Toxicity problems and adverse side effects when taking lithium, the mainstay medication for treating bipolar disorder, are fostering a scientific hunt for insights into exactly how lithium works in the body — with an eye to developing a safer alternative. That's the topic of the cover story in the current edition of Chemical & Engineering News. C&EN is the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society. Bethany Halford, C&EN senior editor, explains that lithium often is the first-line medication used to calm the highs and ...

BOSTON--Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists and colleagues have discovered that pancreatic cancer cells' growth and spread are fueled by an unusual metabolic pathway that someday might be blocked with targeted drugs to control the deadly cancer. Cancer cells are known to "rewire" their metabolic circuits differently from normal cells to provide energy for cancerous growth. A study published today in Nature reveals that pancreatic tumor cells are dependent on an amino acid, glutamine, which they utilize via a molecular pathway that has no apparent backup system. "Pancreatic ...

A new look at conditions after a Manhattan-sized asteroid slammed into a region of Mexico in the dinosaur days indicates the event could have triggered a global firestorm that would have burned every twig, bush and tree on Earth and led to the extinction of 80 percent of all Earth's species, says a new University of Colorado Boulder study. Led by Douglas Robertson of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, or CIRES, the team used models that show the collision would have vaporized huge amounts of rock that were then blown high above Earth's atmosphere. ...

BOSTON – March 27, 2013 – In a study of patients with type 1 diabetes, Joslin researchers found that dietary fat can affect glucose levels and insulin requirements. These findings, which appeared in the April edition of Diabetes Care, have major implications for the management of type 1 diabetes. Research has shown that dietary fat and free fatty acids (FFAs) impair insulin sensitivity and increase glucose production. Most studies have focused on the role of fat in the development of type 2 diabetes. However, studies of people with type 1 diabetes have shown that higher-fat ...

Beneath the ocean floor is a desolate place with no oxygen and sunlight. Yet microbes have thrived in this environment for millions of years. Scientists have puzzled over how these microbes survive, but today there are more answers. A study led by Karen Lloyd, a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, assistant professor of microbiology, reveals that these microscopic life-forms called archaea slowly eat tiny bits of protein. The study was released today in Nature. The finding has implications for understanding the bare minimum conditions needed to support life. "Subseafloor ...

More than 100 women per day die from breast cancer in the United States. The odds of developing breast cancer increase for women taking hormone replacement therapy to avoid the effects of menopause. New research by University of Missouri scientist Salman Hyder may lead to treatments for breast cancers associated with taking these synthetic hormones. Hyder, along with an international team, found that hormone-therapy-related breast cancer cells have a physical feature that could be attacked by cancer therapies. "We identified a specific cell membrane protein that blocks ...

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, says a key protein in Schwann cells performs a critical, perhaps overarching, role in regulating the recovery of peripheral nerves after injury. The discovery has implications for improving the treatment of neuropathic pain, a complex and largely mysterious form of chronic pain that afflicts over 100 million Americans. The findings are published in the March 27, 2013 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience. Neuropathic pain occurs when peripheral nerve ...

This press release is available in German. An international team of astronomers, including researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and from the University of Cologne, successfully identified two titanium oxides in the extended atmosphere around a giant star. The object VY Canis Major is one of the largest stars in the known universe and close to the end of its life. The detection was made using telescope arrays in the USA and in France. The discovery was made in the course of a study of a spectacular star, VY Canis Majoris or VY CMa for short, ...

In a laboratory study pairing food chemistry and cancer biology, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center tested the potentially harmful effect of foods and flavorings on the DNA of cells. They found that liquid smoke flavoring, black and green teas and coffee activated the highest levels of a well-known, cancer-linked gene called p53. The p53 gene becomes activated when DNA is damaged. Its gene product makes repair proteins that mend DNA. The higher the level of DNA damage, the more p53 becomes activated. "We don't know much about the foods we eat and ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A study co-authored by a University of Florida scientist adds critical new data for understanding caribou calving grounds in an area under consideration for oil exploration in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The research may be used to create improved conservation strategies for an ecologically important area that has been under evaluation for natural resource exploration since enactment of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act in 1980. By studying bone accumulations on the Arctic landscape, lead author Joshua Miller discovered ...

Philadelphia, PA—Mathematical models can be used to study the spread of technological innovations among individuals connected to each other by a network of peer-to-peer influences, such as in a physical community or neighborhood. One such model was introduced in a paper published yesterday in the SIAM Journal on Applied Dynamical Systems. Authors N. J. McCullen, A. M. Rucklidge, C. S. E. Bale, T. J. Foxon, and W. F. Gale focus on one main application: The adoption of energy-efficient technologies in a population, and consequently, a means to control energy consumption. ...

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, including Center Director Thomas A. Sellers, Ph.D., M.P.H., and 17 other co-authors, have discovered four new regions of the genome that influence the risk for developing ovarian cancer, according to two Moffitt-led studies published in the March 27 issue of the journals Nature Genetics and Nature Communications. Ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among women and accounts for 3 percent of all female cancers. Although mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes remain the strongest genetic risk factors for ovarian ...

Marital conflict is a significant source of environmental stress for children, and witnessing such conflict may harm children's stress response systems which, in turn, may affect their mental and intellectual development. These conclusions come from a new study by researchers at Auburn University and the Catholic University of America. The study appears in the journal Child Development. Researchers looked at 251 children from a variety of backgrounds who lived in two-parent homes. The children reported on their exposure to marital conflict when they were 8, providing ...

Teenagers' struggles to connect with their peers in the early adolescent years while not getting swept along by negative peer influences predict their capacity to form strong friendships and avoid serious problems even ten years later. Those are the conclusions of a new longitudinal study by researchers at the University of Virginia that appears in the journal Child Development. "Overall, we found that teens face a high-wire act with their peers," explains Joseph P. Allen, Hugh P. Kelly Distinguished Professor at the University of Virginia, who led the study. "They need ...

Boston Public Schools' prekindergarten program is substantially improving children's readiness to start kindergarten, according to a new study of more than 2,000 children enrolled there. The program uses research-based curricula and coaching of teachers, is taught primarily by masters-level teachers, and is open to any child regardless of family income. The study, out of Harvard University, appears in the journal Child Development. Some of the study's findings on the effects of the program are the largest found to date in evaluations of large-scale public prekindergarten ...

Poor children who move three or more times before they turn 5 have more behavior problems than their peers, according to a new study by researchers at Cornell University and the National Employment Law Project. The study is published in the journal Child Development. Moving is a fairly common experience for American families; in 2002, 6.5 percent of all children had been living in their current home for less than six months. Among low-income children, that number rose to 10 percent. In addition, in 2002, 13 percent of families above poverty moved once, but 24 percent ...

WASHINGTON, DC, March 25, 2013 — The language activists and politicians use in immigration debates may be as important as the policies they are debating when it comes to long-term effects, according to the author of a new study in the April issue of the American Sociological Review. "When we talk about immigration policy, we are usually focused on the content—who deserves benefits and who does not," said study author Hana E. Brown, an assistant professor of sociology at Wake Forest University. "We don't typically talk or think about the language that we're using to make ...

WASHINGTON, DC, March 25, 2013 — True fame isn't fleeting. That's what a team of researchers led by McGill University's Eran Shor and Stony Brook University's Arnout van de Rijt conclude in a new study that appears in the April issue of the American Sociological Review. The researchers studied the names mentioned in English-language newspapers over a period of several decades. What they found was that, contrary to popular belief, the people who become truly famous, stay famous for decades, and that this is the case whatever field they're in, including sports, politics, ...

Distracted driving remains a serious concern in New Jersey Article provided by Law Offices of John F. Mifka Visit us at http://www.mifkalaw.com Despite widespread efforts to prevent cellphone-related car accidents, the issue of distracted driving remains a major concern in New Jersey and throughout the country. Cellphone distractions affect all age groups Contrary to widespread beliefs, texting while driving is not a behavior limited to teen drivers. In fact, a 2010 study by the Pew Research Center found that adults may be even more prone to texting while ...

"Distracted walking" becoming a phenomenon across the country Article provided by Wall Ellison LLP Visit us at http://www.wallellison.com For better or for worse, the electronic age -- text messaging in particular -- has revolutionized the way people communicate. Abbreviations like "C U L8R, "OMG" and "LOL" are now commonplace in our lexicon. People use smart phones for everything from texting to tweeting, and from shopping to surfing the web, all of which is amazing and incredibly convenient. It can also be dangerous if done in ...

In 2013, make a resolution to improve your credit Article provided by Wyatt & Gracey, PC Visit us at http://www.wyattpllc.com/ For many people, the holiday season comes with a significant increase in spending. Between gifts, travel and the special groceries for holiday dinners, most people end up spending more than they otherwise would in a given month. If these expenses were put on a credit card, though, holiday spending may end up being a gift that keeps on giving -- in a bad way. Unmanageable debt can have all sorts of negative consequences, and going ...

Drafting leases for New York City apartment rentals Article provided by Pearlman, Apat, Futterman, Sirotkin & Seinfeld, LLP Visit us at http://www.queensnyrealestatelawyers.com Getting into the New York City rental market can be an excellent way to turn residential real estate into a valuable income stream. However, being a landlord is not as easy as simply purchasing an apartment building and watching the money roll in. New York City has a number of strict laws that govern rental housing, and a successful career as a landlord depends on careful compliance with ...

Important estate planning considerations for non-traditional families Article provided by Bingham Legal Group PC Visit us at http://www.binghamlegalgroup.com There is no doubt that the family structure of households in the United States has changed over the years. The latest census report shows that married couples make up less than 50 percent of all American households. Singles, same-sex couples and unmarried partners now comprise a majority of the nation's family units. Your estate plan should reflect the needs of you and your family. With the structure of families ...

Pennsylvania woman wins case alleging pregnancy discrimination Article provided by Logan & Logan Visit us at http://www.loganlawfirm.net/ A Pennsylvania woman recently received monetary damages and back pay after she accused a company she worked for of firing her because she was pregnant. This case demonstrates some of the remedies that may be available when an employer wrongfully discriminates against a woman because of her gender, in violation of the Civil Rights Act and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act. Woman wins pregnancy discrimination case The Pennsylvania ...

Yi Zhang, HHMI Investigator and Senior Investigator of the Program of Cellular & Molecular Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital and a Professor of Genetics and of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School will speak on the "Mechanism and Function of Tet-mediated 5mC Oxidation" at the 3rd Epigenetics in Drug Discovery Conference on May 8-10, 2013 in Boston, MA. Epigenetic modifications play important roles in diverse biological processes that range from regulation of gene expression, embryonic development, stem cell reprogramming, and human diseases. One of ...