HOUSTON – An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report in the May 18 issue of The Lancet. The drug dabrafenib, which targets the Val600 BRAF mutation that is active in half of melanoma cases, also cut the size of tumors in 25 of 36 patients with late-stage melanoma that had not spread to the brain. The drug also showed activity in other cancer types with the BRAF mutation. "Nine out of 10 responses among patients with ...

The world's largest religious wax museum turns 25 this year. To honor the anniversary, BibleWalk, the Living Bible Museum located in Mansfield, Ohio is offering the tours for just 25 cents during its birthday week, Aug. 12-17. The museum offers four different tours, a collection of rare Bibles and the world's largest collection of American votive folk-art. This unique art form became stylish in the 1910s among newly arrived immigrants who would collect costume jewelry, hat and tie pins, beads, cuff links, collar studs, coins, and other items, sculpting them into elaborate ...

A device which could restore sight to patients with one of the most common causes of blindness in the developed world is being developed in an international partnership. Researchers from the University of Strathclyde and Stanford University in California are creating a prosthetic retina for patients of age related macular degeneration (AMD), which affects one in 500 patients aged between 55 and 64 and one in eight aged over 85. The device would be simpler in design and operation than existing models. It acts by electrically stimulating neurons in the retina, which ...

AURORA, Colo. (May 17, 2012) - We have known for years that when the proteins RalA and RalB are present, cells in dishes copy toward aggressive forms of cancer. However, until this week, no study had explored the effects of RAL proteins in human cancers – an essential step on the path to developing drugs to target these proteins. From metastasis in bladder cancer, to seminal vessel involvement in prostate cancer, to shortened survival in squamous cell carcinoma, a study published this week in the journal Cancer Research shows that proteins RalA and RalB are associated with ...

(Monterey, CA) – The work of Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) Operations Research Professor Moshe Kress will be featured in the upcoming edition of the American Association for the Advancement of Science's Science Journal, a leading scientific research and news publication. Kress' article, titled "Modeling Armed Conflicts," reviews quantitative approaches to modeling military operations, threat situations, and force structure. The piece reviews historical, classical, present and future armed conflict models, including the dynamics of today's insurgencies. Kress has ...

The excitement for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London, England is starting to build. And though Beijing's impressive $100 million-plus opening ceremonies for the 2008 Olympics will be hard to top, London is certainly going to try. In December, Prime Minister David Cameron doubled the budget for the opening and closing ceremonies to $130 million (81 million pounds) and new casting calls went out almost immediately. Danny Boyle (of Slumdog Millionaire fame) is choreographing the event and is promising 12,000 performers, including dancers, drummers, acrobats, skateboarders, ...

Innate differences in immunity can be detected at birth, according to new research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. And babies with a better innate response to viruses have fewer respiratory illnesses in the first year of life. "Viral respiratory infections are common during childhood," says first author Kaharu Sumino, MD, assistant professor of medicine. "Usually they are mild, but there's a wide range of responses — from regular cold symptoms to severe lung infections and even, in rare instances, death. We wanted to look at whether the innate ...

A McGill-led research team using the Herschel Space Observatory has discovered a giant, galaxy-packed filament ablaze with billions of new stars. The filament connects two clusters of galaxies that, along with a third cluster, will smash together and give rise to one of the largest galaxy superclusters in the universe. The filament is the first structure of its kind spied in a critical era of cosmic buildup when colossal collections of galaxies called superclusters began to take shape. The glowing galactic bridge offers astronomers a unique opportunity to explore ...

Harmful ingredients masked in product labels affect the unaware The National Skin Care Institute wants to warn consumers of the risk toxic products poise to their skin and overall general health. There is not enough transparency being seen from big brand names and consumers are often unaware of the harmful chemical ingredients contained in the products they are bringing into their homes and exposing their families to. The worst part is that many of these products are being marketed as safe for use on the smallest and most vulnerable of us all - babies. Big brand name ...

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- How species diversity is maintained is a fundamental question in biology. In a new study, a team of Indiana University biologists has shown for the first time that diversity is influenced on a spatial scale of unparalleled scope, in part, by how well tree seedlings survive under their own parents. Scientists have long considered conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD), a process where the mortality of a species rises in coincidence with its increasing abundance, to be a key mechanism maintaining diversity at the local scale. In new research ...

Hamilton Equipment - 800-733-0275 - is proud to introduce the new Danuser Wobble Auger, in addition to the full line of stocking Danuser wholegoods and parts. The Wobble Auger is called the "Dirtless Digging Solution" because it quickly produces a hole with no loose dirt in the bottom - or around the top of the hole! The spiral and checkered hardfacing pushes through dirt, frozen ground, sand, clay, asphalt, compacted rock and embedded rock. See our video, above, to watch the Wobble Auger work in packed dirt and frozen ground!! There are various collar ...

OTTO, NC--Research by USDA Forest Service Southern Research Station (SRS) scientists shows that the impacts of recent outbreaks of southern pine beetle further degraded shortleaf pine-hardwood forest ecosystems in the southern Appalachian region. The authors suggest that cutting and burning these sites reduces heavy fuel loads, improves soil nutrient status, and opens the canopy for restoration of these shortleaf pine communities. In an article published in the June issue of journal Forest Ecology and Management, research ecologist Katherine Elliott and fellow scientists ...

