From: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 12, 2013 at 3:04 AM
Subject: Fwd: Phys.org Newsletter Thursday, Apr 11
To: pascal.alter.alterego122@blogger.com
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 12, 2013 at 2:06 AM
Subject: Phys.org Newsletter Thursday, Apr 11
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 11, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Australopithecus sediba hominin: New study reveals how human ancestor walked, chewed, and moved- Are human genes patentable?
- Tiny wireless injectable LED device shines light on mouse brain, generating reward
- Study on choice blindness finds voters more malleable than thought (w/ video)
- Researchers evaluate Bose-Einstein condensates for communicating among quantum computers
- Maya Long Count calendar and European calendar linked using carbon-14 dating
- Self-medication in animals much more widespread than believed
- Study finds interferon, one of the body's proteins, induces persistent viral infection
- New software alleviates wireless traffic
- Neuroscientists create phantom sensations in non-amputees
- Cell-destroyer that fights and promotes TB reveals what's behind its split identity
- Genetic master controls expose cancers' Achilles' heel
- Scientists discover gene mutation that causes children to be born without spleen
- Intel's mysterious TV device sparks industry chatter
- Forensic scientists recover fingerprints from foods
Space & Earth news
Chile halts construction of huge gold mine
A Chilean court suspended construction of what would be one of the world's biggest gold mines, accepting a complaint filed by indigenous groups on environmental grounds.
Smart solutions to a worsening water crisis
Innovative policies and new technologies that reduce water waste are helping countries across the Middle East and North Africa deal with chronic water shortages.
Image: Fires in Victoria, Australia
There are a number of fires burning in Victoria, Australia and smoke and heat signatures were captured from them by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument that flies aboard NASA's Aqua satellite. The image was taken on April 9, 2013 at 04:35 UTC (12:35 a.m. EDT). The smoke plumes appear as a light brown color and the fires appear as a red area. In the southeast, smoke is streaming over the Tasman Sea.
Image: Fires in the Yucatan Peninsula
Dozens of red hot spots cluster at the tip of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. To the south, fires also speckle the neck of the Yucatan, Guatemala, and Belize. Each hot spot, which appears as a red mark, is an area where the thermal detectors on the MODIS instrument recognized temperatures higher than background. When accompanied by plumes of smoke, as in this image, such hot spots are diagnostic for fire.
Image: Fires in India and Nepal
Agricultural fires are set all over the world at different times to prepare the soil for the planting of new crops.
Cyclone Imelda turned the corner on NASA satellite imagery
An area of low pressure moving toward Cyclone Imelda from the west has turned the storm to the south from its westward track, as NASA's Aqua satellite passed overhead and captured a visible and an infrared image of the powerful storm that showed the effects of wind shear.
Image: NASA satellite image sees Cyclone Victoria looking like a 'J' from space
When NASA's Aqua satellite flew over Cyclone Victoria in the Southern Indian Ocean it captured a visible image of the storm and it appeared to look like the letter "J." A band of thunderstorms wrapping into the center from the east of low-level center of circulation extended north, creating the appearance of the letter.
Cuba faces vast land losses as sea levels rise
Cuba risks losing a vast stretch of beach front homes and pristine coastal habitat by 2050, because of rapidly rising sea levels, a top environmental official warned Thursday.
Report: Global warming didn't cause big US drought
(AP)—A new federal report says last year's drought was a freak of nature and can't be blamed on man-made global warming.
Scientists stress need for national marine biodiversity observation network
With ocean life facing unprecedented threat from climate change, overfishing, pollution, invasive species and habitat destruction, a University of Florida researcher is helping coordinate national efforts to monitor marine biodiversity.
Rangitoto research prompts rethink of Auckland volcanoes
(Phys.org) —University of Auckland scientists have discovered that Rangitoto erupted not once or twice as previously believed, but multiple times over a period of 1,000 years, prompting a rethink of how Auckland volcanoes may behave in the future.
Team predicts above-average 2013 Atlantic hurricane season in 30th year of forecasting
(Phys.org) —The Colorado State University team today predicted an above-average 2013 Atlantic basin hurricane season due primarily to anomalous warming of the tropical Atlantic and expected lack of an El Nino event.
Tell-tale evidence of bouncing boulders on Mars
What are the types of things that happen on Mars when we're not looking? Some things we'll never know, but scientists with the HiRISE camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have seen evidence of bouncing boulders. They haven't actually captured boulders in the act of rolling and bouncing down the steep slope of an impact crater (but they have captured avalanches while they were happening!)
