The press release
archive.

Medicine29 Aug 2013

Scripps Florida scientists detail critical role of gene in many lung cancer cases

JUPITER, FL, August 29, 2013 – Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have shown that a well-known cancer-causing gene implicated in a number of malignancies plays a far more critical role in non-small cell lung cancer, the most common form of the disease, than previously thought. These findings establish the gene as a critical regulator of lung cancer tumor growth. This new information could turn out to be vital for the design of potentially new therapeutic strategies for a group of patients who represent almost half of non-small ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Doubling the daily allowance of protein intake with diet and exercise protects muscle loss

Bethesda, MD—A new report appearing in the September issue of The FASEB Journal challenges the long-held adage that significant muscle loss is unavoidable when losing weight through exercise and diet. In the report, scientists show that consuming twice the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of protein while adhering to a diet and exercise plan prevents the loss of muscle mass and promotes fat loss. Tripling the RDA of protein, however, failed to provide additional benefits. "It is our hope that the findings from this well-controlled study will be discussed and cited by ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Potential diagnostic marker for zinc status offers insights into the effects of zinc deficiency

Bethesda, MD -- According to new research published in The FASEB Journal, a drop in blood zinc levels does not directly harm the blood vessel cells. Rather, zinc regulates the production of a small molecular compound, which then circulates in the blood and causes harmful blood vessel cell effects. Additionally, not only will having adequate amounts of zinc prevent the creation of this compound, but it can protect you when the compound is circulating in your blood. "Zinc deficiency afflicts two billion people worldwide and our study has revealed a zinc-regulated small ...

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Social Science29 Aug 2013

Clemson University researchers: Protect corridors to save tigers, leopards

CLEMSON, S.C. -- Research by Clemson University conservation geneticists makes the case that landscape-level tiger and leopard conservation that includes protecting the corridors the big cats use for travel between habitat patches is the most effective conservation strategy for their long-term survival. Sandeep Sharma and Trishna Dutta, with colleagues from the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, reveal their findings in articles in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences and Evolutionary Applications. Their articles say that forest corridors ...

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Science29 Aug 2013

Research suggests perfectionism and work motivation contribute to workaholism

Research from psychologists at the University of Kent suggests that being a perfectionist and highly motivated at work contributes directly to being a workaholic. Led by Dr Joachim Stoeber, Head of the University's School of Psychology, the research team set out to explore the previously under-researched reasons why some people feel the need to work both excessively and compulsively. Dr Stoeber and his team researched the links between workaholism and two forms of perfectionism: self-oriented perfectionism, whereby someone sets exceedingly high standards for themselves, ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Researchers track antibiotic-resistant strains of Salmonella from farm to fork

Continuing research on Salmonella may enable researchers to identify and track strains of antibiotic resistant bacteria as they evolve and spread, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences. Tracing the transmission of individual strains from agricultural environments to humans through the food system is difficult because of the rapid evolution of resistance patterns in these bacteria. Resistance patterns change so quickly that, until now, it has been impossible to determine where some highly resistant strains are coming from. Michael ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

'Safe' levels of environmental pollution may have long-term health consequences

Bethesda, MD—If you're eating better and exercising regularly, but still aren't seeing improvements in your health, there might be a reason: pollution. According to a new research report published in the September issue of The FASEB Journal, what you are eating and doing may not be the problem, but what's in what you are eating could be the culprit. "This study adds evidences for rethinking the way of addressing risk assessment especially when considering that the human population is widely exposed to low levels of thousands of chemicals, and that the health impact of ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Statins may slow human aging by protecting against telomere shortening: A feature of senescent cells

Bethesda, MD—Not only do statins extend lives by lowering cholesterol levels and reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease, but new research in the September 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal suggests that they may extend lifespans as well. Specifically, statins may reduce the rate at which telomeres shorten, a key factor in the natural aging process. This opens the door for using statins, or derivatives of statins, as an anti-aging therapy. "By telomerase activation, statins may represent a new molecular switch able to slow down senescent cells in our tissues and be ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Sunlight induced DNA crash

