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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for May 17, 2016:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
Astronomy & Space news
 | Astronomers discover a Neptune-mass alien world with Earth-like density(Phys.org)—An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a Neptune-mass exoplanet with a density comparable to Earth's. According to the research, the newly detected alien world, designated EPIC212521166 b, is the most massive planet with a sub-Neptune radius found to date. A paper detailing the finding was published online on May 13 in a pre-print version on arXiv.org. |
 | Out of this world: 'Moon and Mars veggies' grow in Dutch greenhouseEstablishing a human colony on the Moon and travelling to Mars has been the stuff of dreams since the dawn of the space age. |
 | Allan Sandage's last paper unravels 100-year-old astronomical mysteryCarnegie's Allan Sandage, who died in 2012, was a tremendously influential figure in the field of astronomy. His final paper, published posthumously, focuses on unraveling a surprising historical mystery related to one of his own seminal discoveries. |
 | Europa's ocean may have an Earthlike chemical balanceThe ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa could have the necessary balance of chemical energy for life, even if the moon lacks volcanic hydrothermal activity, finds a new study. |
 | Squeezing out mountains, mathematically, on Jupiter's moon IoMountains aren't the first thing that hit you when you look at images of Jupiter's innermost moon, Io. But once you absorb the fact that the moon is slathered in sulfurous lava erupted from 400 active volcanoes, you might turn your attention to scattered bumps and lumps that turn out, on closer inspection, to be Io's version of mountains.There are about 100 of them, and they don't look anything like the low lying volcanoes. |
 | Mars rover scientist hopes to find more evidence of liquid waterAlthough the existence of liquid water on the Red Planet was confirmed by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) last year, the scientific community is gearing up for a more thorough analysis of the topic that could be provided by the Curiosity rover, studying the Martian surface in-situ. Raina Gough of the University of Colorado Boulder, a chemist in the Curiosity rover's research team, hopes to discover more evidence of liquid water by investigating chemical processes like deliquescence, found to occur also on Mars. |
 | Planets at Alpha Centauri?Our nearest stellar neighbor, Proxima Centauri, a mere 4.3 light-years away, is not alone. |
 | Other suns got the right spinAstrophysicists from the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) and the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore have for the first time measured the rotation periods of stars in a cluster nearly as old as the sun and found them to be similar. It turns out that these stars spin around once in about twenty-six days – just like our sun. This discovery significantly strengthens what is known as the solar-stellar connection, a fundamental principle that guides much of modern solar and stellar astrophysics. |
 | Image: Voyage around EarthESA astronaut Tim Peake took this picture from the International Space Station and commented: "Today the International Space Station completed its 100 000th orbit of our beautiful planet Earth! An amazing feat of science, engineering and international cooperation – congratulations Space Station." |
 | Image: Cut crater in Memnonia FossaeAn extensive network of fault lines cut through this region of Mars, including one that slices clean through an ancient 52 km-wide crater. |
 | Meteor captured on dashcam video lights up New England sky (Update)A police sergeant looking for speeders captured a fireball streaking across the sky on his dashboard camera early Tuesday. |
Technology news
 | Printing metal in midair: 3-D printing and laser annealing of conductive metallic inks without supports"Flat" and "rigid" are terms typically used to describe electronic devices. But the increasing demand for flexible, wearable electronics, sensors, antennas and biomedical devices has led a team at Harvard's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering to innovate an eye-popping new way of printing complex metallic architectures – as though they are seemingly suspended in midair. |
 | Scientists show telephone metadata can reveal surprisingly sensitive personal informationMost people might not give telephone metadata – the numbers you dial, the length of your calls – a second thought. Some government officials probably view it as similarly trivial, which is why this information can be obtained without a warrant. |
 | IBM scientists achieve storage memory breakthroughFor the first time, scientists at IBM Research have demonstrated reliably storing 3 bits of data per cell using a relatively new memory technology known as phase-change memory (PCM). |
 | Stretchable batteries that can be applied to the skin like a band-aid (w/ video)(Tech Xplore)—An international team of researchers has developed a means for applying a stretchable battery to human skin that not only carries enough charge to power a portable device, but can be applied like a band-aid. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes the technology they built, how it works and a how they combined their battery technology with tiny solar cells to build an actual working monitoring device. |
 | Startup wants to put self-driving big rigs on US highwaysPicture an 18-wheel truck barreling down the highway with 80,000 pounds of cargo and no one but a robot at the wheel. |
 | Waze squeezes into Uber's lane with carpool featureGoogle-owned navigation application Waze on Monday began testing a carpool feature that rolls near the home turf of Uber and Lyft. |
 | Water-based reconfigurable robot could offer new solutions to underground pipe network inspectionResearchers at the University of Sheffield have created an aquatic robot which could be used during underwater search and rescue operations. |
 | From location data alone, even low-tech snoopers can identify Twitter users' homes, workplacesResearchers at MIT and Oxford University have shown that the location stamps on just a handful of Twitter posts—as few as eight over the course of a single day—can be enough to disclose the addresses of the poster's home and workplace to a relatively low-tech snooper. |
 | How efficient can solar cells be? Team nudges closer to physical limitsA new solar cell configuration developed by engineers at the University of New South Wales in Sydney has pushed sunlight-to-electricity conversion efficiency to 34.5% - establishing a new world record for unfocussed sunlight and nudging closer to the theoretical limits for such a device. |
 | Google merges skills to launch Spaces sharing appGoogle on Monday rolled out a Spaces application tailored to let users easily share content and commentary, group-messaging style, on any topic they wish. |
 | China's Huawei looks to build global smartphone brandChinese tech giant Huawei wants Americans to start thinking of it as a stylish smartphone brand. |
