A variation in a gene involved in regulating cholesterol in the bloodstream also appears to affect progesterone production in women, making it a likely culprit in a substantial number of cases of their infertility, a new study from Johns Hopkins researchers suggests. The Hopkins group has also developed a simple blood test for this variation of the scavenger receptor class B type 1 gene (SCARB1) but emphasized there is no approved therapy yet to address the problem in infertile women. Following up studies in female mice that first linked a deficiency in these receptors ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new study using sophisticated brain scans shows how simple line drawings can capture the essence of a beach or a mountain for viewers just as well as a photograph would. Researchers found that viewing a "beach" scene depicted in a line drawing activated nearly the same patterns of brain activity in study participants as did viewing an actual color photograph of a beach. The same was true when people viewed line drawings and photographs of other natural scenes including city streets, forests, highways, mountains and offices. Even when researchers removed ...

WASHINGTON — Even healthy adults with a safe driving record tend to make more driving errors as they age, including potentially dangerous mistakes, such as failing to check blind spots, according to a study published by the American Psychological Association. Most studies of older drivers have focused on people with dementia or other conditions that might impair their performance behind the wheel. This study, conducted in Australia, comprised 266 volunteers age 70 to 88 who showed no signs of dementia, lived independently and drove at least once a week. The results ...

For those soldiers worried about the stigma associated with seeing a therapist, virtual reality applications for the treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be the alternative to the traditional "talk therapy." A new paper¹, by Albert Rizzo from the University of Southern California, Institute for Creative Technologies, Los Angeles, and his team, reviews how virtual reality applications are being designed and implemented across various points in the military deployment cycle, to prevent, identify and treat combat-related PTSD. Their findings are published ...

Global Banking and Finance Review, has awarded PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Tbk "The Best Investor Service Provider" in Indonesia 2011. BTN was chosen after a series of assessments by industry analysts on several important parameters. The parameters include strength of the management, innovation, transparency, and ability to serve the complaint. The Director of BTN, Iqbal Latanro said this award is an appreciation for the excellent quality of BTN service to stakeholders, especially investors. About PT Bank Tabungan Negara (Persero) Tbk PT Bank ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib, known by the brand name Celebrex, triggers liver cancer cell death by reacting with a protein in a way that makes those cells commit suicide, according to a new study. Researchers also found that the combination of celecoxib with each of two chemotherapy drugs killed more liver cancer cells in culture, making those combinations more effective than either drug on its own. "Each chemotherapy drug alone will reduce the growth of cancer cells, but when each single drug is combined with Celebrex, a greater growth suppression ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A pattern of earthen berms, spread across a northern peninsula of the big island of Hawaii, is providing archeologists with clues to exactly how residents farmed in paradise long before Europeans arrived at the islands. The findings suggest that simple, practical decisions made by individual households were eventually adopted by the ruling class as a means to improve agricultural productivity. The research was reported in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. "Archeologically, this kind of research is really ...

Obese, asthmatic, anxious or depressed children are more likely to experience excessive daytime sleepiness, or EDS, according to Penn State College of Medicine sleep researchers. "Although EDS in children is commonly assumed by physicians and the public to be the result of sleep-disordered breathing or inadequate sleep, our data suggest that EDS in young children is more strongly associated with obesity and mood issues as it is in adults," said Edward Bixler, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and vice chair of research, Sleep Research and Treatment Center. EDS is the inability ...

What does it take to regenerate a limb? Biologists have long thought that organ regeneration in animals like zebrafish and salamanders involved stem cells that can generate any tissue in the body. But new research suggests that multiple cell types are needed to regrow the complete organ, at least in zebrafish. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shown that cells capable of regenerating a zebrafish fin do not revert to stem cells that can form any tissue. Instead, the individual cells retain their original identities and only give ...

(Boston) – Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), along with clinicians from Boston Medical Center (BMC), have found gastroenterologist knowledge of the appropriate immunizations to recommend to the inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patient is limited. These findings, which currently appear on-line in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, may be the primary reason why the majority of gastroenterologists believe that the primary care provider (PCP) should be responsible for vaccinations. Current therapy for IBD patients often involves agents that suppress ...

Island Eye Surgicenter is only the fourth surgical facility to acquire this advanced technology in the US. Island Eye Surgicenter located in Carle Place is unique in that it focuses on the surgical care and treatment of eye disorders and specializes in the most advanced laser cataract surgery on Long Island. Cataract surgery is one of the most common and safest surgeries performed in the US today. The Alcon LenSx Femtosecond Laser gives the surgeon precision and reliability vastly improving patient outcomes.This new procedure is extraordinary, and with this new technology, ...

For years Professor Leo von Hemmen, a biophysicist at the TU Muenchen, and Professor Bruce Young, a biologist at the University of Massachusetts Lowell, have been researching the sense of hearing in snakes. While discussing the toxicity of their snakes, it dawned on them that only few snakes inject their venom into their victims' bodies using hollow poison fangs. Yet, even though the vast majority of poisonous reptiles lack hollow fangs, they are effective predators. Only around one seventh of all poisonous snakes, like the rattlesnake, rely on the trick with the hollow ...

