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| Rising energy, food prices major threats to wetlands as farmers eye new areas for crops |
| Resisting pressures to convert wetlands for agriculture, bio-fuels and hydro-electricity is vital to avoid destroying ecosystems that provide a suite of services essential to humanity, including safe, steady local water supplies, preserving biodiversity and the large-scale capture and storage of climate warming greenhouse gases, according 700 leading world experts concluding a week-long meeting in Cuiaba, Brazil. |
| | Researchers disprove long-standing belief about HIV treatment |
| Researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center have disproved a long-standing clinical belief that the hepatitis C virus slows or stunts the immune system's ability to restore itself after HIV patients are treated with a combination of drugs known as the "cocktail." |
| | Mindfulness meditation slows progression of HIV, study shows |
| Researchers at UCLA report that engaging in the practice of mindfulness meditation stopped the decline of CD4 T immune cells in stressed HIV-positive patients, thus slowing the progression of the disease. |
| | Yale study shows why cigarette smoke makes flu, other viral infections worse |
| A new study by researchers at Yale School of Medicine could explain why the cold and flu virus symptoms that are often mild and transient in non-smokers can seriously sicken smokers. Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the study also identified the mechanism by which viruses and cigarette smoke interact to increase lung inflammation and damage. |
| | Make your own microfluidic device with new kit from U-M |
| A type of device called a "lab-on-a-chip" could bring a new generation of instant home tests for illnesses, food contaminants and toxic gases. But today these portable, efficient tools are often stuck in the lab themselves. Specifically, in the labs of researchers who know how to make them from scratch. |
| | Researchers identify gene responsible for rare childhood disease |
| The chromosomal abnormality that causes a rare, but often fatal, disorder that affects infants has been identified by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, who happened to treat two young children with the disease in San Diego -- two of perhaps a dozen children in the entire country diagnosed with the disorder. |
| | Scientists break record by finding northernmost hydrothermal vent field |
| Inside the Arctic Circle, scientists have found black smoker vents farther north than anyone has ever seen before. The cluster of vents -- one towering nearly four stories -- are venting water as hot as 570 F. Dissolved sulfide minerals that solidify when vent water hits the icy cold of the deep sea have, over the years, accumulated around the vents in what is one of the most massive hydrothermal sulfide deposits ever found on the seafloor. |
| | Energy drinks linked to risk-taking behaviors among college students |
| Over the last decade, energy drinks -- such as Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar -- have become nearly ubiquitous on college campuses. Although few researchers have examined energy drink consumption, a researcher at the University at Buffalo's Research Institute on Addictions has been investigating links between energy drinks and public health concerns like substance abuse and risky behaviors. |
| | Joy Luck Club: The health benefits of daughters-in-law |
| In a new twist on the Confucian ideal of filial piety, a study finds that the assistance of daughters-in-law -- but not their own children -- helps mitigate depression among older people in China. Almost two-thirds of the older population in China lives in rural areas, making it the largest concentration of older adults in the world. |
| | Imiquimod, an immune response modifier, is dependent on the OGF-OGFr signaling pathway |
| Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania have discovered that the efficacy of imiquimod, a clinically important immune response modifier with potent antiviral and anti-tumor activity, is dependent on the opioid growth factor receptor axis for its action. This discovery, reported in the Aug. 8 issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine, provides new insights into a widely used drug that may lead to development of new agents that will enhance effectiveness and attenuate side-effects. |
| | Adult stem cells activated in mammalian brain |
| Adult stem cells originate in a different part of the brain than is commonly believed, and with proper stimulation they can produce new brain cells to replace those lost to disease or injury, a study by UC Irvine scientists has shown. |
| | Early cessation of breastfeeding by HIV+ women in poor countries and child survival |
| Researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health find that abrupt cessation of breastfeeding by HIV+ mothers after the first four months of life did not result in any statistically significant benefit to infants in terms of HIV-free survival at 24 months, compared to those infants who were weaned at an average of 16 months of age. |
| | CMV infections affect more than just patients with compromised immune systems, researchers find |
| An infection due to a virus called cytomegalovirus, which most commonly affects people with compromised immune systems, can also affect hospital intensive-care patients who have no immune-system problems, University of Washington researchers have found. CMV infection is also associated with longer hospital and intensive-care unit stays independent of other causes, according to the study, published July 23 in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. |