 | Virtual Reality puts viewer in the movie at CannesWhat if you could both watch a film and be a character in it: perhaps an animated bunny fighting off inept aliens or a humanoid robot struggling with its identity? |
 | Digital 'clone' testing aims to maximize machine efficiencyJust as medical researchers hope to use DNA analysis to help patients live longer and healthier lives, engineers at Sentient Science are looking to better understand what machines are made of to maximize their lifespans. |
 | Expert talks about how L.A.'s car culture is adapting to green technologiesCars and environmentalism don't always going hand in hand. But that may be changing. On Tuesday, automobile and sustainability experts will discuss how people move around in a society that increasingly values green technology. The event will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Peterson Automotive Museum and moderated by UCLA's J.R. DeShazo, director of the Luskin Center for Innovation and member of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. |
 | Researchers dispute reported breakthrough in lithium-battery technologyRecent research published in the prestigious journal Science described a breakthrough in lithium-battery technology—the super-efficient source of power for everything from smartphones and laptops to electric cars. The researchers, from Cambridge University, claimed success at engineering a "lithium-air," or Li-air, battery, which uses oxygen from the atmosphere as one of its components. It holds the promise of being lighter, longer-lasting, and cheaper than lithium ion, or Li-ion, batteries, but moving the battery from discovery to practical implementation has been a challenge. |
 | Customers aren't buying fast broadband because that is not what they are being soldThe NBN has become an election issue in Australia with claims being made that the Australian public doesn't want to pay for the the higher speed options of the National Broadband Network (NBN). |
 | Getting to know you: the robot assistant who can second-guess your every needIt's here – a world in which helper robots live with us, get us through the day, and yes, become our trusted friend. Science fiction is becoming science fact. |
 | Want to build a moon base? Easy—just print itPlanetary Resources, a company hoping to make asteroid mining into a trillion dollar industry, earlier this year unveiled the world's first 3D printed object made from bits of an asteroid. |
 | Macau shows off robot croupiers as hopes of recovery riseRobot roulette dealers, animated playing cards and a gaming table that shakes its own dice were on show in the gambling hub of Macau Tuesday as experts forecast a two-year casino revenue downturn could be coming to an end. |
 | Big data's 'streetlight effect'—where and how we look affects what we seeBig data offers us a window on the world. But large and easily available datasets may not show us the world we live in. For instance, epidemiological models of the recent Ebola epidemic in West Africa using big data consistently overestimated the risk of the disease's spread and underestimated the local initiatives that played a critical role in controlling the outbreak. |
 | Shape-shifting modular interactive device unveiledA prototype for an interactive mobile device, called Cubimorph, which can change shape on-demand will be presented this week at one of the leading international forums for robotics researchers, ICRA 2016, in Stockholm, Sweden [16-21 May]. |
 | France deploying anti-drone technology to protect Euro 2016France will deploy anti-drone technology to interfere with and take control of any flying machines that violate no-fly zones over stadiums at the European Championship, part of unprecedented measures to secure Europe's biggest sports event since the Paris attacks in November. |
 | New technology reduces 30 percent chip area of STT-MRAM while increasing memory bit yield by 70 percentIn a world first, researchers from Tohoku University have successfully developed a technology to stack magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) directly on the vertical interconnect access (via) without causing deterioration to its electric/magnetic characteristics. The via in an integrated circuit design is a small opening that allows a conductive connection between the different layers of a semiconductor device. |
 | Gone with the wind: Argonne coating shows surprising potential to improve reliability in wind powerDespite the rigors of scientific inquiry and the methodical approaches of the world's most talented researchers, sometimes science has a surprise in store. |
 | Twitter's 140 character limit—time to ditch it?Many Twitter users—and more importantly, the billions more who don't use Twitter—feel constrained by the company's somewhat archaic 140- |
Old quarry near runway now saves airport $430,000 a yearAn abandoned rock quarry near a runway at Nashville International Airport was thought of as a liability, so risky that authorities considered filling it in a decade ago. Now, the water-filled pit is enabling the airport to save $430,000 a year. | |
By getting into the news business, Facebook opened itself up to a new controversyTo lure more users and advertising dollars, Facebook has increasingly assumed the role of a news organization by curating and publishing articles - and to great effect. Four in 10 U.S. adults now get their news from the social media giant. | |
 | Software helps define feasibility of geothermal exploitationIn order to determine in detail the underground temperature for the utilization of geothermal energy, researchers at the Institute for Renewable Energy (IER) of the National University of Mexico (UNAM) designed and developed software that determines the thermal diffusivity of the subsoil, i.e., how fast heat is transferred through the rocks without removing them from the ground. |
Green buildings: is the market ready to pay more for them?Certifications for sustainable construction materials and buildings are amply available. But to what extent is the market ready to invest in them? | |
 | Fujitsu develops task-oriented dialogue technology with AIFujitsu Laboratories today announced the development of technology that can be easily set up and autonomously carry on a dialogue, based on AI technology, while accurately understanding a user's request and naturally eliciting the necessary information. The technology is intended primarily for customer service support. With previous technology, dialogue with computers required preparations of dialogue scenarios laying out how to respond when certain things are said, and business systems usually operated based on these scenarios. |
 | Wyss Institute collaborates with ReWalk Robotics to develop wearable exosuits for patients with limited mobilityThe Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University has entered into a collaboration with ReWalk Robotics Ltd., to accelerate the development of the Institute's lightweight, wearable soft exosuit technologies for assisting people with lower limb disabilities. The agreement with ReWalk will help speed the design of assistive exosuits that could help patients suffering from stroke and multiple sclerosis (MS) to regain mobility. |
