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Medicine27 Jun 2014

Colon cancer survivors are more likely to have pain in the back and abdomen

Researchers from the University of Granada have discovered that colon cancer survivors are more likely to suffer future lesions related with pain in the back and lower abdomen than healthy individuals of the same gender and age. These patients present a series of abnormalities in the abdominal wall architecture—the site of surgery in oncological treatment. Moreover, they have specific abnormalities in processing chronic pain that may increase their sensitization to any kind of pain in the future. In two articles published in Pain Medicine and the European Journal of ...

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Medicine27 Jun 2014

'Big data' technique improves monitoring of kidney transplant patients

A new data analysis technique radically improves monitoring of kidney patients, according to a University of Leeds-led study, and could lead to profound changes in the way we understand our health. The research, published in the journal PLoS Computational Biology, provides a way of making sense out of the huge number of clues about a kidney transplant patient's prognosis contained in their blood. By applying sophisticated "big data" analysis to the samples, scientists were able to crunch hundreds of thousands of variables into a single parameter indicating how a kidney ...

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Medicine27 Jun 2014

Global healthcare is a labour of Hercules

Einstein once observed that "it is harder to crack prejudice than an atom". If he was right, then Hans Rosling is faced with a labour of Hercules. As Professor of International Health at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, he finds himself fighting against the cliché that the world is divided between rich and poor. "This neat division simply no longer exists. The statistics reveal a far more complex picture, with more and more people worldwide living in relative prosperity. This means that in health research in particular it is time for a paradigm shift," says Rosling. ...

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Medicine27 Jun 2014

Sex hormone levels at midlife linked to heart disease risk in women

PITTSBURGH, June 27, 2014 – As hormone levels change during the transition to menopause, the quality of a woman's cholesterol carriers degrades, leaving her at greater risk for heart disease, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health discovered. The first-of-its-kind evaluation, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), was done using an advanced method to characterize cholesterol carriers in the blood and is published in the July issue of the Journal of Lipid Research. The results call for further research to evaluate ...

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Medicine27 Jun 2014

New form of brain signaling affects addiction-related behavior

University of Iowa researchers have discovered a new form of neurotransmission that influences the long-lasting memory created by addictive drugs, like cocaine and opioids, and the subsequent craving for these drugs of abuse. Loss of this type of neurotransmission creates changes in brains cells that resemble the changes caused by drug addiction. The findings, published June 22 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, suggest that targeting this type of neurotransmission might lead to new therapies for treating drug addiction. "Molecular therapies for drug addiction are ...

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Science27 Jun 2014

Homeless alcoholics typically began drinking as children

WASHINGTON — A phenomenological study offers detailed insights into homeless, alcohol-dependent patients often stigmatized by the public and policymakers as drains on the health care system, showing the constellation of reasons they are incapable of escaping social circumstances that perpetuate and exacerbate their problems The study, published online yesterday in Annals of Emergency Medicine, was conducted at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, which has a long history of service to the city's indigent population. "One hundred percent of patients enrolled in the study ...

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Science27 Jun 2014

CNIO researchers discover more than 40 melanoma-specific genes that determine aggressiveness

Researchers from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have discovered more than 40 genes that predict the level of aggressiveness of melanoma and that distinguish it from other cancers with a poor prognosis. The discovery, published in Cancer Cell, will help to identify unique aspects of melanoma that could contribute to determine the risk of developing metastasis in patients with this disease. This study is relevant because it explains why a drug, also described by CNIO, is being used to selectively attack the melanoma tumour cells. Melanoma is one of the ...

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Medicine27 Jun 2014

NIH scientists establish proof-of-concept for host-directed tuberculosis therapy

WHAT: In a new study published in Nature, scientists describe a new type of tuberculosis (TB) treatment that involves manipulating the body's response to TB bacteria rather than targeting the bacteria themselves, a concept called host-directed therapy. TB remains a major cause of disability and death worldwide as an estimated 8.6 million people fell ill with TB and 1.3 million people died from the disease in 2012, according to the World Health Organization. Although TB is curable, adherence to therapy is difficult as treatment requires taking antibiotic drugs for at least ...