| | Watching a 'new star' make the Universe dusty |
| Using ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer, and its remarkable acuity, astronomers were able for the first time to witness the appearance of a shell of dusty gas around a star that had just erupted, and follow its evolution for more than 100 days. This provides the astronomers with a new way to estimate the distance of this object and obtain invaluable information on the operating mode of stellar vampires, dense stars that suck material from a companion. |
| | Region hit hard by 1993 floods showed economic resiliency, study indicates |
| With the first wave of clean-up efforts behind them, residents of communities affected by this year's Midwest floods may find hope in a University of Illinois study on the economic impact of the 1993 flood that devastated much of the same region. |
| | UC Santa Barbara chemist goes nano with CoQ10 |
| If Bruce Lipshutz has his way, you may soon be buying bottles of water brimming with the life-sustaining coenzyme CoQ10 at your local Costco. |
| | Telescope embedded in glasses lens promises to make driving easier for visually impaired |
| Glasses embedded with a telescope promise to make it easier for people with impaired vision to drive and do other activities requiring sharper distance vision. Schepens Eye Research Institute scientists describe the advantages of these innovative glasses over earlier devices in an article published in the May/June issue of Journal of Biomedical Optics, mailed in print form to subscribers this month. |
| | Novel structure proteins could play a role in apoptosis |
| Isoforms from a new family of genes called novel structure proteins could be involved in apoptosis or programmed cell death. |
| | Mate or hibernate? That's the question worm pheromones answer |
| Scientists from the University of Florida, Cornell University, the California Institute of Technology and the US Department of Agriculture have discovered the first mating pheromone in one of science's most well-studied research subjects, the tiny worm Caenorhabditis elegans. But perhaps even more interesting is what the newly discovered pheromone also directs worms to do -- hibernate. |
| | Studies conclude impurity in Roche's Viracept did not increase patients' risk of cancer |
| Studies assessed by European health authority conclude that impurity in Roche's Viracept (nelfinavir mesylate) did not increase patients' risk of cancer. |
| | Lenses galore -- Hubble finds large sample of very distant galaxies |
| New Hubble Space Telescope observations of six spectacular galaxy clusters acting as gravitational lenses have given significant insights into the early stages of the Universe. Scientists have found the largest sample of very distant galaxies seen to date: ten promising candidates thought to lie at a distance of 13 billion light-years. |
| | Study shows residents may benefit most from time in the clinic |
| A new approach to internal medicine residency training could improve patient care and physician-patient relationships, according to a University of Cincinnati study. |
| | Consortium develops new method to manipulate genetic material |
| A multi-institutional team of researchers, including scientists at the University of Minnesota Medical School, have developed a powerful tool for genomic research and medicine. The robust method will allow researchers to generate synthetic enzymes that can target and manipulate DNA sequences for inactivation or repair. |
| | Why play a losing game? Study uncovers why low-income people buy lottery tickets |
| Although state lotteries, on average, return just 53 cents for every dollar spent on a ticket, people continue to pour money into them -- especially low-income people, who spend a greater percentage of their incomes on lottery tickets than the wealthier segments of society. A new Carnegie Mellon University study points to income as an influential factor in the decision to invest in a product that provides poor returns. |
| | Polarized sunglasses see black hole disks |
| For the first time astronomers have found a way to get a clean view of the elusive disks of matter surrounding supermassive black holes. By using a polarizing filter on the Science and Technology Facility Council's UK Infrared Telescope in Hawaii, they have been able to see through the clouds of dust which surround these black holes. |
| | Hyperactive immune resistance brings blindness in old age |
| Opthalmologists at the University Clinic in Bonn, working in cooperation with researchers from Göttingen, Regensburg and Great Britain, have now, for the first time, demonstrated that in cases of senile blindness the patient's immune resistance is hyperactive throughout his entire body. |
| | Research says fat friends and poor education helps people think thin |
| Research by economists finds that people are subconsciously influenced by the weight of those around them. |
| | Accretion discs show their true colors |
| Quasars are the brilliant cores of remote galaxies, at the hearts of which lie supermassive black holes that can generate enough power to outshine the Sun a trillion times. These mighty power sources are fueled by interstellar gas, thought to be sucked into the hole from a surrounding 'accretion disc', and new observations verify a long-standing prediction about the intensely luminous radiation emitted by these accretion discs. |
