Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Oct 10

Dear Reader ,

Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for October 10, 2017:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Astronomers find a Neptune-sized exoplanet in a binary star system

System for seeing around corners could improve self-driving cars and search-and-rescue

JILA spinning method confirms the electron still seems round

Fossil find pushes back date of earliest fused bones in birds by 40 million years

New theory on why the sun's corona is hotter than its surface

Two separate teams of astronomers find evidence of missing Baryonic matter

Prototype offers dynamic approach to pedestrian crossing

Little growth observed in India's methane emissions

Common acid reflux medications promote chronic liver disease

Voice-only communication more accurate than visual cues for identifying others' feelings, study says

Meeting an unmet need: A surgical implant that grows with a child

Ingestible devices sense movement and ingestion in the stomach, harness power from GI tract movement

Spin-current generation gets mid-infrared boost with plasmonic metamaterial

Team creates functional, stem-cell-derived small bowel segments

Targeting 'lipid chaperones' may preserve lifelong metabolic health

Astronomy & Space news

	Astronomers find a Neptune-sized exoplanet in a binary star system (Phys.org)—Using NASA's prolonged Kepler mission, known as K2, astronomers have discovered a new Neptune-sized planet in a binary star system in the Hyades open cluster. The newly found exoworld, designated K2-nnnA b, is the first known Neptune-sized planet in a binary system within an open cluster. The finding was reported Sept. 29 in a paper published on the arXiv pre-print server.
	New theory on why the sun's corona is hotter than its surface (Phys.org)—A team of researchers from the U.S., Japan and Switzerland has found possible evidence of a source of energy that could be responsible for heating the sun's corona. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the researchers describe studying data from the FOXSI-2 sounding rocket and what it revealed.
	Two separate teams of astronomers find evidence of missing Baryonic matter (Phys.org)—Two teams working independently have found evidence of the existence of Baryonic matter—particles that link galaxies together. One team was made of members from the Institute of Space Astrophysics, the other was based out of the University of Edinburgh. Both teams have uploaded a paper describing their work to the arXiv preprint server and both are claiming their findings solve the mystery of where so much of the normal matter—protons, neutrons and electrons—in the universe has been hiding.
	Scientists discover more about the ingredients for star formation Astronomers have shed fresh light on the importance of hydrogen atoms in the birth of new stars.
	Close approach of asteroid 2012 TC4 poses no danger to Earth The house-sized asteroid 2012 TC4 is slated to give Earth a close shave on Thursday, October 12, swooshing by our planet at approximately 5:41 UTC (1:41 a.m. EDT) at a distance of about 31,000 miles (50,000 kilometers). Although there were some worries that this rocky object could hit the Earth, latest observations confirm that it poses no danger to our home planet at all.
	US spacewalkers install 'new eyes' at space station (Update) Two US astronauts installed a high-definition video camera at the International Space Station Tuesday and made more progress on repairs to the lab's robotic arm, NASA said.
	Image: Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hai spacewalk Talk about an image making your head spin: ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli took this stunning image of NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik and Mark Vande Hai during last week's spacewalk.

