Progress has been made toward understanding the physiological mechanisms that underlie Gulf War illness and identifying possible treatments, according to a report released Monday by a Congressionally mandated panel of scientific experts and veterans. Treatment research has increased significantly since 2008, and "early results provide encouraging signs that the treatment goals identified in the 2010 Institute of Medicine report are achievable," the Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses (RAC) said in a report presented Monday to VA Secretary Eric ...

The quality of kidney and liver donations is fundamentally important for the longevity of transplants and the health of recipients. That's why it's critical to know which organs are suitable for transplantation, as well as to use techniques that preserve an organ's function after donation. Several studies published in the BJS (British Journal of Surgery) address these issues and offer ways to maximize the use of donated organs. In the first study, Rajeev Desai, MRCP, of NHS Blood and Transplant, in the UK, led a team that assessed transplants from 17,639 donors, including ...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Rhode Island's geography is famously small, but new measurements of the nitrogen cycle in its waterways suggest that even over a small distance, differences can be huge. Scientists report that the nitrogen-converting process anammox is almost completely absent in Narragansett Bay, even though it is going strong in Rhode Island Sound only 15 miles off the coast. The novel and somewhat surprising finding, documented in the journal Limnology and Oceanography, raises intriguing questions about why the bay seems inhospitable to an important ...

TORONTO, April 28, 2014—Gene expression profiling tests play a critical role when women with early-stage breast cancer decide whether to have chemotherapy, but many of them do not fully understand what some of the test results mean, new research suggests. Current guidelines for treating early-stage breast cancer—cancer that has not spread to nearby lymph nodes or other parts of the body—result in thousands of women receiving chemotherapy without benefitting from it. A gene expression profiling test can help differentiate women who might benefit from chemotherapy versus ...

TOKYO, JAPAN – To increase the sugar concentration and resulting marketability of tomato juice, growers have traditionally used techniques such as subjecting plants to salt and water stresses. In a new study published in HortTechnology (February 2014), Ken Takahata and Hiroyuki Miura from Tokyo University of Agriculture reported on a prototypic method known as "basal wire coiling" that shows potential as a simple and effective method for increasing the sugar concentration in tomato fruit juice. "We investigated whether coiling wire around the lower part of the plant stems ...

DURANT, OK – Growers who produce squash for market are increasingly interested in using more natural herbicides that are also effective in providing season-long weed control, but the options for controlling annual broadleaf weeds in summer squash are currently limited. The authors of a new study say that both organic and conventional producers will benefit from the identification of natural herbicides that effectively provide postemergent weed control. Charles Webber III, Merritt Taylor, and James Shrefler conducted a research study published in HortTechnology to determine ...

This news release is available in German. Early embryonic development of vertebrates is controlled by the genes and their "grammar". Decoding this grammar might help understand the formation of abnormalities or cancer or develop new medical drugs. For the first time, it is now found by a study that various mechanisms of transcribing DNA into RNA exist during gene expression in the different development phases of zebrafish. This study is presented by KIT researchers in the journal "Nature". After several genomes have been sequenced and human genetic material has been ...

HAMILTON, ON, April. 28, 2014 — Providing safe, stable and affordable housing first is the best way to help homeless in Hamilton, Ont., according to new research. Researchers from St. Michael's Hospital and McMaster University assessed the success of Hamilton's Transitions to Home program – a program designed to quickly find permanent housing for men who are frequent users of the city's emergency shelter system. Hamilton men who in the last year spent 30 nights or more in emergency shelters or on the streets are eligible for the program, which is run by the city's Wesley ...

CHICAGO – Two studies from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reveal new information about the effects of weight gain and obesity among pregnant women. One study, examining weight gain during pregnancy, shows that despite updated guidelines from the Institute of Medicine (2009), the majority of patients are still unaware of the appropriate amount of weight they should gain. A second study evaluating the implications of prenatal tests on morbidly obese women, reveals the importance of testing for this group of patients who are at an increased ...

Researchers at the Rey Juan Carlos University and the Alcorcón Hospital (Madrid) have compared the volatile substances exhaled by eleven people with cancer of larynx, with those of another twenty healthy people. The results show that the concentrations of certain molecules, mainly ethanol and 2-butanone, are higher in individuals with carcinoma, therefore they act as potential markers of the disease. Human breath contains thousands of volatile organic compounds (VOC) and some of them can be used as non-invasive biomarkers for various types of head and neck cancers as ...

April 28, 2014 AUGUSTA, Ga. - Patients with highest levels of the most powerful version of the immune molecule HLA-G appear to have the lowest risk of rejecting their transplanted kidney, researchers report. A study of 67 transplant patients – 50 with no evidence of rejection and 17 with chronic rejection – showed those most tolerant of their kidney had naturally high levels of HLA-G dimer, where two of the immune molecules bind together, said Dr. Anatolij Horuzsko, immunologist at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University. Knowing which form of HLA-G ...

A surprising recent rise in atmospheric methane likely stems from wetland emissions, suggesting that much more of the potent greenhouse gas will be pumped into the atmosphere as northern wetlands continue to thaw and tropical ones to warm, according to a new international study led by a University of Guelph researcher. The study supports calls for improved monitoring of wetlands and human changes to those ecosystems – a timely topic as the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change prepares to examine land use impacts on greenhouse gas emissions, says Prof. Merritt Turetsky, ...

