reported Dec. 18 in PLoS ONE, spur optimism that this common but relatively neglected condition, which affects an estimated 10 million people in the United States, finally will be amenable to detection (and, eventually, treatment) with 21st-century techniques.
Cancer cells co-opt immune response to escape destruction
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine report that tumor cells use stress signals to subvert responding immune cells, exploiting them to actually boost conditions beneficial to cancer growth.
Biology news
Drug improves quality of life for Dobermanns with heart disease
Veterinary scientists at the University of Liverpool have found that early screening and drug treatment for Dobermann dogs with a serious heart disease can extend and improve their quality of life.
Disputed fish quota cuts lead to tough EU talks
EU fishery ministers began difficult talks Tuesday on the vexed question of 2013 quotas as they sought to balance conflicting demands from environmentalists and fishermen alike.
When Christmas comes with 25,000 freeloaders
"Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse."
Soil-water profile key to wheat root system, drought survivability
Without soil moisture, roots don't develop and grow. Without a strong root system, a crop cannot survive in a drought year, according to a Texas A&M AgriLife Research crop stress physiologist in Amarillo.
Two new lizards discovered in Townsville area
(Phys.org)—A James Cook University researcher has helped uncover two new lizard species in the Townsville area.
126 new species discovered in Greater Mekong, WWF reports
From a devilish-looking bat to a frog that sings like a bird, scientists have identified 126 new species in the Greater Mekong area, the WWF said in a new report detailing discoveries in 2011.
Snake tales: Scientists use high-tech methods to interpret tail signals from squirrel prey to rattlesnake predators
If you were to judge from now-clichéd chase scenes in wildlife documentaries, you might think that predator-prey interactions are simple and predictable: A predator sees, chases, kills and then eats its prey. End of story.
Survival of the females
It is well known that many mammals are able to adjust the ratio of male and female young depending on the surrounding conditions at the time of conception. A recent study in the group of Christine Aurich at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna provides important information on how the survival of female embryos may be enhanced under conditions that would otherwise favor the birth of males. The work is published in the journal Theriogenology.
Study shows yields have plateaued or dropped in many places for world's most important crops
The Green Revolution has stagnated for key food crops in many regions of the world, according to a study published in the Dec. 18 issue of Nature Communications by scientists with the University of Minnesota's Institute on the Environment and McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Frog killing fungus found to infect crayfish too
(Phys.org)—A team of US biologists has found that the chytrid fungus, believed to be responsible for amphibian deaths worldwide, also infects and kills crayfish. In their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers write that their findings show that non-amphibian species can be infected by the fungus also, which helps explain how the fungus is able to persist in some lakes and ponds even after all of the amphibians in them have been killed.
All together now: Single rule accounts for diverse decision systems in animal collectives
(Phys.org)—Ethologists – those who study animal behavior under natural conditions – have long recognized that groups of various species, or animal collectives, use a variety of decision-making systems. For example, some species choose from among various behavioral options based on the number of animals that have already selected each alternative; other species follow Weber's Law, in which the relative number is the deciding factor; and for others, more complicated rules are involved. Recently, however, scientists at Instituto Cajal, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Spain, identified a single Bayesian-based decision-making rule underlying this observed diversity. Moreover, the researchers then experimentally demonstrated that this single rule quantitatively explains decision-making in zebrafish, and in existing datasets of argentine ants and sticklebacks. This suggests, they conclude, that decision-making based not just on individual behavioral, neurobiological, and psychological factors, but on social information, obtains across species – including humans.
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