A team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) has developed a new model for how inherited genes contribute to a common but untreatable and incurable neurodegenerative disease. The disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, is the second most common cause of dementia before age 65, after Alzheimer's disease. Based on experiments in worms and mice, the UCSF team's work explains in part why the brain deteriorates in frontotemporal lobar degeneration, which may have implications for the understanding of several neurodegenerative disorders, including ...

CHICAGO— When Patricia Manrique was told she needed her gallbladder removed she immediately thought about the classroom full of children who rely on her to teach them tap and ballet each day. The Chicago Park District physical instructor needed a way to get the surgery performed without being laid up for weeks so she opted for an innovative minimally invasive procedure called Natural Orifice Translumenal Endoscopic Surgery (NOTES) that would allow surgeons to perform organ removal surgery without any visible incisions and have her back on her feet the same day. Northwestern ...

Good chemists are passive-aggressive — they manipulate molecules without actually touching them. In a feat of manipulating substances at the nanoscale, UCLA researchers and colleagues demonstrated a method for isolating two molecules together on a substrate and controlling how those two molecules react when excited with ultraviolet light, making detailed observations both before and after the reaction. Their research is published today in the journal Science. "This is one step in measuring and understanding the interactions between light and molecules, which ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Man's best friend may provide more than just faithful companionship: A new study led by a Michigan State University researcher shows people who owned and walked their dogs were 34 percent more likely to meet federal benchmarks on physical activity. The results, said epidemiologist Mathew Reeves, show that promoting dog ownership and dog walking could help many Americans – of which fewer than half meet recommended levels of leisure-time physical activity – become healthier. "Walking is the most accessible form of physical activity available to people," ...

A new study says chimps, gorillas and other primates grow old gracefully much like humans. The findings come from the first-ever multi-species comparison of primate aging patterns reported in the March 11 issue of Science. It was long thought that humans, who have relatively long life spans, age more slowly than other animals. But new research funded by the National Science Foundation's Division of Environmental Biology suggests the pace of human aging may not be so unique after all. We had good reason to think human aging was unique, said co-author Anne Bronikowski ...

LA JOLLA, CA – March 10, 2011 – Scientists from The Scripps Research Institute have determined a new structure from a medically important superfamily of proteins. The structure should help instruct the design of a new kind of therapeutics for conditions ranging from Parkinson's disease to inflammation. The study, published on March 10, 2011, in Science Express, an advance, online publication of selected research from the journal Science, provides important insights into how this large family of proteins, called G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), can recognize and respond ...

A University of Alberta researcher says grocery retailers need to take heed that a jump at the pumps will be a blow to their bottom line. Alberta School of Business professor Yu Ma notes that if stores want to survive, they'll have to change their tactics in the face of rising gas prices in order to attract shoppers "hungry" for better deals. Ma and his colleagues say that when the price of gas rises, the monthly grocery bill is the prime target for cuts. The researchers noted that there are two sets of decisions made in the gas versus grub dilemma. The first choice deals ...

The basketball is in your hands. The score is tied and there are only a few seconds left on the clock. You have the ball about 10 feet away from the basket on the right side of the court, just outside the free-throw lane. It's decision time: Is it best to try a direct shot to win the game on a swish? Or do you use the backboard and bank home the winning basket? Time's up; the buzzer sounds. Were you a hero or a goat? New research by engineers at North Carolina State University show that you had a better chance of scoring that particular game-winning bucket ...

New Orleans, LA – LSU oncologist Vince D. Cataldo, MD, is the lead author of a review article reporting two chemotherapy drugs now indicated for second and third-line therapy in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer are remarkably effective in treating a certain subset of these patients. Dr. Cataldo, a Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Medicine, practicing at LSU's Earl K. Long Medical Center and Hematology-Oncology Clinic in Baton Rouge, and his colleagues say these drugs should be considered as a first-line ...

COPENHAGEN (11 March 2011) — Recent droughts and floods have contributed to increases in food prices. These are pushing millions more people into poverty and hunger, and are contributing to political instability and civil unrest. Climate change is predicted to increase these threats to food security and stability. Responding to this, the world's largest agriculture research consortium today announced the creation of a new Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change. Chaired by the United Kingdom's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Sir John Beddington, ...

Earth's biodiversity—the number of microorganisms, plants, and animals, their genes, and their ecosystems (such as rainforests and grasslands)—is declining at an alarming rate, even faster than the last mass extinction 65 million years ago. In fact, two thirds of the terrestrial species that exist today are estimated to be extinct by the end of this century. Humans are an integral part of this extensive network of life. We depend on biodiversity for goods and services; we impact biodiversity via rapidly expanding human population growth, consumption of resources, and ...

Postmenopausal women have a new health message to hear. Two annual dental checkups aren't enough. Older women need more, according to research findings from the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine and the Cleveland Clinic. That message comes from a comparison study of women on and off bone-strengthening bisphosphonate therapies for osteoporosis. Leena Palomo, assistant professor of periodontics from the dental school, and Maria Clarinda Beunocamino-Francisco from the Center for Specialized Women's Health at the clinic, set out to study the ...

HOUSTON – (March 10, 2011) – Stem cells derived from a patient's own bone marrow were safely used in pediatric patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI), according to results of a Phase I clinical trial at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). The results were published in this month's issue of Neurosurgery, the journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. "Our data demonstrate that the acute harvest of bone marrow and infusion of bone marrow mononuclear cells to acutely treat severe TBI in children is safe," said Charles S. Cox, Jr., ...

