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Science22 Jul 2011

Optimism associated with lower risk of having stroke

A positive outlook on life might lower your risk of having a stroke, according to new research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association. In an observational study, a nationally representative group of 6,044 adults over age 50 rated their optimism levels on a 16-point scale. Each point increase in optimism corresponded to a 9 percent decrease in acute stroke risk over a two-year follow-up period. "Our work suggests that people who expect the best things in life actively take steps to promote health," said Eric Kim, study lead author and a clinical ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

Adolescent boys among those most affected by Washington state parental military deployment

In 2007, nearly two million children in the United States had at least one parent serving in the military. Military families and children, in particular, suffer from mental health problems related to long deployments. A new study from researchers at the University of Washington (UW) concludes that parental military deployment is associated with impaired well-being among adolescents, especially adolescent boys. The study, "Adolescent well-being in Washington state military families," was published online in the American Journal of Public Health. Lead author Sarah ...

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Space22 Jul 2011

4 unusual views of the Andromeda Galaxy

These four observations made by Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys give a close up view of the Andromeda Galaxy, also known as Messier 31 (M 31). Observations of most galaxies do not show the individual stars — even the most powerful telescopes cannot normally resolve the cloudy white shapes into their hundreds of millions of constituent stars. In the case of the Andromeda Galaxy, however, astronomers have a few tricks up their sleeves. Firstly, images from Hubble Space Telescope have unparalleled image quality as a result of the telescope's position above the atmosphere. ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Workings of brain protein suggest therapies for inherited intellectual disability, autism

Researchers now have a much clearer understanding of how mutations in a single gene can produce the complex cognitive deficits characteristic of Fragile X Syndrome, the most common inherited form of intellectual disability. As the majority of patients with Fragile X Syndrome also display autism-like symptoms, the findings offer hope for treating both conditions. A report in the July 22nd issue of the journal Cell, published by Cell Press, defines a set of messenger RNA (mRNA) molecules that the Fragile-X mental retardation protein (FMRP) binds in the brains of mice. ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

Targeting toxin trafficking

Toxins produced by plants and bacteria pose a significant threat to humans, as emphasized by the recent effects of cucumber-borne Shiga toxin in Germany. Now, new research published on July 21st by the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell provides a clearer view of the combination of similar and divergent strategies that different toxins use to invade a human host cell. Ricin is a highly toxic protein derived from the castor bean plant that has raised concerns as a potentially lethal biological weapon. Pseudomonas Exotoxin A (PE) is a sometimes deadly protein produced ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

Breastfeeding may prevent asthma

Feeding a baby on only breast milk and for up to 6 months after birth can reduce their risk of developing asthma-related symptoms in early childhood, according to new research. The study, which is published online today (21 July 2011) in the European Respiratory Journal, looked at the impact of the duration of breastfeeding and the introduction of alternative liquids or solids in addition to breast milk. The researchers, from the Generation R Study, Erasmus Medical Center in The Netherlands, used questionnaires to gather data from over 5,000 children. They ascertained ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Proteins enable essential enzyme to maintain its grip on DNA

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Scientists have identified a family of proteins that close a critical gap in an enzyme that is essential to all life, allowing the enzyme to maintain its grip on DNA and start the activation of genes. The enzyme, called RNA polymerase, is responsible for setting gene expression in motion in all cells. RNA polymerase wraps itself around the double helix of DNA, using one strand to match nucleotides and make a copy of genetic material. RNA polymerase cannot fall off of the DNA or stop this process once it starts. If it does, no proteins will be made, ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

UNC researchers identify seventh and eighth bases of DNA

(Embargoed) CHAPEL HILL – For decades, scientists have known that DNA consists of four basic units -- adenine, guanine, thymine and cytosine. Those four bases have been taught in science textbooks and have formed the basis of the growing knowledge regarding how genes code for life. Yet in recent history, scientists have expanded that list from four to six. Now, with a finding published online in the July 21, 2011, issue of the journal Science, researchers from the UNC School of Medicine have discovered the seventh and eighth bases of DNA. These last two bases – called ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