 | 'Overwatch' game developers find creativity in diversityWhen the makers of the globe-hopping video game "Overwatch" were coming up with the backstory for a character with the ability to freeze enemies and erect ice walls, their initial inclination was to make her homeland a stereotypically chilly place, someplace like Iceland, Canada or Norway. |
 | Researchers keep networks moving to stay safe from hacker attacksImagine burglars have targeted your home, but before they break in, you've already moved and are safe from harm. |
Medicine & Health news
 | Long-term memory has back-up plan, researchers findA team of scientists has identified the existence of a back-up plan for memory storage, which comes into play when the molecular mechanism of primary long-term memory storage fails. |
 | Study suggests memories of unethical behavior less clear than other types of behavior(Medical Xpress)—A pair of researchers has carried out several experiments using volunteers and has found that people tend to not remember their own unethical behavior very well compared to other types of activities. In their paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Maryam Kouchak with Northwestern University and Francesca Gino with Harvard University describe several experiments they carried out, their observations and findings, and offer some possible reasons for the discrepancies in memory recall. |
 | 'Virtual partner' elicits emotional responses from a human partner in real-timeCan machines think? That's what renowned mathematician Alan Turing sought to understand back in the 1950s when he created an imitation game to find out if a human interrogator could tell a human from a machine based solely on conversation deprived of physical cues. The Turing test was introduced to determine a machine's ability to show intelligent behavior that is equivalent to or even indistinguishable from that of a human. Turing mainly cared about whether machines could match up to humans' intellectual capacities. |
 | Gene helps prevent heart attack, stroke—and may offer way to block effects of agingA gene that scientific dogma insists is inactive in adults actually plays a vital role in preventing the underlying cause of most heart attacks and strokes, researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have determined. The discovery opens a new avenue for battling those deadly conditions, and it raises the tantalizing prospect that doctors could use the gene to prevent or delay at least some of the effects of aging. |
 | Blocking known cancer driver unexpectedly reveals a new tumor-promoting pathwayWhile investigating a potential therapeutic target for the ERK1 and 2 pathway, a widely expressed signaling molecule known to drive cancer growth in one third of patients with colorectal cancer, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers found that an alternative pathway immediately emerges when ERK1/2 is halted, thus allowing tumor cell proliferation to continue. |
 | Genetic switch turned on during fasting helps stop inflammationA molecular pathway that is activated in the brain during fasting helps halt the spread of intestinal bacteria into the bloodstream, according to a new study by a team of researchers at the Salk Institute. |
 | Higher potato consumption associated with increased risk of high blood pressureHigher intakes of boiled, baked, or mashed potatoes, and French fries is associated with an increased risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension) in adult women and men, according to a study published by The BMJ today. |
Over half of UK toddler deaths from unintentional drug poisoning due to methadoneMethadone, the medicine used to help heroin addicts kick their habit, is the most common cause of unintentional fatal poisoning from prescribed drugs among UK toddlers, finds research published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. | |
Electronic medical record automated alerts notify physicians when patients at risk of deathHospitalized patients can deteriorate quickly, requiring prompt identification and treatment, especially since each hour of treatment delay can increase the risk of mortality. In a new study published in the American Journal of Medicine, researchers have implemented an automated process that continuously samples electronic medical record (EMR) data in real time and triggers an alert to the physician at the patient's bedside to warn of potential clinical decline. | |
 | Middle-school kids see several alcohol ads a dayChildren as young as middle-schoolers are exposed to multiple alcohol advertisements every day—both indoors and out—a new study finds. |
 | Is tuberculosis making a comeback?A year ago, Laura Hall felt tired all the time, was losing weight and had a bad cough. |
 | Nudging health in food pantriesGrocery stores and cafeterias successfully nudge selection of target foods, but can this same strategy be used to encourage food pantry clients to select target healthful foods? In a new study published in the Journal of Public Health, Auburn University and Cornell University researchers found that product placement and packaging had a significant impact on what clients selected in a New York State food pantry. "Food pantries offer a unique opportunity to nudge those most at risk of hunger to select more nutrient-dense foods," explains lead author Norbert Wilson, PhD, Auburn University, "introducing easy low-cost target marketing strategies is a way to do this without taking away choice." |
 | Risk factors for unplanned hospital readmission following pediatric neurosurgeryResearchers at The University of Alabama at Birmingham have determined specific risk factors associated with hospital readmission following pediatric neurosurgery. Some of these are related to the specific surgical procedure performed (for example, cerebral spinal fluid [CSF] shunt placement or CSF shunt revision), others to postoperative complications (such as surgical site infection), and still others to patient demographics (Native American race). The risk factors that were identified are discussed in the article "Risk factors for unplanned readmission within 30 days after pediatric neurosurgery: a nationwide analysis of 9799 procedures from the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program, by Brandon A. Sherrod, BS, James M. Johnston, MD, and Brandon G. Rocque, MD, MS, published today online, ahead of print, in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Pediatrics. |
 | A shaggy dog story: The contagious cancer that conquered the worldA contagious form of cancer that can spread between dogs during mating has highlighted the extent to which dogs accompanied human travellers throughout our seafaring history. But the tumours also provide surprising insights into how cancers evolve by 'stealing' DNA from their host. |
Report on stillbirth and neonatal death rates for local areas across the UKResearch published today shows the wide regional variation in the incidence of stillbirth and neonatal deaths in the UK. | |
Exacerbations of COPD accelerate lung-function lossExacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) accelerate the loss of lung function especially among patients with mild disease, according to researchers at National Jewish Health and other institutions. Barry Make, MD, professor of medicine at National Jewish Health and his colleagues in the COPDGene study presented their findings at the 2016 American Thoracic Society International Meeting in San Francisco. | |
