Science X Newsletter Wednesday, Nov 16

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Here is your customized Science X Newsletter for November 16, 2016:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

Cosmic 'barcode' from distant galaxy confirms Nature's constancy

Astronomers detect a fast rotating group of stars in our galaxy

Researchers send messages using household chemicals

Data from New Horizons mission suggest a water-ice ocean lies beneath Pluto's heart-shaped basin

Pluto's 'heart' may be cold as ice, but it's in the right place, according to research

Distant star is roundest object ever observed in nature

Tiny electronic device can monitor heart, recognize speech

Cough virus kills liver cancer cells and hepatitis virus

Study finds evidence of Deepwater Horizon oil in land-based birds

DIY breast reconstruction: Device lets women do part at home

Dry adhesive holds in extreme cold, strengthens in extreme heat

Indonesian fires exposed 69 million to 'killer haze'

Pork opine: Study finds pigs can be optimists or pessimists, depending on personality and mood

World's fastest quantum simulator operating at the atomic level

Researchers solve mystery of historic 1952 London fog and current Chinese haze

Astronomy & Space news

	Cosmic 'barcode' from distant galaxy confirms Nature's constancy Astronomers have precisely measured the strength of a fundamental force of Nature in a galaxy seen eight billion years in the past.
	Astronomers detect a fast rotating group of stars in our galaxy (Phys.org)—European astronomers have spotted a group of stars with high rotation velocity residing outside the solar radius in our Milky Way galaxy. According to a paper published Nov. 2 on arXiv.org, this group, which moves significantly faster than the majority of other stars, could provide essential information about stellar dynamics.
	Data from New Horizons mission suggest a water-ice ocean lies beneath Pluto's heart-shaped basin Beneath Pluto's "heart" lies a cold, slushy ocean of water ice, according to data from NASA's New Horizons mission. In a paper published today in the journal Nature, the New Horizons team, including researchers from MIT, reports that the dwarf planet's most prominent surface feature—a heart-shaped region named Tombaugh Regio—may harbor a bulging, viscous, liquid ocean just below its surface.
	Pluto's 'heart' may be cold as ice, but it's in the right place, according to research Sputnik Planitia, a 1,000-kilometer wide basin within the iconic heart-shaped region observed on Pluto's surface, could be in its present location because accumulation of ice made the dwarf planet roll over, creating cracks and tensions in the crust that point towards the presence of a subsurface ocean.
	Distant star is roundest object ever observed in nature Stars are not perfect spheres. While they rotate, they become flat due to the centrifugal force. A team of researchers around Laurent Gizon from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research and the University of Göttingen has now succeeded in measuring the oblateness of a slowly rotating star with unprecedented precision. The researchers have determined stellar oblateness using asteroseismology - the study of the oscillations of stars. The technique is applied to a star 5000 light years away from Earth and revealed that the difference between the equatorial and polar radii of the star is only 3 kilometers - a number that is astonishing small compared to the star's mean radius of 1.5 million kilometers; which means that the gas sphere is astonishingly round.
	Team discovers major supercluster of galaxies hidden by Milky Way An international team of astronomers has discovered a previously unknown major concentration of galaxies in the constellation Vela, which they have dubbed the Vela supercluster. The gravitational attraction from this large mass concentration in our cosmic neighbourhood may have an important effect on the motion of our Local Group of galaxies including the Milky Way. It may also help to explain the direction and amplitude of the Local Group's peculiar velocity with respect to the Cosmic Microwave Background.
	Great valley found on Mercury Scientists have discovered a new large valley on Mercury that may be the first evidence of buckling of the planet's outer silicate shell in response to global contraction. The researchers discovered the valley using a new high-resolution topographic map of part of Mercury's southern hemisphere created by stereo images from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft. The findings were reported in a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters.
	NASA's flying observatory expanding new frontiers in the solar system and beyond NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, will soon be studying Neptune's giant moon, Triton, and following-up on Hubble's recent sighting of water plumes on Jupiter's moon Europa. According to recently completed plans for the 2017 observing campaign, about half of the research time for SOFIA will run the gamut from studies of planets to observations of comets and asteroids orbiting other stars and supermassive black holes in the centers of galaxies beyond our own. The other half will focus on star formation and the interstellar medium, the areas of dust and gas in the universe, including a vast turbulent region encircling the center of our Milky Way galaxy.
	Farewell to Sentinel-2B Just weeks before Sentinel-2B is packed up and sent to French Guiana for its launch next March, media representatives and specialists got one last look at the second satellite for Europe's Copernicus programme.
	NASA renews search for antarctic meteorites Three federal entities, including NASA, are reaffirming their commitment to search for Antarctic meteorites, to help learn more about the primitive building blocks of the solar system and answer questions about Earth's neighbors like the moon and Mars.
	In the cleanroom with game-changing GOES-R next-gen weather satellite After an ironic detour due to Hurricane Matthew, liftoff of the game changing NASA/NOAA next generation GOES-R geostationary weather observation satellite offering a "dramatic leap in capability" is finally on track for this weekend on Nov. 19 from the Florida Space Coast.
	What is the interplanetary transport network? It was with great fanfare that Elon Musk announced SpaceX's plans to colonize Mars with the Interplanetary Transport System.
Astronomers unveil 'heart' of Eta Carinae An international team of astronomers has imaged the Eta Carinae star system in the greatest detail ever. Eta Carinae is a colossal binary system that consists of two massive stars orbiting each other. It is found almost 8,000 light years from Earth within the Carina Nebula, a giant star-forming region in the Carina-Sagittarius Arm of the Milky Way.

