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Science20 Nov 2010

COPD could be a problem with autoimmunity

Moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may be an auto-immunity problem, according to researchers in Spain, who studied the presence of auto-antibodies in patients with COPD and compared them to levels of control subjects. They found that a significant number of patients with COPD had significant levels of auto-antibodies circulating in their blood, about 5 to 10 times the level in controls. The findings were published online ahead of the print edition of the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. "We ...

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Science20 Nov 2010

Report: For every 1 homeless person in Canada, another 23 live in inadequate housing

TORONTO, Nov. 19, 2010--For every one person in Canada who is homeless, another 23 live in unsafe, crowded or unaffordable housing, meaning the country's housing crisis is even worse than previously thought, according to Dr. Stephen Hwang of St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. Those "vulnerably housed" people have the same severe health problems and dangers of assault as homeless people, said Hwang, principal investigator of a new report on housing and health issues in Vancouver, Toronto and Ottawa. "The key point is that Canada needs a national housing strategy," ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Eating a variety of fruit cuts lung cancer risk

Eating five portions of fruit and vegetables per day is one of the means that experts most frequently recommend for preventing cancer. Now, the European EPIC study carried out by researchers from 10 countries has shown that, in the case of lung cancer, the important thing is not just the quantity but also the variety of fruit consumed, which can reduce the risk by up to 23%. "This research looks more deeply into the relationship between diet and lung cancer", María José Sánchez Pérez, co-author of the study and director of the Granada Cancer Registry at the Andalusian ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Special section on ecological distribution conflicts in the journal Ecological Economics

Researchers from Institute of Environmental Science and Technology (ICTA), at Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), and other universities have published a special section in the journal Ecological Economics that analyzes the link between ecological economics and political ecology. This issue stems from the institute's research on impacts and resistance at the "commodity frontiers", where the extraction of natural resources and the disposal of toxic wastes produce a range of economic, environmental, cultural and social conflicts. The special issue, titled Social Metabolism, ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Online map of maternal health to inform world leaders

Researchers from the University of Southampton have helped construct an online interactive world map which gives stark facts and figures about the health of women during pregnancy, childbirth and following the birth of their child. Social scientists Professor Zoë Matthews and Dr Sarah Neal are working in collaboration with the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood and the University of Aberdeen on a joint project worth in excess of £160,000 called 'The Atlas of Birth', which also includes a book, short film and flyers. "We are using data from the United Nations ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

New microscope reveals ultrastructure of cells

For the first time, there is no need to chemically fix, stain or cut cells in order to study them. Instead, whole living cells are fast-frozen and studied in their natural environment. The new method delivers an immediate 3-D image, thereby closing a gap between conventional microscopic techniques. The new microscope delivers a high-resolution 3-D image of the entire cell in one step. This is an advantage over electron microscopy, in which a 3-D image is assembled out of many thin sections. This can take up to weeks for just one cell. Also, the cell need not be labelled ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Gene links to anorexia found by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia researchers

Scientists at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia have identified both common and rare gene variants associated with the eating disorder anorexia nervosa. In the largest genetic study of this psychiatric disorder, the researchers found intriguing clues to genes they are subjecting to further investigation, including genes active in neuronal signaling and in shaping interconnections among brain cells. Anorexia nervosa (AN) affects an estimated 9 in 1000 women in the United States. Patients have food refusal, weight loss, an irrational fear of weight gain even when ...

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Science20 Nov 2010

Designing more effective anti-HIV antibodies

Boston, Mass. – Although people infected with HIV produce many antibodies against the protein encapsulating the virus, most of these antibodies are strangely ineffective at fighting the disease. A new study suggests why some of the most common of these antibodies don't work: they target the protein in a form it takes after the virus has already invaded the cell, when it's too late, report researchers at Children's Hospital Boston and their colleagues. The findings, published online Nov. 14 in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, refocus attention on the ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Professor Zvi Ram presents phase III recurrent glioblastoma survival and quality of life data from the first pivotal study of the NovoTTF-100A at 15th Annual Society for Neuro-Oncology Scientific Meet

MONTREAL, CANADA - November 19, 2010 - Data presented today from a pivotal, phase III randomized clinical trial for patients with recurrent glioblastoma tumors suggest that Tumor Treating Fields (TTF) therapy may increase median survival time and improve quality of life scores compared to best standard of care chemotherapy. Professor Zvi Ram, chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery at Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, presented the data at the Society for Neuro-Oncology (SNO) Annual Scientific Meeting. Physicians delivered the investigational TTF therapy to patients ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Childhood obesity linked to increased risk of adult cardiovascular and metabolic disorders