 | Using exercise to reduce glutamate build-up in the brainIn a new study published today in Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, scientists from the University of Guelph have found that exercise has the potential to decrease toxic build-up in the brain, reducing the severity of brain disorders such as Huntington's disease. |
 | Exposure to narrow band of green light improves migraine symptomsLight sensitivity, or photophobia, is a frequent symptom of migraine headaches, which affect nearly 15 percent of the world's population. A new study, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and published today in Brain, has found that exposing migraine sufferers to a narrow band of green light significantly reduces photophobia and can reduce headache severity. |
Capitalizing on a teachable moment motivates parents of kids with asthma to quit smokingParents who smoke are more likely to quit smoking after receiving motivational smoking cessation counseling following a "teachable moment" (TM) such as witnessing their child experience an asthma attack. | |
Researchers uncover marker important to effectiveness of natural killer T cellsNatural killer T cells, or NKT cells, are potent warriors against solid tumor cancers. However, the potential for this small subset of white blood cells has been limited by the lack of understanding of how they can be multiplied outside of the body and still be used to effectively target tumors. | |
Cell division and inflammatory disease link revealedA ground-breaking study by University of Manchester and Liverpool scientists and published in the journal eLife has identified a new link between inflammation and cell division. | |
 | How relationships influence healthFor three years, Whitney Dafoe's world has been a darkened room at the end of a hallway in the back of his childhood home. An insidious disease, one with no known cause or cure, has slowly stolen his life from him, turning his body into a prison. |
 | Drug against breast cancer is also highly potent against a frequent form of leukaemiaCancer cells have an abnormal cell division and survival machinery - they grow faster than they die. For their permanent development, they produce an excess of growth factors and nutrients and block the body's own safety mechanisms. To do so, cancer cells harbour mutations, which enable a continuous cellular growth. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an activating mutation in the FLT3 tyrosine kinase is the most frequent mutation found in patients. According to first author Iris Uras from the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the Vetmeduni Vienna, these cancer cells depend on FLT3 – is FLT3 blocked, cancer cells die. |
 | Resistant neurons point the way to protective factors in ALSThe growth factor IGF-2 can prevent the death of human nerve cells in the incurable disease ALS, according to a study by researchers at Sweden´s Karolinska Institutet and the University of Milan in Italy. The study, which is published in the journal Scientific Reports, demonstrates that degeneration-resistant oculomotor neurons can be used as a tool to identify factors able to prevent the degeneration of vulnerable neurons caused by this deadly disease. |
 | Study finds marriage protects against risk for developing alcohol use disordersMarriage is causally related to a significant reduction in risk for development of alcohol use disorders, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden. |
Novel nicotine inhaler doubles smoking quit ratesA study by researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington shows that smokers who used a nicotine inhaler were twice as likely to quit smoking as smokers using a placebo inhaler. | |
 | Diabetes linked to changes in gene behaviour driven by environmentWhy gestational diabetes leads to type 2 diabetes has baffled medical science for decades, but new research led by Deakin University has shown the answer could be in our genes' ability to change their behaviour due to signals from the environment. |
 | Kids with dogs or siblings more likely to be independentChildren with an older sibling and/or a dog are more likely to be allowed to walk around their neighbourhood on their own, according to new research led by The University of Western Australia. |
 | New recommendations focus on how nutritional needs change as we ageEating right as an older adult takes a bit more effort. Even if you stay the same weight as you age, you have less lean muscle mass and your metabolism slows down, which means you need fewer calories than you once did. At the same time, your nutrient needs stay the same or even increase. Your body may have trouble absorbing certain nutrients, such as B12 and magnesium. |
Heating chemotherapy drugs may improve bladder cancer treatmentScientists have found that heating the chemotherapy drug mitomycin-C prior to using it for treating bladder cancer may radically improve its efficacy. The findings, published in the International Journal of Hyperthermia, are the result of a four-and-a-half-year study by medics based at Comarcal Hospital, Monforte, Spain. | |
 | Young children respond better to pointing fingers than common symbolsThe old adage that 'it's rude to point' might need a rethink after new research showed that young children struggle to make sense of common symbols like arrows, and respond best to a pointing finger to direct their gaze. |
 | Designing dementia-friendly care homesAs the population ages and demography changes, the U.K. is facing an unprecedented challenge of how to care for and support its older people. While the fact that people are living longer should be celebrated, the flip side is that age-related illness such as dementia are on the rise and it's important for us, as a country to find solutions and alleviate the difficulties people may face as a result. |
Altered purine metabolism linked to depressionPeople suffering from major depressive disorder may have altered purine metabolism, according to a new study from the University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital. Purines are nitrogenous compounds that serve as building blocks for DNA and they also play a role in cellular signalling, among other things. | |
 | No link between eating dinner after 8pm and obesity in childrenResearchers at King's College London have found no significant link between eating the evening meal after 8pm and excess weight in children, according to a paper published this month in the British Journal of Nutrition. |
 | New ultrasound method increases awareness about cancer cellsResearchers at Lund University in Sweden and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States have developed a method to analyse and separate cells from the blood. Ultimately, the method, which goes under the name iso-acoustic focusing, can become significant to measure the efficiency of cancer treatments for individuals. |
New study shows how shift work affect cognitive functionsA new study from Uppsala University shows that compared to non-shift workers, shift workers needed more time to complete a test that is frequently used by physicians to screen for cognitive impairment. However, those who had quit shift work more than five years ago completed the test just as quick as the non-shift workers. The findings are published in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. | |
