Fwd: Science X Newsletter Monday, Oct 27

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Tue, Oct 28, 2014 at 1:34 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Monday, Oct 27
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for October 27, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Light-matter interaction can turn opaque materials transparent
- Best of Last Week – POLARBEAR detects oldest light, PhotoMath solves equations and oldest human DNA found
- Water, water everywhere: How UV irradiation reversibly switches graphene between hydrophobic and hydrophilic states
- Reducing population is no environmental 'quick fix', modelling research shows
- First atlas of body clock gene expression informs timing of drug delivery
- Scientists' new analysis of plant proteins advances our understanding of photosynthesis
- 255 Terabits/s: Researchers demonstrate record data transmission over new type of fiber
- Faster switching helps ferroelectrics become viable replacement for transistors
- In Amazon wars, bands of brothers-in-law
- Simulations show Eurasia more than twice as likely to have harsh winters due to sea ice melting
- Boosting biogasoline production in microbes
- New prostate cancer screening guideline recommends not using PSA test
- Taxi GPS data helps researchers study Hurricane Sandy's effect on NYC traffic
- A GPS from the chemistry set
- Imaging the genome: Cataloguing the fundamental processes of life

Astronomy & Space news

	Accreting supermassive black holes in the early universe Supermassive black holes containing millions or even billions of solar-masses of material are found at the nuclei of galaxies. Our Milky Way, for example, has a nucleus with a black hole with about four million solar masses of material. Around the black hole, according to theories, is a torus of dust and gas, and when material falls toward the black hole (a process called accretion) the inner edge of the disk can be heated to millions of degrees. Such accretion heating can power dramatic phenomena like bipolar jets of rapidly moving charged particles. Such actively accreting supermassive black holes in galaxies are called active galactic nuclei (AGN).
	Universe older than it looks When astronomers (Bond 2013) first dated the star HD 140283, which lies a mere 190 lightyears from Earth in the constellation of Libra, they were puzzled. This rare, star appeared to be rather ancient and was quickly nicknamed the Methuselah star. It is a metal-poor sub-giant with an apparent magnitude of 7.223. The star had been known for a century or so as a high-velocity star, but its presence in our solar neighborhood and its composition were at odds with theory. Moreover, HD140283 wasn't just an oddity from at the dawn of the Universe, formed short time after the Big Bang. Rather, it seems to be some 14.46 billion years old… which makes it older than the Universe itself, currently estimated to be 13.817 billion years old (estimated from the cosmic microwave background radiation).
	Tremendously bright pulsar may be one of many Recently, a team of astronomers reported discovering a pulsating star that appears to shine with the energy of 10 million suns. The find, which was announced in Nature, is the brightest pulsar – a type of rotating neutron star that emits a bright beam of energy that regularly sweeps past Earth like a lighthouse beam – ever seen. But what are the odds finding another one?
	Mars Orbiter's spectrometer shows Oort comet's coma The Compact Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) observed comet C/2013 A1 Siding Spring as the comet sped close to Mars on Oct. 19. CRISM recorded imaging data in 107 different wavelengths, showing the inner part of the cloud of dust, called the coma, surrounding the comet's nucleus.
China tycoon reveals foray into space A mysterious Chinese tycoon who plans to dig a $40 billion canal linking the Caribbean and the Pacific is spreading his reach into space with ambitions for a network of satellites, reports said Monday.
	Illusions in the cosmic clouds Pareidolia is the psychological phenomenon where people see recognizable shapes in clouds, rock formations, or otherwise unrelated objects or data. There are many examples of this phenomenon on Earth and in space.
	Partial solar eclipse shows off massive sunspot Astronomers with the National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO) captured pictures not only of Thursday's partial solar eclipse, but also of the "monster" sized active region or sun spot that has many comparing it to one of a similar size that occurred 11 years ago.
