The press release
archive.

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Regional care systems to treat severe heart attacks improve survival rates

North Carolina's coordinated, regional systems for rapid care improved survival rates of patients suffering from the most severe heart attack, according to research in the American Heart Association's journal, Circulation. Fewer ST -segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients died when paramedics diagnosed them en route to hospitals and hospitals followed well-defined guidelines to quickly treat or transfer patients to facilities that performed artery-opening procedures, if needed. Death rates were 2.2 percent for patients treated to guideline standards and ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

N.Y. prison inmates overuse and misuse antibiotic ointments, study says

San Antonio, Texas, June 4, 2012 – Prisoners need education on the appropriate use of topical antibiotic products, according to a study released today at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). The first study to report on the widespread misuse of topical antibiotics among inmates entering prisons from other correctional facilities found that, among inmates who reported having used topical antibiotics during the previous six months, 59 percent of male and 40 percent ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Genetics, rapid childhood growth and the development of obesity

CHICAGO – A 38-year longitudinal study of New Zealanders suggests that individuals with higher genetic risk scores were more likely to be chronically obese in adulthood, according to a report published in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. Obesity is capable of being inherited and genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have started to uncover the molecular roots of heritability by identifying multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with higher adult body mass index (BMI), the authors write in ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Rehospitalizations after surgical site infections add $10-65 million to health-care costs

San Antonio, Texas, June 4, 2012 – Preventing further complications in patients who develop infections after surgery to replace a knee or hip could save the U.S. healthcare system as much as $65 million annually, according to an analysis presented today at the 39th Annual Educational Conference and International Meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC). The research team, led by Keith Kaye, MD, MPH, corporate director of Infection Prevention, Hospital Epidemiology and Antimicrobial Stewardship at Detroit Medical Center/Wayne ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Brain scans prove Freud right: Guilt plays key role in depression

Scientists have shown that the brains of people with depression respond differently to feelings of guilt – even after their symptoms have subsided. University of Manchester researchers found that the brain scans of people with a history of depression differed in the regions associated with guilt and knowledge of socially acceptable behaviour from individuals who never get depressed. The study – published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry – provides the first evidence of brain mechanisms to explain Freud's classical observation that exaggerated guilt and ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Largest statewide coordinated care effort improves survival, reduces time to heart attack treatment

DURHAM, N.C.— An ambitious effort to coordinate heart attack care among every hospital and emergency service in North Carolina improved patient survival rates and reduced the time from diagnosis to treatment, according to Duke University Medical Center researchers who spearheaded the program. "When treating heart attacks, the most important care decisions need to take place before the patient is brought to the hospital," says James Jollis, M.D., a Duke cardiologist and first author of the findings published today in the journal Circulation. "These procedures should be ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Study examines comparative effectiveness of rhythm control vs. rate control drug treatment

CHICAGO – An observational study that examined the comparative effectiveness of rhythm control vs. rate control drug treatment on mortality in patients with atrial fibrillation (a rapid, irregular heart beat) suggests there was little difference in mortality within four years of treatment, but rhythm control may be associated with more effective long-term outcomes, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication. AF affects approximately 2.3 million Americans and 250,000 Canadians, and the condition has a complex ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Families of kids with staph infections have high rate of drug-resistant germ

Family members of children with a staph infection often harbor a drug-resistant form of the germ, although they don't show symptoms, a team of researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has found. The results are published in the June issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The investigators focused on family members of nearly 200 children who had Staphylococcus aureus infections in the skin and soft tissue, in areas such as the nose, armpits and/or groin. They found that of the more than 600 household members who lived with ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Joslin researchers find 'good fat' activated by cold, not ephedrine

BOSTON -- June 4, 2012 -- Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have shown that while a type of "good" fat found in the body can be activated by cold temperatures, it is not able to be activated by the drug ephedrine. The finding, published in today's issue of PNAS USA Early Edition, may lead to drugs or other methods aimed at activating the good fat, known as brown fat. When activated, brown fat burns calories and can help in the battle against obesity. "We propose that agents that work similarly to cold in activating brown fat specifically can provide promising approaches ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