 | Two children in every class experience language disordersApproximately two children in each Year 1 class will experience a clinically significant language disorder that impacts learning, according to a UCL-led study on language impairment at school entry age. |
Magic mushroom compound psilocybin could provide new avenue for antidepressant researchPsilocybin - a hallucinogenic compound derived from magic mushrooms - may offer a possible new avenue for antidepressant research, according to a new study published in The Lancet Psychiatry today. | |
 | Severe, untreated sleep apnea linked to aggressive melanoma(HealthDay)—Sleep is key to immune function and health, and a new study finds that may be especially true for patients battling melanoma. |
 | Sleep apnea may raise risks for angioplasty patients(HealthDay)—Scientists say they now have more evidence that sleep apnea might worsen heart disease. |
 | Young children with sleep apnea may face learning difficulties: study(HealthDay)—Sleep apnea in young children may affect youngsters' attention, memory and language development, a new study suggests. |
 | Mom's exposure to BPA during pregnancy can put her baby on course to obesityPrenatal exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), a common chemical used in plastic water bottles and canned food, is associated with measures of obesity in children at age 7, according to researchers from the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health (CCCEH) at the Mailman School of Public Health. The researchers are the first to show associations between prenatal exposure to BPA—94 percent of women studied had the chemical in their urine—and measures of body fat in their school-aged children. Results appear online in Environmental Health Perspectives. |
 | 30 percent of female physicians report sexual harassmentIn a survey of high-achieving physician-scientists, nearly a third of women reported experiencing sexual harassment. |
Decision-makers hold overly optimistic expectations for critically ill patient outcomesMore than half of the family and friends making decisions for critically ill patients have significantly different estimates for the patient's survival than their doctor—but that's not only because of a misunderstanding, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers report in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. | |
 | Surgery surprise: Small rural hospitals may be safer, less expensive for common operationsThey may be in small towns. They may only have a couple of surgeons. But for common operations, they may be safer and less expensive than their larger cousins, a new study finds. |
 | Blocking apoptotic response could preserve fertility in women receiving cancer treatmentsFemale cancer patients of reproductive age could preserve their fertility during radiation and chemotherapy through treatments that target the DNA damage response in oocytes (the cells that develop into eggs), an approach that works in animal models. |
 | Experimental drug against hepatitis C slows down Zika virus infection in miceVirologists from KU Leuven, Belgium, have shown that an experimental antiviral drug against hepatitis C slows down the development of Zika in mice. The research team was led by Professor Johan Neyts from the Laboratory of Virology and Chemotherapy. |
 | Researchers may be one step closer to curing HIVScientists from KU Leuven, Belgium, present a new therapeutic approach that may make it possible for HIV patients to (temporarily) stop their medication. The findings shed a completely new light on the search for a cure for HIV. |
HIV-infected patients more likely to lack cancer treatmentA new study finds HIV-infected patients with cancer in the United States appear to be less likely to receive cancer treatment, regardless of insurance and other existing health conditions. The study, by researchers at the University of Utah, National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, appears early online in Cancer. | |
 | Researchers discover how an important immune response controller worksAn international team of researchers under the leadership of the LIMES Institute and the excellence cluster ImmunoSensation of the University of Bonn unraveled a new regulatory mechanism how food components and environmental factors influence the immune system. Various substances present in the intestines can bind to an important controller, the Ah receptor. This system is in turn regulated by the Ah receptor repressor and as a result, it influences the degree of the immune response. If the controller is not properly adjusted during bacterial infections, there can be life-threatening septic shock, for example. The results are now being published in the journal Scientific Reports. |
Chronic fatigue patients more likely to suppress emotionsChronic fatigue syndrome patients report they are more anxious and distressed than people who don't have the condition, and they are also more likely to suppress those emotions. In addition, when under stress, they show greater activation of the biological "fight or flight" mechanism, which may add to their fatigue, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association. | |
WHO calls emergency meeting on yellow fever outbreakThe World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting Thursday on the yellow fever outbreak that has hit hardest in Angola but risks spreading further if vaccinations are not ramped up. | |
 | High-power prismatic devices may further expand visual fields for patients with hemianopiaResearchers from the Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear and Harvard Medical School have designed three new eyeglasses using high-power prisms to optimally expand the visual fields of patients with hemianopia, a condition in which the visual fields of both eyes are cut by half. The new designs, described in Optometry and Vision Science, address some limitations of existing prism correction available to this population. |
New mechanism for wound healing identifiedWound healing is not a one-size-fits-all process. MDI Biological Laboratory Assistant Professor, Vicki P. Losick, Ph.D, has recently discovered a new healing mechanism, which she has called wound-induced polyploidy (WIP). | |
 | Holidays in the sun hold key to boosting vitamin D, study findsHolidays abroad may hold the key to tackling Scotland's vitamin D deficiency, research suggests. |
Infertility risk posed by endometriosis may be half of previous estimationAbout 5 to 10 percent of the general female population is affected with endometriosis, and a higher prevalence is found among women with infertility. Although endometriosis is commonly observed in women who are infertile, it is unknown when endometriosis is the cause of infertility or an incidental discovery during the infertility examination. | |
 | Surprising mechanism of acid reflux damage identifiedThe "acid" in "acid reflux" may not be the direct cause of damage to the esophagus as previously suspected, according to researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and Dallas VA Medical Center. |
