From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Sat, Dec 14, 2013 at 1:54 AM
Subject: Phys.org Newsletter Friday, Dec 13
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 13, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Mechanical forces in development- Massive galaxy cluster verifies predictions of cosmological theory
- New work gives credence to theory of universe as a hologram
- The fate of bioavailable iron in Antarctic coastal seas
- Astronaut may get Christmas wish for spacewalk (Update)
- Incapsula reports that web bots now account for 61% of web traffic
- Breakthrough could lead to protection from fatal infections
- Can smartphones snap out of technological stupor?
- Scientists and practitioners don't see eye to eye on repressed memory
- Duke engineers make strides toward artificial cartilage
- High-speed photography provides first direct evidence of how microbubbles dissolve killer blood clots
- US to keep NSA and cyber command chief's job unified (Update)
- Motorola CEO talks about global vision
- SpaceX to bid for rights to historic NASA launch pad
- Strobe glasses improve hockey players' performance
Astronomy & Space news
Image: Sunny outlook
A composite of space- and ground-based observations in different wavelengths gathered on the day of the solar eclipse of 3 November 2013. The result is an overall view of the Sun and its surrounding corona, extending far out into space.
Galileo achieves its first airborne tracking
ESA's Galileo satellites have achieved their very first aerial fix of longitude, latitude and altitude, enabling the inflight tracking of a test aircraft.
Image: Mystery mounds on Mars
Intriguing mounds of light-toned layered deposits sit inside Juventae Chasma, surrounded by a bed of soft sand and dust.
NASA's Orion spacecraft heads cross country
A test version of NASA's Orion spacecraft gears up to take a long road trip. Starting from NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va., the mockup will take a four-week journey across the nation to Naval Base San Diego in California. There, the test article will be used to support NASA's Underway Recovery Test in February 2014. The test will simulate the recovery of Orion during its first mission, Exploration Flight Test – 1 (EFT-1), scheduled for September 2014.
The tough task of finding fossils while wearing a spacesuit
Someday, human explorers might momentously discover fossils on Mars, proving that the Red Planet once supported extraterrestrial life. An interplanetary expedition of this sort will have overcome major obstacles, such as spacecraft design and the rigors of a many-month voyage. Yet a more subtle challenge to this hypothetical mission's success must, too, be addressed: astronauts will have to perform effective field work while clad in airtight, probably unavoidably cumbersome spacesuits.
China's first lunar rover to land on moon Saturday
A space module carrying China's first lunar rover is scheduled to land on the moon Saturday, authorities said Friday, describing the manouevre as the mission's greatest challenge.
The "magic hour" for Geminid meteors
As arctic air and record cold sweeps across the USA, amateur astronomers are looking at their calendars with a degree of trepidation. A date is circled: Dec. 14th. And below it says: "Wake up at 4 AM for the Geminid meteor shower."
CU-Boulder to fly antibiotic experiment, education project on ants to space station
A University of Colorado Boulder research center will launch two payloads aboard Orbital Sciences Corp.'s commercial Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station on Dec. 18, including a biomedical antibiotic experiment and an educational K-12 experiment involving ant behavior in microgravity.
NASA mulls spacewalks to fix space station
A series of spacewalks might be necessary to fix a breakdown in the equipment cooling system aboard the International Space Station, NASA said Friday.
Image: March of asteroids across dying star
(Phys.org) —In an unexpected juxtaposition of cosmic objects that are actually quite far from each other, a newly released image from NASA's Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) shows a dying star, called the Helix nebula, surrounded by the tracks of asteroids. The nebula is far outside our solar system, while the asteroid tracks are inside our solar system.
Up in the sky: It's a nuclear explosion
If you live in the southern hemisphere, you now can safely view the aftermath of a nuclear explosion from the comfort of your own backyard.
Astronaut may get Christmas wish for spacewalk (Update)
Space station astronaut Rick Mastracchio may get his Christmas wish for a spacewalk or two because of a broken cooling system.
SpaceX to bid for rights to historic NASA launch pad
In a battle of technology titans for the right to lease a historic NASA launch pad in Florida, SpaceX has beat out competitor Blue Origin, the US space agency said Friday.
Swirls in remnants of big bang may hold clues to universe's infancy
South Pole Telescope scientists have detected for the first time a subtle distortion in the oldest light in the universe, which may help reveal secrets about the earliest moments in the universe's formation.
