Exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is associated with increased risk of hearing loss among adolescents, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Among U.S. children, approximately 60 percent are exposed to SHS, according to background information in the article. Studies have associated exposure to secondhand smoke prenatally or during childhood with various health conditions, from low birth weight and respiratory infections to behavioral problems and otitis media. Children exposed to ...

Mathematical modeling of infectious diseases is an important tool in the understanding and prediction of epidemics. Knowledge of social interactions is used to understand how infectious diseases spread through populations and how to control epidemics. New research published in BMC Medicine shows that a model, which included dynamic information about the heterogeneity of contact length and rate of making new contacts, was as effective as a more complex model which included the order of contacts. Data was collected over a two-day period, within the Socio Patterns project, ...

When the Hamiltons purchased their holiday home in Camposol Golf on the Costa Cálida six years ago, they had no aspirations for amassing a property portfolio. However, a combination of Barry's upcoming retirement and news of a Paramount-branded Theme Park encouraged them to take advantage of the current buyers' market and purchase an additional home in Camposol Golf. Barry (51), from County Antrim in Northern Ireland, picks up the story, "Spain was an obvious choice for us as it's just a couple of hours by direct flight from Belfast, has excellent infrastructure, ...

Taking another major step in sleuthing the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a research team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) has determined what chemicals were contained in a deep, hydrocarbon-containing plume at least 22 miles long that WHOI scientists mapped and sampled last summer in the Gulf of Mexico, a residue of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Moreover, they have taken a big step in explaining why some chemicals, but not others, made their way into the plume. The findings, published this week in the online edition of the Proceedings of the ...

CHICAGO – Among Latinos living in the United States, acculturation is associated with sunscreen use, but not with use of sun-protective clothing, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. According to background information in the article, DNA damage and skin cancer are an important health issue for U.S. Latinos. Their annual age-adjusted incidence of melanoma is 4.5 per 100,000, which represents an increase of 28.6 percent since 1992. Further, when melanoma is diagnosed, it tends to be thicker among Latinos ...

Young Frankenmuth writer Christopher Mundie has written a funny, up-beat book about the life of a special kind of guy; the kind of guy you wouldn't want to have at your party or end up owing any favors to. You know the type, the cynical, sarcastic, self-centered, lying and conniving—he's The Jerk. Being a Jerk isn't so bad though, it can get you free coffee, wads of cash and a gigantic fish (if you're lucky). You can definitely hate him, but there's one thing you can't blame him for, and that's for bumping into him in the first place. I spoke with Christopher Mundie ...

Physician-based screening for melanoma is associated with higher rates of physician-detected melanoma and detection of thinner melanoma, according to a report published Online First today by Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The disease-specific survival rate for advanced-stage melanoma is poor, so detecting the cancer in an earlier stage is the best means to ensure a favorable prognosis, according to background information in the article. Previous research has demonstrated that patients find most melanomas, and that those lesions tend to be ...

Removing a portion of the platysma muscle may ease symptoms for patients experiencing chronic neck stiffness and involuntary movement, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. In previous research, removal of parts of the platysma—the muscle stretching from the shoulders and chest through the neck—appeared successful in alleviating hypertonicity (muscular rigidity), according to background information in the article. The authors, who had begun to use muscle-transfer surgeries to treat facial paresis ...

DALLAS – July 18, 2011 – Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center say there are at least 70 genetic mutations involved in the formation of colon cancer, far more than scientists previously thought. Based on the study, published in the July 2011 Cancer Research (Priority Reports), researchers are suggesting a new approach to colon cancer treatments targeting multiple genes and pathways simultaneously. Current cancer treatments target just one or two known cancer-driver genes believing this would be beneficial to patients. While patients may get transient tumor burden ...

The South Bay Women's Network has long supported women's causes and August 2 the organization will host its Summer Mixer, an event dedicated to raising funds for an educational scholarship to be awarded to a female, adult re-entry student attending Cuesta College. "There are many amazing women in this community who are daring to return to college and pursue their educational goals," said Mia Simmons, SBWN President. "The SBWN Summer Mixer is a wonderful way for our members to support that journey." The scholarship is open to women returning to ...

Monday, 18 July, 2011 (Rome, Italy) - Researchers speaking in the first plenary session of the 6th IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2011) have today offered insights into current and future HIV prevention research and discussed how biomedical developments over the past two years are beginning to shape debate on the future of HIV prevention policy. The presentations reflect the breadth of expertise among the more than 5,000 researchers, clinicians and community leaders attending the conference, which runs from 17-20 July in Rome. "We ...

As any rock-climber knows, trailing a long length of rope behind you is not easy. A dangling length of rope is unwieldy and hard to manoeuvre, and can get tangled up or stuck on an outcropping. Cells face the same problem when dragging chromosomes apart during cell division. The chromosomes are pulled by their middle – the centromere – their arms trailing along behind. Just like climbers carry their rope coiled up, cells make the chromosome arms easier to pull by folding them into short, stiffer structures. In a study published online today in Nature Structural and Molecular ...

Systech Illinois, manufacturers of an extensive range of gas analysis equipment, reports that their recent exhibition at Interpack 2011 was a great success. The event, one of the largest food packaging exhibitions in the industry, was held in Düsseldorf and featured 2,700 exhibitors from 60 different countries. For more information call +44 (0) 1844 216838 or go to http://www.systechillinois.com. "We showcased the recently acquired PermMate Permeation Analyser as well as the extensive range of headspace gas analysers and process gas analysis instruments manufactured ...

