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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for August 31, 2017:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Moon's tidal stress likely responsible for causing deep moonquakes, new study confirmsThe same gravitational force responsible for creating tides on Earth could be causing deep quakes on the moon, a new study confirms. |
 | Close encounters of the stellar kindThe movements of more than 300 000 stars surveyed by ESA's Gaia satellite reveal that rare close encounters with our sun might disturb the cloud of comets at the far reaches of our solar system, sending some towards Earth in the distant future. |
 | Hubble delivers first hints of possible water content of TRAPPIST-1 planetsAn international team of astronomers used the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to estimate whether there might be water on the seven earth-sized planets orbiting the nearby dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. The results suggest that the outer planets of the system might still harbour substantial amounts of water. This includes the three planets within the habitable zone of the star, lending further weight to the possibility that they may indeed be habitable. |
 | Ultraviolet light may be ultra important in search for lifeIn everyday life, ultraviolet, or UV, light earns a bad reputation for being responsible for sunburns and other harmful effects on humans. However, research suggests that UV light may have played a critical role in the emergence of life on Earth and could be a key for where to look for life elsewhere in the Universe. |
 | Aerospace test at Sandia goes green with alternative to explosivesSandia National Laboratories has successfully demonstrated a new, more environmentally friendly method to test a rocket part to ensure its avionics can withstand the shock from stage separation during flight. |
 | Backyard observers ready to view asteroid's close flybyWhen astronomer Bobby Bus discovered an asteroid passing through the inner solar system on March 2, 1981, it was bright enough to record in his telescope's photos despite being more than 145 million miles away. This week that same body, now bearing the catalog number 3122 and named to honor Florence Nightingale, is cruising by us at a distance of just 4.4 million miles (7 million km). That's closer than it's been since 1890 or will be again until at least 2500. |
 | Image: Section of Hubble solar wingA deceptively valuable wall hanging: this section of the NASA–ESA Hubble Space Telescope's solar array flew for eight years in space before being returned to Earth aboard a Space Shuttle, and is now displayed at ESA's technical centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. |
Technology news
 | Robots that understand contextual commandsDespite what you might see in movies, today's robots are still very limited in what they can do. They can be great for many repetitive tasks, but their inability to understand the nuances of human language makes them mostly useless for more complicated requests. |
 | Flash-memory system could reduce power consumption of data center 'caches' by 90 percentMost modern websites store data in databases, and since database queries are relatively slow, most sites also maintain so-called cache servers, which list the results of common queries for faster access. A data center for a major web service such as Google or Facebook might have as many as 1,000 servers dedicated just to caching. |
 | TED: Phones and drones transforming healthcareIn the developing world, basic healthcare is often a challenge—let alone expensive medical screening or tests for easily treatable, preventable illnesses. |
 | Researchers examine eavesdropping on smart-home traffic metadata(Tech Xplore)—Uh-oh. Those smart-home devices can reveal personal information about your home activities and encryption does not resolve the risk either. A study indicates that ISPs can infer activities by analyzing Internet traffic from homes with these IoT devices. |
 | New soft robots really suckEPFL scientists have created the first functional robot powered entirely by vacuum: made up of soft building blocks, it moves by having air sucked out of them. The robot can be reconfigured to perform different tasks, like climbing vertical walls and grabbing objects. |
 | 'Learning database' speeds queries from hours to secondsA tool that makes large databases work smarter, not harder, could unlock the potential of big data to drive medical research, inform business decisions and speed up a slew of other applications that today are mired in a worldwide data glut. |
 | Insect eyes inspire new solar cell designPacking tiny solar cells together, like micro-lenses in the compound eye of an insect, could pave the way to a new generation of advanced photovoltaics, say Stanford University scientists. |
 | A new way to find pilots for US Navy unmanned aircraftBefore acceptance to flight school, aspiring naval pilots must pass the Aviation Selection Test Battery (ASTB)—a rigorous intellectual exercise that evaluates things like aviation and nautical knowledge, math and engineering skills, and personality traits. |
Toshiba says three groups vying for prized chip unitToshiba said Thursday that three groups are vying for its memory chip business, as reports said Apple has jumped into the race with a consortium offering to pay about $20 billion for the unit. | |
 | New Uber chief sees IPO in its future: reportFreshly hired Uber chief Dara Khosrowshahi met with employees on Wednesday, promising to fight for the company and hinting a stock market debut is in its future. |
 | So far, cellphone networks have weathered HarveyRoads, refineries and other infrastructure have taken a beating in the Texas and Louisiana regions hit by Harvey—but cellphone networks so far remain largely functional. |
 | Why Google wants to think more like you and less like a machineWhat does this mean? |
