VIDEO: Michigan State researchers show how new viruses evolve, and in some cases, become deadly. Click here for more information. EAST LANSING, Mich. -- In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations. The scientists showed for the first time how the virus called "Lambda" evolved to find a new way to attack host cells, an innovation that ...

A collection of essays written for the general reader who wishes to know more about contemporary Asian affairs, the focus of "Random Views of Asia from the Mid-Pacific" is largely on geo-strategic issues in Northeast Asia, although attention is given to Central Asia, Tibet, Vietnam, the Russian Far East, India, and the South China Sea Author William E. Sharp, Jr. began his association with Asia in 1968 while serving with US Army military intelligence in Vietnam. He has a B.A. Degree in Political Science focused on Chinese and Japanese politics from the University ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations. The scientists showed for the first time how the virus called "Lambda" evolved to find a new way to attack host cells, an innovation that took four mutations to accomplish. This virus infects bacteria, in particular the common E. coli bacterium. Lambda isn't dangerous to humans, but this research demonstrated how viruses evolve complex and potentially deadly ...

The authors of the Amazon best-seller: "Teen Devotionals... For Girls!" have done it again. With over 2,500 subscribers to their online devotions, they have decided to publish a second devotional book. The book will contain 90 devotionals written with today's teen girls in mind. These devotions are read daily by teens around the world, used in Bible study groups, and have even been used at events such as "See You at the Pole". Here's what's being said about them: "These devotions are perfect for a teenage girl. I look forward to reading them ...

Nearly 12,000 people will die of head and neck cancer in the United States this year and worldwide cases will exceed half a million. A study published this week in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models, grape seed extract (GSE) kills head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. "It's a rather dramatic effect," says Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. It depends in large part, says Agarwal, ...

Everyone's heard the familiar axiom "If you make a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door." Today, replace mousetrap invention with bed bug solution and they'll no doubt knock down your door. The magnitude of the bed bug epidemic in the U.S. has befuddled the pest control industry to date. Chemical solutions have only a 50% success rate, plus the bugs are becoming pesticide-resistant. Heat treatments don't penetrate wallboards where the bed bugs hide or heat the slab. Dry steam invites mold problems. (Did you ever meet dry water?) Freezing ...

DALLAS – Jan. 26, 2012 – Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have developed what they believe to be the first clinical application of a new imaging technique to diagnose brain tumors. The unique test could preclude the need for surgery in patients whose tumors are located in areas of the brain too dangerous to biopsy. This new magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) technique provides a definitive diagnosis of cancer based on imaging of a protein associated with a mutated gene found in 80 percent of low- and intermediate-grade gliomas. Presence of the mutation ...

Streaming live on the Co-Creator Radio Network (www.co-creatornetwork.com) on Tuesday, January 31, at 11 a.m. Pacific time/2 p.m. Eastern time, on her show "Why Shamanism Now?: A Practical Path to Authenticity," shaman and founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing Christina Pratt tells listeners that we may be able to measure the ways in which depression alters our brain chemistry. However, that does not prove that brain chemistry causes depression. One problem with the brain chemistry explanation is that it does nothing to help us ferret out the root ...

Spark Events launched yet another industry last week - Day Spa's and Salons located throughout the Kansas City Metro Area. These high-end day spas have enjoyed premier status for many years, and are looking to continue their dominance by Spark Event's marketing expertise. "The entire team is ecstatic about these campaigns, because the day spas have so much potential, and we've eagerly been anticipating the kick off," states Luke Combs, account executive of Spark Events, who was present at all client set-ups. "We market for clients all throughout the region, ...

New York, NY (January 26, 2012) — Researchers at the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine have identified a genetic variation that raises the risk of developing serious necrotic jaw bone lesions in patients who take bisphosphonates, a common class of osteoclastic inhibitors. The discovery paves the way for a genetic screening test to determine who can safely take these drugs. The study appears in the online version of the journal The Oncologist. Oral bisphosphonates are currently taken by some 3 million women in the United States for the prevention or treatment ...

San Diego, January 26, 2012 - If you want to change how teenagers view bullying, go to the straight to the source of most school trends: the most connected crowd. According to new intervention research, targeting the most influential students in a school could be a key factor in reducing harassment and bullying. These results are part of a group of studies that are being presented today at a social psychology conference in San Diego, CA, on new, sometimes small, ways to make meaningful impacts on people's lives. "This is an exciting time in the field of social psychology," ...

The staff of RiverEdge Dental are pleased to announce the addition of Dr. Andrea Mandelbaum to their practice. Dr. Mandelbaum Smith studied at York University, where she earned an Honours degree with a major in Biology and a minor in Psychology. She then proceeded to obtain a , doctor of dental surgery, DDS degree from The University of Western Ontario in London. Dr. Mandelbaum chose her career path at the tender age of sixteen, at the urging of her own dentist. She currently resides in Maple with her husband and infant son. Dr. Mandelbaum brings a wealth of experience ...

HOUSTON -- (Jan. 26, 2012) -- Like a magician employing sleight of hand, the protein mitoNEET -- a mysterious but important player in diabetes, cancer and aging -- draws the eye with a flurry of movement in one location while the subtle, more crucial action takes place somewhere else. Using a combination of laboratory experiments and computer modeling, scientists from Rice University and the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have deciphered part of mitoNEET's movements to get a better understanding of how it handles its potentially toxic payload of iron and sulfur. ...

