Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized PHYSorg.com Newsletter for October 3, 2011:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- New way to store light could prove useful for optical communication- Supercritical water could lead to biomass-to-fuel conversion on a large scale
- Boston Dynamics unwraps military robot AlphaDog (w/ video)
- Immune system discoveries earn Nobel in medicine (Update)
- Researchers find world's first x-ray laser produces most coherent x-ray radiation ever
- How the brain makes memories: Rhythmically!
- Scientists combine tumor-targeting peptides and nanoparticles to destroy glioblastoma
- Neuroscientists discover new player in how brain deals with stress
- New evidence for genetic basis of autism found
- Study finds unprecedented Arctic ozone loss
- Researchers advance next generation biofuels by turning up the heat on biomass pretreatment processes
- Pee power: Urine-loving bug churns out space fuel
- Scientists discover 'fickle' DNA changes in brain
- Genomic architecture presages genomic instability: study
- Decline and recovery of coral reefs linked to 700 years of human and environmental activity
Space & Earth news
Hydrogen fluoride may be the major cause of coal burning endemic fluorosis
Professor Handong Liangfrom State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology Beijing and his group demonstrate that hydrogen fluoride is the prior releasing form of fluorine in long-term air-exposed coal under combustion and mild heating, which may change current understanding of the cause and prevailing mechanism of coal burning endemic fluorosis.
Australian adventurers in South Pole quest
Two Australian adventurers who made history by kayaking unassisted to New Zealand set off on Monday hoping to bag a new record by walking from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back.
EU urges roadmap this year on climate action
The European Union urged all nations Sunday to make clear how they will tackle climate change, saying the world needs a roadmap this year on future action even if a treaty appears out of reach.
Image: View of mission operations control room during the Apollo 13 mission
Gene Kranz (foreground, back to camera), an Apollo 13 Flight Director, watches Apollo 13 astronaut and lunar module pilot Fred Haise onscreen in the Mission Operations Control Room, during the mission's fourth television transmission on the evening of April 13, 1970.
Scientists hail Africa's steps into space
More African countries are launching satellites and taking advantage of space technology, the world's top scientists heard Monday at a meeting marking the 50th anniversary of human space flight.
Antennas by General Dynamics enable 'early science' for ALMA
Thirteen 12-meter antennas manufactured by General Dynamics SATCOM Technologies have been successfully installed at the 16,500-foot-high Chajnantor plateau in Chile, home to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) astronomical observatory. Located in the Andes mountains, the 115-ton, highly specialized antennas form part of an 11-mile-wide international astronomy project. When it is completed in 2013, scientists will use the observatory to study portions of the universe at a level of detail that is beyond what current astronomical technologies provide, studying the origins of galaxies, stars, and planets.
Drought confuses some smart-irrigation controllers
Confounded by Texas weather? So are most “smart” electronic irrigation controllers, according to a Texas AgriLIfe Extension Service expert.
Iran, Iraq pay $1.2 bn to battle sandstorms
A top Iranian environment official said on Monday Tehran and Baghdad will jointly pay $1.2 billion in a project to reduce the number of sand dunes in a bid to cut the number of sandstorms from Iraq.
Austrian glaciers shrink dramatically
Austria's glaciers shrank dramatically this summer, the most since a record hot period in 2003, principally because of low amounts of snow the preceding winter, scientists said.
Russia launches first Soyuz rocket since August crash
A Russian Soyuz-2 rocket launched a GLONASS navigation satellite on Sunday, the defence ministry said, in the first launch since a freighter carried by the flagship vehicle crashed into Earth in August.
Obama under fire over space plans
High-profile critics fear President Barack Obama's commercial overhaul of human spaceflight is going nowhere and could mark the end of half a century of US supremacy among the stars and planets.
Toxic mining disasters 'loom in eastern Europe'
Toxic mining disasters loom in eastern Europe as the European Union has failed to pass legislation a year after Hungary's lethal toxic mud spill, an environmentalist group said on Monday.
The climate change debate: Man versus nature
The public discussion on climate change has become so polarized that some scientists don’t even acknowledge there is a debate. Climate scientist at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, Gavin Schmidt, is one of those people.
Dawn spacecraft begins new Vesta mapping orbit
(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft has completed a gentle spiral into its new science orbit for an even closer view of the giant asteroid Vesta. Dawn began sending science data on Sept. 29 from this new orbit, known as the high altitude mapping orbit (HAMO).
Seismologists' trial in Italy highlights need for routine earthquake forecasting, geophysicist says
Six Italian seismologists and one government official went on trial for manslaughter in Italy last week. The unusual trial stems from accusations that the seven failed to adequately communicate the potential for a major earthquake to the population around the central Italian town of L'Aquila, which was hit by a devastating magnitude 6.3 earthquake in the predawn hours of April 6, 2009.
Iran postpones monkey's ride into space
Iran's plans to send a live monkey into space have been postponed indefinitely, the country's top space official said, quoted on Monday by the state television website.
Gravitational waves that are 'sounds of the universe'
Einstein wrote about them, and we're still looking for them -- gravitational waves, which are small ripples in the fabric of space-time, that many consider to be the sounds of our universe.
Earth is having a bad acid trip, study finds
Earth may be overdosing on acid - not the "turn on, tune in, drop out" kind, but the "kill fish, kill coral, kill crops" kind. And it's shaping up to be a very bad trip.
Commercial space deliveries 'within months': NASA
The US space agency NASA said Monday it expects commercial operators will deliver cargo to space within months, stressing that private missions were crucial to its future human activities.
Chemical-munching mussels contaminating Great Lakes
Zebra mussels from the Caspian Sea, introduced to North America by accident, are becoming a veritable plague releasing toxic chemicals into the Great Lakes, Canadian biologists say.
