Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for March 15, 2018:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Dawn reveals recent changes in Ceres' surfaceObservations of Ceres have detected recent variations in its surface, revealing that the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system is a dynamic body that continues to evolve and change. |
 | Scientists design conceptual asteroid deflector and evaluate it against massive potential threatLawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) scientists are part of a national planetary defense team that designed a conceptual spacecraft to deflect Earth-bound asteroids and evaluated whether it would be able to nudge a massive asteroid – which has a remote chance to hitting Earth in 2135 – off course. The design and case study are outlined in a paper published recently in Acta Astronautica. |
 | Researchers find space radiation is increasingly more hazardousIt might sound like something from a science fiction plot – astronauts traveling into deep space being bombarded by cosmic rays – but radiation exposure is science fact. As future missions look to travel back to the moon or even to Mars, new research from the University of New Hampshire's Space Science Center cautions that the exposure to radiation is much higher than previously thought and could have serious implications on both astronauts and satellite technology. |
 | Shoebox-sized cube satellite to study Earth's inner radiation beltA NASA-funded cube satellite built and operated by CU Boulder researchers will study the inner radiation belt of Earth's magnetosphere, providing new insight into the energetic particles that can disrupt satellites and threaten spacewalking astronauts. |
NASA, ATLAS to mature portable space communications technologyPortable ground antenna stations could transform NASA's space communications capabilities. With access to undeveloped regions, the mobile systems could bolster the return of spacecraft science, instrument health and other data to Earth. | |
 | Hawking tackled the biggest question of all—how did the universe begin?With the death of Stephen Hawking, the world has lost an adventurer. |
 | Humans could live in volcanic tunnels on the moonThe SETI Institute has analysed images of our moon and pinpointed a possible home away from Earth. |
Technology news
 | Machine learning drives NSynth Super's new sounds of musicLook what Project Magenta people have been up to. After creating NSynth algorithm they have come up with a machine to serve as instrument, acting as the physical interface for the NSynth algorithm. |
 | Chinese to English translating: Not human, but exceptionalMicrosoft announced Wednesday that its labs have developed an AI machine translation system that can translate from Chinese to English with the same accuracy as can a human. The researchers are at Asia and U.S. labs of Microsoft. |
 | Origami-inspired self-locking foldable robotic armA research team of Seoul National University led by Professor Kyu-Jin Cho has developed an origami-inspired robotic arm that is foldable, self-assembling and also highly-rigid. (The researchers include Suk-Jun Kim, Dae-Young Lee, Gwang-Pil Jung, Professor of SeoulTech) |
 | Lunavity device to allow wearer to defy gravityA team of researchers at the University of Tokyo has developed a gravity-defying backpack that enables its wearer to jump much higher and farther than normally—similar, perhaps, to a giant leap on the surface of the moon. The group has named the device Lunavity and has posted a video on YouTube extolling its virtues. |
 | Silicon breakthrough could lead to new high-performance bendable electronicsA new method of creating bendable silicon chips could help pave the way for a new generation of high-performance flexible electronic devices. |
 | Intel says chips addressing flaws set for release this yearIntel Corp. said Thursday new computer chips designed to address vulnerabilities disclosed earlier this year would be shipped in the second half of 2018. |
 | A cost and resource analysis of sodium-ion batteriesLithium and cobalt are fundamental components of lithium-ion batteries. Analysis by researchers at the Helmholtz Institute Ulm (HIU) of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) shows that the availability of both elements could become seriously critical. Cobalt-free battery technologies, including post-lithium technologies based on non-critical elements such as sodium, but also magnesium, zinc, calcium and aluminium, represent possibilities to avoid this outcome in the long term. These results are presented in Nature Reviews Materials. |
 | Reframing diversity to achieve equity in the tech industryThere is a lot of fear among men in the tech industry about speaking out and trying to overcome declining female participation and sexual harassment, according to my ongoing research. |
 | Internet of Things needs to use sound in ways computers and phones never haveWith many consumer devices, we can find out about their status without having to look at them directly. When a kettle clicks off, you know the water has boiled. When the toaster pops, you know the toast is ready. The gentle hum of a freezer tells you it is functioning normally. |
 | China to see driverless cars in '3-5 years': BaiduSelf-driving cars will hit the roads in China "within three to five years", the founder of Chinese internet giant Baidu, one of the world's leading designers of driverless cars, said Thursday. |
Ford pledges to revamp aging product line, add SUVs, by 2020Ford, with a sagging U.S. market share and one of the oldest vehicle lineups in the industry, is promising to revamp three-quarters of its models in the next two years. | |
 | Canada to boost nuclear power to help meet climate targetCanada, the second largest producer of uranium, will boost its reliance on nuclear energy to reduce its carbon footprint and will encourage other nations to do the same, public broadcaster CBC said Thursday. |
