DURHAM, N.C. – A study by Duke University researchers has found high levels of leaked methane in well water collected near shale-gas drilling and hydrofracking sites. The scientists collected and analyzed water samples from 68 private groundwater wells across five counties in northeastern Pennsylvania and New York. "At least some of the homeowners who claim that their wells were contaminated by shale-gas extraction appear to be right," says Robert B. Jackson, Nicholas Professor of Global Environmental Change and director of Duke's Center on Global Change. Hydraulic ...

ATHENS, Ohio (May 9, 2011)—While adult tyrannosaurs wielded power and size to kill large prey, youngsters used agility to hunt smaller game. "It's one of the secrets of success for tyrannosaurs—the different age groups weren't competing with each other for food because their diets shifted as they grew," said Ohio University paleontologist Lawrence Witmer. Witmer is part of an international team of scientists from Japan, Mongolia and the United States that analyzed the youngest and most-complete known skull for any species of tyrannosaur, offering a new view of the ...

Men with prostate cancer whose disease has spread locally from inside the prostate to immediately outside it are primarily treated with radiation therapy. However, disease recurs in approximately half of these individuals. Strategies to enhance the efficacy of this treatment and thereby decrease the incidence of disease recurrence are clearly needed. Shawn Lupold and colleagues, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, have now developed an approach that enhances the therapeutic effects of radiation therapy in mice bearing human prostate cancer xenografts. ...

The drug FTY720 is approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. Although highly effective it can have serious side effects, including reduced lung function and fluid accumulation in the eye. Understanding the multiple molecular mechanisms by which the drug affects its target (the S1P receptor) could lead to the development of a drug with the same therapeutic efficacy but reduced side effects. In this context, a team of researchers, led by Timothy Hla, at Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, has now detailed the molecular mechanism by which FTY270 causes adverse ...

EDITOR'S PICK: Sensitizing prostate cancer to radiotherapy Men with prostate cancer whose disease has spread locally from inside the prostate to immediately outside it are primarily treated with radiation therapy. However, disease recurs in approximately half of these individuals. Strategies to enhance the efficacy of this treatment and thereby decrease the incidence of disease recurrence are clearly needed. Shawn Lupold and colleagues, at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, have now developed an approach that enhances the therapeutic effects of radiation ...

CHICAGO, IL (May 9, 2011) — Research being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) shows that psychological issues may play a role in the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms. Another study found that just an hour a week of low-intensity exercise decreases the risk for colon polyps, particularly among overweight and obese individuals. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. "Research continues to show us how intricately the mind and body work together ...

CHICAGO, IL (May 7, 2011) – Research being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) shows that while there are significantly increased benefits for qualifying patients undergoing bariatric surgery, the potential side effects and outcomes need to be considered when determining whether the surgery is appropriate for patients. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and gastrointestinal surgery. Bariatric Surgery Outcomes in the Elderly Population: An ACS NSQIP Study (Abstract #804) Old ...

Researchers have mapped out the diversity of bat ears in a hope to inspire the design of new intuitive methods of manipulating waves with physical shapes, such as SONAR and RADAR. Published today, Tuesday, 10 May, in IOP Publishing's journal Bioinspiration & Biomimetics, the study provides key insights into the variability of the shapes of bat ears that exists between different species, and shows how this variability may affect the functionality of one of the most impressive navigational systems in nature. Bats are one of a few animal groups that demonstrate biosonar—the ...

CHICAGO, IL (May 9, 2011) — Research being presented at Digestive Disease Week® (DDW) focuses attention on the needs of pediatric patients, including screening for obesity and raising awareness of the increase risk of functional gastrointestinal disorders in athletes. Additional research emphasizes the need for more research in treating pediatric liver disease patients and shows the benefit of using smaller colonoscopies in young patients. DDW is the largest international gathering of physicians and researchers in the field of gastroenterology, hepatology, endoscopy and ...

Even short-term use of some painkillers could be dangerous for people who've had a heart attack, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association. Researchers analyzed the duration of prescription non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) treatment and cardiovascular risk in a nationwide Danish cohort of patients with prior heart attack. They found the use of NSAIDs was associated with a 45 percent increased risk of death or recurrent heart attack within as little as one week of treatment, and a 55 percent increased risk ...

Overall, roughly half of U.S. children taken to hospital emergency departments (EDs) for a head injury receive a head CT scan, often to ease worried parents' concerns. Yet true traumatic brain injury is uncommon. A multi-center study of more than 40,000 children with minor blunt head trauma, led by Children's Hospital Boston and UC Davis, shows that allowing a period of observation can reduce the use of head CT by as much as half without compromising care – and without exposing children to ionizing radiation. Results appear in the June 2011 issue of Pediatrics (published ...

Despite the fact that silver has made less than optimistic headlines over the last few days, analysts predict that, in the medium to long term, the metal will continue to rise in value. Silver trading has been volatile recently, but the underlying economic and political conditions, that have supported its meteoric rise, remain unchanged. Debt issues in the US and many European countries have not disappeared, and the US dollar remains weak, following a brief rebound in the wake of the news of Bin Laden's death. Inflation fears also remain high, indicating continued support ...

