From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Fri, Apr 26, 2013 at 2:06 AM
Subject: Phys.org Newsletter Thursday, Apr 25
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for April 25, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- New phase of water could dominate the interiors of Uranus and Neptune- Einstein's gravity theory passes toughest test yet: Bizarre binary star system pushes study of relativity to new limits
- Piezoelectric 'taxel' arrays convert motion to electronic signals for tactile imaging
- Humpback whales able to learn from others, study finds
- New research challenges two prevailing theories on how Maya civilization began
- Light switches brain signaling: Longer days bring 'winter blues' for rats
- The Earth's center is 1,000 degrees hotter than previously thought
- Computer simulations show evolution of birds' crouch likely due to increase in forelimb size (w/ video)
- Entire galaxies feel the heat from newborn stars: Bursts of star birth can curtail future galaxy growth
- Optical magnetic microscope for high-resolution, wide-field cell imaging
- Suppressing protein may stem Alzheimer's disease process
- Potential diabetes breakthrough: Researchers discover new hormone spurring beta cell production
- Key mechanism for a common form of Alzheimer's disease discovered
- Why do guppies jump? The answer is evolutionary (w/ video)
- Researchers identify key cellular organelle involved in gene silencing
Space & Earth news
Precision agriculture improves farming efficiency, has important implications on food security
Precision agriculture promises to make farming more efficient and should have an important impact on the serious issue of food security, according to a new study published in Significance, the magazine of the Royal Statistical Society and the American Statistical Association. In an article about the study in the magazine's May issue, University of Reading Professor Margaret A. Oliver, BSc, PhD, assesses how there is potential to manage land more effectively to improve the farming economy and crop quality, and to ensure food security.
Tropical cloud forests filter half of all surface water within dam watersheds
The results of a four-year study, published in the journal Ecosystem Services this month, has revealed that cloud forests are responsible for filtering almost half of all surface water in tropical dam watersheds, despite covering just 4.4% of the tropical dam watersheds they inhabit globally. The data, which offers context to the relative productivity and importance of cloud forests to freshwater stores, energy production and biodiversity health, provides land managers and decision makers with critical information, which can be used to evaluate the high economic and ecologic value of cloud forests to healthy, sustainable societies. The study will also help to define priority areas for conservation within dam watersheds to optimize the natural benefits from cloud forests as well as the performance of dams.
A harvest of exoplanets for the TRAPPIST robotic telescope
Among the many planets detected orbiting other stars (exoplanets) over the last twenty years, a little less than three hundred periodically pass in front of their star. This is what astronomers call a planetary transit. Exoplanets that "transit" their stars are key objects for the study of other planetary systems, because they are the only planets beyond our solar system that can be studied in detail, both in terms of their physical parameters (mass, radius, orbital parameters) and their atmospheric properties (thermal structure, dynamics, composition).
Mars stereo view from 'John Klein' to Mount Sharp—raw
(Phys.org) —Left and right eyes of the Navigation Camera (Navcam) in NASA's Curiosity Mars rover took the dozens of images combined into this stereo scene of the rover and its surroundings. The component images were taken during the 166th, 168th and 169th Martian days, or sols, of Curiosity's work on Mars (Jan. 23, 25 and 26, 2013). The scene appears three dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. It spans 360 degrees, with Mount Sharp on the southern horizon.
Against-the-clock rehearsal for Station immunology test
Simply getting anything into space is tough, but doing so against a strict deadline can be really stressful. Researchers in an ESA laboratory nervously checked the clock as they extracted immune cells – beginning a full dress rehearsal to prepare a time-critical experiment for launch.
Saturn's little wavemaking moon
Captured on January 15, this narrow-angle Cassini image shows an outer portion of Saturn's A ring on the left and the ropy F ring crossing on the right. The thin black line near the A ring's bright edge is the Keeler Gap, a 22-mile-wide space cleared by the passage of Daphnis, a shepherd moon barely 5 miles (about 7.5 km) across. As it travels around Saturn within the gap its gravity perturbs the fine icy particles within the rings, sending up rippling waves both before and behind it—visible here near the upper center.
Comet Lemmon, Now in STEREO
An icy interloper was in the sights of a NASA spacecraft this past weekend. Comet 2012 F6 Lemmon passed through the field of view of NASA's HI2A camera as seen from its solar observing STEREO Ahead spacecraft. As seen in the animation above put together by Robert Kaufman, Comet Lemmon is now displaying a fine ion and dust tail as it sweeps back out of the inner solar system on its 10,750 year plus orbit.
