RICHLAND, Wash. -- New research suggests that China's impressive feat of cutting Beijing's pollution up to 50 percent for the 2008 Summer Olympics had some help from Mother Nature. Rain just at the beginning and wind during the Olympics likely contributed about half of the effort needed to clean up the skies, scientists found. The results also suggest emission controls need to be more widely implemented than in 2008 if pollution levels are to be reduced permanently. Reporting their findings December 12 in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, co-author atmospheric ...

An important part of saving a species is often understanding its DNA. Through a collaborative effort including 14 scientists representing organizations across Europe and the United States, researchers have been able to analyze the genome of the great ape species of the world. "A robust appreciation of the means and methods of the evolution of genomes which underlies the diversification of the great apes requires a more detailed knowledge of genome variation that is poorly revealed by current genome sequencing methods. " said Oliver Ryder Ph.D., Director of Genetics ...

LA JOLLA, CA – December 27, 2011 – Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered that DNA stays too tightly wound in certain brain cells of schizophrenic subjects. The findings suggest that drugs already in development for other diseases might eventually offer hope as a treatment for schizophrenia and related conditions in the elderly. The research, now available online in the new Nature journal, Translational Psychiatry, shows the deficit is especially pronounced in younger people, meaning treatment might be most effective early on at minimizing or ...

A record-keeper for a major corporation sits in her cubicle, reviewing the company's latest statements. To the untrained eye, the records seem to be in order, but the employee's specialized knowledge and years of experience have allowed her to know better. The records point to a clear pattern of fraud perpetrated against the federal government. What is the employee to do? The Latin phrase "qui tam" roughly translates to "who sues on behalf of the King as well as for himself." The qui tam provision of the False Claims Act accordingly allows private ...

ST. PAUL, Minn. – People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study published in the December 28, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Those with diets high in omega 3 fatty acids and in vitamins C, D, E and the B vitamins also had higher scores on mental thinking tests than people with diets low in those nutrients. These omega 3 fatty ...

(TORONTO, Canada – Dec. 29, 2011) – Treating ovarian cancer with the drug bevacizumab ("Avastin") delays the disease and may also improve survival, show the results of an international clinical trial co-led by Drs. Amit Oza of the Princess Margaret Cancer Program, University Health Network and Timothy Perren, St James's Institute of Oncology, Leeds, UK. The findings, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, report that the drug halted the cancer's return for two months overall. However, for women with the highest risk disease, the delay was five to six ...

PHILADELPHIA, PA (December 28, 2011)—Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer. A new phase 3 clinical trial conducted by the Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) showed that a targeted therapy called bevacizumab (Avastin) effectively delayed the progression of advanced ovarian cancer. Patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer now typically undergo surgery and chemotherapy, but the new research suggests an additional avenue of treatment. The ...

Boston, MA - In March 2011, a surgical team at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) performed the first full face transplantation (FFT) in the United States and went on to complete a total of three FFTs this year. Now, in the first research publication to evaluate FFT in the US, and largest series worldwide, the researchers describe details of patient preparation, novel design and execution of the operation as well as unique immunosuppression protocol allowing for lowest long-term maintenance drug regimen. They also share details of the early functional outcomes and demonstrate ...

With high unemployment and declining household incomes, meeting student loan obligations can be difficult, if not impossible. However, defaulting on federal student loans can have disastrous consequences. The government can garnish wages, withhold tax returns, and place liens on personal property. A default can also affect a person's professional license status. It's important for student loan borrowers to note that a default should be avoided at all costs. Missing one student loan payment makes a borrower delinquent. Nine months of delinquency puts a borrower in default. ...

In a study of 3.8 million attendees to 249 raves over 12 years, researchers found that almost 27,897 people visited a first aid station, and more than a third (10,100) reported a substance-related problem. Of these, 515 required professional medical care, and 16 cases were life-threatening. Most (66.7%) substance-related problems were associated with ecstasy, alcohol, or both. People using GHB most often required professional medical care, although the authors found no evidence for life-threatening, acute effects of the drug. The study was conducted based on data from ...

Wrong-way auto accidents are exceedingly rare, but when they occur, they often have tragic results. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 23 people in Arizona died in car crashes in 2009 (the latest year with available data) when a driver entered a road against traffic or drove on the wrong side of the road. In addition, in September 2011, two women in a sedan were killed by a man in a pickup truck travelling the wrong way on I-10 in Phoenix. Also, a wrong-way accident shut down the same freeway before Thanksgiving for several hours. Impaired ...

The microbes on your skin determine how attractive you are to mosquitoes, which may have important implications for malaria transmission and prevention, according to a study published Dec. 28 in the online journal PLoS ONE. Without bacteria, human sweat is odorless to the human nose, so the microbial communities on the skin play a key role in producing each individual's specific body odor. The researchers, led by Niels Verhulst of Wageningen University in the Netherlands, conducted their experiments with the Anopheles gambiae sensu stricto mosquito, which plays an important ...

ST. PAUL, Minn. – New research links 'silent strokes,' or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults to memory loss in the elderly. The study is published in the January 3, 2012, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. "The new aspect of this study of memory loss in the elderly is that it examines silent strokes and hippocampal shrinkage simultaneously," said study author Adam M. Brickman, PhD, of the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain at Columbia University ...