Technology news

	System for seeing around corners could improve self-driving cars and search-and-rescue Light lets us see the things that surround us, but what if we could also use it to see things hidden around corners?
	Prototype offers dynamic approach to pedestrian crossing (Tech Xplore)—A cyclist and driver's nightmare: A person unexpectedly walks out into the road. An inattentive pedestrian's nightmare: Breaks and fractures, if not worse, from such collisions.
	Ingestible devices sense movement and ingestion in the stomach, harness power from GI tract movement A multi-disciplinary team co-led by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and MIT has developed flexible sensors with the capacity to sense movement and ingestion in the stomach.
	Battery based on sodium may offer more cost-effective storage than lithium As a warming world moves from fossil fuels toward renewable solar and wind energy, industrial forecasts predict an insatiable need for battery farms to store power and provide electricity when the sky is dark and the air is still. Against that backdrop, Stanford researchers have developed a sodium-based battery that can store the same amount of energy as a state-of-the-art lithium ion, at substantially lower cost.
	This soft robotic gripper can screw in your light bulbs for you How many robots does it take to screw in a light bulb? The answer: just one, assuming you're talking about a new robotic gripper developed by engineers at the University of California San Diego.
	Flexible sensors can detect movement in GI tract Researchers at MIT and Brigham and Women's Hospital have built a flexible sensor that can be rolled up and swallowed. Upon ingestion, the sensor adheres to the stomach wall or intestinal lining, where it can measure the rhythmic contractions of the digestive tract.
	Engineers: lives lost in Mexico quake could have been saved Warm lighting would enhance the wood floors' natural glow, the developer promised, so when all the custom lightbulbs burnt out, Anahi Abadia and her husband grudgingly drove to Home Depot to replenish supplies for their chic new flat in southern Mexico City.
Uber riders in Dubai can now select electric-powered Tesla Ride-hailing service Uber on Tuesday began offering its customers in Dubai the option to ride in one of 50 new Tesla electric-powered vehicles—a stark contrast to the large gas-guzzling sedans and luxury sports cars that dominate the emirate's six-lane highways.
Digital services collect unnecessary personal information Digital services that require users to log in with a personal account often collect more information about users than is needed. At an international conference about digital identities at Karlstad University, researchers have presented findings about methods service providers use to collect personal information about users that may encroach on privacy.
	New methods tackle a perplexing engineering concept Researchers at the University of Illinois are working to turn a complex materials design problem into an intuitive concept, understandable to engineers from novice to advanced experience levels. The group developed guidelines to help understand materials engineered to become thicker when stretched. This highly useful property, which is not commonly found in nature, has applications for protective sports equipment, body armor and biomedical devices.
	Nobody reads privacy policies – here's how to fix that Have you ever actually read an app's privacy policy before clicking to accept the terms? What about reading the privacy policy for the website you visit most often? Have you ever read or even noticed the privacy policy posted in your doctor's waiting room or your bank's annual privacy notice when you receive it in the mail?
	Researchers develop innovative process for printing luminescent materials Speed is of the essence at a bus stop. If you want to board, you need to find the button to open the door quickly. LEDs light up in a circle around the corresponding hand symbol, but at night the diodes can be so bright that it can be difficult to see, especially for older people. Bus manufacturer EvoBus of Mannheim is therefore looking for ways to produce a new kind of button that does not dazzle and yet remains clearly visible in any light conditions.
	Ikea on Amazon? Furniture giant to use online retailers Ikea will start selling furniture through third-party websites next year as it tries to find new ways to reach customers in the digital age.
	NREL evaluates charging infrastructure needs for growing fleet of electric vehicles A new study from the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) quantifies how much charging infrastructure would be needed in the United States to support various market growth scenarios for plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs).
	Changes in perspective may affect how useful drones really are A recent study finds that users have trouble utilizing images from unmanned aerial systems (UASs), or drones, to find the position of objects on the ground. The finding highlights challenges facing the use of UAS technology for emergency operations and other applications, while offering guidance for future technology and training development.
	Researchers point to early warning signs in military vehicle structural 'wellness' Researchers from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory have shown that early fatigue damage behavior in structures may be predicted through the study of the microscale mechanical behavior of the material. The findings are an important result for the structural health monitoring (SHM) community and may lead to new sensing techniques for predicting the service life of critical components.
	The costs of transporting petroleum products by pipelines and rail While the policy debate surrounding crude oil transportation costs has emphasized accidents and spills, a new study by Carnegie Mellon University and University of Pittsburgh researchers indicates the debate is overlooking a far more serious external cost - air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.
	Hacking the election: security flaws need fixing, researchers say Hackers could have easily infiltrated US voting machines in 2016 and are likely to try again in light of vulnerabilities in electronic polling systems, a group of researchers said Tuesday.
	Mathematicians model 5G mobile communications of the future Scientists from RUDN University have created a mathematical model of reliable microwave communication for mobile phones and other devices. The results of the research have been published in a special issue of the IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications (JSAC) devoted to microwave communication and will be presented at the "Enabling Technologies, Applications, and Methods for Emerging 5G Systems" international conference at the University Mediterranea of Reggio Calabria (9-11 October 2017).
	Automotive intrusion detection and prevention systems against cyber attacks Panasonic Corporation announced today that it has developed automotive intrusion detection and prevention systems as a cyber security countermeasure for autonomous and connected cars.