 | Study advances understanding of colon cancer and colitisInflammatory bowel disease (IBD), of which Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis are the main types, is on the increase in the United States, affecting more than 1.6 million people and explaining perhaps the increase in advertisements offering treatments and cures. Another intestinal disease is colon cancer, a leading cause of death, which is linked to diet and one's genetic predisposition to the disease. |
 | Report: Genetically altered food safe but not curing hungerGenetically manipulated food remains generally safe for humans and the environment, a high-powered science advisory board declared in a report Tuesday. |
 | Mind your busynessAre you busy on an average day? Do you often have too many things to do to get them all done? Do you often have so many things to do that you go to bed later than your regular bedtime? |
 | Almost half of heart attacks are silent; they're still riskyAlmost half of all heart attacks cause no obvious symptoms, yet they can still be life-threatening, according to research on more than 9,000 middle-aged men and women. |
 | Alexandrite laser safe, effective for port wine stains(HealthDay)—Alexandrite (Alex) laser at 3 ms pulse duration is safe and effective for port wine stains (PWS), according to a study published online April 28 in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine. |
 | Recent improvement in heart failure process of care measures(HealthDay)—Adherence to heart failure process of care measures has improved significantly over the last 10 years for patients with acute decompensated heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and end-stage renal disease (ESRD), according to a study published online May 11 in JACC: Heart Failure. |
 | Wine beats other types of alcohol in reduction of T2DM risk(HealthDay)—Wine is associated with a greater decrease in the risk of type 2 diabetes than beer or spirits, according to a review published online May 11 in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation. |
 | Obesity, RYGB impact skeletal muscle proteome(HealthDay)—Obesity and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) affect the skeletal muscle proteome, with changes in protein abundance in skeletal muscle before and after RYGB surgery, according to a study published online May 10 in Diabetes. |
 | Simultaneous diagnosis of SLE, pheochromocytoma described(HealthDay)—A case of simultaneous diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) and pheochromocytoma, with disappearance of SLE after pheochromocytoma treatment, is described in a letter to the editor published online May 6 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases. |
 | HDL-C prediction of heart disease modulated by TG, LDL-C(HealthDay)—The impact of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) on cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is modulated by triglycerides (TG) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), according to a study published online May 10 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. |
 | Transcranial direct current stimulation beneficial in BED(HealthDay)—Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is beneficial in binge-eating disorder (BED), with decreased cravings for sweets, savory proteins, and all foods, according to a study published online May 9 in the International Journal of Eating Disorders. |
 | Many physicians make lack a firm understanding of the costs of medical tests, proceduresIn today's health care climate, physicians are increasingly being asked to do their part to help contain costs and to "choose wisely" when it comes to ordering costly medical tests and services. However, a recent study led by researchers from The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice found that while the overwhelming majority of physicians surveyed (92.2%) felt that doctors had a responsibility to control costs, less than half of the physician-respondents (36.9%) reported having a firm understanding of the costs of tests and procedures to the health care system. |
 | Care for COPD: Could more be done?Fifteen million: That's the number of adults in the United States affected by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. |
 | As many as 4 in 10 gay men have HIV in some Southern citiesThree out of every 10 gay or bisexual men in several cities in the U.S. South have been diagnosed with the AIDS virus, three times the national rate, according to a study about how common HIV infections are in metro areas. |
 | Tax measure could cause financial jolt to California smokersA campaign to raise California's cigarette tax by $2 a pack said Monday it has collected enough signatures to qualify the proposal for the Nov. 8 ballot and raise the prospect of a pocketbook jolt for smokers in the nation's most populous state. |
First case of Zika reported in BelizeBelize has joined the growing number of Latin American nations grappling with the Zika virus, after the health ministry confirmed the country's first known case. | |
Half of transcatheter heart valves show degeneration within 10 years of TAVIHalf of transcatheter heart valves may undergo degeneration within 10 years, according to estimates from the first study investigating the long-term durability of these valves in patients undergoing transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) reported at EuroPCR 2016. | |
2016: Optimal imaging matches intravascular ultrasound for guiding PCI EuroPCRUsing optimal frequency domain imaging (OFDI) to guide percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with second-generation drug eluting stents (DES) achieves equivalent clinical and angiographic outcomes to intravascular ultrasound (IVUS)-guided PCI at 12 months, show results from the OPINION study reported in a late-breaker session at EuroPCR 2016. | |
Polymer-free coronary stent more effective and safer than BMS in ACS patientsPatients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) who are at high risk for bleeding have significantly lower rates of target lesion revascularisation and fewer adverse events after undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a polymer-free biolimus-A (BA9) drug-coated stent than with those receiving a bare metal stent (BMS) in results from a sub-study of the LEADERS FREE trial reported for the first time in a late-breaker session at EuroPCR 2016. | |
 | Supreme Court, down by one, finds it can be hard to decideThe eight Supreme Court justices say they'll take care of business until a new ninth justice joins them. Their actions say otherwise. |
 | UN: Zika increasingly alarming but Rio Olympics should be OKThe World Health Organization's chief says the agency is increasingly worried about the Zika virus, even though it does not recommend canceling or postponing the upcoming Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics. |
