NewsRx Health & Science back issues from October 2008:
New ant species discovered in the Amazon likely represents oldest living lineage of ants.
Oct 05, 2008 ... A new species of blind, subterranean, predatory ant discovered in the Amazon rainforest by University of Texas at Austin evolutionary biologist Christian Rabeling is likely a descendant of the very first ants to evolve. The new ant is named Martialis heureka, which translates ...
Radioactivity: Discover the lowest amounts with new methods.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Detecting ever lower amounts of ionising radiation with ever better methods u sci-entists have had this goal since the start of the nuclear age. In addition to natural radiation, mankind is exposed to a multitude of other sources of radiation which result from the military and technical ...
Erectile dysfunction related to sleep apnea may persist, but is treatable.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... For sufferers of sleep apnea, erectile dysfunction (ED) is often part of the package. New research indicates that ED in cases of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) may be linked to the chronic intermittent hypoxiauoxygen deprivationu (CIH) that patients with OSAS experience during ...
CEOs hired from outside a firm are more likely to be dismissed.
Oct 05, 2008 ... A new study in Strategic Management Journal reveals that Boards of Directors commonly make mistakes in CEO appointments when they hire CEOs from outside the firm. The Board knows less than the external CEO candidates regarding their true competencies, and as a result Boards often make ...
Smoke smudges Mexico City's air, chemists identify sources.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Mexico City once topped lists of places with the worst air pollution in the world. Although efforts to curb emissions have improved the situation, tiny particles called aerosols still clog the air. Now, atmospheric scientists from UC San Diego and six other institutions have sorted through ...
A snapshot of the transformation.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Researchers have achieved a milestone in materials science and electron microscopy by taking a high-resolution snapshot of the transformation of nanoscale structures. Using the Lab's Dynamic Transmission Electron Microscope (DTEM), Judy Kim and colleagues peered into the ...
Is re-emerging superbug the next MRSA?
Oct 05, 2008 ... Dr. Ed Corboy had no idea what was afflicting his 80-year-old mother, Joan Corboy. All he knew for certain was that since being treated for what was a routine diarrheal infection, she seemed to be wasting away and none of her doctors or other health specialists could explain ...
Improving our ability to peek inside molecules.
Oct 05, 2008 ... It's not easy to see a single molecule inside a living cell. Nevertheless, researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are helping to develop a new technique that will enable them to create detailed high-resolution images, giving scientists an unprecedented look at the ...
Laminin builds the neuromuscular synapse.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Like a plug and a socket, a nerve and a muscle fiber mesh at the neuromuscular junction. New work by Nishimune et al published in the Journal of Cell Biology reveals that an extracellular matrix protein called laminin shapes both sides of the junction to ensure they fit together ...
Penn researchers use honeybee venom toxin to develop a new tool for studying hypertension.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have modified a honeybee venom toxin so that it can be used as a tool to study the inner workings of ion channels that control heart rate and the recycling of salt in kidneys. In general, ion channels selectively allow the ...
UNC scientists turn human skin cells into insulin-producing cells.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have transformed cells from human skin into cells that produce insulin, the hormone used to treat diabetes. The breakthrough may one day lead to new treatments or even a cure for the millions of ...
Nanomedical approach targets multiple cancer genes, shrinks tumors more effectively.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Nanoparticles filled with a drug that targets two genes that trigger melanoma could offer a potential cure for this deadly disease, according to cancer researchers. The treatment, administered through an ultrasound device, demonstrates a safer and more effective way of targeting ...
Steady work and mental health -- is there a connection?(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... Despite low overall unemployment, Canada's manufacturing industry has cut 88,000 jobs this year, with nearly all the losses occurring in Ontario. Also, part-time employment has grown by 3.5 per cent in 12 months, much faster than the 0.9 per cent growth in full time work. A new report from ...
Nearly half of US adults will develop painful knee osteoarthritis by age 85: study.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Almost half of all U.S. adults and nearly two-thirds of obese adults will develop painful osteoarthritis of the knee by age 85, a study based at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests. The study also found that a person's lifetime risk rose as their body mass ...
The prevalence of hepatitis B virus infection in inflammatory bowel disease patients.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Patients with IBD have high risk of infection by hepatitis viruses B or C because during the course of their disease, they need blood transfusions, and sometimes surgical and endoscopic procedures for diagnosis and treatment. It is important to alert health professionals about prevention ...
Fantastic photographs of fluorescent fish.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Scientists have discovered that certain fish are capable of glowing red. Research published in BMC Ecology includes striking images of fish fluorescing vivid red light. Due to absorption of 'red' wavelengths of sunlight by sea-water, objects which look red under normal ...