Magnetic field around young star captured For the first time astronomers, including SRON astronomer Woojin Kwon, have been able to capture the magnetic field in the accretion disk around a young star. The shape of the field was a big surprise. The discovery suggests that magnetic fields play an important role in forming a planetary system like our own, but that the process is more complicated than our current understanding. The research results have been published in this week's issue of Nature.
Space station dodges junk from old satellite (Update) The International Space Station sidestepped a piece of treacherous junk Monday just hours before the planned launch of a supply ship from Virginia.
	No Galileo nav-sat launch for December - Arianespace Space launch operator Arianespace said on Monday that Europe had decided against hoisting two more Galileo geolocation satellites in December following a launch mishap in August.
	With comet film, ESA boldly goes into sci-fi Belying its austere reputation for pure science and the search for fact, the European Space Agency (ESA) is branching out—into fantasy film-making.
	SDO observes more flares erupting from giant sunspot A large active region on the sun erupted with another X-class flare on Oct. 27, 2014—its fourth since Oct. 24. The flare peaked at 10:47 a.m. EDT.
	NASA image: Antares rocket at sunrise The Orbital Sciences Corporation Antares rocket, with the Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen on launch Pad-0A during sunrise, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2014, at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
NASA seeks ultra-lightweight materials to help enable journey to Mars NASA is seeking proposals to develop and manufacture ultra-lightweight materials for aerospace vehicles and structures of the future. Proposals will demonstrate lower-mass alternatives to honeycomb or foam cores currently used in composite sandwich structures.

Medicine & Health news

It's better for memory to make mistakes while learning Making mistakes while learning can benefit memory and lead to the correct answer, but only if the guesses are close-but-no-cigar, according to new research findings from Baycrest Health Sciences.
	Lipids, not calories, trigger a strong insulin response Insulin is a reaction to what we eat: Especially food with plenty of carbohy-drates rises the blood sugar level, and as a consequence, more of the sugar-lowering hormone Insulin is produced and secreted. Like that, the Insulin sig-naling pathway couples growth, development, and lifespan to nutritional con-ditions. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany, studied lipoproteins in Drosophila melano-gaster and found that that the blood brain barrier is a main sensor to report the nutritional status, especially the lipid composition of consumed food to special neurons which in turn regulate Insulin release. Calories play a rather minor role in this process.
	Just 30 minutes of exercise has benefits for the brain University of Adelaide neuroscientists have discovered that just one session of aerobic exercise is enough to spark positive changes in the brain that could lead to improved memory and coordination of motor skills.
	Discovery of how newborn mice repair bone fractures could improve treatments If you've ever broken a bone, there's a good chance you needed surgery, braces, or splints to realign the bone. Severe fractures in infants, on the other hand, can heal on their own through a process that has eluded scientists. A study published by Cell Press on October 27 in Developmental Cell reveals that a fractured arm bone in newborn mice can rapidly realign through a previously unknown mechanism involving bone growth and muscle contraction. The findings provide new insights into how human infants and other young vertebrates may repair broken bones and pave the way for more effective treatment strategies.
	New prostate cancer screening guideline recommends not using PSA test A new Canadian guideline recommends that the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test should not be used to screen for prostate cancer based on evidence that shows an increased risk of harm and uncertain benefits. The guideline is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
	Lack of transcription factor FoxO1 triggers pulmonary hypertension Pulmonary hypertension is characterised by uncontrolled division of cells in the blood vessel walls. As a result, the vessel walls become increasingly thick.
	Whites of their eyes: Study finds infants respond to social cues from sclera Humans are the only primates with large, highly visible sclera – the white part of the eye.
Chest radiation to treat childhood cancer increases patients' risk of breast cancer A new study has found that patients who received chest radiation for Wilms tumor, a rare childhood cancer, face an increased risk of developing breast cancer later in life due to their radiation exposure. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that cancer screening guidelines might be re-evaluated to facilitate the early diagnosis and prompt treatment of breast cancer among Wilms tumor survivors.