Working mothers and the effects on children

Parents struggling to combine paid work with bringing up their children now have some positive news thanks to a new study funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) on maternal employment and child socio-emotional behaviour in the UK. The research shows that there are no significant detrimental effects on a child's social or emotional development if their mothers work during their early years. The ideal scenario for children, both boys and girls, was shown to be where both parents lived in the home and both were in paid employment. For children living with ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Gardening in the brain

Gardeners know that some trees require regular pruning: some of their branches have to be cut so that others can grow stronger. The same is true of the developing brain: cells called microglia prune the connections between neurons, shaping how the brain is wired, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy, discovered. Published online today in Science, the findings could one day help understand neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. "We're very excited, because our data shows microglia are critical to get the connectivity ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Identical virus, host populations can prevail for centuries, WHOI researcher reports

A Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) scientist, analyzing ancient plankton DNA signatures in sediments of the Black Sea, has found for the first time that the same genetic populations of a virus and its algal host can persist and coexist for centuries. The findings have implications for the ecological significance of viruses in shaping algae ecosystems in the ocean, and perhaps fresh water as well. "The finding that the DNA of viruses and algal host cells can be preserved in the geological records is of great interest to microbial ecologists," said Marco Coolen ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Plan to one day end the use of environmentally harmful chemicals on commercial crops developed

(Edmonton) Two University of Alberta researchers have published a step by step plan to one-day end the use of environmentally harmful chemicals on commercial crops by developing plants that produce their own fertilizer. U of A plant biologist Allen Good says the energy required to produce nitrogen fertilizers has pushed the world-wide cost for agricultural producers to a $100 billion a year. Good says that while they are necessary for high yields, those nitrogen fertilizers also damage the environment. Emissions from nitrogen fertilizers add to greenhouse gas emissions ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

Repairing our inner clock with a 2-inch fish

Tel Aviv — Circadian rhythms — the natural cycle that dictates our biological processes over a 24-hour day — does more than tell us when to sleep or wake. Disruptions in the cycle are also associated with depression, problems with weight control, jet lag and more. Now Prof. Yoav Gothilf of Tel Aviv University's Department of Neurobiology at the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences is looking to the common zebrafish to learn more about how the human circadian system functions. Prof. Gothilf and his Ph.D. student Gad Vatine, in collaboration with Prof. Nicholas Foulkes ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

Washing away good and bad luck

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (www.ucr.edu) -- Do people believe good and bad luck can be washed away? Yes, according to an advanced online publication in the Journal of Experimental Psychology that was co-authored by Rami Zwick, a University of California, Riverside marketing professor in the School of Business Administration. Zwick, working with Alison Jing Xu of the University of Toronto, and Norbert Schwarz of the University of Michigan, designed two experiments that showed risk taking depends on whether participants recalled a past episode of good or bad luck and whether they ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

Do we buy cosmetics because they are useful or because they make us feel good?

A study by the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) shows that people who use cosmetics buy these products primarily for emotional reasons. The study was carried out on facial creams (hydrating and nutritive ones, coloured or non-coloured, and anti-wrinkle creams) and body creams (firming and anti-cellulite creams). "The study shows that both the emotional and utility aspect of cosmetic brands have a significant impact on consumer satisfaction, but that the emotional component has a greater effect", Vanessa Apaolaza, a researcher from the UPV and lead author of ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

A new discovery paves the way for using super strong nanostructured metals in cars

Today, the body of an ordinary family car consists of 193 different types of steel. The steel for each part of the car has been carefully selected and optimised. It is important, for example, that all parts are as light as possible because of the fuel consumption, whereas other parts of the car have to be super strong in order to protect passengers in a collision. Super strong nanostructured metals are now entering the scene, aimed at making cars even lighter, enabling them to stand collisions in a better way without fatal consequences for the passengers. Research into ...

