NewsRx Health & Science back issues from August 2008:
Security flaws in online banking sites found to be widespread.
Aug 04, 2008 ... ANN ARBOR, Mich.---More than 75 percent of the bank Web sites surveyed in a University of Michigan study had at least one design flaw that could make customers vulnerable to cyber thieves after their money or even their identity. Atul Prakash, a professor in the Department of ...
Brown-led team finds evidence of water in moon's interior.
Aug 04, 2008 ... A Brown University-led research team has for the first time discovered evidence of water that came from deep within the Moon, a revelation that strongly suggests water has been a part of the Moon since its early existence u and perhaps ever since it was created by a cataclysmic collision ...
The genetics of the white horse unraveled.
Aug 04, 2008 ... The white horse is an icon for dignity which has had a huge impact on human culture across the world. An international team led by researchers at Uppsala University has now identified the mutation causing this spectacular trait and show that white horses carry an identical mutation that ...
Vaccinated infants well-protected against severe pneumococcal infection in Norway.
Aug 04, 2008 ... In 2006, a pneumococcal vaccine (Prevenar[R]) was introduced in the childhood vaccination programme in Norway. Two years later, the experiences have been published in the journal Vaccine. The results show a strong decline in serious pneumococcal infections among young children. ...
Cost of raising a child with special needs: Where does your state rank?
Aug 04, 2008 ... Therapies, rehabilitation and specialty medical care are just a few of the extra costs that parents face when raising children with special needs. In a new study that will be published in current issue of Pediatrics, Paul T. Shattuck, Ph.D., professor of social work at Washington ...
Saharan dust storms sustain life in Atlantic Ocean.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Research at the University of Liverpool has found how Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean. Working aboard research vessels in the Atlantic, scientists mapped the distribution of nutrients including phosphorous and nitrogen and ...
Study: perception of hole size influenced by performance.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Golfers who play well are more likely to see the hole as larger than their poor-playing counterparts, according to a Purdue University researcher. "Golfers have said that when they play well the hole looks as big as a bucket or basketball hoop, and when they do not play well ...
Memory impairment associated with sound processing disorder.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Mild memory impairment may be associated with central auditory processing dysfunction, or difficulty hearing in complex situations with competing noise, such as hearing a single conversation amid several other conversations, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of ...
Suckling infants trigger surges of trust hormone in mothers' brains.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Researchers from the University of Warwick, in collaboration with other universities and institutes in Edinburgh, France and Italy, have for the first time been able to show exactly how, when a baby suckles at a mother's breast, it starts a chain of events that leads to surges of the ...
Depression after stroke: a neglected problem.
Aug 04, 2008 ... This release is available in German. People who have had a stroke and the people who are close to them need more support in order to manage the consequences of stroke. As well as the physical disabilities, the psychological burden is difficult to cope with. It is not only stroke ...
Licking your wounds: Scientists isolate compound in human saliva that speeds wound healing.
Aug 04, 2008 ... A report by scientists from The Netherlands published online in The FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) 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, ...
Digital cameras, remote satellites measure crop water demand.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Horticultural crops account for almost 50% of crop sales in the United States, and these crops are carefully managed to ensure good quality. But more information is needed about the crops' growth and response to seasonal and climatic changes so that management practices such as irrigation ...
Rutgers research identifies brain cells related to fear.
Aug 04, 2008 ... The National Institute of Mental Health estimates that in any given year, about 40 million adults (18 or older) will suffer from some form of anxiety disorder, including debilitating conditions such as phobias, panic disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is estimated that ...
Loss of stability of the AHI1-HAP1 complex an issue in Joubert syndrome.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Joubert syndrome is an inherited disorder that affects the area of the brain that controls balance and coordination; it is characterized by symptoms such as loss of muscle tone, developmental delay, and mental retardation. Mutations in several genes have been associated with Joubert ...
