Today, The Endocrine Society released "Evaluation, Treatment, and Prevention of Vitamin D Deficiency: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline." The clinical practice guideline (CPG) is published in the July 2011 issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), a publication of The Endocrine Society. The major source of vitamin D for children and adults is exposure to natural sunlight as very few foods naturally contain or are fortified with vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is common throughout the world and results in abnormalities of calcium, ...

Terrorist groups bend the rules of 'true' Islam to justify the use of female suicide bombers, according to Margaret Gonzalez-Perez from Southeastern Louisiana University in the US. Her paper traces the development of radical Islamic doctrine over time, highlights how it deviates from mainstream Islam, and identifies the building blocks that have culminated in Jihadi female suicide bombers. According to Gonzalez-Perez, "Radical Islam reinterprets, and even misinterprets Islamic jurisprudence, as a tool to legitimize female suicide bombers." Her findings are published online ...

Slotland's new Tikal Treasure online slot machine takes players to the mystical temples of the ancient Mayans where the treasures of the ancients lay waiting. Until June 12th, Slotland is giving every player a free $15 chip to take a free spin on the new game. (Regular bonus restrictions apply.) Tikal Treasure is a 5 reel, 25 pay line slot machine. Like all of Slotland's latest new games, it has eye-popping full screen graphics and brilliant sound effects. With a $15 free chip to try the new game, and a six-figure jackpot that many players feel is overdue for a win, ...

A national study has found that nearly 68,000 deaths potentially could be prevented each year by optimally implementing key national guideline–recommended therapies, including critical medications and cardiac devices, for all eligible heart failure patients. Although heart failure is a major cause of death, morbidity and health care expenditures in the U.S., the routine clinical use of scientifically proven treatments that reduce mortality and improve quality of life has been slow and inconsistent. "This is one of the first studies to quantify the potential survival ...

Troy, N.Y. – Engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute are combining automation techniques from oil refining and other diverse areas to help create a closed-loop artificial pancreas. The device will automatically monitor blood sugar levels and administer insulin to patients with Type 1 diabetes, and aims to remove much of the guesswork for those living with the chronic disease. For six years, Professor B. Wayne Bequette, a member of the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Rensselaer, has been creating progressively more advanced computer ...

This release is available in German. Fat-rich food makes you fat. Behind this simple equation lie complex signalling pathways, through which the neurotransmitters in the brain control the body's energy balance. Scientists at the Cologne-based Max Planck Institute for Neurological Research and the Cluster of Excellence in Cellular Stress Responses in Ageing-associated Diseases (CECAD) at the University of Cologne have clarified an important step in this complex control circuit. They have succeeded in showing how the hormone insulin acts in the part of the brain known ...

Reproductive Medicine Associates of New York (RMA of New York) physicians were once again honored by Super Doctors as top Reproductive Endocrinologists in the New York metro area. This is the 4th consecutive year that RMA of New York's physicians have been recognized for their professional achievement in treating patients with infertility and helping individuals and couples build families. This year's honorees include Reproductive Endocrinologists Alan Copperman, MD; Lawrence Grunfeld, MD; Tanmoy Mukherjee, MD and Benjamin Sandler, MD. Each year, Super Doctors identifies ...

Researchers now understand more about why platinum is so efficient at producing power in hydrogen fuel cells. "Understanding platinum's properties for speeding up chemical reactions will potentially enable scientists to create significantly cheaper synthetic or metal alloy alternatives for use in sustainable devices like fuel cells," says Gregory Jerkiewicz, a professor in the Department of Chemistry who led the groundbreaking study. Dr. Jerkiewicz's research team has found that when platinum is used in reactions involving hydrogen it develops an embedded layer of hydrogen ...

PITTSBURGH, June 6 - New neurons take more than six months to mature in adult monkeys and that time is likely even longer in humans, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, the University of Illinois, and Pennsylvania State University. Their findings, reported this week in the online version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, challenge the notion that the time it takes for neurogenesis is the reason anti-depressant medications are not fully effective until three to five weeks after treatment begins. The dentate ...

Paying attention to something and being aware of it seems like the same thing -they both involve somehow knowing the thing is there. However, a new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, finds that these are actually separate; your brain can pay attention to something without you being aware that it's there. "We wanted to ask, can things attract your attention even when you don't see them at all?" says Po-Jang Hsieh, of Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School in Singapore and MIT. ...

After a strong start to 2011 the car finance industry is looking forward to continued growth in the UK. March again showed positive signs with GBP707 million of business written. This was a 1% increase compared to March 2010. The figures for the first quarter of 2011 compared to 2010 are still being skewed due to the scrappage scheme running in 2010. The number of cars sold in Q1 of 2011 was down when compared to 2010. However the value of the vehicles being sold has increased, which indicates the scrappage scheme helped to increase the number of cars sold, but, the ...

PASADENA, Calif.—When geologists survey an area of land for the potential that gas or petroleum deposits could exist there, they must take into account the composition of rocks that lie below the surface. Take, for instance, sandstone—a sedimentary rock composed mostly of weakly cemented quartz grains. Previous research had suggested that compaction bands—highly compressed, narrow, flat layers within the sandstone—are much less permeable than the host rock and might act as barriers to the flow of oil or gas. Now, researchers led by José Andrade, associate professor ...