| | Neurotherapeutics presents special issue on new treatments for Alzheimer's disease |
| The editors of Neurotherapeutics are pleased and proud to announce their July issue, devoted to "Novel Therapeutics for Alzheimer's Disease." |
| | Shielding for ambitious neutron experiment |
| In order to track down the origin of material and antimaterial in the universe, a European research group is measuring the power of the electrical dipole moment of neutrons, which represents a measure for the different physical properties of material and antimaterial. The prerequisite for further, still more accurate measurements is a perfect insulation against electrical and magnetic radiation. Magnetically soft mumetal serves as a material of the new shielding - the design, testing and set-up of which the German Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt is responsible. |
| | Limiting fructose may boost weight loss, UT Southwestern researcher reports |
| One of the reasons people on low-carbohydrate diets may lose weight is that they reduce their intake of fructose, a type of sugar that can be made into body fat quickly, according to a researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center. |
| | Population policy needed for the UK in order to combat climate change |
| The biggest contribution UK couples can make to combating climate change would be to have only two children or at least have one less than they first intended, argues an editorial published on BMJ.com today. |
| | Giving an additional early vaccination may reduce measles outbreaks |
| Outbreaks of measles in developing countries may be reduced by vaccinating infants at 4.5 months of age as well as at the World Health Organization's recommended routine vaccination at 9 months, according to a study published on BMJ.com today. |
| | Genetic mutation identified for eye complaint |
| Researchers at the Peninsula Medical School, the Children's Hospital in Boston and King's College London have identified a gene that, when modified, causes the eye disease Duane syndrome. Importantly, by identifying this gene the team has discovered how the visual system develops which may lead to new ways to treat other vision disorders. |
| | Gummy bears that fight plaque |
| The tooth-protecting sugar substitute xylitol has been incorporated into gummy bears to produce a sweet snack that may prevent dental problems. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Oral Health describes how giving children four of the xylitol bears three times a day during school hours results in a decrease in the plaque bacteria that cause tooth decay. |
| | Electron microscopy enters the picometer scale |
| Juelich scientists have succeeded in precisely measuring atomic spacings down to a few picometers using new methods in ultrahigh-resolution electron microscopy. This makes it possible to find out decisive parameters determining the physical properties of materials directly on an atomic level in a microscope. Knut Urban from Forschungszentrum Juelich, a member of the Helmholtz Association, reports on this in the latest issue of the scientific high-impact journal Science. |
| | Effect of microstructure on the coercivity of HDDR Nd-Fe-B permanent magnetic alloy |
| The School of Physics, Shandong University, has shown that the coercivity mechanism of HDDR Nd-Fe-B permanent magnetic alloy is greatly related to its microstructure defect at the grain boundary. The investigation can provide a clear understanding of coercivity mechanism, and hence will be reported in Science in China Series G-Physics, Mechanism and Astronomy. |
| | Scientists solve 30-year-old aurora borealis mystery |
| UCLA space scientists have identified the mechanism that triggers substorms in space; wreaks havoc on satellites, power grids and communications systems; and leads to the explosive release of energy that causes the spectacular brightening of the aurora borealis, also known as the Northern Lights. |
| | Study shows emergency physicians have good first instincts in diagnosing heart attacks |
| A study out of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center demonstrates emergency room doctors are correctly identifying patients who are having a heart attack, even when laboratory tests haven't yet confirmed it. |
| | Circadian rhythm-metabolism link discovered |
| UC Irvine researchers have found a molecular link between circadian rhythms -- our own body clock -- and metabolism. The discovery reveals new possibilities for the treatment of diabetes, obesity and other related diseases. |
| | Various species' genes evolve to minimize protein production errors |
| Scientists at Harvard University and the University of Texas at Austin have found that genetic evolution is strongly shaped by genes' efforts to prevent or tolerate errors in protein production. |
| | A new cellular pathway linked to cancer is identified by NYU researchers |
| In the life of a cell, the response to DNA damage determines whether the cell is fated to pause and repair itself, commit suicide, or grow uncontrollably, a route leading to cancer. In a new study, published in the July 25 issue of Cell, scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have identified a way that cells respond to DNA damage through a process that targets proteins for disposal. The finding points to a new pathway for the development of cancer and |
| | New study of gene evolution could lead to better understanding of neurodegenerative disease |
