CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — River beds, where flowing water meets silt, sand and gravel, are critical ecological zones. Yet how water flows in a river with a gravel bed is very different from the traditional model of a sandy river bed, according to a new study that compares their fluid dynamics. The findings establish new parameters for river modeling that better represent reality, with implications for field researchers and water resource managers. "The shallow zones where water in rivers interacts with the subsurface are critical environmentally, and how we have modeled ...

A new study brings good news to all the brothers out there: Having a sibling is just as good for you as it is for your sister. That's surprising to family scholars because boys typically report that they benefit less than girls from peer relationships. "In our study, most relationships were not as important for boys as they were for girls," said study co-author Laura Padilla-Walker. "But the sibling relationship was different – they seemed to report relying on sibling affection just as much as girls do. It's an area where parents and therapists could really help ...

PULLMAN, Wash. – Washington State University researchers have developed a new catalyst that could lead to making biofuels cheaply and more efficiently. Led by Voiland Distinguished Professor Yong Wang, the researchers mixed inexpensive iron with a tiny amount of rare palladium to make the catalyst. Their work is featured on the cover of the October issue of the journal ACS Catalysis. Removing oxygen for better fuel Researchers, government leaders and industry leaders are interested in renewable biofuels as a way to reduce national dependence on fossil fuels and ...

ANN ARBOR—Adults over 50 who feel comfortable about aging are more proactive in getting preventive health care services, a new University of Michigan study found. Sometimes, the older population does not visit their doctor because they believe that physical and mental declines typify old age, says Eric Kim, a U-M doctoral student in clinical psychology. They think that lifestyle changes will not make a difference, making them less likely to seek preventive care. This is not true and also not a healthy mindset, he says. Studies show that older adults can go down ...

Kyoto, Japan — Researchers in Japan have developed a novel yet simple technique, called "diffusion driven layer-by-layer assembly," to construct graphene into porous three-dimensional (3D) structures for applications in devices such as batteries and supercapacitors. Their study was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. Graphene is essentially an ultra-thin sheet of carbon and possesses exciting properties such as high mechanical stability and remarkable electrical conductivity. It has been touted as the next generation material that can conceivably ...

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is concerning and many—even those with seizure disorders—may not be aware of this condition. New research published in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE), reports that 76% of caregivers are more likely to have heard of SUDEP compared with 65% of patients with epilepsy. Dr. Barbara Kroner, an epidemiologist with RTI International in Rockville, Maryland and lead author of the study says, "When someone with epilepsy dies suddenly we want to understand ...

Beijing, 16 October 2014: The use of electronic health care services (versus more traditional methods) to reduce the high incidence of heart disease in China will be debated by leading cardiologists from around the world in Beijing, from 16 to 19 October 2014. The 25th Great Wall International Congress of Cardiology & Asia Pacific Heart Congress & International Congress of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation (GW-ICC & APHC & ICCPR 2014) will advocate a patient centered health care model that maximizes the use of limited medical resources so patients can improve ...

1985 was one of the worst years in living memory for the flamingo population of the Camargue, France. Over a 15 day period in January, temperatures plummeted, the lagoons, ponds and salt pans where the birds feed froze and by the time the Arctic blast had loosened its grip, almost one third of the population was dead. 'The 1985 mass-mortality shocked a generation of conservationists,' says David Grémillet from the CEFE-CNRS, France. Alan Johnson, a conservation scientist at the Tour du Valat research center, France, who dedicated 50 years of his life to protecting ...

The study, from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialist cancer agency of the World Health Organization, is the first to try and quantify the worldwide extent of each of the two main types of oesophageal cancer: squamous cell carcinoma, or SCC for short; and adenocarcinoma. Rates of SCC have remained fairly stable or have even fallen over the past few years, but those of adenocarcinoma have risen, particularly in high income countries. In 2012, oesophageal cancer was the eighth most common cancer worldwide. The researchers used data from ...

Over the past 20 years, a growing body of evidence has linked exposure to metal fumes with a heightened risk of developing, and dying from, bacterial lobar pneumonia. It is not clear exactly why this happens, but there are indications that the tiny particles in welding fumes boost the stickiness of pneumococcal bacteria to the cells lining the airways of the lungs. The scientific evidence was sufficient to prompt the government's independent advisory body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), to recommend in 2011 that employers offer welders a ...

Contrary to current dietary recommendations, slow and steady weight loss does not reduce the amount or rate of weight regain compared with losing weight quickly, new research published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology has found. The study, led by Joseph Proietto, Sir Edward Dunlop Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne and Head of the Weight Control Clinic at Austin Health in Australia, set out to examine whether losing weight at a slow initial rate, as recommended by current guidelines worldwide, results in larger long-term weight reduction and less ...

The Lancet is pleased to announce the publication of a new Series on Universal Health Coverage in Latin America. Health system reform and universal health coverage in Latin America Overcoming social segregation in health care in Latin America Social determinants of health, universal health coverage, and sustainable development: case studies from Latin American countries Leading the way towards universal health coverage: a call to action Series comments The Series will be launched on Thursday 16 October, at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) headquarters ...

