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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for January 24, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Chasing dark matter with the oldest stars in the Milky WayJust how quickly is the dark matter near Earth zipping around? The speed of dark matter has far-reaching consequences for modern astrophysical research, but this fundamental property has eluded researchers for years. |
 | A new 'atmospheric disequilibrium' could help detect life on other planetsAs NASA's James Webb Space Telescope and other new giant telescopes come online they will need novel strategies to look for evidence of life on other planets. A University of Washington study has found a simple approach to look for life that might be more promising than just looking for oxygen. |
 | NASA's next Mars lander spreads its solar wingsNASA's next mission to Mars passed a key test Tuesday, extending the solar arrays that will power the InSight spacecraft once it lands on the Red Planet this November. |
 | The structure of an active galactic nucleusThe nuclei of most galaxies host supermassive black holes containing millions to billions of solar-masses of material. The immediate environments of these black holes typically include a tori of dust and gas and, as material falls toward the black hole, the gas radiates copiously at all wavelengths. Although the models for these active galactic nuclei (AGN) work reasonably well, it is difficult to obtain direct evidence of the inner structures of AGN because they are so far away and their dimensions are thought to be only tens to hundreds of light-years. |
 | Star-gazing on the reef: First evidence that brittle stars may 'see' with their skinScientists have discovered the first evidence that brittle stars living in vibrant coral reefs use thousands of light sensors to navigate their way through their complex environments. |
 | Disco nights? Rocket Lab launches glinting sphere into orbitLook into the night sky at the right time and you might see what amounts to a giant disco ball shimmering and glinting back. |
 | SpaceX fires engines on big new rocket in launch pad testSpaceX fired up its newest, biggest rocket in a critical launch pad test Wednesday, advancing toward a long-anticipated test flight possibly in just a week. |
 | Explorer 1—the beginning of American space scienceSixty years ago next week, the hopes of Cold War America soared into the night sky as a rocket lofted skyward above Cape Canaveral, a soon-to-be-famous barrier island off the Florida coast. |
 | European-Russian space mission steps up the search for life on MarsIn 2013, the European Space Agency and Roscosmos—the Russian governmental body responsible for space research—agreed to cooperate on ExoMars, the first joint interplanetary mission between ESA and Russia. This project now involves scientists from 29 research organizations, including MIPT and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which is the leading contributor of hardware and equipment on the Russian side. By now, the first package of observation instruments has been delivered into Mars orbit to seek minor chemical components of the planet's atmosphere that may be traces of primitive life. |
 | CubeSats for hunting secrets in lunar darknessImagine sending a spacecraft the size of an airline cabin bag to the moon – what would you have it do? ESA issued that challenge to European teams last year, and two winners have now been chosen. |
 | Google Lunar X Prize competition ends without a winnerMillions of dollars offered in the Google Lunar X Prize competition will go unclaimed despite a decade of work. |
 | NASA GOLD Mission to image Earth's interface to spaceOn Jan. 25, 2018, NASA launches Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk, or GOLD, a hosted payload aboard SES-14, a commercial communications satellite. GOLD will investigate the dynamic intermingling of space and Earth's uppermost atmosphere—and is the first NASA science mission to fly an instrument as a commercially hosted payload. |
 | Image: Columbus module to scaleThe focus of this image is the suspended European Columbus module being moved onto a work stand in a cleanroom at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA. |
 | Image: ESA centrifugeA decade ago, as Europe's Columbus laboratory module was attached to the International Space Station for microgravity research, ESA's Large Diameter Centrifuge began offering lengthy experiments in hypergravity. |
 | What would happen if the Earth were actually flat?Welcome to the new year, 2018. The Earth has yet again made a revolution about the sun. But not so fast. If you subscribe to the idea of a flat Earth, then you'd believe that no such thing happened, because the sun rotates in a circle around the sky. |
Technology news
 | Facebook's smartniks come up with Flicks unit of timeDevelopers aiming to have all video effects in sync just got a real boost. |
 | Engineers create new architecture for vaporizable electronicsEngineers from Cornell University and Honeywell Aerospace have demonstrated a new method for remotely vaporizing electronics into thin air, giving devices the ability to vanish - along with their valuable data - if they were to get into the wrong hands. |
 | Google parent tops big spenders on Washington lobbyistsGoogle parent Alphabet Inc. outspent all other companies on lobbying Washington bureaucrats and politicians in 2017, a year in which it and other tech giants were hauled before legislators probing Russian influence in the 2016 election. |
Contest for second Amazon HQ heats up as finalists namedWith billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs at stake, Amazon's quest for a second North American headquarters has thrust 20 cities into a cutthroat "Hunger Games" style contest—but at what cost? | |
 | A new family of aerodynamic configurations for hypersonic airplanesHypersonic vehicles, which fly at Mach values larger than five (flight velocity more than 6000 km/h), could provide more convenient and efficient transportation than present subsonic airplanes for long-distance journeys in future. Typically, it only takes a couple of hours to fly from Beijing to New York at hypersonic speeds. Recent interest in these vehicles has grown, and various innovative designs have been proposed and studied. |
 | EU fines chipmaker Qualcomm 1 bn euros for Apple dealThe EU on Wednesday hit US chipmaking giant Qualcomm with an antitrust fine of 997 million euros ($1.2 billion) for paying Apple to use its chips exclusively in iPhones and iPads. |
 | NASA tests new alloy to fold wings in flightNASA has successfully applied a new technology in flight that allows aircraft to fold their wings to different angles while in the air. |
 | Your phone may soon know when you're stressed – and help you copeEuropean businesses lose hundreds of work hours each year to stress-related absences, but an app that monitors stress levels and a device to teach relaxation exercises could help provide an answer. |
Combating data breach fatigueIf you shop online or swipe a credit or debit card when out to eat, you've likely received a notice your personal information was compromised in a data breach. And if you're like most consumers, chances are you did nothing in response, says an Iowa State University researcher. | |
