Springtime may be just what the doctor orders for individuals suffering from dry eye condition, a disorder resulting from insufficient tear production or altered tear film composition. According to a study published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science, a temperature less than 30 degrees Celsius on the eye and eyelid could be the cause for the onset or worsening of the disorder. The study, (Meibomian Lipid Films and the Impact of Temperature) showed that the cold temperature causes the meibum, the oily substance which helps to form the outermost layer of the ...

University Park, Pa. -- Just as the constant pressure soldiers face on the battlefield can follow them home in the form of debilitating stress, African Americans who face chronic exposure to racial discrimination may have an increased likelihood of suffering a race-based battle fatigue, according to Penn State researchers. African Americans who reported in a survey that they experienced more instances of racial discrimination had significantly higher odds of suffering generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) some time during their lives, according to Jose Soto, assistant professor, ...

Physicians have debated the relationship between a low APGAR score and cerebral palsy, especially in children with low birth weight. Although this relationship has previously been inconclusive, a new study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH) indicates a direct association between cerebral palsy and low APGAR scores in children with less than normal birth weights. What is an APGAR score? The APGAR test is a newborn assessment given directly after birth that measures five criteria to determine the child's health: Appearance/skin color -- pink, pale ...

TORONTO, On – March 3, 2011 – Men living in low-income neighbourhoods consume more than three times as many alcoholic drinks each week compared to women in these neighbourhoods, according to a study led by St. Michael's researcher Flora Matheson. The findings, published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, suggest neighbourhood affluence affects men and women differently when it comes to alcohol consumption. Heavy drinking is associated with higher death rates and a greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer and liver cirrhosis. "While ...

A team of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists has given growers in the Piedmont guidance on how to restore degraded soils and make the land productive. Researchers with the USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS) found that if cattle are managed so that they graze moderately, soil quality can be restored and emissions of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) can be reduced. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency. The research, published in the Soil Science Society of America Journal, supports the USDA priority of responding to climate ...

Many people have heard about traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), but few realize how common these injuries are in the United States. Data from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that an estimated 52,000 people die every year in the United States as a result of a TBI. Another 275,000 are hospitalized and 1.365 million more receive emergency services annually. In all, nearly 1.7 million people suffer a TBI each year. One Oxford University report estimates the combined direct and indirect costs of TBI to have reached $60 billion in 2000. CDC data indicates ...

Researchers already study how various species of plants and animals migrate in response to climate change. Now, Jason Samson, a PhD candidate in McGill University's Department of Natural Resource Sciences, has taken the innovative step of using the same analytic tools to measure the impact of climate change on human populations. Samson and fellow researchers combined climate change data with censuses covering close to 97 per-cent of the world's population in order to forecast potential changes in local populations for 2050. Samson's team found that if populations continue ...

Children who face criminal charges, along with their families, may have some concerns about the legal process. They may feel compelled to ask advice from a South Carolina juvenile defense lawyer about student alcohol and drug charges, an alleged assault, burglary or sexting. But the first thing they need to know is that juvenile crimes are prosecuted in the Family Court system involving different procedures than adult crimes, with important exceptions. Recent discussion about reforms of the South Carolina criminal justice system has advocated a holistic approach to the ...

LEBANON, NH - A clinical study of anti-HIV/AIDS medicines in the developing world is on the verge of turning "the whole treatment world on its head," according to Dartmouth pediatrician Paul Palumbo. Palumbo, a professor of pediatric medicine at Dartmouth Medical School and executive director of the Dartmouth-affiliated DarDar Pediatric program in Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, unveiled the latest findings of the International Maternal Pediatric Adolescent AIDS Clinical Trials Group (IMPAACT ) during the 2011 Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in ...

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that lactate, a type of energy fuel in the brain, plays a critical role in the formation of long-term memory. These findings have important implications for common illnesses like Alzheimer's disease, other neurodegenerative disorders, aging-related memory impairment and diabetes. The research is published in the March 4th issue of the journal Cell. The study is the first to closely evaluate the role of lactate and the effect of its transport from astrocytes—a subtype of brain cells—to neurons in long-term memory ...

The White House has created a panel comprised of 18 members to consider changes to Social Security in order to keep it solvent. Among the changes being considered is raising the retirement age. One Republican representative has called for raising the retirement age as high as 70 over the next 20 years; some Democrats are endorsing similar steps. These considerations and discussions focus largely on employees who work sedentary or less demanding jobs at desks and computers. Lawmakers and those promoting raising the retirement age are comprised largely of those who spent ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Using recent advances in genomics, researchers have uncovered a genetic pathway that affects the development of breast cancer, work that could help predict which patients are at risk of relapse for the disease. By studying which genes are expressed – or "turned on" – in breast cancer, research led by Michigan State University's Eran Andrechek uncovered a role for several members of the E2F family of genes, which control cell division and growth. Specifically, Andrechek's team found the activation of the specific gene E2F2 was associated with a ...

