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| Still puzzling: Best care for the frail and elderly with coronary artery disease Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
A new study from Duke University Medical Center finds that patients treated solely with medications after suffering from chest pain, heart attack or coronary artery disease are more likely to die during the first year following their initial hospitalization. |
| PCI preference -- will that be an arm or a leg? Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
When it comes to stenting -- using metal tubes to prop open blocked arteries -- physicians are continuing to choose to gain entry to the circulatory system through an opening in the leg instead of the arm, even though the latter option appears to be safer, with fewer side effects, say researchers at Duke Clinical Research Institute. |
| Sorry, Charlie, you and Nemo aren't the only fish that talk Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Talking fish are no strangers to Americans. From the comedic portrayal of "Mr. Limpet" by Don Knotts, to the children's Disney favorite, "Nemo," fish can talk, laugh and tell jokes -- at least on television and the silver screen. But can real fish verbally communicate? |
| Analysis of quickly stopped Rx orders provides new tool for reducing medical errors Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
By studying medication orders that are withdrawn ("discontinued") by physicians within 45 minutes of their origination, researchers at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have demonstrated a systematic and efficient method of identifying prescribing errors. The method, they say, has value to screen for medication errors and as a teaching tool for physicians and physicians-in-training. |
| An ID for Alzheimer's? Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
UCLA researchers have confirmed that in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's, levels of specific proteins in the blood and spinal fluid can be used to track the progression of AD, long before symptoms appear. The hope is that, one day, screening for such biomarkers could take their place beside such routine tests as colonoscopies and mammograms as another common tool of preventive medicine. |
| Averting postsurgical infections in kids: Give antibiotics within hour before first incision Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Giving children preventive antibiotics within one hour before they undergo spinal surgery greatly reduces the risk for serious infections after the surgery, suggests a Johns Hopkins study to be published in the August issue of Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. |
| Studies refute common stereotypes about obese workers Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
New research led by a Michigan State University scholar refutes commonly held stereotypes that overweight workers are lazier, more emotionally unstable and harder to get along with than their "normal weight" colleagues. |
| iTunes allows radiologists to save, sort and search personal learning files Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
iTunes has the ability to manage and organize PDF files just as easy as music files, allowing radiologists to better organize their personal files of articles and images, according to a recent study conducted by researchers at Renji Hospital and Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China. |
| Molecular hula hoop Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Japanese researchers at the Universities of Osaka and Kyoto have observed the action of a nanorotor on the molecular scale. As Akira Harada and his team report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, they were able to get "snapshots" of individual molecular rotors caught in motion. |
| CSHL scientists correlate enzyme expression levels with chemotherapy drug response Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Why do cancer patients develop resistance to chemotherapy drugs, sometimes abruptly, after a period in which the drugs seem to be working well to reduce tumors or hold them in check? Although largely a mystery to scientists, the result when this occurs is all too familiar: patients relapse and in many cases die when their cancers become resistant. |
| Saharan dust storms sustain life in Atlantic Ocean Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Research at the University of Liverpool has found how Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. |
| New report warns current policies will not avert health workforce crisis Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
A report from the Association of Academic Health Centers, "Out of Order, Out of Time: The State of the Nation's Health Workforce," warns that the nation is facing a health workforce crisis and is running out of time to ensure an adequate health workforce to meet needs resulting from critical socioeconomic challenges for health care. The study calls for, and provides, specific recommendations for immediate action to develop an integrated, coordinated national health workforce policy. |
| HIV conquers immune system faster than previously realized Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
New research into the earliest events occurring immediately upon infection with HIV-I shows that the virus deals a stunning blow to the immune system earlier than was previously understood. According to scientists at Duke University Medical Center, this suggests the window of opportunity for successful intervention may be only a matter of days -- not weeks -- after transmission, as researchers had previously believed. |
| ESA to consult the science community on Earth Explorer selection Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
As part of the agency's user-driven approach to preparing new Earth Explorer missions to advance our understanding of the Earth system, six candidate missions will be presented to the science community at a User Consultation Meeting in January 2009. |
| The International Space Station, a test-bed for future space exploration Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
The Heads of the International Space Station Agencies from Canada, Europe, Japan, Russia and the United States met today at ESA Headquarters in Paris, France, to review ISS cooperation. |
| Researchers grow human blood vessels in mice from adult progenitor cells Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
For the first time, researchers have grown in mice functioning human blood vessels from cells obtained from adult blood and bone marrow.This research could eventually lead to treatments for heart attack, acute injuries, wound healing and may facilitate growing new organs. |
