Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for October 8, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Englert and Higgs win Nobel physics prize (Update 4)- Folding batteries increases their areal energy density by up to 14 times
- In quantum computing, light may lead the way
- New study reveals why jellyfish are such efficient swimmers (w/ Video)
- Team uses cellulosic biofuels byproduct to increase ethanol yield
- Postpartum depression spans generations
- Juno slingshots past Earth on its way to Jupiter
- Printed electronics: A multi-touch sensor customizable with scissors
- Normal wear could explain differences in hominin jaw shapes
- Obama administration backs ban on some Samsung devices
- Two genes linked to increased risk for eating disorders
- Solving the internet capacity crunch: First demonstration of a multicore fiber network
- Clues to foam formation could help find oil
- Growing bacteria keep time, know their place
- New study finds biomarker differentiating the inattentive and combined subtypes of ADHD
Space & Earth news
New film about the Very Large Array radio telescope, narrated by Jodie Foster
(Phys.org) —The National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has released a new 24-minute film about the recently renovated Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope. The film is narrated by Academy Award-winning actress Jodie Foster, star of the 1997 Warner Brothers film, "Contact," which was filmed in part at the VLA.
Community in the dark over nickel mine
A vulnerable Indonesian community has been let down by a failing legal system and international human rights mechanisms, according to a new report.
Focus on reducing urban water leakage
No resource is more fundamental to life and human society than water. Yet, globally, 25 to 30 percent of drinking water is lost every year due to leakages in urban water distribution systems.
Measuring global sulfur dioxide emissions with satellite sensors
Atmospheric sulfur dioxide affects the weather by enhancing cloud formation, and long-term shifts in emissions can change the climate by increasing the planetary albedo. Sulfur dioxide emissions are the basis for acid rain, and the gas itself can cause respiratory problems. Despite its importance, the difficulties associated with accurately measuring sulfur dioxide mean that rates of emissions are generally not well understood. For readings made using satellite-borne spectrometers, the signal of sulfur dioxide is often swamped by that of ozone, which absorbs radiation at similar wavelengths. Using data filtering and analysis techniques, Fioletov et al. find that observations from three different satellites are consistent and could be used to detect large sources of sulfur dioxide emissions.
More than 500 million people might face increasing water scarcity
Both freshwater availability for many millions of people and the stability of ecosystems such as the Siberian tundra or Indian grasslands are put at risk by climate change. Even if global warming is limited to two degrees above pre-industrial levels, 500 million people could be subject to increased water scarcity—while this number would grow by a further 50 percent if greenhouse-gas emissions are not cut soon. At five degrees global warming almost all ice-free land might be affected by ecosystem change.
Terrestrial ecosystems at risk of major shifts as temperatures increase
Over 80 percent of the world's ice-free land is at risk of profound ecosystem transformation by 2100, a new study reveals. "Essentially, we would be leaving the world as we know it," says Sebastian Ostberg of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Germany. Ostberg and collaborators studied the critical impacts of climate change on landscapes and have now published their results in Earth System Dynamics, an open access journal of the European Geosciences Union (EGU).
Scientist studies Hurricane Sandy's impact on N.J. coastal wetlands, one year later
Hurricane Sandy landed right on top of Dr. Tracy Quirk's wetland monitoring stations – but it wasn't all bad news.
Rural land use policies curb wildfire risks—to a point
Using Montana's fast-growing Flathead County as a template, a Washington State University researcher has found that moderately restrictive land-use policies can significantly curb the potential damage of rural wildfires. However, highly restrictive planning laws will not do much more.
NASA ban on Chinese scientists 'inaccurate': lawmaker (Update)
A decision by NASA to bar Chinese scientists from an upcoming conference was deemed "inaccurate" Tuesday by the US congressman who wrote the law on which the restriction is based.
Residents willing to pay for water improvements
Managing storm-water runoff in urban settings is critical to keep basements dry, streets clear and passable, and streams and rivers healthy, but how much are homeowners willing to pay for it?
Shutdown heads south; Antarctic stations shuttered (Update)
The U.S. federal government shutdown is reaching all the way down to the South Pole.
Diamond 'super-Earth' may not be quite as precious, graduate student finds
(Phys.org) —An alien world reported to be the first known planet to consist largely of diamond appears less likely to be of such precious nature, according to a new analysis led by UA graduate student Johanna Teske.
Iron melt network helped grow Earth's core, study suggests
(Phys.org) —Stanford scientists recreated the intense pressures and temperatures found deep within the Earth, resulting in a discovery that complicates theories of how the planet and its core were formed.
Telescopes large and small team up to study triple asteroid
(Phys.org) —Combining observations from the world's largest telescopes with small telescopes used by amateur astronomers, a team of scientists discovered that the large main-belt asteroid (87) Sylvia has a complex interior, thanks to the presence of two moons orbiting the main asteroid, and probably linked to the way the multiple system was formed. The findings were revealed October 7, at the 45th annual Division of Planetary Sciences meeting in Denver, Colorado.