A study conducted by researchers at Columbia University found that mandatory alcohol testing of motor carrier drivers has resulted in a significant decrease in fatal crashes involving truck, bus and other commercial drivers and alcohol use. The study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. This study was the first of its kind to provide empirical evidence that the 1995 federal regulations requiring those holding commercial driver's licenses to undergo mandatory testing for alcohol have had an impact on decreasing the incidence of multi-vehicle drunk driving ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Dinosaurs squashed them with impunity. Thousands of species that lacked culinary appreciation have turned up their noses at them. And a study based on advanced DNA analysis has shown that this shameful indifference went on for 129 million years. Finally, however, one animal species came along that would learn to appreciate this particular fungus with almost a global reverence – homo sapiens. Thus was born the human affection for the morel – for millions of people around the world, it's what you mean when you say "mushroom hunting." Spring is coming ...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories researcher Steve Plimpton, who led development of a widely used computer code that models how materials behave, has been invited to present a keynote lecture at the Feb. 27-March 3 Minerals, Materials & Materials Society (TMS) meeting in San Diego. Plimpton developed the LAMMPS molecular-dynamics software code. The acronym LAMMPS (Large-scale Atomic/Molecular Massively Parallel Simulator) is also a pun on the word "lamp," a device that brings light to dark places. "This symposium [on Massively Parallel Simulations of ...

A recent settlement involving the estate of the late Jacksonville financial adviser Wayne McLeod is the latest example of how legal complexities can encroach upon the timely resolution of an estate. At the time of his suicide, McLeod's financial services firm was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. This investigation revealed that McLeod's alleged financial planning prowess was actually a large "Ponzi" scheme. A significant portion of McLeod's estate will now be used to repay the defrauded investors. McLeod's wife will keep some of her jewelry ...

Troy, N.Y. – Recent research by doctoral student Sevan Goenezen holds the promise of becoming a powerful new weapon in the fight against breast cancer. His complex computational research has led to a fast, inexpensive new method for using ultrasound and advanced algorithms to differentiate between benign and malignant tumors with a high degree of accuracy. Goenezen, a student in the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering at Rensselaer, is one of three finalists for the 2011 $30,000 Lemelson-MIT Rensselaer Student Prize. A public ceremony announcing ...

According to the Annual Workplace Class Action Litigation Report, the value of class action employment discrimination settlements has gone up substantially over the past year. The report notes that, in 2010, the value of the top ten settlements was $346 million. By comparison, the total value of the ten largest settlements in 2009 was $84.4 million. The settlement in Velez v. Novartis Corp., a federal case from the Southern District of New York, accounts for over half of this years' total. The case was originally filed in 2004 by Amy Velez and four female coworkers who ...

Cornelius Dupree Jr. was recently released from prison after DNA testing revealed that he could not have committed the crime. After being convicted of rape and robbery, Dupree was sentenced to 75 years in prison in 1980. He spent 30 years maintaining his innocence. He would have been paroled had he admitted committing the crimes, but he refused. Finally, DNA testing of evidence cleared him of any wrongdoing. Dupree's story is all too familiar in Texas. Dallas County leads the nation in DNA exonerations. The county has released 21 individuals who were convicted of crimes, ...

HUNTSVILLE -- Students from two university campuses in Texas and Washington recently were surveyed on allowing concealed handguns on campus. According to research led by Dr. Jeffrey Bouffard at Sam Houston State University's College of Criminal Justice, more students were uncomfortable with concealed weapons on campus than those at ease with guns on college grounds. The study will be presented at the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences Meeting in Toronto this month. "To date, little effort has been made to assess students' opinions about whether concealed handgun carrying ...

There comes a time in life for every bird to spread its wings and leave the nest, but for gray catbirds, that might be the beginning of the end. Smithsonian scientists report fledgling catbirds in suburban habitats are at their most vulnerable stage of life, with almost 80 percent killed by predators before they reach adulthood. Almost half of the deaths were linked to domestic cats. Urban areas cover more than 100 million acres within the continental the United States and are spreading, with an increase of 48 percent from 1982 to 2003. Although urbanization affects ...

New findings on how tuberculosis (TB) bacteria develop multi-drug tolerance point to ways TB infections might be cured more quickly. The study will be published April 1 in the journal Cell. The results identify both a mechanism and a potential therapy for drug tolerance that is induced in the TB bacteria by the host cells they infect. Currently, TB treatment requires a complex, long-term curative regimen of at least six months, explained the senior author of the study, Dr. Lalita Ramakrishnan, University of Washington (UW) professor of medicine, microbiology and immunology. ...

Teplis Travel, a premier corporate travel agency, recently attended the Concur Fusion 2011 No Limit conference. Held February 15-18, 2011 at The Cosmopolitan Hotel Las Vegas, this event brought together Concur clients, partners, and employees to exchange ideas and knowledge on products and services available to easily manage corporate travel and expenses. Fusion 2011 session highlights included: - Reviewing top expense features companies should be using - Going global with travel - Delivering value through integration with suppliers, customers and mobile applications - ...

A new paper by University of Calgary researchers, published today in PLoS ONE, demonstrates the edge given to prey in the "space race" by human activity. The research was conducted by two University of Calgary students, a University of Calgary Post-Doctoral Fellow and two University of Calgary professors from the Faculty of Environmental Design, Department of Geomatics in the Schulich School of Engineering and the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. The research looked at how predator-prey interactions and use of space were influenced by human activity. The team deployed ...

Topshop has announced the inspiration behind their autumn/winter 2011 Unique collection For AW11, Topshop Unique journeys back to early 1930s America. Drawing on the culture of luxury and status of the Industrial Age, prints are bold and boastful and the silhouette is overall sleek and refined. Prints are key in the collection and the recurring motif of the dog and car reflect the importance of social status during the decade. Automobiles with headlights streaming are appliqued onto down-sized luggage bags, and printed on satin shoes. Whippets, Grey Hounds and Dalmatians ...