 | Spotify to go public on April 3Spotify will go public on April 3 as the world's largest streaming company lists on the New York Stock Exchange. |
At SXSW, the future is a place where robots make your latte and grocery shopping is like gamingAt South by Southwest, as entrepreneurs and celebrities mingle to discuss the future of tech, a lot of the hype focuses on attention-grabbing projects such as flying cars. But there also are ideas on display with a more practical bent—projects that could get into consumers' hands sooner. | |
What is 5G and why did Trump nix a huge tech deal to boost America's lead in its development?Self-driving cars. Internet-connected homes. Smart cities. Innovations like these are expected to reshape the technology industry and society at large—but none will take off without stronger wireless infrastructure, known as 5G. | |
These electric cars want to learn from Apple's hits and Tesla's missesThe newest electric car start-up vows it will learn from Tesla's mistakes by echoing Apple's iPhone moves and designing—but not building—its vehicles, with its sights set more on the economy market. | |
 | French court throws out Facebook 'censorship' caseA French court on Thursday dismissed a case brought by a French teacher who wanted to sue the US social media giant over his claims that his page was censored when he posted a nude painting by Gustave Courbet. |
 | Lufthansa soars to record profits in 2017German airline giant Lufthansa reported record profits for 2017 Thursday, celebrating a year that saw it bury a smouldering dispute with pilots and gobble up parts of defunct rival Air Berlin. |
 | Court orders Japan government to pay new Fukushima damagesA Japanese court on Thursday ordered the government to pay one million dollars in new damages over the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, ruling it should have predicted and avoided the meltdown. |
 | Amazon Japan says cooperating after raid in antitrust caseThe Japanese unit of the US internet giant Amazon said on Thursday it was cooperating with authorities after a fair trade watchdog raided its Tokyo headquarters on allegations of antitrust violations. |
 | Sherlock Drones—automated investigators tackle toxic crime scenesCrimes that involve chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) materials pose a deadly threat not just to the target of the attack but to innocent bystanders and police investigators. Often, these crimes may involve unusual circumstances or they are terrorist-related incidents, such as an assassination attempt or the sending of poisons through the mail. |
Intent Lab Digital Satisfaction Index reveals steep decline in consumer trust in the internetMarketing agency Performics and Medill have measured U.S. consumer attitudes and perceptions of online marketing quarterly through the Intent Lab Digital Satisfaction Index (DSI) since Q3 2016. Over this period, the DSI has revealed a major fluctuation in trust—the consumer perception of the credibility of online information—which has pulled down overall digital satisfaction. | |
 | Unlocking on-package memory's effects on high-performance computing's scientific kernelsHigh-bandwidth memory can improve a computer's performance. On-package memory (OPM) is a popular option in many commercial systems. Before this effort, little was known about OPM's implications on speed and power use. The team experimentally characterized and analyzed modern OPM storage. They provided guidelines on tuning the memory to speed up high-performance computing (HPC) applications. |
 | FIFA to give VAR green light at World CupFIFA are expected to rubber-stamp video assistant referee technology (VAR) for this summer's World Cup despite lingering opposition from within and outside football. |
 | US radio giant iHeartMedia files for bankruptcyLeading US radio company iHeartMedia, which runs some of the country's most popular Top 40 stations, has filed for bankruptcy protection as it struggles to pay $20 billion in debt. |
Medicine & Health news
 | New research sheds light on underlying cause of brain injury in strokeNew research shows how the novel drug QNZ-46 can help to lessen the effects of excess release of glutamate in the brain – the main cause of brain injury in stroke. |
 | Breakthrough discovery in neurotransmissionSamir Haj-Dahmane, Ph.D., senior research scientist at the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions, has discovered how certain neurotransmitters are transported and reach their targets in the brain, which could lead to new drug therapies to help anxiety and other negative brain functions. |
 | Higher doses of radiation don't improve survival in prostate cancerA new study shows that higher doses of radiation do not improve survival for many patients with prostate cancer, compared with the standard radiation treatment. The analysis, which included 104 radiation therapy oncology groups across North America, was led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. |
 | New methods find undiagnosed genetic diseases in electronic health recordsPatients diagnosed with heart failure, stroke, infertility and kidney failure could actually be suffering from rare and undiagnosed genetic diseases. |
Clearing clumps of protein in aging neural stem cells boosts their activityYoung, resting neural stem cells in the brains of mice store large clumps of proteins in specialized cellular trash compartments known as lysosomes, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have found. | |
 | Machine-learning algorithm used to identify specific types of brain tumorsAn international team of researchers has used methylation fingerprinting data as input to a machine-learning algorithm to identify different types of brain tumors. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the team describes studying DNA methylation fingerprinting to create a system that is able to identify central nervous system (CNS) tumors and report on its accuracy. |