 | Battery research to super-charge electric vehicle revolutionThe University of Bath is part of a consortium of academic and industry partners awarded Government funding to conduct research aimed at overcoming battery challenges to accelerate the electric vehicle (EV) revolution. |
 | How policymakers should approach AIArtificial intelligence poses a range of challenges to policymakers. As a technology that is now pervasive, it is impacting on democracy, security and the global economy in ways that are not yet well-known to publics around the world – and, being covert, these impacts are generally not balanced against strong political will to shape them with effective policymaking. Equally, it is a field of technology beset by alarmist sentiments that have little bearing on the actual risks which it presents, or may yet present, to humanity. |
 | Mathematical model could revolutionise construction site productivityA new system for increasing productivity during construction projects has been created by an academic at Northumbria University, Newcastle – with the potential to save construction companies and contractors large amounts of time and money. |
 | Developing bots that talk more like peopleBefore coming to MIT, Jeff Orkin SM '07, Ph.D. '13 spent a decade building advanced, critically acclaimed artificial intelligence (AI) for video games. |
 | The next big breakthrough in roboticsWhile drones and driverless cars dominate the headlines, another breakthrough—robot dexterity—is likely to have an even greater impact in both business and everyday life. |
 | Researchers use simulations to study brain damage from bomb blasts and materials for space shuttlesExplosions produce unique patterns of injury seldom seen outside combat. They have the potential to cause life-threatening injuries and take a particular toll on the brain. |
 | Don't automate the fun out of lifeImagine you are about to go on vacation. You have been looking forward to it for some time. But your robotic personal assistant has other ideas. It calmly explains to you that it will be cheaper, safer and more efficient for it to take your place on the holiday trip. |
 | Apple will give users control over slowdown of older iPhonesApple's next major update of its mobile software will include an option that will enable owners of older iPhones to turn off a feature that slows the device to prevent aging batteries from shutting down. |
 | Latest Alphabet 'moonshot' aims to thwart cyber attacksGoogle parent Alphabet's "moonshot" lab unveiled a new "graduate" on Wednesday which aims to make a business out of preventing cyber attacks. |
 | Expert behind new MH370 search hopeful of find within a monthAfter years of futile efforts, a fresh hunt for MH370 has set off for the remote Indian Ocean—and the top Australian scientist who helped pinpoint the new search zone is hopeful the missing jet can be found within weeks. |
 | Novartis says profit up 15% in 2017Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis said Wednesday that strong sales of two of its main blockbuster drugs enabled it to turn in a "good operational performance" in 2017. |
 | Edmunds recommends 15 used cars for under $15KDepreciation may be the bane of new-car buyers, but it's also the reason so many shoppers buy used. We scoured our annual Edmunds New Car Buying Guides from years past to see what cars we loved back in the day can now be had for $15,000 or less. For each vehicle, we've provided a range of years offering the best selection and value. In certain cases, getting an even older model is a viable option, too. |
 | Comcast hopes for a TV windfall from Super Bowl, OlympicsComcast's NBC is airing both the Super Bowl and the Olympics in February, a double-whammy sports extravaganza that the company expects to yield $1.4 billion in ad sales, helping it justify the hefty price it's paying for both events. |
 | On the road again: Vehicle ownership, miles driven continue to riseOwnership of cars and light trucks are on the upswing, says a University of Michigan researcher. |
 | Drying and dehydration—solutions to address global food shortageIn the University of Nottingham Malaysia, a team of chemical and food engineers from the Food and Pharmaceutical Engineering Research Group are investigating drying and dehydration of various food materials using advance dryers. |
 | GE reports 4Q loss of $9.8 bn on insurance, tax chargesGeneral Electric reported a $9.8 billion fourth-quarter loss Wednesday due to hefty charges linked to its insurance business and US tax reform. |
Federal safety board is investigating Tesla freeway crashThe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the California crash of a Tesla Model S electric car that may have been operating under its semi-autonomous "Autopilot" system. | |
NY decrees net neutrality for web firms with state contractsNew York state will require internet providers to observe net neutrality or risk losing eligibility for state contracts under an executive order issued Wednesday by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo. | |
Medicine & Health news
 | Hospice patients define the changing nature of wisdom in their final daysWisdom is typically considered to be the fruit of a long life, the accumulation of experiences lived and lessons learned. In recent years, scientists have created a consensus definition of wisdom as a complex trait with several inter-related components, such as compassion, emotional regulation, spirituality and tolerance. |
 | Air pollution may shorten telomeres in newbornsA study conducted before and after the 2004 closure of a coal-burning power plant in Tongliang, China, found children born before the closure had shorter telomeres than those conceived and born after the plant stopped polluting the air. |
 | Leprosy's drug resistance and origin revealed by genome analysisLeprosy is an infectious disease with gruesome symptoms. It damages the skin, peripheral nerves, the upper respiratory tract, and the eyes. Despite being curable with multidrug therapy, leprosy still persists in many developing countries, with more than 200,000 new cases every year and increasing drug-resistant strains of the leprosy bacterium, Mycobacterium leprae, emerging. |
 | Nanoparticle vaccine offers universal protection against influenza A viruses, study findsResearchers have developed a universal vaccine to combat influenza A viruses that produces long-lasting immunity in mice and protects them against the limitations of seasonal flu vaccines, according to a study led by Georgia State University. |
 | Positive attitude toward math predicts math achievement in kids, study findsFor the first time, scientists have identified the brain pathway that links a positive attitude toward math to achievement in the subject. |
 | People with tetraplegia gain rapid use of brain-computer interfaceFor a brain-computer interface (BCI) to be truly useful for a person with tetraplegia, it should be ready whenever it's needed, with minimal expert intervention, including the very first time it's used. In a new study in the Journal of Neural Engineering, researchers in the BrainGate collaboration demonstrate new techniques that allowed three participants to achieve peak BCI performance within three minutes of engaging in an easy, one-step process. |