Frontline Test Equipment, Inc. is pleased to announce simplified licensing for NetDecoder and Serialtest Async analyzers and will no longer charge for software updates on these products. From now on if customers own an RS-232 ComProbe II, RS-422/485 ComProbe or a CC-Link ComProbe they can install the software on any PC. The new changes for the NetDecoder and Serialtest Async software will go into effect on May 1st with the release of version 12.2.24.1. These changes mean that customers have increased freedom to use the software as they please. Customers will also benefit ...

A tiny filter could have a big impact around the world in the fight against tuberculosis. Using the traditional microscope-based diagnosis method as a starting point, a University of Florida lung disease specialist and colleagues in Brazil have devised a way to detect more cases of the bacterial infection. "We're hopeful that this more sensitive method, which is both simple and inexpensive, will improve diagnosis in patients," said lead researcher Kevin Fennelly, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor in the UF College of Medicine's department of medicine and Southeastern ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- University of Florida researchers have described a new extinct giant turtle species from the same Colombian mine where they discovered Titanoboa – and one of the only animals the world's largest snake could not have eaten. Working with scientists from North Carolina State University and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the UF campus name the species in a study published online today in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. The study's findings could be useful for understanding ...

PHILADELPHIA — Two studies led by scientists from the University of Pennsylvania and National Geographic's Genographic Project reveal new information about the migration patterns of the first humans to settle the Americas. The studies identify the historical relationships among various groups of Native American and First Nations peoples and present the first clear evidence of the genetic impact of the groups' cultural practices. For many of these populations, this is the first time their genetics have been analyzed on a population scale. One study, published in the American ...

Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. – There are always exceptions to a rule, even one that has prevailed for more than three decades, as demonstrated by a Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) study on RNA splicing, a cellular editing process. The rule-flaunting exception uncovered by the study concerns the way in which a newly produced RNA molecule is cut and pasted at precise locations called splice sites before being translated into protein. "The discovery of this exception could impact current ideas on how missteps in splicing triggered by mutations in the DNA sequence can lead ...

MANHATTAN, KAN. -- Kansas State University researchers have come closer to solving an old challenge of producing graphene quantum dots of controlled shape and size at large densities, which could revolutionize electronics and optoelectronics. Vikas Berry, William H. Honstead professor of chemical engineering, has developed a novel process that uses a diamond knife to cleave graphite into graphite nanoblocks, which are precursors for graphene quantum dots. These nanoblocks are then exfoliated to produce ultrasmall sheets of carbon atoms of controlled shape and size. By ...

As usual, on the third week of each month, we offer tips for effective business writing. This month our advice is - be active! No, we're not suggesting you down tools and go for a run - though there might well be something to be said for that - we're talking about using the active voice rather than the passive in your business communications. The active voice, where the subject of the sentence performs the action, is generally preferable (we will examine some possible exceptions later) since it makes your writing more powerful and infuses it with energy. Compare: Donna ...

Boulder, Colo., USA – New Lithosphere articles posted online 16 May 2012 report on (1) seismic anisotropy measured beneath 14 broadband stations in southeastern India; (2) why geoscientists should persist in their efforts to reach and study such spectacular sub-sea geologic features as the Mariana Trench (recently explored by film director James Cameron) and how "land geologists" can help this effort by studying on-land equivalents like ophiolites; and (3) pressures and melting temperatures of sediments deeply buried in Earth's mantle. Seismic anisotropy beneath the ...

Bestselling authors of teen literature portray their more foul-mouthed characters as rich, attractive and popular, a new study finds. Brigham Young University professor Sarah Coyne analyzed the use of profanity in 40 books on an adolescent bestsellers list. On average, teen novels contain 38 instances of profanity between the covers. That translates to almost seven instances of profanity per hour spent reading. Coyne was intrigued not just by how much swearing happens in teen lit, but who was swearing: Those with higher social status, better looks and more money. "From ...

Boston, MA--It has been known for years that eating too many foods containing "bad" fats, such as saturated fats or trans fats, isn't healthy for your heart. However, according to new research from Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), one "bad" fat—saturated fat—was found to be associated with worse overall cognitive function and memory in women over time. By contrast, a "good" fat—mono-unsaturated fat was associated with better overall cognitive function and memory. This study is published online by Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association ...

Chevy Chase, MD—The Endocrine Society's new scientific statement published online today represents the first comprehensive evaluation of both the basic and clinical evidence related to the non-skeletal effects of vitamin D. The statement addresses current research regarding the associations of vitamin D with immune function, hypertension, stroke, skin conditions and maternal/fetal health. Vitamin D is a steroid hormone that regulates calcium and phosphate levels in the bloodstream and promotes healthy bone growth. Vitamin D deficiency is common throughout the world and ...

CLEVELAND — University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center and CardioKinetix Inc., a medical device company pioneering a catheter-based treatment for heart failure, today announced promising results for the first-of-its-kind catheter-based Parachute™ Ventricular Partitioning Device, a Percutaneous Ventricular Restoration Therapy (PVRT) technology for patients with ischemic heart failure. The two-year clinical results were presented today (May 18, 2012, 9 a.m.) during a Trials, Registries and Late Breaking Science Hot Line session at the 2012 EuroPCR Conference in Paris ...

The math is a very simple formula called "The Barrows Popularity Factor" and it actually lets you quantify the relationship between advertising and sales, according to Robert Barrows, author of a booklet called 'The Barrows Popularity Factor' and President of R.M. Barrows, Inc. Advertising and Public Relations in San Mateo, California. "Businesses of all kinds can use the math to help them increase their sales, increase their profit and decrease their risk," according to Barrows, "and they can use the math to help them fine-tune their entire ...