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Society of Interventional Radiology: Understand long-term risks of DVT
Science 2014-03-04

Society of Interventional Radiology: Understand long-term risks of DVT

FAIRFAX, Va.—Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) often brings with it the risk of post-thrombotic syndrome (PTS), an under-recognized but serious complication that often causes long-term disability for patients. During March's DVT Awareness Month, the Society of Interventional Radiology wants to help patients and family members to better understand the long-term risks of DVT. DVT, the formation of a blood clot in a deep leg vein, is a grave condition for which doctors have historically focused on its short-term risks. "For years, if someone developed deep vein thrombosis, his ...
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Research benefits surgeons making decisions on how to help their patients breathe easier
Medicine 2014-03-04

Research benefits surgeons making decisions on how to help their patients breathe easier

A more accurate and successful, yet complex approach used in designing an airplane is now taking off in the health care industry. The end result is helping patients with pulmonary disorders breathe easier, as well as their surgeons in considering novel treatment approaches. Goutham Mylavarapu, a senior research associate in the University of Cincinnati Department of Aerospace Engineering, and Ephraim Gutmark, Ohio Eminent Scholar and UC distinguished professor of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, will present their research involving Computational Fluid Dynamics ...
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Medicine 2014-03-04

Children with ADHD have higher risk of teenage obesity and physical inactivity

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely to become obese and sedentary teenagers, according to new research. Previous studies have suggested a link between ADHD and obesity, but whether one leads to the other is unclear. One way to better understand the link is to follow children through to adolescence. The new study, which followed almost 7000 children in Finland, found that those who had ADHD symptoms at age eight had significantly higher odds of being obese at age 16. Children who had ADHD symptoms were also less physically active ...
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Physics in 3-D? That's nothing. Try 0-D
Physics 2014-03-04

Physics in 3-D? That's nothing. Try 0-D

In physics, there's small, and then there's nullity – as in zero-dimensional. University of Cincinnati researchers have reached this threshold with a special structure that may someday lead to better ways of harnessing solar energy, stronger lasers or more sensitive medical diagnostic devices. These structures are semiconductor nanowires. UC doctoral student Teng Shi says she and a team of researchers have observed unique optical signatures indicating that electronic excitations within these nanowires can be confined to a zero-dimensional state called a "quantum dot." ...
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How 19th century physics could change the future of nanotechnology
Technology 2014-03-04

How 19th century physics could change the future of nanotechnology

A new twist on a very old physics technique could have a profound impact on one of the most buzzed-about aspects of nanoscience. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have found that their unique method of light-matter interaction analysis appears to be a good way of helping make better semiconductor nanowires. "Semiconductor nanowires are one of the hottest topics in the nanoscience research field in the recent decade," says Yuda Wang, a UC doctoral student. "Due to the unique geometry compared to conventional bulk semiconductors, nanowires have already shown ...
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Next step in live-donor uterus transplant project
Medicine 2014-03-04

Next step in live-donor uterus transplant project

In Sweden alone, an estimated 2 000 young women of fertile age cannot become pregnant either because they were born without a womb or lost it later due to disease. Professor Mats Brännström, researcher at the University of Gothenburg and chief physician, is leading a unique research project aiming to make it possible for these women to have a uterus transplant and then get pregnant. A decade of research After more than a decade of research that has been evaluated in almost 40 scientific articles, in May 2012 the research team received permission from the Regional Ethical ...
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Dramatic drop in US IPO activity can't be blamed on tougher regulations
Science 2014-03-04

Dramatic drop in US IPO activity can't be blamed on tougher regulations

Toronto – An extensive study of initial public offerings shows dramatic changes in the IPO landscape around the world over the past two decades, including a large decrease in the importance of IPOs in the United States while IPOs became more important in other countries. This drop in U.S. IPOs cannot be explained by stricter regulations enacted after the corporate and accounting scandals in the early part of the 2000s. "One of the main things people point fingers at is the Sarbanes Oxley Act. We show that U.S. IPO activity became abnormally low before the Sarbanes Oxley ...
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Which interventions are most effective to promote exclusive breastfeeding?
Science 2014-03-04

Which interventions are most effective to promote exclusive breastfeeding?

