HOUSTON, Oct. 25, 2010 – Some unexpected effects of lead exposure that may one day help prevent and reverse blindness have been uncovered by a University of Houston (UH) professor and his team. Donald A. Fox, a professor of vision sciences in UH's College of Optometry (UHCO), described his team's findings in a paper titled "Low-Level Gestational Lead Exposure Increases Retinal Progenitor Cell Proliferation and Rod Photoreceptor and Bipolar Cell Neurogenesis in Mice," published recently online in Environmental Health Perspectives and soon to be published in the print ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Greenhouse plant growers can substitute rice hulls for perlite in their media without the need for an increase in growth regulators, according to a Purdue University study. Growing media for ornamental plants often consists of a soilless mix of peat and perlite, a processed mineral used to increase drainage. Growers also regularly use plant-growth regulators to ensure consistent and desired plant characteristics such as height to meet market demands. Organic substitutes for perlite like tree bark have proven difficult because they absorb the plant-growth ...

As the ice-capped Arctic Ocean warms, ship traffic will increase at the top of the world. And if the sea ice continues to decline, a new route connecting international trading partners may emerge -- but not without significant repercussions to climate, according to a U.S. and Canadian research team that includes a University of Delaware scientist. Growing Arctic ship traffic will bring with it air pollution that has the potential to accelerate climate change in the world's northern reaches. And it's more than a greenhouse gas problem -- engine exhaust particles could ...

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — New University of Florida research puts to rest the mystery of where old carbon was stored during the last glacial period. It turns out it ended up in the icy waters of the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. The findings have implications for modern-day global warming, said Ellen Martin, a UF geological sciences professor and an author of the paper, which is published in this week's journal Nature Geoscience. "It helps us understand how the carbon cycle works, which is important for understanding future global warming scenarios," she said. "Ultimately, ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers found a previously unmapped fault was responsible for the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti and that the originally blamed fault remains ready to produce a large earthquake. Eric Calais, a Purdue University professor of earth and atmospheric sciences, led the team that was the first on the ground in Haiti after the magnitude 7.0 earthquake, which killed more than 200,000 people and left 1.5 million homeless. The team determined the earthquake's origin is a previously unmapped fault, which they named the LÄogëne fault. The newly ...

CHICAGO, Oct. 25, 2010 – Young children who consume substantial amounts of fluoride through infant formula and other beverages mixed with fluoridated water or by swallowing fluoride toothpaste have an increased chance of developing mild enamel fluorosis, according to research published in the October issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association and supported by the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. Children can continue using fluoridated water and fluoride toothpaste because fluoride has been proven to prevent tooth decay, and mild fluorosis ...

While most commonly associated with mononucleosis, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been linked to many diseases that affect people long after the initial infection takes place, including some forms of cancer. In the current issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, scientists at The Wistar Institute describe how viral microRNA – small segments of RNA that suppress the effects of gene activity – allows EBV to hide within cells and evade the immune system. The scientists believe their findings may one day enable physicians to flush EBV out of hiding, allowing a healthy immune ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- Researchers at MIT have revealed exactly how a molecule called fulvalene diruthenium, which was discovered in 1996, works to store and release heat on demand. This understanding, reported in a paper published on Oct. 20 in the journal Angewandte Chemie, should make it possible to find similar chemicals based on more abundant, less expensive materials than ruthenium, and this could form the basis of a rechargeable battery to store heat rather than electricity. The molecule undergoes a structural transformation when it absorbs sunlight, putting it into ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Pathogenic listeria tricks intestinal cells into helping it pass through those cells to make people ill, and, if that doesn't work, the bacteria simply goes around the cells, according to a Purdue University study. Arun Bhunia, a professor of food science, and Kristin Burkholder, a former Purdue graduate student who is now a postdoctoral researcher in microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan Medical School, found that listeria, even in low doses, somehow triggers intestinal cells to express a new protein, heat shock protein 60, ...

An international team of researchers based at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing, including a physical anthropology professor at Washington University in St. Louis, has discovered well-dated human fossils in southern China that markedly change anthropologists perceptions of the emergence of modern humans in the eastern Old World. The research was published Oct. 25 in the online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The discovery of early modern human fossil remains in the Zhirendong (Zhiren Cave) ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Scientific and political disputes over drilling Marcellus shale for natural gas have focused primarily on the environmental effects of pumping millions of gallons of water and chemicals deep underground to blast through rocks to release the natural gas. But University at Buffalo researchers have now found that that process -- called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking"-- also causes uranium that is naturally trapped inside Marcellus shale to be released, raising additional environmental concerns. The research will be presented at the annual meeting of ...

Ear infections are one of the most common health problems for children, with most kids experiencing at least one by their third birthday. Annual costs in the United States alone are in the billions of dollars. When these infections are left untreated, complications can include hearing loss, speech problems and more severe infections that can spread to bone and brain, causing meningitis. But not all kids have the same access to medical specialists and medicines. A new study by researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and Harvard Medical School has ...

Knowledge gaps and fear — some of it unjustified — are common among the caregivers of children with a drug-resistant staph bacterium known as MRSA, according to the results of a small study from the Johns Hopkins Children Center. These caregivers thirst for timely, detailed and simple information, the researchers add. The study's findings, published online in The Journal of Pediatrics, underscore the need for healthcare staff to do a better job in educating parents, while also addressing concerns and allaying fears, the investigators say. "What these results really ...

