When someone suffers from a stroke, a silent countdown begins. A fast diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between life and death. So scientists are working on a new blood test that one day could rapidly confirm whether someone is having a stroke and what kind. Their report appears in the ACS journal Analytical Chemistry. Steven A. Soper and colleagues note that strokes, which are the third leading cause of death and disability in the United States, have two possible causes. In ischemic strokes, a clot stops blood flow in a part of the brain. In hemorrhagic ...

This news release is available in French. It can be found in toothpaste, solar cells, and it is useful for chemical catalysts: titanium dioxide (TiO2) is an extremely versatile material. Alhough it is used for so many different applications, the behaviour of titanium oxide surfaces still surprises. Professor Ulrike Diebold and her team at the Vienna University of Technology managed to find out why oxygen atoms attach so well to tiny step edges at titanium oxide surfaces. Electrons accumulate precisely at these edges, allowing the oxygen atoms to connect more strongly. ...

A series of previous studies suggested that the neuronal differentiation rate of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells during the in vitro culture reached 78-92%, but their in vivo transplantation efficiency, and survival and differentiation rates were very low. The low levels of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell transplantation, survival, colonization and differentiation efficacy greatly restrict their therapeutic effect. Red or near-infrared light from 600-1,000 nm promotes cellular migration and prevents apoptosis. Thus, Dr. Xiaoying Wu and co-workers from Chongqing University ...

Dabrafenib (trade name: Tafinlar) has been approved since August 2013 for the treatment of advanced melanoma. In January 2014, in an early benefit assessment pursuant to the "Act on the Reform of the Market for Medicinal Products" (AMNOG), the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) had determined that dabrafenib has no added benefit in comparison with dacarbazine. IQWiG now assessed dabrafenib in comparison with vemurafenib. The report presented in the form of an addendum came to the same conclusion because the results from the indirect comparison ...

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., April 9, 2014 – People who pack their cars and drive like Clark Griswold in National Lampoon's "Vacation" pay a steep penalty when it comes to fuel economy, according to a report by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory. For the study, researchers tested a sport utility vehicle and a compact sedan with various configurations, including underinflated tires, open windows, and rooftop and hitch-mounted cargo. The SUV, a 2009 Ford Explorer with a 4-liter V6 engine, was also tested while towing an enclosed trailer. The researchers tested ...

Regular churchgoers, married people or those who enjoy harmonious social ties are most satisfied with their love life. This also goes for people who are currently in love or who experience the commitment and sexual desire of their partners, says Félix Neto and Maria da Conceição Pinto of the Universidade do Porto in Portugal. Their findings, published in an article in Springer's journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, look at the influences on love life satisfaction throughout one's adult life. The researchers associate love with the desire to enter into, maintain, ...

(Boston) – Boston University researchers have learned new information about the consequences of overeating high-calorie foods. Not only does this lead to an increase in white fat cell production, the type prominent in obesity, but it also leads to the dysfunction of brown fat cells, the unique type of fat that generates heat and burns energy. This study is the first to describe how overeating causes brown fat cells to "whiten." Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the results illustrate the important role that a healthy diet plays in overall health and ...

Visualizing calcium dynamics in the kidney In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Janos Peti-Peterdi and colleagues at the University of Southern California used multiphoton microscopy (MPM) to directly visualize podocyte calcium dynamics within the intact kidneys of live mice. A robust calcium wave was generated in response to glomerular injury and this signal spread throughout cells. Mice lacking the P2Y2 purinergic receptor or treated with inhibitors of calcium signaling prevented propagation of a calcium wave. Furthermore, increased calcium signaling ...

Physical activity in midlife seems to protect from dementia in old age, according to a study carried out at the University of Eastern Finland. Those who engaged in physical activity at least twice a week had a lower risk of dementia than those who were less active. The protective effects were particularly strong among overweight individuals. In addition, the results showed that becoming more physically active after midlife may also contribute to lowering dementia risk. Several modifiable risk factors for dementia have been suggested, but further refinement of this information ...