Medicine & Health news

	Common acid reflux medications promote chronic liver disease Approximately 10 percent of the general population take a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) drug to block stomach acid secretions and relieve symptoms of frequent heartburn, acid reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease. That percentage can be as much as seven times higher for people with chronic liver disease. Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered evidence in mice and humans that stomach (gastric) acid suppression alters specific gut bacteria in a way that promotes liver injury and progression of three types of chronic liver disease.
	Voice-only communication more accurate than visual cues for identifying others' feelings, study says If you want to know how someone is feeling, it might be better to close your eyes and use your ears: People tend to read others' emotions more accurately when they listen and don't look, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.
	Meeting an unmet need: A surgical implant that grows with a child Medical implants can save lives by correcting structural defects in the heart and other organs. But until now, the use of medical implants in children has been complicated by the fact that fixed-size implants cannot expand in tune with a child's natural growth.
	Team creates functional, stem-cell-derived small bowel segments Using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), a Massachusetts General Hospital research team has bioengineered functional small intestine segments that, when implanted into rats, were capable of deliver nutrients into the bloodstream. The investigators describe their accomplishment in the online journal Nature Communications.
Targeting 'lipid chaperones' may preserve lifelong metabolic health Researchers have found that, in a mouse model, it may be possible to achieve lifelong metabolic health. The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health scientists found that mice that lack fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs) exhibit substantial protection against obesity, inflammation, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, and fatty liver disease as they age compared with mice that have FABPs. However, this remarkable extension of metabolic health was not found to lengthen lifespan.
	Human lung-on-a-chip technology used to study behavior, drug responses of lung cancer in its natural environment Cancer researchers have come to understand that generating human tumors in mice by injecting cancer cell lines under the skin does not recapitulate how tumors normally emerge and spread to specific organs in the human body, nor how they respond to anti-cancer drugs. So, they turned to injecting tumor cells at the organ sites where they originated from in humans, so-called 'orthotopic' sites. Orthotopic tumors, such as those created by injecting breast cancers into the mammary fat pads of mice, exhibit growth and metastatic behaviors more like those seen in patients, however, these organ environments are still not human. It is also not possible to visualize how tumor cells grow, move and respond to therapeutics in these orthotopic animal models, which restricts our ability to understand how different organ microenvironments influence tumor behavior and thereby develop better drugs.
	How fever in early pregnancy causes heart, facial birth defects Researchers have known for decades that fevers in the first trimester of pregnancy increase risk for some heart defects and facial deformities such as cleft lip or palate. Exactly how this happens is unclear. Scientists have debated whether a virus or other infection source causes the defects, or if fever alone is the underlying problem.
	More than half of police killings not officially documented on US death certificates Official death certificates in the U.S. failed to count more than half of the people killed by police in 2015—and the problem of undercounting is especially pronounced in lower-income counties and for deaths that are due to Tasers, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
	Researcher finds further evidence that fats and oils unlock full nutritional benefits of veggies The song says a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down, but an Iowa State University scientist has published new research suggesting a spoonful of oil makes vegetables more nutritious.
	Combination treatment targeting glucose in advanced brain cancer shows promising results in preclinical study UCLA scientists have discovered a potential combination treatment for glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer in adults. The three-year study led by David Nathanson, a member of UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, found that the drug combination tested in mice disrupts and exploits glucose intake, essentially cutting off the tumor's nutrients and energy supply. This treatment then stimulates cell death pathways—which control the cancer cells' fate—and prevents the glioblastoma from getting bigger.
	Our ability to focus on one voice in crowds is triggered by voice pitch Scientists have discovered that a group of neurons in the brain's auditory stem help us to tune into specific conversations in a crowded room.
	Promising new prostate cancer test developed An easy to produce prostate cancer tracer, a substance vital for the discovery of cancers, has been developed by King's College London PhD student Jennifer Young.
	Stress has dramatically different effects on male and female mouse brains "Remarkable" is not a word you encounter very often in the scientific literature, where the unadorned description of experiments and their outcomes is the rule. But the adjective makes a bold appearance in a new report from the Rockefeller University, and with good reason.
	Cannabidiol benefits and mechanisms shown in mouse study of Dravet syndrome Treatment with cannabidiol reduces some major symptoms in mice with a genetic condition recapitulating Dravet syndrome, a devastating childhood brain disorder.
	Growing human brain cells in the lab Li Gan, PhD, wants to find treatments to help patients with Alzheimer's disease. Like most researchers, she's hit a few major roadblocks.
	Team discovers key molecular details of a common type of brain injury and a possible new treatment strategy Among all the bad things that can happen to the brain when it is severely jolted - in a car accident, for example - one of the most common and worrisome is axon damage. Axons are the long stalks that grow out of the bodies of neurons and carry signals to other neurons. They are part of the brain's "wiring," and they sometimes grow to amazing lengths - from the brain all the way down to the spinal cord. But axons are thin and fragile. When the brain receives a strong blow, axons are often stressed past their structural limits. They either break or swiftly degenerate.
	School year 'relative age' causing bias in ADHD diagnosis, says research Younger primary school children are more likely to be diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) than their older peers within the same school year, new research has shown.
	Ibuprofen better choice over oral morphine for pain relief in children after minor surgery Widely available ibuprofen is a better choice for pain relief in children who have undergone minor orthopedic outpatient surgery, as it has fewer adverse effects compared with oral morphine, according to results from a clinical trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
	Without a nudge, old prescribing habits die hard for clinicians Low-cost approaches that nudge physicians to reduce unnecessary prescriptions for antibiotics could have a significant impact if clinics adopt them for the long term, a USC-led study finds.