Space station communications test bed checks out—experiments begin
(Phys.org) —NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) test bed has begun its experiments after completing its checkout on the International Space Station.
Researchers advocate simple, affordable and accurate technology to identify threats from sea-level rise
Potential for method to be used within a network of wetland monitoring programmes in Southeast Asia and globally for assessing shoreline security and stability
Space debris problem now urgent, scientists say
Governments must start working urgently to remove orbital debris, which could become a catastrophic problem for satellites a few decades from now, a space science conference heard on Thursday.
The sun sends two CMEs toward Mercury
On the night of April 24 and the morning of April 25, 2013, the sun erupted with two coronal mass ejections (CMEs), solar phenomena that can send billions of tons of solar particles into space that can affect electronic systems in satellites.
Sounding rocket mission to study what disrupts radio waves
(Phys.org) —A NASA-funded sounding rocket mission will launch from an atoll in the Pacific in the next few weeks to help scientists better understand and predict the electrical storms in Earth's upper atmosphere These storms can interfere with satellite communication and global positioning signals.
Mysterious hot spots observed in a cool red supergiant
(Phys.org) —Astronomers have released a new image of the outer atmosphere of Betelgeuse – one of the nearest red supergiants to Earth – revealing the detailed structure of the matter being thrown off the star.
NASA chief: Visiting an asteroid is all agency can afford
A NASA plan to send astronauts to an asteroid was met with skepticism Wednesday when NASA Chief Charlie Bolden presented the idea to top space officials in Congress - though their doubts may not be enough to sink the program.
Russian spaceship may fail to dock to ISS
An unmanned Russian spaceship carrying 2.5 tonnes of cargo may be unable to properly dock with the International Space Station after its navigation antenna failed to properly deploy, Interfax said on Thursday.
Iron in primeval seas rusted by bacteria
(Phys.org) —Researchers from the University of Tübingen have been able to show for the first time how microorganisms contributed to the formation of the world's biggest iron ore deposits. The biggest known deposits – in South Africa and Australia – are geological formations billions of years old. They are mainly composed of iron oxides – minerals we know from the rusting process. These iron ores not only make up most of the world demand for iron – the formations also help us to better understand the evolution of the atmosphere and climate, and provide important information on the activity of microorganisms in the early history of life on Earth.
Nets, harpoons could be used to haul in space junk (Update)
Nets, harpoons and suicide robots could become weapons of choice to hunt down the space junk threatening crucial communications satellites currently in orbit round Earth, scientists said Thursday.
Contests to name moons and exoplanets irk International Astronomical Union
(Phys.org) —Two recent contests—one run by the SETI researchers that made the two most recent Pluto moon discoveries and another by an independent group called Uwingu to name an exoplanet—have caused the International Astronomical Union (IAU) to issue a statement labeling such contests misleading since the winning names chosen by the organizing bodies have no official recognition.
NASA invites the public to fly along with Voyager
(Phys.org) —A gauge on the Voyager home page, http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov, tracks levels of two of the three key signs scientists believe will appear when the spacecraft leave our solar neighborhood and enter interstellar space.
Researchers pinpoint how trees play role in smog production
After years of scientific uncertainty and speculation, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill show exactly how trees help create one of society's predominant environmental and health concerns: air pollution.
Cassini observes meteors colliding with Saturn's rings
(Phys.org) —NASA's Cassini spacecraft has provided the first direct evidence of small meteoroids breaking into streams of rubble and crashing into Saturn's rings. These observations make Saturn's rings the only location besides Earth, the moon, and Jupiter where scientists and amateur astronomers have been able to observe impacts as they occur. Studying the impact rate of meteoroids from outside the Saturn system helps scientists understand how different planet systems in the solar system formed.
Entire galaxies feel the heat from newborn stars: Bursts of star birth can curtail future galaxy growth
(Phys.org) —Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have shown for the first time that bursts of star formation have a major impact far beyond the boundaries of their host galaxy. These energetic events can affect galactic gas at distances of up to twenty times greater than the visible size of the galaxy—altering how the galaxy evolves, and how matter and energy is spread throughout the Universe.
The Earth's center is 1,000 degrees hotter than previously thought
Scientists have determined the temperature near the Earth's centre to be 6000 degrees Celsius, 1000 degrees hotter than in a previous experiment run 20 years ago. These measurements confirm geophysical models that the temperature difference between the solid core and the mantle above, must be at least 1500 degrees to explain why the Earth has a magnetic field. The scientists were even able to establish why the earlier experiment had produced a lower temperature figure. The results are published on 26 April 2013 in Science.
Medicine & Health news
Using microbubbles to improve cancer therapy
Microbubbles decrease the time and acoustic power of ultrasound required to heat and destroy an embedded target, finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal Journal of Therapeutic Ultrasound. If these results can be replicated in the clinic, microbubbles could improve the efficiency of high intensity ultrasound treatment of solid tumors.
More severe concussion symptoms lead to longer recovery time
Most children who suffer from sports-related concussions recover within a few days. However, in a small number of children, symptoms can last for a month or more. Although there have been numerous theories as to what might predict a longer recovery time, there is no definitive answer as to why it takes some children longer to recover. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers attempted to identify risk factors that might predispose some children with concussions to longer recovery times.
New studies prove lethal link between alcohol, weight
Research announced today at the International Liver Congress 2013 has revealed the deadly impact that alcohol and body weight have on liver disease.
New advances in the management of patients with cirrhosis
New data from clinical studies presented for the first time at the International Liver Congress 2013 provide new rationale for an old and established treatment option for portal hypertension. Additionally, spleen stiffness predicts the occurrence of clinical complications, which is of paramount importance in clinical practice.
Novel therapeutic approaches to cure chronic HBV infection
Exciting new data presented today at the International Liver Congress 2013 include results from early in vitro and in vivo studies targeting covalently closed circular DNA (cccDNA), which may form the basis of a cure for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.
Bayer profits up 11.5 percent on new drugs
German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer AG said Thursday that its net profit rose 11.5 percent in the first quarter as new drugs, led by blood thinner Xarelto, boosted sales.
Researchers develop first lab-on-chip for detection of multiple tropical infectious diseases
The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and Veredus Laboratories, a leading supplier of innovative molecular diagnostic tools, announced the launch of VereTrop, the first biochip in the molecular diagnostics market that can identify 13 different major tropical diseases from a single blood sample.
Computer game could improve sight of visually impaired children
(Medical Xpress)—Visually impaired children could benefit from a revolutionary new computer game being developed by a team of neuroscientists and game designers.
New treatment may lead the way to fighting obesity and diabetes
Two professors believe they may have a promising lead from which to develop a new treatment for obesity and diabetes.
Removing branding from cigarette packets stubs out their appeal
Women say they get less satisfaction and less enjoyment from smoking cigarettes that come in plain, standardised packs - according to new research released today (Thursday).
UK: Serious violence dips
Reports of serious violence dropped by 14% in 2012 compared to the previous year, according to the findings of a national study undertaken by Cardiff University.
Mississippi child points HIV researchers in new direction
(Medical Xpress)—Earlier this year, doctors at an infectious disease conference announced that a baby in rural Mississippi born with HIV had been "functionally cured" of the infection after receiving aggressive treatment immediately after birth. With such a result deemed to be virtually impossible only a few years ago, it's a development Tulane infectious disease expert Dr. Russell Van Dyke calls "extremely gratifying."
Gates' foundation to fund $1.8bn to eradicate polio
Bill Gates announced in Abu Dhabi on Thursday his foundation will contribute $1.8 billion to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, a third of the total funds needed.
Probiotics found to reduce hepatic encephalopathy
Probiotics could emerge as a treatment plan to manage hepatic encephalopathy (HE) therapy after a new study announced at the International Liver Congress 2013 found they significantly reduced development of the notoriously difficult-to-treat disease.
Analysing the benefits of seaweed for SMEs
The health benefits of sea vegetables such as seaweed have been well documented by nutrition experts. Traditionally, those eating seaweed-based diets have shown fewer instances of obesity, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and other nervous disorders.
ASU experts say raising the age of eligibility and other reforms will put Medicare on solid footing
Raising the age of eligibility and reforming some Medicare practices can go a long way to making it sustainable, according to three Arizona State University healthcare policy experts.