Madison, WI, October 25, 2010 – A case study published in the 2010 Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education by professors at Washington State University studies the challenges one organization faced in maintaining an urban market garden. The journal is published by the American Society of Agronomy. Since 1995, Seattle Youth Garden Works (SYGW) has employed young homeless individuals or those involved in the juvenile justice system. SYGW offers teens and young adults the opportunity to work, develop social skills, and eventually find stable employment or ...

Montreal – Researchers in Newfoundland have cracked the genetic code of a sudden death cardiac killer. As a result, they have developed a unique prevention program in which people with no symptoms, but with a suspect gene and a family history, are being implanted with internal cardiac defibrillators (ICDs) which can restart their hearts if they stop. "Our discovery has led to a targeted genetic screening and individualized therapy that is significantly improving survival rates," Dr. Sean Connors told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart ...

"Sleep disorders in kids are on the increase. They are marching hand in hand with other increasing cardiovascular risk factors such as overweight and obesity, lack of physical activity, a poor diet, and high levels of unhealthy cholesterol," Dr. McCrindle today told the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2010, co-hosted by the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society. "Teens who experience more disordered sleep − in terms of duration, quality, and pattern − have a higher body mass index and a correspondingly higher risk of overweight ...

St. Louis, MO, October 26, 2010 – In an insightful Commentary in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Linda Van Horn, PhD, RD, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal, Chair of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee, and Professor and Associate Dean, Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine, highlights the key features and noteworthy findings of the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) Report. While many of the recommendations from previous reports are reinforced, new evidence-based findings will help registered dietitians ...

St. Louis, MO, October 26, 2010 – Periodontitis, a common inflammatory disease in which gum tissue separates from teeth, leads to accumulation of bacteria and potential bone and tooth loss. Although traditional treatments concentrate on the bacterial infection, more recent strategies target the inflammatory response. In an article in the November issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, researchers from Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health found that dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) like fish oil, known to have ...

( http://www.inourgenes.com/ ) In Our Genes (IOG) is the first genetic-art clothing line for the mass market; a green line of apparel featuring genetically rendered DNA prints of some of the most challenging diseases. The branded apparel comes with a charitable tie in, making IOG the frontrunner in fighting, managing and eliminating our most notorious ailments by combining science, fashion and compassion. SCIENCE: Dubbed the founding father of genetic art by Newsweek magazine, In Our Genes founder Darrin Grandmason idealized a product that puts substance behind style. ...

Successful entrepreneur and yachtsman, John Rosatti recently launched his latest luxury yacht, Remember When. The yacht, built by Christensen Shipyards, is said to be the best Christensen built up to date. For those who desire opulence and safety on the water, ( http://www.john-rosatti.com/ ) John RosattiâEUR s new luxury yacht is available for charter. John Rosatti chose Christensen to manufacture the new super yacht for their superior craftsmanship and attention to detail. John Rosatti does not settle for second rate and Remember When is a perfect example of this unwavering ...

Emerging Leader of United Way Social Media Training and Workshop for businesses and leaders on October 28th at 5:30 at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP in Los Angeles Warren Whitlock of BestSellerAuthors.com will train local business leaders on social media strategies they can use to create a buzz, draw a crowd, raise funds and build a community with a non-profit events. The live interactive training session and workshop will cover how social media can grow your business and help build awareness for campaigns such as United Way's Creating Pathways Out of Poverty ...

Six months after the launch of Microsoft's Project Professional and Server 2010, two new project management ventures have teamed up to turbo charge the global deployment of this game changing Enterprise Project Management (EPM) solution. With over 20 million Microsoft Project 2007 users ready to step up to the fully integrated, cloud-based 2010 iteration, BeMo - Project Intelligence's on-demand hosting solutions and SharkPro Software's ready-to-use application could not have come at a more opportune time. For the millions of users and businesses around the globe that ...

Homeward Trails, a dog charity headquartered in Arlington, Virginia, has won a $1500 grant from the Northern Virginia Clean Water Partners, the groups announced today. Homeward Trails claimed the grand prize in "Joys and Responsibilities of Pet Ownership" essay contest after receiving 1,862 online votes for its submission "The View from 4 Legs," Dogs Deserve Better, also of Arlington, claimed the 2nd place prize of $750 after receiving 339 votes for its essay "Chain-ging Lives." The Pet Assistance League, based in Stafford County, claimed the 3rd place prize of $250 ...

Users of recently released Nokia N8 and C7 smartphones can take advantage of additional features unique to the Track and Protect (TnP) security application to protect their devices from loss or theft, including a new "auto-mugshot" feature that will capture a photo of anyone attempting to break the phone's passcode. Klomptek, an innovative software development company specializing in mobile device management and security solutions, has optimized its TnP client-server web security service with cutting-edge remote security features that uses both the N8's front and main 12-megapixel ...

Big City Vacation Rentals LLC is launching a new site focusing on Big Cities like New York, L.A. and Miami and their surrounding metro areas. The compelling tagline for http://www.BigCityVacationRentals.com, Where Big City Benefits Meet Local Hospitality, touts their cornerstone - customer service. Based on personal experience, the owner feels there is a lack of true one-on-one local hospitality that exists in the vacation rental market place when using on online vacation rental site. So she decided to start her own. "The idea came to me driving back from a rental vacation ...