Biomarkers indicating diminished reserve of eggs not associated with reduced fertility Tests that estimate ovarian reserve, or the number of a woman's remaining eggs, before menopause, do not appear to predict short-term chances of conception, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded study of women with no history of infertility. The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Insulin pumps associated with lower risk of serious complications among young patients with type 1 diabetes Compared with insulin injections, insulin pump therapy among young patients with type 1 diabetes was associated with a lower risk of diabetic ketoacidosis and severe hypoglycemia, according to a study published by JAMA.
	What can cystatin C test contribute to chronic kidney disease management? The use of cystatin C along with creatinine to estimate the glomerular filtration rate (GFR) when diagnosing chronic kidney disease (CKD) in primary care patients would result in increased health care costs and no improvement in risk prediction, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine by Adam Shardlow of the University of Nottingham, UK and colleagues.
	Determining patient radiosensitivity from blood samples How much radiation or chemotherapy can a certain person handle? With help from blood or tissue testing, it may be possible to answer this question in advance, which in turn could improve treatment, as research at Sahlgrenska Academy shows.
	Trench foot discovery paves way for new treatment The physical cause of trench foot has been uncovered more than 100 years after the painful and debilitating condition was first identified in the First World War.
	Five-year study provides insights into youth self-injury The Youth Wellbeing Study, led by Professor Marc Wilson from Victoria's School of Psychology and supported by the Health Research Council of New Zealand, focused on non-suicidal self-injury and the factors that place young New Zealanders at the risk of self-injuring.
Nigeria warns over suspected monkeypox outbreak Health officials in Nigeria have called for calm after dozens of suspected cases of monkeypox were reported in seven states across the south of the country.
	Cells that die with a bang contribute to high death rate in bloodstream infections Cells lining blood vessels in the lungs that are exposed to bacterial toxins don't die easy, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.
	Moving toward a pay-for-value model of prescription drug pricing One of the health care issues about which seemingly all Americans agree: Prescription drug prices have skyrocketed. And they keep going higher. How do Americans get better value for their health care dollars?
	Kids can't escape alcohol marketing New Zealand children are exposed to alcohol marketing on nearly every visit to the supermarket, innovative camera research from Otago and Auckland Universities reveals.
	Study finds barriers for patients seeking primary care after ED visits Only one in three patients who don't have primary care physicians and visit the Emergency Department (ED) for care can get a primary care appointment within one week of the ED visit, according to a new Yale-led study. Medicaid patients and those with back pain are even less likely to access post-ED primary care in a timely fashion, the researchers said.
	No 'narcissism epidemic' among college students, study finds Today's college students are slightly less narcissistic than their counterparts were in the 1990s, researchers report in a new study – not significantly more, as some have proposed.
Type 1 diabetes and the microbiota—MAIT cells as biomarkers and new therapeutic targets Together with colleagues from AP-HP Necker–Enfants Malades Hospital in Paris, scientists from the Cochin Institute (CNRS / INSERM / Paris Descartes University) have discovered that the onset of type 1 diabetes is preceded by modification of MAIT lymphocytes. These cells—associated with mucosae and able to recognize elements of the microbiota—could therefore serve as new biomarkers for early detection and prevention of the illness. The researchers' findings are published in Nature Immunology.
	Five vital things you can't do properly when you're on your phone In a recent RAC survey, 26% of UK 1,700 motorists reported using a handheld mobile phone while driving, despite it being illegal. In response, road safety charity Brake, argued that society's phone "addiction" can have very serious consequences.
	Do trauma victims really repress memories and can therapy induce false memories? The Australian newspaper recently reported the royal commission investigating institutional child sex abuse was advocating psychologists use "potentially dangerous" therapy techniques to recover repressed memories in clients with history of trauma. The reports suggest researchers and doctors are speaking out against such practices, which risk implanting false memories in the minds of victims.
	Why having the sex talk early and often with your kids is good for them Parents may be uncomfortable initiating "the sex talk," but whether they want to or not, parents teach their kids about sex and sexuality. Kids learn early what a sexual relationship looks like.
	How the stoicism of Roman philosophers can help us deal with depression Depression is on the rise. A study conducted by the World Health Organization found an increase of 20 percent in depression cases within just a decade.
	How to talk to your child about suicide Unfortunately many lives are touched by suicide. And while you may want to hide the means of death from your child, this may not be possible, especially in the age of social media. This has provided a modern difficulty for practitioners in the field, and it may be hard for parents to make sure their child is getting the information they need and in a way they can understand and cope with.
	To cross the therapeutics finish line, we need to change the race Scientific discoveries are outstripping our ability to convert them into medicines. Here's how we are tackling the challenge.
	Tackling the rising sale of unapproved antibiotics in India Indian government needs to do more to tackle rising sale of unapproved antibiotics, according to an analysis by researchers at Newcastle University and Queen Mary University of London.
	Smartphone apps launched for atrial fibrillation patients and their healthcare providers Novel smartphone and tablet applications (apps) for atrial fibrillation patients and healthcare professionals have been launched by heart experts. The objectives and design of the apps are outlined in a paper published online today in EP Europace, with a summary published in the European Heart Journal.
	Genetic advance for male birth control When it comes to birth control, many males turn to two options: condoms or vasectomies. While the two choices are effective, both methods merely focus on blocking the transportation of sperm.
	Confronting breast cancer is crucial to India's economic development Breast cancer is a growing epidemic in India. It could kill 76,000 women a year by 2020, according to a recent study. It claimed more than 70,000 lives in 2012. At the heart of the issue is the country's rapid economic development, which has made Indian women more susceptible to the disease, without building the infrastructure to prevent and detect it. But the good news is that boosting breast cancer awareness and encouraging early detection could play a significant role in reducing it.
	Mental health screening measures needed to identify parents and children at risk A new study from City, University of London has identified screening measures which have the potential to spot mental health problems in parents during pregnancy and when their children are young.
