Broader screening to identify people infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) would likely be cost effective, according to a new report published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online (http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2012/02/27/cid.cis011.abstract). Significantly reducing HCV-related mortality and morbidity, however, will require a coordinated effort that emphasizes not only increased testing but also linking those infected with the treatment they need. The HCV epidemic peaked many years ago, but roughly 4 million U.S. residents still suffer the ...

Troy, N.Y. – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Biologist Lee Ligon has found a previously unknown connection between breast cancer tumor cells and the surrounding healthy tissue. The results provide new information on the earliest stages of breast cancer metastasis. The results were published March 7, 2012, in the journal PLoS One, in a paper titled "Cadherin-23 Mediates Heterotypic Cell-Cell Adhesion between Breast Cancer Epithelial Cells and Fibroblasts." Ligon was joined in the research by Rensselaer doctoral student Maria Apostolopoulou. The research was funded by ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Researchers estimate nearly 800,000 preventable adverse drug events may occur in nursing homes each year. Many of these incidents could be prevented with safety practices such as medication reconciliation, a process in which health care professionals, such as physicians, pharmacists and nurses, review medication regimens to identify and resolve discrepancies when patients transfer between health care settings. In nursing homes, both registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) often are responsible for this safety practice. A recent study ...

A group of scientists led by researchers from the University of Rochester and North Carolina State University have for the first time sent a message using a beam of neutrinos – nearly massless particles that travel at almost the speed of light. The message was sent through 240 meters of stone and said simply, "Neutrino." "Using neutrinos, it would be possible to communicate between any two points on Earth without using satellites or cables," said Dan Stancil, professor of electrical and computer engineering at NC State and lead author of a paper describing the research. ...

Macdonald Compleat Angler, which overlooks the River Thames at Marlow, Buckinghamshire, has introduced a new market lunch menu including some of the best fresh, spring provenance. The tempting dishes, created by Head Chef David Smith, will be served in the hotel's AA two rosette Bowaters restaurant Monday to Saturday from 12.30 until 2.30pm. The restaurant in Marlow will offer a choice of four delicious dishes for each course with vegetarian options. For starters there's pressed ham hock, John Ross Jnr smoked salmon fishcake, cream of cauliflower soup or a classic Caesar ...

This press release is available in French.Montreal -- Canada defines itself as a nation that stretches from coast to coast to coast. But can we keep those coasts healthy in the face of climate change? Yves Gélinas, associate professor in Concordia's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has found the solution in a surprising element: iron. In a study published in Nature, Gélinas — along with Concordia PhD candidate Karine Lalonde and graduate Alexandre Ouellet, as well as McGill colleague Alfonso Mucci — studies the chemical makeup of sediment samples from around ...

Enduring subtle, insidious acts of racial discrimination is enough to depress anyone, but African-American men who believe that they should respond to stress with stoicism and emotional control experience more depression symptoms, according to new findings from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The study, "Taking It Like a Man: Masculine Role Norms as Moderators of the Racial Discrimination–Depressive Symptoms Association Among African-American Men," was published online March 8, 2012, in the American Journal of Public Health. "We know that traditional ...

A new study of the composition of pine nuts, including those associated with "pine mouth," leaves unsolved the decade-old mystery of why thousands of people around the world have experienced disturbances in taste after eating pine nuts. The report on pine nuts or pignolia — delicious edible nuts from pine trees enjoyed plain or added to foods ranging from pasta to cookies — appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry. Ali Reza Fardin-Kia, Sara M. Handy and Jeanne I. Rader note that more than 20,000 tons of pine nuts are produced each year worldwide. "Pine ...

A simple, inexpensive dip-and-dry treatment can convert ordinary silk into a fabric that kills disease-causing bacteria — even the armor-coated spores of microbes like anthrax — in minutes, scientists are reporting in the journal ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. They describe a range of potential uses for this new killer silk, including make-shift curtains and other protective coatings that protect homes and other buildings in the event of a terrorist attack with anthrax. Rajesh R. Naik and colleagues explain that in adverse conditions, bacteria of the Bacillus species, ...

New research has linked springtime die-offs of honeybees critical for pollinating food crops — part of the mysterious malady called colony collapse disorder — with technology for planting corn coated with insecticides. The study, published in ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology, appears on the eve of spring planting seasons in some parts of Europe where farmers use the technology and widespread deaths of honeybees have occurred in the past. In the study, Andrea Tapparo and colleagues explain that seeds coated with so-called neonicotinoid insecticides went ...

In a new paper, a Simon Fraser University economist finds that robo-calling, if the phenomenon did occur, could have significantly influenced voter turnout and ballot results in the last federal election. Anke Kessler's discussion paper is available on her website and on Worthwhile Canadian Initiative, an economics blog. Elections Canada is investigating New Democrat and Liberal party allegations that the Conservatives hired companies to robo-call voters in ridings across Canada, thereby influencing the Tories' 2011 federal election win. The term robo-calling describes ...

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's urban forests, currently valued at about $80 billion, also provide almost $650 million in benefits such as carbon storage, pollution removal, and energy reduction according to a new U.S. Forest Service report. The authors of Urban Forests of Tennessee, 2009 found there are 284 million trees in urban areas in the state, with canopies covering 33.7 percent of 1.6 million acres of urban area. Those urban forests provide an estimated $204 million per year in pollution removal and $66 million per year in energy savings. The study is the first ...

