A group of researchers from Sweden have provided further evidence that illegal drugs can be detected in the breath, opening up the possibility of a roadside breathalyzer test to detect substances such as cocaine, amphetamines and cannabis. Using a simple, commercially available breath sampler, the researchers have successfully identified a range of 12 substances in the breath of 40 patients recruited from a drug emergency clinic in Stockholm. Their findings have been published today, 26 April, in IOP Publishing's Journal of Breath Research. Blood, urine and saliva ...

MAYWOOD, Il. – A protein known to be a key player in the development of Parkinson's disease is able to enter and harm cells in the same way that viruses do, according to a Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine study. The protein is called alpha-synuclein. The study shows how, once inside a neuron, alpha synuclein breaks out of lysosomes, the digestive compartments of the cell. This is similar to how a cold virus enters a cell during infection. The finding eventually could lead to the development of new therapies to delay the onset of Parkinson's disease ...

TORONTO, ON – An international team of astronomers and an exotic pair of binary stars have proved that Albert Einstein's theory of relativity is still right, even in the most extreme conditions tested yet. The results of their research are described in the April 26 issue of Science. "The unusual pair of stars is quite interesting in its own right but we've learned it is also a unique laboratory for testing the limits of one of our most fundamental physical theories, general relativity" says University of Toronto astronomy professor Marten van Kerkwijk, a member of the ...

WHAT: An atomic-level snapshot of a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protein bound to a human antibody represents a leap toward developing a vaccine for a common—and sometimes very serious—childhood disease. The findings, by scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, define the vulnerable shape of a critical RSV component called the fusion glycoprotein. The NIAID scientists determined the fusion glycoprotein's shape as it appears before its interaction with human cells. It is this ...

The macroscopic effects of certain nanoparticles on human health have long been clear to the naked eye. What scientists have lacked is the ability to see the detailed movements of individual particles that give rise to those effects. In a recently published study, scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute invented a technique for imaging nanoparticle dynamics with atomic resolution as these dynamics occur in a liquid environment. The results will allow, for the first time, the imaging of nanoscale processes, such as the engulfment of nanoparticles into ...

On the night of April 24 and the morning of April 25, 2013, the sun erupted with two coronal mass ejections (CMEs), solar phenomena that can send billions of tons of solar particles into space that can affect electronic systems in satellites. Experimental NASA research models show that the first CME began at 9:30 p.m. EDT on April 24. The second CME began at 5:24 a.m. EDT on April 25. Both left the sun traveling at about 500 miles per second and they are headed in the direction of planet Mercury. While they are not Earth-directed, the CMEs may pass by NASA's Messenger ...

In spring a person's thoughts turn to important matters, like how best to keep your drink cold on a hot day. Though this quest is probably as old as civilization, University of Washington climate scientists have provided new insight. It turns out that in sultry weather condensation on the outside of a canned beverage doesn't just make it slippery: those drops can provide more heat than the surrounding air, meaning your drink would warm more than twice as much in humid weather compared to in dry heat. In typical summer weather in New Orleans, heat released by condensation ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers have married two biological imaging technologies, creating a new way to learn how good cells go bad. "Let's say you have a large population of cells," said Corey Neu, an assistant professor in Purdue University's Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering. "Just one of them might metastasize or proliferate, forming a cancerous tumor. We need to understand what it is that gives rise to that one bad cell." Such an advance makes it possible to simultaneously study the mechanical and biochemical behavior of cells, which could provide new insights ...

LA JOLLA, CA----Liver fibrosis results from an excessive accumulation of tough, fibrous scar tissue and occurs in most types of chronic liver diseases. In industrialized countries, the main causes of liver injury leading to fibrosis include chronic hepatitis virus infection, excess alcohol consumption and, increasingly, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). Now, in a new study published in the journal Cell, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have discovered that a synthetic form of vitamin D, calcipotriol (a drug already approved by the FDA for the ...

Being forced to exercise may still help reduce anxiety and depression just as exercising voluntarily does, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder. Past studies have shown that people who exercise are more protected against stress-related disorders. And scientists know that the perception of control can benefit a person's mental health. But it has been an open question whether a person who feels forced to exercise, eliminating the perception of control, would still reap the anxiety-fighting benefits of the exercise. People who may ...

LEXINGTON, Ky. (April 25, 2013) — A unique new study led by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers Guo-Min Li and Libya Gu, in collaboration with Dr. Wei Yang at National Institutes of Health, reveals a novel mechanism explaining the previously unknown root cause of some forms of colorectal cancers. The study, published in Cell, discovers that an abnormal histone protein modification impairs a DNA repair machinery that controls cancer development, yielding a potential new way of detecting these types of colorectal cancers. It represents the first time ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– Feeling frisky? If so, chances are greater your estrogen level –– and, perhaps, fertility –– are hitting their monthly peak. If not, you're more likely experiencing a profusion of desire-deadening progesterone, and the less fertile time in your cycle. Oh, the power of hormones. Researchers have long suspected a correlation between hormone levels and libido, but now scientists at UC Santa Barbara, led by James Roney, a professor in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, have actually demonstrated hormonal predictors for sexual desire. ...

A NASA-funded sounding rocket mission will launch from an atoll in the Pacific in the next few weeks to help scientists better understand and predict the electrical storms in Earth's upper atmosphere These storms can interfere with satellite communication and global positioning signals. The mission, called EVEX, for the Equatorial Vortex Experiment, will launch two rockets for a twelve-minute journey through the equatorial ionosphere above the South Pacific. The launch window for the mission from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands is from April 27 to May 10, ...