 | Making milestones against non-small cell lung cancerHard to detect in its early stages and hard to treat as it advances, lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality around the world, with an estimated 1.6 million deaths each year. New treatments, however, are bettering the odds for people with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which makes up about 85 percent of lung cancer cases. |
 | Viral gene therapy could improve results from breast reconstruction after cancer treatmentA new type of gene therapy delivered using a virus could protect healthy tissues from the harmful side-effects of radiotherapy after cancer treatment, a new study reports. |
 | Ultrathin needle can deliver drugs directly to the brainMIT researchers have devised a miniaturized system that can deliver tiny quantities of medicine to brain regions as small as 1 cubic millimeter. This type of targeted dosing could make it possible to treat diseases that affect very specific brain circuits, without interfering with the normal function of the rest of the brain, the researchers say. |
 | Viral replication discovery could spur new broad-spectrum antiviralsScientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research have discovered a new Achilles heel in the replication process of positive-strand RNA viruses, a class responsible for health threats such as Zika, polio, chikungunya and hepatitis C. |
 | Monitoring fetal movements helps detect musculoskeletal malformationsA team of researchers with Imperial College London and Great Ormond Street Hospital, both in the U.K., has found that monitoring fetal movements in pregnant women can help in detecting fetal musculoskeletal malformations. In their paper published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface, they describe their computer analysis of MRI scans to create models that depict fetal movement, which allowed them to track such movements in fetuses from 20 to 35 weeks, and what they found by doing so. |
 | Can't remember a name? Blame the left side of your brainScientists have discovered that the left side of the brain controls the verbal expression of our long-term 'semantic' memory which contains facts, meanings, concepts and knowledge. |
 | Infants recognize foreign languages as a form of communicationInfants recognize that speech in a language not their own is used for communication, finds a new psychology study. The results, which appear in the journal Cognition, offer new insights into how language is processed at a young age. |
Scientists create a 3-D model of molecules in yeast linked to enzyme that lengthens chromosome tipsThrough the haze of a sonogram screen, an expectant mother catches a glimpse of the growing baby within her. The outline of a nose, chin and head, instantly recognizable as a tiny human, brings to life what parents, until then, could only imagine. Biologists, too, aim to bring their scientific discoveries to life by creating three-dimensional models—at the atomic level—of the inner workings of cells. | |
 | Discovery may advance neural stem cell treatments for brain disordersNew research from Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is among the first to describe how an mRNA modification impacts the life of neural stem cells (NSCs). The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, reveals a novel gene regulatory system that may advance stem cell therapies and gene-targeting treatments for neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and mental health disorders that affect cognitive abilities. |
 | Genetic lung disease's molecular roots identifiedRespiratory infections peak during the winter months, and most people recover within a few weeks. But for those with a rare genetic lung disease, the sniffling, coughing and congestion never end. The tiny hairlike structures called cilia that normally sweep mucus through the airways don't work properly in people with what's known as primary ciliary dyskinesia. When the cilia don't brush microbes away, it is hard to clear an infection and easy to get another one. |
 | Study links gut-homing protein levels with HIV infection risk, disease progressionFor the first time, scientists have shown a relationship between the proportion of key immune cells that display high levels of a gut-homing protein called alpha-4 beta-7 at the time of HIV infection and health outcomes. Previous research illustrated this relationship in monkeys infected with a simian form of HIV. |
 | Premature births linked to changes in mother's bacteriaChanges to the communities of microbes living in the reproductive tract of pregnant women could help to spot those at risk of giving birth prematurely. |
Cases of certain type of eyelid cancer have risen steadily over past 15 years in EnglandNew cases of a particular type of eyelid cancer (squamous cell carcinoma) have risen steadily over the past 15 years in England, reveals research published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. | |
 | Guidelines support telemedicine as an effective tool for allergistsSince its beginning more than 40 years ago when 500 patient consultations were conducted by interactive television, demand for telemedicine has continued to increase. Patients like the convenience and physicians know it can offer needed care to those who might not otherwise have access. |
 | Study provides new guidelines for assessing severity of head and neck cancersJan. 24, 2018 - Cedars-Sinai investigators have developed a new, more accurate set of guidelines for assessing the severity of head and neck cancers and predicting patient survival. |
 | Women taking probiotics during pregnancy might have lower pre-eclampsia and premature birth riskProbiotics taken during pregnancy might help lower the risks of pre-eclampsia and premature birth, suggests observational research in the online journal BMJ Open. But timing may be crucial, the findings indicate. |
Metabolic shifts found to cause congestive heart failureThe heart derives its energy primarily from fatty acids. However, if a metabolic shift to other energy sources takes place, this can result in congestive heart failure, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital have now discovered. This underscores the role of metabolism in heart failure. In addition, these findings are relevant for the use of certain anticancer drugs. | |
 | Medicaid expansion linked with better, more timely surgical careThe Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion was linked to better access to surgery and higher quality surgical care, according to a new study from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. |
 | Rare type of stroke increasing among pregnant womenThe proportion of a rare type of stroke, called spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage or sSAH, is increasing among pregnant women, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018, a world premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease for researchers and clinicians. |