Leading leukemia experts: High leukemia treatment costs may be harming patients
The increasing cost of treatments for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the United States has reached unsustainably high levels and may be leaving many patients under- or untreated because they cannot afford care, according to a Blood Forum article supported by nearly 120 CML experts from more than 15 countries on five continents and published online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH). Blood Forum articles are a new feature in the journal that present well documented opinions on controversial topics and provide a sounding board for current subjects of importance to the science and practice of hematology.
Research spinoff ReXceptor gets license for Alzheimer's treatment
Case Western Reserve's Technology Transfer Office has granted an exclusive license of a novel Alzheimer's Disease (AD) treatment strategy to spinoff company ReXceptor Inc., which plans to initiate early-stage human clinical trials of the medication within the next few months.
Patient centered medical home helps assess social health determinants and promote health
Physicians from the Departments of Pediatrics and Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) are proposing that current pediatric guidelines and practices could be implemented within a Patient Centered Medical Home model to address social determinants of health. The article, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), also suggests that these guidelines could reduce socioeconomic disparities in health care for all patients.
Study confirms link between school climate and violence
School violence is a very important social issue world-wide. It poses a significant threat to the health, achievement, and well-being of students. Although the most highly published incidents involve serious physical violence, less serious forms of physical aggression and psychological violence (including harassment, bullying, and relational aggression) present far more prevalent and persistent problems.
Are living liver donors at risk from life-threatening 'near-miss' events?
A study published in Liver Transplantation, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the International Liver Transplantation Society, reports that donor mortality is about 1 in 500 donors with living donor liver transplantation (LDLT). Research of transplant centers around the world found that those with more experience conducting live donor procedures had lower rates of aborted surgery and life-threatening "near-miss" events.
Swiss groups fear study undercuts assisted suicide
(AP)—Swiss groups that aid people seeking to end their lives say they fear a national research program could lead to stricter rules for assisted suicide.
Natural ventilation effective in 'nightingale' wards
(HealthDay)—For large environments with multiple openings, natural ventilation is effective, and can be supplemented with extract fans in cold weather, according to a study published in the July issue of Building and Environment.
3-D breast screens improve detection and reduce false positives
Three-dimensional breast screens (mammograms) could offer substantial improvements in cancer detection and reducing false positives when used in conjunction with traditional two-dimensional mammograms, according to the results of a new study published in The Lancet Oncology.
Researchers make significant step forward in combating antibiotic resistance
The research led by Durham University, which involved colleagues at the University of Birmingham, is a significant development in combating antibiotic resistance; it will pave the way for the creation of the inhibitors to counteract the process, allowing a renaissance in the use of antibiotics.
AMA reveals first step toward improving health outcomes
(HealthDay)—The American Medical Association (AMA) has announced the first stage of its improving health outcomes initiative, which aims to optimize the health of the nation with a focus on preventing cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Doc describes medical tent experience of Boston marathon
(HealthDay)—The experience of a physician in the medical tent at the Boston marathon provides insight into the impact of the bombings on medical professionals at the scene; the perspective piece was published online April 23 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
New hope for Autistic children who never learn to speak
An Autistica consultation published this month found that 24% of children with autism were non-verbal or minimally verbal, and it is known that these problems can persist into adulthood. Professionals have long attempted to support the development of language in these children but with mixed outcomes. An estimated 600,000 people in the UK and 70 million worldwide have autism, a neuro-developmental condition which is life-long.
Sexually explicit material affects behavior in young people less than thought
Viewing sexually explicit material through media such as the Internet, videos, and magazines may be directly linked with the sexual behavior of adolescents and young adults, but only to a very small extent. That is the conclusion of a new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. The findings suggest that the practice is just one of many factors that may influence the sexual behaviors of young people.
Source identification of H7N9 influenza virus causing human infections
In March 2013, a novel H7N9 influenza virus was identified in China as the etiological agent of a flu-like disease in humans, resulting in some deaths. A group of scientists, led by Professor Chen Hualan (National Avian Influenza Reference Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences) have investigated the origins of this novel H7N9 influenza virus (Shi et al., 2013). Following analysis of H7N9 influenza viruses collected from live poultry markets, it was found that these viruses circulating among birds were responsible for human infections. These novel H7N9 viruses are reassortants in which the six internal genes were derived from avian H9N2 viruses; however the origins of their hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes were unclear.