First ever evidence of a comet striking Earth
The first ever evidence of a comet entering Earth's atmosphere and exploding, raining down a shock wave of fire which obliterated every life form in its path, has been discovered by a team of South African scientists and international collaborators.
Juno slingshots past Earth on its way to Jupiter
If you've ever whirled a ball attached to a string around your head and then let it go, you know the great speed that can be achieved through a slingshot maneuver.
Closer look at Mars reveals new type of impact crater
Lessons from underground nuclear tests and explosive volcanoes may hold the answer to how a category of unusual impact craters formed on Mars.
Technology news
Nuance to add pair of Icahn nominees to board
Nuance Communications Inc. says it's reached a deal with billionaire investor Carl Icahn to add two of his nominees to its board.
Kenya clamps down on unregistered cellphone lines (Update)
Kenyan authorities are cracking down on vendors who do not register people for cellphone lines, following revelations that the terrorists who attacked a Nairobi mall last month communicated using unregistered lines, officials said Tuesday
Innovative wideband ring voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)
A new wideband ring voltage-controlled oscillator (VOC) was proposed by UNIST undergraduate student, Seyeon Yoo with the the research work published in IEEE Microwave and Wireless Components Letters.
World's biggest book fair targets internet giants
Organisers of the world's biggest book fair in Germany warned Tuesday against the domination of Internet giants as the publishing world grapples to blend old and new forms of reading.
Booming Philippine outsourcing industry faces worker shortage
The Philippines' outsourcing industry faces a shortage of trained personnel after a decade of rapid growth which saw it become a pillar of the economy, the industry association said Tuesday.
Telecoms firm Alcatel-Lucent to cut 10,000 jobs
Telecommunications equipment maker Alcatel-Lucent SA said Tuesday that it plans to cut 10,000 jobs worldwide over the next two years, the latest cost-cutting drive from the loss-making company.
Does my virtual forehead look big in this? Smart Vision technology helps online shoppers make better decisions
The days of stalling online purchases in fear of products "not quite looking like they did on the model" could soon be out of fashion according to new research by Aussie scientists.
First flight for radiation detector
(Phys.org) —A flying radiation detector that could be used to help with nuclear decommissioning and clean-up at sites such as Fukushima and Sellafield was recently tested in a specially designed experimental area at the National Physics Laboratory, the only one of its kind in the UK.
osCommerce e-commerce software vulnerable to hackers, security researchers find
(Phys.org) —A popular open-source software for e-commerce is vulnerable to being cheated, computer security researchers at the University of California, Davis, have found. By exploiting vulnerabilities in the widely used osCommerce software, the researchers were able to purchase items from online stores for free or substantially less than their correct prices.
Yahoo's email becomes more like Gmail in redesign (Update)
Yahoo's free email service is becoming a bit more like Google's Gmail as part of its second makeover in less than a year.
Police arrest 8 in international Silk Road busts (Update)
Authorities in Britain, Sweden, and the United States have arrested eight more people following last week's closure of Silk Road, a notorious black market website which helped dealers to sell drugs under the cloak of anonymity, officials and media said Tuesday.
Tweeter changes stock symbol after Twitter mix-up
Tweeter is not Twitter. And it's changing its stock symbol to avoid any confusion.
What if car boss Mulally took over at Microsoft?
Back when Microsoft was the biggest name in technology, CEO Bill Gates leveled an attack on the auto industry: If carmakers were as innovative as computer companies, he said, a car would cost just $27.
UW, local company building innovative deep-sea manned submarine
For the past 70 years, the University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory has conducted ocean research and engineering. Now they are teaming up with a local submersible company to build an innovative five-person submarine that would travel to almost 2 miles below the ocean's surface.
NSA data center runs into electrical problems
The Army Corps of Engineers says it has found electrical problems at the National Security Agency's $1.7 billion data center that could delay the new facility's long-awaited opening this fall in Utah.
NSA chief open to storing phone data in 'repository'
The National Security Agency's director said Tuesday he is open to storing telephone records in a neutral "repository" to alleviate concerns about government snooping.
Gibraltar betting on US online gaming
The tiny British territory of Gibraltar is bidding to snap up a giant slice of the nascent US online gaming market as states gradually begin to relax a ban on Internet betting.
Solving the internet capacity crunch: First demonstration of a multicore fiber network
With optical fibre networks gradually approaching their theoretical capacity limits, new types of fibres such as multicore fibres have been at the focus of worldwide research to overcome critical capacity barriers, which threaten the evolution of the Internet. The University of Bristol in collaboration with the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) have demonstrated successfully for the first time a multicore fibre-based network, which will form the foundation for the future Internet infrastructure.
