Five years ago this week, engineers stopped the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill -- the largest one in U.S. history, easily displacing the Exxon Valdez spill from the top spot. Now, Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, takes a look at the lessons scientists are learning from these accidents to improve clean-up efforts and, perhaps, prevent spills altogether. C&EN Senior Editor Jyllian Kemsley explains that although both spills were caused by human error, they each posed unique challenges. When the tanker Exxon ...

"No swimming" signs have already popped up this summer along coastlines where fecal bacteria have invaded otherwise inviting waters. Some vacationers ignore the signs while others resign themselves to tanning and playing on the beach. But should those avoiding the water be wary of the sand, too? New research in the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology investigates reasons why the answer could be "yes." Sewage-contaminated coastal waters can lead to stomach aches, diarrhea and rashes for those who accidentally swallow harmful microbes or come into contact with ...

A mixture of bitumen and gasoline-like solvents known as dilbit that flows through Prairie pipelines can seriously harm fish populations, according to research out of Queen's University and the Royal Military College of Canada. At toxic concentrations, effects of dilbit on exposed fish included deformities and clear signs of genetic and physiological stress at hatch, plus abnormal or uninflated swim bladders, an internal gas-filled organ that allows fish to control their buoyancy. Exposure to dilbit reduces their rate of survival by impairing their ability to feed and ...

New research conducted at the University of Kansas Medical Center indicates that older adults can improve brain function by raising their fitness level. Jeffrey Burns, M.D., professor of neurology and co-director of the KU Alzheimer's Disease Center, led a six-month trial conducted with healthy adults ages 65 and older who showed no signs of cognitive decline. The results of the study were published on July 9 in the journal PLOS ONE. The randomized controlled trial attempted to determine the ideal amount of exercise necessary to achieve benefits to the brain. Trial ...

In the U.S. and other industrialized nations, testing for infectious diseases and cancer often requires expensive equipment and highly trained specialists. In countries where resources are limited, performing the same diagnostics is far more challenging. To address this disparity, scientists are developing a portable, low-cost "paper machine" for point-of-care detection of infectious diseases, genetic conditions and cancer. Their report appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry. Many modern diagnostic techniques involve analyzing DNA in a patient's blood sample. ...

WASHINGTON (July 15, 2015) -- GW researcher and dermatologist, Adam Friedman, M.D., and colleagues, find that the release of nitric oxide over time may be a new way to treat and prevent acne through nanotechnology. This research, published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, identified that the nanoparticles were effective at killing Proprionobacterium acnes, the gram positive bacteria associated with acne, and even more importantly, they inhibited the damaging inflammation that result in the large, painful lesions associated with inflammatory acne. "Our understanding ...

Philadelphia, PA, July 15, 2015 - Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare disorder characterized by weakened pumping of the heart, or "left ventricular dysfunction," which results in otherwise healthy pregnant women experiencing heart failure shortly before or up to five months after they deliver healthy babies. Despite the seriousness of this condition, a new study published in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology revealed that no significant research has been undertaken to explore how to prevent or treat this disorder. In fact, only three studies of possible treatments ...

This news release is available in French. Fuel cells are regarded as the technology of the future for both cars and household heating systems. As a result, they have a key role to play in the switch to renewable energies. But are fuel cells always more environmentally friendly? An international team of scientists headed by Empa performed a series of calculations and reached a conclusion: it depends on the fuel. In the future, we might be driving fuel-cell cars that burn solar-generated hydrogen. This would make the "zero emissions car" a reality. At the same time, ...

July 15, 2015 - Overdoses of opioid pain medications frequently occur in people who aren't chronic users with high prescribed opioid doses--the groups targeted by current opioid prescribing guidelines, reports a study in the August issue of Medical Care. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer. "It may be prudent to revise guidelines to also address opioid poisonings occurring at relatively low prescribed doses and with acute and intermittent opioid use, in addition to chronic, high-dose use," comments lead author Deborah Fulton-Kehoe, PhD, a research scientist in ...

CHICAGO --- You can fake a smile, but your phone knows the truth. Depression can be detected from your smartphone sensor data by tracking the number of minutes you use the phone and your daily geographical locations, reports a small Northwestern Medicine study. The more time you spend using your phone, the more likely you are depressed. The average daily usage for depressed individuals was about 68 minutes, while for non-depressed individuals it was about 17 minutes. Spending most of your time at home and most of your time in fewer locations -- as measured by GPS ...

Substantial improvements in the care and survival of older people with hip fracture in England have followed the introduction of a collaborative national initiative to tackle the issue, according to a new study published in the Medical Care journal. Hip fracture is the most common serious injury of older people. In the UK there are around 70,000 cases per year (in people aged 60 years and older), while in the US there are approximately 250,000 cases (in people aged 65 years and older). The UK National Hip Fracture Database (NHFD) is a clinician-led audit initiative ...

Epidural electrostimulation is a medical technique that has been used for several years now to help patients affected by paralysis due to a spinal cord injury. It involves implanting electrodes over the dorsal nerve roots (which convey incoming "sensory" inputs) of the spinal cord below the level of the trauma and applying electrical stimuli of varying intensity and frequency. This technique, which produces or helps produce activation patterns of the motor nerves (ventral, outgoing) has shown promising results, and the scientists hope that one day it will be able to help ...

