Dropping off a child at kindergarten for the first time can be one of the most memorable yet terrifying experiences of parenthood. Among the many concerns parents face is the worry whether your child will make friends - a key factor, research shows, in reducing anxiety, depression and the likelihood of being bullied. For parents of children with disabilities, the concern is even greater as four-out-of-10 of their children will enter kindergarten without the social skills necessary to develop close friendships. The response from schools has been to create inclusive classrooms, ...

A new technique that identifies how genes are controlled could help scientists spot errors in the genetic code which trigger disease, a study suggests. The method focusses on those parts of DNA - known as enhancer regions - which regulate the activity of genes and direct the production of proteins that have key functions within the body. Errors in protein production can result in a wide range of diseases in people, researchers say. The new method could help researchers pinpoint the source of disease-causing mutations in enhancers. Until now, these genetic errors ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Nearly half of American hospitals aren't taking key steps to prevent a kind of gut infection that kills nearly 30,000 people annually and sickens hundreds of thousands more - despite strong evidence that such steps work, according to a new study. While nearly all of the 398 hospitals in the study use a variety of measures to protect their patients from Clostridium difficile infections, 48 percent haven't adopted strict limits on the use of antibiotics and other drugs that can allow the dangerous bug to flourish, the researchers report. Hospital ...

This news release is available in German. The world is a risky place. But our subjective fears and anxieties are often at odds with the evidence. New findings by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and the University of Konstanz show that subjective fears about potential risks may be amplified in social exchange. Their findings have now been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). In our information society, information about risks such as Ebola and measles can spread like wildfire - be it through ...

A team of Belgian philosophers and plant biotechnologists have turned to cognitive science to explain why opposition to genetically modified organisms (GMOs) has become so widespread, despite positive contributions GM crops have made to sustainable agriculture. In a paper published April 10 in Trends in Plant Science, they argue that the human mind is highly susceptible to the negative and often emotional representations put out by certain environmental groups and other opponents of GMOs. The researchers urge the general public to form opinions on GMOs on a case-by-case ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- Orphaned children in low- and middle-income countries face a high risk of trauma, with physical and sexual abuse being by far the most prevalent traumatic events. New research shows that orphaned boys in these settings are just as likely to experience abuse as girls. As a result, the study authors suggest targeting more support services and prevention programs toward protecting vulnerable boys. Researchers from Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that physical and sexual abuse affects 12 percent of girls and 14 ...

Thinking "time is money" can be a barrier for people to act in environmentally friendly ways, even for tasks like recycling that take mere seconds, according to UBC research. As Earth Day approaches on April 22, this dynamic has led to an unsettling outcome. "Putting a price tag on time leaves individuals to focus on their own needs and goals, as opposed to the needs and goals of others, including the environment," says Ashley Whillans, PhD student in UBC's Department of Psychology and lead author of a paper on the subject. In one of the paper's studies, a group of ...

The gold standard for analyzing the behavior of fusion plasmas may have just gotten better. Mario Podestà, a staff physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), has updated the worldwide computer program known as TRANSP to better simulate the interaction between energetic particles and instabilities - disturbances in plasma that can halt fusion reactions. The program's updates, reported this week in the journal Nuclear Fusion, could lead to improved capability for predicting the effects of some types of instabilities in future ...

Negative feedback can sting, but thinking about the big picture may help transform criticism into positive change, according to new research published by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology. "People are defensive when they are told about something they did wrong," said lead researcher Jennifer Belding, Ph.D., from Ohio State University. "Listening to negative feedback requires self-control because you have to get past the fact that hearing it hurts and instead use the information to improve over time." In three experiments, researchers found that ...

24.4.2015: Gigantic volumes of hot material rising from the deep earth's mantle to the base of the lithosphere have shaped the face of our planet. Provided they have a sufficient volume, they can lead to break-up of continents or cause mass extinction events in certain periods of the Earth's history. So far it was assumed that because of their high temperatures those bodies - called mantle plumes - ascend directly from the bottom of the earth's mantle to the lithosphere. In the most recent volume of Nature Communications, a team of researchers from the Geodynamic Modeling ...

A new study of the complex interplay between organisms and their environment shows that biodiversity--the variety of organisms living on Earth--is even more important to the healthy functioning of ecosystems than previously thought. The findings bolster the view that conservation of biodiversity benefits the plants and animals directly involved, and by extension the human populations that rely on these organisms and ecosystems for food, water, and other basic services. Lead author on the study, to be published in the online journal Nature Communications on April 24, ...

Philadelphia, April 24, 2015 -- Once-daily oral grazoprevir/elbasvir combination therapy, taken without interferon or ribavirin for 12 weeks, demonstrated high sustained virologic response rates for treatment-naïve patients with cirrhotic or non-cirrhotic chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, 4, or 6. These findings suggest that once-daily oral grazoprevir/elbasvir represents a new therapeutic option for chronic HCV infection. Data from the Phase 3 C-EDGE Treatment-Naïve Trial are being presented for the first time at the 50th annual congress of the European ...

Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed an imageable mouse model of brain-metastatic breast cancer and shown the potential of a stem-cell-based therapy to eliminate metastatic cells from the brain and prolong survival. The study published online in the journal Brain also describes a strategy of preventing the potential negative consequences of stem cell therapy. "Metastatic brain tumors - often from lung, breast or skin cancers - are the most commonly observed tumors within the brain and account for about ...