As Slam Poetry celebrates its silver anniversary, the "kingpins" of Chicago's spoken word scene host the Poetry Slam Double Decker Bus Tour for an interactive, time-travel adventure across the city where slam poetry originated. The fun revs up on Thursday, July 28th from 8 p.m. to 11p.m. beginning at the legendary Chopin Theatre 1543 West Division St. in Chicago. Hosted and organized by Chicago Slam Champion, Tim Stafford and Chicago legend Lazer Ray, this journey transports passengers through some of the most momentous, historic Poetry Slam spots. The tour kicks ...

The world premiere of Bao Quoc Pham's "Beauty" will screen at the 2011 Ventura Film Festival on July 19th. The short drama follows a man (Steve Gelder) who succumbs to infatuation and impulse. The title role of Beauty is played by Sarah Leners. Other key cast include: Laura Ann Tull, Viktor Brown, Charlie Glackin, Charles Power, Ross Takashima, and Caleb Trout. The Ventura Film Festival is dedicated to raising money to protect forests and oceans from being clear cut, polluted destroyed. ...

Some of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer are more vulnerable to chemotherapy when it is combined with a new class of anti-cancer agent, researchers from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute have shown. ABT-737 is one of a new class of anti-cancer agents called BH3 mimetics that target and neutralise the so-called Bcl-2 proteins in cancer cells. Bcl-2 proteins act to 'protect' the cells after they have been damaged by chemotherapy drugs, and prevent the cancer cells from dying. Professors Geoff Lindeman and Jane Visvader, who led the research with colleagues ...

The cupcake industry is reaching all time heights, with gourmet delicacies and unique cupcake boxes. CupcakeBoxesWholesale.org offers information, tips, tricks and examples of wholesale cupcake boxes that are as creative as the cupcakes they hold. "It's important to have a familiar look with your product branding," said John Allen, owner of the site. "Wholesale cupcake boxes help achieve that sense of familiarity." The website provides information, tips and resources for cupcake boxes wholesale that offer branding opportunities, save money and ...

topseos.com, an independent authority on search vendors has named the Best eCommerce Solutions for the month of July 2011. All the eCommerce SEO agencies recognized next to thousands of other E-Commerce SEO Firms have gone through a comprehensive process evaluated by a qualified and experienced team of researchers. Each E-Commerce SEO company has been evaluated and ranked accordingly to the best eCommerce SEO in the internet marketing industry. "Each company is put through our rigorous evaluation process and the best are chosen to be featured on our rankings. All ...

Doctors should be allowed to object to any procedure that conflicts with their personal, moral, or religious beliefs, reveals a survey of medical students, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics. Nearly half of respondents believed in the right of doctors to conscientiously object and refuse to treat a patient who wanted an abortion, contraceptive services, or who was drunk or high on drugs, or who wanted an intimate examination and was of the opposite sex. This right was more frequently expressed among Muslim medical students, the survey findings showed. The ...

In its commitment to promote the highest standards in workplace safety, Saudi Readymix became the first ready-mixed concrete company in Saudi Arabia to certify all of its factory managers with Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) accreditation. All participating managers took part in an intensive training program, which was conducted over a period of two weeks. Once the training was concluded, the participants had to undertake and pass a comprehensive exam to become OSHA certified. All Saudi Readymix factory managers passed. The same OSHA training and ...

Expressing breast milk by hand in the first days after birth is better for boosting breastfeeding rates among poorly feeding newborns than the use of a breast pump, indicates a small study published online in the Archives of Disease in Childhood. Currently, either method may be recommended for newborns who latch or suck poorly to encourage them to breastfeed, say the authors. They base their findings on 68 mums whose newborns were latching on to the nipple or sucking poorly 12 to 36 hours after birth. The mums were randomly assigned to either 15 minutes of using a ...

When the language used by financial analysts and reporters becomes increasingly similar the stock market may be overheated, say scientists. After examining 18,000 online articles published by the Financial Times, The New York Times, and the BBC, computer scientists have discovered that the verbs and nouns used by financial commentators converge in a 'herd-like' fashion in the lead up to a stock market bubble. Immediately afterwards, the language disperses. The findings presented at the International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Barcelona, Spain, on Tuesday ...

Shawn "ETCETERA" McClain plays the lead role of young musician, Shane "Preme" Davis who has Type-1 Diabetes. Preme, who has been seeing a sexy new girl Sasha (Anita Clay) who could easily be his soul-mate and right now he feels like a million dollars. It's his best friend Mike (James Lentini) that's holding the music together for him while he takes care of his health problems: what more could a man wish for... Mike, an ambitious manager, and would-be rap artist, has love for Shane like a brother, and would give up everything for him, but later begins ...

While LASIK has been available since the early 1990s, many people still have questions about the procedure. According to Dr. Joel Hunter, founder of Hunter Vision, Central Florida's exclusive 3D LASIK provider, following are the five most-asked questions. 1. Is it permanent? "Yes! It's safe, and the changes that the laser makes to the cornea are permanent," Dr. Hunter says. "It's true that as the eye ages, the natural lens inside the eye stiffens, causing a loss of near vision. However, with the advent of 'blended vision,' I am able to treat the eyes in ...

Which is better, a quick vertical jab on the buttock or the delicately soft entry of a blood sample? Waiting to find out "for what", some are already wondering "how" to use those tiny "molecular syringes" which are carbon nanotubes. With a diameter of less than one millionth of a millimetre (nanometre) and a maximum length of just a few millimetres, the first use that springs to mind when we think of this ethereal tubes - the smallest ever made by man - is as potential needles for injecting drugs or genes into sick cells. And if a syringe it is, we had better start thinking ...