Oxford, July 15, 2015 - A recent study, published in the International Journal of Nursing Studies, reveals a set of ten low-cost interventions that can increase safety on psychiatric wards. This Safewards Model reduces aggression, self-harm and other risky behaviours by 15% and reduces coercive control, such as restraint, by 24%. The study stems from a 20-year research program led by Professor of Psychiatric Nursing, Len Bowers, at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London. The study reveals that, by using a set of ten small, low ...

UK investment in pneumonia research is lacking when compared to spending on influenza and tuberculosis, according to a new study by the University of Southampton and University College London (UCL). By calculating the amount spent on researching respiratory infections and their mortality rates, the study authors were able to assess UK public and charitable sector investment against the global burden of the diseases. Published in EBioMedicine the study found that while £484.21 per death was invested in influenza research, less than a tenth of that figure (£43.08) ...

Findings, published today [15 Jul] in Nature Communications, reveal the extent a mutation associated with autism and epilepsy plays in impairing a biochemical process in the brain. The study, led by University of Bristol researchers, could provide a new target for treating neurological disorders. The brain contains billions of nerve cells which communicate via the release of chemicals at connections called synapses. Each nerve cell can have thousands of synaptic connections to hundreds of other nerve cells. The protein Synapsin 1a plays a key role in regulating how synapses ...

Spinal cord injuries cause serious functional deficits, including paraplegia or tetraplegia, depending on the scale of the injury. This is due to degeneration of the spinal pathways that carry nerve signals from the brain to the various parts of the body, and vice versa, leading to loss of mobility and sensitivity below the injury. An international team of scientists coordinated by Rubèn López Vales, of the Department of Cell Biology, Physiology and Immunology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the UAB Institute of Neuroscience, and the Centre ...

Academies in some of the most socio-economically deprived areas of England are proving to be successful in raising academic achievement and aspirations among pupils, according to a new report. Improved pupil behaviour and a greater level of engagement in learning, sharper focus on continued professional development for staff, and a more entrepreneurial style of leadership, often from a new head appointed at the time of transition, were all found to be characteristics of those studied in the research. Led by education experts at Plymouth University and the Cornwall College ...

Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most common age-related degenerative joint concerns. Although articular cartilage degradation is its main feature, this disease induces whole-joint damage characterized by synovitis, bone remodelling and osteophyte formation. Regarding bone, Yohann Wittrant, a researcher at the Human Nutrition Unit (INRA -France), has recently reported that stimulation of the orphan receptor GPR40, a fatty acid-activated receptor, preserved bone mass. Dietary fatty acids were described to improve joint function and reduce pain in OA patients and to decrease ...

Marine litter can undermine the psychological benefits of coastal environments, a study has shown. The beneficial effects of the blue environment to human health and well-being are well documented, but there has been little research into how the growing global issue of marine litter might negate them. To measure this, Plymouth University secured funding from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to assess public reaction to the differing conditions of coastlines. Participants were shown images of clean ...

Limiting warming to any level requires CO2 emissions to be kept to within a certain limit known as a carbon budget. Can reducing shorter-lived climate forcers influence the size of this budget? A new IIASA study published in the journal Environmental Research Letters analyzes the impact of short-lived air pollutant and greenhouse gas reductions on carbon budgets compatible with the 2°C climate target. Short-lived greenhouse gases and atmospheric pollutants--including methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), black carbon or soot, and sulfates-- are emitted by human activities ...

Amsterdam, July 15, 2015 - People who depend on their relationship to make them feel good about themselves are more likely to drown their sorrows if they believe their partner is cheating, suggests new research. The study, published in Addictive Behaviors, links romantic jealousy, relationship-dependent self-esteem and alcohol problems for the first time. The authors of the study, from the University of Houston, US, say understanding the link between these three factors could help identify people at risk of alcoholism more quickly. Excessive alcohol use is the third ...

Recent years have seen an unprecedented growth in number and availability of new synthetic psychoactive drugs in the US and worldwide. In 2014, 101 new psychoactive drugs were identified, worldwide. Such drugs are often sold as "legal" highs or "research chemicals" over the internet or in head shops. Among these new drugs, "bath salts" appear to be one of the more commonly used in the US. "Bath salt" use has been associated with numerous adverse cardiac, psychiatric, neurological, gastrointestinal and pulmonary outcomes. In 2011, the use of bath salts was responsible for ...

Viruses, not bacteria, are the most commonly detected respiratory pathogens in U.S. adults hospitalized with pneumonia, according to a New England Journal of Medicine study released today and conducted by researchers at Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and hospitals in Chicago and Nashville, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The findings highlight a need for more sensitive rapid diagnostic tests to identify pneumonia pathogens and target appropriate treatments when considering that neither viruses nor bacteria were detected in 62 percent ...

Many an injury will heal, but the damaged spinal cord is notoriously recalcitrant. There's new hope on the horizon, though. A team of researchers led by the University of South Carolina's Jeff Twiss just reported an innate repair mechanism in central nervous system axons that might be harnessed to regenerate nerves after brain or spinal cord injuries. Twiss, a professor of biological sciences and the endowed SmartState chair of the Center for Childhood Neurotherapeutics, and graduate student Ashley Kalinski are building on breakthroughs that they and others have reported ...

If you can't tell a smile from a scowl, you're probably not getting enough sleep. "Recognizing the emotional expressions of someone else changes everything about whether or not you decide to interact with them, and in return, whether they interact with you," said study senior author Matthew Walker, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at UC Berkeley. The findings were published today in the Journal of Neuroscience. "These findings are especially worrying considering that two-thirds of people in the developed nations fail to get sufficient sleep," Walker added. Indeed, ...