Half the drugs used today target a single class of proteins – and now scientists have identified an important molecular player critical to the proper workings of those proteins critical to our health. A protein known as Ric-8 plays a vital role, according to new results from a team led by Gregory Tall, Ph.D., assistant professor of Pharmacology and Physiology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The work was published recently in Science Signaling. What you see, what you smell, how you feel – molecules known as G-protein coupled receptors and their prime targets, ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – New research has found that elderly people with higher levels of several vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids in their blood had better performance on mental acuity tests and less of the brain shrinkage typical of Alzheimer's disease – while "junk food" diets produced just the opposite result. The study was among the first of its type to specifically measure a wide range of blood nutrient levels instead of basing findings on less precise data such as food questionnaires, and found positive effects of high levels of vitamins B, C, D, E and the healthy oils ...

DALLAS – Dec. 22, 2011 – A UT Southwestern Medical Center study using a sophisticated "glass mouse" research model has found that multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) is more likely caused in patients by speedy drug metabolism rather than inconsistent doses, as is widely believed. If the study published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases is borne out in future investigations, it may lead to better ways to treat one of the world's major infectious diseases. Health workers worldwide currently are required to witness each administration of the combination of drugs during ...

Pregnant women often go to great lengths to provide a healthy environment for their developing babies. From avoiding sushi and alcohol to taking added vitamins and extra vegetables many recommendations abound for pregnant women. These lists can become overwhelming. Experts from the Mayo Clinic agree that some risks are more dangerous than others. Common Risks Associated with Antidepressant Use During Pregnancy Research no longer supports the theory that pregnancy protects a woman from depression. Hormones associated with pregnancy may even make coping with depression ...

VIDEO: Dr. Jim Sears talks about smart, new changes to children's and infants' acetaminophen products. Click here for more information. IRVINGTON, NY, DECEMBER 28, 2011 – Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used pain and fever relievers for infants and children and is safe and effective when used as directed. However, with recent dosing changes to liquid acetaminophen products for infants, the FDA last week issued a press release urging parents to know the concentration ...

Today's ubiquitous MP3 players permit users to listen to crystal-clear tunes at high volume for hours on end — a marked improvement on the days of the Walkman. But according to Tel Aviv University research, these advances have also turned personal listening devices into a serious health hazard, with teenagers as the most at-risk group. One in four teens is in danger of early hearing loss as a direct result of these listening habits, says Prof. Chava Muchnik of TAU's Department of Communication Disorders in the Stanley Steyer School of Health Professions at the Sackler ...

VIDEO: This NOAA video shows the March 11, 2011, Japanese tsunami, the debris created by its force and that debris being carried out to sea. It incorporates a NOAA ocean model... Click here for more information. Debris from the tsunami that devastated Japan in March could reach the United States as early as this winter, according to predictions by NOAA scientists. However, they warn there is still a large amount of uncertainty over exactly what is still floating, where it's ...

Short, fast, and frequent: Those 21st-century demands on publication have radically changed the news, politics, and culture—for the worse, many say. Now an article in January's Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal published by the Association for Psychological Science, aims a critique at a similar trend in psychological research. The authors, psychologists Marco Bertamini of the University of Liverpool and Marcus Munafò of the University of Bristol, call it "bite-size science"—papers based on one or a few studies and small samples. "We're not against concision," ...

Getting injured on the job is not a pleasant experience for anyone involved. It puts an employee temporarily or permanently out of work and creates paperwork and costs for employers. These inconveniences, however, never justify an employer taking retaliatory action against an injured worker. Threatening an injured worker with job loss or actually firing an employee for making a workers' compensation claim are illegal actions. The state of Minnesota takes a tough stand against such employment practices, and employees should know that they have the support of the state ...

In an effort to resolve a dispute with the United States government, Swiss bank Credit Suisse will lift the veil of secrecy shrouding its bank accounts. This action could result in potentially severe consequences for many Americans. Switzerland's second largest bank is being investigated by the United States government for possibly helping U.S. citizens evade taxes through "secret" accounts. The bank will turn over previously confidential account information such as client names and account information to the Swiss Federal Tax Administration, who, at its discretion, ...

Coronary heart disease is the number one killer of Americans, accounting for one million deaths each year. A heart disease diagnosis can be crippling to someone whose family relies on his or her income to make ends meet. Often, heart disease renders a patient unable to work due to the strain it puts on its victim's everyday life. A heart condition does not necessarily lead to economic ruin, however. There are financial resources available to people with heart disease, and one of the most beneficial is Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). SSDI is income available ...

The Texas courts issued a decision recently that could limit the liability of car owners when they loan their vehicles to other individuals who operate them while intoxicated. In G & H Towing v. Magee, the adult children of a couple killed by a drunk driver in a borrowed car sued the owner of the car for damages on a theory of negligent entrustment. The plaintiffs alleged that the owner had been negligent in allowing the vehicle to be used in a dangerous manner. The car's owner, William Colson, worked with the driver, Joseph Violante, on a tugboat where the two ...