Although vast improvements have been made in the clinical care of patients suffering from an acute myocardial infarction, heart attacks still remain the No.1 cause of death in the western world. A promising approach in overcoming this troublesome issue is to make use of an innate cardioprotective response: the ability of short ischemic episodes to precondition the heart against a subsequent prolonged ischemic insult. This powerful form of protection not only reduces the resultant damage up to 50%, but can also be initiated from a distance, such as by using repetitive blood-pressure ...

In the recent Oldham by-election, the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) confirmed its status as the fourth largest party in British politics, ahead of the British National Party (BNP). Now, with the local elections looming, experts are warning that UKIP looks set to become a successful radical right party, similar to those seen in countries like Austria, France and Italy, and a 'significant vehicle' for Islamophobia. "Our research shows that Euroscepticism is not the whole story where UKIP is concerned," say two of its authors — Dr Robert Ford and Dr Matthew Goodwin ...

"We have seen that the results of the way in which we have been teaching the English language to date are not the desired ones". David Lasagabaster (Vitoria-Gasteiz, 1967) knows what he is talking about, being a Doctor in English Philology and lecturer at the Department of English and German Languages of the Arts Faculty at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU). He has published several works on plurilinguism and plurilingual education, besides having studied experiments abroad. He was also Vice-Rector of International Relations (2005-2009) during the first years ...

A new study finds that a metabolite commonly elevated in brain cancer and leukemia may promote tumorigenesis by altering the expression of a large number of genes. New research, published by Cell Press in the January 18th issue of the journal Cancer Cell, enhances the understanding of the link between metabolic deregulation and cancer and may help to guide development of new targeted cancer therapies. More than 75% of low grade gliomas and secondary glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and about 20% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), exhibit mutations in genes for isocitrate ...

Contact: David M. Penetar, Ph.D. dpenetar@mclean.harvard.edu 617-855-2913 McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School Robert Swift, M.D., Ph.D. robert_swift_md@brown.edu 401-863-6634 Brown University and the Providence VA Medical Center Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research Treatment with kudzu extract does not cause an increase in alcohol's intoxicating effects Kudzu extract had little to no effect on participants during a double-blind placebo-controlled study Extract from the kudzu root has long been thought to be a remedy for alcoholism However, ...

Contact: Carmen S. van der Zwaluw, MSc C.vanderZwaluw@bsi.ru.nl +31-(0)24-3612803 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen Helle Larsen, MSc H.Larsen@pwo.ru.nl +31-(0)24-3612955 Behavioural Science Institute, Radboud University Nijmegen Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research Adolescent alcohol use linked with genetic variation in DRD2 gene and drinking to cope New research shows that heavy drinking to alleviate negative feelings may have a genetic component Drinking in teens, especially binging, is a large problem within the Netherlands ...

Contact: Samantha Wells, Ph.D. swells@uwo.ca 519-858-5010 Ext. 22001 Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research Hypermasculinity and trait aggression play a major role in perpetration of aggression in bars New research shows that there was a significant difference between perpetrators and victims of male barroom aggression Male violence in bars is something most people have either seen or experienced first hand, and is usually dismissed as an unavoidable or necessary annoyance. After all "boys will be boys." But, a ...

Contact: Mary Waldron, Ph.D. mwaldron@indiana.edu 812-856-8334 School of Education, Indiana University Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research Alcoholism can affect both timing and overall survival of marriage New findings show that both the time it takes to get married, as well as the overall length of the marriage, are seriously impacted by alcohol There has been an abundance of research on the associations between drinking behavior and marital status, but many questions remain regarding the timing of when an individual gets married and divorced ...

Washington, DC, January 18, 2011— It's no secret that there is a lot of alcohol consumed by fans at sporting events, but is it possible to measure the blood alcohol content (BAC) of fans as they exit the stadiums? And if BAC levels can be measured, what do the results tell us? A new study published online in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research (ACER) finds that BAC levels can be measured using a breath tester on fans as they exit football and baseball events. And the results show that 60% of the fans had zero BAC, 40% had a positive BAC, and nearly ...

DALLAS, Jan. 18, 2011 – The American Heart Association has, for the first time, published a statement, "American Heart Association and Nonprofit Advocacy: Past, Present, and Future," that documents the association's longstanding commitment to improve heart and stroke-related public policy. The paper, published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, highlights the association's 2011 recommendations as lawmakers face difficult budget decisions, including the potential slashing for heart disease and stroke research and prevention initiatives. The statement ...

The hormone estradiol-17-beta is a key reproductive hormone. However, it also contributes to the regulation of energy balance and body weight. As a result, estrogen deficiency following menopause is associated with an increased probability of obesity and increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. A team of researchers, led by Jon Levine, at Northwestern University, Evanston, has now generated new insight into the mechanisms by which ER-alpha signaling maintains normal energy balance. Specifically, the team found that nonclassical ER-alpha signaling is key to the effects ...

EDITOR'S PICK: Selective estrogen signaling key to postmenopausal risk of obesity The hormone estradiol-17-beta is a key reproductive hormone. However, it also contributes to the regulation of energy balance and body weight. As a result, estrogen deficiency following menopause is associated with an increased probability of obesity and increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes. A team of researchers, led by Jon Levine, at Northwestern University, Evanston, has now generated new insight into the mechanisms by which ER-alpha signaling maintains normal energy balance. ...