Faith in God positively influences treatment for individuals with psychiatric illness
Belief in God may significantly improve the outcome of those receiving short-term treatment for psychiatric illness, according to a recent study conducted by McLean Hospital investigators.
Taiwan watching travelers after H7N9 bird flu case
Taiwan heightened surveillance of travelers from China on Thursday after authorities confirmed the island's first case of a new deadly strain of bird flu.
Team finds melatonin delays ALS symptom onset and death in mice
Melatonin injections delayed symptom onset and reduced mortality in a mouse model of the neurodegenerative condition amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's disease, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In a report published online ahead of print in the journal Neurobiology of Disease, the team revealed that receptors for melatonin are found in the nerve cells, a finding that could launch novel therapeutic approaches.
Breast CA tx delays still more common for poor, uninsured
(HealthDay)—For young women with breast cancer, a longer treatment delay time (TDT) is associated with decreased survival, especially for African-American women, those with public or no insurance, and those with low socioeconomic status; and women with early-stage breast cancer with Medicaid are more likely to undergo mastectomy than those with private insurance, according to two studies published online April 24 in JAMA Surgery.
Diabetes target achievement up from 1999 to 2010, more needed
(HealthDay)—For U.S. adults with diabetes there has been an improvement in achievement of targets from 1999 to 2010, but many still do not meet the recommended goals, according to research published in the April 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Malaria parasite protein identified as potential new target for drug treatment
Scientists have discovered how a protein within the malaria parasite is essential to its survival as it develops inside a mosquito. They believe their findings identify this protein as a potential new target for drug treatments to prevent malaria being passed to humans.
Researchers investigate 'the influence of the family' on back pain sufferers
Researchers at the University of Huddersfield have published a research paper that focuses on the social factors involved in back pain sufferers returning to work, to give a wider context to the medical factors that are often considered.
Coffee may help prevent breast cancer returning, study finds
Drinking coffee could decrease the risk of breast cancer recurring in patients taking the widely used drug Tamoxifen, a study at Lund University in Sweden has found. Patients who took the pill, along with two or more cups of coffee daily, reported less than half the rate of cancer recurrence, compared with their Tamoxifen-taking counterparts who drank one cup or less.
Study finds material loss protects teeth against fatigue failure
(Medical Xpress)—Scientists of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig and the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt together with dental technicians have digitally analysed modern human teeth using an engineering approach, finite element method, to evaluate the biomechanical behaviour of teeth under realistic loading. They report results, showing that very widespread loss of dental material (enamel and dentine) at the base of the crown might be linked to the reduction of tooth wear in our industrialised societies. The study is published today in the professional journal PLoS ONE.
Transgenic mice ready to fight obesity—and more
Scientists at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw investigate mice with a very precisely modified genome. Because it is possible to turn off the Dicer gene in adult mice, they can be used to investigate the processes related to such cognitive functions such as learning and memory. Also Nencki scientists have just shown that the new transgenic mouse is suitable to study metabolic dysfunctions resulting in obesity.
Research shows early dialogue between parents and children most effective in deterring teen tobacco, alcohol use
Early, substantive dialogue between parents and their grade-school age children about the ills of tobacco and alcohol use can be more powerful in shaping teen behavior than advertising, marketing or peer pressure, a University of Texas at Arlington marketing researcher has shown.
Researchers confirm pine bark extract could reduce cataract risk
(Medical Xpress)—A winter after discovering Canada for France, Jacques Cartier's exploration crew started suffering and dying from the dreadful scurvy disease in 1535. But thanks to an Iroquoian healer, they were miraculously cured by a tea made from pine bark.
Study finds Asian-Americans often feel racial 'microaggressions'
(Medical Xpress)—Asian-Americans experience considerable everyday prejudice and discrimination, reports a Cornell study published in the Journal of Counseling Psychology (Vol. 60:2). The study is one of the first to document the prevalence and effects of racial microaggressions – subtle forms of racial bias and discrimination – in the lives of Asian-Americans.
Scientists identify important regulator for synapse stability and plasticity
(Medical Xpress)—Using the fruit fly as a model organism, neurobiologists from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research have identified the L1-type CAM neuroglian as an important regulator for synapse growth, function and stability. They show that the interaction of neuroglian with ankyrin provides a regulatory module to locally control synaptic connectivity and function.