	Nutrient extraction can lower the glycaemic index of fruit juice A new study suggests that consumption of juice obtained via a commercially available nutrient extractor results in blood glucose levels the same or lower than seen with whole fruit. This unexpected finding offers a possible dietary alternative enabling consumption of normally dietary-restricted fruit juice.
	Older adults with insomnia may fall even more when on prescription sleep meds Taking physician-recommended sleep medications to treat insomnia may actually increase the risk of falling for older adults, according to a team of sleep researchers.
	Workplace wellbeing needs holistic approach Experts from the University of Warwick have contributed to new guidance on promoting positive mental health at work.
	Care after miscarriage needs standardised approach, report reveals The standard of care for mothers experiencing the end of a pregnancy varies widely, with more to be done to replicate good practice found in some NHS Trusts and hospitals, according to a new study led by researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Birmingham.
Home-brewed poppy seed tea can be lethal, study finds A home-brewing technique used to extract morphine from unwashed poppy seeds can produce lethal doses of the drug, according to research at Sam Houston State University.
	Breakthrough identifies new mechanism for the development of schizophrenia Scientists from Trinity College Dublin and the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) have discovered that abnormalities of blood vessels in the brain may play a major role in the development of schizophrenia, a debilitating condition that affects around 1% of people in Ireland.
A lesson for Canada: Quebec pharmacare system creates winners and losers Quebec spends $200 more per person than the rest of Canada to provide prescription drug coverage to everyone in the province, finds new research that could inform plans for a nationwide universal drug plan.
Brain development and plasticity share similar signalling pathways October 2017. Learning and memory are two important functions of the brain that are based on the brain's plasticity. Scientists from Goethe University Frankfurt report in the latest issue of the scientific journal Cell Reports how a trio of key molecules directs these processes. Their findings provide new leads for the therapy of Alzheimer's disease.
	Likely new treatment target identified for diabetic retinopathy In oxygen-compromising conditions like diabetes, the body grows new blood vessels to help, but the result is often leaky, dysfunctional vessels that make bad matters worse.
	A new kind of influenza vaccine: One shot might do the trick A seasonal flu shot is a bit like a local weather forecast: Based on the conditions elsewhere and the direction of the prevailing wind, a meteorologist can give the public a pretty good idea of what to expect in the near future. Experts who track influenza's intercontinental travels basically do the same thing.
	Head Start may protect against foster care placement Participating in Head Start may help prevent young children from being placed in foster care, finds a national study led by a Michigan State University researcher.
	Farsighted children struggle with attention, study finds Farsighted preschoolers and kindergartners have a harder time paying attention and that could put them at risk of slipping behind in school, a new study suggests.
Areas of glioblastoma tumors correlate with separate subtypes of glioma stem cells A new study published in the Oct. 9 issue of the journal Nature Medicine demonstrates, for the first time, that glioblastoma (GBM), the most common and most lethal brain tumor, is driven by two distinct subsets of cancer stem cells. Moreover, each subtype of glioma stem cells is driven by distinct transcriptional programs for growth and treatment resistance, and these different cell populations correspond to well-known morphological differences within the GBM itself.
	P53 'master switch' remains top target in gene signaling network controlling cancer There are two important categories of genes involved in cancer development, oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. When oncogenes gain function, e.g. through mutation, they actively promote cancer - drugs that turn them off have proven effective in many cancer types. On the other hand, tumor suppressor genes work against cancer. When they lose function, cancer is left to grow.
	Where there's type 1 diabetes, celiac disease may follow (HealthDay)—Parents of young children with type 1 diabetes need to be on the lookout for symptoms of another autoimmune condition—celiac disease, new research suggests.
	Injured patients want more info on safety improvement efforts (HealthDay)—Communication-and-resolution program (CRP) experiences are positive overall for a small majority of patients and families, but they report that hospitals rarely share information about preventing recurrences, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Antibiotic use not linked to islet, celiac disease autoimmunity (HealthDay)—Use of antibiotics in early life is not associated with islet or celiac disease (CD) autoimmunity in children at risk for type 1 diabetes (T1D) or CD, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in JAMA Pediatrics.
	2016 physician quality reporting system reports available (HealthDay)—The 2016 Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS) and the 2016 annual Quality and Resource Use reports have been released for individuals and group practices, according to a report published by the American Academy of Family Physicians.
	Adding albumin to risk score improves mortality prediction (HealthDay)—Serum albumin, as a marker of frailty, can significantly improve the ability of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE-2) scores to predict transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR)-related mortality, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	Tenfold increase in childhood and adolescent obesity in four decades, new study finds The number of obese children and adolescents (aged 5 to 19 years) worldwide has risen tenfold in the past four decades, according to a new study led by Imperial College London and the World Health Organization (WHO). If current trends continue, more children and adolescents will be obese than moderately or severely underweight by 2022.
Gene identified that may provide potential therapy for cerebral cavernous malformations Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with national collaborators, have identified a series of molecular clues to understanding the formation of cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). The study offers the first genome-wide analysis of the transcriptome of brain microvascular endothelial cells after KRIT1 inactivation. Findings were published September 28 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
	New snakebite treatment makes major advance A University of Arizona researcher developing a therapy to prevent or delay the dangerous results of rattlesnake and other venomous snakebites in humans has shown that a combination of carbon monoxide and iron inhibits snake venom's effects for up to an hour in animals, a major advance in bringing the treatment to market.
	A step towards a new drug to treat fungal infections that kill 1.6 million people annually A team from Sydney's Westmead Institute for Medical Research is a step closer to developing a drug to treat life-threatening fungal infections that cause more than 1.6 million deaths annually.