People with mental health disorders twice as likely to have heart disease or stroke People facing mental health challenges are significantly more likely to have heart disease or stroke, according to a study presented today at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
Study shows ethnic groups are at higher risk for heart disease yet many aren't aware Different ethnic groups have widely varying differences in both the prevalence and awareness of cardiovascular risk factors, a finding that highlights the need for specially designed education and intervention programs, according to a study presented today at the 2014 Canadian Cardiovascular Congress.
Newly donated blood reduces complications from heart surgery, study shows Heart surgery patients who received newly donated blood have significantly fewer post-operative complications than those who received blood that had been donated more than two weeks before their surgery, a study presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress has shown.
	A lethal virus more threatening to public health than Ebola With Americans on edge about the potential spread of Ebola, it is easy to overlook another virus to which we have long been accustomed – influenza. According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the flu takes anywhere from 3,000 to 48,000 lives a year in this country, depending on the severity of the disease in a given flu season. But as lethal as the flu can be, the CDC reports that nearly 60 percent of adults and 43 percent of children were not vaccinated in the most recent reporting year.
	Autism after high school Melanie Tyner-Wilson is facing one of her toughest battles yet. She wants nothing more than to help her son Jay Tyner-Wilson, who is a person with autism, land his first real job.
	Scientists try brincidofovir against Ebola With the Ebola crisis ongoing, much attention is focused upon finding a drug capable of slowing – if not stopping – the infectious, deadly and terrifying virus.
	Researchers observe brain development in utero New investigation methods using functional magnetic resonance tomography (fMRT) offer insights into fetal brain development. These "in vivo" observations will uncover different stages of the brain's development. A research group at the Computational Imaging Research Lab from the MedUni Vienna has observed that parts of the brain that are later responsible for sight are already active at this stage.
	Lutein may have role in brain health Researchers have known for a while that getting enough lutein in your diet seems to be a good thing for eye health; people who consume more of this deep yellow pigment found in dark green leafy vegetables and brightly colored fruits are less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration, for example. But lutein may have a special role in brain health as well.
	How mathematicians are aiding fight against epidemics like Ebola At the sharp end of the fight against Ebola and other infectious diseases are courageous people who work tirelessly in difficult conditions. Equations are not included as standard in medical kits. But in the backrooms of universities and institutes mathematicians are also contributing to the lines of defence.
Doctors boost fitness of cancer patients using novel 'prehab' programme Doctors and scientists in Southampton can return cancer patients to pre-treatment fitness levels within six weeks using a novel 'prehabilitation' programme.
	Study a first test of Australian honey's medicinal potential Manuka honey from New Zealand is already established as a valuable antibacterial agent, particularly for treating slow-healing wounds. Now scientists will test the potential of honey derived from related trees in Australia to meet the increasing worldwide demand for medical honey.
	Student inventors create detection system for African sleeping sickness Six University of Aberdeen students will head to Boston on Wednesday to a major international science competition to showcase a new diagnostic tool they have created.
	Calf muscles outclass hamstrings in injury prevention Better prevention of non-contact anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries is on the horizon after a recent study found the calf muscle plays a larger role in stabilising the knee than previously thought.
International research group publishes updated criteria for diagnosing multiple myeloma The International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG) today announced that it has updated the criteria for diagnosing multiple myeloma. A paper outlining the new criteria was published in the journal Lancet Oncology. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that forms in a type of white blood cell called a plasma cell.
	One drop will do: Researchers develop simple new test for vitamin B12 deficiency Researchers at the University of British Columbia have developed a novel method to test for vitamin B12 deficiency that is sensitive enough to work on anyone, including newborn babies and large swaths of the general population.
Diabetes patients report better outcomes with improved physician accessibility A new model of delivering primary care studied by Keck Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) researchers has the potential to improve the health of patients with type 2 diabetes.
Clinical results indicate vaccine candidate highly efficacious against bacterial diarrhea New results from a safety and immunogenicity study, which included a challenge phase to test efficacy, indicate that a live attenuated enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) vaccine candidate, given in combination with a novel adjuvant, provided significant protection against disease. This represents the first efficacy data for this vaccine/adjuvant combination, which was 58.5 percent efficacious in protecting against diarrhea of any severity using a highly rigorous ETEC human challenge model. The vaccine/adjuvant combination was also protective against severe ETEC diarrhea in this model with a protective efficacy of 65.9 percent.
	Obese youths with leukemia more likely to have persistent disease Obese youths with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are known to have worse outcomes than their lean counterparts. To find out why, investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles studied patients who were obese at the time of their diagnosis with ALL to determine if body mass index (BMI) impacted response to initial chemotherapy. This response to initial chemotherapy (or induction therapy) is measured by the absence of leukemia cells in the bone marrow. Called minimal residual disease (MRD), in which residual leukemia cells cannot be seen under microscope but can be detected by more sensitive methods, it is among the strongest predictors of long-term survival and disease recurrence. As reported in First Edition of the journal Blood on October 27, following induction chemotherapy, obese patients were more than twice as likely to have minimal residual disease, than non-obese patients.
	How Staph infections elude the immune system A potentially lethal bacterium protects itself by causing immune tunnel vision, according to a study from scientists at The University of Chicago published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine. By tricking the immune system into focusing on one bug-associated factor, the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus dodges the production of antibodies that would otherwise protect against infection.
	IBM offers analytics platform for Ebola fight IBM announced Monday it would offer its analytics platform and other technology for use in African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak.
	Mobile app helps track Ebola epidemic A new mobile telephone based mapping service has been created in a bid to track Ebola and better help communities hit by the virus in west Africa, developers said Monday.
	A key to aortic valve disease prevention: Lowering cholesterol early An international research team led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and Lund University has provided new evidence that aortic valve disease may be preventable. Their findings show that so-called "bad" cholesterol or low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) is a cause of aortic valve disease – a serious heart condition that affects around five million people in North America and is the most common cause for valve replacement. The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) and presented at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress in Vancouver, could have major implications in the prevention of heart valve disease, a condition that currently has no known medical therapy.
Group classes teach parents effective autism therapy, study finds Parents can learn to use a scientifically validated autism therapy with their own children by taking a short series of group classes, a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford has found.
Alternative hospital-funding proposal risky, says study A new study led by a Simon Fraser University health services and policy researcher says we should be concerned about Canadian federal and provincial policymakers' increasing interest in moving to activity-based funding (ABF) of hospitals.
Ibuprofen better choice to relieve fracture pain in children than oral morphine Although Ibuprofen and oral morphine both provide effective pain relief for children with broken limbs, ibuprofen is the recommended choice because of adverse events associated with oral morphine, according to a randomized trial published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal)
	More kids harmed by drinking in pregnancy than expected, study reports (HealthDay)—Although drinking during pregnancy has long been considered taboo, new research suggests that as many as one in 20 U.S. children may have health or behavioral problems related to alcohol exposure before birth.
	Two biomarkers may aid diagnosis of rhinosinusitis (HealthDay)—Two protein markers may serve as biomarkers for chronic rhinosinusitis, according to a proof-of-principle study published in The Laryngoscope.
	Pharmacoinvasive STEMI strategy best for smokers, nonsmokers (HealthDay)—For patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction, a pharmacoinvasive strategy after fibrinolysis is beneficial for smokers and nonsmokers, according to a study published in the Oct. 1 issue of The American Journal of Cardiology.
	Study finds neutralizing an immune system gene could improve the success of fertility treatments in women Difficulty in conceiving a child is a major challenge for one in seven heterosexual couples in America, especially for those over the age of 35. Now a new discovery by researchers at Tel Aviv University and Chaim Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer could boost the chances of conception in women undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments.