Mathematical method for simulating evolution of solar system improved
In order to improve a simulation designed to study the evolution of the solar system through time, numerical mathematical methods have been developed at the Computing Faculty of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). Specifically, the methods proposed enable the simulation calculations to be done faster and more accurately.
New research challenges assumptions about effects of global warming on mountain tree line
For years, many scientists believed that forest tree lines on mountains everywhere would shift to higher elevations as the planet's temperature increased due to global warming.
Image: Fires in Southeastern United States
Many plumes of smoke from fires burning across the southeastern United States of America can be seen here. The fires are affecting several states including Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, and Florida.
NASA infrared image identifies several areas of power in Cyclone Imelda
Cyclone Imelda has continues to strengthen, and infrared NASA satellite imagery indicated powerful convection throughout the storm.
NASA sees Cyclone Victoria developing an eye
Cyclone Victoria continued to intensify overnight from April 9 to April 10, and imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed a tighter storm circulation and a possible eye developing.
Spring fling: Sun emits a mid-level flare
UPDATE: The M6.5 flare on the morning of April 11, 2013, was also associated with an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection (CME), another solar phenomenon that can send billions of tons of solar particles into space and can reach Earth one to three days later. CMEs can affect electronic systems in satellites and on the ground. Experimental NASA research models show that the CME began at 3:36 a.m. EDT on April 11, leaving the sun at over 600 miles per second.
Europe sets June 5 for launch of space freighter
The European Space Agency (ESA) on Thursday announced it would launch the fourth, and heaviest, in a series of hi-tech cargo vehicles to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5.
Small satellites becoming big deal for CU-Boulder students
For some University of Colorado Boulder undergraduates, designing, building and flying small satellites is becoming a large part of their hands-on education.
No link between solar activity and earthquakes
Geophysicists have disproved a long-held belief that changes in solar activity can be linked to increased earthquake activity.
Discovery of a blue supergiant star born in the wild
A duo of astronomers, Dr. Youichi Ohyama (Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica or ASIAA, Taiwan) and Dr. Ananda Hota (UM-DAE Centre for Excellence in the Basic Sciences or CBS, India), has discovered a Blue Supergiant star located far beyond our Milky Way Galaxy in the constellation Virgo. Over fifty-five million years ago, it emerged in an extremely wild environment, surrounded by intensely hot plasma (a million degrees centigrade) and amidst raging cyclone winds blowing at four-million kilometers per hour. Research using the Subaru Telescope, the Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope (CFHT) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) revealed unprecedented views of the star formation process in this intergalactic context and showed the promise of future investigations of a possibly new mode of star formation, unlike that within our Milky Way.
Ice cloud heralds fall at Titan's south pole
(Phys.org) —An ice cloud taking shape over Titan's south pole is the latest sign that the change of seasons is setting off a cascade of radical changes in the atmosphere of Saturn's largest moon. Made from an unknown ice, this type of cloud has long hung over Titan's north pole, where it is now fading, according to observations made by the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS) on NASA's Cassini spacecraft.
Mars orbiter images may show 1971 Soviet lander
(Phys.org) —Hardware from a spacecraft that the Soviet Union landed on Mars in 1971 might appear in images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
New technique measures evaporation globally
Researchers at Columbia Engineering and Boston University have developed the first method to map evaporation globally using weather stations, which will help scientists evaluate water resource management, assess recent trends of evaporation throughout the globe, and validate surface hydrologic models in various conditions. The study was published in the April 1 online Early Edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
Medicine & Health news
Ex-convicts from tobacco-free prisons need help to stay off smokes
(HealthDay)—Inmates who quit smoking while in smoke-free prisons are more likely to stay tobacco free if they receive special counseling before they're released, new research suggests.
Restoring paretic hand function via an artificial neural connection bridging spinal cord injury
Functional loss of limb control in individuals with spinal cord injury or stroke can be caused by interruption of the neural pathways between brain and spinal cord, although the neural circuits located above and below the lesion remain functional. An artificial neural connection that bridges the lost pathway and connects brain to spinal circuits has potential to ameliorate the functional loss.
Roche sales up 5 percent amid rush for Tamiflu, cancer drugs
Swiss drug giant Roche said Thursday that heightened demand for its Tamiflu drug amid a severe flu season, as well as for its cancer medicines had sent its first-quarter sales up five percent, beating analyst expectations.