Starving tumors: New target discoveredActively growing tumors have a high demand for oxygen and nutrients. Therefore, they stimulate the growth of blood vessels through a process called angiogenesis. If tumor-associated angiogenesis is suppressed, it may limit tumor growth. Scientists from the German Cancer Research Center and the European Center for Angioscience at Heidelberg University have now discovered a new target for anti-angiogenic tumor therapy. They show that the deletion of a signaling molecule in mice leads to the formation of less blood vessels in late-stage tumors. This delays their growth and limits the formation of metastases. | |
 | Only 1 in 10 patients with anxiety disorders receives the right treatment, study suggestsJordi Alonso, director of the Epidemiology and Public Health programme at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute (IMIM), was commissioned by World Mental Health to lead an international study into the adequacy of anxiety disorder treatments across the globe. The results, from a sample of more than 51,500 individuals from 21 different countries, reveals that 10 percent of people suffer anxiety. Of these, only 27.6 percent have received some type of treatment, and this was considered appropriate in only 9.8 percent of the cases. It is the first time a study has described the treatment gap in anxiety disorders at an international level. |
 | Racism linked to uptake of smoking in young peopleAdolescents who have experienced some form of racism between the ages of 11 and 23 are more likely to take up smoking than those who have not, according to a new study led by King's College London. |
 | tRNA fragments in mosquitos may play role in spreading diseasetRNA fragments—small sections of transfer RNA molecules—have recently been discovered to play active roles in the biology of diverse organisms. Now, these tRNA fragments (tRFs) have been found to have important functions in the mosquito Aedes aegypti, according to a new paper published this week in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. |
Drug may help those with dementia with Lewy bodiesNew help may be on the way for people with dementia with Lewy bodies, which is the second most common neurodegenerative type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease. The disease can cause movement problems and issues such as hallucinations in addition to thinking and memory problems. But the drug used to treat the movement problems can also exacerbate the hallucinations, delusions and other psychiatric problems. | |
 | Scientists emulate the human blood-retinal barrier on a microfluidic chipFor some years, scientists have been seeking ways to reduce animal testing and accelerate clinical trials. In vitro assays with living cells are an alternative, but have limitations, as the interconnection and interaction between cells cannot be easily reproduced. |
 | Prediction of psychotic onset with AI language analysisPsychiatrists characterize schizophrenia, a mental condition with devastating effects on those who suffer it, by a set of intuitively understandable concepts including "poverty of speech" and "flight of ideas." These concepts, however, are subjective in the sense that their quantification depends significantly on the particular training and ultimate judgment of individual psychiatrists. The evaluation of a patient is not only subject to this uncertainty, but also to the availability of these highly trained professionals, and to the clinical facilities where evaluation is usually performed. |
 | A new ecosystem approach to fight antibiotic resistanceThe World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed antibiotic resistance to be one of the three greatest threats to human health today, as bacteria become increasingly resistant and too few treatments are being developed to combat them. The research project DRIVE-AB, a consortium managed by the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and AstraZeneca, has determined that a market entry reward of $1 billion per antibiotic globally could significantly increase the number of new antibiotics coming to the market in the next 30 years. |
 | Immunologist heralds the dawn of a new health revolutionA brave new world of immune system therapies – harnessing the body's own defences – could help treat all kinds of different illnesses, according to one of the UK's leading immunologists. |
 | Reduced dental anxiety among children with internet-based CBTResearchers at Karolinska Institutet have developed an accessible therapy for children and adolescents suffering from dental phobia. The study, published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research, shows that guided internet-based CBT is highly effective in reducing anxiety and increasing the ability to deal with dental treatment. One year later, half of the children were completely free of their phobia. |
CPR, not 'scoop and run,' should be priority with cardiac arrest patientsA change in protocol for treating out-of-hospital cardiac arrest patients in Western New York has yielded striking results: twice as many patients now survive. | |
 | Researchers discover new way to monitor leukaemiaResearchers at The University of Western Australia have invented a new, highly sensitive way of monitoring leukaemia cells in the blood. The research, published in the journal Methods, describes the new technique that can detect genetic changes inside the leukaemia cell. |
Unexpected helpers in wound healingNerve cells in the skin help wounds to heal. When an injury occurs, cells known as glial cells change into repair cells and disseminate into the wound, where they help the skin to regenerate, researchers from the University of Zurich have shown. | |
 | Packaged products may contain more than the label states, including allergensOur new study has found packaged foods can contain allergens even when there is no listed ingredient or even warning on the label (such as "may contain traces of nuts"). |
 | How patient stories can improve intensive care"Fighting to stay alive, I did the only thing I could do. I prayed. I couldn't bear to leave my baby motherless. I opened my eyes one last time to tell my husband I would be OK, and then lost consciousness, not to wake up for weeks." |
Half of all doctor's appointments start late, but how can the problem be fixed?As comedian Jerry Seinfeld says about doctor's office waiting rooms: "There's no chance of not waiting because they call it the waiting room. They're going to use it." | |
 | What is kombucha and how do the health claims stack up?The drink kombucha was previously only popular in hipster cafes, but is now vying for space on the supermarket shelves. Many claims are made about the health benefits of drinking kombucha, but what does the science say? |
Depending on PTSD symptoms, traumas have a negative or positive impact on lonelinessAfter traumatic events, some victims suffer from loneliness. Victims with very severe PTSD symptom levels more often suffer from loneliness than victims with very low levels. But non-victims more often suffer from loneliness than victims with very low PTS-symptom levels. | |
