CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Last year, a research team at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill discovered one way the protein Tet 1 helps stem cells keep their pluripotency—the unique ability to become any cell type in the body. In two new studies, the team takes a broad look at the protein's location in the mouse genome, revealing a surprising dual function and offering the first genome-wide location of the protein and its product, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine—dubbed the "sixth base" of DNA. UNC biochemist Yi Zhang, PhD, whose team conducted the studies, called the findings ...

Many homeowners struggling to make ends meet might feel that foreclosure is their only option. They may not realize that there might be a way for them to keep their home -- filing for bankruptcy. A bankruptcy filing is not ideal for every homeowner, but it might be a way to discharge enough other debt to be able to afford to make current their past due home payments. Although bankruptcy is an admittedly effective solution for some homeowners, allowing them to escape from underneath a mountain of debt and still remain in their homes, it is still a drastic step. Prior ...

Texas lawmakers are considering a change to the state's Driving While Intoxicated laws. Under the law change, deferred adjudication would be available for those charged with their first DWI offense. As proposed, opting for deferred adjudication would result in supervision, treatment and one year of probation. While it seems as though this may not provide a great alternative to current options for someone accused of DWI, the proposed law would also allow for an acquittal of the DWI charge at the end of the probation period if no further offenses are committed. Speaking ...

(PHILADELPHIA) Giving girls with Turner syndrome low doses of estrogen, as well as growth hormone, years before the onset of puberty, increases their height and offers a wealth of other benefits, say a team of researchers led by Thomas Jefferson University. Their report is published in the March 31st issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The study, which took more than 20 years to complete, will change the practice of treating girls with Turner syndrome, says the study's lead author, Judith Ross, M.D., professor of Pediatrics at Jefferson Medical College ...

Research calls into question people's ability to form their own judgements about their preferred election candidate after finding voters could be heavily swayed by 'the worm'. 'The worm' is a continuous response tracking measure that is increasingly being used in live election debates around the world. The University of Bristol and Royal Holloway, University of London study "Social Influence in Televised Election Debates: A Potential Distortion of Democracy" is published in the journal PLoS One. Televised election debates were introduced in the United States in 1960, ...

PASADENA, Calif.—If you're sitting on a bench in New York City's Central Park in winter, you're probably freezing. After all, the average temperature in January is 32 degrees Fahrenheit. But if you were just across the pond in Porto, Portugal, which shares New York's latitude, you'd be much warmer—the average temperature is a balmy 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Throughout northern Europe, average winter temperatures are at least 10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than similar latitudes on the northeastern coast of the United States and the eastern coast of Canada. The same phenomenon ...

During military operations such as Enduring Freedom and Desert Storm, the United States Armed Services have fought to protect the interests of the nation. While service members offer their lives as a sacrifice to their country, there are other sacrifices that might not be so evident and that relate to a soldier's family. In 2009, more than 27,000 divorces occurred in which at least one spouse was an active member of the Army, Air Force, Navy or Marine Corps. While this number represents a levelling in military divorce rates, the issue of military divorce presents unique ...

Could electronic components made from human blood be the key to creating cyborg interfaces? Circuitry that links human tissues and nerve cells directly to an electronic device, such as a robotic limb or artificial eye might one day be possible thanks to the development of biological components. Writing in the International Journal of Medical Engineering and Informatics, a team in India describes how a "memristor" can be made using human blood. Memristors were a theoretical electronic component first suggested in 1971 by Berkeley electrical engineer Leon Chua and finally ...

Are our bodies vulnerable to some pollutants whose lack of solubility in water, or "hydrophobicity," has always been thought to protect us from them? New Tel Aviv University research has discovered that this is indeed the case. Studies by Dr. Michael Gozin of Tel Aviv University's School of Chemistry at the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences and Dr. Dan Peer of TAU's Laboratory of Nanomedicine in the Department of Cell Research and Immunology have revealed that mucus — the thick substance lining those internal bodily organs that come into contact with ...

In 1999, the Nevada legislature passed a law banning the use of cameras to catch traffic violations at intersections. However, North Las Vegas is now pushing to change that law to allow the use of cameras to go after those running red lights. The current legislative bill to make the change has garnered the support of the Nevada Department of Transportation and the Nevada Sheriff's and Chief's Association. However, it is not without opposition. The Case For and Against Cameras Red light cameras work by videoing or photographing cars that do not stop for red lights. ...

The first two stereo-EEG explorations in Finland were carried out by neurosurgeons of the Epilepsy surgery team in Helsinki University Central Hospital this spring. The method reinforces other examination methods already in use and opens an excellent opportunity in the exploration of the electric activity of both the surface and the deep brain structures during epileptic seizures. The examination also enables exact localization of the functionally important areas of the brain and improves safety of epilepsy surgery at a later stage. The stereo-EEG examination was developed ...

Doctors report that singing reduced the blood pressure of a 76-year-old woman who had experienced severe preoperative hypertension prior to total knee replacement surgery for osteoarthritis (OA). While the patient was unresponsive to aggressive pharmacologic interventions, the woman's blood pressure dropped dramatically when she sang several religious songs. This case-report appears in the April issue of Arthritis Care & Research, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). Traditional therapy for preoperative hypertension, ...

When the Texas Supreme Court upheld the ruling in the Entergy case on rehearing in 2009, it was a huge win for property owners to the detriment of injured workers. The failure of the state legislature to pass a law overturning the Entergy decision that same year seemed to signal defeat for those hoping to protect the rights of injured contract workers to fair compensation for their injuries. However, the fight over third-party liability for workplace injuries in Texas appears to be far from over. With the Workers' Compensation Division up for their sunset review this ...