MIAMI – March 10, 2011 -- Scientists from the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science were part of a national research team to find two plumes of oil-based pollutants downwind of the BP Deep Water Horizon oil spill. In a study published in this week's issue of the journal Science, the research team offers new insight into the mechanism by which the crude oil traveled from the sea surface to the atmosphere. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)-led research team collected data of atmosphere gas and aerosol concentrations ...

[EMBARGOED FOR MARCH 11, 2011] Low bone mineral density in HIV-infected patients is common and raises concerns about increased risks of fracture. Although there have been several studies regarding bone mineral density, there have been few data on rates of fracture in this population. A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online (http://www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/cid/ciq242.pdf) examined differences in the rates of bone fractures between HIV-infected patients and the general population and found higher rates of fracture among HIV ...

NEW YORK (March 11, 2011) -- During a regular annual physical exam, blood is usually drawn to check the health of a person's heart, kidneys and liver. Now, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center say a blood test that detects the early development of emphysema -- well before symptoms occur -- may someday also be offered. In the March 14 online edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the researchers say that because most cases of emphysema are caused by smoking, the test they are developing can warn smokers ...

The development of a new measurement technology under a research project funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the National Science Foundation is probing the structure of composite and biological materials. "Our results have provided some of the first microscopic insights into a sixty year old puzzle about the way polymeric networks react to repeated shear strains," said Dr. Daniel Blair, Assistant Professor, and principal investigator of the Soft Matter Group in the Department of Physics at Georgetown University. Blair, Professor Andreas Bausch ...

Still worried about hyphens? Rearranging sentences to avoid the issue? It's all about clarity - that is the main point of grammar; if your sentence is ambiguous, then you've failed to communicate. Look at the headline below (courtesy of Edit, Edit, Edit): Policeman Helps Dog Bite Victim See how a hyphen would clear this up? Hyphens frequently provide clarity in a sentence that could otherwise be ambiguous. A "small-business owner" is not necessarily the same as a "small business owner". When dealing with compound adjectives, a good rule of thumb is to ...

Lanner, the simulation software specialist invites senior food and beverage executives to discover how simulation optimization can transform food and beverage industrial process improvement into a source of robust solutions, delivering new innovations and increasing business protection this March 29, 2011. Summary: Many of the world's most prominent food and beverage companies already rely on WITNESS software to help improve their profitability, including Mars, Diageo, Coors, Cadbury Trebor Bassett, Kraft, Campbell's and Coca Cola to name a few. Who For: Senior business ...

Plutopia Productions is excited to announce its line-up of "Plutopia 2011: The Future of Play" sponsors. In addition to returning sponsors like Edible Austin and Green Fern Events, LLC, this year's event features many new members joining the Plutopia sponsorship family. Two of these, Orbotix and XCHOX, continue the trend of new product launches and performance debuts occurring at Plutopia. Boulder, Colorado-based Orbotix will demo their latest prototype Sphero, an innovative robotic ball and new gaming concept that turns your smart phone into a robotic controller. XCHOX ...

PFGBEST announced a new partnership to relocate its Typhoon foreign exchange liquidity aggregation system to Equinix's New York International Business Exchange (NY4). With the announcement of this partnership, Equinix will become the host of the PFGBEST direct market access platform Typhoon. PFGBEST is a financial services technology firm with global outreach. With customers, offices, and affiliates in more than eighty countries, PFGBEST is one of the largest non-clearing U.S. Futures Commission Merchants. Explaining Typhoon, PFGBEST Chief Operating Officer Russ Wasendorf ...

Recent research released last month by the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has indicated that viral infections are not an underlying cause of acute exacerbations of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). While some treatments with corticosteroids and cytotoxic drugs exist, there is no known cure for IPF. However, some breakthrough advancements with stem cell procedures have been showing promising signs for those patients afflicted with the disease. The Adult Adipose-derived Stem Cell Transplant program was launched last year by the International ...

Dr. Patty Ann Tublin, an internationally renowned relationship expert, has posted an article on her web site where she shares three tips couples can implement to renew and reinvigorate their relationship. The article, "March Forward for a New & Improved Relationship," is available at http://www.drpattyann.com/2010/goals/march-forward-to-a-new-improved-relationship/. Now that March is upon us and spring is just around the corner, Dr. Patty Ann suggests taking some time to do a relationship inventory. "Most of us take some kind of inventory during the month of March, ...

Merrill Brink International (www.merrillbrink.com), a leading global provider of language solutions for global companies and law firms, hosted a panel discussion in Washington, D.C. to share information around best practices for avoiding Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) investigations. FCPA laws govern the actions of entities that do business in other countries and are designed to prevent unfair trade activities such as bribery of foreign officials. The panel discussion at the March 1 event was conducted in conjunction with key international law firms and corporations ...

CreativeFeed is generating buzz and building brand awareness for Sweet Bordeaux among young American wine drinkers. Their goal is to change traditional perceptions of Sweet Bordeaux wine by engaging a younger, more cosmopolitan audience of wine enthusiasts, with social media being the primary vehicle for effecting this change. "Sweet Bordeaux are traditionally known as 'dessert wine', and they are usually served at the end of a meal. Through a social media strategy, we want to introduce our wines to a younger audience open to a new 'sweet' wine experience," explained ...