Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for September 15, 2017:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Astronomers bid farewell to $3.9 bn Saturn spacecraftAstronomers around the world bid farewell Friday to NASA's famed Cassini spacecraft, which launched 20 years ago to circle Saturn and transformed the way we think about life elsewhere in the solar system. |
 | Mars research subjects to emerge after 8 months of isolationAfter eight months of living in isolation on a remote Hawaii volcano, six NASA-backed research subjects will emerge from their Mars-like habitat on Sunday and return to civilization. |
 | NASA's Cassini spacecraft at Saturn nears fiery finaleNASA's Cassini spacecraft at Saturn closed in on its fiery finish early Friday, following a remarkable journey of 20 years. |
 | Venus' mysterious night side revealedScientists have used ESA's Venus Express to characterise the wind and upper cloud patterns on the night side of Venus for the first time–with surprising results. |
 | Farewell Cassini: Saturn spacecraft makes fiery, final dive (Update)NASA's Cassini spacecraft disintegrated in the skies above Saturn on Friday in a final, fateful blaze of cosmic glory, following a remarkable journey of 20 years. |
 | Cassini spacecraft: 'Magnifying glass' at Saturn until endFor more than a decade, NASA's Cassini spacecraft at Saturn took "a magnifying glass" to the enchanting planet, its moons and rings. |
 | Iran relaunches space ambitions after uproar over satellitesIran's on-off space programme has received a boost after a recent satellite launch was seen to annoy Washington, with Tehran dusting off plans for a manned mission, perhaps with Moscow's assistance. |
 | Idaho hopes to bring stargazers to first US dark sky reserveTourists heading to central Idaho will be in the dark if local officials get their way. |
 | Discovery of the most accelerated binary pulsarFifty years after Jocelyn Bell discovered the first pulsar, students are no longer going through reams of paper from pen chart recorders but instead search through 1,000s of terabytes of data to find these enigmatic pulsating radio stars. The most extreme binary pulsar system so far, with accelerations of up to 70 g has been discovered by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn. At their closest approach the orbit of the pulsar and its companion neutron star would easily fit inside the radius of the Sun. |
 | Diet tracker in spaceWhether you are on a diet or just want to be healthier, you might be one of those millions of people around the planet who use a mobile app to track everything you eat. The trend has arrived in space: European astronauts are now logging their meals on a tablet to make sure they are getting the right amount of nutrients. |
 | Ice mined on Mars could provide water for humans exploring spaceAs humans spread out across the Earth, the locations of new colonies were driven by the accessibility of resources: not only food and water, but also arable land, forests and minerals. |
 | Image: Orion parachutes measure up in high pressure testOrion's three main orange and white parachutes help a representative model of the spacecraft descend through sky above Arizona, where NASA engineers tested the parachute system on Sept. 13, 2017, at the U.S. Army Proving Ground in Yuma. NASA is qualifying Orion's parachutes for missions with astronauts. |
 | InflateSail CubeSat comes to a successful and fiery endInflateSail, a CubeSat with a lightweight sail mounted on an inflatable mast, was designed, built and tested at the Surrey Space Centre (SSC) in the University of Surrey on behalf of the Von Karman Institute in Belgium. |
 | GRACE mission making plans for final science data collectionWith one of its twin satellites almost out of fuel after more than 15 years of chasing each other around our planet to measure Earth's ever-changing gravity field, the operations team for the U.S./German Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) mission is making plans for an anticipated final science collection. |
 | As NASA's Cassini mission flames out over Saturn, scientists mark bittersweet end of missionIn the dark of the early morning, planetary scientist Andy Ingersoll stood alone and slightly stooped at a coffee cart at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. More than 900 million miles across the solar system, the 2-ton Cassini spacecraft that he worked on for more than 20 years was being ripped apart and vaporizing in the cloud tops of Saturn. |
 | NASA selects economic research studies to examine investments in spaceNASA has selected five new research proposals to understand the effective drivers of investments in the global space economy, encouraging non-traditional companies, as well as traditional aerospace companies, to look beyond satellites for new opportunities in commercial space development. |
 | Celebrate the end of Saturn mission with a free ebook – The Ringed PlanetToday, Nasa's Cassini spacecraft will point itself toward the surface of Saturn, and end with a crash its 13-year mission delving into the mysteries of the ringed planet's system. |
 | Video: Cassini's legacy and the atmospheric chemistry of TitanThe Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn, a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, is set to end on Sept. 15. |
Technology news
 | Yale researchers cannot feel the punch in Facebook fight to tag fake news(Tech Xplore)—Earlier this year Facebook put its fake-news boxing gloves on and announced it was going to fight the good fight by turning to third-party fact checkers and show findings below the original post, in a battle against fake news. |
 | Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi bets on spike in electric carsThe Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance is gambling that mass-market drivers are going to pivot soon to electric cars, announcing plans Friday to produce 12 new electric models by 2022 and to make electric cars 30 percent of its overall output. |
Angry Birds maker Rovio valued at $1 billion in planned IPORovio Entertainment, the Finnish maker of "Angry Birds" and other popular mobile games, says that its initial public share offering will value it at about $1 billion. | |
LG loses European appeal against 541 mn euro fine: firmSouth Korean electronics giant LG Electronics has lost its final appeal against a giant price-fixing fine imposed by the European Union and will pay more than 540 million euros, it said Friday. | |