 | Emotionless chatbots are taking over customer service – and it's bad news for consumersIt's so hard to speak to a real person on the phone these days. Almost any time you need to call your bank, doctor or any other service, you'll probably be greeted by an automated service seemingly designed to prevent you from speaking to someone who actually works for the company. And that could soon get worse thanks to the rise of chatbots. |
 | Robots won't steal our jobs if we put workers at center of AI revolutionThe technologies driving artificial intelligence are expanding exponentially, leading many technology experts and futurists to predict machines will soon be doing many of the jobs that humans do today. Some even predict humans could lose control over their future. |
 | Smart cities present risks, opportunitiesEmergent technologies are poised to radically change how we work and live. They will transform our cities and workplaces, shifting jobs and entrepreneurship in new directions, and spur new ways to manage our lives. All of society will be affected, up to and including how we interact with machines themselves. |
 | Lyft seizes opportunity as Uber tries to outrun troublesWhen management upheaval, allegations of corporate espionage, and revelations of sexual harassment sent Uber into a public relations sinkhole, its long overshadowed rival Lyft shifted into overdrive. |
 | AI ideally matches children to daycare centersFujitsu and the Institute of Mathematics for Industry at Kyushu University have developed an AI-based matching technology that uses game theory to automatically calculate an optimal matching of children to daycare centers. Using this technology, a complicated daycare admissions screening that had previously required several days by hand took only seconds. The admissions process of matching children to daycare centers seeks to fulfill as many of the applicants' preferences as possible based on complex requirements, including applicant priority criteria set by each local government and requests for siblings to be admitted to the same daycare center. |
 | Briton extradited from Germany for allegedly hacking two UK banksA British man was due in court on Thursday after being extradited from Germany for allegedly launching cyber attacks against two of Britain's best known high-street banks and attempting to blackmail them. |
 | Beating the heat with nanoparticle filmsIt is a truth acknowledged throughout much of the world, that a car sitting in the sun on a summer's day must be sweltering. However, a partnership between Sandia National Laboratories and Santa Fe, New Mexico-based IR Dynamics may soon challenge that truth. |
 | Apple sets likely iPhone event for Sept. 12 (Update)Apple sent out invitations Thursday to a first-ever media event in the Steve Jobs Theater at its new "spaceship" campus in Silicon Valley. |
Professors get $300,000 grant for digital fake-news detectorTwo Penn State professors have received $300,000 from the National Science Foundation to develop technology that will enable digital devices to weed out fake news. | |
Researcher develops a chatbot that already is a reference in healthcareFlorence is an online personal health assistant that helps users to manage their health & wellness care. This "virtual friend" has evolved from being a simple symptom checker to become focused on two main features with high demand: health tracking and med & pill reminding, powered by an intelligent automated messaging system. One of the project team members, André Fialho, is a MIT Portugal Bioengineering PhD Alumni at Instituto Superior Técnico, who works as Market Analysis & Forecasting Director at Philips Healthcare in the United States, focused on the analysis on how new technologies can help patients outside the Hospital. | |
 | How a bunch of bird brains led to the development of touch screensDid you know that the origin and development of touch screen technology can be directly tied to one of the world's most famous behavioral scientists and a bunch of pigeons? This strange and fascinating part of science history is highlighted in the latest NISTory video from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. |
Medicine & Health news
 | US clears breakthrough gene therapy for childhood leukemiaOpening a new era in cancer care, U.S. health officials have approved a breakthrough treatment that genetically engineers patients' own blood cells into an army of assassins to seek and destroy childhood leukemia. |
 | New tool may allow doctors to 'see' bacterial infection in the bodyUC San Francisco scientists have developed an imaging tool that could soon allow doctors to locate and visualize bacterial infections in the body and to rule out other common causes of inflammation, such as autoimmune reactions. |
 | Gene expression patterns and immune signatures associated with dengue fever immune response identified(Phys.org)—A large team of researchers from France and Cambodia has identified gene expression patterns and immune signatures associated with dengue fever symptoms in people who demonstrate an immune response. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the group describes obtaining blood samples from children in Cambodia infected with the dengue virus and finding differences between those who showed symptoms and those who did not. |
 | Researchers measure impact of looking at pictures of skinny women(Medical Xpress)—A small group of researchers from the U.K. has found that exposing people to just 15 minutes of viewing pictures of women can influence their perception of the ideal female body type. In their paper uploaded to the bioRxiv preprint server, Jean-Luc Jucker, Tracey Thornborrow, Lynda Boothroyd and Martin Tovee describe research on people unexposed to modern media and their suggestibility regarding how they believe a woman should look. |
 | Yawning—why is it so contagious and why should it matter?Feeling tired? Even if we aren't tired, why do we yawn if someone else does? Experts at the University of Nottingham have published research that suggests the human propensity for contagious yawning is triggered automatically by primitive reflexes in the primary motor cortex—an area of the brain responsible for motor function. |