	Adverse drug reactions in children following use of asthma medications The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences) In a new study based on EU adverse drug reaction reports, researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Southern Denmark now document that children's use of asthma medications may result in serious adverse drug reactions. The risk of adverse drug reactions is not fully documented in the pre-marketing clinical trials. The new study has been published in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy.
	Menopausal symptoms may be lessened with young children in the house A new study by researchers at The Kinsey Institute and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has found that the timeless, multicultural tradition of grandmothering might have an unexpected benefit: helping some women temper their hot flashes and night sweats during menopause.
	Researcher adapting breakthrough technologies to combat parasitic worm infections Recent breakthroughs may pave the way for vaccines and new drugs for those infected by parasitic helminths. These flatworms, including tapeworms that cause hydatid diseases and neurocysticercosis, liver flukes, and blood flukes (schistosomes), infect more than 300 million people and cause approximately four million disability-adjusted life years lost due to chronic illness and death each year.
	Ultrasound guides tongue to pronounce 'r' sounds Using ultrasound technology to visualize the tongue's shape and movement can help children with difficulty pronouncing "r" sounds, according to a small study by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and Montclair State University.
Researchers unveil first real-time secondhand smoke sensor Dartmouth College researchers are going to market with the first-ever sensor that detects secondhand and thirdhand tobacco and marijuana smoke in real time.
	PET scans reveal how psychodynamic therapy for depression may change brain function A study from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) investigators has identified for the first time changes in the metabolic activity of a key brain region in patients successfully treated for depression with psychodynamic psychotherapy, suggesting a mechanism of action behind one of the most historically important and widely practiced forms of therapy. They also found evidence that pretreatment metabolism in a different brain structure might predict which patients are likely to respond to that form of therapy. Their report will appear in the journal Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics and has been issued online.
When hearing aid users listen to music, less is more, study says The type of sound processing that modern hearings aids provide to make speech more understandable for wearers may also make music enjoyment more difficult, according to a new study by the University of Colorado Boulder.
Influential colleagues push doctors beyond comfort zone to try new therapies Doctors are more likely to try a new therapy when they are persuaded to do so by an influential colleague, reports a new Northwestern University study whose findings on adopting innovations also have relevance for business, education and research.
Can statin treatment cut cardiovascular risk in HIV-infected patients? A nationwide study based at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) will investigate, for the first time, whether treatment with a statin drug can reduce the elevated risk of cardiovascular disease in individuals infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The REPRIEVE (Randomized Study to Prevent Vascular Events in HIV) trial is funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) and will be conducted in collaboration with the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). MGH will receive more than $39 million in direct support of the trial. Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc, will provide the study drug and additional study funds.
Blood vessel growth in the brain relies on a protein found in tumor blood vessels Do blood vessels that feed tumors differ from other blood vessels? Fourteen years ago, experiments designed to answer that question led to the discovery of several genes that are more active in tumor-associated blood vessels than in normal blood vessels. New research now reveals the normal function of one of those genes and suggests it could be a good target for anticancer drug therapy.
	Study focuses on suicide resilience and vulnerability Religious beliefs and practices may reduce thoughts of suicide among African-American adults in stressful life events induced by racial discrimination, according to a new research study conducted at the University of Houston (UH).
	Delivering a one-two punch: New drug combination shows promise in treating breast cancer The uncontrolled growth of cancer cells arises from their ability to hijack the cell's normal growth program and checkpoints. Usually after therapy, a second cancer-signaling pathway will open after the primary one shuts down—creating an ingenious escape route for the cancer cell to survive. The answer, say Case Western Reserve researchers, is to anticipate and block that back-up track by prescribing two drugs from the start. The results of the project, led by Ruth Keri, PhD, Professor and Vice Chair Department of Pharmacology, and Associate Director for Basic Research in the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, appeared this fall in the journal Cancer Research.