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Social Science27 Jun 2014

Walking the rocks: GSA Today article studies undergraduate field education

Boulder, Colorado, USA – In the July 2014 issue of GSA Today, Heather Petcovic of Western Michigan University and colleagues Alison Stokes and Joshua Caulkins examine the question of geoscientists' perceptions of the value of undergraduate field education. Despite being perceived as integral to both geoscience learning and professional preparation, little research exists on the types of field experiences that carry the most value. In their study, Petcovic and colleagues compile and analyze survey data obtained during two Geological Society of America (GSA) annual meetings ...

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Earth Science27 Jun 2014

Research provides new theory on cause of ice age 2.6 million years ago

New research published today (Friday 27th June 2014) in the journal Nature Scientific Reports has provided a major new theory on the cause of the ice age that covered large parts of the Northern Hemisphere 2.6 million years ago. The study, co-authored by Dr Thomas Stevens, from the Department of Geography at Royal Holloway, University of London, found a previously unknown mechanism by which the joining of North and South America changed the salinity of the Pacific Ocean and caused major ice sheet growth across the Northern Hemisphere. The change in salinity encouraged ...

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Science27 Jun 2014

Scientists identify new pathogenic and protective microbes associated with severe diarrhea

In a finding that may one day help control a major cause of death among children in developing countries, a team of researchers led by faculty from the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland School of Medicine has identified microorganisms that may trigger diarrheal disease and others that may protect against it. These microbes were not widely linked to the condition previously. "We were able to identify interactions between microbiota that were not previously observed, and we think that some of those interactions may actually help prevent ...

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Medicine27 Jun 2014

Genetics dominant risk factor in common cancers

A study of individuals who have been adopted has identified genetics as the dominant risk factor in 'familial' breast, prostate and colorectal cancers. Researchers at the Centre for Primary Health Care Research at Lund University and Region Skåne in Sweden have presented the new research findings based on studies of population registers. "The results of our study do not mean that an individual's lifestyle is not important for the individual's risk of developing cancer, but it suggests that the risk for the three most common types of cancer is dependent to a greater ...

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Social Science27 Jun 2014

Social pressure stops Facebook users recommending products on social media sites

Facebook has more than 1.23 billion active users worldwide, with over 50 per cent of all users logging on to it on any given day. Most of Facebook's revenue comes from advertising and the company is looking at ways to make the site a more effective advertising platform for marketers. This includes selling ads that are more targeted to their users. However, researchers have found that users of social media websites are less likely to use them to say positive things about their favourite products and services. Instead, they are more likely to express their opinions about ...

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Science27 Jun 2014

Scientists identify new pathogenic & protective microbes associated with severe diarrhea

In a finding that may one day help control a major cause of death among children in developing countries, a team of researchers led by faculty from the University of Maryland, College Park and the University of Maryland School of Medicine has identified microorganisms that may trigger diarrheal disease and others that may protect against it. These microbes were not widely linked to the condition previously. "We were able to identify interactions between microbiota that were not previously observed, and we think that some of those interactions may actually help prevent ...

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Science26 Jun 2014

Eco-friendly versatile nanocapsules developed

The Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has announced that the Center for Self-assembly and Complexity have succeeded in developing a new technology that introduces metal nanoparticles on the surface of polymer nanocapsules made of cucurbit[6]uril. The researchers have found that using polymer nanocapsules made of cucurbit[6]uril and metal salts can serve as a versatile platform where equal sized metal nanoparticles can be evenly distributed on the surface of the polymer nanocapsules. Cucurbit[6]uril has properties which strongly and selectively recognize organic and inorganic ...

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Science26 Jun 2014

Do people with autism struggle with driving?

PHILADELPHIA (June 26, 2014)— In the first pilot study asking adults on the autism spectrum about their experiences with driving, researchers at Drexel University found significant differences in self-reported driving behaviors and perceptions of driving ability in comparison to non-autistic adults. As the population of adults with autism continues growing rapidly, the survey provides a first step toward identifying whether this population has unmet needs for educational supports to empower safe driving – a key element of independent functioning in many people's lives. "Previous ...

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Medicine26 Jun 2014

Scientists find potential new use for cancer drug in gene therapy for blood disorders

LA JOLLA, CA – June 26, 2014 – Scientists working to make gene therapy a reality have solved a major hurdle: how to bypass a blood stem cell's natural defenses and efficiently insert disease-fighting genes into the cell's genome. In a new study led by Associate Professor Bruce Torbett at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), a team of researchers report that the drug rapamycin, which is commonly used to slow cancer growth and prevent organ rejection, enables delivery of a therapeutic dose of genes to blood stem cells while preserving stem cell function. These findings, ...