 | Premature birth associated with increased risk of heart disease in mothersA study led by researchers at Keele University has found the risk of death in later life due to coronary heart disease doubles in women who give birth prematurely. |
 | Insight into heavy periods could pave the way towards new treatmentScientists from the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health at the University of Edinburgh have uncovered a cause of heavy menstrual bleeding – a finding that offers hope for a new treatment for women living with the condition. |
 | NIH begins large HIV treatment study in pregnant womenThe National Institutes of Health has launched a large international study to compare the safety and efficacy of three antiretroviral treatment regimens for pregnant women living with HIV and the safety of these regimens for their infants. The study will evaluate the current preferred first-line regimen for pregnant women recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and two regimens containing newer antiretroviral drugs that are becoming more widely used. It will provide data on the use of these newer drugs during pregnancy, helping to ensure that women living with HIV and their infants receive the best available treatments. |
 | Weather patterns, farm income, other factors, may be influencing opioid crisisThe overprescribing of opioid-based painkillers may be the main driver of the increased abuse of opioids in rural America, but economists say that other factors, including declining farm income, extreme weather and other natural disasters, may affect a crisis that is killing thousands of citizens and costing the country billions of dollars. |
 | 4 things you need to know right now to protect yourself from the fluThis has been a particularly bad influenza season, starting early especially in the South and West Coast in the U.S. This follows a severe season in Australia during our summer. |
 | Psychologists investigate how teams cope with extreme environmentsPsychologists are working with professional adventurers to find out how teams cope with a 500 mile Arctic trip in temperatures of minus 60C. |
Decision support systems may improve quality of patient surgical carePhysician anesthesiologists are constantly striving to improve the quality of surgical care and postoperative outcomes for patients. Integrating the various sources of patient medical data they are faced with during surgery into a single dashboard view to help guide decisions during anesthesia may be one way to improve intraoperative care. New research published in the February issue of Anesthesiology, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), illustrates how physician anesthesiologists are investigating the challenges and opportunities of integrating patient data, to aid clinicians in patient management, through clinical decision support technologies. | |
 | Energy drink use in teens has adverse effectsA Chapman University faculty member has published new research showing why many teenagers consume energy drinks, how often, the age they started and what influences their choice of brands. Results showed that 40 percent of teens aged 13 to19 reported an adverse effect while ingesting energy drinks. |
Novel device and staff education lead to lower blood culture contamination ratesA Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC Health) research study found that use of a mechanical initial specimen diversion device (ISDD) and staff education led to a nearly four-fold decrease in contaminated blood cultures that was sustained over 20 months. | |
 | Targeting bladder cancer's Achilles heel: stem cellsTwo different proteins work separately as well as synergistically to feed a small pool of stem cells that help bladder cancer resist chemotherapy, research led by a Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientist suggests. The finding, published online in Cancer Research, could lead to new targets to fight this deadly disease and potentially other cancers as well. |
Changes to nursing home quality ratings system caused consumers to choose better providersHealth care report cards and quality ratings are intended to give consumers more information when choosing a care provider like a hospital or nursing home. Health economist Marcelo Perraillon of the Colorado School of Public Health at CU Anschutz evaluated whether a simplified rating system used by the website Nursing Home Compare motivated consumers to choose better-rated nursing homes. | |
 | Zebrafish study provides new insights into autism spectrum disorder researchExposure to a compound used to treat migraines and seizures causes characteristics associated with autism, groundbreaking research with zebrafish has demonstrated. |
 | Many stroke survivors don't receive timely rehabWhether they are referred to home-based or outpatient rehabilitation after hospital discharge, many stroke patients don't receive rehabilitation services, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018, a world premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease for researchers and clinicians. |
 | Must we deprive ourselves of all pleasure to stay healthy?In 2018, I'll quit smoking, really. And I'll stop drinking alcohol, at least for a while… |
 | Cancer is costing BRICS economies billions each yearPremature – and potentially avoidable – death from cancer is costing tens of billions of dollars in lost productivity in a group of key developing economies. |
 | First monkeys cloned by process that made Dolly the sheepScientists in China have created the first monkeys cloned by the same process that produced Dolly the sheep more than 20 years ago, a breakthrough that could boost medical research into human diseases. |
 | Tobacco's harms may come sooner than smokers think(HealthDay)—Smokers often think their habit won't have health consequences until far into the future, a small survey suggests. |
 | Turn your commute into a daily workout(HealthDay)—Commuting by car doesn't just try your patience. |
 | Prescribing of opioids adds to patient satisfaction with care(HealthDay)—Patients with musculoskeletal conditions who are using prescribed opioids are more likely to be highly satisfied with their care, according to a study published in the January/February issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. |
 | Infection is most common complication of facial implants(HealthDay)—The most common complications of facial implants include infection, implant migration, and extrusion, according to a study published online Jan. 18 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery. |
 | Brain-scan guided emergency stroke treatment can save more livesAdvances in brain imaging can identify a greater number of stroke patients who can receive therapy later than previously believed, according to a new study. The results of the Endovascular Therapy Following Imaging Evaluation for the Ischemic Stroke (DEFUSE 3) trial, presented at the International Stroke Conference 2018 in Los Angeles and published on Jan. 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine, demonstrated that physically removing brain clots up to 16 hours after symptom onset in selected patients led to improved outcomes compared to standard medical therapy. The study was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of the National Institutes of Health. |