Ashley Pritchard, a Simon Fraser University doctoral student, is among four authors of a new research paper calling for closer monitoring of new mothers for mental health problems in light of their findings. The four have advanced previous research that links intimate partner abuse to postpartum mental health problems. They discovered that 61 per cent of all women who participated in the study experienced mental health symptoms. The open-access journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth has published online the researchers' study, Intimate partner abuse before and during ...

The quest for new cancer treatments could be revolutionised by advances in technology that can visualise living cells and tissues, scientists claim. Leading edge imaging techniques will make it easier to identify which are the most promising new drugs to take forward for patient testing, a review of the technology suggests. Applying such techniques early in the drug discovery process could improve the success rate of new medicines by helping to rule out drugs that are unlikely to work. Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are leading the way in using biological ...

Bombarding pests with smells from many different plants temporarily confuses them and hinders their ability to feed, new research has shown. Biologists at Newcastle University, UK, have been exploring the potential of harmless plant volatiles as an alternative to pesticides in greenhouses. Testing a phenomenon known as the 'confusion effect' – whereby animals and humans become inefficient at a task when they are bombarded with lots of distracting information – the team pumped a mixture of plant smells into a greenhouse growing tomato plants. Exposing the whitefly to ...

The findings from the research – led by Professor Simon Heller of the University of Sheffield's Department of Human Metabolism and Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - could offer vital clues to the mechanism by which low blood sugar levels could contribute to life-threatening changes in heart rhythm, a major risk for patients with diabetes. They also shed important new light on the 'Dead in Bed' syndrome – where young people without any history of long-term complications die suddenly from the disease. Previous studies have apparently ruled out a direct ...

PHILADELPHIA - Stroke researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will unveil a map demonstrating geographic hotspots of increased stroke mortality across the United States, among a series of stroke studies being presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014. Hot and Cold: Stroke Mortality Varies Widely, Even in Neighboring Counties Clusters of "hot" spots - counties where the mortality rate from stroke was as much as 40 percent higher than the national average and ...

PHILADEPHIA- A trio of studies from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania demonstrate new approaches to understanding, treating and potentially staving off Parkinson's disease (PD). Studies show that factors such as estrogen exposure and statin use have an impact on the onset of Parkinson's disease. And a new look at telemedicine demonstrates feasibility in providing care for Parkinson's patients using remote video visits to expand access and center care around the needs of Parkinson's patients. These studies and more will be presented at the ...

The value of Australia's newly established network of marine parks has been highlighted by an international project that used satellites to track the vulnerable flatback sea turtle. Researchers from Deakin University, Swansea University (United Kingdom) and Pendoley Environmental consultancy used advanced satellite tracking systems to record the passage of more than 70 flatbacks off the north-west Australian coastline. A high value migratory corridor, more than 1,000 kilometres in length, was pinpointed, with about half the corridor contained within the network of ...

A recent study led by A*STAR's Singapore Institute for Clinical Sciences (SICS) found that genetics as well as the environment in the womb play important roles in the development of the baby. The effort by the international team of scientists and clinicians is the world's first attempt to discover how genetic and environmental factors affect the human epigenome . The results have fundamental implications for how epigenetic studies will be conducted in the future and for our understanding of how the mother's nutrition and lifestyle may have long-lasting effects on the health ...

GRANVILLE, IL – Many efforts to reduce the environmental impacts associated with commercial horticulture production have failed to influence the general public. For example, one recent study showed that the use of organic fertilizers offered no significant marketing advantage to producers of floral crops. In contrast to the promotion of organic products, the use of biocontainers (plant material-based, biodegradable pots) as alternatives to conventional plastic containers has been shown to resonate with many consumers. The authors of a new study say that, despite the positive ...

PONTOTOC, MS – As the popularity and convenience of sweetpotato products increases, sweetpotato growers and processors are interested in identifying ways to meet processor's demands and to make the crop more widely available. A new study reveals that cultural practices such as early planting and delaying harvest hold promise for increasing yield and economic benefits for sweetpotato producers. In the United States, sweetpotatoes are grown primarily for the fresh market, where consumers prefer medium-sized, uniformly shaped products that are free of imperfections. Ramón ...

Boulder, Colo., USA – When and where did the ancient Iapetus Ocean suture (the most fundamental Appalachian structure) form? Is part of New England made up of ancient African-derived rocks? What is the Moretown terrane? This new GEOLOGY study by researchers from Harvard, Middlebury College, Boise State University, and Williams College finds new evidence for an earlier closing of the Iapetus that is farther west than previous studies have reported. Mountain-building events, called "orogenies," in the northern U.S. Appalachia record the closure of the Iapetus Ocean, an ...

SUMMERLAND, BC – Previous research efforts have identified several management strategies to improve establishment of new plantings of sweet cherry trees. These strategies include pulse fertigation, surface mulching, and polypropylene groundcover, which have been shown to improve nutrient and water acquisition. The authors of a new study say that, until now, little research has been conducted on water requirements for sweet cherry. Their study reveals important information about irrigation strategies for growers and includes recommendations that can inform management practices. "There ...

The experts have been able to confirm that the crossing between the two types leads to variants that are more resistant to conventional fungicides and can survive in adverse conditions of temperature and humidity for months and even years on end. The R&D centre's experts warn of the possibility of crossing between types A1 and A2, which would lead to rapid, significant changes in the population of the Phytophthora infestans fungus with the appearance of new, more aggressive strains resistant to routine phytosanitary teatments. That is why Neiker-Tecnalia is carrying out ...