| Genetic evolution is strongly shaped by genes' efforts to prevent or tolerate errors in the production of proteins, scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and Harvard University have found. |
| | The quiet explosion |
| Astronomers are providing hints that a recent supernova may not be as normal as initially thought. Instead, the star that exploded is now understood to have collapsed into a black hole, producing a weak jet, typical of much more violent events, the so-called gamma-ray bursts. This discovery represents a crucial milestone in the understanding of the most violent phenomena observed in the Universe. |
| | Diversity in primary schools promotes harmony |
| For the first time, children as young as 5 have been shown to understand issues regarding integration and separation. The research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, confirms that the ethnic composition of primary schools has a direct impact on children's attitudes towards those in other ethnic groups and on their ability to get on with their peers. |
| | How cigarette smoke negatively impacts the consequences of viral infections |
| A new study in mice has provided mechanistic insight into why viral infections have more severe consequences in individuals exposed to cigarette smoke than in those not exposed to cigarette smoke (e.g., influenza-infected smokers have increased mortality that influenza-infected nonsmokers). |
| | JCI table of contents: July 24, 2008 |
| This release contains summaries, links to PDFs, and contact information for the following newsworthy papers to be published July 24, 2008, in the JCI: "How cigarette smoke negatively impacts the consequences of viral infections"; "How to identify liver transplant recipients who no longer need drugs"; "How to PROM(1)ote vision"; "Early warning system: a new way to detect the cause of heart attack"; "The protein FSP27 helps bulk up white fat"; and others. |
| | Study: No gender differences in math performance |
| We've all heard it. Many of us in fact believe it. Girls just aren't as good at math as boys. But is it true? After sifting through mountains of data -- including SAT results and math scores from 7 million students who were tested in accordance with the No Child Left Behind Act -- a team of scientists says the answer is no. |
| | Material may help autos turn heat into electricity |
| Researchers have invented a new material that will make cars even more efficient, by converting heat wasted through engine exhaust into electricity. In the current issue of the journal Science, they describe a material with twice the efficiency of anything currently on the market. |
| | Prevailing theory of aging challenged in Stanford worm study |
| Age may not be rust after all. Specific genetic instructions drive aging in worms, report researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Their discovery contradicts the prevailing theory that aging is a buildup of tissue damage akin to rust, and implies science might eventually halt or even reverse the ravages of age. |
| | NIAID announces revised priorities for HIV vaccine research |
| The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, is reshaping its research enterprise to broaden HIV vaccine discovery activities. Many of the initiatives have evolved from ideas and opinions recently expressed by scientists either at NIAID's HIV Vaccine Summit on March 25 or in response to two Requests for Information that NIAID issued in April. |
| | Researchers unravel key mechanism of cellular damage in aging and disease |
| Researchers have taken a first snapshot of how a class of highly reactive molecules inflicts cellular damage as part of aging, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, kidney disease and Alzheimer's disease to name a few. According to a study published today in the journal Cell, researchers have discovered a tool that can monitor related damage and determine the degree to which antioxidant drugs effectively combat disease. |
| | Plant steroids offer new paradigm for how hormones work |
| Steroids bulk up plants just as they do human athletes, but the molecular signals that tell the genes to boost growth and development in plant cells is far more complicated than in human and animal cells. Understanding how these plant hormones activate genes could lead not only to enhanced harvests but also to new insights into how steroids regulate growth in both plant and animal cells. |
| | Missing link found between circadian clock and metabolism |
| Two new research studies have discovered a long sought molecular link between our metabolism and components of the internal clock that drives circadian rhythms, keeping us to a roughly 24-hour schedule. The findings appear in the July 25 issue of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press. |
| | Cow power could generate electricity for millions |
| Converting livestock manure into a domestic renewable fuel source could generate enough electricity to meet up to three percent of North America's entire consumption needs and lead to a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, according to US research published today, Thursday, July 24, in the Institute of Physics' Environmental Research Letters. |
| | Older people may need less sleep, study finds |
| Along with all the other changes that come with age, healthy older people also lose some capacity for sleep, according to a new report published online on July 24 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. When asked to stay in bed for 16 hours in the dark each day for several days, younger people get an average of 9 hours of shuteye compared to 7.5 for older people, the researchers report. |