 | Pizza delivery by robot cars has arrived with big questionsPeople in Ann Arbor, Mich., are experiencing home food-delivery without a driver. |
Spotify and Hulu team up to bring $4.99 subscription bundle to studentsIn the arms race for streaming supremacy, music and television services online have become more divided than ever. | |
 | Gadgets: Smart sweeper maps territory to cleanOnce you prepare your house for vacuuming, the only thing left to do to clean your floors and carpet is to press a button. From there, the Deebot R95 robotic vacuum cleaner takes over and does the work. |
Jim Rossman: Load these five emergency apps before the next disaster strikesIn the aftermath of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, I think it's a good time to recommend some apps for your smartphone that you should have before you need them in an emergency. | |
 | Modelling a city's minuscule changesBy using 3D models, computational scientists can create precise, static representations of a city. However, cities, much like living things, are almost always in motion. Major construction projects—from new buildings to public transportation infrastructure—seismic events, or shoddy construction can quickly alter a city's properties both above and below ground. |
 | Facebook revamps policy after report on anti-Semitic targetingFacebook said it was revising its advertising policies to prevent "discriminatory" targeting after a news report showed marketers could aim messages at categories of people such as "Jew haters." |
 | Bitcoin ... the way to the future or path to financial ruin?Bitcoin, hailed in some quarters as the future of currency, is having a rough week, with a flurry of rumors that China will shut down exchanges and the head of a major U.S bank calling bitcoin a "fraud." |
 | France slams Silicon Valley for skirting tax in EuropeFrench Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire accused US internet giants on Friday of escaping their fair share of taxes in Europe, as he pushed the EU to urgently address the issue. |
 | Facebook opens AI lab in Canada, with Trudeau on handFacebook opened its first artificial intelligence lab in Canada on Friday, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on hand to praise the impact of such cutting-edge research. |
New iPhones may spur a surge in augmented realityThe runaway success of "Pokemon Go" last year taught the world at least two things. One: Lots of people love Pokemon. And two: Creating good augmented reality - the kind that superimposes 3-D objects into the real world and convinces people they're actually chasing a Pikachu - is really, really hard. | |
 | At more US colleges, video gamers get the varsity treatmentIn some ways, they're like typical college athletes. They're on varsity teams. They train for hours between classes. Some get hefty scholarships. But instead of playing sports, they're playing video games. |
 | Facebook let advertisers place ads to reach 'Jew haters'Facebook allowed advertisements targeted at people who have expressed interest in anti-Semitic topics such as "jew hater," "how to burn jews" or "History of 'why jews ruin the world,'" Pro Publica reported Thursday. |
Inside Job: He helps people secure their passwords with KeeperWhat's it really like to work at Chicago startups and tech companies? Blue Sky's Inside Job lets people on the ground tell us in their own words. | |
Coffee technology: How to brew like a barista at home, using the latest gearIn this age of high-end coffee, every trip to the cafe is a theater experience. We watch the barista measure out the coffee on a digital scale and check the temperature of the water. We stare as the rivulet of steaming water is then poured from the swan-necked kettle, evenly coating the ground beans in a ritual that ends with the perfect cup of joe. | |
Swiss state blocks cyberattack, but another hits contractorSwitzerland's government says state cyber-experts detected and prevented an attempted cyberattack on the Swiss defense department, while another attack "disrupted" the systems of a contractor for the foreign affairs department. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Research uncovers the neurons that drive thirstWhat makes us thirsty? On some level, the answer is obvious: If we don't drink enough water, our bodies send us unpleasant wake-up calls in the form of dry mouths and an strong urge to consume liquid. The deeper answer, a team of Stanford biologists and neuroscientists write in a paper in Science, lies in a set of neurons deep in the brain whose job it is to make life unpleasant for those who've gotten behind on their fluid intake. |
 | Scientists find bacteria in pancreatic tumors that metabolize a common drugTo the reasons that chemotherapy sometimes does not work, we can now add one more: bacteria. In a study published today in Science, researchers describe findings that certain bacteria can be found inside human pancreatic tumors. The findings further showed that some of these bacteria contain an enzyme that inactivates a common drug used to treat various cancers, including pancreatic cancer. Working with mouse models of cancer, they demonstrated how treatment with antibiotics on top of chemotherapy may be significantly superior to treatment with chemotherapy alone. |
 | New technologies combined to identify specific DNA defect underlying a type of cancer(Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers from the Netherlands and the U.K. has developed a technique for studying inherited types of cancers using two relatively new technologies—organoid development and CRISPR/Cas9. In their paper published in the journal Science, the team describes their technique and how it can be used to better understand certain types of inherited cancers. |
 | Memory decline after head injury may be prevented by slowing brain cell growthThe excessive burst of new brain cells after a traumatic head injury that scientists have traditionally believed helped in recovery could instead lead to epileptic seizures and long-term cognitive decline, according to a new Rutgers New Jersey Medical School study. |
 | Why we did not evolve to live forever: Unveiling the mystery of why we ageResearchers at the Institute of Molecular Biology (IMB) in Mainz, Germany, have made a breakthrough in understanding the origin of the ageing process. They have identified that genes belonging to a process called autophagy - one of the cells most critical survival processes - promote health and fitness in young worms but drive the process of ageing later in life. This research published in the journal Genes & Development gives some of the first clear evidence for how the ageing process arises as a quirk of evolution. These findings may also have broader implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease where autophagy is implicated. The researchers show that by promoting longevity through shutting down autophagy in old worms there is a strong improvement in neuronal and subsequent whole body health. |