 | Chemo-boosting drug discovered for leukemiaDrugs developed to treat heart and blood vessel problems could be used in combination with chemotherapy to treat an aggressive form of adult leukemia, new research led by the Francis Crick Institute reveals. |
 | Scents and social preference: Neuroscientists identify the roots of attractionA baby lamb is separated from its family. Somehow, in vast herds of sheep that look virtually identical, the lost youngling locates its kin. Salmon swim out to the vast expanses of the sea and migrate back home to their precise spawning grounds with bewildering accuracy. |
 | New hope from old drugs in fight against Parkinson's (Update)Scientists have found early hints that compounds in certain asthma drugs might be able to combat Parkinson's disease. |
 | Dutch scientists say human lifespan has limitsDutch researchers claimed Thursday to have discovered the maximum age "ceiling" for human lifespan, despite growing life expectancy because of better nutrition, living conditions and medical care. |
 | Z-endoxifen shows promise as new treatment for common breast cancer typeZ-endoxifen, a potent derivative of the drug tamoxifen, could itself be a new treatment for the most common form of breast cancer in women with metastatic disease. This finding was reported from a clinical trial conducted by researchers at Mayo Clinic and the National Cancer Institute, and published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. |
 | Eating protein three times a day could make our seniors strongerLoss of muscle is an inevitable consequence of aging that can lead to frailty, falls or mobility problems. Eating enough protein is one way to remedy it, but it would seem that spreading protein equally among the three daily meals could be linked to greater mass and muscle strength in the elderly. These are the findings of a study conducted at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) in collaboration with the Université de Sherbrooke and the Université de Montréal. The research team examined both the amount of protein consumed and its distribution among people aged 67 and over, using one of the most comprehensive cohort studies in Quebec. |
 | No laughing matter: Nitrous oxide reappears in US ambulancesNormally used in dentist's offices and hospitals, nitrous oxide—yes, laughing gas—is starting to turn up again in ambulances in some rural areas where medical workers with clearance to provide more traditional painkillers often aren't on board. |
Australia bars 'world's no.1 anti-vaxxer' from entryAn American who describes himself as the "world's #1 anti-vaxxer" has been barred from entering Australia, officials said Thursday, in a further crackdown on the anti-immunisation movement after outbreaks of preventable diseases. | |
 | Using DNA to predict schizophrenia and autismHuntington's disease, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy are all diseases that can be traced to a single mutation. Diagnosis in asymptomatic patients for these diseases is relatively easy—you have the mutation? Then you are at risk. Complex diseases, on the other hand, do not have a clear mutational footprint. A new multi-institutional study by Japanese researchers shows a potential rare gene mutation that could act as a predictor for two neurodevelopmental disorders, schizophrenia and autism. |
 | Faulty DNA repair depresses neural developmentDNA is the computer code that programs every event in the body. Despite the importance of DNA fidelity, as the body develops, cells grow and replicate, DNA is constantly turned over. This repeated process can compromise the DNA, so cells have many DNA repair mechanisms. Using mice, Osaka University scientists report a defect in one type of machinery. DNA polymerase β (Polβ) causes underdevelopment of the brain's cortices and axonal network. The findings could explain cortical development disorders such as autism and microcephaly. |
Most melanomas don't arise from existing moles, study findsAs the summer draws to a close, it's time to start putting away flip-flops, bathing suits and beach bags. But as the seasonal supplies disappear into the back of the closet, sunscreen should stay within arm's reach for year-round protection against the sun's ultraviolet rays. | |
 | Planting design seeds to fill diagnostic holesDesign learning and journey maps are all the rage here at Stanford University and in Silicon Valley. So why not apply it to health systems to reduce diagnostic errors? |
Studying the struggle of self-controlPhD student Rebecca Olsen says everyone has trouble working towards long-term goals sometimes, whether it's studying, healthy eating, exercise, quitting smoking or saving money. | |
 | Novel research reveals 'stiffer' blood vessels may increase risk of heart attackUsing cutting-edge computational methods, Macquarie University researchers have found that blood vessel 'stiffness,' or distensibility is an important determinant of blood flow, and can potentially alter outcomes for patients. |
 | Suicide risk linked to push for perfectionPeople who believe they must be perfect – and who ultimately can't deal with the thought of being flawed – are at much greater risk of suicidal thoughts and suicide, according to a recent Western co-authored study. |
 | Most young people who try e-cigarettes don't become regular users, says studyThe majority of e-cigarette experimentation among young people doesn't turn into regular use, according to a new study. |
 | World-first hypertension treatment a successResearchers at The University of Western Australia have taken a step forward in the fight against high blood pressure after the first human trials of a ground-breaking treatment produced successful results. |
 | First-ever look at potentially deadly metabolic disorder that strikes infantsYou may have never heard of congenital disorder of glycosylation, but parents whose children are born with forms of this rare – and underreported – metabolic disorder know all too well the dangers they pose, including developmental delay, failure to thrive, stroke-like symptoms, seizures and cerebellar dysfunction. |
