Children in low and middle income countries should be given vitamin A supplements to prevent death and illness, concludes a study published on bmj.com today. The researchers argue that the effectiveness of vitamin A supplementation is now so well-established that further trials would be unethical, and they urge policymakers to provide supplements for all children at risk of deficiency. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient that must be obtained through diet. Vitamin A deficiency in children increases vulnerability to infections like diarrhoea and measles and may also ...

Alan N. Carlson, M.D. — Professor of Ophthalmology and Chief of the Corneal and Refractive Surgery Services at the Duke Eye Center, is honored as one of the top ophthalmologists in North Carolina with a place on the list of Best Doctors 2011 - 2012. With this award, Dr. Carlson, who specializes in laser vision correction surgery at the Duke Eye Center in Durham, North Carolina, has been recognized by his colleagues as one of the most accomplished ophthalmologists working in North Carolina and the U.S. This latest award marks the 15th year in a row that Dr. Carlson's ...

S. Stanley Young, assistant director for bioinformatics at the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS), and Alan Karr, director at NISS, have published a non-technical article in the September issue of Significance magazine pointing out that medical and other observational studies often produce results that are later shown to be incorrect, and—invoking a quality control perspective—suggest ways to fix the system. Their central point is that the current system of publication in peer-reviewed journals relies on post-production inspection to ensure quality, a ...

Cold Spring Harbor, NY – Like all living things, plants depend for their growth and sustenance on elaborate signaling networks to maintain stem cells, cells that have an almost magical regenerative capacity. The signals sent through these networks convey an incredible diversity of instructions, which make it possible for plants to follow genetic and cellular programs regulating growth, shape, and energy production and consumption. A team of plant biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) led by Professor David Jackson has pioneered the use of genetics to discover ...

Fantasy football season is upon us and twelve of the industry's top personalities will be competing in the Fantasy Football Nerd's Experts League for charity. Each expert has chosen a charity to play for and FantasyFootballNerd.com will make a financial donation to the winning expert's charity. "We have assembled some of the best folks in the industry for this league. They are some of the brightest and most dedicated professionals. They are each naturally competitive so this should be a fun time for everyone. The fact that everyone gets to play for their favorite ...

Stem cell therapies promise to regenerate the infarcted heart through the replacement of dead cardiac cells and stimulation of the growth of new vessels. New research has found the transplantation of stem cells that reside in human veins can help in the recovery of a heart attack. The findings could lead, in the next few years, to the first human clinical trial. The study, led by Professor Paolo Madeddu, Chair of Experimental Cardiovascular Medicine in the School of Clinical Sciences at the University of Bristol and colleagues in the Bristol Heart Institute, is published ...

Reducing the risks of catching E. coli O157 in the countryside is everyone's problem. That means we should all take responsibility - individual residents and visitors, as well as farmers and government - according to researchers working on the Research Councils UK Rural Economy and Land Use Programme (RELU). E. coli O157 is the most common of the harmful strains of the bacteria and this interdisciplinary research has investigated not just its characteristics, but also how people understand E. coli O157 and how their behaviour affects the threats that it poses. E. coli ...

New to the world of online bingo, XBingo has its very own software which means bingo fans cannot find a bingo experience like it on any other site. Bingo Social brings readers the latest news on the space themed site and tells of the wide array of bingo games which are reeling out winners every single day. There is a wide selection of amazing value guaranteed jackpot games as well as a large number of bingo games. XBingo is also offering a 300% welcome bonus and GBP5 free gift on registration. As the build up to the new Events Out of this World promotion continues, players ...

This press release is available in Spanish. Cornstalks, wheat straw, and other rough, fibrous, harvest-time leftovers may soon be less expensive to convert into cellulosic ethanol, thanks to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists' studies of a promising new biorefinery yeast. The yeast-Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain NRRL Y-50049-successfully ferments plant sugars into cellulosic ethanol despite the stressful interference by problematic compounds such as furfural (2-furaldehyde) and HMF (5-hydroxymethyl-2-furaldehyde) in fermenters, according to molecular biologist ...

The role of national governments in ecological or environmental conservation remains contentious the world over. While scientists and campaigners alike often demand that governments regulate and encourage restoration projects; financial priorities and conflicts with land owners or corporations makes such interventions politically difficult. However, as Restoration Ecology reports, Brazil is one of a handful of developing nations, alongside South Africa, Namibia, India, Costa Rica and Vietnam, where public policy and detailed legislation are being developed to promote, ...

Anyone who has walked past the President's residence at the Palais de l'Elysee in Paris will have noted the guards standing stock still outside the gates, rifle in hand. They may also have witnessed the changing of the guard ritual, involving much saluting and marching. These guards are responsible for looking after many of the most important Paris buildings, including the Senate and the home of the Prime Minister. If you thought those guards would probably be a bit scary to meet in real life, then the Open Weekend at the Garde Republicaine should go some way towards ...

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va., Aug. 25, 2011- In a long-running randomized study of over 3,000 preterm infants, those whose care included the Heart Rate Observation System, or HeRO® monitor, experienced greater than 20 percent reduced mortality, effectively saving one infant's life for every 48 who were monitored. The results of this multicenter study of the HeRO monitor, co-sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and Medical Predictive Science Corporation (MPSC), appear in The Journal of Pediatrics. HeRO is a pioneering monitoring system for premature infants that detects ...