 | 'Exciting' discovery on path to develop new type of vaccine to treat global virusesScientists at the University of Southampton have made a significant discovery in efforts to develop a vaccine against Zika, dengue and Hepatitis C viruses that affect millions of people around the world. |
 | Brain halves increase communication to compensate for aging, study findsIncreased communication between distant brain regions helps older adults compensate for the negative aspects of aging, reports a new study published this week in Human Brain Mapping. |
Study shows new biomarker could predict which pregnant women with type 1 diabetes could develop pre-eclampsiaPregnant women with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at a 4-times increased risk of pre-eclampsia compared to pregnant women without T1D. New research at this year's European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal (11-15 September) shows that a biomarker—Leucine-Rich alpha-2-Glycoprotein-1 (LRG1)—can be used to predict the occurrence of pre-eclampsia (PE) in prospective mothers with type 1 diabetes (T1DM). | |
 | Thirdhand smoke exposure effects on liver and brain found to worsen over timeResearchers at the University of California, Riverside have found that thirdhand-smoke (THS) exposure has a significant effect on health as early as one month after initiation of exposure—an effect that worsens with time. |
Life-saving post-ER suicide prevention strategies are cost effectiveThree interventions designed for follow up of patients who are identified with suicide risk in hospital emergency departments save lives and are cost effective relative to usual care. A study led by researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) modelled the use of the approaches in emergency departments and found that all three interventions compare favorably with a standard benchmark of cost-effectiveness used in evaluating healthcare costs. NIMH is part of the National Institutes of Health. | |
 | Treating a little-known virus, CMV, to combat hearing loss in childrenA National Institutes of Health-supported nationwide clinical trial will test a novel approach to combat hearing loss in children infected by a relatively unknown virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV). The University of Utah Health-led study will determine whether antiviral therapy can halt progressive hearing loss in children with a confirmed CMV infection. CMV is the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss, contributing from 6 to 30 percent of childhood cases. |
Electronic health record alert improves HCV screening and treatment among baby boomersIn a recent study, screening rates for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection among baby boomers increased fivefold in the year following implementation of an electronic health record (EHR)-based prompt for primary care physicians. The prompt also led to dramatic increases in follow-up specialized care for infected patients, according to the Hepatology study. | |
 | Is the Alzheimer's gene the ring leader or the sidekick?The notorious genetic marker of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia, ApoE4, may not be a lone wolf. |
 | Regions with stricter firearm laws experience fewer pediatric gun-related injuriesRegions of the United States with stronger firearm legislation had lower rates of Emergency Department (ED) visits for pediatric firearm-related injuries, according to a study led by Children's National Health System researchers. Compared with the Northeast—which had the lowest overall burden of firearm-related ED visits—injury rates were significantly higher in the West, South and Midwest, according to a study presented during the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) national conference. |
Ending DACA could have dire public health consequencesPresident Obama signed an executive order in 2012 protecting undocumented immigrants who were brought to the United States as children, and studies suggest that this order, known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), markedly improved measures of mental health among its beneficiaries and their families. The pending termination of DACA may reverse these mental health benefits for the 800,000 DACA beneficiaries, and trigger a public health crisis, according to an essay in the New England Journal of Medicine, co-authored by Atheendar. S. Venkataramani, MD, PhD, an assistant professor of medical ethics and health policy at Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. | |
Study finds girl soccer players five times more likely than boys to return to play same dayA new study found girls were significantly more likely than boys to return to play the same day following a soccer-related concussion, placing them at risk for more significant injury. | |
 | Improving mannequin design and training sessions could boost residents' success in clinicAs mannequins go, preemie Hal is on the top of his game. He is smaller than a full-sized infant, just like the one in 10 babies born prematurely each year in the United States. Hal has soft, supple skin and his mouth opens wide to accommodate the breathing tube, since pediatricians need to practice and practice again until they are able to execute intubation confidently on a squirming newborn. |
 | Pregnancy outcomes remain poor in mothers with childhood-onset T1DNew research presented at this year's European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal (11-15 Sept) shows that pregnancy outcomes remain poor in women with type 1 diabetes (T1D), despite significant advances in obstetric and diabetes care. |
 | 45 percent of parents experience depression, anxiety and stress when newborns leave NICUAlmost half of parents whose children were admitted to Children's National Health System's neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) experienced postpartum depressive symptoms, anxiety and stress when their newborns were discharged from the hospital. And parents who were the most anxious also were the most depressed, according to research presented during the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) national conference. |
