Psychology researchers at the University of Alberta have found an interesting wrinkle in the decision- making process people use when gambling: People confronted with risky choices respond differently when they rely on past experiences, rather than when they just focus on the odds of winning or losing. The research team gave people two kinds of choices. One was a choice between a sure win versus a double-or-nothing win. The other choice was between a sure loss versus a double-or- nothing loss. In some cases the odds were explained to the volunteer gamblers, and sometimes ...

What links speed, power, and the color red? Hint: it's not a sports car. It's your muscles. A new study, published in the latest issue of the journal Emotion, finds that when humans see red, their reactions become both faster and more forceful. And people are unaware of the color's intensifying effect. The findings may have applications for sporting and other activities in which a brief burst of strength and speed is needed, such as weightlifting. But the authors caution that the color energy boost is likely short-lived. "Red enhances our physical reactions because ...

Everyone has heard horrific tales of medical negligence -- the healthy body part removed instead of the cancerous one, the adult dose of medication given to a child, the baby starting life with a permanent birth injury because someone made a mistake, the grandparent who dies from a hospital infection. In our legal system, a person hurt through the negligence of another can sue in court for money damages for the harm received. In most scenarios, a jury decides how much money would compensate a victim for his or her injury at the negligent or malicious hand of another. It ...

A Spanish research team, using 3D reflection seismology, has for the first time mapped the geomorphological features of the Ebro river basin between five and six million years ago. The images obtained show that the surface analysed is today 2.5 or 3 kilometres below the sea bed. "The results shed light on the way in which the sea level fell during the Messinian (between 5.33 and 6 million years ago), and imply that the subsequent inundation of the river margins happened extremely quickly", Roger Urgeles, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Department of Marine ...

On his way out of office in December 2010, now former New York Gov. David Patterson signed legislation giving people filing for bankruptcy something to celebrate. The bill raises the limits on several state property exemptions and allows debtors to choose between New York and Federal exemption limits. Property exemptions are the assets protected from creditors trying to satisfy a money judgment during bankruptcy proceedings. New York's exemptions fall into the following categories: - Homestead - Motor vehicle - Cash - Jewelry and art - Tool of trade - Cash, household ...

Patients who are evaluated for liver diseases such as hepatitis C (HCV) are typically recommended for liver biopsy to determine the extent of disease progression. For patients who question whether less invasive testing is available, clinicians now have alternatives options to consider. Elastography and serum markers are two such diagnostic options reviewed in an editorial published in the June issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. Epidemiological studies report that approximately 150,000 individuals in the U.S. are ...

PHILADELPHIA (June 2, 2011) -- Although bitterness can sometimes be desirable – such as in the taste of coffee or chocolate – more often bitter taste causes rejection that can interfere with food selection, nutrition and therapeutic compliance. This is especially true for children. Now, scientists from the Monell Center and Integral Molecular describe the discovery of a compound that inhibits bitterness by acting directly on a subset of bitter taste receptors. "Bitter taste is a major problem for pediatric drug compliance and also for proper nutrition, such as eating ...

The Federal Trade Commission recently held a seminar entitled "Debt Collection 2.0" and among the usual discussions of debt collection was a new topic: "Using Social Media for Debt Collection: Consumer Information, Collector Communications, and Privacy Issues." Using social media, like Facebook and Twitter for debt collection purposes is something new. Joel Winston of the FTC told MSNBC, "We have received a few complaints about collectors who are using social media to either impersonate the person's friends or otherwise use it for harassment." Social ...

The oral antifungal drug itraconazole, most commonly used to treat nail fungus, may keep prostate cancer from worsening and delay the need for chemotherapy in men with advanced disease. Details of the finding, from a clinical trial led by Johns Hopkins experts, are scheduled for presentation on Saturday, June 4 at the 2011 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting (abstract #4532). Currently, the drug is approved to treat fungal infections in nails and other organs. Serious side effects can include heart failure, and Johns Hopkins experts caution that ...

A study in a special early online publication of Cell, a Cell Press publication, reveals a promising new slow-release compound that protects mice against the neurodegenerative effects of both Huntington's and Alzheimer's disease. The 'prodrug' known only as JM6 works through a pathway involved in the breakdown of the amino acid tryptophan. Surprisingly, JM6 delivers those benefits even though it doesn't cross the blood-brain barrier and therefore cannot act directly on the brain. "Most would have assumed that the drug would have to enter the brain to have an effect," ...

Thousands of events are scheduled across the nation to celebrate the joys and traditions that come with riding bicycles. While most events are geared to welcome spring and summertime activities, some, like the Bike Bonanza in downtown Salt Lake City, promote healthy living and efficiency. Another national event, the Ride of Silence, is dedicated to reminding people about bicycle safety and honoring those killed in bicycle accidents. Each year since 2003, riders have gathered on the third Wednesday of May to bring awareness to the hazards bicyclists endure from motorists. ...

AUDIO: University of Michigan School of Public Health researcher Stoddard's research shows a link between violent behavior and brain injury in youth. Click here for more information. ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Young people who have sustained a head injury during their lifetime are more likely to engage in violent behavior, according to an eight-year study from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Further, the research found that young people who suffered a recent ...