Massive galaxy cluster verifies predictions of cosmological theory
(Phys.org) —By observing a high-speed component of a massive galaxy cluster, Caltech/JPL scientists and collaborators have detected for the first time in an individual object the kinetic Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect, a change in the cosmic microwave background caused by its interaction with massive moving objects.
Medicine & Health news
Defending medical oncology to assure quality care for cancer patients
Medical oncologists have a vital role to play in cancer care, particularly as treatments become ever more complex, a new position statement [1] from the European Society for Medical Oncology says.
New screening strategy to prevent cardiovascular complications in sports
Echocardiography with conventional M-mode and 2D modalities is a simple and cost effective way to increases the accuracy of pre-participation sports screening, according to research presented at EuroEcho-Imaging 2013 by Dr Alexander Kisko from Presov, Slovakia.
Wrist fracture significantly raises risk of hip fracture
A new study presented today at the IOF Regionals 4th Asia-Pacific Osteoporosis Meeting in Hong Kong supports widespread evidence that individuals who have suffered a fracture are at significantly increased risk of subsequent hip fractures. In fact, previous studies have shown that half of patients presenting with hip fractures have suffered a prior fracture.
Obstetric care may differ at rural versus urban hospitals
Rates of unnecessary cesarean section and other potentially risky obstetric procedures show some significant differences between rural and urban hospitals in the United States, reports a study in the January issue of Medical Care.
Making medical decisions
"You're asking me to make these decisions. How do I make these decisions? I'm fighting for my little girl's life […] We shouldn't have been asked for a decision. […] it was almost as if the responsibility was being passed over to us."
Better strategies to treat dementia
Imagine waking up in an unfamiliar room surrounded by strangers telling you what to do. On top of the confusion you feel, you are also in severe pain and cannot find the words to describe it nor the trust to even want to. For many residents of the nation's 15,600 nursing homes, this scenario is the daily reality, and many of them react with behaviors that clinicians often find difficult to manage.
UEA research underpins 'Respect and Protect' report
Organisational factors in care homes are crucial in providing good care, and can be to blame when elderly residents don't receive the compassion and care they deserve, according to research from the University of East Anglia (UEA).
The psychological impact of hirsutism
Women with excess hair growth in the face and on the chest, abdomen and thighs are suffering in silence. They are embarrassed, they blame themselves for their hairiness and would do anything to keep it a secret. Women, who after all have plucked up the courage to seek medical help, tell stories of how they have felt brushed aside and even ridiculed, according to new research presented today at Örebro University, Sweden.
Significant economic losses when young women die from breast cancer
A new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, which sought to gauge the health and economic impact of breast cancer in women under age 50, finds that in 2008, deaths from the disease resulted in an estimated loss of $5.49 billion in total productivity and estimated 7.98 million years of potential life lost. Furthermore, young Black women don't appear to have the same declines in breast cancer mortality as young White women.
Teen dares using holiday spices can easily turn fatal
Cinnamon, nutmeg and marshmallows are usually just seen by adults as ingredients for holiday treats. But in the eyes of many teens who accept a common dare, these spices can be the recipe for death.
Sound is important sensory factor to food enjoyment
The sound a food makes when it's consumed is one of the most important sensory factors that influence whether a consumer will enjoy it or not. In the December issue of Food Technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), IFT Fellow, Neil H. Mermelstein writes about the process of sound-testing the textures of different foods as well as recent developments in the sensory industry.
Academic discovers early signs of autism
A La Trobe Academic has determined a way to diagnose autism in babies as young as 12 months.
Calming ingredients help consumers to relax
In today's fast-paced society consumers are looking for many different ways to de-stress, relax and slow down. In the December issue of Food Technology magazine published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), Contributing Editor Linda Milo Ohr writes about several ingredients and beverages that may have a calming effect when consumed.
Top 5 best and worst holiday foods for your teeth
Around the holidays, most of us are worried about our pants getting too tight from one too many turkey dinners. But what about our pearly whites?
Family violence poorly understood in defensive homicide cases
Women who kill their partners after years of family violence will have fewer options to defend themselves against murder charges if the current Victorian law is abolished, according to a new study.
New findings on women, pregnancy and the effects of epilepsy
New research pertaining to the latest findings on the effects of epilepsy on both the mother and child were presented at the American Epilepsy Society's 67thAnnual Meeting in Washington DC. These studies explore folic acid use, the effect of surgery with intractable focal epilepsy, and antiepileptic drug exposure during breastfeeding.