PROSPER prevention programs dramatically cut substance abuse among teens
(Medical Xpress)—Prevention is often the best medicine, and that is not only true when it comes to physical health, but also public health. Case in point – young adults reduce their overall prescription drug misuse up to 65 percent if they are part of a community-based prevention effort while still in middle school, according to researchers at Iowa State University.
Weight loss counseling lifts depression in new study
(Medical Xpress)—Women struggling with clinical depression and obesity should consider a comprehensive weight loss program to significantly boost their mood, according to new research out of UMass Medical School published in the International Journal of Obesity.
Da Vinci's robot: Surgery is getting a renaissance
(Medical Xpress)—Robots are everywhere these days. They roam Mars, solve Rubik's cubes and vacuum our floors. Now, a robot named da Vinci is helping patients across the Penn State region get the major surgeries they need with less pain, complications and recovery time.
The Medical Minute: Avoid overexertion injuries from 'spring fever'
Even the most die-hard couch potato can come down with a case of spring fever as the days get longer and the weather warms. You know the symptoms.
Study shows US diabetes care improves, potential gaps remain
(Medical Xpress)—According to a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Americans with diabetes had increasingly better control of their blood sugar and cholesterol levels and attended more preventive check-ups from 1999 to 2010. However, one in five Americans with diabetes still smokes, blood pressure has not improved significantly, and approximately 40 percent don't receive education at diagnosis, annual vaccinations, or annual checks for diabetes complications.
H7N9 bird flu: Lancet study confirms poultry as source (Update)
Chinese researchers reporting in The Lancet on Thursday confirmed poultry as a source of H7N9 flu among humans but said they found no evidence of person-to-person transmission.
Metabolic disorders predict the hardening of the arterial walls already in childhood
Metabolic disorders, such as excess abdominal fat, raised blood pressure, higher levels of insulin, glucose and triglycerides and lower levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol can be found in children as young as 6 to 8 years of age, according to a study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland. These metabolic risk factors often accumulate in overweight children and, in the newly published study, this accumulation was linked with mild artery wall stiffness. Of single disorders, higher levels of insulin, triglyceride and blood pressure were associated with artery wall stiffness. In addition, boys with excess abdominal fat and higher blood pressure levels were related to a reduced arterial dilation after maximal exercise in a bicycle test. The results were published today in Circulation journal.
Measles: New efforts needed to stop an old disease
New diseases grab headlines. The latest influenza scare – H7N9 – has prompted much speculation about the direction the virus might take. And rightly so, as vaccines to fight new viruses can take some time to be produced. But there is an old virus that deserves our attention, too: measles, which causes a distinctive rash and fever.
Spanish group patents an automatic suture system for colon cancer operations
The Spanish research centre Innotex has developed a device that enables automatic suturing of the large intestine after being sectioned during cancer colon surgery. The novelty of the system, called Insewing, is that it allows the use of absorbable suture material instead of metallic staples which are currently used and could cause intestinal stiffness and obstruction.
Pharma giant Novartis working on H7N9 vaccine
Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Novartis is researching a vaccine for the H7N9 strain of bird flu, its chief executive said Thursday, amid fears that the disease could mutate into a form that spreads among people.
Periodic bursts of genetic mutations drive prostate cancer
Cancer is typically thought to develop after genes gradually mutate over time, finally overwhelming the ability of a cell to control growth. But a new closer look at genomes in prostate cancer by an international team of researchers reveals that, in fact, genetic mutations occur in abrupt, periodic bursts, causing complex, large scale reshuffling of DNA driving the development of prostate cancer.
Gene controls three different diseases
An international research consortium led by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the CIBERER and the University of Wurzburg (Germany) has discovered a gene that can cause three totally different diseases, depending on how it is altered.
Inhibiting enzymes in the cell may lead to development and proliferation of cancer cells
Blocking certain enzymes in the cell may prevent cancer cell division and growth, according to new findings from researchers at the Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. The discovery is published in the April 25, 2013 issue of the journal Molecular Cell.
As people live longer and reproduce less, natural selection keeps up
In many places around the world, people are living longer and are having fewer children. But that's not all. A study of people living in rural Gambia, published in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on April 25, shows that this modern-day "demographic transition" may lead women to be taller and slimmer, too.