Karl Vanghen, author of 'My Enemy, My Beloved', has been named one of '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading'. His honors came as a result of his appearance on The Authors Show. Vanghen was chosen from a field of hundreds of authors through a public voting process. 'My Enemy, My Beloved' is an historical fiction novel that explores the life of a German POW held on American soil. "I wrote this book," stated Mr. Vanghen, "to reveal the life and times of German POW's and citizens swept up in World War Two. As a native Minnesotan, I, like many others, was ...

Cancer is one of the most common causes of death in humans. The conventional cancer therapies include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeting therapies, which are intended to directly destroy and eliminate tumor cells. These treatments often fail, resulting in tumor metastasis and recurrence. Therefore, there is a critical need for novel cancer therapies. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have revealed that immune responses play a critical role in conventional cancer therapies. Replication-selective oncolytic viruses are a rapidly expanding therapeutic ...

IRS requires that employers need to furnish each employee a completed Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement before Jan 31, 2012 mailing deadline. For 2012 tax season, employers can cut cost on the expensive pre-printed W-2 tax forms. Payroll tax software provider, Halfpricesoft.com (http://www.halfpricesoft.com) released the new ezW2 software, which can print all the W-2 forms on plain paper. The laser substitute forms of W-2 copy A and W-3 printed by ezW2 are SSA approved. Available from just $39 per installation, ezW2 software has remained at that affordable price since ...

Exacerbation severity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can be reliably assessed with the COPD Assessment Test™ (CAT), according to a new study from the UK. "There is currently no widely accepted standardized method for assessing symptom severity at exacerbations in COPD patients," said Dr Alex J Mackay, MBBS, MRCP, clinical research fellow at the Academic Unit of Respiratory Medicine, University College London. "Incorporating CAT scores into the assessment of COPD patients may provide a standardized, objective method for assessing symptom ...

The lung clearance index (LCI) is a sensitive non-invasive marker of early lung disease in young children with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to a new study from Australian researchers. "We found that LCI is elevated early in children with CF, especially in the presence of airway inflammation and Pseudomonas aeruginosa," said Yvonne Belessis, MBBS, MPH, PhD, respiratory staff specialist at the Sydney Children's Hospital. "LCI may not only be a marker of early CF lung disease, but may be useful as an objective outcome measure in future studies of young children with CF." The ...

Label: Kusha Deep Records Artist: Dar.Ra Film and Music Title: City Of Hope A Childrens Story http://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/city-of-hope-ep/id498099383 The City Of Hope A Children's Story documentary is the tale of two American's Phillip Smith and his father Jack Smith, who have made amazing things happen for the street kids of Rio. Their lives changed direction after they had sponsored a young Brazilian boy, and then witnessed the story 20/20 about the death squads in Rio and Sao Paulo. Seeing the injustice and harsh reality that a birth into a poor family ...

MIAMI – Jan. 27, 2012 – In a study published in the journal Geology, scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science suggest that the large changes in the carbon isotopic composition of carbonates which occurred prior to the major climatic event more than 500 million years ago, known as 'Snowball Earth,' are unrelated to worldwide glacial events. "Our study suggests that the geochemical record documented in rocks prior to the Marinoan glaciation or 'Snowball Earth' are unrelated to the glaciation itself," said UM Rosenstiel ...

Consumers, in this era of social media, have more power than ever before to affect change, and companies that forget that, do so at their own risk. LocalBlox is helping global companies build brands and reputations within local markets for the benefit of all concerned. "Consumers are more powerful in today's Facebook and Twitter era and one negative story from a local store or representative can spoil your global brand rapidly, much like a spreading wildfire," said Sabira Arefin, CEO and founder of LocalBlox. The firm provides integrated local social media ...

As part of the Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie (SIHH), IWC Schaffhausen invited around 1,000 guests and journalists from all over the world to the launch of its new Pilot's Watch collection in Geneva. Under the motto "TOP GUN", and in the presence of celebrities like Cate Blanchett, Jean Reno, Ewan McGregor, Ronan Keating, sporting legends Boris Becker, Luís Figo and Zinedine Zidane as well as top model Adriana Lima, guests enjoyed an unforgettable gala evening rounded off with a performance from the legendary Bryan Ferry."Our aim this evening ...

This release is also available in Chinese on EurekAlert! Chinese. Jena (Germany) Girls are not as good at playing football as boys, and they do not have a clue about cars. Instead they know better how to dance and do not get into mischief as often as boys. Prejudices like these are cultivated from early childhood onwards by everyone. "Approximately at the age of three to four years children start to prefer children of the same sex, and later the same ethnic group or nationality," Prof. Dr. Andreas Beelmann of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany) states. ...

Brookfield Homes San Diego is excited to announce the launch of its new interactive home buying experience, the Brookfield Homes LIFEstyle Quiz. Set to change the way Facebook users find their new home, this custom-designed Facebook tab allows consumers to match their unique lifestyle to the Brookfield community that best suits their needs, offering a personalized, interactive experience unlike any the industry has seen before. While many consumers begin their search for a new home by simply researching online, the Brookfield Homes custom Facebook tab offers a fun, new ...

A team of biologists at the University of York has made an important advance in our understanding of the way cholera attacks the body. The discovery could help scientists target treatments for the globally significant intestinal disease which kills more than 100,000 people every year. The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, which is able to colonise the intestine usually after consumption of contaminated water or food. Once infection is established, the bacterium secretes a toxin that causes watery diarrhoea and ultimately death if not treated rapidly. ...