 | Study finds alcohol dampens brain waves associated with decision-making but not motor controlWe all know that alcohol impairs our judgement, alertness and performance on tasks requiring attention, but the mechanism behind booze's effect on cognition still isn't well-understood. Now, a new study led by psychologists at San Diego State University sheds light on the question of why people feel like they are in complete control of their actions when they're drinking even while their cognitive control is clearly impaired. The results could help explain what goes on at the neural level when people who've been drinking decide they're okay to drive. |
Study identifies potential drug for treatment of debilitating inherited neurological diseaseSt. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have demonstrated in mouse studies that the neurological disease spinal bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA) can be successfully treated with drugs. The finding paves the way for clinical trials for treating the disease and even preventing its progression in individuals who have inherited the disease mutation. | |
 | Are high blood glucose levels an effect rather than the cause of diabetes?Insulin resistance and elevated blood glucose levels are considered to be the cause of type 2 diabetes. However, scientists from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and Heidelberg University Hospital have now provided evidence that things might be completely different. They showed in flies that elevated levels of the metabolite MG (methylglyoxal) cause the typical diabetic disturbances of the metabolism and lead to insulin resistance, obesity and elevated blood sugar levels. |
 | Faulty cellular membrane 'mix' linked to Parkinson's diseaseWorking with lab-grown human brain cells, Johns Hopkins researchers report they have uncovered a much sought-after connection between one of the most common genetic mutations in Parkinson's disease and the formation of fatty plaques in the brain thought to contribute to the destruction of motor neurons that characterize the disease. |
 | Research reveals brain mechanism involved in language learningLearning a new language may be more of a science than an art, a University of Sussex study finds. |
Neglecting child health threatens UK's future prosperity, says expertThe low priority given to children and young people's health threatens the UK's future prosperity, argues an expert writing in The BMJ today. | |
Little evidence for any direct impact of national cancer policies on short-term survival in EnglandA study published by The BMJ today finds little evidence for any direct impact of national cancer policy initiatives implemented since 2000 on short term cancer survival in England. | |
 | Large racial and ethnic disparity in world's most common STI Trichomonas vaginalisIn a new Johns Hopkins study, researchers have added to evidence that Trichomonas vaginalis (TV), the world's most common curable sexually transmitted infection (STI), disproportionately affects the black community. |
Startup promises minimally invasive heart repairA minimally invasive surgical device to be commercialized by a newly launched startup could fundamentally transform the way doctors correct organ defects. For patients with certain conditions such as a hole in the heart, the device might one day provide a lasting repair without the complications and risks common to more invasive types of surgery. | |
Blunt products more popular in states where marijuana is legalA study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health finds that cigars commonly used to roll blunts—hollowed out cigars that are filled with marijuana and smoked—dominate the cigar marketplace in states where recreational marijuana is legal compared to nationally. The findings, which could help direct tobacco prevention efforts, are published online in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. | |
Blacks have more exposure to air pollutants raising heart disease risk, deathBlacks often have higher exposure to air pollution than whites, which may partially explain their higher risk heart disease and death compared to whites, according to new research in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology, an American Heart Association journal. | |
 | Researchers say use of artificial intelligence in medicine raises ethical questionsIn a perspective piece, Stanford researchers discuss the ethical implications of using machine-learning tools in making health care decisions for patients. |
 | Smoking linked with higher risk of type 2 diabetesThe prevalence of diabetes has increased almost 10-fold in China since the early 1980s, with one in 10 adults in China now affected by diabetes. Although adiposity is the major modifiable risk factor for diabetes, other research in China suggests this can explain only about 50 percent of the increase in diabetes prevalence over recent decades, suggesting other lifestyle factors, including smoking, may play a role in the aetiology of diabetes. In recent decades, there has been a large increase in cigarette smoking in China, especially among men. About two thirds of Chinese men now smoke, consuming roughly 40 percent of the world's cigarettes. |
 | New research could lead to more effective chemotherapyAn international team of researchers led by Hassan Beyzavi of the University of Arkansas, is studying the use of platinum and gold to enable more effective forms of chemotherapy. |
 | What to do when the baby is born before you get to hospitalWomen often express a fear of giving birth en route to the hospital, and these fears have some basis. Dramatic videos do the rounds on social media of women giving birth to babies in cars, on their front lawn, or as recently happened, in the car alone and then driving themselves to hospital. |