Research finds psychological vulnerable older adults more susceptible to experience fraud
Researchers at Wayne State University, in collaboration with Illinois Institute of Technology, recently published a study advising clinical gerontologists in the field to be aware of older adults' needs for assessment of financial exploitation or its potential when working with highly vulnerable individuals.
New study reveals how tumor suppressor p53 shut down in metastatic melanoma
Cancer cells are a problem for the body because they multiply recklessly, refuse to die and blithely metastasize to set up shop in places where they don't belong. One protein that keeps healthy cells from behaving this way is a tumor suppressor named p53. This protein stops potentially precancerous cells from dividing and induces suicide in those that are damaged beyond repair. Not surprisingly, p53's critical function is disrupted in most cancers.
Study reveals novel mechanism by which UVA contributes to photoaging of skin
A study conducted by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) provides new evidence that longwave ultraviolet light (UVA) induces a protein that could result in premature skin aging. The findings demonstrate that aspects of photoaging, the process of skin aging by chronic exposure to ultraviolet radiation, could be linked to genetic factors that accelerate the aging process when induced by the environment.
Mayo Clinic creates institution-wide electronic prolonged QT interval warning system
Using a one-of-a-kind computer-aided program, Mayo Clinic has developed and implemented a Mayo-wide electronic warning system to identify patients at risk of QT-related deaths from an abnormality in the heart's electrical system. The system informs all physicians, regardless of their specialty or QT awareness, if their patient's ECG activated the QT alarm. In addition, the researchers discovered that the death rate of patients whose 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) activated the QT alert was nearly four times greater than all other patients who had an ECG. The findings are published in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Chemoresponse assay helps boost ovarian cancer survival
This spring, a team of researchers has released results from an eight-year study that shows improved survival rates for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer who undergo cancer tumor testing to determine the best treatment.
Thanks to rare alpine bacteria, researchers identify one of alcohol's key gateways to the brain
Thanks to a rare bacteria that grows only on rocks in the Swiss Alps, researchers at The University of Texas at Austin and the Pasteur Institute in France have been the first to identify how alcohol might affect key brain proteins.
Study offers clues to making vaccine for infant respiratory illness
An atomic-level snapshot of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protein bound to a human antibody represents a leap toward developing a vaccine for a common—and sometimes very serious—childhood disease. The findings, by scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, define the vulnerable shape of a critical RSV component called the fusion glycoprotein.
Latest HIV vaccine doesn't work; govt halts study (Update)
The latest bad news in the hunt for an AIDS vaccine: The government halted a large U.S. study on Thursday, saying the experimental shots are not preventing HIV infection.
Sunshine hormone, vitamin D, may offer hope for treating liver fibrosis
Liver fibrosis results from an excessive accumulation of tough, fibrous scar tissue and occurs in most types of chronic liver diseases. In industrialized countries, the main causes of liver injury leading to fibrosis include chronic hepatitis virus infection, excess alcohol consumption and, increasingly, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).
Forced exercise may still protect against anxiety and stress, study says
Being forced to exercise may still help reduce anxiety and depression just as exercising voluntarily does, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Most Americans oppose soda, candy taxes
(HealthDay)—Most U.S. adults aren't sweet on the idea of soda and candy taxes, and many doubt the bigger price tags would trim the national waistline.
Teens targeting strength, cardio fitness battle insulin resistance
(HealthDay)—Lower levels of abdominal muscle strength and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in youth are independently associated with adverse levels of fasting insulin, insulin sensitivity, and β-cell function in young adulthood, according to a study published online April 11 in Diabetes Care.
Bipolar disorder drugs may 'tweak' genes affecting brain
(HealthDay)—Medications taken by people with bipolar disorder may actually be nudging hundreds of genes that direct the brain to behave more normally, according to new research.
Most with confirmed H7N9 avian flu are critically ill
(HealthDay)—Most Chinese patients with confirmed avian influenza A (H7N9) are critically ill and 21 percent have died, according to a preliminary report published online April 24 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Study shows potential new way to detect colorectal and other cancers
A unique new study led by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers Guo-Min Li and Libya Gu, in collaboration with Dr. Wei Yang at National Institutes of Health, reveals a novel mechanism explaining the previously unknown root cause of some forms of colorectal cancers.