Will supplements help your workout or diet routine?The new year is a time to set new goals, and for many people this means losing weight and improving fitness. Although these goals are best met with a nutritious diet and regular physical activity, many people may turn to dietary supplements for a boost to their routines. To help cut the confusion, the Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) at the National Institutes of Health has two new resources to help people understand what is known about the effectiveness and safety of many ingredients in dietary supplements promoted for fitness and weight loss. | |
Clinical trial shows broader benefits of acute-stroke therapyA 38-center clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and led by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has shown that far more people than previously thought can benefit from an emergency procedure for acute ischemic stroke. | |
 | More stroke patients may receive crucial treatments under new guidelineMore patients could be eligible for critical treatments to remove or dissolve blood clots that cause strokes, according to a new treatment guideline issued by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. |
 | 15 years later, PEPFAR continues to save livesExperts from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have penned a New England Journal of Medicine perspective recognizing the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for 15 years of implementing an innovative program to prevent, treat, and care for persons living with HIV and AIDS. The authors stress that continued support for the U.S. State Department program is necessary to ensure an effective global response to the HIV pandemic and to set a precedent for addressing other infectious diseases worldwide. |
 | Researchers confirm link between flu and heart attackChances of a heart attack are increased six-fold during the first seven days after detection of laboratory-confirmed influenza infection, according to a new study by researchers at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Public Health Ontario (PHO). |
Genetic ancestry test beats self-reports in predicting bleeding stroke riskA genetic ancestry test more accurately identified patients at risk for bleeding stroke than traditional self-reports of race, cultural identity or ethnicity, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018, a world premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease for researchers and clinicians. | |
Four in ten cardiomyopathies—a major cause of sudden death in young people—are geneticFour in ten cardiomyopathies - a major cause of sudden cardiac death and heart failure in young people - are genetic, according to a European Society of Cardiology (ESC) study published today in European Heart Journal.1 Family screening is urgently needed to prevent early death in apparently healthy relatives, the paper says. | |
Simple breathing training with a physiotherapist before surgery prevents postoperative pneumoniaPneumonia, and other serious lung complications, after major abdominal surgery were halved when patients were seen by a physiotherapist before surgery and taught breathing exercises that the patient needed to start performing immediately on waking from the operation, finds a trial published by The BMJ today. | |
 | Augmented reality system lets doctors see under patients' skin without the scalpelNew technology is bringing the power of augmented reality into clinical practice. |
 | Nanosensor that lights up cancer to be tested in surgeriesUT Southwestern Simmons Cancer Center scientists next month will begin testing a digital nanosensor that lights up cancer tissue to see whether it can improve the accuracy of cancer surgeries, thereby reducing cancer recurrence and surgical morbidity. |
 | Less than one in 100 stroke survivors meet heart health goalsFewer than one in 100 stroke survivors meet all of Life's Simple 7 goals for ideal cardiovascular health identified by the American Heart Association. Moreover, the proportion who fail to meet almost all of the criteria is on the rise, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018, a world premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease for researchers and clinicians. |
 | Sleep apnea after stroke heightens risk of another stroke; deathStroke survivors, especially Mexican-Americans, whose sleep is interrupted by pauses in breathing (sleep apnea) are more likely to die or experience another stroke, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018, a world premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease for researchers and clinicians. |
Finances may be barrier to calling 9-1-1 for stroke symptoms in minority neighborhoodsAmbulance charges may limit willingness to call 9-1-1 when people experience stroke symptoms in south Chicago, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018, a world premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease for researchers and clinicians. | |
 | Herbal products may compromise prescription drugs and cause serious side effectsAn analysis of published studies and reports indicates that a number of herbal products may affect the properties of prescription drugs, leading to alterations in the drugs' effectiveness as well as potentially dangerous side effects. |
 | A call for greater attention to older women's sexual healthA new Journal of the American Geriatrics Society article reviews common issues in caring for the sexual health of older women, noting that physicians often lack sufficient training. |
 | Social media use linked to lack of sleep in studentsGreater use of social media was associated with a greater likelihood of getting too little sleep in an Acta Paediatrica study of Canadian students aged 11-20 years. |
Cancer immunotherapy found safe in patients with rheumatologic diseasesIn the largest single-center study of patients with rheumatologic diseases who were prescribed modern cancer immunotherapy with what are called immune checkpoint inhibitors, only a minority of patients experienced a flare of their rheumatologic disease or immune-related side effects. | |
The impact of lower total knee replacement rates in black AmericansIt's known that racial minorities in the United States undergo fewer total knee replacements (TKRs) for knee osteoarthritis, but it's unclear how this affects their quality of life. A new study published in Arthritis Care & Research indicates that, on a population level, Black Americans lose 72,000 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) due to racial disparities in the lower rate of TKRs offered and acceptance, and higher rates of complications. | |
Can cruise vacations contribute to well-being?A new International Journal of Tourism Research study indicates that cruise vacations are not only for fun but can also be beneficial for individuals' happiness and well-being. | |
Many older individuals with type 2 diabetes are over-treatedIn a recent Diabetes, Obesity & Metabolism analysis of individuals aged 70 years with type 2 diabetes, almost 40% with recommended HbA1c levels (which indicate blood glucose levels) were over-treated. | |