 | Youth struggle with access to mental health and addictions care, study showsPeople with mental illness in Manitoba have better access to family doctors and rely less on emergency departments than in four other Canadian provinces, a comparative study has found. |
 | Study finds a little anxiety may help with academic successStudents with low anxiety levels at the start of secondary school are 40 per cent more likely to have not graduated two years after the normal end of secondary school than those with an average level of anxiety. |
 | New possibility of studying how Alzheimer's disease affects the brain at different agesAlzheimer's disease can lead to several widely divergent symptoms and, so far, its various expressions have mainly been observed through the behaviour and actions of patients. Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have now produced images showing the changes in the brain associated with these symptoms – a development which increases knowledge and could facilitate future diagnostics and treatment. |
 | Publishing national chemotherapy data has helped NHS hospitals improve treatmentIt's often research into new drugs that makes headlines. But examining routine data can also help doctors continually improve how they use treatments already available. |
Severe stress behind self-perceived memory problemsStress, fatigue, and feeling like your memory is failing you. These are the symptoms of a growing group of patients studied as part of a thesis at Sahlgrenska Academy. Result – They may need help, but they are rarely entering the initial stages of dementia. | |
 | Why UK midwives stopped the campaign for 'normal birth'There has been much interest in the fact that the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) is no longer running its Campaign for Normal Birth. After 12 years of focusing on "normal birth", the end of the campaign is not a kneejerk reaction to a specific event, but rather a natural progression. In any organisation – commercial or public – campaigns need to be revitalised and adjusted to serve a changing social and cultural environment. |
 | New research shows the brain can be tricked into feeling pain reliefPain is never a nice things to experience, but it is one of the most useful bodily signals we have. It acts like an alarm system – sending an immediate message for highly harmful and potentially fatal conditions – so you know that when you touch that boiling hot pan, you should take your hand away very quickly. |
 | Health prospects of children in care look worse than for anyone elseWhen the state gets involved in the welfare of children or young people under 18, we call them "looked after." They might live with foster parents, in a children's home, with friends or relatives, or even with their own family under a compulsory home supervision order. |
 | Disparity in care for heart attack patientsHeart attack patients with long-term health conditions are significantly less likely to receive optimal care, compared to those with no long-term health problems – according to new research. |
 | Little known theory could hold key to sporting successAn established but little known psychological theory is likely to improve performances across a range of activities, including sport, according to new research published today. |
 | Proteins involved in brain's connectivity are controlled by multiple checkpointsUniversity of Bristol scientists have found that the delivery of a group of proteins involved in the information flow between the brain's nerve cells to the synapse is much more sophisticated than previously suspected. The findings, published in Cell Reports, will help the development of therapies for conditions such as epilepsy and autism whereby neuronal communication circuits malfunction. |
 | Study recommends three policies to improve children's language developmentBilingual children from low-income homes are at greater risk of falling behind their peers in developing the appropriate language skills for their age group, leading to poorer academic achievement over time. A new article addresses how inequality impacts children's language development and details policies that can intervene. This research is out today in Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences. |
| Researchers makes 'natural born killer' cell discoveryAn unexpected role for a white blood cell called the Natural Killer (NK) cell - a critical cell for ridding the body of infection and cancer, has been discovered by researchers at New Zealand's University of Otago. |
 | Discovery of drug combination: Overcoming resistance to targeted drugs for liver cancerA KAIST research team presented a novel method for improving medication treatment for liver cancer using Systems Biology, combining research from information technology and the life sciences. |
Discrimination leads older Chinese-Americans to consider suicide at high ratesElderly Chinese-Americans feel helpless when faced with racial biases and become twice as likely to consider suicide than those who don't encounter similar discrimination, according to a new University of Michigan study. | |
New assessment predicts fracture risk for patients in long-term careResearchers from Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research have developed and validated a new assessment to predict the risk of falls in long-term care patients. The study on the assessment titled "Fracture Risk Assessment in Long-term Care (FRAiL)" was published today in the Journal of Gerontology Medical Science. | |
 | E-cigarettes can help smokers quit, but there's a catchFrequent e-cigarette use does help smokers quit—a finding that Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers say supports the use of e-cigarettes as a cessation aid for those trying to quit cigarette smoking. But, they note, an examination of a recent national survey uncovers important clues about who's successful at quitting and why. |