 | New tissue technique gives stunning 3-D insights into the human brainImperial researchers have helped develop a breakthrough imaging technique which reveals the ultra-fine structure of the brain in unprecedented detail. |
 | Gold standard method to preserve tissue for research or clinical use called into questionA method currently used by thousands of laboratories across the country to preserve tissue could render samples useless over time for a common test to assess gene activity, a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. The findings, published in the November 2, 2017 American Journal of Clinical Pathology, could eventually lead to significant changes in how tissues are stored for clinical and research purposes. |
 | Obesity risk doubles for teens bombarded with junk food advertsTeenagers are more than twice as likely to be obese if they can remember seeing a junk food advert every day compared to those who couldn't recall any over a month, according to a report by Cancer Research UK. |
 | Genomic analysis reveals why asthma inhalers fail minority childrenThe largest-ever whole-genome sequencing study of drug response in minority children has revealed new clues about why the front-line asthma drug albuterol does not work as well for African-American and Puerto Rican children as it does for European American or Mexican children. |
 | Scientists illuminate mechanism at play in learningThe process we call learning is in fact a well-orchestrated symphony of thousands of molecular reactions, but the exact interplay between these reactions remains largely unknown. Now, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have modelled the molecular basis of learning in the cerebellum, a part of the brain that receives sensory input and coordinates voluntary movements. |
 | Where does the controversial finding that adult human brains don't grow new neurons leave ongoing research?Scientists have known for about two decades that some neurons – the fundamental cells in the brain that transmit signals – are generated throughout life. But now a controversial new study from the University of California, San Francisco, casts doubt on whether many neurons are added to the human brain after birth. |
 | Five things to know when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer'sSeeing the personality and whole being erased in loved ones with Alzheimer's disease can be a heart-wrenching experience. |
 | Improved capture of cancer cells in blood could help track diseaseTumor cells circulating throughout the body in blood vessels have long been feared as harbingers of metastasizing cancer - even though most free-floating cancer cells will not go on to establish a new tumor. |
 | Joint supplement speeds melanoma cell growthChondroitin sulfate, a dietary supplement taken to strengthen joints, can speed the growth of a type of melanoma, according to experiments conducted in cell culture and mouse models. |
 | New model links yellow fever in Africa to climate, environmentThe burden of yellow fever in any given area is known to be heavily dependent on climate, particularly rainfall and temperature which can impact both mosquito life cycle and viral replication. Now, researchers from Imperial College London and the World Health Organization (WHO) have developed a new model to quantify yellow fever dynamics across Africa using not only annual averages of these climatic measures, but seasonal dynamics. Their work is described in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. |
 | An STI epidemic in young people does not signal sexual abuseOver the past two weeks, a number of commentators have called for the removal of Aboriginal children with sexually transmissible infections (STIs) from their families. This has resulted from the wrongful conflating of rates of STI notifications with child sexual abuse. It's important to delineate these two issues. |
 | Rugby players more likely than not to sustain a concussion after 25 matches in a seasonConcussion is one of the biggest problems facing both rugby union and league. Rates of the traumatic brain injury in rugby union have been rising since the 2012/13 season, going from one concussion every 3.2 matches, to one concussion every 1.2 matches in the 2015/16 season. |
 | Synthetic macromolecules kill multidrug-resistant cancer cellsCancer continues to be a deadly threat to more than 14 million people who are diagnosed each year around the world. At the same time, five-year survival rates have been steadily improving over the last three decades to nearly 70 percent, according to the American Cancer Society. However, current cancer treatment regimens, such as traditional radiation therapies, often kill healthy cells along with diseased ones. Chemotherapy, or the use of anti-cancer drugs, can fail as drug resistance in the treatment of cancer has become commonplace, both with existing drug-resistant cancer cells as well as induced resistance. So devastating is the issue of drug resistance, that it is a critical aim of the Cancer Moonshot, a program established by the U.S. government, to vastly accelerate cancer research. |
 | Number of deaths from meningitis due to plummet after new medical adviceExperts aim to halve the number of deaths from a type of meningitis by changing drug treatment as a result of a new medical study. |
 | A certain type of neurons is more energy efficient than previously assumedA contradiction about how a type of neurons generates signals has been resolved by researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) Austria. Writing in Neuron, Professor Peter Jonas and first author Hua Hu explain the observation of fast-spiking, parvalbumin-expressing GABAergic interneurons sending trains of rapid, energy-expensive signals, though only a limited energy supply reaches the brain. |