Obama administration backs ban on some Samsung devices
The Obama administration Tuesday upheld a decision to ban some Samsung mobile technology products due to the company's violation of patents owned by rival Apple.
Printed electronics: A multi-touch sensor customizable with scissors
Together with researchers from the MIT Media Lab, they developed a printable multi-touch sensor whose shape and size everybody can alter. A new circuit layout makes it robust against cuts, damage, and removed areas. Today the researchers are presenting their work at the conference "User Interface and Technology" (UIST) in St. Andrews, Scotland. "Imagine a kid takes our sensor film and cuts out a flower with stem and leaves. If you touch the blossom with a finger, you hear the buzzing of a bumblebee", Jürgen Steimle says. He reports that programs and apps are easily imaginable to help parents connect touching a sensor film with the suitable sound effect. Steimle, 33, has a doctoral degree in computer science and is doing research at the Max-Planck Institute for Informatics. He also heads the Embodied Interaction research group at the Cluster of Excellence on Multimodal Computing and Interaction.
US court sides with Amazon on CIA cloud contract
A US federal judge has reinstated a CIA cloud computing contract with Amazon, rejecting a challenge from IBM, according to court documents released Tuesday.
Medicine & Health news
EU lawmakers to push ahead with anti-tobacco plans (Update)
European lawmakers on Tuesday were set to tighten rules governing the multibillion-dollar tobacco market by imposing bigger and bolder warnings on cigarette packs, banning most flavorings like menthol and strengthening regulation of electronic cigarettes.
In Venezuela, music eases pain of kids with cancer
Nine-year-old Victoria Alzuru looks earnest and determined and happy as she practices her violin before undergoing chemotherapy.
GPs unlikely to recommend alternative duties for injured workers
Victorian General Practitioners (GPs) are more likely to order ill or injured workers stay away from work than recommend alternative duties, according to an Australian first study.
Does a patient's type of medical insurance impact their quality of care in hospitals?
A considerable body of health policy research has documented differences in hospital characteristics as contributing factors to differences in the quality of care. An article appearing in the October issue of Health Affairs examines the extent to which a patient's type—or lack—of insurance may also play a role. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health authors, Darrell J. Gaskin, PhD, Associate Professor, Health Policy and Management, and Eric Roberts, MA, PhD candidate in health economics, along with author, Christine S. Spencer, ScD, executive director of the School of Health and Human Services at the University or Baltimore, compared hospital quality for patients according to their insurance status using pooled 2006-08 State Inpatient Database records from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Targeted screening of ethnic minorities helps tackle heart disease and health inequalities
Targeting screening at deprived areas is a more cost effective way of identifying people in ethnic minority groups at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than mass screening and may help to reduce health inequalities.
Database offers graphic display of sensory characteristics of vision, hearing, and touch
Researchers with AIST have constructed a "Database of sensory characteristics of older persons and persons with disabilities" (Fig. 1).
Adherence to the 'Guidelines for Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury' saves lives
Researchers found a significant reduction in the number of deaths of patients hospitalized in New York State with severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) between 2001 and 2009. The Brain Trauma Foundation, in collaboration with the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, published the first edition of the "Guidelines for Management of Severe Traumatic Brain Injury" in 1986. Data from 22 trauma centers in New York State were studied by researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College, the Brain Trauma Foundation, and Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in New York, and Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, Oregon. The reduction in deaths at the trauma centers between 2001 and 2009 corresponded to increased adherence to tenets of the Guidelines, particularly recommendations on monitoring of brain pressure and management of brain perfusion pressure. Detailed findings of this study are reported and discussed in "Marked reduction in mortality in patients with severe trau! matic brain injury. Clinical article," by Linda M. Gerber, Ph.D., Ya-Lin Chiu, M.S., Nancy Carney, Ph.D., Roger Härtl, M.D., and Jamshid Ghajar, M.D., Ph.D., published today online, ahead of print, in the Journal of Neurosurgery.
Same-hospital readmission rate an unreliable predictor for all-hospital readmission rate
Approximately one in five Medicare patients are rehospitalized within 30 days of discharge.* The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) considers this rate excessive, and began reducing payments to hospitals that have excessive readmission rates in October 2012 under a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. While the Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program penalizes readmission to any hospital, most hospitals are only tracking same-hospital readmissions using administrative data that is recorded for billing purposes. However, according to new research findings presented at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons, same-hospital readmission rates are an unreliable surrogate for predicting all-hospital readmissions rates.
Surgeons report two new approaches to lessen postoperative pain
New combinations of postoperative pain treatment decreased both pain and the use of narcotic pain relievers according to two studies presented this week at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons. One pain treatment utilized the simple but nonstandard application of ice packs after major abdominal operations in patients, and the other treatment was a prolonged drug delivery method using nanotechnology in animals.