Children's sleep quality linked to mothers' insomniaChildren sleep more poorly if their mothers suffer from insomnia symptoms - potentially affecting their mental wellbeing and development - according to new research by the University of Warwick and the University of Basel. | |
 | More evidence: Untreated sleep apnea shown to raise metabolic and cardiovascular stressSleep apnea, left untreated for even a few days, can increase blood sugar and fat levels, stress hormones and blood pressure, according to a new study of sleeping subjects. A report of the study's findings, published in the August issue of The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, adds further support for the consistent use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), a machine that increases air pressure in the throat to keep the airway open during sleep. |
 | Team discovers a newly emerged superbug—hyper-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniaeThe Partner State Key Laboratory of Chirosciences at the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) discovered a newly emerged superbug, hyper-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae, which may cause untreatable and fatal infections in relatively healthy individuals and will pose enormous threat to human health. |
 | Does indoor spraying help prevent dengue?The prevention of dengue, the most prevalent mosquito-borne virus in the world, relies heavily on controlling mosquito populations, as the currently available dengue vaccine is only partially effective. Indoor spraying—which involves spraying of insecticides inside houses—has the potential to be a key part of those prevention efforts, researchers report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. |
For older adults with chronic conditions, non-drug behavioral treatments may helpWhen we have several chronic health conditions as we age, the symptoms we experience can reduce our quality of life. In fact, having multiple chronic conditions is linked to symptoms that can restrict our ability to perform our daily routines. Some 70 percent of adults over the age of 75 have more than two chronic health conditions. Nearly 55 percent of Medicare recipients who have had a stroke or heart failure have five or more chronic conditions. | |
 | Mind wandering is common during drivingResearchers in the United States have investigated mind wandering in volunteers during a driving simulation. When prompted at random during the simulation, the volunteers reported mind wandering 70% of the time. Using electrophysiological measurements, the researchers could identify specific changes in brain patterns when the volunteers were mind wandering. |
 | Researchers find beta blockers have positive effect in pulmonary arterial hypertensionA team of Cleveland Clinic researchers found that a common heart disease medication, beta blockers, may help treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a debilitating lung disease. |
Songbird study shows how estrogen may stop infection-induced brain inflammationThe chemical best-known as a female reproductive hormone—estrogen—could help fight off neurodegenerative conditions and diseases in the future. Now, new research by American University neuroscience Professor Colin Saldanha shows that estrogen synthesis, a process naturally occurring in the brains of zebra finches, may also fight off neuroinflammation caused by infection that occurs elsewhere in the body. The finding reveals clues about the interplay between the body's neuroendocrine and immune systems. | |
 | 6 in 10 of America's single guys 'take responsibility' for contraception(HealthDay)—About six in 10 sexually active single men in the United States are taking responsibility for birth control, government health officials say. |
 | Play it smart: Stay in school for a healthier heart(HealthDay)—Higher education has been linked to better jobs, greater pay and, now, even a healthier heart. |
 | Proactive approach encouraged for online patient reviews(HealthDay)—Most patients are using online reviews as a first step to finding a new doctor, with 65 percent forming an opinion from reading one to six reviews, according to a report published in Medical Economics. |
 | FDA approves vabomere for complicated UTIs(HealthDay)—The intravenous antibiotic Vabomere (meropenem and vaborbactam) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat certain complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis. |
 | Study finds relationship between economic political opinions and competitiveness, resource scarcityThe motorist tailgating you on the highway might be doing more than just getting you upset—they could also be influencing your political views. |
Climate change may be linked to spike in US road deaths in 2015Climate change may be linked to the spike in US road deaths in 2015, which abruptly reversed the trend of the previous 35 years, concludes a study published online in the journal Injury Prevention. | |
Trial looks at whether compound relieves cognitive deficits after bypassUniversity of Arizona researchers are collaborating on a Phase 2 trial to determine whether a particular peptide administered before and after coronary bypass surgery mitigates or even reverses cognitive deficits thought to be connected to the procedure. | |
 | Discovery may be key to obesity, diabetes RxResearch led by Suresh Alahari, PhD, Fred Brazda Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, has demonstrated the potential of a protein to treat or prevent metabolic diseases including obesity and diabetes. The findings are published online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry as a Paper in Press, available here. |