 | Getting lost—why older people might lose their wayResearchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease (DZNE) have found a possible explanation for the difficulty in spatial orientation sometimes experienced by elderly people. In the brains of older adults, they detected an unstable activity in an area that is central for spatial navigation. The results are reported in the journal Current Biology. In the long term, these findings might open up new ways for detecting Alzheimer's disease. |
 | New survey finds huge and unnecessary variation of salt levels in breadBread features heavily in many diets worldwide, and is one of the biggest sources of salt in diets. A new survey by World Action on Salt and Health (WASH), based at Queen Mary University of London, has revealed the shocking levels of salt present in this essential staple. WASH surveyed over 2,000 white, wholemeal, mixed grain and flat breads from 32 countries and regions, including over 500 products from Canada collected by Professor Mary L'Abbe's lab at the University of Toronto. |
 | After infection, herpes lurks in nerve cells, ready to strike—New research reveals what enables the virus to do soOnce herpes simplex infects a person, the virus goes into hiding inside nerve cells, hibernating there for life, periodically waking up from its sleep to reignite infection, causing cold sores or genital lesions to recur. |
 | The coffee cannabis connectionIt's well known that a morning cup of joe jolts you awake. But scientists have discovered coffee affects your metabolism in dozens of other ways, including your metabolism of steroids and the neurotransmitters typically linked to cannabis, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine. |
 | Medicinal cannabis is safe and effective—it's time to reboot researchMedicinal cannabis is safe and effective in pain relief, and researchers are calling for the treatment to be properly established in our modern medical arsenal. A new special issue of the European Journal of Internal Medicine provides a comprehensive overview of current evidence for the use of cannabis and derived products in medicine, and calls for more research to improve the evidence base for its use. |
 | FDA considers lowering nicotine levels in cigarettes (Update)(HealthDay)—In an unprecedented move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it plans to cut the amount of addictive nicotine in the nation's cigarettes. |
Study suggests that cancer survivors are more easily fatiguedAdults who have undergone successful cancer treatment years or decades previously become fatigued more quickly than their peers who don't have cancer histories, according to a new study in the journal Cancer from scientists at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. | |
Well-child visits are effective time to help moms, study showsIn an effort to improve birth outcomes, well-child visits provide an opportune time to deliver basic screenings and health care interventions for new mothers between pregnancies, according to a new study led by UPMC. | |
Women choose more effective contraception when cost not an issueWhen cost isn't an issue, women will choose more effective, long-term methods of contraception, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. | |
New doctors' intense and changing schedules take a toll on sleep, activity and moodThis week, thousands of graduating medical students around the country will find out where they'll head next, to start their residency training. But a new study gives the first objective evidence of the heavy toll that the first year of residency can take on their sleep, physical activity and mood. | |
New heart attack test better informs of underlying conditionA new blood test developed by a University of Alberta physician promises to eliminate the guesswork clinicians face with an apparent heart attack. | |
 | Study shows shorter hepatitis C regimen effective in black patientsA study by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute found that contrary to current hepatitis C treatment guidelines, an eight-week treatment regimen may be just as effective as 12 weeks in black patients. |
Childhood aggression linked to deficits in executive functionA new study finds that deficits in executive function—a measure of cognitive skills that allow a person to achieve goals by controlling their behavior - predicts later aggressive behavior. The study, published in open-access journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience, shows that primary school children with lower executive function were more likely to show physical, relational and reactive aggression in later years, but not proactive aggression. The increased aggression - which was observed in both boys and girls - may be partly due to an increased tendency for anger in these children. The findings suggest that helping children to increase their executive function could reduce their aggression. | |
 | Neuroscientists identify brain circuit that integrates head motion with visual signalsNeuroscientists at the Sainsbury Wellcome Centre have identified a circuit in the primary visual cortex (V1) of the brain that integrates head- and visual-motion signals. The study, published today in Neuron, elucidates the mechanisms by which visual and vestibular inputs to the brain sum together to enable appropriate behavioural responses. |
 | False beliefs about MMR vaccine found to influence acceptance of Zika vaccinePeople's willingness to use a Zika vaccine when it's available will be influenced by how they weigh the risks associated with the disease and the vaccine, but also by their misconceptions about other vaccines, a new study has found. |
 | Cell therapy could improve brain function for Alzheimer's diseaseLike a great orchestra, your brain relies on the perfect coordination of many elements to function properly. And if one of those elements is out of sync, it affects the entire ensemble. In Alzheimer's disease, for instance, damage to specific neurons can alter brainwave rhythms and cause a loss of cognitive functions. |