The City Bingo website has undergone a series of changes recently; including the introduction of a daily jackpot tab. City Bingo is also proudly displaying the 5 free bingo rooms that are available as well as the 200% welcome bonus. The free bingo site pays out more than GBP150,000 on a daily basis following games on bingo and instants. There are a seven guaranteed bingo jackpots playing every day of the week, with card prices costing 2p, 5p, 10p and 15p or even free of charge. Free bingo opportunities can also be explored on the City Bingo facebook page. This ...

Migraine specialists attending the American Headache Society (AHS) science meeting here this weekend say they believe that more government money for migraine research holds the most promise for winning the battle against the disease. When asked to rank four areas of research need, 40 % say an increase in public funds is more important even than understanding basic aspects of the disease -- more than early intervention in a migraine attack (28%), migraine genetics (25%), or the role of the thalamus (6%). "The infusion of public money in migraine is central to the conquest ...

BOSTON – While overall emergency department use in Massachusetts continues to rise, the number of low-severity visits dropped slightly since the implementation of the state's health care reform law, according to an Annals of Emergency Medicine study published online. "Our study suggests other factors play a role in determining access to care and use of the ED in addition to one's insurance status," writes Peter Smulowitz, MD, MPH, the study's lead author and an emergency physician at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. "These likely include availability of primary ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- According to the American Cancer Society, more than 11.4 million Americans are currently living with cancer. While cancer treatments are plentiful, many have negative side effects. Previous studies have indicated that a significant number of patients who receive chemotherapy also experience cognitive declines, including decreases in verbal fluency and memory. Now, one University of Missouri health psychologist has found evidence that indicates Tai Chi, a Chinese martial art, might help overcome some of those problems. "Scientists have known for years ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Birds do it. Bees do it. Even little kids picking strawberries do it. Every creature that forages for food decides at some point that the food source they're working on is no richer than the rest of the patch and that it's time to move on and find something better. This kind of foraging decision is a fundamental problem that goes far back in evolutionary history and is dealt with by creatures that don't even have proper brains, said Michael Platt, a professor of neurobiology and director of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University. Platt ...

RakeTheRake.com has re-launched its rakeback website to give online poker players new features, functionality and an improved user experience. With a simple 4 step process to sign up for rakeback and a secure, easy to use Account area, the new site offers players some key additions, namely free poker training and the new RakeTheRake forum. Until the end of July 2011 there is also $100,000+ of special relaunch promotions running. These are bespoke promotions created by the top online poker rooms and RakeTheRake and most are open to all online poker players, whether registered ...

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., June 6, 2011 -- Neutron analysis of the atomic dynamics behind thermal conductivity is helping scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory gain a deeper understanding of how thermoelectric materials work. The analysis could spur the development of a broader range of products with the capability to transform heat to electricity. Researchers performed experiments at both of ORNL's neutron facilities -- the Spallation Neutron Source and the High Flux Isotope Reactor -- to learn why the material lead telluride, which has a similar ...

The Hilton Garden Inn Hotel in Columbia SC (Northeast) offers convenient lodging to competitors and spectators attending the Miss South Carolina Pageant. The event will take place at the newly renovated Township Auditorium from June 25 - July 2, 2011. Contestants from across the state of South Carolina will compete for the crown and a $20,000 scholarship. After begin held in Spartanburg for the past 15 years, the Miss South Carolina Pageant will take place in Columbia, South Carolina. The event will include the Miss South Carolina Finals and Miss South Carolina Teen ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– In what they are calling a new direction in the study of Alzheimer's disease, UC Santa Barbara scientists have made an important finding about what happens to brain cells that are destroyed in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. The results are published in the online version of The Journal of Biological Chemistry. Stuart Feinstein, professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, senior author, and co-director of UCSB's Neuroscience Research Institute, explained: "With dementia, the brain cells, or neurons, that you need for ...

Most people who buy a body kit for their car or truck are looking forward to making the vehicle more aggressive, a custom appearance, and completely unique. Yet the last thing that they think of when messing around with their bumpers is safety. It's kind of crazy really, some are willing to risk their safety just so they can look good. We are proud of what we drive, but we are all unique. We like to show our style, or even enter our vehicle into some car or truck shows. One of the most drastic things that you can do to your vehicle is to add a custom body kit to it. ...

A biological sensor is a critical part of a human cell's control system that is able to trigger a number of cell activities. A type of sensor known as the "gating ring" can open a channel that allows a flow of potassium ions through the cell's wall or membrane — similar to the way a subway turnstile allows people into a station. This flow of ions, in turn, is involved in the regulation of crucial bodily activities like blood pressure, insulin secretion and brain signaling. But the biophysical functioning of the gating ring sensor has not been clearly understood. Now, ...

A new nonprofit foundation has formed to help protect the safety of millions of young people who travel and study abroad every year. ClearCause Foundation is focused on solving problems within the US $17 billion youth-travel, exchange and study abroad industry without government regulations, including the lack of federal oversight for organizations entrusted to care for youth and students overseas. "There are literally thousands of youth travel, study-abroad and student-exchange programs, but virtually no government oversight or federally mandated safety standards ...

Jupiter, long settled in its position as the fifth planet from our sun, was a rolling stone in its youth. Over the eons, the giant planet roamed toward the center of the solar system and back out again, at one point moving in about as close as Mars is now. The planet's travels profoundly influenced the solar system, changing the nature of the asteroid belt and making Mars smaller than it should have been. These details are based on a new model of the early solar system developed by an international team that includes NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. ...