Tenerife island landscape reveals explosive past
Volcanologists from the University of Leicester have uncovered one of the world's best-preserved accessible examples of a monstrous landslide that followed a huge volcanic eruption on the Canarian island of Tenerife.
Most complex ground-based observatory - ALMA - opens its eyes
(PhysOrg.com) -- Humanity's most complex ground-based astronomy observatory, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), has officially opened for astronomers. The first released image, from a telescope still under construction, reveals a view of the Universe that cannot be seen at all by visible-light and infrared telescopes. Thousands of scientists from around the world have competed to be among the first few researchers to explore some of the darkest, coldest, furthest, and most hidden secrets of the cosmos with this new astronomical tool.
The strange attraction of Gale crater
Curiosity is about to go to Mars. The car-sized rover, also known as the Mars Science Lab, is scheduled for launch in late November or early December 2011 from the Kennedy Space Center. After an eight-month voyage to Mars, Curiosity will land at the foot of a 3 mile high mountain in a crater named "Gale."
An exoplanet orbiting a double star
(PhysOrg.com) -- The Kepler satellite, which has now reported the detection of 1781 candidate exoplanets (a planet around a star other than the sun), has also discovered that at least one of them orbits a double star. Each of the two stars in this new system is smaller than the sun (one is 0.2 solar-masses and the other is 0.69 solar-masses), and the planet, called Kepler 16, actually orbits around both of them (rather than orbiting only one).
Enceladus weather: Snow flurries and perfect powder for skiing
(PhysOrg.com) -- Global and high resolution mapping of Enceladus confirms that the weather forecast for Saturn's unique icy moon is set for ongoing snow flurries. The superfine ice crystals that coat Enceladus's surface would make perfect powder for skiing, according to Dr Paul Schenk of the Lunar and Planetary Institute (Houston, Texas), who will present the results at the EPSC-DPS Joint Meeting 2011 in Nantes, France on Monday 3rd October.
Spinning hourglass object may be the first of many to be discovered in the Kuiper belt
(PhysOrg.com) -- The bizarre, hourglass-shaped Kuiper belt object 2001QG298 spins round like a propeller as it orbits the Sun, according to an astronomer from Queens University Belfast. The discovery that the spinning object is tilted at nearly 90 degrees to the ecliptic plane is surprising, and suggests that this type of object could be very common in the Kuiper belt. The finding will be presented by Dr Pedro Lacerda at the Joint Meeting of the European Planetary Science Congress and the Division for Planetary Sciences in Nantes, France, on 3 October 2011.
Forest structure, services and biodiversity may be lost even as form remains
A forest may look like a forest, have many of the same trees that used to live there, but still lose the ecological, economic or cultural values that once made it what it was, researchers suggest this week in articles in Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences.
Rising CO2 levels at end of Ice Age not tied to Pacific Ocean
At the end of the last Ice Age, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rose rapidly as the planet warmed; scientists have long hypothesized that the source was CO2 released from the deep ocean.
Study reveals how gas, temperature controlled bacterial response to Deepwater Horizon spill
In a new study, UC Santa Barbara scientists explain how they used DNA to identify microbes present in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and how they identified the microbes responsible for consuming the large amount of natural gas present immediately after the spill. They also explain how water temperature played a key role in the way bacteria reacted to the spill.
Decline and recovery of coral reefs linked to 700 years of human and environmental activity
Changing human activities coupled with a dynamic environment over the past few centuries have caused fluctuating periods of decline and recovery of corals reefs in the Hawaiian Islands, according to a study sponsored in part by the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stony Brook University. Using the reefs and island societies as a model social-ecological system, a team of scientists reconstructed 700 years of human-environment interactions in two different regions of the Hawaiian archipelago to identify the key factors that contributed to degradation or recovery of coral reefs.
Study finds unprecedented Arctic ozone loss
(PhysOrg.com) -- A NASA-led study has documented an unprecedented depletion of Earth's protective ozone layer above the Arctic last winter and spring caused by an unusually prolonged period of extremely low temperatures in the stratosphere.
Technology news
Mobile-loving Thais still waiting for full 3G
While BlackBerrys and iPhones are fast becoming must-have accessories for many urban Thais, mobile Internet in the kingdom is still struggling to get out of the slow lane.
Thai PM's Twitter account hacked
Thai prime minister Yingluck Shinawatra came under fire from her own Twitter account on Sunday when it was briefly taken over by an anonymous hacker who accused her of incompetence.
Obama got presidential iPad from Steve Jobs
US President Barack Obama revealed Monday that he received his iPad directly from Apple founder Steve Jobs ahead of the release of the hot-selling tablet computer.
AT&T wants Sprint suit over T-Mobile deal quashed
(AP) -- AT&T Inc. on Friday asked a court to eject rival Sprint Nextel Corp. from the process that looks at whether AT&T should be allowed to buy T-Mobile USA.
Kodak shares plunge as bankruptcy fears escalate
Investors dumped Eastman Kodak's stock Friday amid fears that the photography pioneer is headed toward bankruptcy.
New York City saddles up for cycling
Bicycle lanes, cycling lessons for adults, and soon 10,000 bikes in a sharing program: New York is pedaling hard to join the world's growing love affair with the bicycle.
Denmark levies world's first fat tax
Denmark Saturday became the first country in the world to impose a fat tax after a week in which consumers hoarded butter, pizza, meat and milk to avoid the immediate effects.
'Square' gives small US businesses an edge
Word is spreading quickly among small American businesses hustling to thrive in tough economic times -- hip young Internet payment service Square will give them an edge.