Technology news

	Researchers send messages using household chemicals Nearing the completion of his master's degree in computer engineering and computer science at York University in Ontario, Canada, Nariman Farsad was considering pursuing further study elsewhere. But his supervisor, Andrew Eckford, convinced him to stay by suggesting an odd line of research.
	Tiny electronic device can monitor heart, recognize speech Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and Northwestern University have developed a tiny, soft and wearable acoustic sensor that measures vibrations in the human body, allowing them to monitor human heart health and recognize spoken words.
	Efficient approach for tracking physical activity with wearable health devices Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an energy-efficient technique for accurately tracking a user's physical activity based on data from wearable devices.
	New AI algorithm taught by humans learns beyond its training "Hey Siri, how's my hair?" Your smartphone may soon be able to give you an honest answer, thanks to a new machine learning algorithm designed by U of T Engineering researchers Parham Aarabi and Wenzhi Guo.
	Owl-inspired wing design reduces wind turbine noise by 10 decibels Many species of owl are able to hunt in effective silence by suppressing their noise at sound frequencies above 1.6 kilohertz (kHz) - over the range that can be heard by humans.
	Security firm says Chinese company collected phone users' texts A US security company says a Chinese-made smartphone popular in the United States forwarded detailed user data and user texts back to a Chinese server without the phone owner's knowledge.
	New software continuously scrambles code to foil cyber attacks As long as humans are writing software, there will be coding mistakes for malicious hackers to exploit. A single bug can open the door to attackers deleting files, copying credit card numbers or carrying out political mischief.
	Pure Jaguar, pure EV, watch for it in 2018 (Tech Xplore)—Have we got the concept car for you. Say Jaguar and a lot of car fans adoring the Jaguar look already. The special nuance here is that this is a batter powered sport utility vehicle (SUV).
	Nintendo shares jump on Super Mario app for iPhones Nintendo shares surged more than five percent on Wednesday after the game giant said it would release a Super Mario app for iPhones next month.
Pie in the sky: New Zealand makes pizza drone delivery The world's first pizza drone delivery was claimed Wednesday by the New Zealand division of fast food giant Domino's, as it looks to grab a slice of a potentially hot future market.
	Finland pining for post-Nokia economic champion Nokia was once the motor of Finland's economy, but since the demise of the company's mobile phone business the Nordic country has struggled to find a new engine for growth.
	Smartwatches connect intensive care doctors and their patients Researchers have come up with a way to link a smartwatch to the metabolic monitors used with patients in intensive care. If the sensors – which were developed at EPFL – detect an anomaly, the doctor on duty receives an alert anywhere in the hospital.
	Singapore tests digital currency system to ease bank payments Singapore will launch a new electronic payment system using blockchain, the technology behind the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, the city-state's central bank chief said Wednesday.
	Faster manufacturing of breath sensors A group of researchers at Osaka University, succeeded in producing nanostructured gas sensor devices for detecting volatile organic compounds (VOC) in breath for the purpose of healthcare in time equivalent to or shorter than one tenth of the time required for manufacturing conventional gas sensors. This group improved conventional complicated production methods, developing a simple production method of just sintering substrates applied with materials. This gas sensor's sensing response was comparable to the top-of-the-line sensors reported all over the world.
	Helping autonomous vehicles and humans share the road A common fantasy for transportation enthusiasts and technology optimists is for self-driving cars and trucks to form the basis of a safe, streamlined, almost choreographed dance. In this dream, every vehicle – and cyclist and pedestrian – proceeds unimpeded on any route, as the rest of the traffic skillfully avoids collisions and even eliminates stop-and-go traffic. It's a lot like the synchronized traffic chaos in "Rush Hour," a short movie by Black Sheep Films.
Finding an online advertising compromise How can the internet balance targeted advertising with privacy concerns? A novel approach to targeted advertising would allow companies to offer users relevant advertisements without having to expend energy tracking and data mining putative customers and without those customers having to compromise their privacy, according to research published in the International Journal of Internet Marketing and Advertising.
	Smart sensors could end rail chaos from 'leaves on the line' Train delays due to leaves on the line could be a thing of the past if a prototype developed at the University of Birmingham is adopted by railway networks.
	Most updates to mobile apps don't make a noticeable difference The majority of updates to mobile apps don't have a significant impact on user ratings, suggesting developers might release updates too frequently, according to a new study by UCL researchers.
	Supercomputers' pit crews Like the world's best pit crews, groups of highly trained scientists make sure everything works together at the supercomputers available through the Department of Energy's Office of Science. Like their NASCAR counterparts, these crews get the best possible performance from the custom-built supercomputers. Their machines are fast and powerful, but they aren't intuitive. Add to that the fact that researchers using the computers are racing against the clock, too – to get answers before their time on the machine expires.
	Facebook says it erred measuring audience reach (Update) Facebook on Wednesday said that it is working to fix flaws in its metrics calculations that led to the audience being overestimated at times.
	Gift Guide: Choosing a streaming device without overpaying Your streaming TV options have gotten better and cheaper.
	Software fix didn't work on some Fiat Chrysler gearshifts Software designed to fix confusing gear shifters on 1.1 million Fiat Chrysler vehicles didn't work on 29,000 of them. Now the owners are being asked to take the vehicles back to dealers for another try.
	China bans 'fatty' Kim Jong Un nickname on websites Chinese websites are censoring "Kim Fatty the Third," a nickname widely used to disparage North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, after officials from his country reportedly conveyed their displeasure in a meeting with their Chinese counterparts.
	Fujitsu develops analysis technology to improve communication performance of virtual networks Fujitsu Laboratories today announced the development of an automatic analysis technology to improve communications performance and quality in virtual networks. With the spread of virtualization technologies, such as the cloud, software defined networking (SDN), and network functions virtualization (NFV), there is demand for the ability to flexibly set up and operate high performance virtual infrastructure.
	K computer takes first place on HPCG benchmark On November 16, the K computer took first place in the HPCG benchmark, a new index developed to create a more realistic view of supercomputer performance compared to the commonly used LINPACK benchmark. This success, which surpasses the second place achieved in 2014 and 2015, was made possible by significant improvements of the performance of the system and applications in the two intervening years.
General Motors cutting about 160 jobs at plant in Indiana General Motors says about 160 jobs are being cut from a plant in Kokomo, Indiana, after the automaker announced it would stop producing semiconductors there by mid-2017.
Sweden, Norway couple national emergency radio networks Norway and Sweden have joined their emergency radio networks so first responders can better coordinate their efforts during rescue operations, natural disasters and threats.
	Twitter suspends several alt-right accounts (Update) Twitter has suspended the accounts of several prominent members of the so-called "alt-right" in an apparent crack down on accounts tied to hate speech or threats of violence.
Obama administration gives specifications for smart gun tech The Obama administration is announcing baseline specifications for smart-gun technology.