The most comprehensive study ever to be carried out into adoption in England has confirmed that the rate of breakdown is lower than anticipated, but it also reveals a stark picture of the problems faced by families. Researchers from the University of Bristol analysed national data on 37,335 adoptions over a 12 year period to show that 3.2 per cent of children – around three in 100 - move out of their adoptive home prematurely, known as a 'disruption'. Adoptions were more likely to breakdown if a child was placed once they were over the age of four. Most adoptions breakdown ...

One of the greatest mysteries facing humans is how life originated on Earth. Scientists have determined approximately when life began (roughly 3.8 billion years ago), but there is still intense debate about exactly how life began. One possibility - that simple metabolic reactions emerged near ancient seafloor hot springs, enabling the leap from a non-living to a living world – has grown in popularity in the last two decades. Recent research by geochemists Eoghan Reeves, Jeff Seewald, and Jill McDermott at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) is the first to test ...

The refrigerant R1234yf is being considered for use in air conditioning systems in cars. Chemists at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich now show that, in the event of a fire, it releases the highly poisonous carbonyl fluoride, and urge that its safety be reassessed. According to EU guidelines, the new compound R1234yf should in future be used as the refrigerant in air-conditioning systems for automobiles. But the compound is inflammable, and LMU chemists have now shown that combustion of the cooling agent leads to the formation of the highly toxic carbonyl ...

Most stars with masses similar to that of our Sun will end their lives as white dwarfs — small, very dense, and hot bodies that slowly cool down over billions of years. On the way to this final phase of their lives the stars throw their atmospheres out into the space and create planetary nebulae, colourful glowing clouds of gas surrounding the small, bright stellar relics. This image, captured by ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT), shows the remarkably round planetary nebula Abell 33, located some 1500 light-years from Earth. Being perfectly round is uncommon for these ...

London, UK, Wednesday 9 April 2014: The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) will this week be announcing new on-line recommendations on the management of hepatitis C (HCV) at the International Liver Congress™ (ILC). These EASL recommendations reflect the approval of three new direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) during 2014 by the European Medicines Agency. It is estimated that approximately 185 million people are infected with HCV on a global scale, with approximately 150 million people living with chronic infection. In Europe, between 7.3 million and ...

Women and minorities more likely to receive stroke misdiagnosis Article provided by Davis & Davis Visit us at http://www.dfwmedmal.com The misdiagnosis of an illness or disease can have tragic consequences. A patient complaining of headaches and dizziness may be sent home only to suffer a debilitating stroke. Poor hospital care, which includes misdiagnosis or delayed diagnosis, could contribute to 180,000 deaths each year, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Recently, a John Hopkins team of researchers concluded that doctors often ...

Take time to learn to co-parent effectively with your former spouse Article provided by Carlson, Carlson & Dunkelman, L.L.C. Visit us at http://www.ccdlawyers.com Have you and your significant other decided it is time to end your marriage? Are you feeling somewhat overwhelmed by what this decision entails and how it will affect your children? In such situations, when a couple decides to divorce, it can be difficult to adjust to the new parenting demands. Consequently, when divorcing, it is wise to entrust the legal aspects of the split to a skilled attorney ...

Bad faith refusal to settle claims against insurers in Missouri Article provided by Leritz, Plunkert & Bruning, PC Visit us at http://www.leritzlaw.com An insurance company operates in bad faith when it fails to pay a legitimate first party claim made by an insured person without a reasonable basis. Insurance companies can face liability beyond the limits of the insurance policies they issue if they operate in bad faith. Vexatious refusal to pay Missouri common law does not recognize a first party claim for bad faith, as many other states do. However, when ...