	Synapses always on the starting blocks While neurons rapidly propagate information in their interior via electrical signals, they communicate with each other at special contact points known as the synapses. Chemical messenger substances, the neurotransmitters, are stored in vesicles at the synapses. When a synapse becomes active, some of these vesicles fuse with the cell membrane and release their contents. To ensure that valuable time is not lost, synapses always have some readily releasable vesicles on standby. With the help of high-resolution, three-dimensional electron microscopy, scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Experimental Medicine in Göttingen succeeded in demonstrating that these fusionable vesicles have a very special characteristic: they already have close contact with the cell membrane long before the actual fusion occurs. In addition, the research team also decoded the molecular machinery that facilitates the operation of this docking mechanism.
	Study documents millions in unused medical supplies in US operating rooms each year A Johns Hopkins research team reports that major hospitals across the U.S. collectively throw away at least $15 million a year in unused operating room surgical supplies that could be salvaged and used to ease critical shortages, improve surgical care and boost public health in developing countries.
A demography of unceasing discomfort: Researchers find nearly one in five adults have persistent pain Americans are in a world of hurt. Nearly one in five U.S. adults are in pain most every day for spells of three months or longer, according to an analysis by Jae Kennedy, professor of health policy and administration at Washington State University Spokane. The estimated 39 million adults in persistent pain outnumber the residents of California.
Study may explain why targeted drug doesn't benefit patients with early-stage lung cancer The drug erlotinib is highly effective in treating advanced-stage lung cancer patients whose tumors have a particular gene change, but when the same drug is used for patients with early-stage tumors with the same gene change, they actually fare worse than if they took nothing. A study by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) and at Cincinnati Children's Hospital might show why.
	Type 1 diabetes increasing among white american kids (HealthDay)—The rate of type 1 diabetes has increased substantially among elementary school-age white children in the United States, a new study shows.
	'Prehabilitation' before colon cancer surgery may aid recovery (HealthDay)—Exercising, eating a healthy diet and learning relaxation techniques before colorectal cancer surgery appeared to speed a patient's recovery, a small study found.
	Colleges could do more for students with chronic ills, study finds (HealthDay)—Many college health centers may lack the resources to fully care for students with chronic health conditions, a new study suggests.
	Virus present at birth causes more than 10 percent of hearing-loss cases in kids (HealthDay)—More than 10 percent of babies born with an infection called cytomegalovirus will suffer permanent hearing loss, a new study reports.
	Telephone intervention doesn't aid diabetes meds adherence (HealthDay)—Telephone outreach does not improve medication adherence or metabolic control in adults with diabetes, according to a study published online Oct. 14 in Diabetes Care.
	AAP updates guidelines for bronchiolitis in infants (HealthDay)—A new clinical practice guideline that offers physicians guidance for the diagnosis and management of infants with bronchiolitis was published online Oct. 27 in Pediatrics.
	ASCO: Burnout reported by most palliative care clinicians (HealthDay)—More than 60 percent of palliative care clinicians report burnout, according to a study presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's inaugural Palliative Care in Oncology Symposium, held from Oct. 24 to 25 in Boston.
Study shows gut bacteria byproduct impacts heart failure A chemical byproduct of intestinal bacteria-dependent digestion, TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide) – already proven to contribute to heart disease and to be an accurate tool for predicting future heart attacks, stroke and death – has for the first time been linked to heart failure and worse long-term prognosis for those patients, according to Cleveland Clinic research published today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
New drug delivered through a skin patch shows promise in healing diabetic foot ulcers A foot ulcer is typically a painful inconvenience to most people, but to a person with diabetes it could mean an infection, or worse, an amputation. But a research team at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif., has developed a drug delivered through a skin patch that not only helps foot wounds heal better, but also prevents those wounds from recurring, according to study results they presented this week at the American College of Surgeons Annual Clinical Congress.
Scientists identify lesion-healing mechanism in psoriasis A UC Irvine-led study has revealed the underlying genetic factors that help repair skin lesions caused by psoriasis, which could engender new methods of controlling the lingering condition.