(SALT LAKE CITY)—Parents and health care providers can't always tell whether toddlers display signs of autism syndrome disorder (ASD), but new research from the University of Utah shows that a significant portion of at-risk children between 14-24 months can be identified through systematic screening by autism experts and providers working together. Identifying children with ASD as young as possible is critical for the early intervention that can improve their lives and ability to function in the world. But a systematic way to do that has not been established, according ...

As the World Health Organisation suggests the E. coli outbreak in Germany is a strain never before seen in an outbreak – O104:H4 – laboratory science conducted at the University of Southampton indicates a role for copper in preventing the spread of such infections. Professor Bill Keevil, Head of the Microbiology Group and Director of the Environmental Healthcare Unit at the University of Southampton, explains: "A study looking at copper's efficacy against new strains of E. coli has just been completed. Although it did not specifically look at O104, all the strains investigated ...

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – University of Louisville researchers are one step closer to helping millions of people whose salivary glands no longer work because of disease or damage from treatment of diseases. The scientific finding of Douglas Darling, PhD, professor, Department of Oral Health and Rehabilitation, UofL School of Dentistry, and his team identified a protein sorting mechanism used by the salivary gland. The National Institutes of Health supported study published on-line first this week in the Journal of Dental Research. The scientific discovery could form the ...

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have uncovered a potentially important new therapeutic target that could prevent stress-related cell death, a characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's, as well as heart attack and stroke. In the study, published recently in the journal ACS Chemical Biology, the scientists showed they could disrupt a specific interaction of a critical enzyme that would prevent cell death without harming other important enzyme functions. The enzyme in question is c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK), ...

Wrong-site surgery is a one of the most preventable forms of medical malpractice because it is so unnecessary. It indicates sloppiness in procedure and a level of inattention to detail you would hope to never find in a surgeon or their staff. While there are often explanations, there is never any excuse. It might be excusable in an emergency military hospital, with surgeons operating under a crush of battle injured patients, but it should simply never occur in a modern hospital. A statement from the website of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons notes: "Wrong-site ...

The nation's system of freeing some terminally ill prisoners on grounds of compassionate release is so riddled with medical flaws and procedural barriers that many potentially medically eligible inmates are dying behind bars, say UCSF researchers in a new study. The research, which calls for an overhaul of current practices, is published online this week in Annals of Internal Medicine. "Current compassionate release guidelines are failing to identify seriously ill prisoners who no longer pose a threat to society, placing huge financial burdens on state budgets and contributing ...

The Fair Sentencing Act of 2010 (FSA) reduced what many have criticized as disproportionately harsh sentences for crack cocaine offenses. The sentencing ratio remains at approximately 18 to 1 for the amount of powder cocaine versus crack cocaine required to trigger the same penalty, but this is a significant reduction from a former ration of 100 to 1. 2007 Amendments The federal sentencing guidelines were previously amended in 2007 in an effort to reduce the disparity between sentences for crack and powdered cocaine offenses. Although the sentencing guidelines were ...

PASADENA, Calif.—In many ways, life is like a computer. An organism's genome is the software that tells the cellular and molecular machinery—the hardware—what to do. But instead of electronic circuitry, life relies on biochemical circuitry—complex networks of reactions and pathways that enable organisms to function. Now, researchers at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have built the most complex biochemical circuit ever created from scratch, made with DNA-based devices in a test tube that are analogous to the electronic transistors on a computer chip. Engineering ...

The sanctioned grounds for divorce in Georgia straddle traditional values and modern trends. Divorce and related family-law matters in the United States have been, and continue to be, governed mostly by state law, and divorce law varies among the states. Historically, for one spouse to divorce another, the husband or wife suing for divorce must have been able to show a type of legally recognized "fault" on the part of the other spouse. The most commonly thought of spousal faults were -- and still are, in some states -- adultery, desertion and cruelty. No-Fault ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – One of the beneficial compounds found in green tea has a powerful ability to increase the number of "regulatory T cells" that play a key role in immune function and suppression of autoimmune disease, according to new research in the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University. This may be one of the underlying mechanisms for the health benefits of green tea, which has attracted wide interest for its ability to help control inflammation, improve immune function and prevent cancer. Pharmaceutical drugs are available that perform similar roles ...

Fast muscles, such as the thigh muscle in a sprinter, deliver energy quickly but fatigue quickly. Slow muscles, such as the soleus muscle in the lower calf, are less forceful but important for posture and endurance. Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Virginia Tech have discovered one gene regulator that maintains the fast muscle type and inhibits the development of a slow muscle type. The research was posted in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences' online early edition on June 1 in the article, "Concerted regulation ...

PORTLAND, Ore. — Eating a high-fat diet during pregnancy increases the chance of stillbirth, according to new research at Oregon Health & Science University. The new data show eating a typical American diet, which is high in fat, decreases blood flow from the mother to the placenta, the temporary organ that nourishes the unborn fetus. Prior to this study, exactly how a fatty diet contributes to stillbirth was unclear. The findings are published in the June edition of the journal Endocrinology. The study was conducted at the OHSU Oregon National Primate Research Center. ...

Baltimore, MD -- A multicenter clinical trial led by a researcher at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center will evaluate a new approach to treat triple-negative breast cancer, an often-aggressive type of cancer that is more common among African-Americans and young women. The study will help researchers determine if an experimental drug, entinostat, can reprogram tumor cells to express a protein called an estrogen receptor to make them sensitive to hormone therapy. Saranya Chumsri, M.D., an oncologist at the Greenebaum Cancer Center and ...