Samsung grows ever bigger, but icon status elusive
If you own a consumer electronics gadget, there's a good chance something from Samsung makes it tick. The company has traveled far from its roots as a seller of cheap appliances in the 1970s and 1980s when South Korean products were more likely to be panned than praised internationally.
Chilean car shines in solar auto competition
Latin America's first big solar car competition has a winner: a Chilean entry named Intikalpa sped to success in the Atacama Solar Challenge.
Oracle uses Sun to put heat on IBM, HP
Oracle chief executive Larry Ellison boasted that the acquisition of business computer equipment firm Sun Microsystems had helped turn up the heat on rivals IBM and Hewlett-Packard.
'Invisible key' invented by Taiwan scientists
A team of Taiwanese researchers have developed an "invisible key" technology which allows users to unlock their doors by means of simple hand gestures, the head of the team said Monday.
Newspapers to disappear by 2040: UN agency chief
Newspapers will disappear and be replaced by digital versions by 2040, the UN intellectual property agency's chief said in an interview published on Monday.
Alibaba chief 'interested' in buying Yahoo!
The head of Chinese Internet giant Alibaba is "interested" in buying Yahoo! and has been approached by private equity firms and other groups about doing a deal, The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday.
Intel acquires Israeli mapping company Telmap
Intel, the world's largest chipmaker, is in the process of acquiring Israeli mobile mapping firm Telmap, the two companies confirmed on Monday, in a deal reportedly worth about $300 million.
ESA centrifuge opens door to high-gravity worlds
Astronauts' jobs sometimes weigh heavy on them: crews returning from space briefly endure ‘g-loading’ more than four times Earth normal. Scientists interested in hypergravity need to create it for minutes, days or even weeks at a time. Fortunately, ESA’s Large Diameter Centrifuge does just that.
Yahoo, ABC joining forces in news partnership
(AP) -- ABC News is joining forces with Yahoo Inc. to deliver more digital news content to their audiences. With the deal, ABC News content will be prominently featured on the Yahoo News and Yahoo front page.
Can MRI drive a medical robot?
Engineers at Children’s Hospital Boston have demonstrated the ability to program the magnetic field generated by a clinical MRI scanner to motorize and control a robotic instrument – in this case, a surgical biopsy needle. They presented their work at the International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems 2011 (IROS 2011) sponsored by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Robotics Society of Japan in San Francisco on September 29. Their paper, "MRI-powered Actuators for Robotic Interventions," was recognized as one of five finalists for the IROS 2011 Best Paper Award.
Sony PlayStation Network releases exclusive games
Sony Computer Entertainment America this week will begin rolling out exclusive new games as part of a strategy to lure players with fun titles only available on its PlayStation Network (PSN).
Obama's fuel economy rules a job killer, auto dealers say
Flying squads of auto dealers descended on Washington, D.C., in late September. Amped up by a rabble-rousing talk by House Speaker John Boehner and clutching copies of a dealers' association pamphlet entitled "A Flawed Fuel Economy Structure Produces a Flawed Result," about 500 dealers lobbied their elected representatives to do what they could to overturn the 54.5 mpg Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standard for 2025 hammered out between automakers and the Obama administration.
Kodak tries to quash bankruptcy fears; shares jump
(AP) -- Eastman Kodak Co. shares soared more than 57 percent Monday after the photo company tried to quash investor fears of a bankruptcy, which had caused shares to lose more than half their value on Friday.
Brussels prods Europe to invest in broadband
The EU executive Monday urged Europe's largest telecoms operators to invest in high-speed broadband as it launched a review into the price of access to smaller alternative operators.
Rhapsody buys Napster from Best Buy
Former file-sharing renegade Napster has a new owner.
Zynga brings edgy crime play to 'Mafia Wars 2' game
Social game star Zynga, known for friendly titles such as "FarmVille," is letting people unleash crime lord fantasies in "Mafia Wars 2" tailored for play at Facebook.
Apple chief Cook to debut hot new iPhone
Apple's Tim Cook is expected to kick off his reign as chief executive on Tuesday by unveiling a hot new iPhone model that some analysts are predicting will be a bestseller.
Report: Sprint to buy more than 30M iPhones
(AP) -- Sprint is committing to buy more than 30 million iPhones over the next four years, imposing a heavy burden on an already cash-strapped company, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Verizon sues to overturn 'net neutrality' rules
Verizon Communications, the largest U.S. cell phone carrier, is suing to overturn new government regulations governing the flow of Internet traffic.
GE, Nissan join hands on electric cars
General Electric and Nissan, maker of the all-electric Nissan Leaf, said Friday they will team up over the next two years to explore ways to promote the use of electric vehicles.
Microsoft anti-virus program evicts Chrome browser
Microsoft raced to fix an anti-virus program that targeted Google's Chrome browsing software as a malicious threat and kicked it off computers.
No-chemicals solar powered bug killer seeks Europe expansion
(PhysOrg.com) -- AgriSolar this week announced an aggressive push into the European market for its no-chemicals insect killer that makes use of solar power to heat special insect-zapping light bulbs. AgriSolar said it plans to open several European sales and distribution offices with European partners. Its push is intended to capitalize on EU legislation that supports reducing the health risks of certain chemical pesticides.
Paris launches world-first electric car-share scheme
Self-service electric cars appeared on the streets of Paris Sunday, as a French group launched a public car-hire scheme modelled on the capital's popular bicycle-sharing system and designed to become the world's largest of its kind.
General Motors announces first center mounted airbags (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- General Motors, in a move to make driving automobiles safer, has announced it will be installing center-mounted airbags in three of its 2013 crossover vehicles. The center mounted airbags will be positioned next to the driver to protect occupants against far (passenger) side impacts.
Buildings house secret servers that keep the Internet running
From the outside, the Gothic brick and limestone building a few blocks south of downtown almost looks abandoned.
LED startup Switch Lighting hopes to light the way in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is known for computer chips, software companies and social networks - but not light bulbs.
Supercritical water could lead to biomass-to-fuel conversion on a large scale
(PhysOrg.com) -- Converting agricultural waste into vehicle fuel has so far been an enticing yet elusive endeavor, at least on the industrial scale. But recently the Georgia-based company Renmatix has taken steps toward this goal by opening a research and development center in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. The company will attempt to produce an efficient and cost-effective method for extracting the sugars from cellulosic biomass, which can consist of wood chips, switchgrass, and other non-edible parts of crops. The sugars can then be converted into motor fuels such as ethanol or feedstock chemicals.
Medicine & Health news
New guideline outlines recommendations to reduce blood clots after hip and knee replacement
An updated clinical practice guideline released last week by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Board of Directors recommends how to reduce the likelihood of blood clots after hip or knee replacement surgery, procedures that more than 800,000 Americans undergo each year. The new guideline suggests use of preventive treatments and advises against routinely screening patients after surgery using ultrasound imaging.
Consider the breast and lungs when determining thoracic imaging protocols
Carefully consider the radiation dose to the breast and lungs before deciding which CT protocol to use for thoracic imaging of individual patients, a new study cautions.
Lower contrast agent dose feasible in 320 row CT angiography
The analysis of 180 CT angiography studies done using a 320 detector row CT scanner found that a contrast media protocol based on 60 milliliters of iopamidol "had sufficient enhancement in more than 96% of coronary segments," said Frank Rybicki, MD, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and one of the authors of the study.
New technology offers the next generation of mammography
Breast cancer is the second most common type of cancer among women in the United States, with approximately 200,000 new diagnoses each year. Early detection is key in the treatment of breast cancer and the biggest advancement for detection in 30 years has arrived at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center – tomosynthesis, an innovative technology that provides three-dimensional detailed imaging of the breast.
Researchers identifiy more accurate treatment delivery for robotic radiosurgery system
– Radiosurgery is a non-invasive medical procedure in which focused beams of high-energy X-rays target tumors and other abnormalities in the body. A single large dose of radiation is capable of ablating a lesion that might not be amenable to surgical removal. However, some radiosurgery systems, such as the CyberKnife (CK), can be relatively time-consuming because the treatment planning requires the delivery of up to several hundred cone-shaped beams to adequately cover an irregularly shaped tumor. But a new study from Fox Chase Cancer Center now reports that there is an alternative to the conventional CyberKnife treatment delivery system. This new technique uses a multileaf collimator (MLC) and can flexibly sculpt a single radiation beam to match the exact contour of a tumor––significantly reducing the treatment time and minimizing the amount of radiation to the neighboring tissues.
Long road from farm to fork worsens food outbreaks
(AP) -- The recent listeria outbreak from cantaloupe shows that large-scale occurrences of serious illnesses linked to tainted food have grown more common over the years, partly because much of what we eat takes a long and winding road from farm to fork.
Soccer could give homeless men a health kick, study says
Playing street football two or three times a week could halve the risk of early death in homeless men. Research led by the Universities of Exeter and Copenhagen, out today, shows the positive impact of street football on the fitness of homeless people, a group with typically poor health and low life expectancy.
Calif. gov signs bill to prevent circumcision bans
(AP) -- California's governor has signed a bill that that will prevent local governments from banning male circumcision.
Prevention measures needed to address major risk of falls after stroke
Almost 60 per cent of people who have a stroke experience one or more falls afterwards – most often in their own homes – and some are left with serious injuries, according to a study released today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.
More screening needed to identify depression, vision loss after mild stroke
On the surface they appear unaffected, but people who have mild strokes may live with hidden disabilities, including depression, vision problems and difficulty thinking, according to a study released today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.
Poor footwear linked to foot impairment and disability in gout patients
New research shows that use of poor footwear is common among patients with gout. According to the study published today in Arthritis Care & Research, a peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), gout patients who make poor footwear choices experienced higher foot-related pain, impairment and disability. Gout patients also reported that comfort, fit, support and cost were the most important factors for selecting footwear.
Mayo Clinic study: multiple surgeries and anesthesia exposure
Every year millions of babies and toddlers receive general anesthesia for procedures ranging from hernia repair to ear surgery. Now, researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester have found a link among children undergoing multiple surgeries requiring general anesthesia before age 2 and learning disabilities later in childhood.
Drugs firm GSK eyes India acquisitions: chief executive
British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline is in the market to buy assets in India at a total cost of up to $2.0 billion (1.5 billion euros), its chief executive said in an interview published on Monday.
Researchers call for more awareness of male breast cancer as cases rise
(Medical Xpress) -- Awareness of male breast cancer is low and most men do not even know they are at risk despite an increase in cases, reveals new research from the University of Leeds.
Getting back in the game: 'Sleeper' shoulder stretch
Researchers at the University of Alberta have found that the "sleeper" shoulder stretch is actually just what varsity athletes need to improve shoulder rotation and get back in the game.
Most cancer physicians reach out to bereaved family, caregivers
While the majority (70 percent) of surveyed cancer care physicians initiate contact with the bereaved family and caregivers of their patients who have died, over two-thirds do not feel they have received adequate training in this area during their residency or fellowship, according to a study presented October 2, 2011, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
Penn-developed online informed consent tool could boost number of patients in cancer clinical trials
A new multimedia informed consent tool accessed via the Internet may make it easier for cancer patients to understand and feel comfortable enrolling in clinical trials, according a study conducted by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania that will be presented at the American Society for Radiation Oncology's (ASTRO) 53rd Annual Meeting. The research group points to the tool as a potential way to buoy the low percentage of adult cancer patients who participate in clinical trials, which hovers between 2 and 4 percent nationwide.
Study reports predictors of poor hand hygiene in an emergency department
Researchers studying hand hygiene of healthcare workers in the emergency department found certain care situations, including bed location and type of healthcare worker performing care, resulted in poorer hand hygiene practice. The study was reported in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
Race to nerve regeneration: faster is better
A team of researchers led by Clifford Woolf and Chi Ma, at Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, Boston, has identified a way to accelerate the regeneration of injured peripheral nerves in mice such that muscle function is restored. In an accompanying commentary, Ahmet Höke, at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, discusses the importance of this work to the clinical problem.
Higher radiation dose does not help lung cancer patients live longer
A higher dose of radiation (74 Gy) does not improve overall survival for non-small cell lung cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, compared to the standard radiation dose (60 Gy), according to an interim analysis of a late-breaking randomized study presented at the plenary session, October 3, 2011, at the 53rdAnnual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
Nursing home hospitalizations often driven by payer status
The decision by nursing homes whether or not to treat an ill resident on-site or send them to a hospital are often linked to that person's insurance status. A new study out this month shows that on average individuals enrolled in Medicaid are 27 percent more likely to be sent to the hospital than individuals with private insurance – decisions that often result in higher costs of care and poor health outcomes.
Study gauges emotional toll of direct-to-consumer genetic testing
Among the latest health care trends seeking to advance "individualized medicine" are private companies marketing genetic testing directly to patients. The mail-in kits, with price tags as high as $2,500, use a saliva specimen to identify small variations in the human genome (called "single nucleotide polymorphisms" or "SNPs") associated with heightened risk for diseases such as diabetes and prostate cancer. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has raised concerns about whether the tests are clinically beneficial and has advocated they be conducted under medical supervision, but few studies to date have investigated the emotional effects that direct-to-consumer genetic screens have on patients.
Cancer patients in their 60s are tech-savvy
When cancer patients are given the choice, they are significantly more likely to use Web-based technology to answer questions about their quality of life six months after treatment, compared to a paper survey, according to a unique study presented at a scientific session, October 5, 2011, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
Virtual fly-through bronchoscopy yields real results
For patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) the accurate determination of the lymph node status before therapy is critical to develop an individualized treatment plan. Research from the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine highlights a new way for this information to be collected -- a virtual fly-through three-dimensional 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) bronchoscopy that has high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of regional lymph node metastases.
Medicare patients at risk of long-term institutionalization after hospital stay
Confirming many elderly patients' worst fears, a national study has shown that being hospitalized for an acute event, such as a stroke or hip fracture, can lead to long-term institutionalization in a nursing home. Equally alarming, researchers found that direct discharge to a skilled nursing facility -- a common practice designed to reduce hospital stays -- put patients at "extremely high risk" of needing long-term nursing home care.
Premature birth may increase risk of epilepsy later in life
Being born prematurely may increase your risk of developing epilepsy as an adult, according to a new study published in the October 4, 2011, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Suspects of child abuse homicide are convicted at rates similar to suspects of adult homicides
Child abuse homicide offenders appear to be convicted at a rate similar to that of adult homicide offenders in Utah and receive similar levels in severity of sentencing, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Rare flu-like virus on the rise: US
A rare virus has killed three people and sickened nearly 100 in Japan, the Philippines, the United States and the Netherlands over the past two years, US health authorities said Friday.
Study: Impediment to some cancer immunotherapy involves the free radical peroxynitrite
Researchers at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla., and colleagues have found that tumor cell resistance to a specific cancer immunotherapy designed to kill cancer cells can be blamed on a mechanism that involves the production of a free radical peroxynitrite (PNT) that causes resistance to therapeutic cancer-killing cells.
Study finds that less is more for common cancer drug
University of Georgia scientists have found that smaller, less toxic amounts of chemotherapy medicine given frequently to mice with human prostate cancer noticeably slowed tumor growth. The mice suffered fewer side effects compared with traditional cancer treatment relying on heavy doses that can cause hair and bone loss.
'Micro'-chemo and cancer pill combo tested in liver cancer patients
A combination of an oral drug, called sorafenib, and a method for injecting microbeads of chemotherapy directly into tumors has been proven safe for liver cancer patients and may improve outcomes for those who have these fast-growing, deadly tumors whose numbers are on the rise in the U.S.
Turkish womb transplant promises hope for women
Lying on a hospital bed in her laced violet nightgown, Derya Sert is the first woman in the world to receive a womb from a deceased donor, raising hopes for millions of women to bear a child.
Cigarette vending machines banned in England
Cigarette vending machines were banned in England on Saturday, a move the government hopes will cut the numbers of children smoking.
Obesity or stem cell research could win Nobel
Two scientists who unlocked some of the mysteries linked to obesity or a professor who figured out how to make stem cells without human embryos could be candidates for the medicine award when the first of the 2011 Nobel Prizes are announced Monday.
Archaeologists uncover prehistoric pre-school (w/ video)
(PhysOrg.com) -- Archaeological research reveals that 13,000 years before CBeebies hunter-gatherer children as young as three were creating art in deep, dark caves alongside their parents.
PCs to blame for rise in stressed out workers
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers interested in stress at work have been concerned at the increased intensity of work in the EU over the past 20 years. A more detailed breakdown has shown that this increase between 1995 and 2005 occurred in all countries with only one exception, the UK. Our early adoption of computers may be the key.
Smoking causes stroke to occur
Not only are smokers twice as likely to have strokes, they are almost a decade younger than non-smokers when they have them, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.
Combination HPV diagnostic test for head and neck cancer outperformed other tests
Researchers have determined that a combination of P16 immunohistochemistry and DNA qPCR to test for viral E6 can accurately determine the oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, a form of head and neck cancer, which derive from HPV16, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Modeling cancer using ecological principles
The invasion of a new species into an established ecosystem can be directly compared to the steps involved in cancer metastasis. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Theoretical Biology and Medical Modelling uses the Tilman model of competition between invasive species to study the metastasis of prostate cells into bone.
Feeling entitled makes dull tasks drag on
(Medical Xpress) -- People who feel entitled may think performing dull tasks is a waste of their precious time, resulting in a perception that time passes slowly, according to a new University of Michigan study.
Study finds red meat may increase colon polyp risk
(Medical Xpress) -- Cancer investigators from Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Tennessee Valley Health System in Nashville) have found that eating a steady diet of red or processed meat, especially meat that has been cooked at high temperatures, may increase the risk of developing colon polyps.
Stress hormones may increase cardiovascular risks for shift workers
A recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) found that shift work at a young age is associated with elevated long-term cortisol levels and increased BMI. Previous studies have shown that long-term elevated cortisol levels lead to increased abdominal obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular risk.
BPA exposure in utero may increase predisposition to breast cancer
A recent study accepted for publication in Molecular Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society, found that perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of bisphenol A (BPA) alters long-term hormone response and breast development in mice that may increase the propensity to develop cancer.
Listeriosis outbreak linked to cantaloupes rare but not surprising
Listeriosis outbreaks like the current one traced to Colorado cantaloupes are extremely rare, according to a farm food-safety expert in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. But Luke LaBorde, associate professor of food science, worries that melons present a heightened risk for spreading food-borne illnesses.
Scientist wins Nobel 3 days after cancer death (Update 2)
Rockefeller University in New York says Ralph Steinman, co-winner of this year's Nobel Prize in medicine, has died.
New study finds familiarity increases the fullness that children expect from snack foods
New research, led by psychologists at the University of Bristol, has found that children who are familiar with a snack food will expect it to be more filling. This finding, published (online ahead of print) in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, is important because it reveals one way in which children over-consume snack foods and increase their risk of becoming overweight.
Nobel jury caught off guard by death of laureate
The Nobel Medicine Prize jury was caught off guard Monday when it honoured a Canadian scientist who unbeknownst to them died just days before the announcement, with prize rules forbidding posthumous awards.
College football players can cry (a little) if they want to
While there's no crying in baseball, as Tom Hanks' character famously proclaimed in "A League of Their Own," crying in college football might not be a bad thing, at least in the eyes of one's teammates.
Men develop diabetes at lower BMIs than women
(Medical Xpress) -- Men develop type 2 diabetes at a lower Body Mass Index (BMI) than women, according to new research by clinical academics at the University of Glasgow.
We discount the pain of people we don't like
If a patient is not likeable, will he or she be taken less seriously when exhibiting or complaining about pain? Reporting in the October 2011 issue of Pain, researchers have found that observers of patients estimate lower pain intensity and are perceptually less sympathetic to the patients' pain when the patients are not liked.
Fighting prejudice through imitation
New research shows that you can reduce racial prejudice simply by having a person mimic the movements of a member of the race he or she is prejudiced against. The method may work by activating brain mechanisms that contribute to feelings of empathy.
Vitamin D deficiency common in cancer patients
More than three-quarters of cancer patients have insufficient levels of vitamin D (25-hydroxy-vitamin D) and the lowest levels are associated with more advanced cancer, according to a study presented on October 2, 2011, at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
Study: Residential washers may not kill hospital-acquired bacteria
Residential washing machines may not always use hot enough water to eliminate dangerous bacteria like methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Acinetobacter, a Gram-negative bacteria, from hospital uniforms, according to a study published in the November issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.
Researchers discover new enzyme function for anemia
Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital have discovered a new function for an enzyme that may protect against organ injury and death from anemia.
Cell movement provides clues to aggressive breast cancer
Researchers from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a specific molecule that alters how breast cancer cells move. This affects the cells' ability to spread or metastasize to distant parts of the body, the hallmark of deadly, aggressive cancer.
Fathers inspired Nobel winners' work
A love of nature combined with inspiration from their fathers helped drive the careers of two scientists who were awarded the Nobel Prize on Monday for their work on the immune system.
Study of cox-2 inhibitors could lead to new class of stroke drugs
A study, in mice, by investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine points toward potential new therapies for stroke, the nation's third-leading cause of death and foremost single cause of severe neurological disability. The study, which will be published online Oct. 3 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, also may reveal why a much-heralded class of blockbuster drugs failed to live up to their promise.
Bacteria enter via mucus-making gut cells
Cells making slippery mucus provide a sticking point for disease-causing bacteria in the gut, according to a study published on October 3 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Some link between CCSVI and MS but quality of evidence prevents definitive conclusion
Chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency (CCSVI) appears to be more common in people with multiple sclerosis than in people without the condition, states a review of published studies in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). However, there are not enough high-quality studies to allow definitive conclusions.
The mystery of chronic fatigue syndrome
For more than 100 years, medical literature has contained reports of a debilitating illness that causes prolonged fatigue, memory loss, headaches, cognitive problems and issues with digestion and sleep. Teddy Roosevelt, John Muir and Thomas Eakins all suffered from what was then known as neurasthenia.
More than 1 in 10 parents skip, delay kids' shots
(AP) -- By age 6, children should have vaccinations against 14 diseases, in at least two dozen separate doses, the U.S. government advises. More than 1 in 10 parents reject that, refusing some shots or delaying others mainly because of safety concerns, a national survey found.
Overall quality of pregnant woman's diet affects risk for two birth defects, study shows
The overall quality of a pregnant woman's diet is linked with risk for two types of serious birth defects, a new study from the Stanford University School of Medicine has shown. In the study, women who ate better before and during pregnancy gave birth to fewer infants with malformations of the brain and spinal cord, or orofacial clefts, such as cleft lip and cleft palate.
Social media sites may reveal information about problem drinking among college students
Social media websites, such as Facebook and MySpace, may reveal information that could identify underage college students who may be at risk for problem drinking, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine.
Community effort brings lasting drop in smoking, delinquency, drug use
Delaying the age when kids try alcohol or smoking decreases the likelihood that they will become dependent later in life. Effective interventions exist, but community disagreements about which programs to try can stymie decisions.
Severely impaired schizophrenics enter dynamic cycle of recovery after cognitive therapy
Cognitive therapy has dynamically improved the most neurologically impaired, poorly functioning schizophrenic patients. For the first time, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have shown that a psychosocial treatment can significantly improve daily functioning and quality of life in the lowest-functioning cases of schizophrenia. The study appears in the October 3 edition of Archives of General Psychiatry.
In reading facial emotion, context is everything
In a close-up headshot, Serena Williams' eyes are pressed tensely closed; her mouth is wide open, teeth bared. Her face looks enraged. Now zoom out: The tennis star is on the court, racket in hand, fist clenched in victory. She's not angry. She's ecstatic, having just beaten her sister Venus at the 2008 U.S. Open.
Overweight or obese kids at almost three times greater risk of high blood pressure
Overweight or obese children are at three times greater risk for high blood pressure than children of normal weight, according to researchers from the Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University School of Medicine.
Parental weight strongly influences thinness in children
Children with thinner parents are three times more likely to be thin than children whose parents are overweight, according to a new study by UCL researchers.
Certain therapies appear beneficial in reducing PTSD symptoms in some trauma survivors
Prolonged exposure therapy, cognitive therapy, and delayed prolonged exposure therapy, appear to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in patients who have experienced a recent traumatic event, according to a report published Online First by Archives of General Psychiatry.
Cervical cancer virus fuels oral cancer type, too
A prolonged sore throat once was considered a cancer worry mainly for smokers and drinkers. Today there's another risk: A sexually transmitted virus is fueling a rise in oral cancer.
Hopkins study finds MRI tests safe for people with implanted cardiac devices
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), an important diagnostic test, has traditionally been off limits to more than 2 million people in the United States who have an implanted pacemaker to regulate heart rhythms or an implanted defibrillator to prevent sudden cardiac death. Now, in a study published in the October 4 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, cardiologists at Johns Hopkins report that a protocol they developed has proved effective in enabling patients with implanted cardiac devices to safely undergo an MRI scan.
Previously unknown cell interaction is key in immune system attacks
Most of the time, the immune system is the body's protector, warding off invading viruses and bacteria before they can lead to infection and disease. But in autoimmune diseases, the immune system does an about face, turning on the body and attacking normal cells.
Potential leukaemia drug could be a good BET
(Medical Xpress) -- A team led by Cancer Research UK scientists in Cambridge have made a significant discovery in the lab that could lead to a new treatment for leukaemia.
Scientists describe mechanism for rare muscle disease
(Medical Xpress) -- A team of scientists from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem describe in C. elegans the process leading to a rare form of Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, a disease caused by a mutation in lamin A in man. Lamin A not only gives shape to the nucleus, but here it is shown that it controls the positioning of genes in the nucleus, thereby guaranteeing proper transcription. In a paper appearing in Current Biology, the authors show that perturbation of tissue-specific gene localization leads to aberrant muscle structure and function.
Research discovers novel mechanism for preventing infection via body's mucosal borders
Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have identified a previously unknown mechanism that generates protective immune memory cells to fight recurring infections at the body's mucosal linings – which include the mouth, the intestines, the lungs and other areas. These are the main entry points for many viruses and other infectious organisms. The findings were published online today in the journal Nature Immunology and open the door to the creation of new and more effective vaccines based on triggering the newly identified mechanism.
Study finds transcriptional biomarker for Huntington's disease
Huntington's disease, a devastating genetic disorder that causes degeneration of nerve cells in the brain, affects more than 15,000 Americans, and at least 150,000 are at risk of developing the disease. There is no known cure or treatment for the disease -- which starts with changes in mood, judgment, memory, and other cognitive functions and inevitably leads to increasing physical disability, dementia and death. In a new research paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences early edition online, researchers identify a transcriptional biomarker that may assist in the monitoring of disease activity and in the evaluation of new medications.
In reversing motor nerve damage, time is of the essence
When a motor nerve is severely damaged, people rarely recover full muscle strength and function. Neuroscientists from Children's Hospital Boston, combining patient data with observations in a mouse model, now show why. It's not that motor nerve fibers don't regrow -- they can -- but they don't grow fast enough. By the time they get to the muscle fibers, they can no longer communicate with them.
Rebooting the system: Immune cells repair damaged lung tissues after flu infection
There's more than one way to mop up after a flu infection. Now, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania report in Nature Immunology that a previously unrecognized population of lung immune cells orchestrate the body's repair response following flu infection.
Does your voice share your fertility with others?
(PhysOrg.com) -- Unlike members of other animal species, human females do not have obvious physical signs to show the opposite sex that they are ovulating. But research over the years have found subtle changes in women such as dressing, acting or even smelling more alluring during the times when they are most likely to conceive.
Tuberculosis bacterium's outer cell wall disarms the body's defense to remain infectious
The bacterium that causes tuberculosis has a unique molecule on its outer cell surface that blocks a key part of the body's defense. New research suggests this represents a novel mechanism in the microbe's evolving efforts to remain hidden from the human immune system.
Worm-tracking challenge leads to new tool for brain research
Using new optical equipment, a team of 11 researchers put roundworms into a world of virtual reality, monitored both their behavior and brain activity and gained unexpected information on how the organism's brain operates as it moves.
Scientists discover 'fickle' DNA changes in brain
Johns Hopkins scientists investigating chemical modifications across the genomes of adult mice have discovered that DNA modifications in non-dividing brain cells, thought to be inherently stable, instead underwent large-scale dynamic changes as a result of stimulated brain activity. Their report, in the October issue of Nature Neuroscience, has major implications for treating psychiatric diseases, neurodegenerative disorders, and for better understanding learning, memory and mood regulation.
Genomic architecture presages genomic instability: study
When cells divide normally, DNA gets copied perfectly and distributed among the daughter cells with an even hand. Occasionally though, DNA breaks during division and is rearranged, resulting in duplications or deletions of important parts of the blueprint.
Immune system discoveries earn Nobel in medicine (Update)
Three scientists won the Nobel Prize in medicine on Monday for discoveries about the immune system that opened new avenues for the treatment and prevention of infectious illnesses and cancer.
Neuroscientists discover new player in how brain deals with stress
Neuroscientists investigating the 'brain code' claim to have made a significant step forwards in understanding how the brain deals with stress- and mitigates its impact.
New evidence for genetic basis of autism found
Scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have discovered that one of the most common genetic alterations in autism -- deletion of a 27-gene cluster on chromosome 16 -- causes autism-like features. By generating mouse models of autism using a technique known as chromosome engineering, CSHL Professor Alea Mills and colleagues provide the first functional evidence that inheriting fewer copies of these genes leads to features resembling those used to diagnose children with autism. The study appears in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the early online edition during the week of October 3.
How the brain makes memories: Rhythmically!
The brain learns through changes in the strength of its synapses -- the connections between neurons -- in response to stimuli.
Biology news
Mapping immune genes in salmon
Morten F. Lukacs' doctoral research at The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science has identified and mapped a group of immune genes that are the key to warding off infectious agents such as viruses and bacteria in salmon.
Insight into sheep memory bolsters husbandry standards
UWA Institute of Agriculture has discovered that sheep, despite having a cultural reputation for being unintelligent, have excellent memories.
Tick responsible for equine piroplasmosis outbreak identified
The cayenne tick has been identified as one of the vectors of equine piroplasmosis in horses in a 2009 Texas outbreak, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists.
A hitchhiker's guide to the Galapagos: co-evolution of Galapagos mockingbirds and their parasites
Along with the famous finches the Galapagos mockingbirds had a great influence on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution. Now, 176 years later, three of the four mockingbird species are among the rarest birds in the world. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology untangles the evolutionary relationships between Galápagos mockingbirds and provides information about their parasites to help ensure the birds survival.
Manipulated gatekeeper: How viruses find their way into the cell nucleus
Adenoviruses cause respiratory diseases and are more dangerous for humans than previously assumed. They manipulate gatekeeper molecules and infiltrate the cell nucleus with the aid of the host cell. A team of researchers headed by cell biologists and virologists from the University of Zurich have succeeded in demonstrating this mechanism in detail for the first time.
Raw sewage: Home to millions of undescribed viruses
Biologists have described only a few thousand different viruses so far, but a new study reveals a vast world of unseen viral diversity that exists right under our noses. A paper to be published Tuesday, October 4 in the online journal mBio explores ordinary raw sewage and finds that it is home to thousands of novel, undiscovered viruses, some of which could relate to human health.
Study presents new insight into plant immunity
Researchers have identified an important cog in the molecular machinery of plant immunity - a discovery that could help crop breeders produce disease-resistant varieties to help ensure future food security. There may also be implications for treating human immune-related disorders. The research, led by Professor Gary Loake at the University of Edinburgh with colleagues from Syngenta is published today in the journal Nature.
'Snakes' seen in human cells
(PhysOrg.com) -- Curious snake-like forms have been spotted in cells from many different species across the evolutionary tree. Now Oxford scientists have shown they exist in human cells as well.
Scientists find mechanism that leads to drug resistance in bacteria causing melioidosis
Researchers in South East Asia have identified a novel mechanism whereby the organism Burkholderia pseudomallei – the cause of melioidosis, a neglected tropical infectious disease – develops resistance to ceftazidime, the standard antibiotic treatment. The change also makes the drug-resistant bacterium difficult to detect.
Child abuse in birds: Study documents 'cycle of violence' in nature
For one species of seabird in the Galápagos, the child abuse "cycle of violence" found in humans plays out in the wild.
Caltech engineers build smart petri dish
The cameras in our cell phones have dramatically changed the way we share the special moments in our lives, making photographs instantly available to friends and family. Now, the imaging sensor chips that form the heart of these built-in cameras are helping engineers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) transform the way cell cultures are imaged by serving as the platform for a "smart" petri dish.
Researchers advance next generation biofuels by turning up the heat on biomass pretreatment processes
The nation's Renewable Fuels Standard calls for annual production of 36 billion gallons of biofuel by 2022. One of the biggest hurdles to achieving this goal lies in optimizing the multistep process involved in breaking down plant biomass and then converting it into fermentable sugars that can be refined into fuel for our transportation needs. To overcome this challenge, the U.S. Department of Energy supports several projects focused on identifying enzymes from fungi and microbes such as cellulases—that breakdown plant cell walls—and heat-tolerant industrial-strength host cell systems to drive these reactions.
Pee power: Urine-loving bug churns out space fuel
Scientists on Sunday said they had gained insights into a remarkable bacterium that lives without oxygen and transforms ammonium, the ingredient of urine, into hydrazine, a rocket fuel.
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