This release is available in German. Innovations relating to mobility, energy, bionics, and nano- and microtechnologies will be presented by KIT at the 2011 Hannover Messe from April 4 – 8. At its stand (Hall 2, stand C18), KIT will present a hybrid Porsche racing car, developments in battery research, materials and processes for printable electronics, the KIC InnoEnergy for a European energy supply system, and the Energy Solution Center (EnSoC) competence network. Moreover, KIT contributes to other stands and special exhibitions. KIT main stand, hall 2, (Research ...

Researchers from North Carolina State University have investigated the viability of a technique called "spincasting" for creating thin films of nanoparticles on an underlying substrate – an important step in the creation of materials with a variety of uses, from optics to electronics. Spincasting, which utilizes centrifugal force to distribute a liquid onto a solid substrate, already has a variety of uses. For example, it is used in the electronics industry to deposit organic thin films on silicon wafers to create transistors. For this study, the researchers first dispersed ...

A key federal safety agency has proposed a new rule that would require all new vehicles to have back-up cameras by 2014. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is seeking to implement a 2007 Act of Congress that directed NHTSA to amend the federal motor vehicle safety standard on rearview mirrors. The rule change is designed to improve the ability of a driver to detect pedestrians in the area immediately behind his or her vehicle and minimize the likelihood of a vehicle's running over a pedestrian while its driver is backing the vehicle. The proposed rule ...

The quest to measure up to society's beauty ideals through cosmetic surgery can pose grave risks when the surgery is not done right. Improperly planned or performed surgery can lead to disfigurement and even death. Even more shocking, recently it has been discovered that unlicensed providers inject people with silicone and other illicit substances, including paraffin, petroleum jelly and hydrogel. Even a licensed provider can commit surgical errors if the operation was not properly planned and carried out. Many people know that medical malpractice law exists to compensate ...

KINGSTON, R.I. – March 30, 2011 – University of Rhode Island researcher Navindra Seeram has discovered 34 new beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup and confirmed that 20 compounds discovered last year in preliminary research play a key role in human health. Today at the 241st American Chemical Society's National Meeting in Anaheim, Calif. the URI assistant pharmacy professor is telling scientists from around the world that his URI team has now isolated and identified 54 beneficial compounds in pure maple syrup from Quebec, five of which have never been seen in nature. ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Sexual harassment may have become so commonplace for women that they have built up resistance to harassing behavior they consider merely "bothersome," suggests a provocative new study by Michigan State University researchers. This effect, said lead investigator Isis Settles, may be similar to the way people build up immunity to infection following exposure to a virus. "When women view sexual harassment as bothersome, it doesn't seem to be associated with distress," said Settles, associate professor of psychology. "In some ways this suggests that ...

After deciding to end a marriage, many spouses separate prior to finalizing their divorce. Although still married, they may obtain separate residences, bank accounts and lead separate lives during their separation. It is not uncommon for one spouse to make the majority of the payments on joint debts during the separation. For the spouse making payments on marital debts during separation, it is important to know whether or not that spouse might receive a credit for any portion of these payments in the property division when the divorce is finalized. In Clapp and Clapp ...

A recent poll by CBS News found that nearly 60% of Americans do not believe that the economy is getting better, regardless of what official White House statements profess. With gas prices rising, unemployment stagnant at 9% and the highest national debt in US history, it's no wonder that Americans are skeptical of the White House's claims. Many economists agree with the majority of Americans -- the recession is not getting better, and we may be headed toward a situation similar to the fiscal crisis of the late 1970s. Forbes analyst Charles Kadlec recently wrote a ...

In a study of 1,721 Korean male drinkers aged 40󈞱 y in an urban population–based cohort, and another sample of 1,113 male drinkers from an independent rural cohort, information on average daily alcohol consumption was collected and DNA samples were collected for genotyping. In a genome-wide association (GWA) study, 12 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) on chromosome 12q24 had genome-wide significant associations with alcohol consumption. These polymorphisms were closely related to genes that determine levels of ALDH, low levels of which relate to flushing ...

WASHINGTON, DC, March 30, 2011 -- Good news for candy and chocolate lovers: they tend to weigh less, have lower body mass indices (BMI) and waist circumferences, and have decreased levels of risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome, according to a new study(1) published in Nutrition Research. The findings are positive, but lead researcher Carol O'Neil, PhD, MPH, LDN, RD, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center, cautions it is all things in moderation. "We certainly don't want these results positioned as eating candy helps you to lose ...

If Congress reversed its ban on allowing people with HIV to be organ donors after their death, roughly 500 HIV-positive patients with kidney or liver failure each year could get transplants within months, rather than the years they currently wait on the list, new Johns Hopkins research suggests. "If this legal ban were lifted, we could potentially provide organ transplants to every single HIV-infected transplant candidate on the waiting list," says Dorry L. Segev, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the ...

Colorectal cancers (those affecting the large intestine) are becoming more common. Colorectal cancers (those affecting the large intestine) are becoming more common. In fact, colorectal cancer kills around 57,000 elderly people annually -- far more than prostate, kidney, breast, bladder or pancreatic cancer -- leaving it second only to lung cancer in annual fatalities. One positive thing about colorectal cancer is that if it is detected early enough it is generally treatable. Unfortunately, though, screening procedures are often neglected even though they are part of ...