 | Altering songbird brain provides insight into human behaviorSongbirds are providing insight into how a specific set of neurons may guide the learning of vocal behaviors in humans. |
Study addresses barriers to kidney disease screening among black AmericansThe incidence of kidney failure is 3 times higher in Black Americans than in whites, and the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) continues to rise among Black Americans while it has stabilized in other racial groups. New research points to potential barriers that may prevent Black Americans from being screened for kidney disease. The findings, which are published in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN), may help guide efforts to address important kidney-related disparities in the United States. | |
Core elements identified for successful transitions in care for older adults with dementiaFor older adults with multiple chronic conditions and complex care requirements, transitioning between levels of care and across care settings is common. It is well understood that high-quality transitional care is important for both the well-being of the older adult and for family caregivers. While there has been an increased focus on person-centered models of care transition for cognitively intact older adults from hospital to home, little is known about the core elements of successful transitions in care specifically for persons with dementia. | |
 | Lower hospital mortality for acute MI during heart meeting(HealthDay)—Thirty-day mortality is lower for hospitalization with acute myocardial infarction during Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics meeting dates, according to a study published online March 9 in the Journal of the American Heart Association. |
 | Bundled intervention may improve HPV vaccination rates(HealthDay)—A bundled intervention comprising quality improvement (QI) training plus provider prompts, communication skills training, and performance feedback may improve human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination rates in pediatric clinics, according to a study published online March 14 in Pediatrics. |
 | Drug copayments often exceed prescription drug costs(HealthDay)—Drug copayments frequently exceed prescription drug costs, with overpayments affecting 23 percent of all prescriptions, according to a research letter published in the March 13 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
 | Teens often think E-cigs, hookah pipes harmless: CDC(HealthDay)—Teenagers who use tobacco products other than cigarettes often see their habit as harmless, a new U.S. government survey finds. |
 | Birth defects affect 7 percent of Zika-exposed babies: study(HealthDay)—A new study of pregnant women in the Caribbean further confirms that Zika virus causes birth defects, particularly if infection occurs early in pregnancy. |
 | The dynamic duo: calcium and vitamin D(HealthDay)—Your need for calcium gets a lot of attention, but your body can't use it without its partner, vitamin D, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons. |
 | More U.S. teens seeing ads for E-cigarettes(HealthDay)—A new report finds the number of American teens who view ads extolling the pleasures of e-cigarettes is on the rise. |
 | Review: Virtual reality distracts from pain of medical procedures(HealthDay)—Virtual reality (VR) appears to be an effective distraction intervention to relieve pain and distress during various medical procedures, according to a review published online Feb. 26 in The Clinical Journal of Pain. |
 | Prevalence of sunburn 34.2 percent in U.S. in 2015(HealthDay)—The prevalence of sunburn was 34.2 percent in 2015, and sunburn prevalence was higher in non-Hispanic whites, younger age groups, and those with sun-sensitive skin, according to a study published online March 14 in JAMA Dermatology. |
 | VTE risk up in most emergency general surgery patients(HealthDay)—Almost all emergency general surgery (EGS) patients treated operatively and nonoperatively have increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and should receive prophylactic treatment, according to a review published online March 14 in JAMA Surgery. |
 | Grilled meat, chicken ups risk of type 2 diabetes in U.S. adults(HealthDay)—Open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking methods (such as grilling/barbecuing, broiling, or roasting) to prepare chicken and red meat are associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a study published online March 12 in Diabetes Care. |
Virtual coaches, fitness trackers help patients stay fit after cardiac rehabHeart patients who participate in cardiac rehab programs typically do well during enrollment but tend to revert to unhealthy lifestyles once the formal gym-based regimens end. | |
 | Artificial sweetener Splenda could intensify symptoms in those with Crohn's diseaseIn a study that has implications for humans with inflammatory diseases, researchers from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and colleagues have found that, given over a six-week period, the artificial sweetener sucralose, known by the brand name Splenda, worsens gut inflammation in mice with Crohn's-like disease, but had no substantive effect on those without the condition. Crohn's disease is an inflammatory bowel disease of the digestive tract, which can lead to abdominal pain, severe diarrhea, bloody stools, weight loss, and fatigue. About 10-15 percent of human patients report that sweeteners worsen their disease. |
Can men pass exposure to PBBs to kids? Emory U. study seeks volunteersIt was the worst agricultural contamination incident in U.S. history—the accidental inclusion of PBB fire retardant in cattle feed at the Velsicol Chemical factory in St. Louis, Mich., in 1973. | |
Health chiefs failing to investigate rising deaths in England and Wales, argue expertsHealth chiefs are failing to investigate a clear pattern of rising death rates and worsening health outcomes in England and Wales, argue experts in The BMJ today. | |