Medicine & Health news

	Cough virus kills liver cancer cells and hepatitis virus A virus that causes childhood coughs and colds could help in the fight against primary liver cancer, according to a study.
	DIY breast reconstruction: Device lets women do part at home This might be the ultimate do-it-yourself project: Doctors are testing a device that would let women do part of their own breast reconstruction at home.
	Specific types of serotonin neurons modulate aggression How does a small cluster of fairly homogeneous brain cells that make the neurotransmitter serotonin regulate so many functions, from breathing to mood to appetite?
	Chinese group injects CRISPR edited cells into human test subject for first time (Phys.org)—A team of researchers working at West China Hospital in Chengdu has for the first time injected CRISPR–Cas9 edited cells into a human test subject. Nature reports that the procedure occurred on October 28, and that thus far, the patient is doing "fine."
	New hydrogel can take organoids from dish to clinic EPFL scientists have developed a gel for growing miniaturized body organs that can be used in clinical diagnostics and drug development.
	New gene-editing technology partially restores vision in blind animals Salk Institute researchers have discovered a holy grail of gene editing—the ability to, for the first time, insert DNA at a target location into the non-dividing cells that make up the majority of adult organs and tissues. The technique, which the team showed was able to partially restore visual responses in blind rodents, will open new avenues for basic research and a variety of treatments, such as for retinal, heart and neurological diseases.
	Chemical compound holds promise as cancer treatment with fewer side effects A synthetic version of a rare toxin produced by a sea creature appears to hold promise for treating many different types of cancer while minimizing the harmful side effects of widely used chemotherapy drugs.
	Whole-fat milk consumption associated with leaner children, research finds Children who drink whole milk are leaner and have higher vitamin D levels than those who drink low-fat or skim milk, new research suggests.
	Ultra-long acting pill offers new hope in eliminating malaria Imagine swallowing a pill today that continues releasing the daily dose of a medicine you need for the next week, month or even longer. Investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital and their collaborators from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a long-acting drug delivery capsule that may help to do just that in the future. To test the capsule's real-world applications, the team used both mathematical modeling and animal models to investigate the effects of delivering a sustained therapeutic dose of a drug called ivermectin, which is used to treat parasitic infections such as river blindness. Ivermectin has an added bonus of helping keep malaria-carrying mosquito populations at bay. The team found that in large animal models, the capsule safely stayed in the stomach, slowly releasing the drug for up to 14 days, and potentially providing a new way to combat malaria and other infectious diseases.
	Researchers show how circadian 'clock' may influence cancer pathway A new study led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) describes an unexpected role for proteins involved with our daily "circadian" clocks in influencing cancer growth.
	Researchers report highest-resolution model to date of brain receptor behind marijuana's high Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report the most detailed 3-D structure to date of the brain receptor that binds and responds to the chemical at the root of marijuana's high.
Scientists pinpoint regulator of amphetamine induced motor activity In new findings that could have an impact the development of therapies for a number of currently untreatable brain disorders such as Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have found, for the first time, that a specific signaling circuit in the brain is deeply involved in motor activity.
	High blood pressure affects 1.13 billion people, says new study (Update) The number of people in the world with high blood pressure has reached 1.13 billion, according to new research.
	Crowdsourcing a better prostate cancer prediction tool Knowing the likely course of cancer can influence treatment decisions. Now a new prediction model published today in Lancet Oncology offers a more accurate prognosis for a patient's metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. The approach was as novel as the result - while researchers commonly work in small groups, intentionally isolating their data, the current study embraces the call in Joe Biden's "Cancer Moonshot" to open their question and their data, collecting previously published clinical trial data and calling for worldwide collaboration to evaluate its predictive power. That is, researchers crowdsourced the question of prostate cancer prognosis, eventually involving over 550 international researchers and resulting in 50 computational models from 50 different teams. The approach was intentionally controversial.
	Black women more likely to be diagnosed with late stage breast cancer than white women Black African women are nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with late stage breast cancer as white women in England according to new analysis from Cancer Research UK and Public Health England released today (Wednesday).
	Marijuana could help treat drug addiction, mental health Using marijuana could help some alcoholics and people addicted to opioids kick their habits, a UBC study has found.
	UK burden of fungal asthma greatly exceeds prior estimates, new study warns Experts are warning of a significant increase in the number of people in the UK who are living with invasive and serious fungal diseases that affect the lungs, bloodstream and brain and can sometimes lead to death.
	Stop-smoking services under threat as budgets are cut Stop smoking services across England are facing ongoing budget cuts after six in ten local authorities (59 per cent) were forced to reduce their funding in the last year according to a new joint report by ASH and Cancer Research UK published today (Wednesday).
Increase in heart attacks continued a decade after Hurricane Katrina A decade after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, hospital admissions for heart attacks in the city were three times higher than they were before the storm, according to Tulane University research results presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2016 in New Orleans this week.