WASHINGTON – The popularity of E-cigarettes could lead to the "demise" of cigarette smoking and save thousands of lives, but not until they are proven safe and are regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That's the message from two Georgetown University Medical Center researchers in a perspective piece published Oct. 16 in the New England Journal of Medicine. In "The FDA, E-Cigarettes, and the Demise of Combusted Tobacco," Nathan K. Cobb, MD, and David B. Abrams, PhD, call on the FDA "to accelerate their regulations to eliminate uncertainty regarding ...

Changing laws to make it more difficult to sue physicians for medical malpractice may not reduce the amount of "defensive medicine" practiced by physicians, according to a new RAND Corporation study. Studying the behavior of emergency physicians in three states that raised the standard for malpractice in the emergency room to gross negligence, researchers found that strong new legal protections did not translate into less-expensive care. The findings are published in the Oct. 16 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine. "Our findings suggest that malpractice ...

PHILADELPHIA – Ninety percent of children and adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) who had relapsed multiple times or failed to respond to standard therapies went into remission after receiving an investigational personalized cellular therapy, CTL019, developed at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results are published this week in The New England Journal of Medicine. The new data, which builds on preliminary findings presented at the American Society of Hematology's annual meeting in December 2013, include results ...

PHILADELPHIA—A perspective piece in this week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine from a student at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine addresses the evolution of diversity in medical education. "It's not a numbers game anymore," says author Mark A. Attiah, a medical student pursuing both a Master's in translational research and bioethics. "Diversity is a mindset that extends into the classroom and the hospital." Achieving diversity in today's medical schools goes beyond bringing underrepresented students into the fold, he says. ...

Short-term modest weight gains in healthy, normal weight young adults was associated with more bad cholesterol levels in those who ate muffins cooked using saturated oil. However, individuals in the same study who ate muffins made with polyunsaturated oils had improved blood cholesterol profiles, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association. Swedish researchers conducted a seven-week study in 39 adults (average age 27) who added three muffins each day made with either unsaturated sunflower or saturated palm oil. The study was designed ...

Being physically active three times a week reduces the odds of being depressed by approximately 16%, according to new UCL (University College London) research undertaken as part of the Public Health Research Consortium. The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, found a two-way relationship between depression and physical activity. People who increased their weekly activity reported fewer depressive symptoms but those with more depressive symptoms were less active, particularly at younger ages. Researchers followed 11,135 people born in 1958 up until the age of 50, recording ...

PHILADELPHIA – Patients with more severe psoriasis are also more likely to have uncontrolled hypertension, according to new research by a team at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Through a cross-sectional study using information collected from a medical records database, the results provide further evidence of a strong link between psoriasis and hypertension. Full results are now available in JAMA Dermatology. "Over the last several years, studies have shown that psoriasis, specifically severe psoriasis, is an independent risk factor ...

Bottom Line: On average, more frequent physical activity was associated with fewer depressive symptoms for adults between the ages of 23 and 50 years, while a higher level of depressive symptoms was linked to less frequent physical activity. Authors: Snehal M. Pinto Pereira, Ph.D., of the University College London, England, and colleagues. Background: Physical activity can reduce the risk of death, stroke and some cancers, and some studies suggest activity can also lower the risk for depressive symptoms. But the evidence on activity and depression has limitations. ...

Bottom Line: Patients with moderate and severe psoriasis have the greatest likelihood of uncontrolled hypertension compared to patients without psoriasis. Author: Junko Takeshita, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, and colleagues. Background: Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and cardiovascular risk factors, including hypertension, are more prevalent among patients with psoriasis compared to those patients without. Previous studies suggest that psoriasis, especially when it is more severe, ...

Removal of the entire lobe of lung may offer patients with early-stage lung cancer better overall survival when compared with a partial resection, and stereotactic ablative radiotherapy (SABR) may offer the same survival benefit as a lobectomy for some patients, according to a study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The research is the largest population-based study to review modern treatment modalities for early-stage lung cancer and is published in JAMA Surgery. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2014, 224,210 people in the U.S. are ...

TORONTO, Oct 15, 2014 – Few topics can prove more divisive than religion, with some insisting it promotes compassion, selflessness and generosity, and others arguing that it leads to intolerance, isolation and even violence. New research conducted at York University, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, may shed some light on religion's actual influence on believers – and the news is positive. "Based on our premise that most people's religious beliefs are non-hostile and magnanimous, we hypothesized that being reminded of religious ...

New York, NY, October 16, 2014 – Evidence-based guidelines play an increasing role in setting standards for medical practice and quality but are seldom systematically evaluated in the practice setting. Investigators evaluated the rate of physician adherence to the American Urological Association's (AUA) guidelines on the management of benign prostatic hyperplasia/lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS) to establish a benchmark for future research. Their findings are published in The Journal of Urology®. Medical certification bodies, for example, the American ...

NASA's Aqua satellite passed over intensifying Tropical Storm Ana as it was moving through the Central Pacific Ocean and toward the Hawaiian Islands. On Oct. 14 at 22:50 UTC (6:50 p.m. EDT) the MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite captured a visible image of Tropical Storm Ana in the Central Pacific Ocean. The MODIS image showed a tight concentration of thunderstorms surrounding the center of Ana's circulation. At 1500 UTC (11 a.m. EDT/5 a.m. HST) on Wed. Oct. 15, Tropical Storm Ana's maximum sustained winds were near 70 mph (110 kph). Ana is forecast to gradually ...