Genebis, a leading provider of marketing services and solutions for organizations, announced today the company will begin operating under a new trade name and will be known as Responex effective immediately. At the same time, the company unveiled a new identity and redesigned Web site, http://www.responex.com. The new site prominently features the company's focus on responsive website development, marketing campaign management, and marketing strategy development using a new express framework and new technologies. The company's ownership and staff have not changed. President ...

Hard rock trio Divot will release their new EP "To Shape The Mold" on May 13th through digital retailers worldwide. The self-produced EP was mixed by respected engineer Mike Ferretti (Sevendust, Zakk Wylde). Divot will tour the East Coast in support of the release, initial tour dates are listed below. Listen to the first single "Downer" - https://soundcloud.com/airtimepr/divot-downer Dates: 4/18 - The Lost Horizon - Syracuse, NY 5/10 - The Dock - Ithaca, NY 5/30 - FNA's - Waterloo, NY 5/31 - Buisch's Bullpen North - Watkins Glen, NY http://www.Facebook.com/DivotOfficial Contact: Bob ...

Grand Pacific Resort Management (GPRM) of Carlsbad, has added Meadow Lake Resort to its portfolio of quality timeshare resorts, bringing the number of resorts managed to 20. Meadow Lake is GPRM's first addition of 2014, adding to the four resorts GPRM welcomed into its family of managed resorts in 2013. Meadow Lake, the premier Montana Golf and Ski Resort is located just minutes from Big Mountain at Whitefish, Glacier National Park and Flathead Lake. This 330-acre RCI Gold Crown resort features 114 timeshare condominiums, 24 hotel rooms, an on-site restaurant/bar, a ...

Mobile audiovisual app creator Billaboop has just released vidibox, a new and different video remixing app for the iPad. vidibox is an audiovisual remix machine specifically designed for touchscreen devices. It's a major step up from Billaboop's CamBox app, which was released in June 2011 and earned rave reviews from Rolling Stone, The Next Web, Gizmodo, CreativeApplications, and Wired, and other industry publications. vidibox delivers real-time music and video mixing from an intuitive interface that lets users import, record and play audio and video tracks using ...

Recently retired NASA astronaut and US Fighter Pilot turned social entrepreneur, Col. Ron Garan, is adding "BigSpeak Exclusive" to his extensive repertoire. Earlier this month, the motivational speaker signed with BigSpeak, the West Coast's largest business-oriented speaking agency serving 60% of the Fortune 1000, to further his most daring undertaking yet - solving our planet's most life threatening problems. While peering down on earth from the NASA Space Station, Garan had a life-changing epiphany. He shares, "...the world is at a point where it has the technology ...

Rep. Chris Welch, introduced Illinois House Bill 4778 back in February of 2014, in an attempt to amend the Landlord and Tenant Act, which would mean big changes for property managers and the tenant screening community. If the legislation passes, additional restrictions will be enforced on property managers throughout the state. The Chicagoland Apartment Association (CAA) is in strong opposition of the bill, which if passed, would mandate that landlords could not charge more for an application fee that exceeds the property manager's actual out-of-pocket costs to enter ...

At NAB Show, the world's largest annual conference and expo for professionals who create, manage and distribute entertainment across all platforms, audio specialist Sennheiser [booth C3217] will unveil the MK 8 large-diaphragm, multi-pattern condenser studio microphone. The new microphone features five selectable polar patterns (omni-directional, wide cardioid, cardioid, super-cardioid, figure-of-eight), a low cut/roll-off filter and selectable pad. "The MK 8 expands Sennheiser's successful series of large-diaphragm condensers, and professional users will appreciate ...

In his workshop (hosted by Work at Play), Nir will show how Vancouver product designers can build products and services that keep users coming back. This is a rare opportunity for local businesses to learn what it takes to create habit-forming products. About Nir Eyal Nir Eyal writes, consults, and teaches about the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. Nir founded and sold two companies since 2003 and has taught the "Using Neuroscience to Influence Human Behavior" course as a Lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. Nir is also an advisor ...