Measuring the cost of quality measurementLess than 2 decades after publication of the National Academy of Medicine's (formerly the Institute of Medicine) Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century, quality measurement has become routine and widespread throughout the US health care system. From accountability to accreditation, from quality improvement to research, measures are everywhere. Although quality measurement activities are motivated, at least in part, by a desire to improve care, the current approach has produced an explosion of measures and a measurement system characterized by inefficiency and imbalance, with measures that are duplicative (eg, multiple measures of follow-up care for the same condition that use different periods), that are overlapping (eg, a diabetes composite measure and a separate hemoglobin A1c measure), or that overrepresent some areas of care (eg, there are many measures covering childhood immunizations and relatively few covering chronic care for children). Given that collecting, processing, analyzing, and reporting quality data are costly in time and resources2—resources that are often taken from direct patient care when these activities involve physicians and other clinicians—there has been an increasing call to rein in the proliferation of measures by identifying a small set of high-priority measures. | |
 | BCG jab may protect against TB for nearly twice as long as previously thoughtPreviously thought to be effective for 10-15 years, a new case-control study found that if given in early teenage years (12-13), the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine protected over 50% of UK children against TB for at least 20 years, then waned. The research was led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and funded by the National Institute for Health Research. Although some studies in countries such as Brazil and Norway have indicated that BCG might be effective for longer than first thought, this study provides the most robust evidence to date. |
 | Groups seek ban on high-dose opioids citing overdose dangerSafety advocates and state health officials are formally calling on the Food and Drug Administration to ban high-dose opioid painkillers to prevent accidental overdose deaths among patients and people who abuse drugs. |
Fraud behind tainted-eggs scandal began in 2016: EUThe fraud that caused the contamination of millions of eggs with the insecticide fipronil began in September 2016 and has now affected 34 countries, the EU said on Thursday. | |
 | Fentanyl drives rise in opioid-linked deaths in U.S.(HealthDay)—Fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic, is a key player in America's continuing epidemic of opioid-related overdose deaths, two new studies report. |
 | U.S. obesity rate holding steady, but still high(HealthDay)—Obesity rates in the United States appear to be leveling off, but Americans shouldn't think the battle of the bulge is won, health advocates say. |
 | Local allergic rhinitis often progresses over time(HealthDay)—Patients with local allergic rhinitis (LAR) show worsening of rhinitis, greater tendency toward development of asthma, and impairment of quality of life after 10 years, but have a similar rate of development of allergic rhinitis with systemic atopy as controls, according to research published online Aug. 22 in Allergy. |
 | W-plasty closure in posterior occipital hairline acceptable(HealthDay)—For closures in the posterior occipital hairline, cosmetic outcomes are similar for primary W-plasty and traditional straight-line (SL) trichophytic closure techniques, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. |
 | Retinal emboli linked to cardiac risk factors, kidney disease(HealthDay)—Retinal emboli are associated with conventional cardiovascular risk factors, stroke, and chronic kidney disease, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in JAMA Ophthalmology. |
 | FDA approves pediatric treatment for Chagas disease(HealthDay)—Benznidazole has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the tropical parasitic infection Chagas disease, in children aged 2 to 12. |
 | Transvenous pacemaker complications common, costly(HealthDay)—The incidence of complications for single- and dual-chamber transvenous pacemakers (TVPs) is considerable, reaching about 15 and 16 percent, respectively, by three years, with high associated costs, according to research published online Aug. 30 in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology. |
 | Prophylaxis linked to improved function, HRQoL in hemophilia(HealthDay)—For adults with severe hemophilia and pre-existing joint disease, prophylaxis is associated with improved function, quality of life, activity, and pain, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. |
 | Researchers identify genes fueling neuroblastoma spreadFor the first time, Mayo Clinic researchers and colleagues present data on how nervous system tumors, called neuroblastomas, spread. Their paper, published in Cancer Cell, clarifies the relationship between two genes that fuel the aggressive spread of neuroblastomas. |
IFCT-0302 results question role of CT-scan in non-small cell lung cancer post-surgery follow-upThe optimal follow-up protocol for patients with completely resected non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains elusive after results of the IFCT-0302 trial, presented at the ESMO 2017 Congress in Madrid, did not show a difference in overall survival (OS) between patients who received computed tomography (CT) scans as part of their follow-up, and those who did not. | |
 | How do wait times for transgender medical care affect those awaiting treatment?A new study by University of Calgary Faculty of Social Work undergraduate student Beck Paterson looks at the experience of transgender individuals awaiting medical care in the transition process, where some individuals have to wait several years to undergo treatment. |
 | Gay male immigrants may be at higher risk of HIV exposure in EuropeGay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM) often are motivated to embark on new lives in supportive countries to escape oppression and experience freedoms unavailable in their home countries. However, a recent study addressing the MSM migrant community shows that structural stigma (e.g., laws and policies promoting the unequal treatment of oppressed populations) may put this intersectional population at a higher risk of HIV exposure. |