New Rochelle, NY, November 19, 2010—Mounting evidence linking childhood obesity to an increasing risk of obesity, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and other cardiovascular and metabolic disorders in adulthood is clearly presented in a comprehensive review article in the current issue of Childhood Obesity, published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free online. Authors Megan Moriarty-Kelsey, MD and Stephen Daniels, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, caution that the rising prevalence of obesity in children will ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

New path for colon cancer drug discovery

An old pinworm medicine is a new lead in the search for compounds that block a signaling pathway implicated in colon cancer. The findings, reported by Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers in the November issue of Nature Chemical Biology, suggest a fresh approach for developing therapeutics that target the pathway. More than 90 percent of sporadic (non-inherited) colon cancers – the second deadliest type of cancer in the developed world – are caused by mutations that result in inappropriate activation of the Wnt (pronounced "wint") signaling pathway. Blocking ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Scripps Research scientists identify first synthetic activator of 2 critical proteins

JUPITER, FL, November 19, 2010 – Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have identified a novel synthetic activator of a pair of proteins that belong to a protein family playing key roles in human metabolism and immune function. The discovery could provide new and potentially more effective therapeutic approaches to diseases ranging from diabetes to osteoporosis. The study was published in the November issue (Volume 5, Issue 11) of the journal ACS Chemical Biology. "This new compound is particularly important because it works in vivo, ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Invention helps students learn surgical techniques before operating on patients

FORT COLLINS - In the last 50 years, modern medicine has made astounding advances in surgery, yet many of today's veterinary and human medicine students still hone basic surgical and suturing skills on carpet pads and pig's feet before transitioning to a live patient. An invention by Colorado State University veterinarians provides students with artificial body parts that look, feel, behave, and even bleed just like real skin, muscles and vessels. The artificial replicas of sections of human and animal bodies -- such as an abdominal wall -- give students a realistic learning ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

UH physicists study behavior of enzyme linked to Alzheimer's, cancer

HOUSTON, Nov. 19, 2010 – University of Houston (UH) physicists are using complex computer simulations to illuminate the workings of a crucial protein that, when malfunctioning, may cause Alzheimer's and cancer. Margaret Cheung, assistant professor of physics at UH, and Antonios Samiotakis, a physics Ph.D. student, described their findings in a paper titled "Structure, function, and folding of phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) are strongly perturbed by macromolecular crowding," published in a recent issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, one ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

New study into bladder regeneration heralds organ replacement treatment

Researchers in the United States have developed a medical model for regenerating bladders using stem cells harvested from a patient's own bone marrow. The research, published in STEM CELLS, is especially relevant for paediatric patients suffering from abnormally developed bladders, but also represents another step towards new organ replacement therapies. The research, led by Dr Arun Sharma and Earl Cheng from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University and Children's Memorial Research Center, focused on bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) taken from ...

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Environment20 Nov 2010

Busy microbial world discovered in deepest ocean crust ever explored

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The first study to ever explore biological activity in the deepest layer of ocean crust has found bacteria with a remarkable range of capabilities, including eating hydrocarbons and natural gas, and "fixing" or storing carbon. The research, just published in the journal PLoS One, showed that a significant number and amount of bacterial forms were present, even in temperatures near the boiling point of water. "This is a new ecosystem that almost no one has ever explored," said Martin Fisk, a professor in the College of Oceanic and Atmospheric Sciences ...

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Science20 Nov 2010

AgriLife scientist: Functional amino acids regulate key metabolic pathways

COLLEGE STATION - Functional amino acids play a critical role in the development of both animals and humans, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist. In a journal article appearing in the American Society for Nutrition (Advances in Nutrition 1:31-37, 2010), Dr. Guoyao Wu, AgriLife Research animal nutritionist and senior faculty fellow in the department of animal science at Texas A&M University, calls for scientists to "think out of the box" and place more emphasis on this area of study. "We need to move forward and capitalize on the potential of functional ...

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Science20 Nov 2010

Reading the signs: Plants and animals found common ground in response to microbial threats

Though it's been at least a billion years since plants and animals shared a common ancestor, they have through the eons shared a common threat in the form of microbes, including bacteria, eukaryotes and viruses. This has resulted in remarkably similar mechanisms for detecting the molecular signatures of infectious organisms that hold promise for the future treatment of infectious diseases in humans. The recognition of microbial signature molecules by host receptors is the subject of a paper published in the journal Science titled "Plant and Animal Sensors of Conserved ...