 | Vaping under threat in tobacco-loving IndonesiaChain-smoking Indonesia is moving to stub out its booming e-cigarette sector, sparking criticism that the government is siding with giant tobacco firms at the expense of public health. |
 | Smart baby pillows for flat head syndrome preventionBabies are born with highly malleable skulls, and therefore lying on their backs to sleep may lead to some positional flattening or molding of the head. A team of students at UNIST has recently introduced a smart baby pillow to prevent and correct mild cases of flat head syndrome. |
Get a grip—the twist in the wrist that can ruin tennis careersWrist injuries have forced many high-performance tennis players to miss recent major tournaments. Both the Rio Olympic medallist Kei Nishikori and two-time grand slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova are missing the 2018 Australian Open while recovering from wrist surgery. | |
Which bone measures predict fractures in postmenopausal women?When investigators compared initial bone parameters with changes in those parameters over time in postmenopausal women, they found that initial measurements were significantly associated with women's risk of fracture. Rates of changes in bone density, microarchitecture, and strength were similar between the fracture and non-fracture groups. | |
 | Canadian cannabis firms agree to merge to create pot giantCanadian cannabis grower and seller Aurora Cannabis announced Wednesday a friendly acquisition of CanniMed Therapeutics in a deal valued at an estimated Can$1.1 billion (US$890 million) to create a global pot behemoth. |
Cholera 'stabilising' DR Congo capital: MSFA cholera outbreak in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa is stabilising and moving in a downward trend, the charity Medecins Sans Frontieres said on Wednesday. | |
Brain stimulation plus adult neural stem cells may speed stroke recoveryElectrically stimulating implanted adult stem cells may someday speed stroke recovery, according to preliminary research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2018, a world premier meeting dedicated to the science and treatment of cerebrovascular disease for researchers and clinicians. | |
Biology news
 | Meet Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, the first monkey clones produced by method that made DollyThe first primate clones made by somatic cell nuclear transfer are two genetically identical long-tailed macaques born recently at the Chinese Academy of Sciences Institute of Neuroscience in Shanghai. Researchers named the newborns Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua—born eight and six weeks ago, respectively—after the Chinese adjective "Zhonghua," which means Chinese nation or people. The technical milestone, presented January 24 in the journal Cell, makes it a realistic possibility for labs to conduct research with customizable populations of genetically uniform monkeys. |
 | New type of virus found in the oceanA type of virus that dominates water samples taken from the world's oceans has long escaped analysis because it has characteristics that standard tests can't detect. However, researchers at MIT and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine have now managed to isolate and study representatives of these elusive viruses, which provide a key missing link in virus evolution and play an important role in regulating bacterial populations, as a new study reports. |
 | Human skin pigmentation recreated—with a 3-D bioprinterA new method for controlling pigmentation in fabricated human skin has been developed by researchers from A*STAR's Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) and the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing (SC3DP) at Nanyang Technological University. |
 | Gut instinct makes animals appear cleverAnimals, including humans, can make surprisingly good decisions just based on the food in their stomach, new research suggests. |
 | New 'big-armed fly' species named after Arnold SchwarzeneggerNew species can be named for all types of attributes, but Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County entomologist Brian Brown knew exactly what name to give a bizarre new fly species he discovered in the Brazilian Amazon. |
 | Lyosomes and mitochondria chat each other up in cellNorthwestern Medicine scientists have discovered that two key cellular structures, called mitochondria and lysosomes, come into direct contact with each other in the cell to regulate their respective functions. This rare discovery has implications for the research of many diseases, including Parkinson's and cancer, as well as for the understanding of normal aging. |
 | High-resolution imaging gives an unparalleled view of how fungi growFungi are a diverse group of organisms that are ever-present in daily life; from the yeast used to ferment beer and the mushrooms at the supermarket to the pathogen responsible for athlete's foot. Many species of fungus grow by secreting enzymes-a process that can be co-opted as a biotechnology to make industrial and medical products. |
 | Study says humans can digest bugs, assuming they want toThe thought of eating an insect makes most people cringe – at least those who live in America, Canada and Europe, a minority of the world's population who would not let a cricket, grasshopper or beetle near their dinner table. |
 | How many toes on a horse? More than you thinkSeabiscuit, Secretariat and every nag to ever pull a plough had five toes on each foot, says a study released Wednesday that stomps on the notion modern horses only have one toe. |
 | Noise pollution forces Canadian songbirds to change their tunesSome Canadian songbirds have to change their tunes because noise pollution from things like oil and gas drilling equipment otherwise drowns out important parts of their songs, University of Manitoba researchers have found. |
 | For global invasion, Argentine ants use chemical weaponsFrom their native home on the banks of South America's Paraná River, Argentine ants have conquered six continents and many oceanic islands. Their success is explained by several factors: they have more than one queen per colony, making them difficult to eradicate, and they adapt to changes in their environments by living transiently rather than building permanent nests. |
 | Decoding the Axolotl genomeA team of researchers led by scientists in Vienna, Dresden and Heidelberg has decoded the entire genetic information of the Mexican salamander axolotl. The axolotl genome, which is the largest genome ever to be sequenced, will be a powerful tool to study the molecular basis for regrowing limbs and other forms of regeneration. |