Five die as plague resurfaces in MadagascarPneumonic plague has killed five people in Madagascar since August, a top health official told AFP on Thursday, but stressed the situation was under control. | |
 | A fifth of global deaths linked to diet: studyFewer children are dying before their fifth birthday and although humans are living longer than ever before, one in five deaths last year were linked to poor diet, researchers said Friday. |
 | Obese inducing brain mechanismLeptin is an adipocyte-derived hormone that stimulates hypothalamic neurons to strongly inhibit food intake. Leptin signaling in the hypothalamus, a part of the mid-brain, thus plays a crucial role in the regulation of body weight: Leptin resistance, in which leptin signaling is disrupted, is a major obstacle to the improvement of obesity. However, the exact mechanisms underlying leptin resistance in obese patients have yet to be determined. |
 | The bilingual brain calculates arithmetic differently depending on the languagePeople can intuitively recognise small numbers up to four; however, when calculating, they depend on the assistance of language. This presents a fascinating research question: How do multilingual people solve arithmetical tasks in different languages of which they have fluency? The question will is important, as an increasingly globalised job market and accelerated migration means that increasing numbers of people seek work and study outside of their native linguistic areas. |
 | Molecular link between Parkinson's disease and prion diseasesParkinson's disease and prion diseases are very different as regards both origins and course. Nonetheless, a research group of SISSA, headed by Professor Giuseppe Legname, has discovered an unexpected and important link between the two pathologies. According to the study, recently published in the journal Scientific Reports, the pathologies are linked by the complex interaction between two proteins present in nerve cells: the so-called α-synuclein in its aggregated form, and the prion protein PrPC, the molecule responsible, in its altered version, for serious syndromes such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. |
 | Chimera viruses can help the fight against lymphomasResearchers from Instituto de Medicina Molecular (iMM) Lisboa have created a chimera virus that allows the study of molecules to treat cancers caused by human herpes virus infection in mice models of disease. |
 | Is metabolically healthy obesity a worthwhile initial medical goal?Worldwide, nearly one in three individuals is obese. As a consequence, increasing numbers of people suffer from diseases associated with morbid overweight, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke. Despite the well-known health risks, only some of these individuals attempt to lose weight. Many people are most probably daunted by the prospect of losing the amount of weight required. Researchers of the German Center for Diabetes Research in Tübingen and Potsdam now report in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology that metabolically healthy obesity could be a worthwhile initial goal in the therapy of obesity. |
 | Immune system linked to alcohol drinking behaviourResearchers from the University of Adelaide have found a new link between the brain's immune system and the desire to drink alcohol in the evening. |
 | How to incorporate fitness into your daily lifeWorking out is an important part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle, but sometimes it can be hard to find the time to fit it in. A Baylor College of Medicine expert gives his tips on how to incorporate fitness into your daily life. |
 | Study finds physical activity outside of school is vital for child healthChildren who do activity outside of school in addition to during school hours are much more likely to meet the Government's physical activity guidelines, according to new research from the University of Bristol. |
 | Online calculator estimates the impact of changes in breastfeeding rates on population healthIn a new study published in Breastfeeding Medicine, researchers have created an online calculator to estimate the impact of changes in breastfeeding rates on population health. |
 | Remote Indigenous communities experience dramatic improvement in life expectancyUnique data from the Tiwi Islands and trends in ages and causes of death shows that health outcomes for some remote Indigenous communities have improved at an astonishing rate. |
 | Sleep routine used to shape training for rugby league athletesJunior rugby league players go to bed later than their senior counterparts and are therefore at risk of burning the candle at both ends if this isn't considered in their routine. |
Acid reflux cancer linkEsophageal adenocarcinoma (EA) is an increasingly common cancer that silently affects the esophagus – the muscular tube that moves food into stomach. What causes EA is not well known but gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), characterized by chronic heartburn/acid reflux, is the strongest known risk factor. | |
 | Medical history can point to earlier Parkinson's disease diagnosisBefore symptoms become pronounced, there is no reliable way to identify who is on track to develop Parkinson's disease, a debilitating movement disorder characterized by tremors, slowness of movement, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination. |
 | Medical students need training to prescribe medical marijuanaAlthough 29 states and the District of Columbia allow marijuana use for medical purposes, few medical students are being trained how to prescribe the drug. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis surveyed medical school deans, residents and fellows, and examined a curriculum database maintained by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), learning that medical marijuana is not being addressed in medical education. |
 | U.S. lagging in walking, walkable community developmentThe United States earns failing grades when it comes to the number of people walking to work and school plus the number of walkable communities, finds a new national report. |
 | Maintaining healthy weight helps keep blood pressure low through lifeNew research shows maintaining a healthy weight throughout life – more so than four other health behaviors studied – is important to help keep blood pressure in check, according to research presented today at the American Heart Association (AHA) Council on Hypertension, AHA Council on Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease, American Society of Hypertension Joint Scientific Sessions 2017 in San Francisco. |