 | In utero stem cell transplants may replace riskier childhood transplants for multiple conditionsUCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland will pioneer stem cell transplants for a uniquely challenging patient population: second-trimester fetuses stricken with a potentially fatal disease. |
Alcohol abuse, dental conditions and mental health found to be causes of avoidable US emergency visitsA recent study published in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care found that 3.5% of all emergency department visits analysed were 'avoidable'. Of these, the top 3 discharge diagnoses were alcohol abuse, dental disorders, and mood disorders such as anxiety or depression. A significant find since 'avoidable' emergency department visits can impact the cost of health insurance, the study suggests that 'avoidable' emergency department visits could be reduced by increasing access to dental and mental health facilities. | |
New findings may help protect the kidney health of individuals with obesityA new study provides insights on the mechanisms behind the development of kidney damage due to obesity. The findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), point to a potential target for protecting the kidney health of individuals with obesity. | |
Exploring periodontitis in patients with Chediak-Higashi syndromeThe International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published an article titled "Periodontitis in Chédiak-Higashi Syndrome: An Altered Immunoinflammatory Response" in the JDR Clinical & Translational Research (JDR CTR). In this study, Vivek Thumbigere Math, from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and authors from other institutes of NIH as well as the State University of Campinas, Piracicaba Dental School, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil sought to determine the periodontal status of patients with severe and mild forms of Chédiak-Higashi syndrome (CHS), a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the lysosomal trafficking regulator gene (LYST)—a gene that codes for a protein that helps with protein packaging and transport within cells. | |
New findings on brain functional connectivity may lend insights into mental disordersOngoing advances in understanding the functional connections within the brain are producing exciting insights into how the brain circuits function together to support human behavior—and may lead to new discoveries in the development and treatment of psychiatric disorders, according to a review and update in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry. | |
 | Addressing domestic violence should be part of recovery plan during natural disastersHurricane Harvey is the most recent natural disaster that has caused damage and destruction across many communities. When disasters strike an entire community, they do not affect all community members equally, and victims of domestic violence are often particularly vulnerable. Researchers at the University of Missouri have now identified a framework that can help victims of domestic violence before, during and after disaster events. |
Low health literacy is associated with preventable emergency department visitsLow health literacy is a risk factor for potentially preventable emergency department (ED) visits, particularly those that result in hospital admission. That is the primary finding of a study to be published in the September 2017 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (AEM), a journal of the Society for Academic Emergency Medicine. | |
Biology news
 | Profitable cooperation: Ants protect and fertilize plantsIn a new article, researchers from Aarhus University describe how the waste left by ants on plant leaves serves as a valuable fertiliser for the plants - handed on a silver platter. |
 | Apes' abilities misunderstood by decades of poor scienceApes' intelligence may be entirely misunderstood, because research has so far failed to measure it fairly and accurately, according to scientists. |
 | Antidepressants found in fish brains in Great Lakes regionHuman antidepressants are building up in the brains of bass, walleye and several other fish common to the Great Lakes region, scientists say. |
 | Nucleolus is a life expectancy predictorCan a cell show its biological age? And is it possible to foresee an animal's lifespan? Scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing in Cologne discovered a connection between the size of the nucleolus - a tiny structure in the very center of the cell - and life expectancy. This could be used as a molecular marker for health and aging. |
 | Bacterial protein acts as aphrodisiac for choanoflagellatesUnited States researchers investigating how single-celled organisms evolved to become multicellular stumbled across a strange phenomenon during their experiments: Single-celled eukaryotes called choanoflagellates, which are the closest living relatives to animals, begin to sexually reproduce in response to a protein produced by bacteria. Why this happens in natural settings is still unclear, though they speculate that it could help the choanoflagellates easily mate with others from the same species. The finding is presented August 31 in the journal Cell. |
 | Reconstructing life at its beginning, cell by cellAfter 13 rapid divisions a fertilized fly egg consists of about 6,000 cells. They all look alike under the microscope. However, each cell of a Drosophila melanogaster embryo already knows by then whether it is destined to become a neuron or a muscle cell—or part of the gut, the head, or the tail. Now, Nikolaus Rajewsky's and Robert Zinzen's teams at the Berlin Institute of Medical Systems Biology (BIMSB) of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association (MDC) have analyzed the unique gene expression profiles of thousands of single cells and reassembled the embryo from these data using a new spatial mapping algorithm. The result is a virtual fly embryo showing exactly which genes are active where at this point in time. "It is basically a transcriptomic blueprint of early development," says Robert Zinzen, head of the Systems Biology of Neural Tissue Differentiation Lab. Their paper appears as a First Release in the online issue of Science. |
