The value that an expectant mother places on family—regardless of the reality of her own family situation—predicts the birthweight of her baby and whether the child will develop asthma symptoms three years later, according to new research from USC. The findings suggest that one's culture is a resource that can provide tangible physical health benefits. "We know that social support has profound health implications; yet, in this case, this is more a story of beliefs than of actual family support," said Cleopatra Abdou, assistant professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology. Abdou ...

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (December 3, 2012) – Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Center for Drug Design have developed a synthetic compound that, in a mouse model, successfully prevents the neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease. In the pre-clinical study, researchers Robert Vince, Ph.D.; Swati More, Ph.D.; and Ashish Vartak, Ph.D., of the University's Center for Drug Design, found evidence that a lab-made compound known as psi-GSH enables the brain to use its own protective enzyme system, called glyoxalase, against the Alzheimer's disease process. ...

Researchers at Western University have made a breakthrough that could lead to a better understanding of a common form of arthritis that, until now, has eluded scientists. According to The Arthritis Society, the second most common form of arthritis after osteoarthritis is "diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis" or DISH. It affects between six and 12 percent of North Americans, usually people older than 50. DISH is classified as a form of degenerative arthritis and is characterized by the formation of excessive mineral deposits along the sides of the vertebrae in the ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — University of Florida scientists have co-authored a study describing a new Lepidoptera species found in Jamaica's last remaining wilderness. Belonging to the family of skipper butterflies, the new genus and species is the first butterfly discovered in Jamaica since 1995. Scientists hope the native butterfly will encourage conservation of the country's last wilderness where it was discovered: the Cockpit Country. The study appearing in today's Tropical Lepidoptera Research, a bi-annual print journal, underscores the need for further biodiversity research ...

Medicare Advantage (MA), with more than 10 million enrollees, is the largest alternative to traditional Medicare. MA's managed care approach was designed to provide coordinated, integrated care for patients and savings for taxpayers, but since the program launched as Medicare Part C in 1985, critics have said that the system limited enrollee freedom of choice without significant benefit or savings to the Medicare program. They also pointed to the tendency of some private payers to design benefit plans and marketing campaigns that attracted healthier patients, leaving sicker, ...

BALTIMORE, MD (December 3, 2012)— Probiotics like those found in yogurt are not only good for people--they are also good for fish. A new study by scientists at the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology found that feeding probiotics to baby zebrafish accelerated their development and increased their chances of survival into adulthood. This research could help increase the success of raising rare ornamental fish to adulthood. It also has implications for aquaculture, since accelerating the development of fish larvae--the toughest time for survival--could mean ...

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Ames Laboratory have discovered new ways of using a well-known polymer in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), which could eliminate the need for an increasingly problematic and breakable metal-oxide used in screen displays in computers, televisions, and cell phones. The metal-oxide, indium tin oxide (ITO), is a transparent conductor used as the anode for flat screen displays, and has been the standard for decades. Due to indium's limited supply, increasing cost and the increasing demand for its use in screen and lighting ...

Boston, MA -- A new study led by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) has found an association between reductions in fine particulate matter and improved life expectancy in 545 counties in the U.S. from 2000 to 2007. It is the largest study to date to find beneficial effects to public health of continuing to reduce air pollution levels in the U.S. The study appears in the December 3, 2012 online edition of the journal Epidemiology. "Despite the fact that the U.S. population as a whole is exposed to much lower levels of air pollution than 30 years ago—because ...

Two NASA satellites gathered data as the passed over Bopha when it was a Super Typhoon on Dec. 2, gathering valuable data for forecasters. Since Dec. 2, Bopha's maximum sustained winds have fluctuated up and down from its previous high of 155 mph and today, Dec. 3, the storm has reached its strongest point so far as a Category 5 typhoon on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds of 161 mph. Warnings are up for the Philippines as Bopha approaches. NASA's Terra satellite captured a visible image of Bopha as a Super Typhoon showing the extent of the storm and revealing ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Water transforms into a previously unknown structure in between a liquid and a vapor when in contact with alcohol molecules containing long oily chains, according to Purdue University researchers. However, around short oily chains water is more icelike. Water plays a huge role in biological processes, from protein folding to membrane formation, and it could be that this transformation is useful in a way not yet understood, said Dor Ben-Amotz, the professor of chemistry who led the research. Ben-Amotz's research team found that as they examined ...

CINCINNATI – Teenage girls who smoke accumulate less bone during a critical growth period and carry a higher risk of developing osteoporosis later in life, according to new research in the Journal of Adolescent Health. In a study published Dec. 4, researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report the data can be useful for developing strategies to help prevent osteoporosis (a disease where bones lose mineral density and become brittle) and bone fractures. The study points to the largest negative impact on bone mineral density occurring in the lumbar ...

Men in their thirties who had inflamed gums caused by severe periodontal disease were three times more likely to suffer from erection problems, according to a study published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine. Turkish researchers compared 80 men aged 30 to 40 with erectile dysfunction with a control group of 82 men without erection problems. This showed that 53 per cent of the men with erectile dysfunction had inflamed gums compared with 23 per cent in the control group. When the results were adjusted for other factors, such as age, body mass index, household income ...

New clues about the bacteria that cause Lyme disease could lead to a novel strategy to reduce infections, according to a study to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on December 4. The study reveals that the immune system of the white-footed mouse, a very common reservoir for Borrelia burgdorferi (the bacterium that causes the disease), responds differently to different strains of the bacterium, a finding that will help scientists tweak the animals' immune systems to prevent infection. A vaccine that keeps these ...