 | Which single behavior best prevents high blood pressure?(HealthDay)—You probably already know that certain healthy lifestyle behaviors can reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure, but is any one behavior more important than the others? |
 | Early onset of pregnancy complication may raise heart risks(HealthDay)—Women who develop pre-eclampsia earlier in pregnancy may be at increased risk for heart problems soon after giving birth, a new study finds. |
 | Increasing salt intake tied to diabetes risk(HealthDay)—High levels of salt consumption may increase an adult's risk of developing diabetes, researchers say. |
 | Exenatide doesn't up cardiovascular risk in T2DM(HealthDay)—For patients with type 2 diabetes, the incidence of major cardiovascular events is similar for those receiving exenatide or placebo, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in the New England Journal of Medicine. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes, held from Sept. 11 to 15 in Lisbon, Portugal. |
 | FDA approves first biosimilar drug for cancer(HealthDay)—The first biosimilar drug to treat cancer has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. |
 | Assay can ID M. tuberculosis resistance mutations(HealthDay)—An automated molecular assay can detect Mycobacterium tuberculosis with resistance to drugs directly from sputum specimens, according to a study published in the Sept. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | AAO-HNSF: new consensus on balloon dilation of sinuses(HealthDay)—A clinical consensus statement on balloon dilation of the sinuses has been approved by the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) Board of Directors and presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, held from Sept. 10 to 13 in Chicago. |
 | Croc research on gambling habits gets an Ig NobelOur research examining the effects of holding a live crocodile on slot-machine gambling has won one of this year's infamous Ig Nobel prizes. |
Electrical stimulation improves paralyzed patients' functionNearly 282,000 people in the U.S. live with paralysis following a spinal cord injury (SCI). A review of more than 90 studies found that electrical stimulation may help restore function in those paralyzed after SCI. The article is published in Physiology. | |
 | Teens shift sleeping patterns on weekends, return to school 'jet lagged'A lack of sleep is associated with more absence and teens turn up jet lagged to school on Mondays, as shown in a doctoral thesis by sleep researcher Serena Bauducco, at Örebro University, Sweden. |
 | Isolation, collapsing lungs and spitting bans—three ways we used to treat TB, and still mightTuberculosis (TB) has been responsible for more deaths than any other infectious disease in human history. It is one of the world's top ten causes of death today. |
Jet lag drug may aid cancer patientsPainful side effects from cancer medicines could be tackled with a drug that eases the effects of jet lag, research suggests. | |
New study on the placebo effect and antidepressants in children and adolescentsAlthough the clinical efficacy of antidepressants in children and adolescents is proven, it is frequently accompanied by side effects. In addition, the influence of the placebo effect on the efficacy of antidepressants is unclear. A meta-analysis of data from over 6,500 patients has now shown that, although antidepressants are more effective than placebos, the difference is minor and varies according to the type of mental disorder. The results were obtained by the University of Basel and Harvard Medical School and were published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. | |
 | Twenty minute test determines attention and memory capacity in patients with schizophreniaResearchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and collaborators have designed a test that can determine the cognitive capacities of patients with schizophrenia. The test consists of a battery of assessments chosen by the researchers which permits them, in 20 minutes or less, to examine patients' short-term memory capacities, mental agility and also organisational capacities. |
 | How blood vessels are formedResearchers at Heidelberg University have discovered a crucial biological step that regulates the formation of blood vessels. They were able to show that the proteins YAP and TAZ play an important role in this process. The new findings were published in the journal Developmental Cell. |
 | Harvey and Irma present nearly perfect conditions for Zika-spreading mosquitoesEven as the floodwaters from Hurricanes Harvey and Irma begin to recede, significant but less obvious health threats remain. The standing water the storms have left behind will almost certainly cause an explosion of the mosquito population. |
| People with schizophrenia left out of longevity revolutionSince the 1970s, general mortality rates in developed countries have declined. On average, lifespans have lengthened by almost a decade. One demographic group that has not reflected this trend: persons with schizophrenia, whose life expectancy is 15 to 20 years shorter than the general population. |
 | Nearly 25 million U.S. workers now have high-deductible health plans(HealthDay)—The number of American workers with high-deductible health insurance plans rose by 3.2 percent in 2016—reaching 24.8 million, new research reports. |
 | Hidden gems in your health insurance plan(HealthDay)—You might only think about your health insurance coverage when it's time for a doctor visit. But there may be many hidden health gems in your policy—wellness programs. |
 | The body's own fat-metabolism protects against the harmful effects of sugarFor several years, medical researchers, doctors and dieticians have known that a low carbohydrate diet and plentiful fat can prevent a range of lifestyle and age-related diseases and thus promote healthy aging. But researchers from around the world have not been able to explain why this is the case. They have just been reasonably certain that the energy metabolism and its chemical intermediates (metabolites) play a central role. |
Discovery can pave the way for more effective cholesterol medicineResearch from Aarhus University sheds new light on how the body converts the bad kind of cholesterol. The discovery could lead to new and potentially more effective medicine. | |