 | Study investigates brain structure of transgender peopleResearchers at the University of São Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to complete the first study conducted in Latin America to investigate brain volumes in transgender individuals. They performed a structural analysis in search of differences in gray and white matter volume based on MRI scans of the brains of 80 individuals between 18 and 49 years of age, divided into four groups of 20 each: cisgender women, cisgender men, transgender women who had never used hormones, and transgender women who had used hormones for at least a year. The results showed variations in the volume of the brain region called the insula in both hemispheres for both groups of transgender women. |
 | Body-image pressure, school and worries make more girls mentally illMore and more young girls seek help for mental problems. "Generally, girls take things more seriously than boys. This applies to school, friends and family," says researcher Anders Bakken. |
Researchers develop exciting new vaccine adjuvantAssociate Professors Bridget Stocker and Mattie Timmer from the School of Chemical and Physical Sciences worked with scientists from Japan to develop an adjuvant which can kick-start a powerful immune response and trigger a specific type of T-cell response. Adjuvants are substances that improve the body's immune response to an antigen. | |
 | Why women with HIV are persistently invisible – and how we can challenge itThe night before International Women's Day, I volunteered behind the bar at "A Catwalk for Power, Resistance and Hope", a fabulous fashion show for women with HIV organised by ACT UP London Women (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power), and Positively UK, an organisation that runs peer-led support groups for people with HIV. |
 | New educational app helps support GvHD diagnosis and scoring after HCTAllogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation (HCT) is a curative and established treatment approach for patients with haematological malignancies such as leukaemia. However, graft-versus-host disease (GvHD), where the transplanted stem cells react against the tissues of the patient, is a major complication and often results in late morbidity and mortality, as well as in a reduction of quality of life. The accurate evaluation of this disease is thus of paramount importance to correctly evaluate and optimize transplantation outcome. |
Study finds delay in initial dementia diagnosisA study conducted by a multidisciplinary Spectrum Health neurology team has found that dementia patients are not undergoing evaluation at the onset of the dementia process, a delay that prevents early, beneficial treatment. | |
 | H7N9 influenza vaccine clinical trials beginTwo new clinical trials testing an experimental vaccine to prevent influenza caused by an H7N9 influenza virus are now enrolling volunteers at sites across the United States. The Phase 2 studies, sponsored by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will test different dosages of the inactivated influenza vaccine candidate (called 2017 H7N9 IIV) as well as different vaccination schedules. The studies also will evaluate whether an adjuvant boosts the immune responses of people receiving the vaccine. |
AAOS approves diagnostic criteria for management of DDH in infants up to six months of ageThe American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors approved new Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for Management of Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH) in Infants up to Six Months of Age. In babies and children with developmental dislocation (dysplasia) of the hip, the hip "ball and socket" joint is not formed normally and may easily be dislocated. This AUC is also the first to provide an online diagnostic tool for management of DDH customized for both generalists and referring physicians and orthopaedic specialists to better detect and determine appropriate treatments for the nonoperative management of DDH. | |
Biology news
 | Crops hold harmful mutations that reduce productivityNew research reveals that even the highest performing maize crops contain rare harmful mutations that limit crop productivity. |
 | Key polarity protein uncoveredNorthwestern Medicine scientists have identified a protein called CLAMP as crucial to a mechanism that organizes cells and allows some to perform specialized functions, according to a study published in the Journal of Cell Biology. |
 | Burrowing into the inner world of snake evolutionLooking inside the head of a snake is so much easier when the snake is a fossil. |
 | Democratizing single-cell analysisScientists at the Allen Institute and the University of Washington have developed a new low-cost technique for profiling gene expression in hundreds of thousands of cells. Split Pool Ligation-based Transcriptome sequencing (SPLiT-seq) is a scalable technique for characterizing RNA in individual cells that can be used to identify the various cell types found in the brain and other tissues. The research is published this week in the journal Science. |
 | New understanding of parasite biology might help stop malaria transmissionMalaria parasites multiply asexually in the human bloodstream, thereby causing chronic infection and all the complications associated with this devastating disease. During each round of multiplication, a small proportion of parasites develop into non-dividing gametocytes instead. Gametocytes are infectious to mosquitoes and are therefore the catalyst for transmitting malaria to other humans. Understanding how malaria parasites control the switch to gametocyte production is central to support the development of therapeutic interventions that could block malaria transmission. |