December, 4, 2012 — Ottawa — For Ottawa scientist and neonatologist Dr. Bernard Thébaud, even a major paper that answers five significant questions still doesn't seem quite enough in his determined path to get his laboratory breakthrough into the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Dr. Thébaud's proposed therapy would use stem cells from umbilical cords to treat a disease previously thought to be untreatable — bronchopulmonary dysplasia, or BPD. "BPD is a lung disease described 45 years ago in which we have made zero progress. And now, with these cord-derived stem cells ...

If you think having your phone identify the nearest bus stop is cool, wait until it identifies your mood. New research by a team of engineers at the University of Rochester may soon make that possible. At the IEEE Workshop on Spoken Language Technology on Dec. 5, the researchers will describe a new computer program that gauges human feelings through speech, with substantially greater accuracy than existing approaches. Surprisingly, the program doesn't look at the meaning of the words. "We actually used recordings of actors reading out the date of the month – it really ...

Every photon in a laser beam marches in lockstep, at an identical wavelength that depends on what the laser is used for – for example, infrared lasers that drive the optic fiber internet. For many applications, lasers need to be precisely tuned to those wavelengths, and the wavelength-measuring instruments can be more expensive than the lasers themselves. Now, using a handful of inexpensive components – including an off-the-shelf computer webcam and a small diffraction grating, a device for splitting and diffracting light into several beams – researchers have built a diffraction ...

Barcelona, 04 December 2012. - Bioinformaticians at IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute) and UPF (Pompeu Fabra University) have used molecular simulation techniques to explain a specific step in the maturation of the HIV virions, i.e., how newly formed inert virus particles become infectious, which is essential in understanding how the virus replicates. These results, which have been published in the latest edition of PNAS, could be crucial to the design of future antiretrovirals. HIV virions mature and become infectious as a result of the action of a protein ...

Brain injury symptoms may persist years longer than previously thought Roughly 1.7 million people suffer traumatic brain injuries each year in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In serious cases, TBI can result in permanent disabilities and may even be fatal. What's more, recent research suggests that even mild to moderate TBI symptoms may persist for years after an initial head trauma. What is traumatic brain injury? A traumatic brain injury occurs when a bump or blow to the head causes the brain to collide with the ...

NJ bill could lead to changes in alimony decisions A new bill proposed in the New Jersey legislature has sparked conversations regarding alimony and prenuptial agreements in the state. The proposed law would alter the current standards used by judges in making determinations regarding both alimony and prenups. The bill would change the way in which judges consider whether alimony should be awarded to one spouse or the other, and the appropriate payment. The law would eliminate some types of assets when calculating a spouse's income. The assets that would no longer ...

Charging Juveniles as Adults in Maryland: Jail Plans Spark Debate Charging Juveniles as Adults in Maryland: Jail Plans Spark Debate Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley says plans to build a controversial new juvenile detention facility in downtown Baltimore are "moving forward," according to a recent Baltimore Sun article. The proposed 120-bed facility will cost an estimated $70 million to construct and is intended to house juvenile offenders who have been charged as adults. Currently, juveniles facing adult criminal charges are held in an annex of the ...

New study reports that fewer teens are drinking and driving North Carolina residents are aware that teenage drunk driving is a serious problem. Fortunately, a new study reveals that the number of teens who drink and drive dropped by half between 1991 and 2011. Driving under the influence declining among teens According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine out of 10 teens under age 16 said they did not drink and drive in 2011. This is a 54 percent decrease from 1991. Although the CDC director notes that this is good news, it also means ...

Law Enforcement in Missouri Targets Synthetic Drugs Law Enforcement in Missouri Targets Synthetic Drugs A few years ago synthetic drugs emerged onto the shelves and counters of gas stations and convenience stores in Missouri and elsewhere across the country, and for a time the creation, distribution and use of the substances flew under the radar of law enforcement. As synthetic drug activity has been incorporated into traditional drug laws, federal and state authorities step up their efforts to police and prosecute those associated with synthetic drugs, particularly ...

GoodGirlPR and New Beauty Magazine are excited to host a special beauty bar relief party. The event will bring an evening of pampering and Kamoni Ice cocktails along with complimentary Fancy Face makeovers, hairstyling by the Beauty Bar, and OPI manicures. Guests are invited to contribute monetary donations, canned goods, and clothing to help those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Event Details: Who: New Beauty Magazine & GoodGirlPR What: Beauty Bar Relief Event When: December 3, 2012, 6:30PM-9:30PM Where: Blink Beauty, 32 Union Square E, Suite 311, ...

Pastor and Publishing author James Langston's book, Out of the Ashes, is receiving rave reviews. The book has ranked in the top 100 in tag categories "Jesus Christ," "Call to Salvation," and "Church Leadership." Out of the Ashes takes readers on an exciting and thought provoking journey: a journey that touches the very essence of why Believers often face difficult and challenging situations. While none of us adore these trials of faith, in them, God is reshaping our lives for His service. Langston writes, "I wish I could say that ...

TranZcenter -The Truth about the Transportation Industry......... While many industries these days are struggling with the idea of reducing their workforce and facing cutbacks in order to survive these tough economic times, that is not the case in the trucking industry. This career field is seeing an impressive increase in the number of trucking jobs available, and Mr. Milton Collier believe there will be even more opportunities presented should the economy begin to rebound. Reasons for Shortage A number of factors have led to a shortage of truckers. One major ...