General emergency departments use CT to diagnose abdominal pain in children more oftenA child with non-traumatic abdominal pain, a common symptom of appendicitis, is more likely to receive a computed tomography (CT) scan in a general emergency department (ED) than if he or she visited a pediatric emergency department, according to a study published in Pediatrics. | |
Insult to injury: US workers without paid sick leave suffer from mental distressOnly seven states in the United States have mandatory paid sick leave laws; yet, 15 states have passed preemptive legislation prohibiting localities from passing sick leave. Despite this resistance, paid sick leave is starting to gain momentum as a social justice issue with important implications for health and wellness. But what are the implications for the mental well-being of Americans without paid sick leave? Little was known about their relationship until now. | |
 | Cuts to mental health services putting young people at risk, say expertsFunding cuts and austerity measures are damaging young people's access to mental health services, with potentially long-term consequences for their mental wellbeing, say researchers at the University of Cambridge. |
Researchers replicate FSH muscular dystrophy in miceA new study published in the journal Nature Communications describes a breakthrough in research related to facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). The debilitating genetic disease - which has no approved treatment - affects an estimated 38,000 Americans and causes degeneration and wasting of the skeletal muscles. | |
Partnering with the community to advance health care quality for immigrant childrenThe grade school student has been a patient for a while, but during a routine visit, 9-year-old Pedro finally confides that he has had headaches and difficulty concentrating in school for weeks now. Pedro tells you he worries that his older brother—among those granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)—and his parents, undocumented immigrants, "will disappear" while he attends class. | |
Couples weather bickering with a little help from their friendsEvery couple has conflict, and new research finds that having good friends and family members to turn to alleviates the stress of everyday conflict between partners. In fact, according to the study led by The University of Texas at Austin's Lisa Neff, social networks may help provide protection against health problems brought about by ordinary tension between spouses. | |
 | Quality initiatives can reduce harm to newborns, shorten hospital stay and save millionsSick newborns often rely on a ventilator to supply oxygen and are tethered to the life-saving device by a plastic endotracheal tube (ETT). The American Academy of Pediatrics has counseled health care providers that ordering a chest X-ray daily simply to verify positioning of the ETT ratchets up costs without improving patient safety. |
 | France restores old thyroid drug after complaints over new oneAn old version of a thyroid medication will be reintroduced in France after thousands of the country's three million users complained of serious side effects from a new formula, the government said Friday. |
Deprescribing gets support from Canada's seniors, survey showsMost Canadians over 65 years of age take a lot of prescription drugs—two-thirds, in fact, take more than five a day, while two out of every five of Canadians over 80 take more than 10 a day. And many worry it's all too much, a new national survey by Université de Montréal researchers has found. | |
 | Steroid hormones could hold further clues about age-related bone lossA group of steroid hormones could provide new insight into the bone loss and deterioration that occurs with aging, researchers at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University report. |
Talking to older adults about health prognosis may be helpfulPrognosis is the term for the most likely outcome of a medical condition. When it comes to health care, talking about your prognosis can be difficult for you, your family/friends, and even your healthcare providers. However, many of us prefer to talk to our healthcare providers about the expected course of an illness and about our life expectancy when living with a chronic or terminal illness. This is according to new research on advanced care planning (the technical term for having early conversations with our healthcare providers about our care needs, preferences, and expectations). | |
 | Selena gomez's kidney transplant puts lupus center stage(HealthDay)—When pop star Selena Gomez revealed Thursday that she had a kidney transplant, she put the autoimmune disease lupus in the spotlight. |
 | Hospital quality independently impacts readmission rates(HealthDay)—Hospital quality contributes to readmission rates independent of factors involving patients, according to a study published in the Sept. 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. |
 | Conjunctivitis prevalence higher for adult women than men(HealthDay)—Adult women have a higher prevalence of conjunctivitis than men, and cases peak in the spring, according to a research letter published online Sept. 14 in JAMA Ophthalmology. |
 | System collects data on functional septorhinoplasty(HealthDay)—A system has been implemented that enables collection of pre- and postoperative data for patients with nasal obstruction who undergo functional septorhinoplasty, according to a special communication published online Sept. 14 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. |
 | FDA approves aliqopa for follicular lymphoma(HealthDay)—Aliqopa (copanlisib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with relapsed follicular lymphoma who have received at least two prior treatments with certain other drugs. |
Improving communication, education and parent satisfaction with NICU dischargeParents whose children have lengthy stays in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) dream of one day taking their baby home. But the actual day of NICU discharge can be an overwhelming experience for both families and hospital staff. Starting discharge education early, communicating in ways attuned to families' needs and using a classroom setting to teach parents hands-on skills they need to care for their newborn independently can improve parents' satisfaction with the discharge process, according to a study presented during the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) national conference. | |
A subtler sexism now frames TV coverage of women in sportsWhen tennis great John McEnroe recently claimed that women's champion Serena Williams wouldn't even be a "top 700" men's player, his controversial comment made headlines on sports shows and beyond. | |