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Medicine20 Nov 2010

Kidneys: Produce-rich diet improves long-term health, melatonin improves short-term health

1. Kidney Disease Patients Benefit from a Diet High in Fruits and Vegetables Healthy Foods Can Help Maintain Kidney Function In patients with kidney disease, the Western diet produces an acidic environment in the body that has numerous negative effects and worsens with age as kidney function declines. Nimirit Goraya, MD (Texas A&M College of Medicine and Scott and White Healthcare) and her colleagues conducted a study to see if consuming a diet high in fruits and vegetables that counteract this acidity might improve the kidney health of 40 patients who have moderately ...

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Environment20 Nov 2010

Global Sustainable Tourism Organization Planeterra Taps Ecotourism Visionary Megan Epler Wood as Director

Gap Adventures founder Bruce Poon Tip announced today the appointment of ecotourism industry veteran Megan Epler Wood as Director of Planeterra (http://www.planeterra.org), the global non-profit dedicated to sustainable community development through travel and voluntourism. Epler Wood will share duties with newly named Associate Director Paula Vlamings. "I have known Megan for many years and have such deep respect for her and for her commitment and leadership in defining and building on her vision for sustainable travel," says Poon Tip. "She is the best person on Earth ...

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Social Science20 Nov 2010

Strathclyde University and Associates: New Faces at SESG

We have seen big changes at SESG over the past few months. Meet the new team! Strathclyde University and Associates: Dr Jeremy Cockroft took over as director of SESG at the beginning of April 2006. He is supported by Dr Jon Hand and Dr Aizaz Samuel. We have a vacancy that we hope to fill soon. Here is a brief resume of the people now in the group: Jon has had experience as a practicing architect specializing in low energy buildings and alternative construction techniques. He is a simulation consultant in several continents, a software developer, and a mentor to companies ...

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Social Science20 Nov 2010

Homeschooling Families and Friends Get a Free Guide to Festive Planning and Frugal Gifting

The staff and friends of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine (TOS) have come together to share their favorite family traditions, recipes, and more by offering the 2010 Digital Holiday Supplement magazine. Gena Suarez, publisher of The Old Schoolhouse Magazine, states: "If you're looking for inspiration to get your holiday spirit revived for the upcoming season of festivities, you've come to the right place. TOS has put together a gorgeous, full-color, digital magazine filled to the virtual brim with traditions-in-the-making. This is TOS's gift to the homeschooling community, ...

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Science20 Nov 2010

Swimwear designer Tara Grinna predicts swimwear trends for 2011

For those overwhelmed with choices on what to wear for summer 2011, swimwear ( http://www.taragrinna-swimwear.com ) designer Tara Grinna provides a glimpse of what could be the trends for Spring/Summer 2011. "The Fashion Swim Week in Miami indicates a very colorful 2011. There's going to be plenty of choices to play with colors. Colors like blue green, orange and shades of brown are likely to be the most popular. Turquoise and light skies blended with greens are predicted to be a great hit for 2011. Gold is another color that's likely to rule the 2011 swimwear scene, ...

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Science20 Nov 2010

Ken Kaufman Quoted in Inc.com Articles

CFO WISE Founder & CEO, Ken Kaufman, was quoted several times in two recent articles. "How to Plan for Hiring and Payroll in 2011" by Hillary Johnson discusses how companies planning for growth budget for increasing their staff. The other article, "How to Budget and Manage Inventory for 2011", by Anne Field, delves into the challenges of of managing your suppliers to facilitate you budget for 2011. "Both authors, Anne and Hillary, were great to work with. The topic of preparing and budgeting for 2011 not only relevant, but timely. If you haven't started, then now is ...

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Science20 Nov 2010

Naperville Kitchen Cabinet Designer River Oak Cabinetry to Host Holiday Event

Want to put some extra sizzle into your holiday season? Plan to attend "Accessorizing your home and yourself for the holidays" on Wednesday, December 1, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. hosted by River Oak Cabinetry and Design. River Oak Cabinetry and Design offers ( http://www.riveroakcabinetry.com/ ) Naperville kitchen cabinets, design expertise and a selection of cabinets that have been carefully chosen to represent the best value in a variety of price ranges. The event will be held at the River Oak Cabinetry and Design showroom, conveniently located just southwest of Route ...

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