Cutting calories could limit muscle wasting in later years.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Chemical concoctions can smooth over wrinkles and hide those pesky grays, but what about the signs of aging that aren't so easy to fix, such as losing muscle mass? Cutting calories early could help, say University of Florida researchers who studied the phenomenon in rats. A ...
A breakthrough in contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The present brief clinical report showed that Contrast-enhanced intraoperative ultrasonography (CE-IOUS) using a new microbubble agent, Sonazoid, can allow surgeons to investigate the whole liver with enough time and to find new metastases intraoperatively. Contrast-enhanced ...
Significant benefits in non-small-cell lung cancer from customizing erlotinib treatment.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Lung cancer patients whose tumors carry specific genetic mutations can achieve significantly longer survival when treated with targeted therapies such as erlotinib, Spanish researchers report. Investigators from the Spanish Lung Cancer Group conducted the largest-ever study to ...
Context is everything: an Armani ad on 1 page changes perception of Honda ad on next page.
Oct 05, 2008 ... A person flipping through a magazine or watching TV sees a number of advertisements. Does the placement of those ads matter to consumers? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says it does. But whether people have a positive or negative impression depends on how knowledgeable ...
Purifying parasites with light.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Researchers have developed a clever method to purify parasitic organisms from their host cells, which will allow for more detailed proteomic studies and a deeper insight into the biology of organisms that cause millions of cases of disease each year. Many infectious pathogens, ...
Key protein molecule linked to diverse human chronic inflammatory diseases.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Liwu Li, associate professor of biological sciences at Virginia Tech, has revealed a common connection between the cellular innate immunity network and human chronic inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, Type 2 Diabetes, and neurodegenerative diseases. The finding presents a ...
New study will make criminals sweat.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The inventor of a revolutionary new forensic fingerprinting technique claims criminals who eat processed foods are more likely to be discovered by police through their fingerprint sweat corroding metal. Dr John Bond, a researcher at the University of Leicester and scientific ...
Investigational drug shows promise in ovarian cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... An investigational drug that combats ovarian cancer by inhibiting the formation of new blood vessels has shown promise in a phase II trial, according to a presentation at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm. Prof. Michael ...
Flatworm helps researchers study stem cells and cancer.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... Any way you slice it, the planarian's contributions to biological research just keep on growing. The planarian, a flatworm normally living in freshwater, is well known for its amazing ability to regenerate u a single planarian cut into 200 pieces can generate 200 new ...
Johns Hopkins researchers suppress 'hunger hormone'.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Johns Hopkins scientists report success in significantly suppressing levels of the "hunger hormone" ghrelin in pigs using a minimally invasive means of chemically vaporizing the main vessel carrying blood to the top section, or fundus, of the stomach. An estimated 90 percent of the body's ...
Topical use of estradiol may stimulate collagen production in aging skin.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Applying the hormone estradiol to skin protected from the sun appears to stimulate production of the protein collagen in older men and women, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, it may not have the same effect ...
A light bulb and a few chemicals.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Princeton scientists have discovered a way of stimulating organic molecules that they expect will prompt researchers to create materials from new kinds of chemical reactions. The method of catalysis, when used, could lead to groundbreaking kinds of drugs and agricultural ...
Study identifies factors associated with poor weight loss after gastric bypass surgery.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Individuals with diabetes and those whose stomach pouches are larger appear less likely to successfully lose weight after gastric bypass surgery, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass ...
Mobile phones help secondary pupils.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Ask a teacher to name the most irritating invention of recent years and they will often nominate the mobile phone. Exasperated by the distractions and problems they create, many headteachers have ordered that pupils must keep their phones switched off at school. Others have told ...
TGen investigators devise faster, cheaper way of analyzing the human genome.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Investigators at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) announced a faster and less expensive way for scientists to find which genes might affect human health. Using bar-codes, not unlike what shoppers find in grocery stores, TGen researchers found a way to index ...
Troubled girls from poor neighborhoods more likely to have sex in early adolescence.
Oct 05, 2008 ... This release is available in French. Montreal, September 16, 2008 u Young girls from poor neighbourhoods need to review more than the birds and bees with their parents u they need to hear about contraception and potential dangers of hanging out with older boys. A new study by ...
Child safety seats and lap-and-shoulder belts effective in preventing serious injury.
Oct 05, 2008 ... For young children, all states currently require the use of child safety seats, and the minimum age and weight requirements to graduate to seat belts has been increasing over time. A new study in the journal Economic Inquiry reveals that lap-and-shoulder seat belts perform as well as child ...