Study highlights need for epinephrine in schools—and staff trained to administer itWith school nurses often covering multiple buildings, nearly one in five students who experience severe allergic reactions are given potentially life-saving epinephrine injections from unlicensed staff or students. | |
 | Increasing number of children arrive at emergency departments addicted to opioidsShowing the opioid epidemic knows no age limits, new research suggests more than 100 children test positive for opioid addiction or dependency each day in U.S. emergency departments. |
 | Third and fourth graders who own cell phones are more likely to be cyberbulliedMost research on cyberbullying has focused on adolescents. But a new study that examined cell phone ownership among children in third to fifth grades finds they may be particularly vulnerable to cyberbullying. |
Green schoolyards offer physical and mental health benefits for childrenA growing body of evidence supports the claim that access to safe, natural areas improves health across a wide variety of areas, including heart health, mental health, weight management, ADHD, and stress among children. A concept gaining momentum in this realm is green schoolyards. But what is a green schoolyard? | |
 | Study finds common surgeries may serve as pathway to nonmedical opioid use in adolescentsResearch being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 National Conference and Exhibition shows that post-surgical opioid pain medications prescribed after common surgeries may become a pathway to continued, nonmedical opioid use by teens and young adults. |
 | Study suggests increase in adverse effects due to use of opioids in hospitalized childrenThe number of hospitalized infants, children and teens who experienced adverse reactions to opioid painkillers increased by more than half between 2003 and 2012, according to research being presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 National Conference. |
Telemedicine visits save families time and moneyPatients and families who use telemedicine for sports medicine appointments saved an average of $50 in travel costs and 51 minutes in waiting and visit time, according to a new study by Nemours Children's Health System. Each telemedicine visit also saved the health system an average of $24 per patient, researchers reported at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition. | |
 | Mesenchymal stem cells offer novel treatment approach for Crohn's disease fistulaA growing body of clinical evidence shows that transplantation of a patient's own mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) to achieve a cure and prevent recurrent of Crohn's disease-related fistula can be a safe and effective addition to surgery. A comprehensive review of the latest studies of MSC transplantation for Crohn's fistula and a comparison of MSC versus hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) transplantation is published in Human Gene Therapy. |
More infants and toddlers being positioned correctly in car safety seatsNew research shows that overall, child passenger safety education programs are a success, with more infants and toddlers riding in the rear-facing position than ever before. | |
Pediatric emergency department physicians wary of discussing firearm injury preventionMany emergency departments provide education on childhood injury prevention. But new research shows many physicians are leaving out one important topic: firearm injury prevention. | |
300,000 families living in US-Mexico border towns face exposure to toxic stressRoughly 300,000 Texans living in impoverished border communities known as "colonias" are facing substandard housing, lack of resources and exposure to toxic stress. New research finds these communities are also ill-equipped to face a natural disaster. | |
Girl soccer players who give up other sports may feel more stressed, less restedAn abstract of new research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 National Conference & Exhibition found sport specialization was associated with significantly worse mood, stress, fatigue, soreness, and sleep quality among female youth soccer players, even after controlling for factors such as age and hours spent training. | |
Immigrant parents report fewer adverse childhood experiences than US-born parentsA new study found immigrants reported fewer potentially health-harming adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse, violence, or divorce, than native-born Americans. The findings, which will be highlighted in an abstract presentation during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 National Conference & Exhibition, suggest immigrants may experience different forms of stress early in life than do those born in the United States. | |
New research shows golf carts causing serious injuries to childrenAs golf carts become increasingly popular in communities beyond the fairway, new research shows, a significant number of children are being seriously injured while using them.The study abstract, "Golf Carts and Children: An 11-year Single State Experience," will be presented on Monday, Sept. 18, at the American Academy of Pediatrics 2017 National Conference & Exhibition in Chicago. | |
Evidence of drug use in mothers of babies with NAS—but also in control group mothersResearchers conducting a study of newborns experiencing symptoms of drug withdrawal knew the infants' mothers would test positive for substance use. But in the course of their study they had another, surprising finding: They discovered that 1 in 4 women enrolled in the "drug-free" comparison group, whose infants were not diagnosed with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), also tested positive for illicit drug use. | |
Riding a slide while on a parent's lap increases the risk of injuryGoing down a slide on a parent's lap can lead to a broken leg for small children. An estimated 352,698 children less than 6 years of age were injured on slides in the United States from 2002 through 2015, and many of those injuries were leg fractures. | |
Injuries caused by firearms differ in rural or urban settingsResearchers examining pediatric firearm injuries found that the age a child is injured by a gun is closely related to where he or she lives: the city or the country. | |
Campaign increases likelihood parents will ask about guns before a playdateThe Asking Saves Kids (ASK) campaign is effective in increasing parents' comfort level in asking if there is a gun where their child plays, according to research being presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2017 National Conference & Exhibition in Chicago Monday, Sept. 18. | |