| Standards in stem cell research Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Standards in stem cell research help both scientists and regulators to manage uncertainty and the unknown, according to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. Efforts to standardize practices across different labs is, however, a balancing act where the autonomy of scientists and fragility of living material need to be weighed against the need for comparable data. |
| Loud music can make you drink more, in less time, in a bar Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Commercial venues are very aware of the effects that the environment -- in this case, music -- can have on in-store traffic flow, sales volumes, product choices and consumer time spent in the immediate vicinity. A study of the effects of music levels on drinking in a bar setting has found that loud music leads to more drinking in less time. |
| Water-diffusion technology identifies brain regions damaged by prenatal alcohol exposure Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder often have structural brain damage. Recent findings show that several specific white matter regions, as well as deep gray matter areas, of the brain are particularly sensitive to prenatal alcohol exposure. These abnormalities likely underlie the cognitive, motor, behavioral and emotional difficulties that are associated with FASD. |
| Coffee and cigarette consumption are high among AA attendees Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
More than one million Americans currently participate in the Alcoholics Anonymous program. Recent findings confirm that coffee and cigarette use among AA members is greater than among the general US population.Most AA members drink coffee for its stimulatory effects; more than half smoke to reduce feelings of depression, anxiety and irritability. |
| Prenatal drinking, environmental enrichment: effects on neurotrophins are independent of each other Fri, 18 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Prenatal alcohol exposure may be particularly destructive for neurotrophins, a family of peptides that influence the growth, development and functional plasticity of the fetal brain. A new rodent study of alcohol's effects on three key neurotrophins has found that, even though environmental enrichment may be able to improve some fetal-alcohol effects, those benefits do not appear to be mediated by neurotrophins. |
| Calcium may be the key to understanding Alzheimer's disease Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have shown that mutations in two proteins associated with familial Alzheimer's disease disrupt the flow of calcium ions within neurons. The two proteins, called PS1 and PS2 (presenilin 1 and 2), interact with a calcium release channel in an intracellular cell compartment. |
| The benefits of a little resistance for older adults Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
University of Queensland research is showing the benefits of resistance training in keeping older Australians in tip top form. |
| A viral cloaking device Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Viruses achieve their definition of success when they can thrive without killing their host. Now, biologists Pamela Bjorkman and Zhiru Yang of the California Institute of Technology have uncovered how one such virus, prevalent in humans, evolved over time to hide from the immune system. Understanding how human cytomegalovirus survives may help in the development of a vaccine, as well as in the fight against other viruses with similar evasive tactics. |
| New indicator uncovered that can predict coral health Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
A new indicator of coral health has been discovered in a community of microscopic single-celled algae called dinoflagellates. The study, released in the July 8 edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals that a particular type of these algae renders corals more susceptible to disease. |
| Predicting the distribution of creatures great and small Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
In studying how animals change size as they evolve, biologists have unearthed several interesting patterns. For instance, most species are small, but the largest members of a taxonomic group -- such as the great white shark, the Komodo dragon, or the African elephant -- are often thousands or millions of times bigger than the typical species. Now for the first time two SFI researchers explain these patterns within an elegant statistical framework. |
| Bullying-suicide link explored in new study by researchers at Yale Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found signs of an apparent connection between bullying, being bullied and suicide in children, according to a new review of studies from 13 countries published in the International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health. |
| Elderly falls cut by 11 percent with education and intervention Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Commonly viewed as an inevitable consequence of aging and often ignored in clinical practice, falls among the elderly were cut by 11 percent when researchers at Yale School of Medicine used a combination of fall prevention educational campaigns and interventions aimed at encouraging clinicians to incorporate fall-risk assessment and management into their practices. |
| Study shows cost-effectiveness of 64-slice CT scanner in emergency department chest pain patients Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
A recent study led by Rahul Khare, M.D., emergency department physician and assistant director of operations at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, sought to determine the cost-effectiveness of utilizing a CT scanner to evaluate low-risk chest pain patients in the emergency room. |
| Lionfish decimating tropical fish populations, threaten coral reefs Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
The invasion of predatory lionfish in the Caribbean region poses yet another major threat there to coral reef ecosystems -- a new study has found that within a short period after the entry of lionfish into an area, the survival of other reef fishes is slashed by about 80 percent. |
| When fish talk, scientists listen Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
New research on the midshipman fish, a close relative of the toadfish, indicates that that the ability to make and respond to sound is an ancient part of the vertebrate success story. |
| Complex questions asked by defense lawyers linked to convictions in child abuse trials Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Defendants in child abuse cases are more likely to be convicted if their defense lawyer uses complicated language when interrogating young victims according to new research out of the University of Toronto and the University of Southern California. |