Tropical plants may contain the basis of new and effective treatments for ovarian cancer, according to researchers at the Universities of Strathclyde and Portsmouth. The scientists are developing a programme for testing plant extracts for the ability to stop cells from ovarian tumours growing. In initial tests, several plant extracts killed the tumour samples, taken from cancer patients. The extracts are complex mixtures of many different chemicals but ingredients in the plants could be used as starting points for new medicines to tackle the disease. The scientists ...

Bingo affiliate site, Bingo Hideout, is committed to finding the very best in new bingo sites. The latest in its radar is the cheekiest bingo site in town, Cheeky Bingo. Boasting a wide range of weekly specials, Cheeky Bingo offers its players fantastic jackpot prizes with plenty of choice on bingo games. With games in abundance, players are invited to enjoy the pleasures of the weekly special games and promotions. With games like Daily Delight, Friday Frenzy and Monthly Monster, big jackpot prizes are up for grabs for bargain ticket prices. Daily Delight plays every ...

Why different species have dissimilar sets of chromosomes? Why the differentiated species often conserve apparently identical chromosome complements? Furthermore, why, while chromosome rearrangements can considerably change the course of species evolution, certain variation among individuals and populations of some species persists indefinitely? Such questions motivate researchers to compare chromosomes in closely related species. To understand the nature of chromosome changes in the voles Microtus savii, researchers from the Rome State University "Sapienza" launched ...

With e-book sales growing more than 200% from February 2010 to February 2011 (as per the Association of American Publishers' April report), authors worldwide are scrambling to add their work to the e-book marketplace. However, many authors find the e-book publishing process daunting and confusing, preventing their work from going digital. "The e-book format is easily the fastest-growing format in the publishing industry at the moment," says J. J. Hebert, CEO and President of MindStir Media. "Every author needs to join in now, before they're left behind." ...

This press release is available in German. VIDEO: This is a simulation. Click here for more information. For almost 20 years astrophysicists have been trying to recreate the formation of spiral galaxies such as our Milky Way realistically. Now astrophysicists from the University of Zurich present the world's first realistic simulation of the formation of our home galaxy together ...

In one of the first taxonomic revisions of Neotropical butterflies that utilizes 'DNA barcoding', Andrei Sourakov (University of Florida, Florida Museum of Natural History) and Evgeny Zakharov (University of Guelph, Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding at the Biodiversity Institute of Ontario) uncovered a spectacular degree of evolutionary divergence within the satyrine butterfly genus Calisto. The study was published in the open-access journal Comparative Cytogenetics. The Caribbean has a remarkable diversity of habitats and wildlife. More than 200 species of butterflies ...

The casino is a well respected name within the online gambling industry. They have a reputation for providing their players with great service and a fantastic selection of games. The casino games are of the finest quality and are powered by Microgaming. The graphics and the sound effects used in the games are super-realistic and really draw the players into the game. Microgaming is continuously looking for ways to improve and they have produced many innovative gaming features that have provided players with hours and hours of gambling pleasure. Microgaming has been developing ...

Paris is a city that is blessed with a number of attractive green spaces, each of them unique and populated with statues, shrubs, fountains and other individual curiosities that can easily take up a whole day in the capital. For one weekend only each year, these gardens simultaneously play host to a selection of free events that cannot fail to delight, from walking tours to music concerts and art exhibitions, and this year that weekend falls on September 25th-26th. There are few more idyllic places to enjoy such a relaxed, pleasant day out, with highlights including ...

This press release is available in French. Quebec City, August 25, 2011—A diet rich in omega-3s reduces the severity of brain damage after a stroke, according to a study conducted by Université Laval researchers. The team, co-directed by professors Jasna Kriz and Frédéric Calon, showed that the extent of brain damage following a stroke was reduced by 25% in mice that consumed DHA type omega-3s daily. Details of the study can be found on the website of the journal Stroke. Researchers observed that the effects of stroke were less severe in mice that had been fed a diet ...

This press release is available in French. MONTREAL, August 25th, 2011 - The brains of older people are not slower but rather wiser than young brains, which allows older adults to achieve an equivalent level of performance, according research undertaken at the University Geriatrics Institute of Montreal by Dr. Oury Monchi and Dr. Ruben Martins of the Univeristy of Montreal. "The older brain has experience and knows that nothing is gained by jumping the gun. It was already known that aging is not necessarily associated with a significant loss in cognitive function. When ...

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Aug. 24, 2011 -- Heart rate and blood pressure regulation may hold the key to treating unexplained chronic nausea in children. In a new study by researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, a drug commonly used to treat a condition known as orthostatic intolerance (OI), which causes dizziness and occasional fainting when patients stand for long periods, was shown to reduce debilitating chronic nausea in patients. "There seems to be a connection between heart rate and blood pressure, and chronic nausea," said John Fortunato, M.D., assistant professor ...

In 2008, the actress Dame Judi Dench was awarded the Freedom of the City of London. She said afterwards that she was looking forward "to being able to drive my sheep over London Bridge, and occasionally wearing a sword in public." She was referring to the quirky rights that in times gone by are reported to have been bestowed on those who were granted the freedom of London. As well as sheep and swords, recipients also had the right to a 'silken rope' in the event that they were to be hanged, and could also expect favourable treatment from police if they were ...

Montreal, August 25, 2011 — Job-related stress is catching up with workers. A new study by Concordia University economists, published in BMC Public Health, has found that increased job stress causes workers to increasingly seek help from health professionals for physical, mental and emotional ailments linked to job stress. Indeed, the number of visits to healthcare professionals is up to 26 per cent for workers in high stress jobs. "These results show that people in medium-to-high stress jobs visit family doctors and specialists more often than workers with low job stress," ...