	Scientists discover regional differences among chandelier cells The brain is composed of distinct regions that differ in their functional roles and cellular architecture. For example, the hippocampus is an area well-known for its involvement in memory and its dysfunction in diseases such as Alzheimer's, while the neocortex is involved in functions such as perception, consciousness, and language. The hippocampus has a single, curved cell layer, while the neocortex has six, stacked layers. At the cellular level, although they share canonical types of inhibitory interneurons (INs) and excitatory principal neurons (PNs), it remains largely unknown to what extent a single type in different brain regions displays similarity in gene expression, axonal shape, connectivity, and developmental origins.
	Filling gaps in dementia research could help patients, family Behavioral and psychological symptoms are difficult for dementia patients and their caregivers, but despite research efforts, there are still gaps in knowledge about what causes or precipitates these symptoms, according to researchers.
	Researchers identify gene that influences nicotine dependence A DNA variant—located in the DNMT3B gene and commonly found in people of European and African descent—increases the likelihood of developing nicotine dependence, smoking heavily, and developing lung cancer, according to a new study led by RTI International.
	In global first, team using glowing tumor dye to identify cancerous lymph nodes Surgeons at Penn Medicine are using a fluorescent dye that makes cancerous cells glow in hopes of identifying suspicious lymph nodes during head and neck cancer procedures. Led by Jason G. Newman, MD, FACS, an associate professor of Otorhinolaryngology in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, the study is the first in the world to look at the effectiveness of intraoperative molecular imaging (IMI) of lymph nodes in patients with head and neck cancer. Because the tumors glow, surgeons get real-time guidance to help them take out as much cancer as possible and leave non-diseased tissue alone.
	Stepped care beneficial after hurricanes Stepped care is more effective than usual care in reducing the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder in the aftermath of hurricanes, according to a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) researcher.
	Exposure to environmental chemicals is an important risk factor for breast cancer Exposure to environmental chemicals, especially early in life, is an important contributing factor in the development of breast cancer, according to the most comprehensive review of human studies to date. The findings could help inform prevention strategies aimed at reducing the incidence of the disease, as rates continue to increase worldwide.
Detecting mental health conditions in women veterans assists in identifying risk for CAD Women Veterans exhibit a high degree of mental health issues that are associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease (CAD).
	Mum's immune response could trigger social deficits for kids with autism The retrospective cohort study of 220 Australian children, conducted between 2011-2014, indicates that a "an immune-mediated subtype" of autism driven by the body's inflammatory and immunological systems may be pivotal, according to the University of Sydney's Professor Adam Guastella.
	Start skin cancer prevention early, health experts say (HealthDay)—How to keep from developing skin cancer should be something all doctors discuss with the parents of their young, fair-skinned patients, suggests the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
	Novel metrics suggested for assessing EHR use (HealthDay)—Novel metrics have been developed to assess electronic health record (EHR) use and are described in an opinion article published online Oct. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	Specific phenotype relevant in subclinical primary aldosteronism (HealthDay)—A suppressed renin phenotype is associated with higher incidence of incident hypertension than other plasma renin activity (PRA) phenotypes, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	2HELPS2B model identifies seizure risk in critically ill (HealthDay)—For critically ill patients, a model comprising six variables can identify the probability of seizure, according to a study published online Oct. 9 in JAMA Neurology.
	Medial temporal lobe surgery linked to prevalence of tinnitus (HealthDay)—Patients with epilepsy undergoing medial temporal lobe (MTL) surgery have increased prevalence of tinnitus compared with controls and participants with self-reported epilepsy (SRE), according to a research letter published online Oct. 9 in JAMA Neurology.
	Pediatric physicians should revisit approaches to marijuana (HealthDay)—In light of the changing legal status of marijuana, physicians should provide counseling on its effects to adolescents, according to an opinion article published online Oct. 9 in JAMA Pediatrics.
Noncompliance thwarts comprehensive background check policy for private-party sales, study finds Of the three states that recently expanded comprehensive background check (CBC) policies to include all gun transfers, including those among private parties, only Delaware showed an overall increase in firearm background checks. Washington and Colorado had no changes, which the study authors say suggests that compliance and enforcement were incomplete.
	Sequencing test enables precise identification of drug-resistant TB Two studies led by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) document how a new advanced genetic sequencing approach can help thwart the growing worldwide threat posed by drug-resistant mutations of tuberculosis (TB).
	Being unaware of memory loss predicts Alzheimer's disease, new study shows While memory loss is an early symptom of Alzheimer's disease, its presence doesn't mean a person will develop dementia. A new study at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has found a clinically useful way to predict who won't develop Alzheimer's disease, based on patients' awareness of their memory problems.
	Bright light therapy at midday helped patients with bipolar depression Daily exposure to bright white light at midday significantly decreased symptoms of depression and increased functioning in people with bipolar disorder, a recent Northwestern Medicine study found.
	New breast cancer drug defeats the Ras genes notorious for causing many types of cancer Blocking the function of the Ras oncogenes is considered by many scientists to be the "holy grail" of cancer therapeutics because mutations in these genes drive the growth of so many different types of cancers. The three Ras genes found in humans—H-Ras, K-Ras and N-Ras —were among the first to be linked to cancer development, and a new study led by VCU Massey Cancer Center researcher Paul Dent, Ph.D., has shown the recently approved breast cancer drug neratinib can block the function of Ras as well as several other oncogenes through an unexpected process.
	Experts call for more rigor, less hype, for mindfulness and meditation Dependable scientific evidence has lagged worrisomely behind the rapid and widespread adoption of mindfulness and meditation for pursuing an array of mental and physical wellness goals, wrote a group of 15 experts in a new article in Perspectives on Psychological Science. The article offers a "critical evaluation and prescriptive agenda" to help the burgeoning mindfulness industry replace ambiguous hype with rigor in its research and clinical implementations.
Study shows epidurals don't slow labor Epidural analgesia - a mix of anesthetics and narcotics delivered by catheter placed close to the nerves of the spine - is the most effective method of labor pain relief. In widespread use since the 1970s, epidurals have long been thought to slow the second stage of labor - defined as beginning when the cervix is completely dilated and ending when the baby is delivered. Because a longer duration of this stage of labor is associated with adverse outcomes, obstetricians routinely reduce or discontinue epidural pain management in an effort to expedite this main stage of labor.