| 'Nanosculpture' could enable new types of heat pumps and energy converters Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered a new technique for growing single-crystal nanorods and controlling their shape using biomolecules. The research, published in the journal Advanced Materials, could enable the development of smaller, more powerful heat pumps and devices that harvest electricity from heat. |
| Study: Migrant laborers valuable to horticulture industry Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Despite tremendous growth in mechanization and technological advances, nursery, greenhouse, and sod production in the US are still extremely labor-intensive. The agricultural industry depends heavily on laborers who can provide on-time production of highly perishable horticultural crops. Savvy employers know that a skilled and accessible labor supply is imperative for the agricultural industry's continued growth and stability. |
| Research publications online: Too much of a good thing? Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
The Internet gives scientists and researchers instant access to an astonishing number of academic journals. So what is the impact of having such a wealth of information at their fingertips? The answer, according to new research released today in the journal Science, is surprising -- scholars are actually citing fewer papers in their own work, and the papers they do cite tend to be more recent publications. This trend may be limiting the creation of new ideas and theories. |
| Good breeding increases shelf life Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
The lettuce cut and packaged for food service and salad mixes is an increasingly important component of the produce industry. Lettuce is highly perishable, and the cutting required in processing further shortens its shelf life. Packaging cut lettuce and other fresh produce in semipermeable plastic films extends shelf life via a technique called "modified-atmosphere packaging". Romaine and "crisphead" (such as iceberg) are the most widely produced for salad-cut products. |
| Digital cameras, remote satellites measure crop water demand Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Determining growth stage, size, and water needs are especially important for horticultural crops because most crops are grown in limited water environments and require irrigation. Thomas J. Trout, research leader at the USDA ARS, along with colleagues from the NASA Earth Science Division, recently published a study that addresses the relationship of remotely sensed normalized difference vegetation index relative to canopy cover of several major horticultural crops in commercial fields. |
| Guidelines highlight key differences between child and adult stroke Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
This is the first guidance on stroke in children from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.Stroke risk, symptoms and treatment in children are different from those in adults.The clot-busting drug t-PA is not generally recommended for treating children, especially newborns. |
| Saltwater olives Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
News that olives are sources of "good fat" has increased demand for the luscious fruits. To keep the world's olive lovers satisfied, an intensive wave of olive planting has occurred. Traditionally, olives have been cultivated in the Mediterranean region. But fresh water is becoming increasingly hard to come by in semiarid areas, and irrigation of most new olive plantations is often accomplished with low-quality sources of water that contain relatively high levels of salt. |
| Too much, too little sleep increases ischemic risk in postmenopausal women Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Sleeping nine hours or more a night significantly increases the risk for ischemic stroke among post menopausal women. Sleeping less than 6 hours showed a modest increase risk of stroke, but was reported by twice as many women.The findings cannot be applied to other groups. |
| Heading circulatory disease off at the pass Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have devised an ultrasound imaging technique that picks up subtle early evidence of peripheral arterial disease that current conventional tests miss.The test, if approved for clinical use, could lead to early treatments that would head off the serious complications that can result from the disease. |
| EPA releases report on climate change and health Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
The US Environmental Protection Agency has released a report that discusses the potential impacts of climate change on human health, human welfare, and communities in the US The report, entitled "Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems," also identifies adaptation strategies to help respond to the challenges of a changing climate and identifies near- and long-term research goals for addressing data and knowledge gaps. |
| AVAC comments on NIAID decision not to move forward with PAVE 100 Trial Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
AVAC today urged Dr. Anthony Fauci and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to act swiftly to clarify the path ahead suggested by the announcement that the proposed PAVE 100 AIDS vaccine trial would not go forward but that a smaller trial of the same candidate would be considered. AVAC calls on field leaders to make clear commitments of financing, leadership and scientific exploration to further the search for an AIDS vaccine. |
| Negative perception of blacks rises with more news watching, studies say Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Watching the news should make you more informed, but it also may be making you more likely to stereotype, says a University of Illinois researcher. |
| Scientists demonstrate the sharpest measurement of ice crystals in clouds Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Scientists have created an instrument designed to help determine the shapes and sizes of tiny ice crystals typical of those found in high-altitude clouds, down to the micron level (comparable to the tiniest cells in the human body), according to a new study in Optics Letters, a journal published by the Optical Society. The data produced using this instrument likely will help improve computer models used to predict climate change. |
| IAVI statement in response to NIAID decision not to move forward with PAVE 100 HIV Vaccine Trial Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Today, the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases announced that it will not go ahead with the proposed Phase IIb AIDS vaccine trial known as PAVE 100. The announcement followed the failure last September of an AIDS vaccine candidate with some similarities to the PAVE 100 candidate in a Phase IIb trial known as STEP. |