Seeing actors smoke in a movie activated the brain areas of smokers that are known to interpret and plan hand movements, as though they too were about to light a cigarette, according to a new study in the Jan. 19 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. Habitual smokers repeat the same hand motions, sometimes dozens of times a day. In this study, researchers led by senior investigator Todd Heatherton, PhD, and graduate student Dylan Wagner of Dartmouth College set out to determine whether the parts of the brain that control that routine gesture could be triggered ...

PHILADELPHIA (January 18, 2011) – Scientists from the Monell Center and collaborators report that a receptor known as TRPA1 is activated by two structurally unrelated anti-inflammatory compounds. The first, oleocanthal, is a natural polyphenolic anti-inflammatory agent uniquely found in extra virgin olive oil; while the second, ibuprofen, is an over-the-counter non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). The researchers also demonstrate that the TRPA1 receptor is spatially localized to the back of the throat, which is exactly where the distinctive irritating sting ...

Women who were either in the transition to menopause or postmenopausal experienced a reduction in the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes with the use of the antidepressant medication escitalopram, compared to women who received placebo, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA. "Hormonal agents have been the predominant therapy for menopausal hot flashes, but their use decreased substantially following the shifts in risk-benefit ratios that were identified in the Women's Health Initiative Estrogen plus Progestin randomized controlled trial. ...

Older adults without dementia and with lower levels in plasma of the biomarkers beta-amyloid 42/40 (protein fragments) had an increased rate of cognitive decline over a period of 9 years, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA. The researchers also found that this relationship was stronger among individuals with less education and lower levels of literacy. An estimated 36 million people currently have dementia, with the prevalence expected to double every 20 years, according to background information in the article. "Thus, biomarkers to identify elderly ...

Preliminary research suggests that use of a type of molecular imaging procedure may have the ability to detect the presence of beta-amyloid in the brains of individuals during life, a biomarker that is identified during autopsy to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer disease, according to a study in the January 19 issue of JAMA. "Both diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer disease (AD) are hampered by the lack of noninvasive biomarkers of the underlying pathology. Between 10 percent and 20 percent of patients clinically diagnosed with AD lack AD pathology at autopsy, and community ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The downsides of China's explosive urbanization – like pollution and greenhouse gas emissions – now are joined by an upside: Better environmental citizens. It's the first time scientists have weighed employment and leadership when considering environmental behavior in China's cities. In the latest online edition of the British journal Environmental Conservation, scientists at the Center for Systems Integration and Sustainability at Michigan State University and collaborators in the U.S. and China show that city size – especially the good jobs there ...

UCSF researchers have tackled a decade-long scientific conundrum, and their discovery is expected to lead to significant advances in using stem cells to treat genetic diseases before birth. Through a series of mouse model experiments, the research team determined that a mother's immune response prevents a fetus from accepting transplanted blood stem cells, and yet this response can be overcome simply by transplanting cells harvested from the mother herself. "This research is really exciting because it offers us a straightforward, elegant solution that makes fetal stem ...

People with good jobs found in large cities are more likely to engage in pro-environmental activities. So says a new study of China's environmental behavior published this week in the British journal Environmental Conservation. For the first time, scientists weighed employment and leadership when considering how people act regarding their natural surroundings. They found the status and political power of companies in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Tianjin strongly influence the conservation practices of their employees. Moreover, the scientists found employees ...

Standardized screening rule for TB in people living with HIV in low income settings In 2009, 1.7 million people died from TB— which translates to 4700 deaths a day—including 380, 000 people living with HIV. TB remains the most common cause of death in people living with HIV. This week in PLoS Medicine, Haileyesus Getahun (WHO) and colleagues report the development of a simple, standardized tuberculosis (TB) screening rule for resource-constrained settings, to identify people living with HIV who need further investigation for TB disease. The results of this study, which ...

HIV treatment programs in sub-Saharan Africa should routinely report mortality rates among patients who remain in the programs and those patients lost to follow-up, according to a study by Matthias Egger and colleagues from the International Epidemiologic Databases to Evaluate AIDS in East Africa, Western Africa, and Southern Africa that is published in this week's PLoS Medicine. As a substantial proportion of patients in HIV treatment programs are lost to follow-up, mortality estimates for patients in these programs can be severely underestimated, so this bias needs to ...

Despite the wide endorsement of and support for eHealth technologies, such as electronic patient records and e-prescribing, the scientific basis of its benefits—which are repeatedly made and often uncritically accepted—remains to be firmly established. Furthermore, even for the eHealth technologies that have proven to be successful, there is little evidence to show that such tools would continue to be successful beyond the contexts in which they were originally developed. These are the key findings of a study by Aziz Sheikh (University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland) ...

There is not enough evidence to recommend the widespread use of statins in people with no previous history of heart disease, according to a new Cochrane Systematic Review. Researchers say statins should be prescribed with caution in those at low risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). CVD is the most common cause of death, accounting for nearly a third of all deaths worldwide. Cholesterol-lowering statins are first line treatments for heart patients and the benefits are well established. However, there is less evidence that statins are beneficial for preventing heart problems ...

Tranexamic acid (TXA), a drug used to treat heavy menstrual periods, could save the lives of tens of thousands of bleeding accident victims each year and reduce combat deaths, say Cochrane researchers. The researchers carried out a systematic review of trials examining the effectiveness of tranexamic acid (TXA) in patients with bleeding after severe injury. TXA is an inexpensive drug that reduces clot breakdown. It has been used for many years to reduce heavy menstrual bleeding and is often given during planned surgery to reduce the need for blood transfusion. However, ...