CNIO researchers propose a new therapeutic target that prevents cell division
Cell division is an essential process for the development of an organism. This process, however, can cause tumour growth when it stops working properly. Tumour cells accumulate alterations in their genetic material, and this makes them divide in an uncontrolled fashion, thus encouraging growth of the tumour. Over the past few years, knowledge of the regulation of this process has led to the discovery of new therapeutic strategies based on blocking cell division or mitosis.
Black medical students in US have heaviest debts, study finds
(HealthDay)—Black medical school students are more likely to be saddled with large education-related debts than students from other racial or ethnic groups, and this discrepancy may help explain the declining number of black students in American medical schools, a new study indicates.
Minimally invasive operation helps elderly patients after colon cancer treatment
The chance of ending up in a nursing facility appears to be significantly lower for older patients who undergo a laparoscopic procedure than for those who have open surgical resection for colon cancer, according to a study presented during a scientific poster session at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.
Public health does not 'lose out' when merged with Medicaid programs
State public health departments do not necessarily lose funding when merged with larger Medicaid programs, according to a just-released study. The findings from this first-of-a-kind research should help allay concerns that when such mergers occur they automatically lead to cutbacks in public health, says lead author Paula Lantz, PhD, who is chair of the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS).
Researchers identify a protein that may predict who will have thyroid cancer recurrence
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, have taken the first steps to determine if a protein, called Programmed Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1), can help to predict which thyroid cancer patients will most likely have a recurrence of the disease. Study findings were presented today at the 2013 Clinical Congress of the American College of Surgeons.
Govt health and safety efforts slowed or halted
The government shutdown has slowed or halted federal efforts to protect Americans' health and safety, from probes into the cause of transportation and workplace accidents to tracking the flu. The latest example: investigating an outbreak of salmonella in chicken that has sickened people in 18 states.
Babies learn to anticipate touch in the womb
Babies learn how to anticipate touch while in the womb, according to new research by Durham and Lancaster universities.
New study shows link between car crashes and adverse pregnancy outcomes
A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine indicates that motor vehicle crashes can be hazardous for pregnant women, especially if they are not wearing a seat belt when the accident occurs.
Evaluating mobile weight loss apps on use of evidence-based behavioral strategies
In a new study published by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, UMass Medical School behavioral psychologist and weight loss expert Sherry Pagoto, PhD, and colleagues find that mobile apps to help people lose weight are lacking when it comes to strategies for changing behaviors.
Leishmania parasites with greater infectivity associated with treatment failure
Relapses after treatment for Leishmania infection may be due to a greater infectivity of the parasite rather than drug resistance, as has been previously thought, according to a study published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Malaria vaccine candidate reduces disease over 18 months of follow-up in phase 3 children's study
Results from a large-scale Phase III trial, presented today in Durban, show that the most clinically advanced malaria vaccine candidate, RTS,S, continued to protect young children and infants from clinical malaria up to 18 months after vaccination. Based on these data, GSK now intends to submit, in 2014, a regulatory application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that a policy recommendation for the RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate is possible as early as 2015 if it is granted a positive scientific opinion by EMA.
Unexpected genomic change through 400 years of French-Canadian history
Researchers at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center and University of Montreal have discovered that the genomic signature inherited by today's 6 million French Canadians from the first 8,500 French settlers who colonized New France some 400 years ago has gone through an unparalleled change in human history, in a remarkably short timescale. This unique signature could serve as an ideal model to study the effect of demographic processes on human genetic diversity, including the identification of possibly damaging mutations associated with population-specific diseases.
GSK to seek green light for malaria vaccine
British drug maker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said on Tuesday it hoped to get the green light for a prototype vaccine against malaria after trials showed it offered children a partial shield against the disease.
EU Parliament clears tough new anti-smoking rules (Update 2)
European lawmakers approved sweeping new regulations governing the multibillion-dollar tobacco market on Tuesday, including bigger drastic health warnings on cigarette packs and a ban on menthol and other flavorings to further curb smoking. They stopped short, however, of tough limits on electronic cigarettes.
Slice of life: Researcher creates tissue engineering material that could help promote nerve growth
(Medical Xpress)—When Qiaobing Xu was named an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Tufts in 2010, his first goal was to find a research niche to make his mark in. He soon came up with a literally cutting-edge concept: whittling wood.
Building stronger bones one runner at a time
(Medical Xpress)—Helping others avoid the broken bones she had as a teenager motivated Wake Forest senior Aubrey Bledsoe to work with a health and exercise science professor to study bone health in athletes.
Sunscreen saves superhero gene
(Medical Xpress)—Next time your kids complain about putting on sunscreen, tell them this: Sunscreen shields a superhero gene that protects them from getting cancer.
Maltreatment in childhood linked to more severe, less responsive mental illness in adulthood
(Medical Xpress)—Adults who were maltreated as children are more likely than adults who were not maltreated to develop psychiatric disorders, including depression, anxiety and substance abuse. Based on a review of the literature examining maltreatment as a risk factor for these disorders, HMS researchers at McLean Hospital have concluded that these disorders emerge earlier in people who were abused, with greater severity, more comorbidity and a less favorable response to treatment.