Older, sicker heart-transplant recipients are significantly more likely to be alive a year after their operations if they have their transplants at hospitals that do a large number of them annually new Johns Hopkins research suggests. These patients fare less well at low-volume centers, the research shows. The findings, to be presented May 9 at the American Association of Thoracic Surgeons' annual meeting in Philadelphia, add more support to the notion that patients do better when treated at medical centers that handle a higher number of cases similar to theirs. "There's ...

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 9, 2011 – Unrealistic and uninformed media portrayals of weight not only can negatively influence individual behavior, but can impact how policymakers approach issues of weight and health. The result, according to experts from the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance and the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA), is a continued belief that these issues are largely a matter of personal responsibility and that little can or should be done in policy to address them. Susan Dentzer, editor of Health Affairs, moderated a panel ...

Joe Altman, president of Altmans Winnebago, announced today that the Altman family has made the difficult decision to wind down their dealership operations beginning today, May 6, 2010. In 1971, Altmans opened its doors in Baldwin Park, California and grew to become a trusted fixture within the RV industry. "Our family has experienced 40 years of great and challenging times," notes Altman, "but current market conditions suggest it's time to end this chapter of our business." Over the next month or so, Altmans will be liquidating the remaining ...

Los Angeles, CA (APRIL XX, 2011) Despite contrary belief, reducing unemployment in locations with active insurgencies does not decrease the rate of insurgent attacks against government and allied forces. Additionally, it was found that unemployment in these same locations also had no impact in reducing the deaths of civilians. A new study released in the recent issue of the Journal of Conflict Resolution (published by SAGE) found that there is no correlation that aiding countries with high rates of unemployed young men leads to a decrease in political violence. Additionally, ...

New Haven, Conn. —Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in South Korea affect an estimated 2.64% of the population of school-age children, equivalent to 1 in 38 children, according to the first comprehensive study of autism prevalence using a total population sample. The study—conducted by Young-Shin Kim, M.D., of the Yale Child Study Center and her colleagues in the U.S., Korea and Canada—identifies children not yet diagnosed and has the potential to increase autism spectrum disorder prevalence estimates worldwide. ASDs are complex neurobiological disorders that inhibit a ...

ASG Dine, a leading distributor of strategic risk management and employee benefits solutions for the restaurant and food service industries, has announced an exclusive partnership with Walmart to offer discounted prescription pharmaceuticals to our customers and corporate partners. The program provides a company's employees with access to more than 300 different prescription pharmaceuticals for just $4/prescription with a 30-day supply, and only $10/prescription with a 90-day supply. Prescription drugs that are currently not included in the program will still maintain ...

In the first large trial of its kind in the United States, researchers have shown that estrogen-lowering drugs can shrink tumors and reduce mastectomy rates for patients with stage 2 or 3 breast cancer. Patients with these larger breast tumors have two options, says Matthew J. Ellis, MD, PhD, of Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and principal investigator of the trial conducted by the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group. "One option is to undergo mastectomy. The second is to receive medication before surgery to reduce the size of the tumor ...

215 Racing Inc. an American Based company, is proud to announce the exclusive rights to build the Lamborghini Indomable Concept created by Design 4 Motion. This design was created by Daniel Chinchilla under the Masters Program sponsored by Lamborghini. The design is a perfect fit for the first offering of 215 to the supercar market. The car will be built by the Sub-company MOSTRO DI-POTENZA and will be renamed The SF22. This name comes from the design influence of the F22 fighter jet, and is incorporated in the car. SF stands for Street Fighter and only 50 of these cars ...

A new, promising marker for diagnosing prostate cancer has been discovered by Uppsala researchers with the aid of a unique method developed at the Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology. The study, being published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, PNAS, can lead to more reliable diagnoses and fewer unnecessary operations. The PSA marker used for diagnosing prostate cancer today has been criticized for false positive responses, leading to unnecessary operations. There is therefore great interest in finding new and better ...

BOSTON – More than a third of Americans use some form of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and that number continues to rise attributed mostly to increases in the use of mind-body therapies (MBT) like yoga, meditation and deep breathing exercises. Prior research suggests that MBT, while used by millions of patients, is still on the fringe of mainstream medical care in America. New research suggests that attitudes are changing. In a study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Harvard Medical School, researchers found that one in 30 Americans ...

Scientists at Royal Holloway, University of London and the University of Leicester have discovered animals searching for food do not stick to a complicated pattern of movement as previously thought but tend to wander about randomly. It was previously believed that when searching for food, animals move in very peculiar way called a Lévy flight where they move small distances most of the time, but occasionally move a very long distance. This idea was based on studies in which many animals, like albatrosses or sharks, were tracked. However scientists have been analysing ...

Mild cognitive impairment, dementia, and their subtypes are common in the "oldest old" women, which includes those 85 years of age and older, according to a report in the May issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The oldest old is "the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population and is expected to increase in number by 40 percent during the next decade alone," the authors write as background information in the article. "Initial evidence suggests that the incidence of all-cause dementia almost doubles with every 5 years of age and that the ...

The available evidence is insufficient to draw firm conclusions about the association of modifiable factors and risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD), according to a report posted online today that will appear in the September issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Estimates suggest that up to 5.3 million people in this country may have AD, and this number will likely increase as baby boomers grow older. In fact, "age is currently the strongest known risk factor for AD," write the authors. Variation in the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene is also associated ...