Epilepsy drug may increase risk of birth defects.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Taking the epilepsy drug topiramate alone or along with other epilepsy drugs during pregnancy may increase the risk of birth defects, according to a study published in the July 22, 2008, issue of Neurology[R], the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Research ...
New study finds advanced liver cancer patients live longer by taking anti-cancer drug sorafenib.
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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 23rd, 2008 issue of the ...
Birds migrate together at night in dispersed flocks, new study indicates.
Aug 04, 2008 ... A new analysis indicates that birds don't fly alone when migrating at night. Some birds, at least, keep together on their migratory journeys, flying in tandem even when they are 200 meters or more apart. The study, from researchers at the University of Illinois and the Illinois ...
Saving the wild orchids of Borneo.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Borneo (Kalimantan) is the third largest island in the world. It is rich with a variety of indigenous orchid species that grow in the forests. Borneo's rain forests are also home to some extremely rare species of orchids, all highly valued for their exotic aromas and aesthetic beauty. It ...
Heart attack not a death sentence.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Survivors of cardiac arrest who received intensive care can expect long-term quality of life at reasonable expense to the health care system. Research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care is the first to show that the allocation of resources to the treatment of ...
Complex questions asked by defense lawyers linked to convictions in child abuse trials.(Report)
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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. The National Institute of ...
Researchers urge integrating TB into HIV care.
Aug 04, 2008 ... In resource-limited settings where tuberculosis is a major cause of mortality among HIV patients and where a multidrug-resistant TB epidemic is emerging, researchers are pressing for approaches to integrate TB prevention and treatment into HIV care and treatment. "HIV programs ...
Limiting fructose may boost weight loss, UT Southwestern researcher reports.
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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. Dr. Elizabeth Parks, associate professor of ...
Could arthritis wonder drugs provide clues for all disease?
Aug 04, 2008 ... Drugs that have helped treat millions of rheumatoid arthritis sufferers may hold the key to many more medical conditions, including atherosclerosis u a leading cause of heart disease u says the researcher who jointly invented and developed them. Professor Marc Feldmann will tell ...
Glazed America: IUPUI anthropologist examines doughnut as symbol of consumer culture.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Few things say as much about our culture as the food we eat. A new book, Glazed America: A History of the Doughnut by Paul R. Mullins, Ph.D., an Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis anthropologist, explores the development of America's consumer culture through our relationship ...
Calcium may be the key to understanding Alzheimer's disease.(Report)
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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 ...
iTunes allows radiologists to save, sort and search personal learning files.
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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 ...
Biofilms use chemical weapons.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Bacteria rarely come as loners; more often they grow in crowds and squat on surfaces where they form a community together. These so-called biofilms develop on any surface that bacteria can attach themselves to. The dilemma we face is that neither disinfectants and antibiotics, nor ...
Super-resolution X-ray microscopy.
Aug 04, 2008 ... This release is available in French. This release is available in German. A novel super-resolution X-ray microscope developed by a team of researchers from the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI) and EPFL in Switzerland combines the high penetration power of x-rays with high ...
Study shows parasites outweigh predators.
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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 ...
Old eyes can learn new tricks; findings offer hope for adults with 'lazy eye'.
Aug 04, 2008 ... New evidence that the brain regions responsible for vision are capable of adapting in adults offers new hope for those with an untreated condition commonly known as lazy eye. Also called amblyopia, the condition is the most prevalent cause of visual impairment in a single eye, affecting ...
An ID for Alzheimer's?
Aug 04, 2008 ... Every aging baby boomer listens for the footsteps of Alzheimer's, and for good reason: It's estimated that 10 million American boomers will develop the disease. The need to develop preventative strategies, ideally long before Alzheimer's destructive, clinical symptoms appear, is critical. ...
IAVI statement in response to NIAID decision not to move forward with PAVE 100 HIV Vaccine Trial.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Today, the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) 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 ...
The benefits of a little resistance for older adults.
Aug 04, 2008 ... University of Queensland research is showing the benefits of resistance training in keeping older Australians in tip top form. Dr Tim Henwood, a postdoctoral research fellow with UQ and Blue Care, said his recently completed PhD research investigated how people over the age of ...