Superconductivity can induce magnetism.
Oct 05, 2008 ... This release is available in French. Montreal, September 11, 2008 u When an electrical current passes through a wire it emanates heat u a principle that's found in toasters and incandescent light bulbs. Some materials, at low temperatures, violate this law and carry current ...
Adults with aortic valve disorder do not experience reduction in survival rate.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Young adults with a bicuspid aortic valve, a congenital heart abnormality, experience subsequent cardiac events but do not appear to have lower survival rates compared to the general population, according to a study in the September 17 issue of JAMA. A bicuspid aortic valve in ...
Sun-damaged skin does not improve with estrogen treatments.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... Treating the skin with estrogen can stimulate collagen productionuwhich improves the appearance of the skinuin areas not typically exposed to the sun, according to new research from the University of Michigan Health System. But in sun-damaged skin, the same treatment does not ...
The IMF says journal editorial documents dramatic increase in survival since the 1980s.(Editorial)
Oct 05, 2008 ... The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF)usupporting research and providing education, advocacy and support for myeloma patients, families, researchers and physiciansusaid survival outcomes have improved dramatically for patients with multiple myeloma, cancer in the bone marrow that ...
Battling diabetes with beta cells.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Affecting eight percent of America's population, diabetes can lead to blindness, kidney failure, strokes and heart disease. Thanks to Tel Aviv University researchers, a new cure uu based on advances in cell therapy uu may be within reach. Prof. Shimon Efrat from TAU's Sackler ...
New tool to speed cancer therapy approval available.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Although cancer remains a leading cause of death in America, it can take up to 12 years to bring a new anti-cancer agent before the FDA and the success rate for approval is only five to 10 percent. That means many research hours and dollars are wasted chasing avenues that will not bring ...
Global warming's ecosystem double whammy.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... Plants and soils act like sponges for atmospheric carbon dioxide, but new research finds that one abnormally warm year can suppress the amount of carbon dioxide taken up by some grassland ecosystems for up to two years. The findings, which followed an unprecedented four-year study of ...
Scientists working to protect NI from Bird Flu.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Queen's scientists are involved in two international projects aimed to protect Northern Ireland's agri-food industry from Bird Flu and African Swine Fever, a disease which kills pigs. Working with colleagues from other EU-member states and the Far East in the FLUTEST project ...
Surgical technique halts cell loss, Parkinson's researchers find.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Deep brain stimulation, a surgical technique often viewed as a last resort for people with Parkinson's disease, halts the progression of dopamine-cell loss in animal models, according to preliminary research by scientists at the Neuroscience Institute at the University of Cincinnati (UC) ...
Help for shopaholics: New test determines who's at risk for compulsive buying.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Shopaholics are the butt of many jokes, but obsessive or compulsive shopping can ruin lives. Compulsive shopping can lead to financial problems, family conflicts, stress, depression, and loss of self-esteem. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, there may ...
Not buying it: Marketing messages may not work in uncommon situations.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Marketers like to talk about "priming" goalsuor sending subtle messages to encourage consumption. For example, thirsty people who encounter ads related to thirst tend to buy more beverages. But a surprising new study in the Journal of Consumer Research reveals that goal priming ...
New brain imaging shows effects of withdrawal on smokers.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... New Brain Imaging Shows The Effects of Withdrawal on Smokers Trying to Quit and How Therapeutic Nicotine Helps San Diego, CA u Sept. 18, 2008 u New research highlighted at a symposium during an annual meeting for family physicians shows how nicotine withdrawal creates functional ...
Parenting program for low-income families reduces toddlers' problem behavior.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Low-income families who participated in a brief, tailored intervention program designed to improve parenting saw less problem behavior in their toddlers than families who did not take part. That's the finding of a new study published in the September/October 2008 issue of the journal Child ...
No helicopter moms among Rutgers mutant mice.
Oct 05, 2008 ... First, he discovered a gene that controls innate fear in animals. Now Rutgers geneticist Gleb Shumyatsky has shown that the same gene promotes "helicopter mom" behavior in mice. The gene, known as stathmin or oncoprotein 18, motivates female animals to protect newborn pups and interact ...
Key component of debilitating lung disease identified.
Oct 05, 2008 ... For the first time, researchers have demonstrated a close correlation between the decline in a key component of the lung's antioxidant defense system and the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in humans. COPD is a degenerative condition that decreases the flow of ...