Initial choice of oral medication to lower glucose in diabetes patients examined Patients diagnosed with diabetes and initially prescribed metformin to lower their glucose levels were less likely to require treatment intensification with a second oral medicine or insulin than patients treated first with sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones or dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitors (DPP-4 inhibitors), according to a study published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Traumatic brain injury associated with increased dementia risk in older adults Traumatic brain injury (TBI) appears to be associated with an increased risk of dementia in adults 55 years and older, according to a study published online by JAMA Neurology.
Agave nectar, placebo both perceived better than doing nothing for cough in kids Pasteurized agave nectar and placebo were both perceived to be better by parents for treating nighttime cough and the resulting sleep difficulty in infants and toddlers than doing nothing at all, according to a study published in JAMA Pediatrics.
Moms more likely than dads to check for sugars on nutrition labels Mothers are more likely than fathers to read nutrition labels when considering food and drink purchases, according to the latest C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.
'Integrated Play Groups' help children with autism It's an often-agonizing challenge facing any parent of a child with autism: How can I help my son or daughter socialize with his or her typically developing peers? The solution, SF State's Pamela Wolfberg found, may lie in a different type of playgroup that focuses on collaborative rather than adult-directed activities.
	Governors back home quarantine for Ebola workers The governors of New York and New Jersey are at odds with scientists over Ebola as they back 21-day quarantines for medical workers returning from West Africa, while the top U.S. infectious-disease expert warns that such restrictions are unnecessary and could discourage volunteers from aiding disease-ravaged countries.
Ebola drug maker Fujifilm to buy US vaccine maker (Update) Fujifilm said Monday it would buy a US vaccine maker as the Japanese firm increases its supply of an experimental Ebola drug to help stem the spread of the virus.
Cambodia-Thai kidney trafficking sparks fears of new organ market The seven-inch scar runs diagonally across the left flank of his skinny torso, a glaring reminder of an operation he hoped would save his family from debt but instead plunged him into shame.
Courts follow doctors, not families, when it comes to patients' best interests Doctors' assessments of whether it is in a patient's 'best interests' to withdraw life-sustaining treatment are likely to prevail over family wishes when end-of-life matters go before the Supreme Court, a QUT review published in the Medical Journal of Australia has found.
Professionals "need common approach to children" The agencies that provide services to young children will be far more effective when the education that professionals receive to prepare them for practice has a common, national approach, a Flinders academic says.
How can we improve the way we communicate with people diagnosed with Alzheimer's? A professor from the University of the West of England is seeking participants for a survey that aims to inform and eventually improve how the diagnosis of dementia is communicated.
	Pioneering surgeon leads 'quiet revolution' for better services A pioneering surgeon who uses figures to fight crime is using his passion for research to change the way UK Government works.
Researcher studies inmate-officer relationships in maintaining safety and security Case Western Reserve University mental health researcher Joseph Galanek spent a cumulative nine months in an Oregon maximum-security prison to learn first-hand how the prison manages inmates with mental illness.
	Valeant: We'll bump Allergan offer to $200 a share The Canadian drugmaker Valeant said it would be willing to raise its takeover bid for Allergan by almost 12 percent, which would mean $200 or more per share for the maker of Botox.
	International community ramps up Africa Ebola aid German Capt. Mattias Reichenbach has loaded protective gear, soap and other cargo onto his plane and is ready to take off from the United Nations' main staging area in Ghana during a crisis that has claimed thousands of lives in three African countries.
Multi-sensory environment research influences dementia care Research released at the Inside Out Festival in London has shed new light on the positive impact multi-sensory environments can have when caring for people living with dementia.
	Which US airports are breastfeeding friendly? More than half of women with children less than a year old are working, and work travel can make breastfeeding a challenge. A study of 100 U.S. airports found that few provided a suitably equipped, private lactation room, even though most described themselves as being breastfeeding friendly, as reported in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine.
