ANN ARBOR, Mich.---By mimicking the structure of the silk moth's antenna, University of Michigan researchers led the development of a better nanopore---a tiny tunnel-shaped tool that could advance understanding of a class of neurodegenerative diseases that includes Alzheimer's. A paper on the work is newly published online in Nature Nanotechnology. This project is headed by Michael Mayer, an associate professor in the U-M departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemical Engineering. Also collaborating are Jerry Yang, an associate professor at the University of California, ...

DALLAS – March 1, 2011 – Will Marshall saw a physician about his blood pressure at his barber's urging. Yes, his barber. "The barber and beauty shops for men and women are kind of their own private escapes," Mr. Marshall said. "Every conversation you can imagine goes on in the barbershop. I wouldn't have put the barbershop and blood pressure together – but that visit to my physician for my blood pressure saved my life." Mr. Marshall now has a healthy blood pressure thanks to lifestyle and dietary changes. He is one of about 1,300 participants in a study described ...

This release is available in French. MONTREAL, March 1, 2011 – By working with Canadians of French ancestry who suffer a rare genetic disease, researchers have discovered how three genes contribute to abnormal growth, making a breakthrough that will improve our understanding of many disorders such as foetal and childhood growth retardation, abnormal development of body parts and cancer. "As a result of the Human Genome Project, we know the basic identity of essentially all the genes in the human body, but we don't automatically know what they do in detail," explained ...

OAK BROOK, Ill. – Women who received one of three treatments for uterine fibroids at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston said their symptoms diminished and their quality of life significantly increased, according to a new study published in the May issue of Radiology. Uterine fibroids are benign pelvic tumors that occur in as many as one in five women during their childbearing years. Although not all fibroids cause symptoms, some women experience heavy bleeding, pain and infertility. Treatment options include hysterectomy, minimally invasive uterine artery embolization ...

Reston, VA (Feb. 23, 2011) — Despite the absence of Medicare coverage, hospital use of computed tomographic colonography (CTC), commonly referred to as virtual colonoscopy, is on the rise, according to a study in the March issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (www.jacr.org). Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. CTC, a minimally invasive alternative to optical colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening, employs virtual reality technology to produce a 3-D visualization that permits a thorough evaluation of the entire ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Why is it that the same teams seem to dominate the annual men's collegiate basketball tournament? For that matter, why does the same small group of institutions seem to top annual best-college rankings? According to a theory developed by a Duke University engineer, these hierarchies are not only natural, but predictable. Just as continually growing streams flow into a larger river, or smaller and smaller branches grow out from a single tree trunk, examples of these hierarchies abound in the natural world. Whether it is a river or basketball rankings, ...

Alexandria, VA — Depression is a common problem in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) and negatively impacts patients' symptom burden, ability to function, and quality of life (QOL), according to new research published in the March 2011 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. Nearly 14 percent of Americans suffer from chronic sinusitis and may have the following symptoms for 12 weeks or more; facial pain/pressure, facial congestion/fullness, nasal obstruction/blockage, thick nasal discharge/discolored post-nasal drainage, and periodic high fever. If ...

A survey of how farmers could protect themselves by growing a greater diversity of crops, published in the March issue of BioScience, has highlighted economical steps that farmers could take to minimize the threat to crops from global climate change, including a greater frequency of extreme climate events. Adaptation to ongoing climate change is considered a policy priority for agriculture. The survey, by Brenda B. Lin of the Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, documents multiple instances of farmers protecting economically important ...

Emory University experts predict that rates of depressive disorders among men will increase as the 21st century progresses. In an editorial published in the March, 2011 issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry http://bjp.rcpsych.org/, author Boadie Dunlop, MD, writes "Compared to women, many men attach a great importance to their roles as providers and protectors of their families. Failure to fulfill the role of breadwinner is associated with greater depression and marital conflict." Research shows that since the beginning of the recession in 2007, roughly 75 percent ...

SMOKING CESSATION HIGHER WITH VARENICLINE COMPARED WITH PLACEBO IN PATIENTS WITH COPD New research shows that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have higher smoking cessation rates with varenicline compared with placebo. In a multinational study involving 27 centers, researchers from UCLA followed 504 patients with mild to moderate COPD who were randomized to receive either varenicline (N=250) or placebo (N=254). At weeks 9-12, abstinence rates for patients treated with varenicline were higher than for the placebo group (42.3 percent vs 8.8 percent), ...

Bethesda, MD (March 1, 2011) — Endoscopic removal of pre-cancerous cells in patients with confirmed, high-risk Barrett's esophagus is recommended rather than surveillance, according to a new "Medical Position Statement on the Management of Barrett's Esophagus," published by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute. The medical position statement was published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the AGA Institute. In patients with Barrett's esophagus, the normal cells lining the esophagus are replaced with tissue that is similar to the lining ...

An inexpensive, routine blood test could hold the key to why some patients with congestive heart failure do well after being discharged from the hospital and why others risk relapse, costly readmission or death within a year, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. In a study reported online by the American Journal of Cardiology, Henry J. Michtalik, M.D., M.P.H., and his colleagues tested heart failure patients on admission and discharge for levels of a protein that's considered a marker for heart stress. In previous studies, the levels of this protein, N-terminal pro-B-type ...

Lymph node dissection, the current standard surgical treatment for localized non-small cell lung cancers, may be unnecessary in certain screen-detected early stage cases , according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO), the official journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer. The risk of nodal involvement is very low in early-stage cancers with a maximum standard uptake value (maxSUV) of 2.0 or a nodule smaller than 10 millimeters, researchers found. "As a consequence of advances in diagnostic ...

