More than half of the countries who signed the WHO 2005 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control have not formed plans to help tobacco users quit. The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is a treaty developed to tackle the global tobacco epidemic that is killing 5 million people each year. It came into force in 2005 and is legally binding in 175 countries. The FCTC requires each country to develop plans to help tobacco users in their population to stop -- plans that should be based on strong scientific evidence for what works. Two ...

TORONTO, Ontario (June 24, 2013) – A new method of maturing human heart cells that simulates the natural growth environment of heart cells while applying electrical pulses to mimic the heart rate of fetal humans has led researchers at the University of Toronto to an electrifying step forward for cardiac research. The discovery, announced this week in the scientific journal Nature Methods, offers cardiac researchers a fast and reliable method of creating mature human cardiac patches in a range of sizes. "You cannot obtain human cardiomyocytes (heart cells) from human ...

To fuel phases of fast and aggressive growth, tumors need higher-than-normal amounts of energy and the molecular building blocks needed to build new cellular components. Cancer cells therefore consume a lot of sugar (glucose A number of tumors are also able to catabolize the amino acid glutamine, an important building block of proteins. A key enzyme in amino acid decomposition is isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH). Several years ago, scientists discovered mutations in the gene coding for IDH in numerous types of brain cancer. Very malignant brain tumors called primary glioblastomas ...

This news release is available in Spanish. MOOCs are linked to the appearance of digital culture in all the areas of our lives, from the way we listen to music to the way we take photos, read the newspaper or watch movies. "Before, you had to have a radio, and a camera, go to the newsstand to buy the newspaper or go to the cinema, but now there are applications that enable us to do everything digitally," said the coordinator of the eMadrid network, Carlos Delgado Kloos, during the opening of this conference, dedicated to the transformational effect that the technology ...

Two new Baylor University studies show that Israeli Jewish adults who attend synagogue regularly, pray often, and consider themselves religious are significantly healthier and happier than their non-religious counterparts. They also report greater satisfaction with life. "These findings nicely reinforce the inherited Jewish folk wisdom that going to shul (synagogue) is 'good for you,'" said Baylor University researcher Jeff Levin, Ph.D. Levin holds a distinguished chair at Baylor University, where he is University Professor of Epidemiology and Population Health and Director ...

How do fish swim? It is a simple question, but there is no simple answer. Researchers at Northwestern University have revealed some of the mechanical properties that allow fish to perform their complex movements. Their findings, published on June 13 in the journal PLOS Computational Biology, could provide insights in evolutionary biology and lead to an understanding of the neural control of movement and development of bio-inspired underwater vehicles. "If we could play God and create an undulatory swimmer, how stiff should its body be? At what wave frequency should ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Teens and young adults are making use of social networking sites and mobile technology to express suicidal thoughts and intentions as well as to reach out for help, two studies suggest. An analysis of about one month of public posts on MySpace revealed 64 comments in which adolescents expressed a wish to die. Researchers conducted a follow-up survey of young adults and found that text messages were the second-most common way for respondents to seek help when they felt depressed. Talking to a friend or family member ranked first. These young adults also ...

An exotic tree species that changed from prized possession to forest management nightmare serves as a lesson in the unpredictability of non-native species mixing with human interactions, according to researchers. "There are other invasive tree species in Pennsylvania, but the Ailanthus, by far, has been here longer and does more damage than any other invasive tree," said Matthew Kasson, who received his doctorate in plant pathology and environmental microbiology from Penn State. "It's the number one cause of native regeneration failure in clearcuts in Pennsylvania." Kasson, ...

This news release is available in French. Parentage-based tagging (PBT) is an emerging genetic-based fish tagging method that involves genotyping hatchery broodstock. PBT is a passive non-invasive approach to stock identification because the parents, not the offspring, are genetically sampled at spawning, thereby "tagging" the offspring. This method provides the same information as traditional physical tags but also allows for collection of more detailed information that previously was impossible or impractical to gather using traditional tagging methods. According ...

Finally some good news for parents who smoke: you may now be able to get help quitting from an unlikely source, your child's doctor. A study in the journal Pediatrics, which has been posted online, shows that it is feasible for pediatric practices to incorporate into their normal routine efforts to inform patients' parents about services available to help them quit smoking. A research team led by MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) physicians describes how practices implementing a program through which parents who smoke receive assistance in quitting reached nearly ...

EUGENE, Ore. -- (June 24, 2013) -- University of Oregon chemists have developed a selective probe that detects hydrogen sulfide (H2S) levels as low as 190 nanomolar (10 parts per billion) in biological samples. They say the technique could serve as a new tool for basic biological research and as an enhanced detection system for H2S in suspected bacterially contaminated water sources. Hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas, has long been known for its dangerous toxicity -- and its telltale smell of rotten eggs -- in the environment, but in the last decade the gas has been found ...

NEW YORK — A new study from researchers at leading business schools reveals that expansive physical settings (e.g. having a big desk to stretch out while doing work or a large driver's seat in an automobile) can cause individuals to feel more powerful, and in turn these feelings of power can elicit more dishonest behavior such as stealing, cheating, and even traffic violations. "In everyday working and living environments, our body postures are incidentally expanded and contracted by our surroundings — by the seats in our cars, the furniture in and around workspaces, ...

Scientists from Australia and the United States bring new insights to our understanding of the three-dimensional structure of the genome, one of the biggest challenges currently facing the fields of genomics and genetics. Their findings are published in Nature Genetics, online today. Roughly 3 metres of DNA is tightly folded into the nucleus of every cell in our body. This folding allows some genes to be 'expressed', or activated, while excluding others. Dr Tim Mercer and Professor John Mattick from Sydney's Garvan Institute of Medical Research and Professor John Stamatoyannopoulos ...

Japanese researchers have developed a new sugar and water-based solution that turns tissues transparent in just three days, without disrupting the shape and chemical nature of the samples. Combined with fluorescence microscopy, this technique enabled them to obtain detailed images of a mouse brain at an unprecedented resolution. The team from the RIKEN Center for Developmental biology reports their finding today in Nature Neuroscience. Over the past few years, teams in the USA and Japan have reported a number of techniques to make biological samples transparent, that ...

Boston, MA – A new discovery about how cells move inside the body may provide scientists with crucial information about disease mechanisms such as the spread of cancer or the constriction of airways caused by asthma. Led by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), investigators found that epithelial cells—the type that form a barrier between the inside and the outside of the body, such as skin cells—move in a group, propelled by forces both from within and from nearby cells—to fill any unfilled spaces ...

In the largest study of migraines, researchers have found 5 genetic regions that for the first time have been linked to the onset of migraine. This study opens new doors to understanding the cause and biological triggers that underlie migraine attacks. The team identified 12 genetic regions associated with migraine susceptibility. Eight of these regions were found in or near genes known to play a role in controlling brain circuitries and two of the regions were associated with genes that are responsible for maintaining healthy brain tissue. The regulation of these pathways ...

Research suggests that it is Andy Murray's ability to manage his goals, as well as his skill, determination and motivation that makes him such a successful athlete. Murray dropped out of the French Open after a back injury this year, missing out on his goal of playing in four grand slam finals in a row. But this decision has allowed him to recuperate in time for Wimbledon this month. According to new research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), athletes who recognise early when a goal is unattainable and switch their focus to other objectives are ...

In the past year a group of synthetic proteins called CRISPR-Cas RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) have generated great excitement in the scientific community as gene-editing tools. Exploiting a method that some bacteria use to combat viruses and other pathogens, CRISPR-Cas RGNs can cut through DNA strands at specific sites, allowing the insertion of new genetic material. However, a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has found a significant limitation to the use of CRISPR-Cas RGNs, production of unwanted DNA mutations at sites other than the desired target. ...

SAN DIEGO – (June 23, 2013) A major study from researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology provides new revelations about the intricate pathways involved in turning on T cells, the body's most important disease-fighting cells, and was published today in the prestigious scientific journal Nature. The La Jolla Institute team is the first to prove that a certain type of protein, called septins, play a critical role in activating a calcium channel on the surface of the T cell. The channel is the portal through which calcium enters T cells from the ...

BALTIMORE—June 23, 2013—A pilot program for CalPERS, a large public California employer — aimed at reducing costs for hip and knee replacements — was able to influence price drops for these procedures at facilities not originally part of the program. This conclusion, among others, will be presented at the AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on June 23 in Baltimore. Presenter Winnie Li, senior research analyst for HealthCore Inc., the outcomes research company for WellPoint, Inc. will make a podium presentation on the findings of the reference-based ...

Renaissance House: A Retreat for Writers and Other Artists in historic Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard will celebrate its 12th year by hosting special cultural workshops and presentations from June to August with some of the Island's leading writers, poets and filmmakers. The Renaissance House Salon Series is FREE to the public and is sponsored by the Helene Johnson and Dorothy West Foundation For Artists In Need. It will be held at 31 Pennacook Avenue in Oak Bluffs. Dessert is served after each salon. Every Tuesday night at 7:30pm from June 18 - August 6, the Renaissance ...

Yvonne Estelle's, the online destination for luxurious home decor and gifts, is delighted to announce the re-launch of their website (www.yvonne-estelles.com) with a host of improved features including: larger product images, easier navigation, better performance for mobile tablet and smart phone users, increased speed, and an enhanced shopping experience. With an increasing number of mobile tablet and smartphone shoppers, Yvonne Estelle's has responded to feedback from its customers and re-designed the site to better reflect the needs of its clientele. The new Yvonne ...

The Barber Shop Marketing (TBS) has won a 2013 Telly Award in the 34th Annual Telly Awards competition for the Dallas County Community College District's (DCCCD) 2012 "Smart Starts Here" campaign. Earlier this year, TBS and DCCCD received four awards for the campaign in The 28th Annual Educational Advertising Awards competition, sponsored by Higher Education Marketing Report. Richard Schiera, creative director at TBS, said the Telly Award is "the perfect end to the perfect job" - for an ad that portrays talking to one's self in a new and memorable ...

Lighthouse for the Blind-Saint Louis (LHB), a not-for-profit manufacturing and packaging organization with a dedicated social service mission, announced today that it has won a contract from Phokus Research Group, LLC, (www.phokusresearch.com), a company based in San Diego, California, to package trauma bandages for the company's innovative "Sons Trauma Kit." The 'Sons Trauma Kit' was originally designed by an active duty U.S. Navy SEAL medic. It has proven itself many times on the battlefield both in Iraq and Afghanistan during the last three years. Built ...

ELEVATOR CONSULTANTS throughout the United States and Canada specifying "SmarTork reel closer to replace all existing hoistway door closers as a more efficient and safety enhancement device!" Thomas.net classifies SmarTork reel closer under "Elevator Safety Products!" SmarTorks' revolutionary design overcomes wind velocities on elevator hoistway doors by an increase of up to 20% tension at last 2 inches of closing and decreasing tension in opening cycle reducing force and amps to the elevator door operator. Over 1,000,000 cycles (Testing By ...