New statistical model lets patient's past forecast future ailments

Analyzing medical records from thousands of patients, statisticians have devised a statistical model for predicting what other medical problems a patient might encounter. Like how Netflix recommends movies and TV shows or how Amazon.com suggests products to buy, the algorithm makes predictions based on what a patient has already experienced as well as the experiences of other patients showing a similar medical history. "This provides physicians with insights on what might be coming next for a patient, based on experiences of other patients. It also gives a predication ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Hands-on research

PASADENA, Calif.—A nuzzle of the neck, a stroke of the wrist, a brush of the knee—these caresses often signal a loving touch, but can also feel highly aversive, depending on who is delivering the touch, and to whom. Interested in how the brain makes connections between touch and emotion, neuroscientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have discovered that the association begins in the brain's primary somatosensory cortex, a region that, until now, was thought only to respond to basic touch, not to its emotional quality. The new finding is described ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Drug combination highly effective for newly diagnosed myeloma patients

A three-drug treatment for the blood cancer multiple myeloma provided rapid, deep and potentially durable responses, researchers report today online in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology, and yesterday, Sunday, June 3, 2012, at the American Society of Clinical Oncology's Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL, USA. The researchers, led by Andrzej J. Jakubowiak, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and director of the multiple myeloma program at the University of Chicago Medical Center, found that combining carfilzomib, a next generation proteasome inhibitor, ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Shape-shifting shell

VIDEO: As a retrovirus matures, the two parts of its shell protein (red and blue or yellow and blue) dramatically rearrange themselves, twisting and moving away from each other. Click here for more information. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have for the first time uncovered the detailed structure of the shell that surrounds the genetic material of retroviruses, such as HIV, at a crucial and potentially vulnerable stage ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Filming life in the fast lane

VIDEO: A fruit fly embryo from when it was about two-and-a-half hours old until it walked away from the microscope as a larva, filmed by a new microscope developed at EMBL.... Click here for more information. "This video shows a fruit fly embryo from when it was about two-and-a-half hours old until it walked away from the microscope as a larva, 20 hours later," says Lars Hufnagel, from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany. "It shows all ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Export extravaganza

Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, Germany, have conducted the first comprehensive census of human cells' export workers. In a study published online today in Nature Cell Biology, they found an unexpected variety of genes involved in transporting molecules to the cell membrane and beyond. Using a combination of genetics and sophisticated microscopy, Rainer Pepperkok and colleagues systematically silenced each of our 22 000 genes, and observed to what extent this affected the cell's ability to transport a protein. They found that ...

Read the release

Social Science5 Jun 2012

From Paris Polyphenols to the IFT, HIDROX and CreAgri Receiving Continued Recognition

Among the founding fathers of the biotechnology industry, Roberto Crea, PhD., founder and CEO of CreAgri Inc., is internationally acknowledged for the role he played in the successful establishment and growth of Genentech, Inc.--as one of the first four scientific founders of the legendary biotech company—and for his pioneering role in the production of many rDNA protein drugs from bacteria. Among other innovations, Dr. Crea is the inventor of the synthetic DNA process that led to the discovery of the first recombinant human insulin, Humulin , and many other pharmaceutical ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

A new multitarget molecule designed with high potential in future treatments for Alzheimer's disease

Researchers at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the University of Barcelona (UB) have developed a multitarget molecule, ASS234, which according to the results of in vitro studies conducted, inhibits the aggregation of the ß-amyloid protein, involved in Alzheimer's disease. At the same time, ASS234 stimulates the cholinergic and monoaminergic transmission, key factors involved in the cognitive function. In addition, ASS234 is able to cross the blood–brain barrier with an elevated multipotent profile designed on basis ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Hartzell Properties Announces Transformation of Shopping Center on Bethlehem Pike in Hatfield Pennsylvania

A new facade rendering has already been drafted and in addition to a new beautiful exterior, the landlord is welcoming and friendly. Jack Intrator, Retail & Restaurant Leasing Specialist, explains, "You have all the necessary components to bring in a new and fresh tenant mix to a center that was dated at best." A crucial ingredient to a new tenant mix is a landlord that is committed to creating an asset for the future, not just looking at the bottom line of that specific day. This means you have a landlord that is prepared to invest in his tenancy, providing ...