Many longtime smokers quit spontaneously with little effort shortly before their lung cancer is diagnosed, leading some researchers to speculate that sudden cessation may be a symptom of lung cancer. Most patients who quit did so before noticing any symptoms of cancer, according to the study, which was published in the March issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology (JTO), the official monthly journal of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC). "It is widely known that many lung cancer patients have stopped smoking before diagnosis," said ...

The 18th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections is taking place at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston from February 27 through March 2. Day two of this major HIV/AIDS research conference included the following selected presentations from scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. HIV/TB Co-Infection Diane Havlir, M.D., of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, presented findings from an international clinical trial known as ACTG 5221, ...

From 2011 to 2015, the Chinese telecom industry will grow by a compounded annual average rate (CAAGR) of 3%. Mobile services and datacom will grow at a rate of 3% while Internet at 9%. Fixed telephony, on the other hand, will steadily decline at a CAAGR of about 3%. In mobile services, competition will revolve around providing differentiated, innovative and relevant data 3G services. Non-voice service revenues will grow at an annual average rate of 7% as compared to only 1% for voice services. In 2015 China should be overall the third largest telecom market in the world, ...

One of the San Diego Assisted living programs offered by Always Best Care senior services is a free placement of their senior customers in independent or assisted dwellings of their choice. Other San Diego senior services include non-medical help for seniors with bathing, dressing, transportation, light housekeeping, meal preparation, medication, and transfers to other living arrangements, among other services. Always Best Care San Diego elder care is also affiliated with high-standard healthcare services and care communities. They work in accordance with the senior ...

Professional Freelancers Network is proud to recount its 2010 accomplishments and announce service enhancements slated for launch in 2011. Scheduled upgrades are designed to help the freelance community find more work and telecommuting opportunities. The fast-growing professional networking website was launched in 2010 with a mission to improve the online freelance marketplace by promoting professional ethics and standards, educating buyers and new freelancers, and enabling professional networking among like-minded providers. With an active and involved membership base, ...

Casmiro.com: Casmiro, the #1 online video distribution platform for pay-to-access content, today announced they have decided to use Amazon.com payment services as their primary method of payment capture for their online pay-to-access video technology. Since late 2009, they have tested the use of multiple payment gateways to allow their filmmakers to charge for streaming video content, though revenue increases from Q3 2010 to Q1 2011 up to 64% have been linked with filmmakers using Amazon.com payment services. VP of Development at Casmiro said, "Our initial concept was ...

Blue Hill Press, Inc. has been selected for the 2010 Best of Business Award in the Offset printing category by the Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA) The Small Business Commerce Association (SBCA) is pleased to announce that Blue Hill Press Inc has been selected for the 2010 Best of Business Award in the Offset printing category. The SBCA 2010 Award Program recognizes the top 5% of small businesses throughout the country. Using statistical research and consumer feedback, the SBCA identifies companies that we believe have demonstrated what makes small businesses ...

Web Design Melbourne based firm releases Photo Application Partnering with Appetise Food Photography, Melbourne based firm Chromatix releases software that shows some of Melbourne's best food photography. Useful for home, hobby and business. The application is simple and effective, just as Chromatix's simple web philosophies and no fuss approach. http://www.chromatix.com.au Their website is prime example of great web design, Melbourne produced. "visual artistry meets functionality" truly shines in their website and all of their work inclduing this application. Many ...

New youth fitness and athletic development franchise Athletic Revolution recently announced Jason Yun of Columbus as their first franchisee. Yun said "Childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions with factors such as fast food, computers, TV, video games, etc. all contributing to the problem. Over 50% of our children are overweight and almost 20% are obese. We're elated to begin offering the Athletic Revolution youth fitness program to help combat this problem and to introduce kids ages 6-18 into a healthy fitness lifestyle in a safe, fun, non-intimidating format." ...

CNN Headline News Charter Local Edition (CLE) is set to broadcast a live recorded interview focusing on International Trade Education Programs (ITEP) and CEO Amy Grat this Wednesday and Thursday, March 3rd and 4th. Grat talks about this year's Recipient LA County Supervisor Don Knabe of the 2011 ITEP Keeper of the Flame Award. The 4th District LA County supervisor will be honored at ITEP's 11th Annual Scholarship Dinner, "Visualizing Tomorrow," to be held at the World Cruise Center, Berth 93, Port of Los Angeles, San Pedro, CA on March 23rd. (5:30 p.m.- 8:30 p.m.) The ...

GOD OF LOVE is produced by Gigi Dement, Stefanie Walmsley and Ryan Silbert. It stars Matheny, Marian Brock and Christopher Hirsh. Director of Photography is Bobby Webster and original music is by Sasha Gordon. For a complete list of winners visit: http://www.oscars.org. Upon receiving the award, Matheny thanked all the appropriate people including The Academy, his colleagues, cast and crew, fellow nominees, parents, friends and family. "When I made the film, I really just had my fingers crossed for winning the screenwriting prize at NYU's First Run [Film] Festival," ...

BrianGeary.com has announced it is already compliant with the new Google algorithmic improvements announced February 24, 2011 in The Official Google Blog. In an effort to give people the most relevant answers to their queries as quickly as possible, Google announced a new strategy to reduce rankings for low-quality sites, while providing better rankings for high-quality sites with original content and information. The Internet content provided by BrianGeary.com already emphasizes informative, original content as the most effective Internet Marketing strategy. "Honest, ...