Child abuse injuries more likely to be severe if caregiver is male and unrelated to childEfforts to prevent child abuse by people who care for children should extend to additional categories of caregivers since injuries that children suffer at the hands of their parent's male partner, babysitter or daycare worker are likely to be more severe, according to research presented during the 2017 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) national conference. | |
 | Mutation found in patients without a noseA mutated gene in patients lacking a nose has been identified by an international team, a first step toward understanding nose development and possible therapies for another condition. |
 | Can Alzheimer's be stopped years before it starts?Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC are tackling the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States—Alzheimer's disease—with a new study that intervenes decades before the disease develops. |
 | Decreased glucose metabolism in medial prefrontal areas associated w/ nutritional status in patients Alzheimer's diseaseA new study from the Multimodal Neuroimaging for AD Diagnosis (MULNIAD) study, which is a prospective study implemented at the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology (NCGG), provides that hypometabolism in the medial prefrontal areas is specifically associated with Alzheimer's disease-related nutritional problems, and decrease in fat mass may have a key role. This study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease. |
 | Niger floods leave at least 54 dead, 200,000 displacedFlooding unleashed by three months of torrential rain in Niger has killed at least 54 people and left nearly 200,000 displaced, the UN said Friday. |
VA data show veteran suicide highest in US West, rural areasA new first-of-its kind government study finds suicide among military veterans is especially high in the western U.S. and rural areas. The numbers suggest that social isolation, gun ownership and limited health care access may be factors behind the higher numbers. | |
Indian Health Service sets standards for patient wait timesThe Indian Health Service has set standards for patient wait times more than a year after being criticized by a government watchdog for doing a poor job tracking them. | |
Biology news
 | Study offers scientific explanation for why spurned males abandon courtship attemptsUnsuccessful courtship attempts by males create aversive memories that can reduce their level of enthusiasm for subsequent courtship attempts. Scientists at the University of California, Riverside and colleagues have attempted to understand this behavior at the molecular level. |
 | Carbohydrates may be the key to a better malaria vaccineAn international research team has shown for the first time that carbohydrates on the surface of malaria parasites play a critical role in malaria's ability to infect mosquito and human hosts. |
 | The global transport of microbesWastewater, tourism, and trade are moving microbes around the globe at an unprecedented scale, a group of international researchers, including Professor Michael Gillings from Macquarie University, have argued. The editorial article, published in the premier journal Science, voices the concerns of the scientists, who warn that as we travel the modern world we leave billions of bacteria at every stop, with potentially hazardous consequences for human health. |
 | Web strength determined by how spiders apply glue, not how much they useMacquarie University academics have discovered the way the spiders apply glue to silk threads, not the amount, makes the attachment to an object stronger. |
 | Wolves understand cause and effect better than dogsDomestic dogs may have lost some of their innate animal skill when they came in from the wild, according to new research conducted at the Wolf Science Center in Austria. |
 | German study casts doubt on 'plastic digesting' caterpillarsScientists in Germany on Friday cast doubt on the work of colleagues who claimed that plastic bag-eating caterpillars might hold the answer to the planet's growing synthetic waste problem. |
 | New analysis shows damage to monarch butterfly colonies in 2016 storm worse than thoughtA much greater number of monarch butterflies perished in a snowstorm in March 2016 in Mexico than previously estimated, according to new research. Analysis of damage from the storm—and the ensuing salvage logging—sheds further light on the precarious state of the famed butterflies' overwintering colonies. |
 | Humans no longer have ancient defence mechanism against virusesInsects and plants have an important ancient defence mechanism that helps them to fight viruses. This is encoded in their DNA. Scientists have long assumed that vertebrates - including humans - also had this same mechanism. But researchers at KU Leuven (University of Leuven), Belgium, have found that vertebrates lost this particular asset in the course of their evolution. |
 | Researchers find cereal rye is effective at reducing Amaranthus spp. density in soybean cropsFall-planted cover crops are often used as part of an integrated weed control program in herbicide-resistant soybean crops. But researchers writing in the journal Weed Technology say not all cover crops are equally effective against Palmer amaranth, waterhemp and other Amaranthus spp. weeds. |
 | Research team identifies new organelle in parasitic wasp venomCity College of New York biologist Shubha Govind and her research team have identified the composition of "virus-like particles" (VLPs) found in the venom of a wasp that is a parasite of fruit flies. Invisible to the eye, wasp VLPs suppress the flies' immune responses by killing their blood cells. |
 | The time is RIPE to transform agriculture and feed the worldPolitical and agricultural leaders gathered at the University of Illinois today to see transformative work by Realizing Increased Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) that has increased yields by 20 percent. The research project announced that it will continue work to address the global food challenge with the support of a $45 million, five-year reinvestment from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), and the U.K. Department for International Development (DFID). |
This email is a free service of Science X Network
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
https://sciencex.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment