Dear Reader ,
Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for May 23, 2016:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | India's budget mini space shuttle blasts off (Update)India successfully launched its first mini space shuttle on Monday as New Delhi's famously frugal space agency joined the global race to make rockets as reusable as airplanes. |
 | Scientists discover fresh lunar cratersA Southwest Research Institute-led team of scientists discovered two geologically young craters—one 16 million, the other between 75 and 420 million, years old—in the Moon's darkest regions. |
 | NASA image: CubeSats deployed from the international space stationCubeSats fly free after leaving the NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer on the International Space Station on May 17, 2016. Seen here are two Dove satellites. |
 | Hubble sees a swarm of ancient star clusters around a galaxyThis NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image shows star clusters encircling a galaxy, like bees buzzing around a hive. The hive in question is an edge-on lenticular galaxy NGC 5308, located just under 100 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major (The Great Bear). |
 | Europe grows Galileo sat-nav systemEurope's Galileo sat-nav system, a rival to America's GPS, should move closer to operation with the launch Tuesday of a fresh pair of satellites to join a dozen already in space. |
Technology news
 | Chem-Phys patch: Engineers take first step toward flexible, wearable, tricoder-like deviceEngineers at the University of California San Diego have developed the first flexible wearable device capable of monitoring both biochemical and electric signals in the human body. The Chem-Phys patch records electrocardiogram (EKG) heart signals and tracks levels of lactate, a biochemical that is a marker of physical effort, in real time. The device can be worn on the chest and communicates wirelessly with a smartphone, smart watch or laptop. It could have a wide range of applications, from athletes monitoring their workouts to physicians monitoring patients with heart disease. |
 | Robotics researchers have Watch-Bot to tell you if a task needs attention(Tech Xplore)—At the International Conference on Robotics and Automation, researchers presented their work in creating Watch-Bot. Andrew Dalton in Engadget called it "a sort of robo-sentry." |
Discovery could open the door to cellphone and car batteries that last five times longerA University of Texas at Dallas researcher has made a discovery that could open the door to cellphone and car batteries that last five times longer than current ones. | |
 | Using cellphone data to study the spread of choleraWhile cholera has hardly changed over the past centuries, the tools used to study it have not ceased to evolve. Using mobile phone records of 150,000 users, an EPFL-led study has shown to what extent human mobility patterns contributed to the spread of a cholera epidemic in Senegal in 2005. The researchers' findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlight the critical role a mass gathering of millions of pilgrims played in spreading of the disease, and how measures to improve sanitation at transmission hotspots could decrease the progression of future outbreaks. |
 | New technique controls autonomous vehicles on a dirt trackA Georgia Institute of Technology research team has devised a novel way to help keep a driverless vehicle under control as it maneuvers at the edge of its handling limits. The approach could help make self-driving cars of the future safer under hazardous road conditions. |
 | Users' perceptions of password security do not always match realityThink your password is secure? You may need to think again. People's perceptions of password strength may not always match reality, according to a recent study by CyLab, Carnegie Mellon's Security and Privacy Institute. |
Bayer targets Monsanto in biggest-ever German takeover bid (Update)German drugs and chemicals giant Bayer said Monday it had offered $62 billion for US agriculture group Monsanto as it seeks to create the world's biggest supplier of seeds, pesticides and genetically-modified crops. | |
 | China mulls new ways to control video websitesChinese authorities are exploring new ways of imposing controls on the Internet, state-run media cited experts as saying Monday, after reports said state-owned enterprises may be encouraged to take stakes in video streaming websites. |
 | Facebook is not a neutral force, and neither are its algorithms, privacy and social media expert saysAlgorithms determine what users see on Facebook. But these algorithms are constructed by humans and, therefore, reflect human bias, says Mark Bartholomew, University at Buffalo professor of law. |
 | An agricultural drone with a piercing gazeEPFL spin-off Gamaya has just raised 3.2 million francs for its agricultural drone system. The system combines a miniature hyperspectral camera and artificial intelligence to give farmers very precise information on the health of their crops. It can also be used to ensure fertilizer, pesticides and other treatments are used sparingly. |
 | Hide your location on Twitter? We can still find you and that's not a bad thing in an emergencyOf the millions of Twitter users, there are about 98% who want to hide their location. So they switch off the function that publicly displays the location of any tweet. |
 | EgyptAir MS804: search and rescue at sea is never easyThe disappearance of EgyptAir flight MS804, presumed lost over the eastern Mediterranean on a flight between Paris and Cairo with all 66 on board, is the latest passenger aircraft to go missing. The loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 along with its 239 passengers over the Indian Ocean in March 2014 still looms large – the aircraft is yet to be found. While the Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean greatly differ in size, both disasters highlight the difficulty of search and rescue operations at sea. |
 | World record in terrestrial radio transmissionTransmitting the contents of a conventional DVD in under ten seconds by radio transmission is incredibly fast – and a new world record in wireless data transmission. With a data rate of 6 Gigabit per second over a distance of 37 kilometers, a collaborative project with the participation of researchers from the University of Stuttgart and the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Solid State Physics IAF exceeded the state of the art by a factor of 10. |
EU digital progress report card: Europe could do betterA new report says that the European Union's borderless single market is expanding only sluggishly into cyberspace, amid consumer concerns about security and whether it's possible to return unwanted purchases. | |
EU online shoppers shy away from buying outside home countryThe European Union's borderless single market is expanding only sluggishly into cyberspace, amid consumer concerns about security and whether it's possible to return unwanted purchases, according to a new report published Monday. | |
Guccifer, accused of hacking Bush accounts, to plead guilty (Update)The Romanian hacker known as Guccifer, who is charged with breaking into computer accounts of the Bush family, Secretary of State Colin Powell and others, is scheduled to plead guilty to federal charges. | |
 | Acoustic engineering transcribes crackling knee sounds into moving graphYou've injured your knee. A doctor straps a listening device to it, and the noises you hear coming out of it are cringe-worthy. "Crackle! Krglkrglkrgl! Snap!" |
'Uncharted 4' video game for PS4 snapped up worldwideSony announced Monday that sales of a much-awaited final installment to the hit video game series "Uncharted" topped 2.7 million copies worldwide in its opening week. | |
 | Spotify losses deepen despite rapid expansionStreaming leader Spotify said Monday that its losses deepened last year even as the company topped $2 billion in revenue amid the global boom in online music. |
Ride-hailing service Lyft testing reservation featureRide-hailing service Lyft says it's testing a feature that would let users schedule a trip up to 24 hours in advance. | |
 | E3 video game trade event adds sideshow for playersOrganizers of trade-only Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) video game extravaganza on Monday announced the addition of a side event open to players. |
 | Opinion: Uber should take its lead from Thomas Cook's battle with Victorian BritainApp-based ride company Uber has been battling the "establishment" around the world, from traditional black taxi drivers in London to regulators in Australia. But Uber is far from the first upstart travel company to rock the status quo. More than 150 years ago, in Victorian Britain, the Thomas Cook travel agency faced vilification before skilfully winning over its critics. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Study identifies how brain connects memories across timeUsing a miniature microscope that opens a window into the brain, UCLA neuroscientists have identified in mice how the brain links different memories over time. While aging weakens these connections, the team devised a way for the middle-aged brain to reconnect separate memories. |
 | Did human-like intelligence evolve to care for helpless babies?A new study from the University of Rochester suggests that human intelligence might have evolved in response to the demands of caring for infants. |
 | Hacking memory to follow through with intentionsWhether it's paying the electric bill or taking the clothes out of the dryer, there are many daily tasks that we fully intend to complete and then promptly forget about. New research suggests that linking these tasks to distinctive cues that we'll encounter at the right place and the right time may help us remember to follow through. The research is published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. |
 | Study: Kids have 'and/or' problem despite sophisticated reasoningImagine, for a moment, you are a parent trying to limit how much dessert your sugar-craving young children can eat. |
 | Study identifies risk factors for bacteria transmission from tainted scopesOver the past few years, medical scopes contaminated with antibiotic-resistant bacteria have caused hundreds of patients who underwent a specific gastrointestinal procedure to become sick. Now, UCLA physicians have identified factors that increase the likelihood of these infections. |
 | Harnessing the 'Natural Killer' within us to fight cancerOur bodies are constantly and successfully fighting off the development of cells that lead to tumours - but when there is disruption to this process cancer is free to develop. |
 | New strategy could yield more precise seasonal flu vaccineDuring the 2014-15 flu season, the poor match between the virus used to make the world's vaccine stocks and the circulating seasonal virus yielded a vaccine that was less than 20 percent effective. |
 | The uncertain brain: Untangling ambiguity in neural circuitsEvery day humans and animals face ambiguous circumstances. If we become sick after eating, we blame the food; however, if we then fall ill without having eaten that food, the causal link becomes ambiguous. New findings from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Japan and New York University reveal where and how such ambiguous associations are processed in the brains of rats. |
When it comes to replicating studies, context mattersContextual factors, such as the race of participants in an experiment or the geography of where the experiment was run, can reduce the likelihood of replicating psychological studies, a team of New York University researchers has found. Their work, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), analyzed papers examined by the Reproducibility Project in an effort to identify potential challenges to replicating scientific scholarship. | |
 | Study suggests a low-salt diet could harm certain patients(HealthDay)—A controversial new study contends that a low-salt diet could be dangerous for your heart health. |
 | Loss of Y chromosome in blood cells associated with developing Alzheimer's diseaseMen with blood cells that do not carry the Y chromosome are at greater risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. This is in addition to an increased risk of death from other causes, including many cancers. These new findings by researchers at Uppsala University could lead to a simple test to identify those at risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. |
Dietary experiments in mice point the way to early detection of cancer in humansColorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the Western world, mainly because it is usually diagnosed too late. Finding ways to identify those people who are at increased risk of developing colon cancer is therefore crucial, a researcher will tell the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics today. | |
Many young adult female cancer survivors need more information and support to preserve their fertilityA new study indicates that many young adult female cancer survivors do not receive adequate information about their fertility as part of their survivorship care after completing treatment, despite having concerns about their ability to bear children in the future. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings point to the need for better resources to support survivors in making informed decisions about their reproductive options after treatment is completed. | |
 | Evidence of link between cancer and light therapy inconclusive but warrants considerationTwo new studies raise enough questions about a possible link between childhood cancer and light therapy for newborn jaundice that clinicians should exercise caution in prescribing the treatment for infants whose jaundice is likely to resolve on its own, a pediatric oncologist from Dana-Farber/Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center argues in an editorial published today by the journal Pediatrics. The suggestion of a link, however, should not deter use of the treatment, also known as phototherapy, in babies who otherwise would be at risk of brain damage or hearing loss. |
Investigational CDK4/6 inhibitor abemaciclib is active against a range of cancer typesThe investigational anticancer therapeutic abemaciclib, which targets CDK4 and CDK6, showed durable clinical activity when given as continuous single-agent therapy to patients with a variety of cancer types, including breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), glioblastoma, and melanoma, according to results from a phase I clinical trial. | |
 | Five Questions: Desiree LaBeaud on the Zika virusThe infectious disease expert discusses the local risks of contracting the Zika virus, what precautions residents can take and what travelers outside the United States should do to avoid infection with the virus. |
A liquid biopsy-based test to detect BRAF V600 mutations in advanced cancers is comparable to standard invasive testsTesting for BRAF V600 mutations in cell-free DNA from plasma using the PCR-based IdyllaTM BRAF Mutation Test was feasible and concordant with standard tests of archival tumor biopsy samples and had a short turnaround time of 90 minutes, according to a study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. | |
 | Urine tests not reliable for dehydration in older adultsUrine tests should not be used to measure dehydration among the elderly – according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). |
 | Glowing tumors light a path to cancer treatmentEvery year, 200,000 women worldwide are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, often in its late stages. Ovarian cancer is very hard to detect in its early stages, and once it is detected, the body is already riddled with dozens of tumors. A 2010 Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) study found that if tumors down to millimeter size are removed during surgery, the patient's lifespan could be greatly extended. Since then, a team of MIT Lincoln Laboratory staff, MIT researchers, and MGH surgeons has pursued a method for finding and removing tumors otherwise invisible to a surgeon's eye. |
 | Mums encouraged to switch off for their mental healthA world first Australian study has found a link between modern screen-based sedentary behaviours and anxiety risk in mothers of young children aged under five years. |
 | Does getting fit and eating better help you drink less?Could winning a battle with alcohol be helped by eating your greens and walking more? A national QUT study is underway to find out the answer. |
 | Why we can't tickle ourselvesSome of us are more ticklish than others, but nearly everyone is unable to tickle themselves. The answer is tied to how we see and how we perceive movement. |
Knowledge of positive cologuard test improves colonoscopy performanceAn endoscopist's knowledge of a positive Cologuard test improves colonoscopy performance, according to a poster presentation at last week's Digestive Disease Week conference. | |
 | Blood test uncovers undiagnosed diabetes in hospital patients with high blood sugarA retrospective review of medical records found the HbA1C test, commonly used to diagnose and manage diabetes, can effectively detect hidden disease among hospital patients with hyperglycemia, commonly known as high blood sugar. |
 | France to tighten up drug trial rules after fatal incidentFrance's health minister presented a plan on Monday to tighten the rules regarding human drug trials following an experimental test that killed a volunteer in January. |
Flu vaccination associated with lower dementia risk in patients with heart failureInfluenza vaccination is associated with a lower risk of dementia in patients with heart failure, according to a study in more than 20 000 patients presented today at Heart Failure 2016 and the 3rd World Congress on Acute Heart Failure by Dr Ju-Chi Liu, director of the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, Taipei Medical University - Shuang Ho Hospital, in New Taipei City, Taiwan. | |
Flu jab associated with fewer hospitalisations in patients with heart failureThe flu jab is associated with a reduced risk of hospitalisation in patients with heart failure, according to research presented today in a late breaking trial session at Heart Failure 2016 and the 3rd World Congress on Acute Heart Failure. | |
Exercise associated with longer life in patients with heart failureExercise is associated with a longer life in patients with heart failure, according to research presented today in a late breaking trial session at Heart Failure 2016 and the 3rd World Congress on Acute Heart Failure. The analysis in more than 4000 patients showed a mortality benefit from exercise regardless of heart failure severity, age and gender. | |
Gut flora may lead to better diagnosis tool for liver diseasePrimary sclerosing cholangitis, also known as PSC, is a liver disease with no effective medical treatment. Liver transplantation is the only proven long-term treatment of PSC, although only a fraction of individuals with PSC will ultimately require it. The vast majority of patients with PSC also have inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis), possibly implying that the intestine plays a role in the origin of this PSC. Researchers from VIB, UZ Leuven and KU Leuven now describe for the first time how changes in the intestinal microbiota are specifically associated with this disease. | |
Zika crisis fuelled by 'massive policy failure': WHO chief (Update)The spiralling crisis surrounding the Zika virus is due to decades of policy failures on mosquito control and poor access to family planning services, the World Health Organization said Monday. | |
 | Telephone-based cognitive behavioral therapy significantly improves menopause symptomsChatting on the phone with a "sleep coach" and keeping a nightly sleep diary significantly improve sleep quality and reduce insomnia in women through all stages of menopause, according to a new study published today in JAMA Internal Medicine. |
Health, wealth and social differences for adults born premature, low-birth-weightFewer adults who were born prematurely at low-birth weights were employed or had children and they were more likely to have lower incomes, be single and report more chronic health conditions than their normal-birth-weight-term counterparts, according to an article published online by JAMA Pediatrics. | |
Are childhood stroke outcomes associated with BP, blood glucose, temperature?Infarct (tissue damage) volume and hyperglycemia (high blood glucose) were associated with poor neurological outcomes after childhood stroke but hypertension and fever were not, according to an article published online by JAMA Neurology. | |
Breast cancer drug discovery offers hope of new treatmentsA drug for breast cancer that is more effective than existing medicines may be a step closer thanks to new research. | |
 | Mutation protects against heart diseaseAccording to new international research, just less than one per cent of the population is naturally protected against developing chronic coronary artery diseases. . |
Researchers identify novel treatment for aggressive form of breast cancerA recent study by researchers at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine revealed that triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), which has generally been unresponsive to hormone receptor-targeted treatments, can indeed be treated using vitamin D and androgen receptor-targeted therapy. The discovery offers a new treatment option beyond chemotherapy for this aggressive type of breast cancer. The study was published in the journal Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. | |
 | Low- and high-birthweight babies appear at increased risk for cardiovascular diseaseFor reasons that remain unclear at least in the smaller babies, both birthweight extremes appear to increase the likelihood of early development of dangerous fat around major organs in the abdomen that significantly increases these risks, said Dr. Brian Stansfield, neonatologist at the Children's Hospital of Georgia and the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University. |
 | Concern in Haiti over emerging condition linked to ZikaBerny Saint-Sauveur was moaning and incoherent when his family carried him into a hospital in central Haiti. He was unable to move, he later found out, because of an unusual paralysis syndrome linked to the mosquito-borne Zika virus. |
 | New research may expand engineered T-cell cancer treatmentPurdue University researchers may have figured out a way to call off a cancer cell assassin that sometimes goes rogue and assign it a larger tumor-specific "hit list." |
 | Extreme beliefs often mistaken for insanity, new study findsIn the aftermath of violent acts such as mass shootings, many people assume mental illness is the cause. After studying the 2011 case of Norwegian mass murderer Anders Breivik, University of Missouri School of Medicine researchers are suggesting a new forensic term to classify non-psychotic behavior that leads to criminal acts of violence. |
 | New evidence reveals powerful role of experience in linking language and cognition in infantsEven before infants understand their first words, they have already begun to link language and thought. Listening to language boosts infant cognition. New evidence provides even greater insight into the crucial role of language exposure in infants' first months of life, according to Northwestern University research. |
 | Yellow fever epidemic threatens to spread from Angola to ChinaThe spread of yellow fever (YF) is a global health threat. In response to current outbreaks in Angola, other African countries, and China, which represents the first ever documented cases of YF in Asia, the World Health Organization (WHO) convened an emergency committee on May 19, 2016 to underscore the severity of the outbreak. In the current issue of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases, noted infectious disease authorities from South Africa and Singapore explain the epidemiology and ecology of YF and discuss the factors that can increase and decrease the likelihood of progression from outbreak to epidemic. |
Study reveals success of text messaging in helping smokers quitA new study from The Miriam Hospital's Centers for Behavioral and Preventive Medicine found that smokers who received a text messaging intervention were more likely to abstain from smoking relative to controls. The paper is published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research mHealth and uHealth. | |
 | Researchers set out to discover if the risk of death from sepsis continues even after the acute infection has been curedIt's known that many patients die in the months and years after sepsis. |
 | Hospitals can tear down 'wall of silence' using new research-based patient safety toolkitInside the walls of America's hospitals, countless feats of healing and caring happen every day. But when something unexpected, or harmful, happens to a patient, a different kind of wall can sprout up almost instantly. |
Study shows disparities in treatment for children with traumatic brain injuriesChildren who suffer traumatic brain injuries can face a difficult road to recovery, requiring services such as physical therapy and mental health treatment for months or years to get their young lives back on track. | |
Consensus statement on optimizing management of EGFR mutation positive NSCLC patientsThe International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) created the 2016 consensus statement on optimizing management of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation positive (M+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO), to discuss key pathologic, diagnostic, and therapeutic considerations. The statement also makes recommendations for clinical guidance and research priorities, such as optimal choice of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), management of brain metastasis, role of re-biopsies, and use of circulating free DNA (cfDNA) for molecular studies. | |
 | Home remedy for skin cancer may cause damage, mask new growth(HealthDay)—Despite the promise of an "easy and natural" treatment for skin cancer, home remedies such as black salve can actually make things worse, new research shows. |
 | At least one full-time nurse per school, pediatric group recommends(HealthDay)—Every school should have at least one full-time registered nurse, a new American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement says. |
 | Nonexperts can be trained to interpret RHD echocardiograms(HealthDay)—A short computer-based course can train nonexperts in interpretation of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) screening echocardiograms, according to a study published in the June 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology. |
 | Moderate link for automated, clinical breast density measures(HealthDay)—There is moderate correlation for automated and clinical assessments of breast density, according to a study published in the June issue of Radiology. |
 | Opioid prescriptions drop for first time in two decades(HealthDay)—In a sign that the opioid epidemic might be waning, new data show that the number of opioid prescriptions has dropped for the first time in 20 years. |
 | Urine metabolomics linked to clinical parameters of asthma(HealthDay)—Increased urine metabolomic lipid metabolites are associated with clinical parameters in non-obese asthma patients, according to a study published online May 18 in Allergy. |
 | Some sun protection behaviors up with history of NMSC(HealthDay)—Individuals with previous nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC) are more likely to engage in certain sun protection behaviors than those without previous NMSC, according to a study published online May 16 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. |