April 24, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Results presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 show that a 12-week oral regimen of once-daily single tablet grazoprevir/elbasvir (GZR/EBR) is effective and well-tolerated in treatment-naive (TN) patients infected with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes (GT)-1, -4 or -6, including those with compensated cirrhosis. Based on preliminary results from 316 GZR/EBR recipients in the immediate treatment arm, 299 patients (95%) achieved a sustained virologic response at 12 weeks (SVR12). "These initial results ...

April 24, 2015, Vienna, Austria: A new study presented today at The International Liver Congress™ 2015 has demonstrated that ledipasvir (LDV) in combination with sofosbuvir (SOF) achieves sustained virologic response rates 12 weeks after treatment (SVR12; primary endpoint), of 93% and 95% in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 4 or 5, respectively. In the study, LDV/SOF was administered in a once-daily, fixed-dose combination tablet for 12 weeks to treatment-naive and treatment-experienced patients with or without cirrhosis. A total ...

April 24, 2015, Vienna , Austria: Results announced today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015 show that cancer rates in patients with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) were significantly increased compared to the non-HCV cohort. The researchers suggest an extrahepatic manifestation of HCV may be an increased risk of cancer. The aim of the study was to describe the rates of all cancers in the cohort of HCV patients compared to the non-HCV population. Known cancer types associated with hepatitis C include non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, renal and prostate cancers, as well as liver ...

April 24, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Findings were presented today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015 on a novel therapeutic candidate for a genomically defined subset of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients with an aberrant fibroblast growth factor receptor 4 (FGFR4) pathway. BLU-554, a small molecule inhibitor of FGFR4, has been identified as a potential treatment option for up to 30% of HCC patients. In preclinical studies, the investigational drug was shown to be potent and 'exquisitely selective' for FGFR4 compared to other kinases targeting the FGFR family. ...

April 24, 2015, Vienna, Austria: Results from a large population-based cohort of almost a million people in the UK found that the chances of dying from non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), over a 14-year period, was approximately 50% higher than for those with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Reported today at The International Liver CongressTM 2015, the large study analysed the overall burden of cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality across the spectrum of NAFLD. The four stages of NAFLD are steatosis (or simple fatty liver), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis ...

Cincinnati, OH, April 24, 2015 -- Sleep-related deaths are the most common cause of death for infants 1-12 months of age. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants sleep on their back on a firm mattress, without loose bedding. However, many parents use sitting or carrying devices, such as car seats, swings, or bouncers, as alternative sleeping environments, which could lead to potential injury or death. In a new study scheduled for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics, researchers describe how the improper use of these items can lead to infant deaths. Erich ...

Turmeric - the familiar yellow spice common in Indian and Asian cooking - may play a therapeutic role in oral cancers associated with human papillomavirus, according to new research published in ecancermedicalscience. One of the herb's key active ingredients - an antioxidant called curcumin - appears to have a quelling effect on the activity of human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is a virus that promotes the development of cervical and oral cancer. There is no cure, but curcumin may offer a means of future control. "Turmeric has established antiviral and anti-cancer properties," ...

SEATTLE - Today, Americans are more likely to be heavy drinkers and binge drinkers than in recent years due in large part to rising rates of drinking among women, according to a new analysis of county-level drinking patterns in the United States. By contrast, the percentage of people who drink any alcohol has remained relatively unchanged over time, according to the latest research by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington. Published in the American Journal of Public Health on April 23, the study "Drinking patterns in ...

SAN FRANCISCO - New ophthalmology research from the University of Miami shows that dry eye - the little understood culprit behind red, watery, gritty feeling eyes - strikes most often in spring, just as airborne allergens are surging. The study marks the first time that researchers have discovered a direct correlation between seasonal allergens and dry eye, with both pollen and dry eye cases reaching a yearly peak in the month of April. The paper was published online today in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dry eye can significantly ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla.-- New genetic data suggest the red lionfish invasion in the Caribbean Basin and Western Atlantic started in multiple locations, not just one as previously believed, according to a new study led by the U.S. Geological Survey. Florida has often been cited as the likely location of the introduction, but the new research suggests multiple introductions occurred, with some potentially coming from the more southern parts of the range. The Caribbean Basin stretches from parts of Florida's Gulf Coast through South America. Genetically unraveling the progression ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla.--Many loggerhead sea turtles that nest in Dry Tortugas National Park head to rich feeding sites in the Bahamas after nesting, a discovery that may help those working to protect this threatened species. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey used satellites to track the population of loggerheads that nest in the Dry Tortugas - the smallest subpopulation of loggerheads in the northwest Atlantic - and found the turtles actually spend a considerable portion of their lives in the Bahamas, returning to the Dry Tortugas to nest every two-to-five years. ...

Why do animals fight with members of other species? A nine-year study by UCLA biologists says the reason often has to do with "obtaining priority access to females" in the area. The scientists observed and analyzed the behavior of several species of Hetaerina damselflies, also known as rubyspot damselflies. For the study, published this month in the print edition of the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, researchers observed more than 100 damselflies a day in their natural habitat along rivers and streams in Texas, Arizona and Mexico. Male damselflies always ...