By the numbers: A simple 10 step approach to reducing the harms of alcohol London, LA (07 January 2013). Much the same way individuals are encouraged to know their blood pressure and cholesterol numbers to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a new editorial in the Journal ...

Low diversity of bacteria may increase the risk for asthma Low gut microbial diversity in the intestines of infants can increase the risk for asthma development. These are the findings of the age 7 follow-up in a multi-year study led by researchers at ...

Stem cells on the road to specialization Scientists at the University of Copenhagen have gained new insight into how both early embryonic cells and embryonic stem cells are directed into becoming specialised cell types, like pancreatic and liver cells. ...

Drugs related to cannabis have pain-relieving potential for osteoarthritis Chemical compounds synthesised in the laboratory, similar to those found in cannabis, could be developed as potential drugs to reduce the pain of osteoarthritis. These compounds ...

New holographic process uses image-stabilized X-ray camera This news release is available in German. The efficiency of the new method is based on a X-ray focussing optics being firmly fixed to the object to ...

First dinosaurs identified from Saudi Arabia Dinosaur fossils are exceptionally rare in the Arabian Peninsula. An international team of scientists from Uppsala University, Museum Victoria, Monash University, and the Saudi Geological Survey have now uncovered the ...

Scientists discover new causes of diabetes Research by the University of Exeter Medical School has revealed two new genetic causes of neonatal diabetes. The research provides further insights on how the insulin-producing beta cells are formed in the pancreas Research ...

New phone alerts for extreme weather may prevent casualties in India When Cyclone Phailin hit India in late 2013 it became the largest storm to batter the subcontinent in over a decade. The storm, officially classified as a Category 5 tropical cyclone, affected more than 12 ...

How common is aggression in UK dogs? Aggressive dogs represent a serious risk to human health, tragically causing fatalities in rare cases. The development of aggression can also impact on a dog's welfare, because of a breakdown of the human-pet bond, euthanasia ...

Temperature found to be most significant driver of the world's tallest trees Understanding forest biodiversity and how carbon dioxide is stored within trees is an important area of ecological research. The bigger the tree, the more carbon it stores and a study in New Phytologist ...

MRSA drug dosage calculations found to be inaccurate for children over 10 The emergence of MRSA (Staphylococcus aureus), dubbed a 'superbug' due to its resistance to many antibiotic drugs, has resulted in the glycopeptide antibiotic Vancomycin being commonly prescribed for patients ...

New global stroke repository offers regional comparative statistics In many countries strokes are seen as a lower priority when compared to other diseases despite their public health impact. This is partly due to a lack of readily accessible data to make the case for the development ...

Vikings & superheroes: How interconnected characters may reveal the reality behind the stories The Icelandic sagas of the Norse people are thousand-year-old chronicles of brave deeds and timeless romances, but how true to Viking life were they? Writing in Significance, Pádraig ...

New, simple technique may drive down biofuel production costs Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a simple, effective and relatively inexpensive technique for removing lignin from the plant material used to make biofuels, which ...

Beating the poppy seed defense: New test can distinguish heroin use from seed ingestion Heroin is one of the most widely used illegal drugs in the world, but drug testing has long been challenged by the difficulty in separating results of illicit heroin users from those who ...

Neurotransmitters resarch can promote better drugs for brain disorders Hebrew University scientists decipher mechanism Jerusalem, January 7, 2014 -- Although drugs have been developed that inhibit the imbalance of neurotransmitters in the brain – ...

The 5 fingers of our feathered friends: New research results on the evolution of bird wings In most tetrapods (land vertebrates) the fourth (ring) finger is the first to develop in the embryo. And in birds, the finger on the outside of the hand (posterior, ...

Gemini Planet Imager first light World's most powerful exoplanet camera turns its eye to the sky This news release is available in Spanish. After nearly a decade of development, construction, and testing, the world's most advanced instrument for directly imaging ...

To keep their eye on the ball, batters mostly use their heads How do hitters track pitches in baseball? Study in optometry and vision science gives new insights Philadelphia, Pa. (January 7, 2014) - Baseball players at bat follow coaches' advice to "keep ...

New algorithm can dramatically streamline solutions to the 'max flow' problem Research could boost the efficiency even of huge networks like the Internet Finding the most efficient way to transport items across a network like the U.S. highway system or the ...

When germs attack: A lens into the molecular dance Researchers at Johns Hopkins have zoomed in on what is going on at the molecular level when the body recognizes and defends against an attack of pathogens, and the findings, they say, could influence how drugs are ...

Synthetic genetic clock checks the thermometer Rice University leads study to counter effects of temperature on synthetic gene circuits HOUSTON – (Jan. 7, 2014) – Genetic systems run like clockwork, attuned to temperature, time of day and many other factors as they regulate ...

Dabrafenib in melanoma: Added benefit not proven No differences could be shown for mortality, symptoms and quality of life / concerning side effects, data too uncertain Dabrafenib (trade name: Tafinlar) has been approved in Germany ...

Aflibercept in macular oedema: Added benefit not proven Neither the new drug nor the comparator therapy was used in accordance with their approvals in the studies For the third time in one year, the German Institute for Quality ...

Increased risk of prostate cancer in African American men; implications for PSA screening New Rochelle, NY, January 7, 2014—African American men have an increased risk of prostate cancer and are two times more likely than Caucasian American ...