China's bird flu response shows new openness (Update)
(AP)—After a new and lethal strain of bird flu emerged in Shanghai two weeks ago, the government of China's bustling financial capital responded with live updates on a Twitter-like microblog. It's a starkly different approach than a decade ago, when Chinese officials silenced reporting as a deadly pneumonia later known as SARS killed dozens in the south.
Launch of semi-synthetic artemisinin a milestone for malaria, synthetic biology
Twelve years after a breakthrough discovery in his University of California, Berkeley, laboratory, professor of chemical engineering Jay Keasling is seeing his dream come true.
Report finds continuing challenges in changing behaviors that increase cancer risk
An annual report from the American Cancer Society finds continuing challenges in changing behaviors and risk factors in order to reduce suffering and death from cancer. The report, Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts & Figures (CPED) 2013, outlines the current prevalence of tobacco use, obesity, physical inactivity, and the use of established screening tests, and emphasizes that social, economic, and legislative factors profoundly influence the individual health behaviors that contribute to cancer risk.
Complaint-prone doctors can be identified before complaints occur
The three-year study, the largest of its kind ever conducted in Australia, found about 3% of Australia's medical workforce accounts for nearly half of all complaints. Researchers also identified several risk factors, which could be used to help identify which doctors were at high risk of receiving further complaints in the near future.
Polio eradication is achievable by 2018 and urgent, declare 400+ global scientists
Hundreds of scientists, doctors and other experts from around the world launched the Scientific Declaration on Polio Eradication today, declaring that an end to the paralyzing disease is achievable and endorsing a comprehensive new strategy to secure a lasting polio-free world by 2018. The declaration's launch coincides with the 58th anniversary of the announcement of Jonas Salk's revolutionary vaccine.
A survivor's story from the job loss front
(HealthDay)—Michael Knowlese wasn't completely surprised when he lost his job as a marketing manager in late November 2012.
Regulating density of alcohol outlets a promising strategy to improve public health
Regulating alcohol outlet density, or the number of physical locations in which alcoholic beverages are available for purchase in a geographic area, is an effective strategy for reducing excessive alcohol consumption and associated harms. A new report from the Center on Alcohol Marketing and Youth (CAMY) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health documents how localities can address alcohol outlet density, and outlines the critical role of health departments and community coalitions in these efforts. The report, published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, is an important resource for public health practitioners, many of which are often unaware of the potential of this evidence-based strategy.
Severely compromised life circumstances cause frequent ER use by vets
Even with health insurance, ready access to preventive, specialty and behavioral health care and comprehensive electronic medical records, nearly 8 percent of patients in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) visit the emergency department two or more times per year, according to a study published online Tuesday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("What Drives Frequent Emergency Department Use in an Integrated Health System: National Data from the Veterans Health Administration"). The study, along with an accompanying editorial ("How Frequent Emergency Department Use by U.S. Veterans Can Inform Good Public Policy"), casts doubt that any simplistic solution to frequent ER use exists.
The age of stress: Science and the search for stability
Today, many people consider stress to be part of life, yet most of us have little understanding of what the concept means or where it comes from. In his new book The Age of Stress, University of Exeter historian Professor Mark Jackson explores the history of scientific studies of stress and how stress became a buzzword of the modern world.
Mast cells have critical role in initializing pulmonary fibrosis
Pulmonary fibrosis is a chronic, deadly disease that affects five million people worldwide. It is irreversible, its cause is poorly understood, and it has a median survival of only about 3 years. A new study that implicates mast cells—an immune cell involved in allergic asthma—in the development of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis could lead to new, more effective therapies. The study is published in DNA and Cell Biology.
Study reports adenoma detection rates are higher than current guidelines suggest in both men and women
Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, report in a new study that average-risk screening adenoma detection rates (ADR) are significantly higher than current guidelines suggest for both men and women. The study found that the overall average-risk screening ADR was 33.7 percent for both genders combined. Women had a 25.4 percent risk in the study versus a 15 percent risk noted in guidelines; men had a 41.2 percent risk in the study versus a 25 percent risk noted in guidelines. Overall advanced-pathology adenoma detection was 12.2 percent for both genders combined. There was a significantly higher advanced-pathology ADR for men (15.3 percent) versus women (8.7 percent). The study appears in the April issue of GIE: Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, the monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE).
Mexico City tries to get salt shakers off tables
(AP)—Salt and lime with tequila. Salt with your iced "michelada" beer. Salt and chili on fruit and even candy. Mexicans love salt, so much so that some estimates show them eating nearly three times the recommended amount and significantly more than what Americans put down.