 | First complete genome assembly of planarian flatworm reveals treasure trove on the function and evolution of genesThe planarian flatworm Schmidtea mediterranea is an extraordinary animal. Even when cut into tiny pieces, each piece can regenerate back into a complete and perfectly proportioned miniature planarian. Key to this ability are fascinating adult stem cells, a single one of which can restore a complete worm. But how Schmidtea mediterranea achieves these feats is so far poorly understood. An important step towards this goal is the first highly contiguous genome assembly of Schmidtea mediterranea that researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics (MPI-CBG) in Dresden in cooperation with the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) report in the current issue of Nature. The assembly reveals a genome that contains novel giant repeat elements, new flatworm-specific genes, but also the absence of other genes that were so far thought to be absolutely essential for keeping an animal alive. The discovery has potential implications in the fields of regeneration research, stem cell biology and bioinformatics. |
 | Big cats in evolutionary arms race with prey: studyLions and cheetah are faster, stronger and no less agile than their prey, but zebras and impalas compensate with a surprising tactic, researchers said Wednesday: slow down, and keep the big cats guessing. |
 | Native forest habitats promote pollinators and fruit production of Açaí palm in the Amazon river deltaLow-impact farming methods benefit both pollinators and açaí fruit production, scientists from Embrapa and other Brazilian institutions have found. In a new study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, they show that diverse forest habitats provide safe havens for important pollinators and contribute to the environmental sustainability of this native Amazonian crop. |
 | Warming temperatures may cause birds to shrinkBiologists have known for a long time that animals living in colder climates tend to have larger bodies, supposedly as an adaptation to reduce heat loss. However, understanding how temperature affects animals has gained new importance thanks to climate change. A new study from The Auk: Ornithological Advances uses European House Sparrows, which have spread into a variety of climates in Australia and New Zealand since their introduction in the mid-19th century, to show that this trend in birds might actually be due to the effects of high temperatures during development—raising new alarms about how populations might be affected by global warming. |
 | Mitigation techniques fall short of preventing electrocution of golden eagles on power polesDespite efforts to retrofit power poles and to build new poles to avian-friendly standards, electrocution remains a substantial cause of death for the golden eagle. The global conservation problem results in an estimated 504 eagles electrocuted annually in North America alone. A new Journal of Wildlife Management article examines the risk factors and mitigation techniques from literature published from 1940-2016 and provides new strategies by region to target high-risk poles that could substantially reduce the mortalities. |
 | Endangered woodpeckers persist, but still struggle, on private landThe U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service started the Safe Harbor program in North Carolina in 1995 to reduce conflict between landowners and conservation officials and to encourage private landowners to take steps to benefit endangered Red-cockaded Woodpeckers on their land. The program has successfully reduced conflict over conservation and reduced the abandonment of nest clusters, but a new study from The Condor: Ornithological Applications shows that while the program may have raised landowners' awareness of and tolerance for their feathered neighbors, it has largely failed to improve breeding success of birds on private lands. |
 | An enzyme with a surprising dual functionScientists at the University of Bonn have clarified a surprising dual function of ceramide synthase. The enzyme not only catalyzes a central step of the production of vital lipids, it also has the ability to turn genes involved in lipid metabolism on or off. The study is published in Cell Reports. |
 | Coyotes and red foxes may coexist within urban landscapesCoyotes and red foxes may select different types of habitats for their home ranges, helping them to coexist in urban environments, according to a study published January 24, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Marcus A. Mueller from the University of Wisconsin, USA, and colleagues. |
 | Synthetic virus to tackle antimicrobial resistanceThe National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and UCL (University College London) have engineered a brand new artificial virus that kill bacteria on first contact, as published in Nature Communications. |
 | When birds collide with high-speed railIf a high-speed train runs at 185 mph through small urbanized areas, it is possible that some animals will be surprised in their path, including magpies, pigeons, crows and buzzards. These collisions have not been scientifically analyzed or quantified to date. A new study now reports obtaining the first estimates in Spain. |
 | How animals follow the starsThe stars have fascinated humankind throughout history, and we have developed ever more sophisticated means of interpreting them and using their positions to guide us (at least in a navigational, rather than an astrological capacity). A number of night-active animals also use the stars as a compass reference, ranging from songbirds and seals to dung beetles and moths. While it is now established that several species can use the stars to hold their course, less is known about the how these animals perceive and interpret the starry sky, and what special adaptations are required for them to do so. |
Is species richness increasing? Insight into an intense ecological debateScientists are debating whether and why it appears that the number of species at sites worldwide is holding steady (even increasing at many), as biodiversity declines globally. | |
 | Saving sharks with trees: researchers aim to save key branches of shark and ray tree of lifeTo shine light on and conserve rare shark, ray, and chimaera species (chondrichthyans), SFU researchers have developed a fully-resolved family tree and ranked every species according to the unique evolutionary history they account for. |
 | Fat cat? Here's how much to feed to lose weightDoes your cat lay around all day, only getting up to eat and visit the litter box? Chances are, he's overweight. Maybe you've switched to the "diet" cat food or tried feeding him less, but you might have noticed it's not easy to get that weight off. A new study from the University of Illinois explains what it takes to get kitty to slim down. |
 | Does the urban morphology have influence on the noise levels provoked by aircrafts?A team of researchers from UPM and CNR has conducted a study of acoustic measurements in places with aircraft noise exposure. This study aims to determine any significant differences among the sound levels measured on the different façades according to their orientation regarding the flight trajectory, the type of road where the facade is found and the fraction of the flight path in direct transmission. |
 | Predator control can have unintended consequencesIntroduced predators pose threats to biodiversity and are implicated in the extinction of many native species. A new Mammal Review analysis of published studies highlights unintended outcomes of predator control programs that are implemented to mitigate these effects. |
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