JUPITER, FL, April 25, 2013 –Despite decades of research, relatively little is known about the identity of RNA molecules that are transported as part of the molecular process underpinning learning and memory. Now, working together, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), Columbia University and the University of Florida, Gainesville, have developed a novel strategy for isolating and characterizing a substantial number of RNAs transported from the cell-body of neuron (nerve cell) to the synapse, the small gap separating neurons that ...

STANFORD, Calif. - Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have for the first time determined how often emergency medical helicopters need to help save the lives of seriously injured people to be considered cost-effective compared with ground ambulances. The researchers found that if an additional 1.6 percent of seriously injured patients survive after being transported by helicopter from the scene of injury to a level-1 or level-2 trauma center, then such transport should be considered cost-effective. In other words, if 90 percent of seriously injured ...

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, have shown in a mouse model that infection with nematodes (also known as roundworms) can not only combat obesity but ameliorate related metabolic disorders. Their research is published ahead of print online in the journal Infection and Immunity. Gastrointestinal nematodes infect approximately 2 billion people worldwide, and some researchers believe up until the 20th century almost everyone had worms. In developed countries there is a decreasing incidence of nematode infection but a rising prevalence ...

You are walking down the street with a friend. A shot is fired. The two of you duck behind the nearest cover and you pull out your smartphone. A map of the neighborhood pops up on its screen with a large red arrow pointing in the direction the shot came from. A team of computer engineers from Vanderbilt University's Institute of Software Integrated Systems has made such a scenario possible by developing an inexpensive hardware module and related software that can transform an Android smartphone into a simple shooter location system. They described the new system's capabilities ...

Sophia Antipolis, 24 April 2013: Up to 10 per cent of patients with high blood pressure are resistant to treatment, which puts them at increased risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attacks. Clinical trials show that catheter-based renal denervation reduces blood pressure in patients who do not respond to conventional drug therapy. Use of the technique is increasing in Europe and worldwide and several national societies have published guidance on which patients with hypertension should receive treatment. The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) and the European ...

New York, NY, April 26, 2013—Eighty-four million people―nearly half of all working-age U.S. adults―went without health insurance for a time last year or had out-of-pocket costs that were so high relative to their income they were considered underinsured, according to the Commonwealth Fund 2012 Biennial Health Insurance Survey. The survey also found that the proportion of young adults ages 19–25 who were uninsured during the year fell from 48 percent to 41 percent between 2010 and 2012, reversing a nearly decade-long trend of rising uninsured rates in that age ...

Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Friday 26 April 2013: New data from two clinical trials presented today at the International Liver Congress™ 2013 demonstrate substantial improvements in the detection of both hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cholangiocarcinoma (CC) using diagnostic urine tests. HCC is common throughout the world and most often develops as a late complication of chronic viral hepatitis or cirrhosis of any cause. The overall survival rate of HCC is poor and so screening for HCC offers the best hope for early detection, eligibility for treatment, and improved ...

Impact of SCOTUS rulings on narcotic dog cases on drug charges in Utah Article provided by Frees Law, P.L.L.C. Visit us at http://www.freeslaw.com The Supreme Court of the United States, or SCOTUS, recently made two significant rulings on cases involving the use of narcotics drugs. Although each addressed unique issues, both cases explored the meaning of the protections guaranteed under the Fourth Amendment; namely, the right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures. Searches and vehicles The first case addressed whether a drugsniffing dog can be ...

Utah Trooper of the Year accused of falsifying DUI arrests Article provided by Frees Law, P.L.L.C. Visit us at http://www.freeslaw.com A Utah Highway Patrol officer was recently accused of falsifying DUI arrests throughout her 10-year career. The suit claims that the officer arrested drivers who either had not been drinking or had not consumed enough to impair their driving. Although drivers passed field sobriety tests, the officer made arrests alleging that regardless of their performance they were still impaired. She claimed the drivers were in violation of ...

How New Jersey child support law impacts Powerball winner Article provided by Levine & Levine Visit us at http://www.levine4law.com A recent Powerball jackpot winner is gaining the attention of the media, and not just for his lottery luck. Instead, Pedro Quezada finds himself in the spotlight because he owes thousands in child support. When a lottery winner is named, lottery officials in New Jersey review the background of anyone who wins more than $600 in the state. The winner's history is reviewed for outstanding taxes and other debts. If certain outstanding ...

Full disclosure critical when completing the Statement of Financial Affairs Article provided by Law Office of Geri Lyons Chase Visit us at http://www.glchaselaw.com Whether a debtor is a business filing Chapter 11 or an individual filing Chapter 7, one form that is part of every bankruptcy petition is the Statement of Financial Affairs. The Statement of Financial Affairs is an important part of a bankruptcy petition, making its accuracy and completeness critical for the smooth, orderly and successful operation of the bankruptcy process. Statement of Financial ...

Tips to improve your odds of surviving a medical malpractice claim Article provided by Bonezzi Switzer Murphy Polito & Hupp Co., L.P.A. Visit us at http://www.bsmph.com Practice medicine long enough, and it's bound to happen; over the course of a medical career, in all likelihood you will face multiple malpractice lawsuits. A recent analysis of data from 40,916 physicians published in the medical journal Health Affairs found that the average physician spends a lifetime total of 50.7 months with an unresolved, open malpractice claim. In a 40 year career, that ...