	Better mini brains could help scientists identify treatments for Zika-related brain damage UCLA researchers have developed an improved technique for creating simplified human brain tissue from stem cells. Because these so-called "mini brain organoids" mimic human brains in how they grow and develop, they're vital to studying complex neurological diseases.
	Menopause triggers metabolic changes in brain that may promote Alzheimer's Menopause causes metabolic changes in the brain that may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, a team from Weill Cornell Medicine and the University of Arizona Health Sciences has shown in new research.
Homicide is the largest contributor to years of lost life among black Americans Homicide is the largest contributor to potential years of life lost among black Americans, according to a study published today and conducted by researchers at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington.
Multistep tool is effective for discontinuing inappropriate medication use in the nursing home setting A Multidisciplinary Multistep Medication Review (3MR) tool used in the nursing home setting is effective for discontinuing inappropriate medication in frail elderly patients without a decline in their well-being. Given that many nursing home patients take several long-term medications, this tool could provide practical guidance on how to operationalize deprescribing. The findings of a cluster randomized controlled trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
My sudden synaesthesia—how I went blind and started hearing colours It took just 72 hours for me to lose my sight entirely, and for my hands and feet to feel like they were encased in ice. Just before my blindness hit, I had been laid up with an unknown virus that had left me suffering severe headaches and sweats. My body's immune system had gone haywire, responding to the virus by attacking my own nerves, causing my loss of sight and mobility – you could say I had been struck down by biological friendly fire.
	Researcher's new book empowers parents to deal with media messaging When it comes to children, a parent's natural instinct when spotting something harmful to the child is to eliminate access to that danger. That could range from something like a dangerous animal coming too close to the child to potentially harmful content on television.
	Survey provides new directions for employment of people with disabilities October 10, 2017 - Kessler Foundation released the results of a new national survey that shows that employers are striving to recruit, hire, train, and retain people with disabilities, and reveals areas of opportunity for even greater successes in the workplace. The 2017 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey: Supervisor Perspectives is the first survey to look at the effectiveness of these practices from the perspective of supervisors of employees with and without disabilities. Results of the 2017 Survey, which was commissioned by Kessler Foundation and conducted by the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability (UNH-IOD), were released on October 10, 2017 on Capitol Hill.
	Pfizer considers consumer business sale Pfizer may be done selling ChapStick, Advil, Robitussin and other brands that people can buy without a prescription.
	Homing in on homework help (HealthDay)—It can be the most dreaded task of the day for parents and kids alike.
	A self-propelled catheter with earthworm-like peristaltic motion A research team of Toho University and Tokyo Institute of Technology has developed a mechanism of a self-propelled catheter capable of generating peristaltic motion just like an earthworm by applying pneumatic pressure inside only one tube. The goal is to develop an AutoGuide robot that propels itself inside bronchi, automatically reaching the target lesion within the lungs, and can take a lesion sample and provide treatment.
Study will explore air pollution's impact on the developing fetus New research will seek to understand the biological mechanisms that are triggered by exposure to air pollution during pregnancy and lead to lower birth weight in newborns, placing them at greater risk for chronic conditions such as coronary heart disease and hypertension later in life. The research will be conducted in Beijing by an international team of researchers.
Leaders in obstetric care gather to identify quality measures for high-risk pregnancies The United States spends significantly more money on the delivery of health care yet experiences inferior results. Maternal and infant mortality rates are elevated in the United States as compared to other high-income nations. In an effort to improve outcomes and increase the value of services, healthcare organizations throughout the country have developed and monitor quality measures. Such measures exist in the obstetric space, but are largely considered insufficient, particularly in relation to high-risk pregnancies.
	Call to action on food justice and overcoming disparities in infant nutrition The "first food system" in the U.S., which calls for exclusive feeding of breast milk for an infant's first 6 months followed by the addition of nutritious foods, is fraught with injustices and social and environmental inequities that prevent many infants and caregivers from achieving these goals. A provocative new article that introduces the "first food justice movement" and proposes activism to advance food justice in theory and in practice is published in Environmental Justice.
New report offers framework for research on organ transplantation The number of patients in the U.S. awaiting organ transplantation outpaces the amount of transplants performed in the U.S., and many donated organs are not transplanted each year due to several factors, such as poor organ function, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Increasing the quality and quantity of organs that can be recovered from deceased donors and successfully transplanted requires organ donor intervention research, which is conducted on donated organs prior to their transplantation.
Antibiotics before low-risk operations do not seem to breed postop antibiotic resistance Surgical patients who receive antibiotics before certain types of low-risk operations are not at an increased risk for antibiotic-resistant infections immediately after their procedures, according to results from a large-scale study conducted by researchers from Columbia University Medical Center, New York City. These findings may reassure surgeons who refrain from ordering a short-course of antibiotics prior to patients' surgical procedures because of concerns about breeding antibiotic resistance. Study results appear as an "article in press" on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print.
Physician's near-death patient experience chronicled in memoir, inspired campaign to boost more effective communication A Henry Ford Hospital physician whose near-death patient experience inspired an organizational campaign to help health professionals communicate more effectively with patients has chronicled her story in a captivating memoir.
	Research explores relationship between social media and drinking A psychologist at the University of Houston is exploring the ways in which social media influences alcohol consumption among college students. Mai-Ly Nguyen Steers, a postdoctoral fellow and lecturer, will use grant from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism to study how social media, and Facebook in particular, shapes students' drinking habits. The findings will then be used to develop and implement a personalized intervention designed to use social media to reduce drinking among students who are heavy drinkers.