Researchers discover a gene that regulates and blocks ovulation.
Aug 04, 2008 ... This release is available in French. Montreal, July 17, 2008 u 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 u a collaboration between the Universite de Montreal in Canada ...
Researchers hack final part of the immune system code.
Aug 04, 2008 ... A group of researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Biocentre at the Technical University of Denmark have managed to decipher the final part of the immune system's key codes. The same researchers already broke the first part of the codes last autumn, and have now ...
CSHL scientists correlate enzyme expression levels with chemotherapy drug response.
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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 ...
Transit systems are not well-integrated into local emergency plans.(Report)
Aug 04, 2008 ... Millions of people each day rely on transit, yet few urban area emergency plans have focused on its role in an emergency evacuation, says a new report from the National Research Council's Transportation Research Board. Transit systems could play a significant role in transporting carless ...
EPA releases report on climate change and health.
Aug 04, 2008 ... The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has released a report that discusses the potential impacts of climate change on human health, human welfare, and communities in the U.S. The report, entitled "Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems," ...
Chest pain center accreditation linked with better outcomes in heart attack patients.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Hospitals accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers (SCPC) have been shown to perform better in the heart attack core measures established by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) as compared to non-accredited hospitals, according to a national study led by an Emory ...
6 of every 100 patients die in hospital due to adverse drug reaction.
Aug 04, 2008 ... This release is also available in Spanish. Six of every 100 patients who die in hospital do so as a consequence of an adverse drug reaction or, in other words, a fatal reaction to medicines. Those are the conclusions of a research carried out at the Department of Medicine of the University ...
Saltwater olives.
Aug 04, 2008 ... The news that olives are sources of "good fat" has increased worldwide demand for the luscious, versatile fruits. Olives have become extremely popular, enjoyed as condiments, appetizers, spreads, and additions to salads and sauces. Their heart-healthy oil has is also enjoying superstar ...
Building a better telecom system.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Hurricane Katrina helped University of Texas professor, Alexis Kwasinski, formulate a new plan for the U.S. telecom system: a de-centralized power architecture that would have kept the lights and phones on in New Orleans. Kwasinski maintains that a microgrid-based power plant with its own ...
Autism's social struggles due to disrupted communication networks in brain.(Report)
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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 ...
New population of highly threatened greater bamboo lemur found in Madagascar.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Researchers in Madagascar have confirmed the existence of a population of greater bamboo lemurs more than 400 kilometers (240 miles) from the only other place where the Critically Endangered species is known to live, raising hopes for its survival. The discovery of the ...
Researchers probe geographical ties to ALS cases among 1991 Gulf War veterans.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Researchers from Duke University, the University of Cincinnati (UC) and the Durham Veterans Administration Medical Center are hoping to find a geographical pattern to help explain why 1991 Gulf War veterans contracted the fatal neurological disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at ...
Identification of protein able to stimulate production of T-cells.
Aug 04, 2008 ... A team of Canadian and Finnish scientists has identified a protein able to stimulate the production of T-cells, the white blood cells involved in the recognition and the elimination of infectious agents. The discovery by researchers of the Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer ...
Elderly falls cut by 11 percent with education and intervention.
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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 ...
Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing may reduce wrinkles over long term.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Carbon dioxide laser resurfacing appears to be an effective long-term treatment for facial wrinkles, according to a report in the July/August issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The carbon dioxide laser vaporizes water molecules inside ...
Once suspect protein found to promote DNA repair, prevent cancer.
Aug 04, 2008 ... An abundant chromosomal protein that binds to damaged DNA prevents cancer development by enhancing DNA repair, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Science. The protein, HMGB1, ...
Political borders, health-care issues complicate pandemic planning.(Report)
Aug 04, 2008 ... Panic, staffing issues and geographic boundaries are some of the challenges that public health experts need to address as they plan for a possible influenza pandemic, according to a new report from Purdue University. "Most public health experts who are leading planning efforts ...