TORONTO, ON – Childhood physical abuse is associated with significantly elevated rates of functional somatic syndromes such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and multiple chemical sensitivities among women, according to new findings by University of Toronto researchers. The research will be published in this month's issue of the Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma. "Women who reported they had been physically abused as children have twice the odds of chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivities, and 65 per cent higher odds of fibromyalgia" ...

Wisteria Ltd, a chartered accountancy firm based in Edgware, London, has this week shed some light on recent successes, reporting that the popular Wisteria business plan service is enjoying some of its greatest success to date. Many would have anticipated that in a time of financial uncertainty, many new businesses ideas would be held off for more prosperous times, but it seems this is not the case. An increasing number of entrepreneurs are choosing now as the time to make their start-up idea a reality. Wisteria have benefited greatly from the trend, with their ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Adding low doses of the targeted agent sorafenib to the chemotherapy and radiation now often used to treat head and neck cancer might significantly improve patient care and quality of life, according to a new study by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). The findings suggest that adding sorafenib would maintain treatment efficacy while permitting the use of lower doses of chemotherapy and radiation and decreasing the treatment's harsh ...

Chapel Hill, NC – An unusual collaboration between cell and developmental biologists and physicists at UNC-Chapel Hill is providing insights into the relationship between the physical properties of cells and the signals that influence cell behavior. In a paper published online yesterday in the journal Nature Cell Biology, a team led by Keith Burridge, PhD, Kenan distinguished professor of cell and developmental biology and a member of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, and Richard Superfine, PhD, Taylor-Williams distinguished professor of physics and astronomy, ...

Graduations are a celebration of achievement and growth, but could all the pomp and circumstance increase your risk of exposure to harmful bacteria? A team of researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examined the risk of acquiring pathogenic bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) through shaking hands at graduation ceremonies across Maryland. A handshake, a short ritual in which two people grasp one of each other's hands, dates back as far as the 5th century BCE. This gesture has become ingrained ...

COLLEGE STATION — Research on controlling the stem cells of plants could eventually lead to learning how to make them produce more fruit, seed and leaves, according to Dr. Xiuren Zhang, Texas AgriLife Research scientist and professor with the Texas A&M University department of biochemistry and biophysics. Results of a nearly three-year project led by an AgriLife Research team headed by Zhang was published in Cell, one of the most cited scientific peer-review journals in the world. "Working with the shoot meristem area, we may (eventually) control fruit and seed yield ...

Los Angeles, CA (May 13, 2011) New studies released in the April issue of the Journal of Correctional Health Care (JCHC) (published by SAGE) are helping the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to establish a set of prison health care quality measurements. The JCHC issue highlights a research project conducted by the RAND Corporation for the CDCR to help it address problems related to access to care and quality of care, and to gain a better understanding of the strengths and weakness of its health care services. Findings from an environmental ...

With only one week left for players to win seats to the Grand Slam of Slots 2 (GSOS 2), the Australian Online Casino, Casino Aus is revving up and excitement is mounting. This Slots Tournament is set to run from the end of May, and players are preparing to enter the biggest online slots tournament in online gaming history. There are Qualifying Feeder Tournaments that are held on a daily basis at 17:00 GMT on the popular games, On Ladies Night, Tomb Raider, Hitman and ThunderStruck. There are three tickets to be won in each qualifier. There are two prizes that are ...

AUSTIN, Texas–Physical anthropologist Chris Kirk has announced the discovery of a previously unknown species of fossil primate, Mescalerolemur horneri, in the Devil's Graveyard badlands of West Texas. Mescalerolemur lived during the Eocene Epoch about 43 million years ago, and would have most closely resembled a small present-day lemur. Mescalerolemur is a member of an extinct primate group – the adapiforms – that were found throughout the Northern Hemisphere in the Eocene. However, just like Mahgarita stevensi, a younger fossil primate found in the same area in 1973, ...

CasinoAus is an Australian-themed online casino, designed specifically for players who love Australia and long for the rough outback. During the month of May, this casino is releasing 4 new games for players to enjoy. These games are intended for a range of players as they are based in diverse categories, such as Slots, Scratch Cards and Multi-Player virtual environments. MP No Worries This Aussie-themed game takes players on an expedition through the outback. Based on the original game (No Worries), players are slung into a Multi-Player environment, which increases ...

Scientists from Queen's and Carleton universities head a national multidisciplinary research team that has uncovered startling new evidence of the destructive impact of global climate change on North America's largest Arctic delta. "One of the most ominous threats of global warming today is from rising sea levels, which can cause marine waters to inundate the land," says the team's co-leader, Queen's graduate student Joshua Thienpont. "The threat is especially acute in polar regions, where shrinking sea ice increases the risk of storm surges." By studying growth rings ...

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Boston, MA— Scientists from Schepens Eye Research Institute are the first to regenerate large areas of damaged retinas and improve visual function using IPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) derived from skin. The results of their study, which is published in PLoS ONE this month, hold great promise for future treatments and cures for diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, diabetic retinopathy and other retinal diseases that affect millions worldwide. "We are very excited about these results," says Dr. Budd A. Tucker, the study's ...