	Researchers look for the best way to help shake too much sodium Multiple times each day, about a third of blacks hold onto sodium – and higher blood pressure – for at least an hour after the stress that raised their pressure has passed, scientists say.
Novartis selling flu vaccine unit to CSL for $275M Australian drugmaker CSL Ltd. said Monday it will buy Novartis' flu vaccine business for $275 million.
Cost of informal caregiving for US elderly is $522 billion annually, study finds The price tag for informal caregiving of elderly people by friends and relatives in the United States comes to $522 billion a year, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
Study finds knowledge poor about stroke in Uganda A study published in the journal International Scholarly Research Notices (ISRN) Stroke found that overall knowledge about stroke in Uganda was poor, although knowing what to do for a stroke – go to the hospital – was good.
	Egypt's birth rate dramatically rises Egypt's fertility rate, which has been falling since at least 1980, has risen dramatically in the last six years, according to the results of a new survey released Monday to The Associated Press.
	Knowing genetic risk of cancer doesn't change behavior (HealthDay)—Knowledge of genetic colorectal cancer (CRC) risk does not influence screening behavior, according to research published in the Oct. 21 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Report card on complementary therapies for breast cancer Over eighty percent of breast cancer patients in the United States use complementary therapies following a breast cancer diagnosis, but there has been little science-based guidance to inform clinicians and patients about their safety and effectiveness. In newly published guidelines from the Society for Integrative Oncology, researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center with colleagues at MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Michigan, Memorial Sloan Kettering, and other institutions in the U.S. and Canada, analyzed which integrative treatments appear to be most effective and safe for patients. They evaluated more than 80 different therapies.
Higher copayments are associated with discontinuation of aromatase inhibitors Discontinuation and nonadherence were higher among breast cancer patients taking brand name aromatase inhibitors (BAIs) vs generic AIs (GAIs), according to a new study published October 27 in the JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Benefits of thyroid screening unclear Researchers for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) suggest that more research is needed to determine the benefits of screening asymptomatic individuals for thyroid dysfunction. Their review is being published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Dysfunctional ketogenesis promotes fatty liver disease in mice Approximately 1 billion people worldwide have non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Individuals with this disease have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease. It is not clear how this disease develops, though both genetics and events that alter metabolism appear to be involved.
Hair proteins are important in tooth enamel structure Tooth decay is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide. While oral hygiene and dietary choices promote tooth decay, genetics are also a factor in cavity formation.
Prescription opioids involved in most overdoses seen in emergency departments In a national study of hospital emergency department visits for opioid overdoses, 67.8 percent of the overdoses involved prescription opioids (including methadone), followed by heroin, other unspecified opioids and multiple opioids, according to a research letter published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
Maintenance opioid therapy for injection-drug users associated with lower incidence of hepatitis C In a group of young users of injection drugs, recent maintenance opioid agonist therapy with methadone or buprenorphine for opioid use disorders, such as heroin addiction, was associated with a lower incidence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and may be an effective strategy to reduce injection-drug use and the resulting spread of HCV, according to a study published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
One-third of foster kids returned to their family are abused again One in three children who have been reunified with their families after being placed in foster care will be maltreated again, according to a study into Quebec's youth protection system by Marie-Andrée Poirier and Sonia Hélie of the University of Montreal's School of Social Services. The study, the first of its kind in the world, was undertaken in the wake of a new law intended to improve the family stability of youth receiving child protection services.
A look at latest Ebola developments While the federal government is trying to enforce a strategy for properly handling Ebola, some state governors and Army officials are imposing quarantines of the sort that the White House has opposed and that scientists call an ill-conceived overreaction.
Niger cholera outbreak kills 51 people: UN Niger has seen more than 1,300 cases of cholera since the beginning of the year, with 51 people dying of the disease, the United Nations said Monday.
CDC: New restrictions for those at high Ebola risk U.S. health officials are recommending that people who are at highest risk for coming down with Ebola avoid commercial travel or attending large public gatherings, even if they have no symptoms.

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