Genomic approaches can provide answers to undiagnosed primary immunodeficiency diseases An international team of physician-researchers set out to change the approach by which they genetically diagnose primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDDs). The researchers' strategy successfully identified disease-causing gene variants in 40 percent of previously undiagnosed patients with PIDDs and led to changes in clinical diagnosis and management. The results appear in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.
Researchers develop novel system for cataloging cancer gene variants The discovery of variations in genes in tumor samples has been critical to the understanding of how cancer develops and spreads, and how to effectively treat it. Now, a multi-institutional group of researchers from the National Human Genome Research Institute-supported Clinical Genome Resource, known as ClinGen, including researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital, have developed a standard way to catalog gene mutations in cancers in order to enhance the use of the information in research and clinical practice.
	Study uncovers roles of proteins essential for mouse muscle function; potential link to myotonic dystrophy Myotonic dystrophy, the second most common cause of muscular dystrophy, and numerous other muscle disorders affect tens of thousands of individuals in the U.S.. Paving the way toward a better understanding of these conditions, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered essential roles four proteins play in normal adult muscle function. This study opens the door to further explore the involvement of these and other proteins in muscle disorders and to design potential treatments. The work appears in Cell Reports.
Gene testing of 1000 cancer patients via faster BRCA process A thousand breast and ovarian cancer patients have now benefited from a faster BRCA gene testing process that was developed in the UK and is being adopted around the globe.
	Data-driven diabetes management Diabetes is a growing epidemic in the United States. Now the seventh leading cause of death, the condition plagues more than an estimated 29 million Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—and that number continues to rise.
	Poverty may have a greater effect on suicide rates than do unemployment or foreclosures County-level suicide rates in the United States had a strong positive relationship with county poverty rates, while no relationships were found between county measures of unemployment or foreclosures when poverty rates were controlled, according to a new study from the Alcohol Research Group (ARG), a program of the Public Health Institute, in collaboration with the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, Oregon Health and Science University, Prevention Research Center and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto.
Genetic test helps improve outcomes in heart stent patients A genetic test recently implemented at UPMC Presbyterian can significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular events by helping to identify more effective medication for some heart patients, according to the results of a large study conducted in part at the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC. The findings are being presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions in New Orleans.
	Accelerated MRI brain mapping technique to improve neurodegenerative diagnosis A new brain imaging technique developed by University of Queensland researchers is paving the way for improved diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's or Parkinson's disease.
	New intelligent information system could improve daily life for war veterans with PTSD Many of our nation's returning war veterans suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a psychiatric disorder that can occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. The number of veterans who were diagnosed with PTSD varies by service era. For every 100 veterans who took part in the war in Afghanistan, about 11 to 20 percent experience PTSD in a given year.
	Single-cell sequencing takes a census in developing mouse hearts It's not simple, making a heart.
	Researchers find key to predicting outcomes of autism treatment Treatments for autism spectrum disorders are varied and costly, and selecting the right one is crucial to long-term outcome. Yale University researchers report they can predict whether a preschool age child will respond to at least one form of treatment by looking at patterns of the child's brain activity.
Poorer patients face malnutrition risk Patients with chronic lung disease living in deprived areas are more likely to be malnourished than those from wealthier postcodes, a QUT study has found.
For children with brain tumors, next-generation sequencing may lead to different diagnoses Next-generation sequencing for patients at UCSF Medical Center is prompting changes in brain tumor diagnoses for some children and a retooling of treatment plans in many cases. Sequencing is also providing valuable insights to some parents about their own susceptibility to other seemingly unrelated cancers.
	Vitamin D reduces respiratory infections Researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that high doses of vitamin D reduce the incidence of acute respiratory illness (ARI) in older, long-term care residents.
In-depth analysis of blood cells reveals signs of aging "Doctors can't give you drugs just because you complain of being old," says Anis Larbi, who is trying to revolutionize the way elderly people are cared for. Larbi and his team at the A*STAR Singapore Immunology Network (SIgN) are looking at aging as a complex process, including the appearance of symptoms as with disease, the first of which is frailty.
	Generating brown fat cells from bone marrow-derived stem cells could transform the treatment of metabolic disorders A renewable source of brown fat cells, and a simple method for generating them in cell cultures, has been discovered by A*STAR researchers and could help with the development of personalized therapies for metabolic diseases.
Gene mutation that makes the body turn life-saving immune cells into a rare and dangerous cancer The cause of a rare and highly aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that attacks the face has been discovered by an international genome-scanning research project.
3-D video monitoring with intelligent software as new sleep analysis option The usual method of recording periodic leg movements in sleep for people with sleep disorders is to use electromyography (EMG), an electrophysiological method used in neurological diagnosis that measures muscle activity. However, the cables that this method requires can interfere with the patient's sleep and electrodes can become detached, thereby compromising the quality of the data. In a study led by MedUni Vienna's Department of Neurology, Austrian scientists have now demonstrated that superior data can be obtained using supplementary 3-D scene analysis of movements, which is now being used for the first time.