| | Consortium develops new method enabling routine targeted gene modification |
| A multi-institutional team led by Massachusetts General Hospital investigators has developed a powerful new tool for genomic research and medicine -- a robust method for generating synthetic enzymes that can target particular DNA sequences for inactivation or repair. |
| | AGU journal highlights -- July 23, 2008 |
| In this issue: Fire suppression may have reduced carbon storage in western US forests; New tracking method reveals giant volcanic clouds' paths; Frost risks to plants up, and down, in changing climate; Martian mineral layers offer tempting clues; Uruguay River flow responds to climate, land-use changes; Reexamining stratosphere effects on lower-atmosphere warming; How are human-made aerosols changing clouds?; Taking sharper look at key atmospheric region. |
| | Study: Typhoons bury tons of carbon in the oceans |
| A single typhoon in Taiwan buries as much carbon in the ocean -- in the form of sediment -- as all the other rains in that country all year long combined. That's the finding of an Ohio State University study published in a recent issue of the journal Geology. |
| | Landscape study may offer solutions for fire managers |
| A fire is currently burning through a study area where projections were made about fire behavior about twoyears ago. Managers used data and analysis from the Gotchen Late-Successional Reserve study in the planning, analysis and implementation of treatments near where the Cold Springs fire is now active. |
| | Nursing homes a popular option in Taiwan |
| University of Queensland research has found that the decision to place elderly parents in a nursing home is becoming increasingly acceptable. |
| | Paying to save tropical forests could be a way to reduce global carbon emissions |
| Wealthy nations willing to collectively spend about $1 billion annually could prevent the emission of roughly half a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year for the next 25 years, new research suggests. It would take about that much money to put an end to a tenth of the tropical deforestation in the world, one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, researchers estimate. |
| | Scientists suspect omega-3 fatty acids could slow acute wound healing |
| A recent study shows that popular fish oil supplements have an effect on the healing process of small, acute wounds in human skin. But whether that effect is detrimental, as researchers initially suspected, remains a mystery. The omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils are widely considered to benefit cardiovascular health and other diseases related to chronic inflammation because of their anti-inflammatory properties. But insufficient inflammation during the initial stage of wound healing may delay the advancement of later stages. |
| | Transcending boundaries |
| From understanding climate change to predicting infectious disease outbreaks to engineering solutions to address disability, scientific research is increasingly crossing the boundaries between disciplines. |
| | Parasites outweigh predators in Pacific Coast estuaries |
| In a study of parasites living in three estuaries on the Pacific coast of California and Baja California, researchers have determined that biomass of these parasites exceeds that of top predators, in some cases by more than 20 times. |
| | NIST trumps the clumps: Making biologic drugs safer |
| NIST scientists have developed a technique to measure the formation of clumps of proteins in protein-based pharmaceuticals, a major concern because of its impact on quality control and safety in biologic drug manufacturing. |
| | How secure is your network? NIST model knows |
| To help IT managers safeguard valuable information most efficiently, computer scientists at NIST are applying security metrics to computer network pathways to assign a probable risk of attack, calculating the most vulnerable points of attack. |
| | Slippery customer: A greener antiwear additive for engine oils |
| Titanium, a protean element with applications from pigments to aerospace alloys, could get a new role as an environmentally friendly additive for automotive oil, thanks to work by materials scientists from Afton Chemical Corporation and NIST. |
| | NIST membrane model may unlock secrets of early-stage Alzheimer's |
| Researchers at NIST and three collaborating institutions are using a new laboratory model of the membrane surrounding neurons in the brain to study how a protein long suspected of a role in early-stage Alzheimer's disease actually impairs a neuron's structure and function. |
| | Cool! Nanoparticle research points to energy savings |
| NIST experiments with varying concentrations of nanoparticle additives indicate a major opportunity to improve the energy efficiency of large industrial, commercial, and institutional cooling systems known as chillers. |
| | Polarizing filter allows astronomers to see disks surrounding black holes |
| For the first time, a team of international researchers has found a way to view the accretion disks surrounding black holes and verify that their true electromagnetic spectra match what astronomers have long predicted they would be. Their work will be published in the July 24 issue of the science journal Nature. |
| | Study shows parasites outweigh predators |