Biology news

	Diversity of large animals plays an important role in carbon cycle Trees in tropical forests are well known for removing carbon dioxide from the air and storing the potent greenhouse gas as carbon in their leafy branches and extensive roots. But a new analysis led by Stanford University researchers finds that large forest animals are also an important part of the carbon cycle.
	Researchers discover an evolutionary stepping stone to beet-red beets The color red is splashed across gardens, forests and farms, attracting pollinators with bright hues, signaling ripe fruit and delighting vegetable and flower gardeners alike.
	Birds reveal the importance of good neighbours for health and ageing Birds who live next door to family members or to other birds they know well are physically healthier and age more slowly, according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
	Insight into our 50-plus lifespan still evolving, genetic study shows It is an evolutionary riddle that has long puzzled scientists ... now the quest to find out why we live beyond 50 is being helped by a new genetic study.
	Pest resistance to biotech crops surging In 2016, farmers worldwide planted more than 240 million acres (98 million hectares) of genetically modified corn, cotton and soybeans that produce insect-killing proteins from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, or Bt. These Bt proteins kill some voracious caterpillar and beetle pests, but are harmless to people and considered environmentally friendly. While organic farmers have used Bt proteins in sprays successfully for more than half a century, some scientists feared that widespread use of Bt proteins in genetically engineered crops would spur rapid evolution of resistance in pests.
	Evolution: The beneficiaries of mass extinction Mass extinctions were followed by periods of low diversity in which certain new species dominated wide regions of the supercontinent Pangaea, reports a new study.
	Mixed organization of gut bacteria is revealed by microbiome imaging technology Disruptions in the microbiome of the human gut are correlated with several diseases, including obesity and cancer. Yet little is known about the spatial organization of the nearly 1,000 bacterial species in the human gut, which can influence how the species interact with each other and with their host.
	Study identifies whale blow microbiome A new study by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and colleagues identified for the first time an extensive conserved group of bacteria within healthy humpback whales' blow—the moist breath that whales spray out of their blowholes when they exhale. The research published Oct. 10, 2017, in mSystems, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
	Hibernating ribosomes help bacteria survive In the second of two high-profile articles published in recent weeks, Saint Louis University scientist Mee-Ngan F. Yap, Ph.D., in collaboration with the laboratories of 2009 Nobel laureate in chemistry Ada Yonath at the Weizmann Institute of Science and Alexey Amunts at Stockholm University, describe in Nature Communications new information about the structure of Staphylococcus aureus (or Staph) hibernating 100S ribosomes, uncovering secrets of how they turn off protein biosynthesis to conserve energy and survive under stressful conditions.
	Wheat straw waste could be basis for greener chemicals The straw leftover from harvested wheat could be turned into bio-based chemicals that offer high greenhouse gas savings and do not compete with food supplies or damage ecosystems.
	New high-throughput sequencing technologies uncover a world of interacting microorganisms Your body teems with them—100 trillion microbes in your gut, lungs, mouth, and skin. Your home swarms with them—in toilets and sinks, on tables and chairs, in the carpet, and on your dog. Even the ground on which you stand abounds with countless bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae, and viruses—all microscopic, all part of a community of organisms interacting with one another and the environment. These communities and the environments with which they interact are known as "microbiomes," and our growing understanding of them is changing the way we treat diseases, grow crops, and create everyday products.
	Northern exposure: fossils of a southern whale found for the first time in the north Ancient fossils of a whale species thought to be found only in southern waters have been discovered at northern sites in Japan and Italy.
Parasite study paves way for infection therapies Fresh insight into how a harmful parasite harnesses the energy it needs to function could point towards therapies to prevent potentially fatal diseases.
	Protein restricts sap uptake by aphids Researchers at Umeå University and Wageningen University have discovered how plants can defend themselves against aphids. They recorded aphid behavior on video, and identified a plant protein that keeps aphids from feeding. The results have been published in The Plant Cell.
	Size doesn't matter—at least for hammerheads and swimming performance Sharks come in all shapes and sizes and perhaps the most unusual is the hammerhead shark, easily recognized by its oddly shaped head. Most research on hammerheads has focused specifically on their laterally expanded heads, or cephalofoil, and how they use it to see and smell as well as its effects on hydrodynamics and sensory efficiency. There are about nine known species of hammerhead sharks with dramatic differences in their body shape including the shape and size of their heads. While much is known about the variations in their electroreception, olfaction and vision, very little is known about whether or not their shape differences affect their swimming performance.
	DNA study in the Pacific reveals 2000 percent increase in our knowledge of mollusc biodiversity Scientists working in the new frontier for deep-sea mining have revealed a remarkable 2000% increase in our knowledge of the biodiversity of seafloor molluscs.
	Computer program detects differences between human cells "How many different cell types are there in a human body? And how do these differences develop? Nobody really knows," says Professor Stein Aerts from KU Leuven (University of Leuven) and VIB, Belgium. But thanks to a new method developed by his team, that may be about to change.
	Gene drives have the potential to suppress mosquito populations, but resistant mosquitoes crop up Researchers successfully built a gene drive to reduce female fertility in the mosquito that spreads malaria, but mutations gradually arose that blocked the spread of the new genes. Tony Nolan of Imperial College London, UK, and colleagues report these findings in a new paper in PLOS Genetics.
New mutations in iPS cells are mainly concentrated in non-transcriptional regions Induced pluripotent stem cells—stem cell-like cells that have been reprogrammed from normal body cells—are a promising avenue of regenerative medicine, and are currently being tested in several clinical studies. However, there are concerns that the mutations that arise in these cells during their generation could potentially cause problems in transplant patients, in particular malignancies. Consequently, researchers are keen to understand the nature of the mutations that arise in these cells.
	Do male fish prefer them big and colourful? Male black-finned goodeid or mexcalpique fish know what they want when they pick a female to mate with; they prefer them big-bellied and as orange as possible. Interestingly, females displaying these traits are the ones most able to produce more offspring that survive, two researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico have found. The study by Marcela Méndez-Janovitz and Constantino Macías Garcia is published in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.
	Breeding salt-tolerant plants The quinoa plant might serve as a model for making other crops salt-tolerant. It grows well on saline soils because the excess salt is simply dumped into special bladders on its leaves.
	Unexpected regulation of transcription factors critical to development A team of developmental biologists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst led by Dominique Alfandari, with others at MIT, report in a new paper that they have for the first time described how two transcription factors that are "absolutely essential for human development" are regulated by a cell surface metalloprotease known as ADAM13. The discovery adds to knowledge of how cells migrate in vertebrate embryos, how stem cells differentiate and how cancer cells metastasize.
Scientists find evidence our best friends, dogs, similarly adapted to malaria in Africa Once domesticated, dogs spread across the globe wherever humans migrated and settled.
Turtle that swallowed fishing line released in ocean A sea turtle that underwent surgery to remove more than 4 feet (1 meter) of fishing line she had swallowed has been released in the Atlantic Ocean off South Carolina's coast.
	Beware the pets when handling the Halloween candy haul It's a trick-or-treating tradition: Dump the night's candy haul onto the living room floor to pick out the gems, or do some horse trading with siblings or friends.

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