Laying siege to chemoresistance
To date, tests have only been carried out on cells, but a piece of research conducted by the Department of Genetics at the UPV/EHU's Faculty of Medicine in collaboration with MD Anderson and the CNIO is opening up the door for the treatment of lymphoma types that have a lower survival rate. The study of the molecular characteristics of the tumours would enable molecules that are altered in a specific way to be identified and turned into new therapeutic targets that would improve the prognosis of patients with chemoresistant lymphomata.
New presurgery treatment combination more effective for women with triple-negative breast cancer
Adding the chemotherapy drug carboplatin and/or the antibody therapy bevacizumab to standard presurgery chemotherapy increased the number of women with triple-negative breast cancer who had no residual cancer detected at surgery, according to results of a randomized, phase II clinical trial presented here at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10–14.
Changing chemo not beneficial for metastatic B.C. patients with elevated circulating tumor cells
For women with metastatic breast cancer who had elevated amounts of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in their blood after a first line of chemotherapy, switching immediately to a different chemotherapy did not improve overall survival or time to progression, according to the results of a phase III clinical trial presented here at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.
Bisphosphonate treatment fails to improve outcomes for women with chemoresistant breast cancer
Treatment with the bisphosphonate zoledronate did not improve outcomes for women with chemoresistant breast cancer, according to initial results of a phase III clinical trial presented here at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.
New combination therapy fails to delay progression of advanced breast cancer
Adding the antibody therapy ramucirumab to the chemotherapy drug docetaxel did not delay disease progression for patients with HER2-negative, advanced breast cancer, according to results of a placebo-controlled, randomized, phase III clinical trial presented here at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.
New presurgery combination therapy may improve outcomes for women with triple-negative breast cancer
The I-SPY 2 trial, an innovative, multidrug, phase II breast cancer trial, has yielded positive results with the first drug to complete testing in the trial. Adding the chemotherapy carboplatin and the molecularly targeted drug veliparib to standard presurgery chemotherapy improved outcomes for women with triple-negative breast cancer, according to results from the I-SPY 2 trial presented here at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held Dec. 10-14.
Princeton vaccine reaches 90 percent of eligible
Princeton University officials say more than 90 percent of the eligible students and staff received a meningitis vaccine this week as part of the university's effort to halt an outbreak.
Misunderstanding of palliative care leads to preventable suffering
A new review says palliative care's association with end of life has created an "identity problem" that means the majority of patients facing a serious illness do not benefit from treatment of the physical and psychological symptoms that occur throughout their disease. The editorial is co-authored by palliative care experts at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, the American Cancer Society, and Johns Hopkins University, and appears in the New England Journal of Medicine. The authors say palliative care should be initiated at the same time as standard medical care for patients with serious illnesses, and not brought up only after treatment has failed.
Study shows new paradigm in breast cancer research
The first investigator results from an unprecedented nationwide effort to test promising new breast cancer drugs before the tumor is removed were presented during the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
No two people smell the same
A difference at the smallest level of DNA—one amino acid on one gene—can determine whether you find a given smell pleasant. A different amino acid on the same gene in your friend's body could mean he finds the same odor offensive, according to researchers at Duke University.
'Time to die,' German clock told hospital patient
Doctors at a British hospital were startled when an upset patient told them that the clock in his ward had announced his time was up, the British Medical Journal (BMJ) reported on Thursday.
How Wagner's operas held secrets of his disabling migraines and headaches
In a paper published in the Christmas edition of The BMJ, researchers have looked at how German composer Richard Wagner's disabling migraines and headaches influenced his operas.
Is laughter really the best medicine?
Laughter may not be the best medicine after all and can even be harmful to some patients, suggests the authors of a paper published in the Christmas edition of The BMJ.
Consumption of lead contaminated water may increase risk of miscarriages and fetal death
(Medical Xpress)—New research by Virginia Tech College of Engineering Professor Marc Edwards shows that fetal death rates in Washington, D.C., increased during two separate lead-in-water contamination events during 2000-2003 and 2007-2009.
Researchers use new map of human brain to study dementia
Researchers at the University of Georgia are developing new maps of the human brain that promise to help in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
Study: One quarter of female drug offenders report experiencing police sexual misconduct
A new University of Florida survey suggests that police misconduct against female drug offenders may be more pervasive than previously thought.
Jewelry, socks ease diabetes and arthritis pain
(Medical Xpress)—For the 1.5 million Americans – most of them women – who suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, swollen, painful knuckles and wrists are part of daily life. But a team of Cornell undergraduates has a solution: a line of anti-inflammatory jewelry to make such chronic aches and swelling a thing of the past.