Pneumatosis cystoids intestinalis after fluorouracil chemotherapy.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The mechanism of pneumatosis cystoids intestinalis (PCI) is unclear. The mechanical and bacterial factors are most predominant causes of PCI. Several chemotherapeutic agents recently have been reported to be associated with PCI. Fluorouracil-related PCI has not been described previously ....
NC State first university in nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Dogs suffering from lymphoma will be able to receive the same type of medical treatment as their human counterparts, as North Carolina State University becomes the first university in the nation to offer canine bone marrow transplants in a clinical setting. Dr. Steven Suter, ...
Small glaciers -- not large -- account for most of Greenland's recent loss of ice, study shows.
Oct 05, 2008 ... The recent dramatic melting and breakup of a few huge Greenland glaciers have fueled public concerns over the impact of global climate change, but that isn't the island's biggest problem. A new study shows that the dozens of much smaller outflow glaciers dotting Greenland's ...
ISU researchers help map first plant-parasitic nematode genome sequence.
Oct 05, 2008 ... There are numerous plant-parasitic nematodes in the world, but only a handful are responsible for the largest part of an estimated $157 billion in agricultural damage globally every year. Nematodes are small worms that burrow into plant roots and feed off living cells. Now, Iowa ...
What was I doing? Interruptions can change purchase decisions.
Oct 05, 2008 ... You're on your computer, about to buy a vacation package when the phone rings. According to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research, when you return to the computer after the interruption, you may have a completely different mindsetuand make a different decision. The ...
Promising new treatment option for women with recurrent ovarian cancer.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Combining the new drug trabectedin with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin provides clinical benefit to women with relapsed ovarian cancer, according to new results presented at the 33rd Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) in Stockholm. The combination, ...
First generation antipsychotic drugs as effective as newer ones in some children.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Nearly every child who receives an antipsychotic medicine is first prescribed one of the second-generation, or "atypical" drugs, such as olanzapine and risperidone. However, there has never been evidence that these drugs are more effective than the older, first-generation medications. ...
The first new mineral with post-spinel structure is approved by CNMNC of IMA.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... Xiete is the first new mineral with post-spinel structure found by a Chinese-American team from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, which has recently been approved by the Commission on New ...
Unusual case of a woman who suffered stroke during sex.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Minutes after having sexual intercourse with her boyfriend, a 35-year-old woman suddenly felt her left arm go weak. Her speech became slurred and she lost feeling on the left side of her face. She was having a stroke. Doctors later concluded the stroke probably was due to ...
Participating in religion may make adolescents from certain races more depressed.(Report)
Oct 05, 2008 ... One of the few studies to look at the effects of religious participation on the mental health of minorities suggests that for some of them, religion may actually be contributing to adolescent depression. Previous research has shown that teens who are active in religious services ...
Small changes to transport systems could mean big benefits for older people.
Oct 05, 2008 ... A new study has pinpointed how simple, low-cost measures could revolutionise older people's ability to use transport systems effectively, safely and with confidence. Researchers at the University of Leeds and Leeds Metropolitan University believe the measures they have ...
Making snack food choices.
Oct 05, 2008 ... People who are asked whether they would choose between a "good" snack and a "bad" snack might not follow their intentions when the snacks arrive. In an article in the September/October 2008 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, Dutch researchers found that there is a ...
Oxidative stress: Mechanism of cell death clarified.
Oct 05, 2008 ... This press release is available in German. Life processes in cells require a reducing environment that needs to be sustained with the help of a large number of antioxidative enzymes. This may sound abstract and incomprehensible, but everyone knows the phenomenon that a piece of cut apple ...
UC Davis researchers find decrease in hysterectomy complications.
Oct 05, 2008 ... UC Davis researchers who studied hospital discharge records for nearly 650,000 California women over a 13-year period have found that complications from hysterectomies have significantly declined. The study appears in the September issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, published by the ...
International TGen-led team finds link between brain protein and Alzheimer's disease.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Investigators at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) announced a link between the brain protein KIBRA and Alzheimer's disease, a discovery that could lead to promising new treatments for this memory-robbing disorder. The new discovery builds on a previous ...
Inflammatory response to infection and injury may worsen dementia.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Inflammation in the brain resulting from infection or injury may accelerate the progress of dementia, research funded by the Wellcome Trust suggests. The findings, published this week in the journal Biological Psychiatry, may have implications for the treatment and care of those living ...
3-D MRI technique helps radiologists detect high-risk carotid disease.
Oct 05, 2008 ... Canadian researchers have used three-dimensional magnetic resonance imaging (3-D MRI) to accurately detect bleeding within the walls of diseased carotid arteries, a condition that may lead to a stroke. The results of the study published in the October issue of Radiology suggest the ...