 | External stenting can relieve chronic airway obstruction in childrenSeveral pediatric medical conditions, such as congenital heart disease, vascular compression, and congenital softening of the cartilage lining the trachea or bronchi, can compromise the airway and cause breathing difficulty. No matter the cause, airway obstruction in children can be life-threatening, requiring immediate attention. Corrective options such as reconstructive surgery or endoscopic stent placement are limited because of the potential for granulation formation within the lumen or increased risk of wound rupture. In a presentation at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting, investigators describe their experience with external stenting to relieve airway obstruction in 98 children over an 18-year period. |
 | Joe Montana scoring points against heart disease(HealthDay)—After retiring from a long and illustrious pro football career that included four Super Bowl championships, quarterback Joe Montana abandoned his decades-long habit of daily exercise. |
EPO in very preterm infants does not improve neurodevelopmental outcomes at two yearsIn a study appearing in the May 17 issue of JAMA, Giancarlo Natalucci, M.D., of the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and colleagues randomly assigned 448 preterm infants born between 26 weeks 0 days' and 31 weeks 6 days' gestation to receive either high-dose recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) or placebo (saline) intravenously within 3 hours, at 12 to 18 hours, and at 36 to 42 hours after birth. | |
Surgeon warns of 'unbearable atrocities' in DR Congo's eastA leading Congolese surgeon who treats women sexually abused during conflict warned Tuesday of "unbearable atrocities" being committed in the country's east including the mutilation of babies and the disemboweling of pregnant women. | |
VA hospitals favor mitral valve repair vs. replacementOver the last decade, repair of the mitral valve (MV) has become widely favored over its replacement. Data available from such sources as the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Adult Cardiac Surgery Database (STS ACSD) have documented this trend at non-governmental hospitals, but there is little known about mitral surgery practice in the largest federal health system in the US - the Veterans Affairs (VA) Health System. In a presentation at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting, Faisal G. Bakaeen, MD, presents data from more than 4,100 mitral valve surgeries showing that mitral valve operations are performed with low mortality in the VA and that the percentage of repair vs. replacement surgeries has increased significantly since 2001. However, despite the survival advantage for mitral repair in primary mitral regurgitation, the rate of valve repair was quite variable among the VA centers and offers an opportunity for system-wide quality improvement. | |
 | Critical shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons anticipated by 2035Using projections based on data from the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, investigators from The Ohio State University are issuing a warning to thoracic surgeons and public health officials that we are heading toward a crisis in being able to provide adequate cardiothoracic surgical services to meet future demand. In a presentation at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting, investigators argue that the crisis stems from both a shortage of trained professionals and rising demand from an aging population. They add that expecting surgeons to dramatically increase their daily workload to meet these demands is unrealistic. |
ColumbiaDoctors and Medscape partner to deliver clinical answers and expertiseColumbiaDoctors and Medscape, the leading source of medical news and information for physicians, today announced a partnership that gives physicians using Medscape Consult access to the expertise of ColumbiaDoctors, Columbia University Medical Center's faculty practice. | |
 | Is an insulin pump the best therapy for everyone with type 1 diabetes?Insulin pump therapy contributes to better blood glucose control in type 1 diabetes and, as pump technology continues to improve and become part of sensor-controlled feedback and artificial pancreas systems, essentially all patients would benefit from their capabilities according to a Commentary published in Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT), a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free on the DTT website until June 17, 2016. |
 | Can sesame-based ingredients reduce oxidative stress?The antioxidant boosting properties of sesame, and especially sesame oil, can have a significant effect on oxidative stress, improving human health, according to a systematic review published in Journal of Medicinal Food. |
Simple, rapid TB diagnosis feasible in low-resource, high-burden settingsA streamlined approach to tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis requiring a single sputum sample and providing rapid, accurate results to patients proved feasible in rural Uganda, according to research presented at the ATS 2016 International Conference. | |
 | Asthma overdiagnosed in Canadian adultsAsthma is overdiagnosed in an estimated 30 percent of Canadian adult , according to a study presented at the ATS 2016 International Conference. |
 | Senate easily advances $1.1 billion in Zika fundingThe Senate voted decisively on Tuesday in favor of a bipartisan $1.1 billion measure to combat the Zika virus this year and next, cutting back President Barack Obama's request but offering significantly more money to fight Zika than would House GOP conservatives. |
 | First clinical use of bioabsorbable vascular grafts in children shows promiseCurrent cardiovascular valve or blood vessel implants are generally associated with a number of complications, have limited efficacy over time, and may necessitate repeated interventions over a patient's lifetime, especially when implanted in a young child. In a presentation at the 96th AATS Annual Meeting, a team of surgeons from the Bakoulev Center for Cardiovascular Surgery, Moscow report their success with implantation of bioabsorbable vascular grafts used to correct a congenital cardiac malformation. Over time, the grafts are designed to biodegrade as a patient's own cells and proteins reconstitute natural functioning tissue, thus reducing permanent implant-related complications. |
Melatonin reduces blood pressure and tunes up disrupted circadian rhythms in the elderlyThe older we get, the more likely our circadian rhythms are disrupted. For example, blood pressure (BP), not only tends to increase but as well become more irregular. Luckily, as we show in our research, melatonin helps to ameliorate both trends. | |
Biology news
 | Complex life a billion years earlier than thought?Researchers said Tuesday they had uncovered fossils showing that complex life on Earth began more than 1.5 billion years ago, nearly a billion years earlier than previously thought. |
 | Bird DNA shows inbreeding linked to shorter lifespanPieces of DNA that predict lifespan are shorter in birds that are inbred - according to new research from the University of East Anglia (UEA). |
 | New diatom species identifiedA newly discovered species of diatom, a microscopic creature that is key to the health of the planet, is named after a Lancaster professor. |
 | Evolutionary 'probables' a positive stepRice University scientists have advanced their method for determining the most likely ways genes have evolved over eons, both within and across species. |
 | How did the giraffe get its long neck? Clues now revealed by new genome sequencingFor the first time, the genomes of the giraffe and its closest living relative, the reclusive okapi of the African rainforest, have been sequenced—revealing the first clues about the genetic changes that led to the evolution of the giraffe's exceptionally long neck and its record-holding ranking as the world's tallest land species. The research will be published in the scientific journal Nature Communications on May 17, 2016. |
 | First peek into the brain of a freely walking fruit flyResearchers at the Kavli Institute for Brain and Mind at the University of California San Diego have developed a technique for imaging brain activity in a freely walking fruit fly. Working with one of the most common model organisms in science, Drosophila melanogaster, the team shows for the first time what goes on in the brain of the fly during courtship—when it's unrestrained. |
 | Relationship satisfaction depends on the mating pool, study findsRelationship satisfaction and the energy devoted to keeping a partner are dependent on how the partner compares with other potential mates, a finding that relates to evolution's stronghold on modern relationship psychology, according to a study at The University of Texas at Austin. |
 | Study shows how neurons reach their final destinationsAs the human brain develops, neurons leave their birthplace and take a trip to distant locations. Once they reach their final destination, the neurons then send out axons and dendrites—the branches that receive and send messages from other cells. |
 | Imported forest pests cause $2 billion in damage annuallyWhen Gary Lovett was studying the effect of acid rain in New York's Catskill Mountains 20 years ago, he ended the experiment early because so many trees in the test plots were dying—not from acid rain, but from insect attacks. |
 | Fishing ban urged to save world's smallest porpoiseMexican authorities faced calls to ban all fishing in the upper Gulf of California or permanently prohibit gillnets to save the vaquita marina, the world's smallest porpoise, from extinction. |
 | Left uncontrolled, weeds would cost billions in economic losses every yearImagine that weeds were left to grow uncontrolled in corn and soybean fields across North America. That scenario would cut U.S. and Canadian yields by about 50 percent, resulting in $43 billion in annual economic losses to those two crops alone, according to a new study. |
 | Unravelling the costs of rubber agriculture on biodiversityRubber plantations are a rapidly spreading agroecosystem in Southeast Asia and they are likely to have profound impacts on biodiversity due to the disruption of the natural landscape. Therefore, researchers at Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) studied ant biodiversity changes in Xishuangbanna, China after a forest was converted into a rubber plantation as an indicator for other invertebrates. The researchers found a sharp decline in the overall biodiversity of the ants in the rubber plantation, as reported in a new paper published in Ecological Monographs. |
 | Researchers use laser scanners to study the day-night rhythm of treesMost living organisms adapt their behavior to the rhythm of day and night. Plants are no exception: flowers open in the morning, some tree leaves close during the night. Researchers have been studying the day and night cycle in plants for a long time: Linnaeus observed that flowers in a dark cellar continued to open and close, and Darwin recorded the overnight movement of plant leaves and stalks and called it "sleep". But even to this day, such studies have only been done with small plants grown in pots, and nobody knew whether trees sleep as well. Now, a team of researchers from Austria, Finland and Hungary measured the sleep movement of fully grown trees using a time series of laser scanning point clouds consisting of millions of points each. |
 | Lethal reawakeningRetroviral DNAs integrate into host genomes, but their expression is normally repressed by cellular defense mechanisms. As an Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich team now shows, when these measures fail, accumulation of viral proteins may trigger programmed cell death. |
Study proves removing beach debris increases sea turtle nestsConventional wisdom says removing beach debris helps sea turtles nest; now, as sea-turtle nesting season gets underway, a new University of Florida study proves it. | |
 | Biologist: Rabbits and skunks can pass bird flu to ducksA government wildlife researcher has found that rabbits and skunks can become infected with the bird flu virus and shed it enough to infect ducks—offering scientists one more clue about how bird flu may move in the environment and spread between farms, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. |
 | Citizen science reveals large-scale effects of cities on bird diversityIn any city, several common characteristics catch the eye: high-rise buildings, endless pavement, and expansive human infrastructure like bridges and billboards. But cities are also home to green spaces such as large urban parks, gardens and golf courses. These matrices of urban habitats provide a wealth of resources that may benefit non-human city dwellers. |
Making plants fit for climate changeBreeding barley that provides good yields even in a hot and dry climate - a research team of the University of Würzburg is currently busy with this task. The project is part of the new Bavarian alliance "BayKlimaFit" aimed at finding strategies to adapt crops to climate change. | |
Genetically engineered crops: Experiences and prospects: new reportAn extensive study by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has found that new technologies in genetic engineering and conventional breeding are blurring the once clear distinctions between these two crop-improvement approaches. In addition, while recognizing the inherent difficulty of detecting subtle or long-term effects on health or the environment, the study committee found no substantiated evidence of a difference in risks to human health between current commercially available genetically engineered (GE) crops and conventionally bred crops, nor did it find conclusive cause-and-effect evidence of environmental problems from the GE crops. However, evolved resistance to current GE characteristics in crops is a major agricultural problem. | |
 | New insights into human rare disorders with dogsProfessor Hannes Lohi's research group at the University of Helsinki has discovered three novel canine genes for Caffey, Raine and van den Ende-Gupta syndromes. Research reveals close similarities of the canine models of human rare disorders and highlights the potential of comparative research approach for the development of rare disease diagnostics and treatments. Gene discoveries will benefit also veterinary diagnostics and breeding programs. The study was published in PLOS Genetics on May 17, 2016. |
Adding microbial xylanase to diets containing rice bran increases energy value for pigsResearch at the University of Illinois is finding ways to make rice bran, an abundant co-product of the production of white rice for human consumption, more efficient as a feed ingredient for pigs. | |
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