Portable virtual reality rehab for stroke victims
A portable virtual reality device improves neuroplasticity for quicker recovery. It is conquering hospitals around the world. It is being validated by the CHUV hospital in Lausanne, Switzerland and soon by the Stanford Stroke Center in the United States.
Simple blood test could ID people at risk of diabetes
(Medical Xpress)—Medical researchers with the University of Alberta played an important role in a Massachusetts General Hospital-led discovery that a blood test could pinpoint those at risk of developing diabetes—more than 10 years before the onset of the disease. The team discovered a biomarker in the blood that accumulated at higher levels in those at risk of developing diabetes.
Exposure to harmful housing conditions common
among hospitalised children
A high proportion of children admitted to Wellington Hospital in winter are exposed to harmful housing conditions, according to a new University of Otago Wellington study.
Happiness results in fewer doctor visits
(Medical Xpress)—An apple a day may keep the doctor away, but happiness may be the best prescription, says a University of Michigan researcher.
New hope for patients with macular degeneration
Macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in Australia, affecting one in seven people over the age of 50.
True story: Not everyone lies frequently
Does everybody lie? We are taught that this is common sense and that most people tell little white lies. But perhaps this isn't true. A recent paper published in Human Communication Research found that many people are honest most of the time, that many are honest about their lying, and that some lie a lot.
17 million Brits set to cut down on alcohol following last year's Christmas hangovers
Over a third (35 per cent) of Brits, equating to over 17 million people, plan to cut down on alcohol this Christmas after regretting some of their drunken behaviour from last year's festive party season, according to a new poll from Cancer Research UK's Dryathlon.
Study highlights varying cancer survival rates across Europe
Cancer survival rates are continuing to improve in England, according to the results from a Europe-wide collaborative project.
A stop sign for cancer
A particularly aggressive form of leukemia is the acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). It is especially common among children and very difficult to treat. Researchers from the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna have now discovered completely new targets for the treatment of blood cancers. Studying the cancer protein STAT5, the scientists found new opportunities for the development of effective anti-cancer drugs. The research team published the scientific work, which could also become relevant for other types of cancer, in the journal Leukemia.
Pump "down" the volume to address noise and hearing loss
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has tapped Lehman Professor Sandra Levey (Speech-Language-Hearing Sciences) to serve on the department's Noise Committee, which will recommend campaigns to address safe listening practices with the aim of reducing noise-induced hearing loss in the city.
Study documents secondhand exposure to vapors from electronic cigarettes
Electronic cigarettes, when used indoors, may involuntarily expose non-users to nicotine, according to a study led by Maciej Goniewicz, PhD, PharmD, of Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) and published by the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
Tips to stress less outside work hours
Australians are busy at work. We report very high levels of intensive working compared to other industrialised countries.
Scientists improve human self-control through electrical brain stimulation
If you have ever said or done the wrong thing at the wrong time, you should read this. Neuroscientists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and the University of California, San Diego, have successfully demonstrated a technique to enhance a form of self-control through a novel form of brain stimulation.
Researchers hope newly discovered gene interaction could lead to novel cancer therapies
Scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have revealed how two genes interact to kill a wide range of cancer cells. Originally discovered by the study's lead investigator Paul B. Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D., the genes known as mda-7/IL-24 and SARI could potentially be harnessed to treat both primary and metastatic forms of brain, breast, colon, lung, ovary, prostate, skin and other cancers.
New discovery on how skin cells form 'bridges' paves the way for advances in wound healing
A team of researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have discovered that outer skin cells are able to unite to form suspended "bridges" during wound healing. The new findings will pave the way for tissue engineering, such as the design of artificial skin, and better wound treatment.
Zebrafish help decode link between calcium deficiency and colon cancer
A tiny, transparent fish embryo and a string of surprises led scientists to a deeper understanding of the perplexing link between low calcium and colon cancer.
Additional drug shows promise for women with triple-negative breast cancer
In a nationwide study of women with "triple-negative" breast cancer, adding the chemotherapy drug carboplatin or the angiogenesis inhibitor Avastin to standard chemotherapy drugs brought a sharp increase in the number of patients whose tumors shrank away completely, investigators will report at the 2013 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Discharge destination alters rehospitalization rates
(HealthDay)—Destination of discharge alters the association between cognitive impairment and rehospitalization, according to a study published in the November issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.