UCSB researcher studies hormone levels and sexual motivation among young women
Feeling frisky? If so, chances are greater your estrogen level –– and, perhaps, fertility –– are hitting their monthly peak. If not, you're more likely experiencing a profusion of desire-deadening progesterone, and the less fertile time in your cycle. Oh, the power of hormones.
Roundworm quells obesity and related metabolic disorders
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, have shown in a mouse model that infection with nematodes (also known as roundworms) can not only combat obesity but ameliorate related metabolic disorders. Their research is published ahead of print online in the journal Infection and Immunity.
New study examines cost-effectiveness of helicopter transport of trauma victims
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have for the first time determined how often emergency medical helicopters need to help save the lives of seriously injured people to be considered cost-effective compared with ground ambulances.
Study explores the cost of creativity
(HealthDay)—Intense focus can help creative people achieve success, but it may undermine their capacity for flexible thinking, new research suggests.
Latin America risks being 'overwhelmed' by burgeoning cancer epidemic
Latin America is facing an alarming increase in cancer rates, and unless urgent action is taken to prevent cancers, improve health-care systems and facilities, access to vital medical care, and treatment of poor people, the region threatens to be overwhelmed by the burgeoning epidemic, say the authors of a major new report on cancer control in the region, published in The Lancet Oncology, and launched at the Latin American Cooperative Oncology Group (LACOG) 2013 conference in São Paulo, Brazil.
Paedophiles identified accurately with implicit association tasks
A combination of two tasks for implied sexual associations has distinguished – with more than 90 per cent certainty – a group of paedophilic men from a group of men with a sexual preference for adult women. In the long term this could lead to a diagnostic test, for example for men who have applied to work with children. Psychologists at Radboud University Nijmegen will publish their findings in the journal Archives of Sexual Behavior.
Autism risk spotted at birth in abnormal placentas
Researchers at the Yale School of Medicine have figured out how to measure an infant's risk of developing autism by looking for abnormalities in his/her placenta at birth, allowing for earlier diagnosis and treatment for the developmental disorder. The findings are reported in the April 25 online issue of Biological Psychiatry.
Mutant version of H5N1 flu virus found to be more preferential to human infection
(Medical Xpress)—An international team of bio-researchers has found that a mutant strain of the H5N1 influenza virus (created in a lab) has a 200-fold preference for binding with receptors in human cells, over those found in birds. In describing their research and conclusions in their paper published in the journal Nature, the researchers suggest that the mutant variant is much more like the strains of viruses that caused pandemics in 1918, 1957 and 2009, than it was in its native state.
Potential diabetes breakthrough: Researchers discover new hormone spurring beta cell production
Researchers at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) have discovered a hormone that holds promise for a dramatically more effective treatment of type 2 diabetes, a metabolic illness afflicting an estimated 26 million Americans. The researchers believe that the hormone might also have a role in treating type 1, or juvenile, diabetes.
Key mechanism for a common form of Alzheimer's disease discovered
Scientists from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, in collaboration with researchers from Icelandic Heart Association, Sage Bionetworks, and other institutions, have discovered that a network of genes involved in the inflammatory response in the brain is a crucial mechanism driving Late Onset Alzheimer's Disease (LOAD). The findings, published online today in the journal Cell, provide new understanding of key pathways and genes involved in LOAD and valuable insights to develop potential therapies for the disease.
Suppressing protein may stem Alzheimer's disease process
Scientists funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered a potential strategy for developing treatments to stem the disease process in Alzheimer's disease. It's based on unclogging removal of toxic debris that accumulates in patients' brains, by blocking activity of a little-known regulator protein called CD33.
Missing link in Parkinson's disease found
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have described a missing link in understanding how damage to the body's cellular power plants leads to Parkinson's disease and, perhaps surprisingly, to some forms of heart failure.
Study shows how Parkinson's disease protein acts like a virus
A protein known to be a key player in the development of Parkinson's disease is able to enter and harm cells in the same way that viruses do, according to a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study.
Scientists create novel approach to find RNAs involved in long-term memory storage
(Phys.org) —Despite decades of research, relatively little is known about the identity of RNA molecules that are transported as part of the molecular process underpinning learning and memory. Now, working together, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), Columbia University and the University of Florida, Gainesville, have developed a novel strategy for isolating and characterizing a substantial number of RNAs transported from the cell-body of neuron (nerve cell) to the synapse, the small gap separating neurons that enables cell to cell communication.
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