| In a study of free-living and parasitic species in three estuaries on the Pacific coast of California and Baja California, a team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, the United States Geological Survey, and Princeton University has determined that parasite biomass in those habitats exceeds that of top predators, in some cases by a factor of 20. Their findings, which could have significant biomedical and ecological implications, appear in the July 24 issue of the science journal Nature. |
| | Exercise could be the heart's fountain of youth |
| According to a study conducted at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, older people who did endurance exercise training for about a year ended up with metabolically much younger hearts. The researchers also showed that by one metabolic measure, women benefited more than men from the training. |
| | Study suggests human visual system could make powerful computer |
| Rensselaer professor Mark Changizi has begun to develop a technique to turn our eyes and visual system into a programmable computer. His findings are reported in the latest issue of the journal Perception. |
| | Toxic chemicals found in common scented laundry products, air fresheners |
| A University of Washington study of top-selling laundry products and air fresheners found the products emitted dozens of different chemicals. All six products tested gave off at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal laws, but none of those chemicals was listed on the product labels. |
| | Making patients move requires the right exercise advice |
| In a new study, University of Missouri researchers found that adults with chronic illness who received interventions focused on behavior-changing strategies significantly increased their physical activity levels. In contrast, interventions based on cognitive approaches, which attempt to change knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, and are most commonly used by health care providers, did not improve physical activity. |
| | Costs of climate change, state-by-state: Billions, says UMD |
| Climate change will carry a price tag of billions of dollars for a number of US states, says a new series of reports from the University of Maryland's Center for Integrative Environmental Research. The researchers conclude that the costs have already begun to accrue and are likely to endure. They studied Colorado, Georgia, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey and Ohio. Studies on additional states are in the works. |
| | Study predicts crop-production costs will jump dramatically in 2009 |
| Soaring energy prices will yield sharp increases for corn and soybean production next year, cutting into farmers' profits and stretching already high food costs, according to a new University of Illinois study. |
| | Sex and lifespan linked in worms |
| In findings published in Nature, scientists have discovered that smaller, but more structurally diverse chemicals are a significant part of a living thing's biology. When food is scarce or colonies become crowded, young worms stop developing normally and enter the dauer stage. In this form they can live, without eating or reproducing, for months -- about ten times longer than the worm's normal lifespan. When the dauer finds greener pastures, it finally develops into an adult and resumes its normal aging process. |
| | Hurricane preparedness survey: Worries about drinking water and medical care |
| A new survey conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security finds the top worries of respondents threatened or hit by Hurricane Katrina are that they would not have enough fresh water to drink (42 percent very worried) and that they would not be able to get needed medical care (41 percent very worried). |
| | News briefs from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons |
| Selected news briefs from the August 2008 issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and the most widely read plastic surgery journal in the world. |
| | 1 missing gene leads to fruitless mating rituals |
| Male fruit flies missing a gene for one particular odor receptor become clueless in matters of love, scientists at Duke University Medical Center have discovered. |
| | Want a reason to love your lower belly fat? It's rich in stem cells |
| This first-of-its-kind study examines whether fat tissues from different areas of the body vary in stem cell concentration. |
| | New study finds advanced liver cancer patients live longer by taking anti-cancer drug sorafenib |
| Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York have found that sorafenib (Nexavar) helps patients with advanced liver cancer live about 44 percent longer compared with patients who did not receive the anti-cancer drug. The findings, published in the July 23, 2008, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, is a significant advance in the management of liver cancer, which is the third cause of cancer death globally, often resulting in death within a year of diagnosis. |
| | Autism's social struggles due to disrupted communication networks in brain |
| Picking up on innuendo and social cues is a central component of engaging in conversation, but people with autism often struggle to determine another person's intentions in a social interaction. New research from Carnegie Mellon University sheds light on the neural mechanisms that are responsible for such social difficulties in autism, and on the workings of these social brain mechanisms in all of us. |
| | Amazon outflow is found to power ocean capture of carbon dioxide |