New Rochelle, NY, March 4, 2014—Only about 37% of babies around the world are exclusively breastfed for the first 6 months of life, as recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). The benefits of breastfeeding for both infants and mothers are well-established. The effectiveness of different types of interventions for promoting exclusive breastfeeding in high-income countries is the focus of a Review article published in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article ...
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Science 2014-03-04

Predators delay pest resistance to Bt crops

ITHACA, N.Y. – Crops genetically modified with the bacterium Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) produce proteins that kill pest insects. Steady exposure has prompted concern that pests will develop resistance to these proteins, making Bt plants ineffective. Cornell research shows that the combination of natural enemies, such as ladybeetles, with Bt crops delays a pest's ability to evolve resistance to these insecticidal proteins. "This is the first demonstrated example of a predator being able to delay the evolution of resistance in an insect pest to a Bt crop," said Anthony ...
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Science 2014-03-04

Aggression, rule-breaking common among Taiwanese teenagers who have early sex

Taiwanese teenagers – and especially females – who become sexually active at a very young age are more likely to be rule-breakers and be more aggressive than their peers. These are the findings of a national study of Taiwanese youth led by Wei J. Chen of the National Taiwan University, with Chia-Hua Chan as first author. It is published in Springer's journal Archives of Sexual Behavior. Nearly 19,000 sixteen- to nineteen-year-old Taiwanese adolescents took part in a national survey which was conducted through a self-administered web-based questionnaire. Sociodemographic ...
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Science 2014-03-04

Study finds experiences of racism associated with weight gain in African American women

(Boston)--A recent analysis conducted by investigators from the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University has found that frequent experiences of racism were associated with a higher risk of obesity among African American women. The findings, which currently appear online in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found the relationship between racism and obesity was strongest among women who reported consistently high experiences of racism over a 12-year period. The research was based on data from the Black Women's Health Study, a longitudinal study that enrolled 59,000 ...
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Science 2014-03-04

IOF-IFCC study summarizes fracture prediction strength of reference bone turnover markers

Nyon, Switzerland – March 4, 2014 A new study by an International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) and International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) scientific working group summarizes the clinical performance of serum procollagen type I N propeptide (s-PINP) and serum C-terminal cross-linking telopeptide of type I collagen (s-CTX) in fracture risk prediction in untreated individuals in prospective cohort studies. The current study follows a position paper published in 2011 by the IOF-IFCC Bone Marker Standards Working Group recommending ...
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Science 2014-03-04

Fighting against HIV in the Central African Republic -- the importance of perseverance

According to Pierre-Marie David of the University of Montreal's Faculty of Pharmacy, stock-outs of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs in recent years in the Central African Republic have had a dramatic impact on the health of HIV-infected people. These shortages have also created mistrust among patients toward the political and medical actors responsible for the fight against HIV/AIDS. And their wariness is likely to reduce their chances of getting better. David lived in the Central African Republic from 2005 to 2008, where he worked as Access to Antiretroviral Treatment Coordinator ...
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New therapy helps to improve audio and  visual perception in stroke patients
Medicine 2014-03-04

New therapy helps to improve audio and visual perception in stroke patients

A stroke can cause permanent damage to important parts of the brain, with the result that many stroke survivors require lifelong care and support. 'It is not uncommon for stroke patients to suffer from an awareness deficit or a reduced response to stimuli on one side of their body. This condition, known as hemispatial neglect, can mean that patients are unable to properly perceive people, images or sounds on that side,' explains Professor Georg Kerkhoff from the Department of Clinical Neuropsychology at Saarland University. 'These phenomena tend to be observed when the ...
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Medicine 2014-03-04

Outbursts of anger linked to greater risk of heart attacks and strokes

Outbursts of anger may trigger heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular problems in the two hours immediately afterwards, according to the first study to systematically evaluate previous research into the link between the extreme emotion and all cardiovascular outcomes. The study – a systematic review and meta-analysis – published online today (Tuesday) in the European Heart Journal [1], found that in the two hours immediately after an angry outburst, a person's risk of a heart attack (myocardial infarction (MI) or acute coronary syndrome (ACS)) increased nearly ...
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Dartmouth researchers find promising results with local hyperthermia of tumors
Medicine 2014-03-04

Dartmouth researchers find promising results with local hyperthermia of tumors

A combination of iron-oxide nanoparticles and an alternating magnetic field, which together generate heat, have activated an immune system response to tumors in mice according to an accepted manuscript by Dartmouth-Hitchcock Norris Cotton Center researchers in the journal Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine released online on February 24, 2014. "The study demonstrates that controlled heating of one tumor can stimulate an immune response that attacks another tumor that has not had the heat treatment," said Steve Fiering, PhD, Norris Cotton Cancer Center ...
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Medicine 2014-03-04

Plant extract hope for infant muscle disease

Their study is published today (3rd March 2014) in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. The research team have found that a plant pigment called quercetin – present in some fruits, vegetables, herbs and grains – could help to prevent damage to the nerves associated with the childhood form of motor neurone disease, spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). SMA, also known as 'floppy baby syndrome', is a leading genetic cause of death in children. It affects approximately one in 6,000 to 10,000 children and around half of children with the most severe form will die before the ...
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Medicine 2014-03-04

Researchers develop antibody-targeted treatment for recurrent small-cell lung cancer

Researchers at Norris Cotton Cancer Center have found an antibody that may be used in future treatments for recurrent small-cell lung cancer, which currently has no effective therapy. The mouse monoclonal antibody they have developed, MAG-1, targets the ProAVP surface marker. When given alone, it significantly slows the growth of tumor xenografts of human recurrent small-cell lung cancer in mice. The study, "Growth Impairment of Small-Cell Cancer by Targeting Pro-Vasopressin with MAG-1 Antibody," was recently published online in Frontiers in Oncology. "We are developing ...
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Science 2014-03-04

JCI online ahead of print table of contents for March 3, 2014

Identification of factors that influence breast cancer metastasis to bone One of the more serious and frequent complications of advanced breast cancer is bone metastasis, which is exacerbated by TGF-β signaling; however, it is not clear how TGF-β production is regulated prior to and during metastasis. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Guohong Hu and colleagues at the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences evaluated murine models of invasive breast cancer and determined that cancer cells lacking the putative tumor suppressor DLC1 have ...
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Youngest kindergarteners most likely to be held back, MU study finds
Science 2014-03-04

Youngest kindergarteners most likely to be held back, MU study finds

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- For some parents, the decision of when to enroll their children into kindergarten can result in costly consequences such as another year of daycare expenses. In general, children must be five years old to be eligible to be enrolled in kindergarten. However, the developmental differences between a young kindergartener who barely qualifies for the state-mandated age cutoff date compared to a child who is almost year older, may have implications. Now, a University of Missouri researcher has found that the youngest kindergartners are about five times more likely ...
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UC research tests which nano system works best in killing cancer cells
Medicine 2014-03-04

UC research tests which nano system works best in killing cancer cells

In current research related to improving cancer treatments, one promising area of research is the effort to find ways to selectively pinpoint and target cancer cells while minimizing effects on healthy cells. In that effort, it's already been found in lab experiments that iron-oxide nanoparticles, when heated and then applied specifically to cancer cells, can kill those cells because cancer cells are particularly susceptible to changes in temperature. Increasing the temperature of cancer cells to over 43 degrees Celsius (about 109 degrees Fahrenheit) for a sufficient ...
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The chemistry (and fascinating history) of pepper, the spice that changed the world
Science 2014-03-04

The chemistry (and fascinating history) of pepper, the spice that changed the world

WASHINGTON, March 3, 2014 — Pepper is one of the most plentiful condiments in the world today, but it used to be more valuable than gold. In the American Chemical Society's (ACS') latest Reactions video, we examine how pepper's delectable chemistry made it a key player in the global spice trade. The sought-after spice helped usher in the "Age of Discovery," which bridged the gap between the Middle Ages and the Modern era. And because we're celebrating our second month of existence, it's a Reactions double feature this week. In our second video, we examine the science behind ...
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Science 2014-03-04

Team models photosynthesis and finds room for improvement

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Teaching crop plants to concentrate carbon dioxide in their leaves could increase photosynthetic efficiency by 60 percent and yields by as much as 40 percent, researchers report in a new study. The team used a computer model to simulate how adding genes from a type of photosynthetic algae known as cyanobacteria might influence photosynthetic efficiency in plants. Cyanobacteria contain small structures, called carboxysomes, which concentrate carbon dioxide at the site of photosynthesis. "Photosynthesis is the most studied of all plant processes, so ...
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Medicine 2014-03-04

Scientists identify protein linked to most common movement disorder

Quebec City, March 3rd, 2014—A team of researchers from Université Laval and CHU de Québec identified unusually high levels of a certain protein in the brains of people suffering from essential tremor (ET), a movement disorder that affects 4% of the adult population. The discovery, the details of which were published in the most recent edition of the journal Movement Disorders, could lead to an effective treatment for this neurological condition, which is 10 times more prevalent than Parkinson's disease. As its name suggests, ET causes tremors in various parts of the ...
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UC research tests range of electrical frequencies that help heal chronic wounds
Energy 2014-03-04

UC research tests range of electrical frequencies that help heal chronic wounds

Naturally occurring electricity in our cells is key to how our bodies function, and that includes the healing of wounds. And externally applied low-amplitude electric fields have been shown to help hard-to-heal chronic wounds, like those associated with diabetes, where there is insufficient blood supply and drug treatments are not effective. The externally applied electric field manipulates the body's naturally occurring electricity, such that the new vessels are formed, and blood supply to the wound is increased. University of Cincinnati physics and biomedical engineering ...
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