Read the release

Social Science5 Jun 2012

A search engine for social networks based on the behavior of ants

This press release is available in Spanish. VIDEO: Research at Carlos III University in Madrid is developing an algorithm, based on ants’ behavior when they are searching for food, which accelerates the search for relationships among elements that... Click here for more information. One of the main technical questions in the field of social networks, whose use is becoming more and ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Nationally Acclaimed Cookbook Author and Food Editor Launches Wellness Practice

Nationally acclaimed cookbook author and food editor Susan Wyler, MPH, RD, LDN, has recently opened Triangle Nutritional Wellness as a complementary practice at Chapel Hill Doctors Integrative Health Center. A registered dietitian and licensed nutritionist accredited by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Wyler will work with the center to provide traditional and integrative medical nutrition therapy and dietary support to patients in the Triangle area. As one of its first unique services, she is working with the center to provide a Spring Wellness Package to help people ...

Read the release

Medicine5 Jun 2012

Debbie Durkin's "Rockn Rolla" MTV Movie Awards Eco Lounge Celebrity & Music Hospitality Lounge Presented By Gibson Guitar to Benefit Music Saves Lives - June 1 & 2

In celebration of the 2012 MTV Movie Awards sustainable film and television producer Debbie Durkin hosted the "Rockn Rolla" MTV Movie Awards Eco Lounge presented by Gibson Guitar to benefit Music Saves Lives . The interactive daytime event pampered guests with eco-luxury lifestyle brands and services at the breathtaking historic Pickford Mansion where the Oscar-winning Best Picture "The Artist" was filmed. Presenting sponsor Gibson Guitar featured live acoustic performances while promoting blood drives for the American Red Cross and Music Saves Lives. ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Repelling the drop on top

It's raining cats and dogs and even the short run out to the car leaves your vision obscured by rain on your spectacles. There might soon be no need to reach for a cloth to wipe them off. If the surface of the lens resembled that of a lotus leaf, the drops would all fall off by themselves. The practicality of such self-cleaning surfaces is not limited to eyewear. Corrosion coatings would put up a better fight against rust without the tiny puddles of water that tend to collect on top of them. But exactly what characterizes surfaces that do the best job of cleaning themselves? ...

Read the release

Science5 Jun 2012

Savant Books Announces the Release of Helen Doan's Novel, "On My Behalf"

"On My Behalf" details the misadventures of a naïve Vietnamese girl pursuing her dream of becoming a successful writer. As she navigates through early adulthood, she finds that balancing between staying true to her dreams and settling for an unremarkable life challenges every fiber of her being. Helen Doan is a Vietnamese-American writer born in Kien Giang, Vietnam. She arrived in San Jose, California in 1986 where she grew up. Doan self-published a book of poetry in 2002 and has been writing feature-length screenplays for ten years, while keeping a journal ...

Read the release

Engineering5 Jun 2012

Audit Ready Bookkeeping and Business Management Made Easy - For the Entertainment Industry

Simply-Bookkeeping Inc, a professional audit ready bookkeeping, financial management and tax firm based in Houston, TX proudly announces its immediate availability to entertainment artists, musicians, film and stage performers, and other industry professionals to assist them with their audit ready bookkeeping and business management needs. "The Entertainment businesses face unique bookkeeping challenges that many mainstream bookkeeping and financial management firms are unable or unwilling to meet. "At Simply-Bookkeeping we constantly strive to evolve our services ...

Read the release

Technology5 Jun 2012

Artificial muscle as shock absorber

It is not very fun to ride a bicycle on a street plastered with cobblestones. At least the bike has a saddle seat filled with silicone. That lessens the shocks and bumps, and counteracts some of the annoying vibrations. In a professional's eyes, the material in the saddle is an "elastomer" – a material that is yielding and malleable, like a rubber band. Engineers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Structural Durability and System Reliability LBF in Darmstadt are now working on the next generation: They are designing components made of elastomers that actively respond to unwanted ...

Read the release