 | Potential new way to limit antibiotic resistance spreadingOne of the biggest current threats to global health is the rise of multi-drug resistant bacteria, caused by the spread of antibiotic resistance amongst them. In an attempt to fight this threat, EMBL researchers have unraveled the molecular basis of a major antibiotic resistance transfer mechanism. They also developed molecules and a proof-of-principle for blocking this transfer. The results are published in Cell. |
 | CRISPR genetic editing takes another big step forward, targeting RNAMost people have heard of the CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing technology, which acts as targeted molecular scissors to cut and replace disease-causing genes with healthy ones. But DNA is only part of the story; many genetic diseases are caused by problems with RNA, a working copy of DNA that is translated into proteins. |
 | Scientists map the portal to the cell's nucleusLike an island nation, the nucleus of a cell has a transportation problem. Evolution has enclosed it with a double membrane, the nuclear envelope, which protects DNA but also cuts it off from the rest of the cell. Nature's solution is a massive—by molecular standards—cylindrical configuration known as the nuclear pore complex, through which imports and exports travel, connecting the bulk of the cell with its headquarters. |
 | How royal jelly helps honeybee larvae defy gravity and become queensHoneybee larvae develop into queen bees only when they are fed large quantities of a food known as royal jelly. But royal jelly does more than determine whether a larva becomes a queen: it also keeps her safely anchored to the roof of the structure, called a queen cell, in which she develops. Research published in Current Biology on March 15 explains the role that the pH of royal jelly plays in making the substance viscous enough to keep the queen-to-be from falling. |
 | Study finds that ending overfishing would stop the population declines of endangered bycatch species about half the timeHealthier fish stocks. Higher catches. Profits from fishing. Is there a way to achieve these holy grails of commercial fisheries without harming endangered species that are caught incidentally? |
 | Fussy eating prevents mongoose family feudsMongooses living in large groups develop "specialist" diets so they don't have to fight over food, new research shows. |
 | Big game hunters in Africa urged to drop the lead to help save vulturesA third of all vultures caught and tested in the Botswana study showed elevated levels of lead in their blood, most likely due to ingesting lead bullet-contaminated flesh. Hunters' bullets shatter inside their prey and can then be absorbed into the blood stream of the vultures when they feed on these animals or their remains. This ingested lead is highly toxic to birds. |
 | Spotted marsupial returned to mainland Australia after half centuryA species of spotted marsupial devastated by foxes has been returned to the wild in mainland Australia for the first time in almost 50 years in a rare and landmark conservation success story. |
 | Mountains become islands—ecological dangers of increasing land use in East AfricaThe mountains of East Africa are a treasure trove of biodiversity. However, their ecosystems may be at a higher risk than previously realized. Dr. Andreas Hemp and Dr. Claudia Hemp have discovered that Mount Kilimanjaro is turning into an "ecological island". Agriculture and housing construction have eliminated the natural vegetation that used to serve as a bridge to the surrounding area, enabling the diversity of species to develop to its current levels. Neighbouring mountain regions are presumably also being isolated from their surrounding areas. The researchers have published their study in the journal Global Change Biology. |
 | When natural disaster strikes, can insects and other invertebrates recover?After a 100-year flood struck south central Oklahoma in 2015, a study of the insects, arthropods, and other invertebrates in the area revealed striking declines of most invertebrates in the local ecosystem, a result that researchers say illustrates the hidden impacts of natural disasters. |
 | Bacterial and host cell proteins interact to regulate Chlamydia's 'exit strategy'Interactions between Chlamydia trachomatis proteins and host cell proteins help determine whether the bacterium leaves an infected cell via breakdown of the cellular membrane (lysis) or in a membrane-bound package, according to new research published in PLOS Pathogens by Phu Hai Nguyen of the National Institutes of Health, U.S., and colleagues. |
 | Biologists unravel another mystery of what makes DNA go 'loopy'Scientists discovered another key to how DNA forms loops and wraps inside the cell nucleus—a precise method of "packing" that may affect gene expression. |
 | Twice as many birds at Putah Creek after water restoredA small restored area is having a big impact on regional birds, fish and animals, according to a study published in the journal Ecological Restoration by the University of California, Davis. |
 | How cells protect themselves against mechanical stressThe Piezo1 and Piezo2 ion channels are known to open up response to the slightest mechanical stimulus. MDC researchers have now discovered that the channels are also sensitive to changes in membrane voltage. The voltage sensitivity appears to be an ancient property of these channels that protects cells from mechanical stress. |
 | Why duck shooting season still isn't on the endangered listOn March 17, the 2018 duck shooting session will open in Victoria. The first shots were fired in Tasmania and South Australia last weekend. The Northern Territory allows certain types of bird shooting later in the year. Duck shooting is prohibited in the rest of Australia. |
This email is a free service of Science X Network
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you do not wish to receive such emails in the future, please unsubscribe here.
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com. You may manage your subscription options from your Science X profile
No comments:
Post a Comment