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Science26 Jun 2014

Awareness month spurs web searches for autism

PHILADELPHIA (June 26, 2014)—Autism Awareness Month each April brings blue lights and puzzle shapes out to shine in many communities – but does it actually lead to increased autism awareness? According to a new analysis of web search trends by researchers at Drexel University, it does appear to drive an increase in Google searches for autism – by a third over searches in March in recent years. Brian K. Lee, PhD, an assistant professor in the Drexel University School of Public Health and research fellow of the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, was senior author of the study ...

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Medicine26 Jun 2014

New infections cause dormant viruses to reactivate

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The famous slogan is "A diamond is forever," but that phrase might be better suited to herpes: Unlike most viruses, which succumb to the immune system's attack, herpes remains in the body forever, lying in wait, sometimes reactivating years later. Researchers have long wondered what causes herpes viruses — two strains of which are linked to cancer — to reactivate after remaining dormant once the initial infection resolves. Now a team of researchers, including two University of Florida scientists, has discovered that interactions with other infections ...

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Medicine26 Jun 2014

Fighting parasitic infection inadvertently unleashes dormant virus

Signals from the immune system that help repel a common parasite inadvertently can cause a dormant viral infection to become active again, a new study shows. Further research is necessary to understand the clinical significance of the finding, but researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis said the study helps illustrate how complex interactions between infectious agents and the immune system have the potential to affect illness. The results appear online June 26 in Science Express. The scientists identified specific signals in mice that ...

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Medicine26 Jun 2014

Sequencing electric eel genome unlocks shocking secrets

EAST LANSING, Mich. — For the first time, the genome of the electric eel has been sequenced. This discovery has revealed the secret of how fishes with electric organs have evolved six times in the history of life to produce electricity outside of their bodies. The research, published in the current issue of Science, sheds light on the genetic blueprint used to evolve these complex, novel organs. It was co-led by Michigan State University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Texas-Austin and the Systemix Institute. "It's truly exciting to find that complex ...

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Science26 Jun 2014

Water-cleanup catalysts tackle biomass upgrading

Rice University chemical engineer Michael Wong has spent a decade amassing evidence that palladium-gold nanoparticles are excellent catalysts for cleaning polluted water, but even he was surprised at how well the particles converted biodiesel waste into valuable chemicals. Through dozens of studies, Wong's team focused on using the tiny metallic specks to break down carcinogenic and toxic compounds. But his latest study, which is available online and due for publication in an upcoming issue of the Royal Society of Chemistry's journal Chemical Science, examined whether ...

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Science26 Jun 2014

Not much force: Berkeley researchers detect smallest force ever measured

What is believed to be the smallest force ever measured has been detected by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the University of California (UC) Berkeley. Using a combination of lasers and a unique optical trapping system that provides a cloud of ultracold atoms, the researchers detected a force of approximately 42 yoctonewtons. A yoctonewton is one septillionth of a newton and there are approximately 3 x 1023 yoctonewtons in one ounce of force. "We applied an external force to the center-of-mass motion of an ultracold atom ...

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Physics26 Jun 2014

Let there be light: Chemists develop magnetically responsive liquid crystals

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — Chemists at the University of California, Riverside have constructed liquid crystals with optical properties that can be instantly and reversibly controlled by an external magnetic field. The research opens the door to display applications relying on the instantaneous and contactless nature of magnetic manipulation—such as signage, posters, writing tablets, and billboards. Commercially available liquid crystals, used in modern electronic displays, are composed of rod-like or plate-like molecules. When an electric field is applied, the molecules rotate ...

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Medicine26 Jun 2014

Researchers conduct comprehensive review of treatments for depression in cancer patients

Depression is common in cancer, up to half of all patients facing the disease experience depressive symptoms, ranging from mild to severe. When depression co-exists with cancer, patients may be at an increased risk of death from cancer and from suicide. Antidepressants are commonly prescribed, but the evidence on their efficacy is mixed. The role of antidepressants in treating cancer-related depression has not been rigorously studied. To identify best practice for the treatment of depression in cancer, Dartmouth researchers completed a systematic review and meta-analysis ...

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