| Nutrients washed out of the Amazon River are powering huge amounts of previously unexpected plant life far out to sea, thus trapping atmospheric carbon dioxide, according to a new study. Until now, the areas around the Amazon and other great rivers had been thought to be emitting CO2, so the study may affect climate scientists' calculations of how the greenhouse gas acts. |
| | Why eating less can help the environment |
| An estimated 19 percent of total energy used in the USA is taken up in the production and supply of food. It is important that ways of reducing this significant fuel consumption in the US food system are found. In a paper published in the Springer journal Human Ecology, David Pimentel and his colleagues at Cornell University set out strategies which could potentially cut fossil energy fuel use by as much as 50 percent. |
| | Licking your wounds: Scientists isolate compound in human saliva that speeds wound healing |
| A report by scientists from the Netherlands published online in rhe FASEB Journal identifies a compound in human saliva that greatly speeds wound healing. This research may offer hope to people suffering from chronic wounds related to diabetes and other disorders, as well as traumatic injuries and burns. In addition, because the compounds can be mass produced, they have the potential to become as common as antibiotic creams and rubbing alcohol. |
| | Air quality forecasts for China |
| With less than a month remaining before the Beijing Olympics, Chinese officials have introduced a series of measures to improve air quality for the Games. A new tool has been installed in the capital city to allow the Chinese to monitor the effectiveness of these efforts. |
| | No justification for denying obese patients knee replacements |
| There is no justification for denying obese patients knee replacement surgery: they benefit almost as much as anyone else from the procedure, concludes a small study published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. |
| | You're more likely to do sport if you are white, middle class, and middle-aged |
| The comfortably off, white, and middle-aged are the most likely to participate in sporting activities, reveals a 10 year study published ahead of print in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. |
| | Biofilms use chemical weapons |
| Biofilms develop on any surface that bacteria can attach themselves to. The dilemma we face is that neither disinfectants and antibiotics, nor phagocytes and our immune system can destroy these biofilms. Scientists at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig have now identified one of the fundamental mechanisms used by the bacteria in biofilms to protect themselves against the attacking phagocytes. The scientists are now publishing their findings in the renowned specialist publication PLoS ONE. |
| | August 2008 Geology and GSA Today media highlights |
| GEOLOGY topics include confirmation that East Java's "Lusi" mud volcano was most likely triggered by a blowout in the Banjar Panji-1 well; evidence of the oldest human presence yet discovered along Egypt's northern Nile delta; analysis of Yellowstone's hotspot; and GPS measurements that show why no large earthquakes occur in the Snake River Plain. GSA Today's science article studies the impact of Glen Canyon dam in Grand Canyon on sandbar ecosystems along the Colorado River. |
| | Nanotech: A regulatory blueprint for the next administration |
| Nanotechnology will significantly change virtually every facet of the way we live. The next president has the opportunity to shape these changes and to ensure that nanotechnology's benefits will be maximized and its risks identified and controlled. A new report by former EPA official J. Clarence (Terry) Davies lays out a clear roadmap for the next presidential administration and describes the immediate and longer term steps necessary to deal with the current shortcomings of nanotechnology oversight. |
| | 'Nanonet' circuits closer to making flexible electronics reality |
| Researchers have overcome a major obstacle in producing transistors from networks of carbon nanotubes, a technology that could make it possible to print circuits on plastic sheets for applications including flexible displays and an electronic skin to cover an entire aircraft to monitor crack formation. |
| | 'Statins' linked to improved survival in kidney transplant recipients |
| For patients receiving kidney transplants, treatment with cholesterol-lowering "statin" drugs may lead to longer survival, reports a study in the November 2008 Journal of the American Society of Nephrology. |
| | Soy foods are associated with lower sperm concentrations |
| Men who eat an average of half a serving of soy food a day have lower concentrations of sperm than men who do not eat soy foods, according to research published online in Europe's leading reproductive medicine journal, Human Reproduction, on Thursday, July 24. The association was particularly marked in men who were overweight or obese, the study found. |
| | Patient privacy assured by electronic censor |
| Newly developed software will help to allay patients' fears about who has access to their confidential data. Research published today in the open access journal BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making describes a computer program capable of deleting details from medical records which may identify patients, while leaving important medical information intact. |
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