 | Biologists find new source for brain's developmentA team of biologists has found an unexpected source for the brain's development, a finding that offers new insights into the building of the nervous system. |
 | Honeybees become workers or queens depending on the plant microRNAs in their dietBee larvae develop into workers, in part, because their diet of pollen and honey, called beebread, is rich in plant regulatory molecules called microRNAs, which delay development and keep their ovaries inactive. Xi Chen of Nanjing University in China and colleagues, report these August 31, 2017 in PLOS Genetics. |
Protein transport channel offers new target for thwarting pathogenA bacterium that attacks people suffering from chronic lung disease and compromised immune systems could be halted by disrupting the distribution channels the organism uses to access the nutrient-rich cytoplasm of its host cell. | |
 | More bat sightings coincide with fledglings leaving nestRustling or scratching sounds coming from the eaves troughs at 3 a.m. may be a telltale sign that you've got "bats in the belfry." |
 | How are antimicrobials used around the world in food-producing animals?A new study led by academics at the Bristol Veterinary School has reviewed the literature on the use of antimicrobials (AM) in livestock practice together with the views of stakeholders. The study found that although there are some barriers to change, there is a clear awareness of the issue among the livestock sectors and a willingness to modify AM use. |
 | Eat a purple potato if you know what's good for youIsraeli scientists synthesize healthier potatoes and tomatoes in brilliant colors. The technology can also produce unusually hued ornamental flowers. |
 | Israeli gene-crunching firm aims to cut data down to sizeThe human genome has been mapped, but the genomes of most humans have not – at least not yet. When individual genomes are mapped, the world will have a problem: there is simply not enough space in the world's computer systems to store that data. |
 | Could CRISPR be used as a biological weapon?The gene editing technique CRISPR has been in the limelight after scientists reported they had used it to safely remove disease in human embryos for the first time. This follows a "CRISPR craze" over the last couple of years, with the number of academic publications on the topic growing steadily. |
 | Mouth clicks used in human echolocation captured in unprecedented detailLike some bats and marine mammals, people can develop expert echolocation skills, in which they produce a clicking sound with their mouths and listen to the reflected sound waves to "see" their surroundings. A new study published in PLOS Computational Biology provides the first in-depth analysis of the mouth clicks used in human echolocation. |
Method speeds up time to analyze complex microscopic imagesCryo-electron tomography permits researchers to study in detail the microscopic structures inside of cells. Researchers who typically required a week of effort to dissect the 3-D structure of a single cell will now be able to do it in about an hour thanks to a new automated method developed by a team of scientists at Baylor College of Medicine and the National University of Singapore. The new method will allow scientists to study a large number and a variety of cell types in significantly less time, leading to a more detailed understanding of cellular processes and disease. The report appears in the journal Nature Methods. | |
 | More research needed on effects of maternal stress in wild animalsIf a human mother is stressed while pregnant, research shows her child is much more likely to have emotional, cognitive or even physiological problems, such as attention deficit, hyperactivity, anxiety, language delay, obesity, diabetes and hypertension. Conversely, the results of maternal stress on the offspring of other animals—particularly wildlife under threat from predators—is believed to be positive, and contributes to their survival. |
 | High tunnels boost yield, along with plant-damaging insectsGrowers of tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables can extend their growing season and increase yield by placing high tunnels over their cold-sensitive crops, but those tunnels don't provide the pest protection that has long been assumed. |
Video: Ducklings recorded leaving nest in Northern Plains of CambodiaToday, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) released video of three Endangered white-winged ducklings leaving their Koki tree-hollow home for the first time while their mother patiently waits for them to follow. | |
Why are coyote populations difficult to control?Conventional wisdom suggests that coyote control efforts actually result in an increase in the number of coyotes due to increasing litter sizes and pregnancy rates among individuals that survive. New research published in the Journal of Wildlife Management demonstrates that while litter size and pregnancy rates tend to increase somewhat after heavy trapping pressure, overall reproductive capacity of the population declines. | |
 | Techniques used in forensic science help discover new molecular fossilsResearchers in Japan and China believe they have found new molecular fossils of archaea using a method of analysis commonly used in forensic science. |
 | Guidelines for the monitoring of beetles protected in EuropeIn a set of eight research publications, scientists tested various methods for the monitoring of five European saproxylic (i.e. dependent on dead wood) beetle species protected by the Habitats Directive. The aim of their work was to test and propose a standard method for each species. A key role in this conservation initiative was played by citizen scientists who made it possible for sufficient data to be collected within a significantly shorter time frame. |
 | Baby monkeys swing into view at Los Angeles ZooTwo baby monkeys swung into view for the first time at the Los Angeles Zoo. |
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