 | Changes in adipose tissue with lack of insulin, IGF-1 receptors(HealthDay)—Mice lacking either the insulin receptor (IR), insulin-like growth factor 1 receptor (IGF1R), or both have disruptions in white and brown adipose tissue (WAT and BAT) formation, with an almost complete absence of WAT and BAT in mice lacking both receptors, according to a study published online May 13 in Diabetes. |
Study finds breast and ovarian cancer may have similar originsWhile breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide, ovarian cancer also is a significant source of mortality as the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women. These facts reflect the continued need for further understanding and innovation in cancer treatment. | |
 | African-American girls in low-income, high-crime neighborhoods experience threats, objectificationAfrican-American girls in high-risk neighborhoods report encounters with aggression and sexual objectification, according to Georgia State University researchers. |
Higher fluctuations in blood pressure linked to brain function declineHigher long-term variability in blood pressure readings were linked to faster declines in brain and cognitive function among older adults, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Hypertension. | |
Little cost difference between tests to diagnose coronary heart diseaseFor patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD), computed tomographic angiography (CTA) and functional diagnostic testing strategies have similar costs through 3 years of follow up. Results of this prospective economic study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine. | |
 | Study finds e-cigarette marketing linked to teen e-cigarette useExposure to e-cigarette marketing messages is significantly associated with e-cigarette use among middle school and high school students, according to researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The study will be published in the June print edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health. |
Ketamine found more effective for treating highly-agitated patients during transport to hospitalScientists have shown that ketamine is far more effective than the more commonly used haloperidol for treating highly-agitated patients prior to hospitalisation. Patients were sedated in five minutes on average when treated with ketamine – 12 minutes faster than the average sedation time using haloperidol. The increased efficacy in sedation does come with a trade-off; the rate of complications and need for intubation both increase markedly for patients treated with ketamine. | |
Middle school intervention program leads to long-term BMI reduction for obese studentsA five-week obesity prevention program for seventh grade students in Southern California helped obese students lose weight over a long-term period, according to a new study from the RAND Corporation, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and the Los Angeles Unified School District. | |
Brazil confirms mosquito as Zika vectorBrazilian scientists said Monday they have found the first hard evidence the Zika virus blamed for causing brain damage in hundreds of babies is carried by the Aedes aegypti mosquito. | |
 | New trial of Siri-like technology aims to improve management of Type 2 diabetesAustralians with Type 2 diabetes are invited to trial a new digital health program to help them stay on top of their condition. |
 | One step closer to curing diabetesA human cell line genetically engineered to produce, store and release insulin in response to blood sugar levels in the human body could eliminate the need for daily injections for insulin-reliant diabetics. |
Societies release guideline update for heart failure therapiesIn a guideline update published today, the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and the Heart Failure Society of America detail the groups' recommendations for the use of two new heart failure medications. | |
End of the road for aliskiren in heart failureA subgroup analysis in heart failure patients with diabetes from the ATMOSPHERE trial has failed to show benefit and signals the end of the road for aliskiren in heart failure. The findings were presented for the first time today in a late breaking trial session at Heart Failure 2016 and the 3rd World Congress on Acute Heart Failure. | |
Cutting-edge findings in cannabis researchNew evidence for the clinical efficacy of cannabis therapy is presented in the latest issue of the Journal of Basic and Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology (JBCPP), a De Gruyter publication. The authors have studied cannabis therapy for many years at international research centers, examining its effects, potential applications, and risks. | |
Use of video decision aids increases advance care planning in Hilo, HawaiiA program encouraging physicians and other providers to discuss with patients their preferences regarding end-of-life care significantly increased the documented incidence of such conversations and the number of patients with late-stage disease who were discharged to hospice. In a Journal of General Internal Medicine paper that has been released online, a team led by Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators describes the pilot program, which is part of a larger initiative to transform medical care for serious illness in the state of Hawaii. The program included video decision aids in 10 languages and was carried out in the city of Hilo, Hawaii. | |