Summer, sun and the sea – a dream vacation for most - can turn sour for those affected by lupus erythematosus. For them, absorption of the UV-light component in sunlight may cause florid inflammation and redness of the skin. Scientists of the University Hospital Bonn, Germany have now discovered which signaling pathway of the innate immune system promotes autoimmune symptoms following sun-induced DNA damage. The results are now published online in the academic journal Immunity. Lupus erythematosus (LE) is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system erroneously attacks ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Learning a new language alters brain development

The age at which children learn a second language can have a significant bearing on the structure of their adult brain, according to a new joint study by the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro at McGill University and Oxford University. The majority of people in the world learn to speak more than one language during their lifetime. Many do so with great proficiency particularly if the languages are learned simultaneously or from early in development. The study concludes that the pattern of brain development is similar if you learn one or two language ...

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Science29 Aug 2013

Now hear this: Scientists discover compound to prevent noise-related hearing loss

Bethesda, MD -- Your mother was right when she warned you that loud music could damage your hearing, but now scientists have discovered exactly what gets damaged and how. In a research report published in the September 2013 issue of The FASEB Journal, scientists describe exactly what type of damage noise does to the inner ear, and provide insights into a compound that may prevent noise-related damage. "Noise-induced hearing loss, with accompanying tinnitus and sound hypersensitivity is a common condition which leads to communication problems and social isolation," ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital study yields new strategy against high-risk leukemia

(Memphis, Tenn. – August 29, 2013) St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have identified a protein that certain high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells need to survive and have used that knowledge to fashion a more effective method of killing tumor cells. The findings appear in the August 29 edition of the journal Blood. The work focused on Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL (Ph-positive ALL), a high-risk cancer that accounts for about 40 percent of ALL in adults and about 5 percent in children. The disease is named for a chromosomal rearrangement ...

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Space29 Aug 2013

NASA infrared eye sees wind shear affecting Tropical Storm Kong-Rey

Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed that Tropical Storm Kong-Rey's strongest thunderstorms were being pushed away from its center on its trek northward in the Western North Pacific Ocean. As Tropical Storm Kong-Rey moved past the northern Philippines NASA's Aqua satellite captured an infrared image of the storm that revealed wind shear was taking a toll on the storm. Tropical cyclones are made up of hundreds of thunderstorms, and the ones with the coldest cloud top temperatures shoot highest in the atmosphere and have a potential to drop heavy rain. ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Examination of hospital readmissions after plastic surgery aims to cut costs, enhance patient care

Philadelphia, Pa. (August 29, 2013) – For patients undergoing plastic and reconstructive surgery procedures, obesity, anemia and postoperative complications—especially surgical and wound complications—are independent risk factors for hospital readmission, reports a study in the September issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). "Patients experiencing postoperative surgical complications were six times more likely to be readmitted," write Dr. John P. Fischer and colleagues at the Hospital ...

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Space29 Aug 2013

NASA sees Tropical Storm Juliette waning near Mexico's Baja California

August 29, 2013 brought a lot of tropical activity back to the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Late on Aug. 28, Tropical Storm Juliette formed just west of the coast of Baja California, Mexico, and two other low pressure areas developed south and southeast of the storm. NASA's Aqua satellite captured Juliette and the low pressure areas in infrared imagery. NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Aug. 29 at 08:53 UTC/4:53 a.m. EDT, and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument captured an infrared look at the region. AIRS data showed Tropical Storm ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Consuming alcohol before first pregnancy linked with increased risk of BBD & breast cancer

Drinking alcohol before first pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of benign breast disease (BBD) and breast cancer, independent of drinking after first pregnancy, according to a new study published August 28 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Previous studies have shown that alcohol consumed in the past year affects a woman's breast cancer risk. However, data on the relationship between drinking alcohol during the period of time between a woman's first menstrual period and first pregnancy and the risk of proliferative BBD and breast cancer had ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

Migraine may permanently change brain structure

MINNEAPOLIS – Migraine may have long-lasting effects on the brain's structure, according to a study published in the August 28, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "Traditionally, migraine has been considered a benign disorder without long-term consequences for the brain," said study author Messoud Ashina, MD, PhD, with the University of Copenhagen in Denmark. "Our review and meta-analysis study suggests that the disorder may permanently alter brain structure in multiple ways." The study found that migraine raised ...

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Science29 Aug 2013

Does migraine affect income or income affect migraine?

MINNEAPOLIS – Studies show that migraine is more common among people with lower incomes. This relationship is examined in a study published in the August 28, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, looking at whether developing migraines limits people's educational and career achievements, leading to a lower income status, or whether problems related to low income such as stressful life events and poor access to health care increase the likelihood of developing migraines. Contrary to the theory that social stressors ...

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Science29 Aug 2013

Kids' fast food ads emphasize giveaways more than food

Fast-food marketing aimed at children emphasizes giveaways and movie tie-ins much more frequently than ads targeted at adults, according to research published August 28 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by James Sargent and colleagues from the Geisel School of Medicine, Dartmouth. The researchers compared ads from fast food companies on children's TV channels such as Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network to those aired for adults. Ads targeted at children emphasized food packaging and street views of the restaurants, whereas adult ads emphasized the images of the food sold ...

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Science29 Aug 2013

Hidden shell middens reveal ancient human presence in Bolivian Amazon

Previously unknown archeological sites in forest islands reveal human presence in the western Amazon as early as 10,000 years ago, according to research published August 28 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Umberto Lombardo from the University of Bern, Switzerland and colleagues from other institutions. The study focuses on a region in the Bolivian Amazon thought to be rarely occupied by pre-agricultural communities due to unfavorable environmental conditions. Hundreds of 'forest islands'- small forested mounds of earth- are found throughout the region, their origins ...

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Science29 Aug 2013

Fish larvae sniff reef odor to find their way home

Reef fish larvae are only millimeters-long when they hatch, but can smell the presence of coral reefs from several kilometers offshore, and use this odor to navigate home. The results are reported August 28 in the open access journal PLOS ONE by Claire Paris from the University of Miami and colleagues from other institutions. The researchers used a novel drifting behavioral arena to find that larvae of two families, damselfish and cardinalfish, changed swimming speed and direction in response to the smell of reef water, but water from the open ocean did not evoke a similar ...

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Science29 Aug 2013

A major cause of age-related memory loss identified

NEW YORK, NY (August 28, 2013) — A team of Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers, led by Nobel laureate Eric R. Kandel, MD, has found that deficiency of a protein called RbAp48 in the hippocampus is a significant contributor to age-related memory loss and that this form of memory loss is reversible. The study, conducted in postmortem human brain cells and in mice, also offers the strongest causal evidence that age-related memory loss and Alzheimer's disease are distinct conditions. The findings were published today in the online edition of Science Translational ...

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Medicine29 Aug 2013

1 in 4 has alarmingly few intestinal bacteria

All people have trillions of bacteria living in their intestines. If you place them on a scale, they weigh around 1.5 kg. Previously, a major part of these 'blind passengers' were unknown, as they are difficult or impossible to grow in laboratories. But over the past five years, an EU-funded research team, MetaHIT, coordinated by Professor S. Dusko Ehrlich at the INRA Research Centre of Jouy-en-Josas, France and with experts from Europe and China have used advanced DNA analysis and bioinformatics methods to map human intestinal bacteria. -The genetic analysis of intestinal ...

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Space29 Aug 2013

We may all be Martians -- new research supports theory that life started on Mars

New evidence has emerged which supports the long-debated theory that life on Earth may have started on Mars. Professor Steven Benner will tell geochemists gathering today (Thursday 29 Aug) at the annual Goldschmidt conference that an oxidized mineral form of the element molybdenum, which may have been crucial to the origin of life, could only have been available on the surface of Mars and not on Earth. "In addition", said Professor Benner "recent studies show that these conditions, suitable for the origin of life, may still exist on Mars." "It's only when molybdenum ...

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Technology29 Aug 2013

Magnetic charge crystals imaged in artificial spin ice

A team of scientists has reported direct visualization of magnetic charge crystallization in an artificial spin ice material, a first in the study of a relatively new class of frustrated artificial magnetic materials-by-design known as "Artificial Spin Ice." These charges are analogs to electrical charges with possible applications in magnetic memories and devices. The research team's findings appear in the August 29 issue of the journal Nature. The unique properties of spin ice materials have fascinated scientists since they were first discovered in the late 1990s in ...

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