ACP and FSMB encourage doctors to 'pause before posting' and not 'friend' patients in policy paper
The creation and use of information online and the widespread use of the Internet offer exciting new opportunities for patient care, but also require physicians to consider how to best protect patient interests and apply principles of professionalism to online settings, the American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) said today in a newly released policy paper, "Online Medical Professionalism: Patient and Public Relationships."
Why do people with apple-shaped bodies have an increased risk of kidney disease?
High blood pressure in the kidneys of people with apple-shaped bodies may be responsible for their increased risk of developing kidney disease later in life, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). The findings suggest that these individuals may benefit from treatments that reduce kidney blood pressure.
Racial disparities exist in end-of-life care for US dialysis patients
At the end of life, black patients with kidney failure receiving chronic dialysis are less likely to be referred to hospice and to discontinue dialysis compared with white patients, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). Racial differences in care are especially pronounced in parts of the country that spend the most on end-of-life care. Efforts are needed to better understand why there are such large racial differences in end-of-life care and to ensure that such care reflects dialysis patients' goals and preferences.
Full range of treatment settings and their effects on radiofrequency heat lesion size
Changing the parameters used to deliver radiofrequency (RF) treatment greatly affects the size of the resulting heat lesion, researchers reported today in a study expected to deliver greater precision and more treatment options in interventional pain management. Results were presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
Soy-based compound may reduce tumor cell proliferation in colorectal cancer
Research on a soy-based treatment for colorectal cancer, a promising agent in ovarian cancer, and a new drug target for advanced prostate cancer was presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 2013 Annual Meeting. The meeting took place April 6-10, 2013 in Washington, DC.
Web-based tools found to enhance recruitment and prescreening for clinical pain trials
Researchers are suggesting new ways to use existing Internet tools to recruit more study participants for clinical pain trials and to increase the likelihood they will remain throughout the study period. An innovative website allowed recruiters to reach out broadly to target and recruit potential subjects and to avoid many of the common difficulties of pain research, according to results presented today at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
Teen's death from chickenpox highlights need for vaccination, CDC reports
(HealthDay)—The death from chickenpox of an otherwise healthy 15-year-old Ohio girl should remind parents of the importance of vaccination against the disease, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.
Research shows promise for microwave ablation (MWA) to relieve painful bone and soft-tissue tumors
First-of-its-kind research presented today showed microwave ablation (MWA) therapy cut pain in half for patients with painful bone and soft-tissue tumors and took less time to complete than radiofrequency ablation. Pain relief lasted over 4 months on average and up to 15 months in some patients, according to results reported at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
Rates of childhood squint surgery have plummeted over past 50 years
Rates of surgery to correct childhood squint in England have tumbled over the past 50 years, finds research published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.
Half of all patient complaints in Australia are about three percent of doctors
Half of all formal patient complaints made in Australia to health ombudsmen concern just 3% of the country's doctors, with 1% accounting for a quarter of all complaints, finds research published online in BMJ Quality & Safety.
Need your appendix out? How about scarless surgery through the navel
A new study suggests that surgery for appendicitis that uses a pinhole incision through the navel may be a feasible alternative to traditional appendectomies. Published early online in the British Journal of Surgery, the findings indicate that larger studies to test the potential of the procedure are warranted.
Endometriosis treatments lower ovarian cancer risk
A novel study shows women who undergo surgical treatment for endometriosis have a lower risk of developing ovarian cancer. According to results published in Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, a journal of the Nordic Federation of Societies of Obstetrics and Gynecology, hormonal treatments for endometriosis did not lower ovarian cancer risk.
New strategy helps young lymphoma patients avoid radiation treatment
(HealthDay)—A new treatment approach may mean that young people with a form of lymphoma can go without radiation therapy, sparing them side effects or raised cancer risks down the road.
Gauging brain cancer survival time may get easier, study says
(HealthDay)—Life expectancy of people with aggressive brain cancer may be easier to determine with a new method under development at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, researchers say.
Review supports fusion for disc-related chronic low back pain
(HealthDay)—Clinical outcomes are positive for patients with chronic low back pain due to degenerative disc disease who undergo lumbar fusion, according to a review published in the April 1 issue of Spine.
New findings on the brain's immune cells during Alzheimer's disease progression
The plaque deposits in the brain of Alzheimer's patients are surrounded by the brain's own immune cells, the microglia. This was already recognized by Alois Alzheimer more than one hundred years ago. But until today it still remains unclear what role microglia play in Alzheimer's disease. Do they help to break down the plaque deposit? A study by researchers of the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch and Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin has now shed light on these mysterious microglia during the progression of Alzheimer's disease.