	Antibiotic prophylaxis proves cost-effective for patients at risk of fatal heart infection A new study has shown guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) advising dentists to stop prescribing antibiotics before invasive treatment may not have been efficient or cost-effective.
	Study explores how immune system functions during sleep A new study sheds light on how the immune system replenishes itself during sleep. Researchers found that some subsets of T cells are reduced from the bloodstream during sleep when risk of infection is low. The article is published in the American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
Smoke + hot temperatures = increased SIDS risk Researchers are a step closer to understanding why cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the unexplained, sudden death of a child younger than one year of age. A new study finds that prenatal cigarette smoke exposure in rats affected breathing responses and immune function of their offspring. Breathing and immune response are made worse by high environmental temperature. The paper is published in the American Journal of Physiology—Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.
	GPs must play their part in palliative treatment Hospitals typically provide excellent end-of-life care for their patients. But when GPs assume responsibility for terminal patients, things don't always go so well.
	Deaths due to medical errors increased after the financial crash in Greece Deaths due to medical errors increased significantly after the onset of the crisis in Greece, according to new analysis from researchers at City, University of London, Surrey University and Stanford University.
	Sugar content of fizzy drinks alarmingly high The sugar content in carbonated sugar-sweetened beverages was found to be up to 52.8 grams per 330 mL can, or 12 teaspoons, according to a study by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
	A single stressful event may cause long-term effects in the brain A person experiences deep stress caused by a sudden incident (a traffic accident, a natural catastrophe, an episode of violence). Later, this person could develop a serious neuropsychiatric disorder that lasts for years, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
	Most Americans aged 45 to 64 are somewhat or very satisfied with their health care plans Ninety-two percent of Americans ages 45 to 64 say they would keep their current health care plans unless premium prices increase significantly, according to a new nationwide poll by Prevention and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
Inhibitory motor control problems may be unique identifier in adults with ADHD Young adults diagnosed with ADHD may display subtle physiological signs that could lead to a more precise diagnosis, according to Penn State researchers.
	Women at greater risk for Zika infection due to suppressed vaginal immune response Scientists at the Gladstone Institutes discovered that the vaginal immune system is suppressed in response to RNA viruses, such as Zika. The delayed antiviral immune response allows the virus to remain undetected in the vagina, which can increase the risk of fetal infection during pregnancy.
What makes patients more likely to land back in the hospital? Social factors play key role No patient who just got out of the hospital wants to end up there again soon. Whoever's paying their hospital bills doesn't want that either.
	More human-like model of Alzheimer's better mirrors tangles in the brain Tangled up brain fibrils made up of a rogue protein known as tau are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD) that likely hold the key to treatments, making them of great interest to researchers. Mimicking the formation and spread of these tangles in animal models with greater accuracy allows scientists to better investigate new therapies to stop or slow their spread.
	Discovery of neurotransmission gene may permit early detection of Alzheimer's disease A new Tel Aviv University study identified a gene coding for a protein that turns off neurotransmission signaling, which contributes to Alzheimer's disease (AD).
Does interleukin-10 reduce age-related insulin resistance? New research published online in The FASEB Journal suggests that the anti-inflammatory molecule IL-10 may do more than just reduce inflammation. In the report, scientists use mice to show that the molecule may also help reduce the normal insulin resistance that is associated with aging. If true in humans, this discovery may represent a significant step toward improving the quality of life as people age.
Smoking electronic cigarettes kills large number of mouth cells A large number of mouth cells exposed to e-cigarette vapor in the laboratory die within a few days, according to a study conducted by Université Laval researchers and published in the latest issue of Journal of Cellular Physiology.
Food or nutrient restriction offers insight into cancer prevention and metabolic disease Could limiting food intake be a valid treatment strategy for certain types of cancers? New research in The FASEB Journal suggests "maybe." In a report appearing online in The FASEB Journal, scientists show that food restriction increases levels of a tumor-suppressing molecule, called p53, in both hepatocytes grown in the laboratory and in mouse liver. In addition, this research gives evidence that p53-induction is required for the fasting-induced adaptation of nutrient metabolism.
	A father's influence makes for better grades The warmth of a father's love has a special influence on young people, and makes them feel optimistic and determined to strive for greater things. It also boosts the math grades of teenage girls and the language ability of boys, says Dr. Marie-Anne Suizzo of the University of Texas in the US, in an article in Springer's journal Sex Roles.
Nurse-led monitoring improves the care of patients prescribed mental health medicines New research has found that nurse-led medicines' monitoring can prevent serious adverse side effects of medicines prescribed to people with mental health problems and previously unnoticed health problems in patients can also be recognized and treated, which can help save lives and improve quality of life.
Glowing tumors help Penn surgeons cut out brain cancer with precision An experimental cancer imaging tool that makes tumors glow brightly during surgery has shown promise again in a new Penn Medicine clinical study, this time in patients with brain cancer. The fluorescent dye technique, originally developed by surgeons at the Penn Center for Precision Surgery to treat lung cancer, illuminated brain tumors in real-time during surgery, helping physicians distinguish between healthy and cancerous tissue. Each year, over 15,000 people in the United States undergo surgeries to remove brain tumors.
	Five-year WHO investigation: Treated bed nets still fending off malaria in Africa and India Bed nets treated with a safe chemical killer still provide significant protection from malaria-carrying mosquitoes, despite the rise in insecticide resistance, according to a major study released today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH).
	Alcohol may fuel prostate cancer risk (HealthDay)—Drinking may raise the risk of prostate cancer, and the more men drink the greater their risk, a new analysis of 27 studies suggests.
	Ablative fractional laser beneficial for C-section scars (HealthDay)—Ablative fractional laser (AFXL) treatment is beneficial for patients with cesarean section (C-section) scars, according to a study published online Nov. 8 in Lasers in Surgery and Medicine.
	Findings support bisphosphonate use in men with osteoporosis (HealthDay)—Bisphosphonates reduce the risk of vertebral, and possibly nonvertebral, fractures for men with osteoporosis, according to a review and meta-analysis published online Nov. 7 in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
	ACR: High demand for CVD-preventive meds in IJD (HealthDay)—For patients with inflammatory joint diseases (IJD), cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention medication is often indicated, but less often initiated, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in Washington, D.C.
	GI adverse events up with GLP-1 receptor agonists (HealthDay)—Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists (RAs) are associated with increased risk of gastrointestinal adverse events (AEs), with risk varying based on dose, background medications, and type of GLP-1 RA, according to research published online Nov. 9 in Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism.
	Only slightly worse disease course for bacterial LRI (HealthDay)—In patients with acute cough, those with bacterial lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) have a slightly worse disease course than those without an identified bacterial cause, according to research published in the November/December in the Annals of Family Medicine.
	AHA: secondhand tobacco smoke ups atherosclerosis risk (HealthDay)—In asymptomatic never smokers, the extent of secondhand tobacco smoke (SHTS) exposure is associated with the presence and extent of atherosclerosis, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
	AHA: Ticagrelor not shown to be superior to clopidogrel in PAD (HealthDay)—Ticagrelor is not superior to clopidogrel for reduction of cardiovascular events in patients with peripheral artery disease, according to a study published online Nov. 13 in the New England Journal of Medicine to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
	Guidelines developed for HER2 testing in gastroesophageal CA (HealthDay)—In guidelines published online Nov. 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, recommendations are presented for optimal HER2 testing in patients with advanced gastroesophageal adenocarcinoma (GEA).
	AHA: Inclisiran twice yearly may effectively control cholesterol (HealthDay)—A new injectable medication called inclisiran cuts low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol by half or more, and the effect could last for four to six months, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
	Cancer patients benefit from exercise during, after treatment (HealthDay)—Exercising during and after cancer treatment is safe and improves quality of life, fitness, and physical functioning, according to research presented at the American Institute for Cancer Research's Research Conference, held from Nov. 14 to 16 in Washington, D.C.
	AHA: Evolocumab can help substantially reduce LDL (HealthDay)—Combining statins with the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab can help reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol to previously unseen levels, according to a study published online Nov. 15 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research was published to coincide with the annual meeting of the American Heart Association, held from Nov. 12 to 16 in New Orleans.
	Transcranial direct current stimulation shows promise for depression therapy Small amounts of electricity similar to the output of a common 9-volt battery could improve life for people living with major depression, the most common mood disorder.
No willpower required: Families adopt healthy behaviors through trial and error Forgoing a reliance on motivation, families can adopt healthy behaviors—eating better and exercising more—by following a new approach that focuses on the redesign of daily routines.
Teen stalking victims: Analysis of consequences reveals disturbing trends Stalking is a widely recognized public health concern, yet little information is available about stalking behaviors among teenage victims. The teen years are a formative period during which boundaries are tested and guidelines of acceptable emotional and sexual behavior are established. A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine surveyed 1,236 randomly selected youths and found that 14% of girls and 13% of boys were victims of stalking. Additionally, results of the survey indicated these teens were more likely to report symptoms linked to depression, as well as risky behavior such as binge drinking and sexting.
Some hog workers developing drug-resistant skin infections New Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests that some workers at industrial hog production facilities are not only carrying livestock-associated, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their noses, but may also be developing skin infections from these bacteria.
	New biomaterial for preventing uncontrolled bleeding Small blood clots called emboli are mostly known for traveling through the vasculature before they lodge and obstruct vessels, impeding blood and oxygen supply to organs like the lung. To stop excessive bleeding or the flow of blood into an aneurysm, clinicians harness the same principle by forming artificial therapeutic emboli that can plug blood-carrying vessels. Using steerable catheters, they place tiny soft metal coils or liquid embolic agents ('glues') into the affected artery to block the passage of blood.
Allergies during pregnancy contribute to changes in the brains of rat offspring A new study in rats could begin to explain why allergies during pregnancy are linked to higher risks for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism in children.
Study links mothers with rheumatoid arthritis and kids with epilepsy A new study shows a link between mothers with rheumatoid arthritis and children with epilepsy. The study is published in the November 16, 2016, online issue of Neurology, a medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes the body's own immune system to attack the joints. It differs from osteoarthritis, which is caused by wear and tear on the joints.
Chronically ill women underusing online self-care resources, study shows Barriers to internet use may be preventing chronically ill middle-aged and older women from being as healthy as they otherwise could be, new research from Oregon State University suggests.
Team reports innovations in defining sources of GI bleeding A team of physicians at LSU Health New Orleans has found that endoscopy combined with the administration of antiplatelet or anticoagulant agents is a safe and effective technique for identifying hidden sources of gastrointestinal bleeding. The work is published online in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (GIE), available here and reviewed in New England Journal of Medicine Journal Watch in October 2016.
	First-ever study shows e-cigarettes cause damage to gum tissue A University of Rochester Medical Center study suggests that electronic cigarettes are as equally damaging to gums and teeth as conventional cigarettes.
The connection between chemotherapy and infection Most people's ideas of bacteria and fungi tend to be negative, since we often think of them only as the cause of many human diseases. Yet we must not forget that the average human body is colonized by trillions of microbes belonging to these microbial groups. In fact, it has been estimated that the number of bacterial and fungal cells colonizing a human far exceeds that of the number of cells actually belonging to the human!
	Tackling blood diseases, immune disorders Harvard University has completed a license agreement with Magenta Therapeutics, a new startup company launched in Cambridge, for a portfolio of technologies with the potential to transform blood stem cell transplants from a "treatment of last resort" into a safer, more efficient therapy for patients with blood diseases and immune disorders.
Conjoined twins from Nigeria separated at Tennessee hospital Conjoined twins from Nigeria have been separated after a lengthy operation at a Tennessee hospital.
	Obese Mexican man removed from home A Mexican man who weighs about 1,100 pounds (500 kilos) and hadn't left his bed in six years has been removed by medical personnel for treatment.
UK study to help chronic pain sufferers back to work Researchers from the University of Warwick's Medical School are leading a novel study to explore ways of helping people with chronic pain back to work.
Controversial drug approval stirs deep concerns—and hope In September, the Food and Drug Administration approved Exondys, a controversial treatment for Duchenne muscular dystrophy based on tenuous data from just 12 patients. The cover story in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, explores what the decision could mean for future drugs for Duchenne and other rare diseases.
	Early sign-ups for health care law are steady, but no surge A little more than 1 million people renewed health coverage or signed up for the first time through HealthCare.gov around the start of open enrollment, which coincided with a GOP election sweep likely to scramble President Barack Obama's signature law.
	Employment of more nurse assistants is associated with more deaths and lower quality care Hospitals that employ more nurse assistants relative to the number of professionally qualified nurses have higher mortality rates, lower patient satisfaction, and poorer quality and safety of care, according to a new European study published today in the leading scientific journal BMJ Quality and Safety. This study highlights the risks to patient safety and quality in hospitals that employ a greater proportion of lower skilled caregivers, say the lead study authors from the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing (Penn Nursing). The article, 'Nursing Skill Mix in European Hospitals: Cross-sectional Study of the Association with Mortality, Patient Ratings, and Quality of Care,' is available here through open access.
	New quantitative technique shows microstructural brain alternations in autism spectrum disorder A new study found significant changes in white matter pathways in the brains of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a novel technique called Automated Fiber Quantification (AFQ). Evidence of both increases and decreases in diffusion across white matter tracts and the relationship of these changes to patient age are reported in Brain Connectivity.
Self-injection of contraception is feasible, acceptable in Uganda Self-injection of the contraceptive Sayana Press is both feasible and highly acceptable among women participating in the first such research study conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, according to results published online by the journal Contraception.
	Drug prices don't budge even after pressure from Congress Congress's routine of publicly shaming drug company executives over high prices works no better than a placebo: It may make some people feel better, but it doesn't treat the problem.
	New understanding of brain plasticity may lead to novel treatment approaches A growing understanding of the highly "plastic," changeable nature of the brain—from the level of DNA, proteins, neuronal connections and networks, up to communication across brain regions—is driving the development of new therapeutic approaches to treat chronic pain, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and a variety of other disorders described in an article in Alternative and Complementary Therapies.
	Researching proinsulin misfolding to understand diabetes According to the World Health Organization, 422 million adults across the globe have diabetes. In fact, the number of adults with the disease continues to grow each year.
GW researcher publishes review of new payment reforms in JAMA Cardiology As conventional fee-for-service models become less viable, cardiologists will need to participate in emerging payment models, according to a review published by George Washington University (GW) researcher Steven Farmer, M.D., Ph.D., in the Journal of the American Medical Association Cardiology.

Biology news

	Pork opine: Study finds pigs can be optimists or pessimists, depending on personality and mood You can't keep a positive pig down. A new study finds that, like humans, pigs can be optimists or pessimists, and that the pessimists are more strongly affected by their current environments.
	Huddled mice could change the way we think about evolution Adapt or die. That's the reality for an animal species when it is faced with a harsh environment. Until now, many scientists have assumed that the more challenging an animal's environment, the greater the pressure to adapt and the faster its genes evolve. But we have just published new research in Royal Society Open Science that shows that genes might actually evolve faster when the pressure to adapt is reduced.
	Where cells go: Mechanical and chemical cues collaborate to guide them Living cells respond to biochemical signals by moving toward those at higher concentration, a process carefully mapped out by biologists over the past several decades. But cells also move in response to mechanical forces, such as bumping up against other objects—although the details of that action have been poorly understood. Now, results of a new study, published Nov. 7 in the journal PNAS, reveal that cells use the same network of molecules to react to both chemical and mechanical signals, allowing them to combine potentially conflicting signals into a unified path.
	A hawk's-eye view of raptor hunting New research from The Auk: Ornithological Advances suggests that the neural processes underlying visual hunting behavior in hawks are similar to those in humans. To study a raptor's head movements while hunting, the scientists behind the study recruited an unusual research assistant—a Northern Goshawk named Shinta, fitted with a tiny head-mounted camera.
	Rise in reindeer deaths in the Arctic linked with loss of sea ice and extreme weather Scientists have interviewed nomadic reindeer herders in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of West Siberia, the world's most productive reindeer herding region, to look at how global warming is affecting their way of life. While rain-on-snow does not cause problems in spring, it can be catastrophic for reindeer in the autumn when rain turns to an ice crust as normal freezing temperatures return. This crust, often several centimetres thick, prevents the reindeer from feeding on fodder beneath the snow throughout the winter months. Two extreme weather events in 2006 and 2013 caused mass starvation among the reindeer herds, and researchers for the first time have linked these extreme weather events in the coastal mainland in northwest Russia with sea ice loss in the adjoining Barents and Kara seas. The findings are published in the journal Biology Letters.
	Whale shark mugshots reveal teenage males hang around WA's coast Every year in March juvenile male whale sharks arrive at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia, supporting a thriving ecotourism industry. But where do they go in July once they leave this meeting site?
Proximity labeling reveals the key components of a structure that gives cells their sense of place The protein complexes cells use to attach to the local biological matrix do more than hold cells in place, they help the cell sense what tissue they're in and what cell type they should be. However, the unstable nature of these 'focal adhesion' protein complexes makes them difficult to study. Researchers at A*STAR have built a working model of the focal adhesion by using a molecular tagging technique to precisely identify all the proteins involved1.
	Not everyone loves wheat—so why not remove the bad bits? Wheat is everywhere. It's in bread, pasta, pastries, biscuits, pizza, batter, cereals, soups, sauces, instant drinks, salad dressing, processed meats and sweets, to name but a few.
	Video: 'Good bacteria' make diseases less deadly In a new paper published in the journal Nature Communications, Oxford DPhil student Suzanne Ford from the Department of Zoology shows how the use of 'good bacteria' – or defensive microbes – could help fight diseases.
What can Pokemon Go teach the world of conservation? Launched in July this year, Pokémon Go has become a global phenomenon, reaching 500 million downloads within two months of release.
Shell-swinging snails knock out predators Researchers in Japan and Russia have found some snail species that counterattack predators by swinging their shells, suggesting the importance of predator-prey interactions in animal evolution.
	Looking for a city's DNA? Try its ATMs Automated teller machine keypads in New York City have plenty of microbes but they're mostly from normal human skin, household surfaces or traces of food, according to a study published this week in mSphere, an open access journal from the American Society for Microbiology.
	Two new lizards with 'heroic past' discovered in the Chilean Andes Two new species of lizards have been discovered in the Andean highlands of Southern Chile. Collected from areas of heroic past, both small reptiles were named after courages tribal chiefs who have once fought against colonial Spaniards in the Arauco war. The study, conducted by a team of Chilean scientists, is published in the open access journal ZooKeys.
	eDNA in seawater samples could reveal status of deepwater fish populations Environmental DNA in seawater samples may provide accurate information about deepwater fish populations, according to a study published November 16, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Philip Francis Thomsen from the Centre for GeoGenetics at the Danish Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues.
	Study reveals impacts of climate warming and declining sea ice on Arctic whale migration Declines in the Arctic sea ice are arguably the most dramatic evidence of the effects of current climate warming on ocean systems. Native peoples of the far north have long appreciated and relied upon the migrations of animals with the changing seasons, including some of the largest and least studied, the Arctic whales. While sea ice is perhaps the most defining feature of their habitat, the relationship between Arctic whales and sea ice is still largely a mystery, and there is increasing concern over how these species will adapt to climate related changes in sea ice.
	Acoustic buoy now detecting rare, endangered whales in New York Bight An acoustic buoy recently deployed by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) and WCS's (Wildlife Conservation Society) New York Aquarium is making its first near real-time detections of two rare great whale species in the New York Bight, including the highly endangered North Atlantic right whale.
Live octopus? Animal activists want it off the menu Writhing octopus, prawns and other seafood have been plated at Los Angeles restaurants for many years. The Japanese and Korean dishes are openly advertised, reviewed by food critics and patrons, and posted on YouTube.
	Over 100 tigers killed and trafficked each year: report With fewer than 4,000 left in the wild, tigers are on a precipice—yet more than 100 of the big cats are still killed and illegally trafficked each year, according to fresh analysis published Wednesday.
	Surge in seizures of captive-bred tigers strengthens call for Asia to close all tiger farms With commercial tiger breeding in Asia threatening the future of the world's remaining wild tigers, governments must announce concrete steps to close all the continent's tiger farms within the next three years at the international conference on illegal wildlife trade starting tomorrow in Viet Nam.
	Bacteriophages cure bacterial infections Phage therapy may be a solution to treating infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Since 2013, researchers at the University of Helsinki in Finland have collected bacteriophages to combat antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains, and hope to start clinical phage therapy trials in the near future.
	Matchmaking for coffee? Intercropping coffee plants, macadamia trees Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee a day. Where does all of that coffee come from? Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of coffee. But environmental changes could harm Brazil's coffee plants.

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