Teenagers put-off smoking by standardised tobacco packaging
(Medical Xpress)—A new survey adds further weight to the growing evidence that standardised tobacco packaging could help discourage teenagers from smoking.
Early puberty linked to higher substance use throughout adolescence
(Medical Xpress)—A new University of Texas at Austin study reveals that teens for whom puberty begins early and who have rapid pubertal development are at greater risk for experimenting with cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana.
Researcher finds abusive parenting may have a biological basis
(Medical Xpress)—Parents who physically abuse their children appear to have a physiological response that subsequently triggers more harsh parenting when they attempt parenting in warm, positive ways, according to new research.
Eating disorders often associated with reproductive health problems
Women with eating disorders are less likely to have children than others in the same age group, indicates a study conducted at the University of Helsinki, Finland. The likelihood for miscarriage was more than triple for binge-eating disorder (BED) sufferers and the likelihood of abortion more than double for bulimics than others in the same age group.
Diabetes: Personalised therapy reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease
Six-hundred thousand to eight-hundred thousand Austrians suffer from diabetes mellitus. Thanks to the biomarker known as NT-proBNP (a hormone specific to the heart), the sub-group of people who are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease can be determined even though their hearts appear to be healthy. This group accounts for around 40 per cent of all diabetics. Researchers at the University Departments of General Medicine II and III at the MedUni Vienna have now demonstrated that high-dose, personalised therapy with ACE inhibitors and beta blockers can significantly reduce the risk of cardiac disease among affected patients – by as much as 64 per cent.
Abortion of female fetuses and more death among girls result in poor female child survival in India
Modern ultrasound technology and economic pressure leads to female fetuses in the Ballabgarh area of northern India being aborted more often than male fetuses. Additionally, girls up to the age of five die more frequently than boys, which results in a gender imbalance in the area, according to Anand Krishnan, MD and doctoral candidate at Umeå University, who defends his thesis on 11 October.
Gene variant linked to prognosis in inflammatory diseases
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers have identified a gene that is linked to long term disease outcome in Crohn's disease, a common inflammatory bowel disorder, and rheumatoid arthritis. The findings reveal targets that could be exploited for new treatments.
Reading is good for your health
People with poor reading skills are likely to be less healthy than those who read easily, according to recent research. Literacy skills are important for keeping in good shape.
Truth or consequences? The negative results of concealing who you really are on the job
Most know that hiding something from others can cause internal angst. New research suggests the consequences can go far beyond emotional strife and that being forced to keep information concealed, such as one's sexual orientation, disrupts the concealer's basic skills and abilities, including intellectual acuity, physical strength, and interpersonal grace—skills critical to workplace success.
Experts in Africa cautious on potential malaria vaccine (Update)
Experts in Africa, the continent worst-hit by malaria, reacted with optimism but also caution on Tuesday to news that the first vaccine against the killer disease may soon reach the market.
Making the most of what you have
Understanding how viral proteins are produced can provide important clues on how we might interfere with the process. The group of Till Rümenapf at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna has discovered that a key protease of a particular virus breaks itself down into two different functional molecules. The findings are reported in the Journal of Virology and may have important implications for the development of defense strategies against diseases caused by flaviviruses.
No viral cause for breast cancer and brain tumors
A major study conducted at the Sahlgrenska Academy has now disproved theories of a viral cause for breast cancer and the brain tumour, glioblastoma. The study, which was based on over seven billion DNA sequences and which is published in Nature Communications, found no genetic traces of viruses in these forms of cancer.
A potential new strategy to face dementia
Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects millions of people worldwide. As a result of an increase in life expectancy, the number of patients with dementia is expected to increase dramatically. Due to the lack of effective treatments that can slow down or reverse the progression of AD, preventive measures to lower the prevalence rate of AD by means of managing potential or actual risk factors is a reasonable clinical strategy. In this respect, identifying treatable factors which are able to promote cognitive deterioration would have important practical implications.
Something in the (expecting mother's) water
Pregnant women living in areas with contaminated drinking water may be more likely to have babies that are premature or with low birth weights (considered less than 5.5 pounds), according to a study based at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.
Use of hypothermia does not improve outcomes for adults with severe meningitis, may be harmful
Bruno Mourvillier, M.D., of the Université Paris Diderot, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, and colleagues conducted a study to examine whether treatment with hypothermia would improve the functional outcome of comatose patients with bacterial meningitis compared with standard care.
Everything in moderation: Excessive nerve cell pruning leads to disease
Scientists at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital-The Neuro, McGill University, have made important discoveries about a cellular process that occurs during normal brain development and may play an important role in neurodegenerative diseases. The study's findings, published in Cell Reports, a leading scientific journal, point to new pathways and targets for novel therapies for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases that affect millions of people world-wide.
'Cyberchondria' from online health searches is worse for those who fear the unknown
Turning to the Internet to find out what ails you is common, but for folks who have trouble handling uncertainty, "cyberchondria" – the online counterpart to hypochondria – worsens as they seek answers, a Baylor University researcher says.
Early-onset lumbar disc degeneration-associated mutation identified
Lumbar disc degeneration (LDD) is characterized by pain in the lumbar region of the spine as a result of a compromised disc. LDD is fairly common and thought to be the result of both environmental and genetic risk factors; however, the genetic factors that promote LDD are largely unknown.
Smartphone app brings genetic analysis to the palm of your hand
Until now, understanding and using genetic information has depended on the scientists and doctors who do the testing. No longer.
A 'yes' to one drug could become 'yes' for other drugs
High school seniors who frown upon the use of drugs are most likely to be female, nonsmokers or hold strong religious beliefs, according to a study by Joseph Palamar of New York University. Palamar examines how teenagers' attitudes toward marijuana influenced their thoughts on the further use of other illicit drugs. The work appears online in the journal Prevention Science, published by Springer.
Combination of anemia and high altitude increases poor outcomes in children with pneumonia
Pneumonia is the leading cause of death of young children around the world, and a study from an international group of researchers now finds that the risk of poor outcomes – including persistent pneumonia, secondary infections, organ failure or death – in children who contract pneumonia is four times higher in those who also have anemia and live at high altitudes (over 2,000 meters or about 6,500 feet). The report in the November issue of Pediatrics has been released online.
Patient satisfaction is poor measure of hospital quality
(HealthDay)—The Pridit approach can be used to predict hospital quality and health outcomes, according to a study published online Sept. 30 in the Risk Management and Insurance Review.
Confusion still surrounds ACA health insurance exchanges
(HealthDay)—Much confusion still exists surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) health care insurance exchanges, which opened on Oct. 1, according to an article published online Sept. 30 in Medical Economics.
Patterns of health insurance coverage vary by state
(HealthDay)—Patterns of health insurance coverage among adults vary by state, and these differences may be used to guide efforts to expand coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to research published online Sept. 25 in Health Affairs.
Harvard Stem Cell Institute publishes first clinical trial results
Starting with a discovery in zebrafish in 2007, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers have published initial results of a Phase Ib human clinical trial of a therapeutic that has the potential to improve the success of blood stem cell transplantation. This marks the first time, just nine short years after Harvard's major commitment to stem cell biology, that investigators have carried a discovery from the lab bench to the clinic—fulfilling the promise on which HSCI was founded.
Study: Women most often suffer urinary tract infections, but men more likely to be hospitalized
While women are far more likely to suffer urinary tract infections, men are more prone to be hospitalized for treatment, according to a study by Henry Ford Hospital urologists.
HIV vaccines elicit immune response in infants
A new analysis of two HIV vaccine trials that involved pediatric patients shows that the investigational vaccines stimulated a critical immune response in infants born to HIV-infected mothers, researchers at Duke Medicine report.
New urine test could diagnose eye disease
You might not think to look to a urine test to diagnose an eye disease.
Empathy helps children to understand sarcasm
The greater the empathy skills of children, the easier it is for them to recognize sarcasm, according to a new study in the open-access journal Frontiers in Psychology.
Penn study shows the high costs of unnecessary radiation treatments for terminal cancer patients
For cancer patients dealing with the pain of tumors that have spread to their bones, doctors typically recommend radiation as a palliative therapy. But as in many areas of medicine, more of this treatment isn't actually better. Medical evidence over the past decade has demonstrated that patients with terminal cancer who receive a single session of radiotherapy get just as much pain relief as those who receive multiple treatments. But despite its obvious advantages for patient comfort and convenience – and the associated cost savings – this so-called single-fraction treatment has yet to be adopted in routine practice. That's the finding of a new study from researchers led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania published today in JAMA.
School debit accounts lead to less healthy food choices and higher calorie meals
To expedite long lunch lines and enable cleaner accounting, about 80 percent of schools use debit cards or accounts that parents can add money to for cafeteria lunch transactions, write David Just and Brian Wansink, professors at the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs.
Chemotherapy drug improves survival following surgery for pancreatic cancer
Among patients with pancreatic cancer who had surgery for removal of the cancer, treatment with the drug gemcitabine for 6 months resulted in increased overall survival as well as disease-free survival, compared with observation alone, according to a study in the October 9 issue of JAMA.
A slow, loving, 'affective' touch may be key to a healthy sense of self
A loving touch, characterized by a slow caress or stroke - often an instinctive gesture from a mother to a child or between partners in romantic relationships – may increase the brain's ability to construct a sense of body ownership and, in turn, play a part in creating and sustaining a healthy sense of self. These findings come from a new study published online in Frontiers of Psychology, led by Neuropsychoanalysis Centre Director Dr. Aikaterini (Katerina) Fotopoulou, University College London, and NPSA grantee Dr. Paul Mark Jenkinson of the Department of Psychology, University of Hertfordshire in the UK.
Researchers identify screening tool for detecting intimate partner violence among women veterans
Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers have identified a promising screening tool to detect intimate partner violence (IPV) in females in the VA Boston Healthcare System. The findings, which appear in the current issue of Journal of General Internal Medicine, accurately detected 78 percent of women identified as abused within the past year by a more comprehensive and behaviorally specific scale.
Better understanding of the HIV epidemic through an evolutionary perspective
With the abundance of sequencing data, scientists can use ever more powerful evolutionary biology tools to pinpoint the transmission and death rates for epidemics such as HIV, which has remained elusive to a cure. Reconstructed evolutionary trees, called phylogenies, can trace a family of viral mutations over time. When combined with epidemiology, tree construction can allow for great insight into the dynamics of disease transmission and how a pathogen eludes its host to spread infection.
Market and demographic factors in forming ACOs: Study find first empirical evidence of external market forces at play
Accountable care organizations are rapidly being formed with the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and they are being established in areas where it may be easier to meet quality and cost targets, researchers at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice said in a study published in the journal Health Services Research.
Research uncovers new details about brain anatomy and language in young children
Researchers from Brown University and King's College London have gained surprising new insights into how brain anatomy influences language acquisition in young children.
Clinical trial outcomes more complete in unpublished reports than published sources
Clinical trial outcomes are more complete in unpublished reports than in publicly available information
Expanding flu vaccination policies to include children could reduce infections and mortality
The current influenza (flu) vaccination policy in England and Wales should be expanded to target 5 to 16-year-olds in order to further reduce the number of deaths from flu, according to a study by UK researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Better community engagement and stronger health systems are needed to tackle polio
In this week's PLOS Medicine two independently written articles call for a shift away from the leader-centric approach that polio eradication campaigns are currently pursuing in the three countries (Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan) where the disease remains endemic.
Loss of anti-aging gene possible culprit in age-related macular degeneration
A team of researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) has found that loss of an anti-aging gene induces retinal degeneration in mice and might contribute to age-related macular degeneration, the major cause of blindness in the elderly.
New technique enables accurate, hands-free measure of heart and respiration rates
A simple video camera paired with complex algorithms appears to provide an accurate means to remotely monitor heart and respiration rates day or night, researchers report.
Blood vessel cells can repair, regenerate organs, scientists say
Damaged or diseased organs may someday be healed with an injection of blood vessel cells, eliminating the need for donated organs and transplants, according to scientists at Weill Cornell Medical College.
'Brain training' may boost working memory, but not intelligence
Brain training games, apps, and websites are popular and it's not hard to see why—who wouldn't want to give their mental abilities a boost? New research suggests that brain training programs might strengthen your ability to hold information in mind, but they won't bring any benefits to the kind of intelligence that helps you reason and solve problems.
Primate brains follow predictable development pattern
(Medical Xpress)—In a breakthrough for understanding brain evolution, neuroscientists have shown that differences between primate brains - from the tiny marmoset to human – can be largely explained as consequences of the same genetic program.
Blood cell breakthrough could help save lives
Cutting-edge research from the University of Reading has provided a crucial breakthrough in understanding how blood clots form. The results of the study, funded by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), could potentially lead to the development of new drugs to treat one of the world's biggest killer illnesses.
Studying the social side of carnivores
The part of the brain that makes humans and primates social creatures may play a similar role in carnivores, according to a growing body of research by a Michigan State University neuroscientist.
Two genes linked to increased risk for eating disorders
Eating disorders like anorexia nervosa and bulimia often run in families, but identifying specific genes that increase a person's risk for these complex disorders has proved difficult.
New study finds biomarker differentiating the inattentive and combined subtypes of ADHD
Using a common test of brain functioning, UC Davis researchers have found differences in the brains of adolescents with the inattentive and combined subtypes of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and teens who do not have the condition, suggesting that the test may offer a potential biomarker for differentiating the types of the disorder.
Postpartum depression spans generations
A recently published study suggests that exposure to social stress not only impairs a mother's ability to care for her children but can also negatively impact her daughter's ability to provide maternal care to future offspring.
Weighed down by guilt: Research shows it's more than a metaphor
Ever feel the weight of guilt? Lots of people say they do. They're "carrying guilt" or "weighed down by guilt." Are these just expressions, or is there something more to these metaphors?
Where does dizziness come from? Researchers pinpoint a key area for 'upright perception' in the human brain
Johns Hopkins researchers say they have pinpointed a site in a highly developed area of the human brain that plays an important role in the subconscious recognition of which way is straight up and which way is down.
Study shows how infections in newborns are linked to later behavior problems
Researchers exploring the link between newborn infections and later behavior and movement problems have found that inflammation in the brain keeps cells from accessing iron that they need to perform a critical role in brain development.
Biology news
Attempted live sloth export sparks international conservation incident
An attempt by a private American zoological attraction to capture and export six Critically Endangered pygmy three-toed sloths from Escudo de Veraguas island off the Caribbean coast of Panama has created international uproar, and sparked a controversial conservation debate.
Barnacle goose population continues to grow—autumn population tripled in the eastern Gulf of Finland
The barnacle goose population in Finland increased by eight per cent year-on-year. The highest growth was observed in the eastern Gulf of Finland, whereas population growth seems to have stopped in the Helsinki and Turku regions. In an autumn counting of barnacle geese organised by the Finnish Environment Institute (SYKE), the University of Helsinki and BirdLife Finland, a total of 21,700 geese were counted.
Metabolically engineered E. coli producing phenol
Many chemicals we use in everyday life are derived from fossil resources. Due to the increasing concerns on the use of fossil resources, there has been much interest in producing chemicals from renewable resources through biotechnology.
Sumatran tiger undergoes surgery at US zoo
A Sumatran tiger underwent surgery at the Sacramento Zoo on Tuesday to remove obstructions caused by stones in its urinary tract.
Study sheds new light on how some fish adapt to saltwater
(Phys.org) —Tilapia fish readily adapt to fresh or salty water, making them both good candidates for aquaculture and potential invasive pests. New work at the University of California, Davis, shows how tilapia can change the protein makeup of their gills, allowing them to nimbly adjust to widely varying levels of water salinity.
The unique taste of 'smoky' tomatoes is caused by one missing enzyme
(Phys.org) —The absence or presence of one specific enzyme causes tomatoes to be described as 'smoky' or not by taste experts. This is the result of research by Wageningen UR, which studied the taste of 94 tomato varieties using expert taste panels. The tomatoes were also evaluated for their metabolite content, such as aroma volatiles, and for their DNA composition. When a tomato plant is able to produce the identified enzyme, it converts precursors of the 'smoky' volatiles into others which are odourless and tasteless. As smoky tomatoes cannot produce this enzyme, the precursors of smoky volatiles are not converted. In these tomatoes, smoky volatiles can be released upon biting and chewing, giving rise to a smoky aroma. This new knowledge can help tomato breeding companies to select more specifically for flavour characteristics. The research was performed within the framework of the Dutch Genomics Initiative, Centre for Biosystems Genomics (CBSG).
Bacterium Brucella pinnipedialis has little effect on health of hooded seal
A doctoral research project studying the bacterium Brucella pinnipedialis, which commonly occurs in hooded seals, found that this bacterium does not cause disease in hooded seals, as other Brucella bacteria do in other species.
Climate change threatens Northern American turtle habitat
Although a turtle's home may be on its back, some North American turtles face an uncertain future as a warming climate threatens to reduce their suitable habitat.
Evolutionary question answered: Ants more closely related to bees than to most wasps
(Phys.org) —Ants and bees are surprisingly more genetically related to each other than they are to social wasps such as yellow jackets and paper wasps, a team of University of California, Davis, scientists has discovered. The groundbreaking research is available online and will be published Oct. 21 in the print version of the journal Current Biology.
Canny crows know their tools
(Phys.org) —Scientists at the University of St Andrews have discovered that New Caledonian crows, famous for their use of tools to extract hidden food, do not rely on guesswork when deploying one of their most complicated tool types; hooked stick tools. In fact, research published today suggests that they pay close attention to the features of each tool, ensuring that the hooked end is oriented correctly for snagging prey.
Working together: Bacteria join forces to produce electricity
Bacterial cells use an impressive range of strategies to grow, develop and sustain themselves. Despite their tiny size, these specialized machines interact with one another in intricate ways.
Non-specific and specific RNA binding proteins found to be fundamentally similar
Researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have found unexpected similarities between proteins that were thought to be fundamentally different.
Growing bacteria keep time, know their place
Working with a synthetic gene circuit designed to coax bacteria to grow in a predictable ring pattern, Duke University scientists have revealed an underappreciated contributor to natural pattern formation: time.
New study reveals why jellyfish are such efficient swimmers (w/ Video)
(Phys.org) —A team of researchers in the U.S. has found that jellyfish are extremely efficient swimmers. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team reports using a technique called particle image velocimetry to measure the secondary thrust jellyfish use to increase their energy efficiency when swimming.
Team uses cellulosic biofuels byproduct to increase ethanol yield
Scientists report in Nature Communications that they have engineered yeast to consume acetic acid, a previously unwanted byproduct of the process of converting plant leaves, stems and other tissues into biofuels. The innovation increases ethanol yield from lignocellulosic sources by about 10 percent.
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