Curly, Larry and Moe have just arrived to Cool Cat Casino thanks to their latest game release, The Three Stooges II. This online slot machine is the sequel of one of the casino's most beloved slots, The Three Stooges. Just as its predecessor, this game is themed after the cult t.v show enjoyed by many of the casino players. It follows the adventures of the three stooges, Moe, Larry and Curly as the players discover impressive bonus features and beautifully made graphics. The Three Stooges II is the latest addition to the ever-growing collection of casino games that Cool ...

Earlier evidence out of UCLA suggested that meditating for years thickens the brain (in a good way) and strengthens the connections between brain cells. Now a further report by UCLA researchers suggests yet another benefit. Eileen Luders, an assistant professor at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, and colleagues, have found that long-term meditators have larger amounts of gyrification ("folding" of the cortex, which may allow the brain to process information faster) than people who do not meditate. Further, a direct correlation was found between the amount of gyrification ...

The meal is pushed way, untouched. Loss of appetite can be a fleeting queasiness or continue to the point of emaciation. While it's felt in the gut, more is going on inside the head. New findings are emerging about brain and body messaging pathways that lead to loss of appetite, and the systems in place to avoid starvation. Today, scientists report in Nature about a brain circuit that mediates the loss of appetite in mice. The researchers also discovered potential therapeutic targets within the pathway. Their experimental results may be valuable for developing new ...

Headlines trumpeting astronomical interest rates and stories of payday lenders preying on vulnerable borrowers are "lies, damn lies, and statistics," says Gary Miller-Cheevers, CEO from speedeloans. In a statement issued today, Mr. Miller-Cheevers explains: "There are a lot of misconceptions about payday lenders and a lot of strange statistics that are interpreted negatively to portray all payday lenders as the bad guys. While I accept that sadly there are some unscrupulous lenders out there, used responsibly, this form of borrowing can be a cost-effective ...

As acreage of row crops managed with conservation tillage increases, more growers are encountering slugs, elevating their importance as crop pests. Slugs can eat virtually all crops, and they are challenging to control because of the limited number of management tactics that are available. In "Slug (Mollusca: Agriolimacidae, Arionidae) Ecology and Management in No-Till Field Crops, With an Emphasis on the mid-Atlantic Region," a free, open-access article appearing in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management, the authors discuss the species of slugs that are commonly ...

Ob-gyns are uniquely positioned to play a major role in reducing the effects of toxic chemicals on women and babies, according to an analysis led by University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) researchers. Linda C. Giudice, MD, PhD The team recommends a multipronged approach that includes evaluating patients' environmental exposures to chemicals and providing education, in addition to broader strategies to influence government policy. Over the past 70 years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural and synthetic chemicals to which every person ...

A new study of three diets with obese children shows that all diets are effective in managing weight but that a reduced glycemic load diet – one that accounts for how many carbs are in the food and how much each gram of carbohydrate raises blood glucose levels – may be most promising. The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study of low-carb, reduced glycemic load and portion-controlled diets with obese children is published online in the Journal of Pediatrics. The study shows that children have more difficulty following a strict, low-carb diet, particularly ...

Princeton University researchers have used a novel virtual reality and brain imaging system to detect a form of neural activity underlying how the brain forms short-term memories that are used in making decisions. By following the brain activity of mice as they navigated a virtual reality maze, the researchers found that populations of neurons fire in distinctive sequences when the brain is holding a memory. Previous research centered on the idea that populations of neurons fire together with similar patterns to each other during the memory period. The study was performed ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Hundreds of lives are being lost each year in the United States because of mistakes made in what engineers call the "dilemma zone" – that area before a stoplight intersection where the traffic light turns yellow and the driver isn't sure whether to stop or go ahead. New research at Oregon State University will help to more precisely identify that danger zone. Traffic engineers can then use than information, along with advanced technology that can monitor the speed and location of oncoming traffic, to improve yellow-light timing and help address this ...

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), is considered one of the most serious pests in coffee plantations worldwide. Infestations of this small beetle are difficult to combat; most of the insect's lifecycle is completed inside coffee berries, making insecticide penetration and contact difficult. Female beetles bore holes into developing berries attached to the tree through the blossom scar and create 'galleries' where they remain and deposit their eggs. The developing larvae feed on the bean or endosperm of the seed, reducing yields as well as the quality ...

In honor of 1,000 days in orbit, the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) team at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt Md. has released two new videos. One video takes viewers through the moon's evolutionary history, and reveals how it came to appear the way it does today. Another video gives viewers a guided tour of prominent locations on the moon's surface, compiled by the spacecraft's observations of the moon. "Evolution of the Moon" explains why the moon did not always look like it does now. The moon likely started as a giant ball of magma formed from ...

Fireweed Human Capital Management System (HCMS), a cloud-based application designed to assist businesses with human capital challenges, is now available to companies of all sizes, according to Cloud49, the company that developed the software. The Fireweed suite is used to track, manage, and report on multiple human resource- related functions within companies and organizations. It comprises five applications: Compliance and Policy Management; Shareholder Management; Student and Scholarship Management; Board of Directors Management; and Compensation Management. Each ...

The mild winter of 2012 has many people asking, "Where's the snow?" These two snow cover maps show the difference between snow extent on March 3, 2011, and March 5, 2012. The maps were compiled from data collected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite. In 2012, the snow cover is very spotty compared to 2011. In 2011, the Great Lakes were clearly defined by surrounding snow, and snow blanketed the Rocky Mountains, Nevada's Basin and Range, and the Sierra Nevada all the way into southern California. In 2012, ...