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Social Science22 Jul 2011

University of Leicester develops test for classifying force used in bottle stabbings

Engineers at the University of Leicester have for the first time created a way of measuring how much force is used during a stabbing using a broken bottle. The advance is expected to have significant implications for legal forensics. A team from the University has conducted a systematic study of the force applied during a stabbing and come up with the first set of penetration force data for broken glass bottles. This work has been published in the International Journal of Legal Medicine (http://www.springerlink.com/content/v21t5g05250n22xw/) Stabbing is the most ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Study suggests obesity accelerates progression of cirrhosis

Researchers from the United States and Europe involved in an NIH-funded multicenter study have determined that increased body mass index (BMI) is an independent predictor of clinical decompensation in patients with compensated cirrhosis, independent of portal pressure and liver function. The findings suggest obesity accelerates cirrhosis progression and measures to reduce BMI could improve the prognosis for patients with advanced liver disease. Study details are available in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Metabolic syndrome increases risk of both major types of primary liver cancer

Incidence rates of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) have increased in the U.S. This population-based study publishing in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, found that metabolic syndrome significantly increases risk of developing these primary liver cancers. According to data from the National Cancer Institute, 24,120 new cases of liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer and close to 19,000 deaths from the diseases occurred in the U.S. in 2010. Major risk factors ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Software helps synthetic biologists customize protein production

A software program developed by a Penn State synthetic biologist could provide biotechnology companies with genetic plans to help them turn bacteria into molecular factories, capable of producing everything from biofuels to medicine. "It's similar to how an engineer designs a plane or a car," said Howard M. Salis, assistant professor in agricultural and biological engineering, and chemical engineering. "When designing a biological organism, there are many combinations that the engineer must test to find the best combination. This technology allows us to quickly identify ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Scavenger cells accomplices to viruses

This release is available in German. VIDEO: Red-colored adenovirus particles are found in the periphery of a human epithelial cell and steadily move towards the cell nucleus at the bottom of the image. The endocytic vesicles in... Click here for more information. Mucosal epithelia do not have any receptors on the outer membrane for the absorption of viruses like hepatitis C, herpes, ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Bacterial attack strategy uses special delivery of toxic proteins

When competing for food and resources, bacteria employ elaborate strategies to keep rival cells at bay. Scientists have now identified a pathway that allows disease-causing bacteria to attack other bacterial cells by breaking down their cell wall. Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a type of bacteria readily found in everyday environments. It easily forms colonies in a wide variety of settings, including medical devices, body organs and skin wounds. This allows it to cause disease and act as a major pathogen, particularly in hospitals. Research led by Joseph Mougous, assistant ...

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Medicine22 Jul 2011

Blue collar workers work longer and in worse health than their white collar bosses

While more Americans are working past age 65 by choice, a growing segment of the population must continue to work well into their sixties out of financial necessity. Research conducted by the Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine looked at aging, social class and labor force participation rates to illustrate the challenges that lower income workers face in the global marketplace. The study used the burden of arthritis to examine these connections because 49 million U.S. adults have arthritis, and 21 ...

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Science22 Jul 2011

Chronic pain in homeless people not managed well: Study

TORONTO, Ont., July 21, 2011—Chronic pain is not managed well in the general population and it's an even greater challenge for homeless people, according to new research by St. Michael's Hospital. Twenty-five per cent of Canadians say they have continuous or intermittent chronic pain lasting six months or more. The number is likely to be even higher among homeless people, in part due to frequent injuries. Of the 152 residents of homeless shelters with chronic pain studied by Dr. Stephen Hwang, more than one-third (37 per cent) had Chronic Pain Grade IV, the highest ...

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Technology22 Jul 2011

Nanotechnology for water filter

This release is available in German. Nanotechnology has developed tremendously in the past decade and was able to create many new materials with a vast range of potential applications. Carbon nanotubes are an example of these new materials and consist of cylindrical molecules of carbon with diameters of a few nanometers – one nanometer is one millionth of a millimeter. Carbon nanotubes possess exceptional electronic, mechanical and chemical properties, for example they can be used to clean polluted water. Scientists of the University of Vienna had recently published ...

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