| Weill Cornell science briefs June/July 2008 Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Weill Cornell Science Briefs is an electronic newsletter published by the Office of Public Affairs that focuses on innovative medical research and patient care at Weill Cornell Medical College and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. |
| Advance brings low-cost, bright LED lighting closer to reality Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Researchers have overcome a major obstacle in reducing the cost of "solid state lighting," a technology that could cut electricity consumption by 10 percent if widely adopted.The technology, called light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, is about four times more efficient than conventional incandescent lights and more environmentally friendly than compact fluorescent bulbs. The LEDs also are expected to be far longer lasting than conventional lighting, lasting perhaps as long as 15 years before burning out. |
| A single boulder may prove that Antarctica and North America were once connected Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
A lone granite boulder found against all odds high atop a glacier in Antarctica may provide additional key evidence to support a theory that parts of the southernmost continent once were connected to North America hundreds of millions of years ago. |
| Using genetics to improve traditional psychiatric diagnoses Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Prior versions of DSM followed the path outlined by Emil Kraeplin in separating these disorders into distinct categories. Yet, we now know that symptoms of bipolar disorder may be seen in patients with schizophrenia and the reverse is true, as well. |
| The aorta is torn apart in the Marfan syndrome Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
A severe complication of the Marfan syndrome is that the aorta may split and be torn apart. The patient can be protected if the syndrome is diagnosed and treated in good time. In the current edition of the Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, the human geneticist Mine Arslan-Kirchner from Hannover University Medical School and his coauthors present additional studies on Marfan patients. |
| Second flight for ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang from Sweden has been assigned as a mission specialist onboard the 11-day STS-128 mission, currently scheduled for launch with Space Shuttle Atlantis to the International Space Station on July 30, 2009. |
| Liver unit reports higher than average success rate for children receiving living donor transplants Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Ninety-six percent of children who received liver transplants from living relatives were still alive five years after surgery. And the 98 percent year one survival rates recorded by the UK specialist unit was higher than international averages, which ranged from 74 percent to 96 percent. The research, published in the British Journal of Surgery, covers 50 children operated on between 1993 and 2006 by King's College Hospital in London. During that period King's was the only UK centre carrying out the ground-breaking procedure. |
| UNC, Caltech research finds further evidence for genetic contribution to autism Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Some parents of children with autism evaluate facial expressions differently than the rest of us -- and in a way that is strikingly similar to autistic patients themselves, according to new research by psychiatrist Dr. Joe Piven of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and neuroscientist Ralph Adolphs, Ph.D., of the California Institute of Technology. |
| Saving the wild orchids of Borneo Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Borneo (Kalimantan) is the third largest island in the world. Borneo's rain forests are also home to some extremely rare species of orchids, all highly valued for their exotic aromas and aesthetic beauty. Borneo's orchids are also endangered, a result of the loss of natural habitat from fire, forest damage, and illegal logging. Increased exploitation of the forests of West Borneo, including gold mining and illegal burning, has led to the certain extinction of hundreds of orchid species. |
| As rates rise, researchers find better way to identify melanoma Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
University of Rochester Medical Center researchers found a new protein produced excessively in malignant melanoma, a discovery that is particularly relevant as skin cancer rates climb dramatically among young women. |
| Genetic variant increases triglyceride levels in Asian-Americans Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
A genetic variant found almost exclusively in individuals of Asian descent increases the risk of elevated plasma triglycerides over four-fold. |
| New roadside beautification concept studied Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Travel America's highways or drive down any city street this summer and you'll probably see them. From small, manicured beds of flowers to extensive landscaping projects, roadside gardens are taking root. Aside from the obvious aesthetic benefits, studies indicate that roadside beautification, including landscaping and gardens, can help drivers reduce stress, frustration and aggression, while helping maintain safe highways. |
| Researchers discover a gene that regulates and blocks ovulation Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
A group of Canadian and European researchers have unlocked the mystery of a gene with the potential to both regulate and block ovulation. The new study -- a collaboration between the Université de Montréal in Canada and the Institut de génetique et biologie moléculaire et cellulaire of the Université de Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France -- is published in the latest issue of the journal Genes & Development. |
| Fresh from the grapevine to the table Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT |
Table grapes are subject to serious water loss and decay while making the long trip from the vine to dinner tables around the world. Pads placed over the fruit packed in boxes are one way of ensuring that consumers get fresh, appealing fruits. The pads release sulfur dioxide, or SO2, a chemical used to prevent mold and decaying of table grapes. Sulfur dioxide as a method of controlling decay has been in use for over 75 years. |
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