Proteins key to unlocking cancer for National Cancer MoonshotThe National Cancer Moonshot initiative needs to move beyond genomics to target the proteins that are driving cancer, according to an Inova Health System and George Mason University collaborative paper published Thursday in the American Association for Cancer Research. | |
Racial disparities found in liver cancer survival ratesBlack patients diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the most common liver cancer, had a 33 percent increased risk of death compared to non-Hispanic whites. They also were far less likely to receive life-saving liver transplants, according to a new study being presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2016, the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. | |
Transplanting healthy stool might be an answer to ulcerative colitisFecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)—a treatment currently used to address recurring Clostridium difficile infection—is also an effective approach to helping individuals who suffer from ulcerative colitis (UC), according to a study being presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2016, the largest international gathering of physicians, researchers and academics in the fields of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. | |
 | Telomere length in circulating blood cells does not predict asymptomatic atherosclerosisCardiovascular disease (CVD) is the main cause of death in the world, killing 17.5 million people every year according to WHO figures. Prevention strategies based on risk prediction are now a top public health priority, and there is great interest in developing new biomarkers of cardiovascular risk that allow a more accurate risk predication than classical risk factors such as high cholesterol, smoking, physical inactivity, and high blood pressure. One possible biomarker is telomere length, but a new study suggests that leukocyte telomere length (LTL) in circulating blood does not effectively predict CVD risk in individuals without disease symptoms. The results of the study, conducted at the Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and led by Drs. Valentín Fuster and Vicente Andrés, are published in The Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC). |
EU lifts suicide warning on Pfizer's smoking-cessation pillEurope's main drug regulator has lifted a 7-year-old warning about possible suicidal risks from Chantix, Pfizer's smoking-cessation pill. | |
Law mandates coverage for vasectomies, other birth controlVermont is poised to become the first state to require public and private health insurance to cover vasectomies without copays and deductibles under a bill Democratic Gov. Peter Shumlin signed into law Monday. | |
Enhanced arginine metabolism may counteract inflammation pathways in asthmaHigh arginine levels are often observed in asthmatic individuals and may support increased production of nitric oxide, which is known to worsen airway inflammation. Medications that reduce arginine availability do not effectively treat asthma, suggesting that other aspects of this condition are linked to elevated arginine metabolism. | |
Biology news
 | Enzymes found that can tear down bacterial biofilm walls(Phys.org)—A team of researchers from the U.S. and Canada has identified two enzymes that have proven able to break down bacterial biofilms, allowing antibacterial agents to more effectively kill their targets. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the team describes their study of the structure of biofilms and how that led to the identification of the enzymes that are able to break them down. |
A guide to CRISPR gene activationThe CRISPR-Cas9 system has come to be known as the quintessential tool that allows researchers to edit the DNA sequences of many organisms and cell types. However, scientists are also increasingly recognizing that it can be used to activate the expression of genes. To that end, they have built a number of synthetic gene activating Cas9 proteins to study gene functions or to compensate for insufficient gene expression in potential therapeutic approaches. | |
 | In changing oceans, cephalopods are boomingHumans have changed the world's oceans in ways that have been devastating to many marine species. But, according to new evidence, it appears that the change has so far been good for cephalopods, the group including octopuses, cuttlefish, and squid. The study reported in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 23 shows that cephalopods' numbers have increased significantly over the last six decades. |
 | Call to minimize drone impact on wildlifeUnmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), more popularly known as drones, are increasingly employed to monitor and protect wildlife. But researchers writing in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on May 23 say that steps should be taken to ensure that UAV operations are not causing undue stress to animals. |
Trial and error in viral evolution: The difference between fading out, pandemicViruses evolve quickly. A small tweak to the genetic makeup of a mostly mild strain of influenza can give rise to the next pandemic. An equally small change to the same strain in a different setting can fade it into obscurity. The right trait at the right time is everything. | |
Rare evolutionary event detected in the labIt took nearly a half trillion tries before researchers at The University of Texas at Austin witnessed a rare event and perhaps solved an evolutionary puzzle about how introns, non-coding sequences of DNA located within genes, multiply in a genome. The results, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, address fundamental questions about the evolution of new species and could expand our understanding of gene expression and the causes of diseases such as cancer. | |