Death toll hits 10 in China bird flu outbreak
The death toll from H7N9 bird flu in China reached 10 on Thursday with another victim in Shanghai, as cities banned people from raising chickens at home to try to contain the outbreak.
Polymorphism in estrogen receptor alpha linked to back pain
(HealthDay)—For women with degenerative spondylolisthesis (DS), polymorphisms in the estrogen receptor α (ERα) are associated with back pain intensity, according to a study published in the April issue of the Journal of Spinal Disorders and Techniques.
A new treatment option for alcohol dependence: Reduced consumption rather than abstinence
A potential new treatment for alcoholism called nalmefene is effective and safe for reducing alcohol consumption in alcohol dependent individuals, says a new study published this week in Biological Psychiatry.
Brain imaging studies reveal neurobiology of eating disorders
Current treatments for anorexia and bulimia nervosa, which afflict an estimated 10 to 24 million Americans, are often limited and ineffective. Patients relapse. They become chronically ill. They face a higher risk of dying.
PET scans monitor brain circuits activated by light, opening new window to brain diseases
(Medical Xpress)—Building on their history of innovative brain-imaging techniques, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory and collaborators have developed a new way to use light and chemistry to map brain activity in fully-awake, moving animals. The technique employs light-activated proteins to stimulate particular brain cells and positron emission tomography (PET) scans to trace the effects of that site-specific stimulation throughout the entire brain. As described in a paper published online today in the Journal of Neuroscience, the method will allow researchers to map exactly which downstream neurological pathways are activated or deactivated by stimulation of targeted brain regions, and how that brain activity correlates with particular behaviors and/or disease conditions.
Musicians who learn a new melody demonstrate enhanced skill after a night's sleep
(Medical Xpress)—A new study that examined how the brain learns and retains motor skills provides insight into musical skill.
One in three people with rheumatoid arthritis at high risk of repeated falls
(Medical Xpress)—One in three people with rheumatoid arthritis, regardless of their age, will fall once or more times a year, according to a new University of Manchester study.
New therapy device enables stroke victims to recover further
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) have developed a new stroke rehabilitation device which greatly improves recovery in stroke patients.
Light smokers benefit from nicotine-replacement medications
(Medical Xpress)—Light daily smokers, those who smoke fewer than 10 cigarettes per day, have greater success quitting when provided stop-smoking medications and assisted by counselors. Those are the key conclusions of research conducted by scientists at Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and the Medical University of South Carolina and published in the latest issue of Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
'Backbone' of mental illness stigma common in 16 countries studied
An international study found that despite widespread acceptance that mental illness is a disease that can be effectively treated, a common "backbone" of prejudice exists that unfairly paints people with conditions such as depression and schizophrenia as undesirable for close personal relationships and positions of authority.
Animal health agency: Bird flu poses 'exceptional situation' (Update)
The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) on Thursday said H7N9 bird flu posed an "exceptional situation" as the outbreak among Chinese poultry claimed a 10th human victim.
Implanted 'bracelet' helps treat chronic heartburn (Update 2)
A tiny magnetic bracelet implanted at the base of the throat is greatly improving life for some people with chronic heartburn who get limited relief from medicines. It's a novel way to treat severe acid reflux, which plagues millions of Americans and can raise their risk for more serious health problems.
Unemployment's toll can be heartbreaking
(HealthDay)—As anyone who's lost a job can attest, stress and worry often quickly follow. But the health of your heart after unemployment can also take a tumble.
Severely injured vets may need ongoing emotional care
(HealthDay)—U.S. veterans who suffered major limb injuries in combat showed little improvement with mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the two years after receiving treatment for their wounds, researchers report.
Study finds new drug target for metastatic breast cancer
Research led by Dr. Suresh Alahari, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, is the first to report that two specific tumor suppressor genes work in concert to inhibit the growth and spread of breast tumor cells to the lungs. The research is published this week online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Weight loss surgery not only shrinks waists but also affects genes
Gastric bypass surgery can drastically reduce the body weight of obese individuals in a short timeframe. For reasons that are not entirely clear, the surgery also leads to early remission of type 2 diabetes in the vast majority of patients. Researchers report online April 11 in Cell Reports, published by Cell Press, the discovery of gene-expression alterations in individuals who underwent the surgery compared with obese individuals who did not.
Fractalkine: New protein target for controlling diabetes
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a previously unknown biological mechanism involved in the regulation of pancreatic islet beta cells, whose role is to produce and release insulin. The discovery suggests a new therapeutic target for treating dysfunctional beta cells and type 2 diabetes, a disease affecting more than 25 million Americans.
New genetic screen paves the way for long-sought treatments for liver disease
Chronic liver failure is a major health problem that causes about one million deaths around the world each year. A study published April 11th by Cell Press in the journal Cell reveals a new type of screen for identifying genes that promote liver repair in mouse models of both acute and chronic liver disease. The study shows that the MKK4 gene could be a promising therapeutic target to enhance liver regeneration and provides a blueprint for future studies aimed at discovering new therapies for liver disease.
Sound stimulation during sleep can enhance memory
Slow oscillations in brain activity, which occur during so-called slow-wave sleep, are critical for retaining memories. Researchers reporting online April 11 in the Cell Press journal Neuron have found that playing sounds synchronized to the rhythm of the slow brain oscillations of people who are sleeping enhances these oscillations and boosts their memory. This demonstrates an easy and noninvasive way to influence human brain activity to improve sleep and enhance memory.
Mutations found in individuals with autism interfere with endocannabinoid signaling in the brain
Mutations found in individuals with autism block the action of molecules made by the brain that act on the same receptors that marijuana's active chemical acts on, according to new research reported online April 11 in the Cell Press journal Neuron. The findings implicate specific molecules, called endocannabinoids, in the development of some autism cases and point to potential treatment strategies.
Researchers identify novel approach to study COPD and treatment efficacy
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have pinpointed a genetic signature for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from airway cells harvested utilizing a minimally invasive procedure. The findings provide a novel way to study COPD and could lead to new treatments and ways to monitor patient's response to those treatments. The study is published online in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
Do drugs for bipolar disorder 'normalize' brain gene function? Study suggests so
Every day, millions of people with bipolar disorder take medicines that help keep them from swinging into manic or depressed moods. But just how these drugs produce their effects is still a mystery.
Interactions between drugs can also be measured at lowest doses
Clinical pharmacologists at Heidelberg University Hospital have achieved major progress for improving the reliability of drugs. In a pharmacological study, they showed for the first time that interactions between drugs can be detected with minute doses in the range of nanograms. However, at these low doses, the drugs are neither effective nor do they have side effects. This means that studies on interactions occurring in drug combinations can be conducted practically without posing risks or negative impacts on the participants. This is true not only for healthy volunteers, as has been observed to date, but also for patients. The study was published in the medical journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics.
Individual donation amounts drop when givers are in groups
In December of last year the New York Post published images of a man about to be killed by a train while several bystanders did little to help him. Numerous studies have provided evidence that people are less likely to help when in groups, a phenomenon known as the "bystander effect." Those studies examined situations where only one person was needed to take action to help another. A University of Missouri anthropologist recently found that even when multiple individuals can contribute to a common cause, the presence of others reduces an individual's likelihood of helping. This research has numerous applications, including possibly guiding the fundraising strategies of charitable organizations.
Older people may be at greater risk for alcohol impairment than teens, study says
An acute dose of alcohol may cause greater impairment in coordination, learning and memory in the elderly than in young people, according to a study by Baylor University.
How Alzheimer's could occur: Protein spheres in the nucleus give wrong signal for cell division
A new hypothesis has been developed by researchers in Bochum on how Alzheimer's disease could occur. They analysed the interaction of the proteins FE65 and BLM that regulate cell division. In the cell culture model, they discovered spherical structures in the nucleus that contained FE65 and BLM.
Potential therapy for HIV suggested: Blocking key protein boosts body's ability to clear chronic infection
UCLA scientists have shown that temporarily blocking a protein critical to immune response actually helps the body clear itself of chronic infection. Published in the April 12 edition of Science, the finding suggests new approaches to treating persistent viral infections like HIV and hepatitis C.
Most effective PTSD therapies are not being widely used, researchers find
Post-traumatic stress disorder affects nearly 8 million adults in any given year, federal statistics show. Fortunately, clinical research has identified certain psychological interventions that effectively ameliorate the symptoms of PTSD. But most people struggling with PTSD don't receive those treatments, according to a new report published in Psychological Science in the Public Interest.
Revealing the scientific secrets of why people can't stop after eating one potato chip
The scientific secrets underpinning that awful reality about potato chips—eat one and you're apt to scarf 'em all down—began coming out of the bag today in research presented at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.
Sleep apnoea patients more likely to report nodding at the wheel and fail driving simulator tests
People with sleep apnoea are more likely to fail a driving simulator test and report nodding whilst driving, according to new research.
Molecular hub links obesity, heart disease to high blood pressure
(Medical Xpress)—Obesity, heart disease, and high blood pressure (hypertension) are all related, but understanding the molecular pathways that underlie cause and effect is complicated.
A novel surface marker helps scientists 'fish out' mammary gland stem cells
Stem cells are different from all other cells in our body because they retain the remarkable genetic plasticity to self-renew indefinitely as well as develop into cell types with more specialized functions. However, this remarkable self-renewal capacity comes with a price, as stem cells can become seeds of cancer. Identifying genetic programs that maintain self-renewing capabilities therefore is a vital step in understanding the errors that derail a normal stem cell, sending it on a path to become a cancer stem cell.
High-dose opioids disturb hormones long-term, but mental and physiologic function improves
Half of patients on high-dose, long-term opioid therapy had hormonal disturbances or signs of inflammation, while 100 percent reported improved pain control and mental outlook, new research shows. The results, reported today at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine, present rare data on the effects of opioids beyond 10 years. Most clinical trials that examine opioid use are of short duration, and little is known about long-term outcomes, particularly in patients who suffer from noncancer pain.
Experimental study suggests bone-marrow grafts show promise for some sufferers of low-back pain
A new study suggests that the type of bio-cellular grafts increasingly used by surgeons to repair damaged tissue may be useful for treating low-back pain (LBP). However, not all sufferers responded equally to the novel therapy. Results reported today at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine ranged from complete pain relief to no improvement.
New techniques reduce the complications of spinal cord stimulator implant
Two innovative techniques in the placement of an implanted spinal cord stimulator (SCS) are expected to reduce common complications at the implant site, according to new research revealed today. Results from a case series highlighted an advanced lead anchoring technique and the emerging technology of using large single-port introducers, which enable placement of multiple neurostimulation leads through a single needle-entry point.
Pain improves during first year but mental-health problems linger, study says
Veterans who sustained major limb injuries during combat reported little improvement in symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other mental-health problems up to 2 years post injury, according to research presented today. In contrast, pain showed the most improvement 3-6 months after acute hospitalization, and then leveled off after 1 year. The investigative team, led by Rollin M. Gallagher, MD, MPH, reported results during a poster session at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine.
Research examines effects of opioids on patients with sickle cell disease
Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) sought to shed light on the biopsychosocial and spiritual effects of taking prescribed opioids to treat noncancer pain. Such questions have received little examination and impact the challenging decision of when and how to use opioids, the study authors wrote in a scientific poster presented today at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Pain Medicine. They found that taking opioids had many and diverse consequences for patients in terms of biological, psychological, social and spiritual functioning.
Discovery points to new approach to fight dengue virus
Researchers have discovered that rising temperature induces key changes in the dengue virus when it enters its human host, and the findings represent a new approach for designing vaccines against the aggressive mosquito-borne pathogen.
Overweight adults back weight-loss health benefits
(HealthDay)—Most overweight adults feel that specific weight-loss benefits offered by health plans would be helpful, but few are willing to pay extra for them, according to a study published online April 9 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Adherence is generally high to tobacco control act provisions
(HealthDay)—Tobacco retailers are generally adherent to all provisions of the Tobacco Control Act, according to a study published in April issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
Risk of new-onset diabetes varies with different statins
(HealthDay)—Different types and doses of statins seem to correlate with distinct risks of developing new-onset diabetes mellitus (DM), according to a meta-analysis published in the April 15 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
Roundworm infections threaten organ recipients
(HealthDay)—Three people who received transplant organs in 2012 from the same 24-year-old donor got more than they bargained for: Each developed a severe roundworm infection, U.S. health officials reported Thursday.
Primary care docs shouldn't screen all patients for oral cancer: experts
(HealthDay)—Not enough evidence exists to recommend that primary care physicians perform oral cancer screenings on adult patients who have no signs or symptoms of the condition, an expert panel says.
Fish oil has no effect on depression in pregnancy
(HealthDay)—Fish oil supplements do not prevent depression in late pregnancy and postpartum in women at risk of depression, according to a study in the April issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
New study shows different brains have similar responses to music
Do the brains of different people listening to the same piece of music actually respond in the same way? An imaging study by Stanford University School of Medicine scientists says the answer is yes, which may in part explain why music plays such a big role in our social existence.
Researchers show brain's battle for attention
(Medical Xpress)—We've all been there: You're at work deeply immersed in a project when suddenly you start thinking about your weekend plans. It happens because behind the scenes, parts of your brain are battling for control.
New learning and memory neurons uncovered
(Medical Xpress)—A University of Queensland study has identified precisely when new neurons become important for learning.
Hidden dangers in the air we breathe
(Medical Xpress)—For decades, no one worried much about the air quality inside people's homes unless there was secondhand smoke or radon present. Then scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) made the discovery that the aggregate health consequences of poor indoor air quality are as significant as those from all traffic accidents or infectious diseases in the United States. One major source of indoor pollutants in the home is cooking.
Neuroscientists create phantom sensations in non-amputees
The sensation of having a physical body is not as self-evident as one might think. Almost everyone who has had an arm or leg amputated experiences a phantom limb: a vivid sensation that the missing limb is still present. A new study by neuroscientists at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that it is possible to evoke the illusion of having a phantom hand in non-amputated individuals.
Unusual suspect: Scientists find 'second fiddle' protein's role in Type 2 diabetes
A team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center has found that a protein long believed to have a minor role in type 2 diabetes is, in fact, a central player in the development of the condition that affects nearly 26 million people in the United States alone and counts as one of the leading causes of heart disease, stroke and kidney, eye and nerve damage.
Despite what you may think, your brain is a mathematical genius
The irony of getting away to a remote place is you usually have to fight traffic to get there. After hours of dodging dangerous drivers, you finally arrive at that quiet mountain retreat, stare at the gentle waters of a pristine lake, and congratulate your tired self on having "turned off your brain."
Cell-destroyer that fights and promotes TB reveals what's behind its split identity
Tumor necrosis factor—normally an infection-fighting substance produced by the body—can actually heighten susceptibility to tuberculosis if its levels are too high. University of Washington TB researchers unravel this conundrum in a report this week in Cell.
Genetic master controls expose cancers' Achilles' heel
In a surprising finding that helps explain fundamental behaviors of normal and diseased cells, Whitehead Institute scientists have discovered a set of powerful gene regulators dubbed "super-enhancers" that control cell state and identity. Healthy cells employ these super-enhancers to control genes responsible for cellular functions and developmental transitions—such as that from embryonic stem cell to nerve cell—but cancer cells are able to assemble their own insidious super-enhancers to overproduce harmful oncogenes that lead to aggressive tumors.
Scientists discover gene mutation that causes children to be born without spleen
The spleen is rarely noticed, until it is missing. In children born without this organ, that doesn't happen until they become sick with life-threatening bacterial infections. An international team of researchers led by scientists from Rockefeller's St. Giles Laboratory of Human Genetics and Infectious Diseases has now identified the defective gene responsible for this rare disorder. The findings, reported today in Science Express, may lead to new diagnostic tests and raises new questions about the role of this gene in the body's protein-making machinery.
Study finds interferon, one of the body's proteins, induces persistent viral infection
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have made a counterintuitive finding that may lead to new ways to clear persistent infection that is the hallmark of such diseases as AIDS, hepatitis B and hepatitis C.
'Strikingly similar' brains of man and fly may aid mental health research
A new study by scientists at King's College London and the University of Arizona (UA) published in Science reveals the deep similarities in how the brain regulates behaviour in arthropods (such as flies and crabs) and vertebrates (such as fish, mice and humans). The findings shed new light on the evolution of the brain and behaviour and may aid understanding of disease mechanisms underlying mental health problems.
New study shows what happens in the brain to make music rewarding
A new study reveals what happens in our brain when we decide to purchase a piece of music when we hear it for the first time. The study, conducted at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro, McGill University and published in the journal Science on April 12, pinpoints the specific brain activity that makes new music rewarding and predicts the decision to purchase music.
Tiny wireless injectable LED device shines light on mouse brain, generating reward
Using a miniature electronic device implanted in the brain, scientists have tapped into the internal reward system of mice, prodding neurons to release dopamine, a chemical associated with pleasure.
Are human genes patentable?
(Medical Xpress)—On April 15, the Supreme Court will hear oral argument in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, a case that could answer the question, "Under what conditions, if any, are isolated human genes patentable?" Kevin Emerson Collins, JD, patent law expert and professor of law at Washington University in St. Louis, believes that layered uncertainties make this case an unusually difficult case in which to predict the outcome.
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