NPs practicing without restrictions could lower costs
(HealthDay)—Independently practicing nurse practitioners (NPs) seeing patients at retail health clinics can cut health care costs, according to a study published in the November issue of Health Affairs.
Injunction stops insurer from dropping physicians
(HealthDay)—United Healthcare has been given a last-minute temporary restraining order preventing it from removing thousands of physicians from its Medicare Advantage networks in Connecticut, according to an article published Dec. 6 in Medical Economics.
New concerns over safety of common anesthetic
Patients receiving the widely used anesthesia drug etomidate for surgery may be at increased risk or mortality and cardiovascular events, according to a study in the December issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).
Evidence of savings in accountable care organizations and cancer care
Approximately 10 percent of Medicare spending is for cancer care, and Medicare spending is nearly four times higher for beneficiaries with cancer than in those without the disease. Little is known about how to curb spending growth while maintaining or improving quality of care for these high-risk, high-cost patients.
Pathogen study explores blocking effect of E. coli O157:H7 protein
Often the key to any victory is to fully understand your opponent. This is especially true when that opponent is a significant foodborne bacterial pathogen such as E. coli O157:H7.
New drug, study method show breast cancer promise (Update 2)
A novel way to speed the testing of cancer drugs and quickly separate winners from duds has yielded its first big result: an experimental medicine that shows promise against a hard-to-treat form of breast cancer.
Jailhouse wine is not as delicious as it sounds, could be deadly
In a case series seemingly tailor-made for cinematic tragedy or farce, emergency physicians report severe botulism poisoning from a batch of potato-based "wine" (also known as pruno) cooked up in a Utah prison. The study was published online Tuesday in Annals of Emergency Medicine ("Emergency Department Identification and Critical Care Management of a Utah Prison Botulism Outbreak") .
Study finds new link between obesity, early decline in kidney function
A new UCSF-led study of nearly 3,000 individuals links obesity to the development of kidney disease. The work also shows that, when properly measured, declines in kidney function are detectable long before the emergence of other obesity-related diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
Plaque composition, immune activation explain cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected women
A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team has discovered a possible mechanism behind the elevated risk of cardiovascular disease in women infected with HIV, a risk even higher than that of HIV-infected men. In the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases the investigators report finding that HIV-infected women had a greater prevalence of the type of coronary artery plaque most vulnerable to rupture than did uninfected women. They also found evidence that increased immune system activation may contribute to development of vulnerable plaques, an association that appears to be further amplified in older women.
CPAP therapy improves golf performance in men with sleep apnea
A new study suggests that treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy improves golf performance in middle-aged men.
New public attitudes about access to medical information, bio tissue for research
In this age of surveillance cameras, computer algorithms for tracking website visits, and GPS-imbedded cell phones, many people feel their right to privacy is slipping away. This perception extends into the medical realm as well where information gleaned from Electronic Health Records and clinical tissues are being used for medical research purposes with and without patient consent in some situations, though compliant with federal regulations.
Pilot study finds ways to better screen and recover guns from domestic violence offenders
More intensive screening to identify firearm owners among individuals who are subject to domestic violence restraining orders, and streamlining processes to recover guns at the time those restraining orders are served could help enforce existing laws that prohibit these offenders from having firearms, a pilot study conducted by violence prevention experts at the University of California, Davis, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has found.
Scientists and practitioners don't see eye to eye on repressed memory
Skepticism about repressed traumatic memories has increased over time, but new research shows that psychology researchers and practitioners still tend to hold different beliefs about whether such memories occur and whether they can be accurately retrieved.
Stem cell scientists first to track joint cartilage development in humans
(Medical Xpress)—Stem cell researchers from UCLA have published the first study to identify the origin cells and track the early development of human articular cartilage, providing what could be a new cell source and biological roadmap for therapies to repair cartilage defects and damage from osteoarthritis.
Study breaks blood-brain barriers to understanding Alzheimer's
A study in mice shows how a breakdown of the brain's blood vessels may amplify or cause problems associated with Alzheimer's disease. The results published in Nature Communications suggest that blood vessel cells called pericytes may provide novel targets for treatments and diagnoses.
Breakthrough could lead to protection from fatal infections
Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston have discovered a way to block a disease pathway that could be a breakthrough in defeating some of the world's most devastating human infections.
Strobe glasses improve hockey players' performance
Professional hockey players who trained with special eyewear that only allowed them to see action intermittently showed significant improvement in practice drills, according to a Duke University study with the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes.
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