 | Networking lets sharks off the hookTuna fishers who network with their competition may be able to stop thousands of sharks a year from being accidentally captured and killed in the Pacific Ocean. |
Chloride 'switch' turns on membrane formationChloride plays a key role in the formation of the basement membrane, a suprastructure on the outside of cells that undergirds and guides the function of most of the tissues of the body. | |
 | Study decodes genetic circuitry for bacterial spore formationA team led by Rice University bioengineering researchers has decoded the mechanism that some bacteria use to make life-or-death decisions during extremely tough times. |
 | Your dog doesn't trust you when you're angryBYU psychology professor Ross Flom recently conducted a study to find out just how well dogs understand humans, specifically human emotion. |
 | Migratory fish species suffering severe population lossIn the past three decades global catches of sturgeons and paddlefishes have dropped by over 99 per cent, documenting severe population losses, according to a new WWF report. |
New seed 'flaming' technique to help with minesite rehabResearchers at The University of Western Australia have invented a new technique for 'flaming' wild seeds that could allow them to be used more easily in replanting large tracts of land such as reclaimed mine sites. | |
 | The protein that assesses distancesA protein of the ISWI family (Imitation Switch, or nucleosome remodelling motors) is endowed with a special property: despite having no organ of sense it is nonetheless able to assess the length of DNA strands. A study just published in the Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment and carried out by SISSA, the MAX Planck Institute and the NIH has discovered how it works. |
 | ESF lists top 10 new species for 2016A hominin in the same genus as humans and an ape nicknamed "Laia" that might provide clues to the origin of humans are among the discoveries identified by the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) as the Top 10 New Species of 2016. |
 | Drone captures shark feeding frenzy on whaleA drone has captured a bloody feeding frenzy by around 70 tiger sharks on a dead whale, turning the pristine waters of the aptly named Shark Bay in Australia red. |
 | India captures endangered lions after fatal attacksThirteen endangered Asiatic lions that only live in a forest in western India have been caught and caged after three villagers were killed in recent months, a wildlife official said Monday. |
 | Evaluating the cost of accuracy of sequencing approachesResearchers use synthetic and natural microbial lake communities to compare the microbial community profiles generated from high throughput short-read sequencing and high throughput long-read sequencing approaches. |
 | A peachy defense system for seedsETH chemists are developing a new coating method to protect seeds from being eaten by insects. In doing so, they have drawn inspiration from the humble peach and a few of its peers. |
 | New research confirms continued, unabated and large-scale amphibian declinesNew U.S. Geological Survey-led research suggests that even though amphibians are severely declining worldwide, there is no smoking gun - and thus no simple solution - to halting or reversing these declines. |
 | A rallying call for microbiome science national data managementMassive amounts of data require infrastructure to manage and store the information in a manner than can be easily accessed for use. While technologies have scaled to allow researchers to sequence and annotate communities of microorganisms within an environment,(its "microbiome"), on an ever-increasing scale, the data management aspect has not been developed in parallel. |
Catching rice-invading snails in the actCommonly available eco-friendly plants and materials can be used to trap rice-crop-invading snails in place of chemicals, according to new research in the Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science. | |
Cities try different tactics to regulate noiseIf you live in Waco, Texas, your neighbor maneuvering a gas lawn mower in the middle of the night likely wouldn't violate the decibel limit, which is eight times louder than the typical nighttime limit in the United States. | |
 | Why fruit cracking differs among sweet cherry varietiesSweet cherries are susceptible to a condition called "cracking", in which the skin of the fruit is strained, causing fractures or "cracks". The condition, which limits marketability of the fruit, may be a result of factors such as excessive water uptake or weak fruit skins. In a new study published in the Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science (March 2016) researchers examined the mechanical properties of different cherry cultivars to determine how these properties impact skin cracking. |
 | S.African appeal court backs domestic rhino horn tradeSouth Africa's Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed a government bid to retain a ban on domestic trade in rhino horns, breeders and officials said Monday, in a dispute over how to end poaching. |
This email is a free service of Science X Network
You received this email because you subscribed to our list.
If you no longer want to receive this email use the link below to unsubscribe.
https://sciencex.com/profile/nwletter/
You are subscribed as jmabs1@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment