Research by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville professor has found that about a thousand bird species became extinct following human colonization. Research by Alison Boyer, a research assistant professor in ecology and evolutionary biology, and an international team studied the extinction rates of nonperching land birds in the Pacific Islands from 700 to 3,500 years ago. Some of the birds studied included birds of prey and ducks. The team uncovered the magnitude of the extinctions and insight into how and why human impacts varied across the region. The findings are ...

African American men on average wait a week longer than their Caucasian counterparts between the initial diagnosis of prostate cancer and treatment, according to University of North Carolina researchers. The study was published online March 28 in Cancer, the journal of the American Cancer Society, by a team led by Ronald Chen, MD, MPH, assistant professor with the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. The study is the first published population-based examination of racial disparities in prostate cancer treatment delay. Using data from Medicare patients, Dr. Chen ...

PHILADELPHIA - Neurosurgeons can visualize important pathways in the brain using an imaging technique called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), to better adapt brain tumor surgeries and preserve language, visual and motor function while removing cancerous tissue. In the latest issue of Neurosurgical Focus, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania review research showing that this ability to visualize relevant white matter tracts during glioma resection surgeries can improve accuracy and, in some groups, significantly extend survival ...

The word "organic" can mean many things to consumers. Even so, the power of an organic label can be very strong: studies have shown that this simple label can lead us to think that a food is healthier, through what is known as the 'health halo effect'. But can this bias go further? A study by Cornell University's Food and Brand Lab researchers Lee, Shimizu, Kniffin and Wansink set out to answer this question. Their study shows that an organic label can influence much more than health views: perceptions of taste, calories and value can be significantly altered when a food ...

URBANA - Inclusion of corn germ in swine diets can reduce diet costs, depending on the local cost of corn germ and other ingredients. Recent research conducted at the University of Illinois indicates that corn germ can be included at up to 30 percent in diets fed to growing pigs. "In previous research, we had seen that pigs do very well on diets containing 10 percent corn germ, so we wanted to investigate if higher inclusion rates can be used," said Hans Stein, professor of animal sciences at Illinois. The corn germ used in this study came from the ethanol, or dry grind, ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA -- Imagine if you could drink a glass of water just by inserting a solid wire into it and sucking on it as though it were a soda straw. It turns out that if you were tiny enough, that method would work just fine — and wouldn't even require the suction to start. New research carried out at MIT and elsewhere has demonstrated for the first time that when inserted into a pool of liquid, nanowires — wires that are only hundreds of nanometers (billionths of a meter) across — naturally draw the liquid upward in a thin film that coats the surface of the wire. The ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Men with an inherited genetic condition called Lynch syndrome face a higher lifetime risk of developing prostate cancer and appear to develop the disease at an earlier age, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition linked to a higher risk of several types of cancer. People with Lynch syndrome have up to 80 percent lifetime risk of colorectal cancer and are also more likely to develop endometrial, gastric, ovarian, urinary tract, pancreatic and brain ...

Most cancer treatments are blunt. In an attempt to eradicate tumors, oncologists often turn to radiation or chemotherapy, which can damage healthy tissue along with the cancerous growths. New research from C. David Allis' laboratory at Rockefeller University may bring scientists closer to designing cancer therapeutics that can target tumors with pinpoint accuracy. Their findings, published last week in Science Express, follow a recent series of discoveries by several international genome sequencing consortiums that directly links a mutated histone protein to a rare brain ...

Rochester, MN, April 1, 2013 – A retrospective study of patients who had in-hospital electroencephalography (EEG) has established that EEG is a valuable tool that could be deployed more widely to identify treatable causes of impaired consciousness in the hospital setting. The study is published in the April issue of the Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Altered mental status (AMS) and paroxysmal spells of uncertain origin are common among hospitalized patients. Impaired consciousness can sometimes be linked to metabolic or cardiac causes, but some of these spells may represent ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Researchers at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center have developed new guidelines to treat recently diagnosed multiple myeloma patients who are not participating in clinical trials. The guidelines give physicians practical, easy to follow recommendations for providing initial therapy, stem cell transplant and maintenance therapy. The guidelines are published in the current issue of the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings and represent a consensus opinion of hematologists at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center sites in Minnesota, Florida and Arizona. "Multiple myeloma is an ...

LOS ALAMOS, N. M., March 29, 2013—A new study by Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Pennsylvania scientists defines previously unknown properties of transmitted HIV-1, the virus that causes AIDS. The viruses that successfully pass from a chronically infected person to a new individual are both remarkably resistant to a powerful initial human immune-response mechanism, and they are blanketed in a greater amount of envelope protein that helps them access and enter host cells. These findings will help inform vaccine design and interpretation of vaccine trials, ...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A study led by researchers at the University of North Carolina indicates that a newly approved blood thinner that blocks a key component of the human blood clotting system may increase the risk and severity of certain viral infections, including flu and myocarditis, a viral infection of the heart and a significant cause of sudden death in children and young adults. For the past 50 years, people with the heartbeat irregularity, atrial fibrillation, and others at increased risk for forming potentially life-threatening blood clots have been given the ...

Jena (Germany) The Earth is dynamic. What we perceive as solid ground beneath our feet, is in reality constantly changing. In the space of a year Africa and America are drifting apart at the back of the Middle Atlantic for some centimeters while the floor of the Pacific Ocean is subducted underneath the South American Continent. "In 100 million years' time Africa will be pulled apart and North Australia will be at the equator," says Prof. Dr. Falko Langenhorst from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany). Plate tectonics is leading to a permanent renewal of the ...

Johns Hopkins scientists say they have evidence from animal studies that a type of central nervous system cell other than motor neurons plays a fundamental role in the development of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal degenerative disease. The discovery holds promise, they say, for identifying new targets for interrupting the disease's progress. In a study described online in Nature Neuroscience, the researchers found that, in mice bred with a gene mutation that causes human ALS, dramatic changes occurred in oligodendrocytes — cells that create insulation for ...

New research predicts that rising temperatures will lead to a massive "greening," or increase in plant cover, in the Arctic. In a paper published on March 31 in Nature Climate Change, scientists reveal new models projecting that wooded areas in the Arctic could increase by as much as 50 percent over the next few decades. The researchers also show that this dramatic greening will accelerate climate warming at a rate greater than previously expected. "Such widespread redistribution of Arctic vegetation would have impacts that reverberate through the global ecosystem," said ...

Scientists at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine have discovered a new biological pathway of innate immunity that ramps up inflammation and then identified agents that can block it, leading to increased survival and improved lung function in animal models of pneumonia. They reported their findings today in Nature Immunology. Pneumonia and other infections sometimes provoke an inflammatory response from the body that is more detrimental than the disease-causing bacteria, said senior author Rama Mallampalli, M.D, professor and vice chair for research, Department ...

It is known that family-based treatment that combines nutrition and exercise education, along with behavior modification, is a good approach to help children lose weight. But clinic-based weight-control programs for childhood obesity are not accessible to many families, due to issues such as cost or time commitment. Initial studies at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine indicate that a self-help treatment program for overweight children and their parents, guided by clinical experts, may be an effective solution. The study, led by Kerri Boutelle, ...

OAKLAND, Calif., April 1, 2013 – Chicken pox, the childhood affliction of earlier generations, has been largely neutralized by the varicella vaccine, according to a new study by the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, which appears in the current online issue of Pediatrics. The 14-year study followed 7,585 children who were vaccinated in 1995, when they were 12 to 23 months old, to assess the long-term effectiveness of the vaccine and the impact on the epidemiology of varicella (chicken pox) and herpes zoster (shingles). Researchers also observed the impact of the ...

Philadelphia, Pa. (April 1, 2013) - By middle age, most people have age-related declines in near vision (presbyopia) requiring bifocals or reading glasses. An emerging technique called hyperopic orthokeratology (OK) may provide a new alternative for restoring near vision without the need for glasses, according to a study, "Refractive Changes from Hyperopic Orthokeratology Monovision in Presbyopes", appearing in the April issue of Optometry and Vision Science, official journal of the American Academy of Optometry. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ...

Every month, tens of thousands of people are searching for jogging stroller reviews online. Unfortunately, only a handful of websites currently provide legitimate reviews, making it difficult for athletic parents to find unbiased information. "It's a shame; it's hard for athletic parents to find information about jogging strollers. You never know whether you're going to make the right choice when it comes to safety and reliability" says Henry Stinson, one of the staff members at the newly launched website, BestJoggingStrollerReviews.org The site provides ...

Geranium Street Floral says plants and flowers give a very different feel to any environment: they can add vitality and color to a room that otherwise would be cold, or add serenity to a busy environment, such as a doctor's office waiting room. Bob Smith, general manager of San Marcos, CA-based Geranium Street Floral, says artificial flowers or plants can be placed in key locations, such as a coffee table, a corner of the room or in the eaves of a window, to really add atmosphere. Artificial plants can add an elegant and sophisticated air to a space without creating ...

Research conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management shows that 50% of all resumes and applications contain false information. The U.S. Department of Commerce identifies employee theft as the cause of 33% of all business failures. The Department of Justice claims workplace violence accounts for 18% of all violent crimes. 66% of negligent hiring trial cases result in jury awards averaging $600,000 in damages. Can your business afford to skip important, yet inexpensive steps such as background checks which could save time, money and headaches when it comes to hiring? Statistics ...

GreeningtheInn's target audience of green-minded hoteliers and consumers will find a more user-friendly version of their signature "Green Catalogue," launched Friday, March 28. Both the visual design and search function have been improved to provide users with easier functionality. Companies wishing to list their product(s) in the Green Catalogue have three options available to them, including a basic free listing or upgrades to premium or featured listings. For more information on the Green Catalog, visitors can go to http://www.greeningtheinn.com, click ...

Dr. Pratik Desai, MD FACC, President of Avance Care, P.A. announced that Dr. Jennifer Thompson and Dr. Payson Thompson will join the team of medical professionals at Avance Care Morrisville, located at 6402 McCrimmon Parkway, Suite 100. Dr. Jennifer Thompson, a Board Certified Family Physician, is originally from Buffalo NY and relocated to Raleigh in 1997. Dr. Thompson received her undergraduate training from SUNY Buffalo and UNC Chapel Hill, and then attended the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University. She comes to Avance Care with experience gained ...

This content, normally reserved exclusively to our Workamajig Deployment and Workamajig Re-deployment consulting solutions, is now available to general audiences for the very first time. Of the numerous Project Management seminars on the market, few are focused specifically on the unique needs for advertising and marketing Agency Project Managers, and none are Workamajig specific - except for ours. To be held in Portland, Oregon from May 21 to May 24, 2013, this Project Management seminar will focus on agency best practices and ways to utilize the many benefits of Workamajig ...