Vaccine for koala chlamydia close.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Professors Peter Timms and Ken Beagley from Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI) said the vaccinated koalas, which are at Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary, were mounting a good response to the vaccine. "A good T-cell ...
Researchers find key to saving the world's lakes.
Aug 04, 2008 ... After completing one of the longest running experiments ever done on a lake, researchers from the University of Alberta, University of Minnesota and the Freshwater Institute, contend that nitrogen control, in which the European Union and many other jurisdictions around the world are ...
Viral recombination another way HIV fools the immune system.
Aug 04, 2008 ... When individuals infected with HIV become infected with a second strain of the virus, the two viral strains can exchange genetic information, creating a third, recombinant strain of the virus. It is known that the presence of multiple viral strains, called superinfection, frequently leads ...
Chinese earthquake provides lessons for future.
Aug 04, 2008 ... The May 12 Sichuan earthquake in China was unexpectedly large. Analysis of the area, however, now shows that topographic characteristics of the highly mountainous area identified the mountain range as active and could have pointed to the earthquake hazard. Topographic analysis can help ...
Patient privacy assured by electronic censor.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Newly developed software will help to allay patients' fears about who has access to their confidential data. Research published in the open access journal BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making describes a computer program capable of deleting details from medical records which may ...
Pandemic flu: Most nursing homes don't have a plan.
Aug 04, 2008 ... If an influenza pandemic hits the United States, acute care hospitals are likely to be overwhelmed. Nursing homes may then be expected to assist with the patient overflow, but a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests that many are not prepared for such a ...
Blood-related genetic mechanisms found important in Parkinson's disease.
Aug 04, 2008 ... What does the genetics of blood cells have to do with brain cells related to Parkinson's disease? From an unusual collaboration of neurologists and a pharmacologist comes the surprising answer: Genetic mechanisms at play in blood cells also control a gene and protein that cause Parkinson's ...
Yale researchers discover remnant of an ancient 'RNA world'.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Some bacterial cells can swim, morph into new forms and even become dangerously virulent - all without initial involvement of DNA. Yale University researchers describe Friday in the journal Science how bacteria accomplish this amazing feat - and in doing so provide a glimpse of what the ...
Small birth size linked to changes in the cardiovascular system that predispose to later disease.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Researchers have found the first evidence that smaller size at birth is associated with specific alterations in the functioning of the heart and circulation in children and that these changes differ between boys and girls. The research by Dr Alexander Jones and colleagues, ...
Fresh from the grapevine to the table.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Table grapes are subject to serious water loss and decay while making the long trip from the vine to dinner tables around the world. Mold and browning of the stems are the two main factors that reduce grape quality during shipping and storage in retail produce sections. Pads ...
Stem cell chicken and egg debate moves to unlikely arena: the testes.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Logic says it has to be the niche. As air and water preceded life, so the niche, that hospitable environment that shelters adult stem cells in many tissues and provides factors necessary to keep them young and vital, must have emerged before its stem cell dependents. A team of ...
Loud music can make you drink more, in less time, in a bar.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Commercial venues are very aware of the effects that the environment u in this case, music u 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 ...
Long-term care fraught with uncertainties for elderly baby boomers.
Aug 04, 2008 ... The continued decline of the nursing home u once the mainstay care for the frail elderly u and an upsurge in popularity of assisted living will lead to many dramatic changes in long-term care, according to a University of Florida expert and editor of a new book on the subject. ...
Diversity in primary schools promotes harmony.(Clinical report)
Aug 04, 2008 ... 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 (ESRC), confirms that the ethnic composition of primary schools has a direct impact on children's attitudes ...
Process used by microges to make greenhouse gases uncovered.
Aug 04, 2008 ... Researchers here now have a picture of a key molecule that lets microbes produce carbon dioxide and methane u the two greenhouse gases associated with global warming. The findings relate to organisms called methanogens and are explained in the latest issue of the journal ...