Public Release: 30-Nov-2008
Nature Geoscience
Modern day scourge helped ancient Earth escape a deathly deep freeze
The planet's present day greenhouse scourge, carbon dioxide, may have played a vital role in helping ancient Earth to escape from complete glaciation, say scientists in a paper published online today.
Contact: Colin Smith
cd.smith@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-46712
Imperial College London
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Journal of Cell Biology
Claudin 11 stops the leaks in neuronal myelin sheaths
Devaux and Gow demonstrate how a tight junction protein called claudin 11 makes the neuronal myelin sheath a snug fit. The authors speculate that defects in claudin 11 could be associated with deficits in cognition and perception, like those found in schizophrenia or neurodegenerative diseases.
Contact: Rita Sullivan
rsullivan@rockefeller.edu
212-327-8603
Rockefeller University Press
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Clinical Cancer Research
Prostate cancer spurs new nerves
Prostate cancer -- and perhaps other cancers -- promotes the growth of new nerves and the branching axons that carry their messages, a finding associated with more aggressive tumors, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in the first report of the phenomenon that appears today in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.
National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Glenna Picton
picton@bcm.edu
713-798-4710
Baylor College of Medicine
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting
Brain waves show sound processing abnormalities in autistic children
Abnormalities in auditory and language processing may be evaluated in children with autism spectrum disorder by using magnetoencephalography.
National Institutes of Health, Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation
Contact: Linda Brooks
lbrooks@rsna.org
630-590-7762
Radiological Society of North America
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Gastroenterology
Antibiotics: Single largest class of drugs causing liver injury
Antibiotics are the single largest class of agents that cause idiosyncratic drug-induced liver injury, reports a new study in Gastroenterology, an official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association Institute. DILI is the most common cause of death from acute liver failure and accounts for approximately 13 percent of cases of acute liver failure in the US. It is caused by a wide variety of prescription and nonprescription medications, nutritional supplements and herbals.
Contact: Aimee Frank
media@gastro.org
301-941-2620
American Gastroenterological Association
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Fractional dose of scarce meningitis vaccine may be effective in outbreak control
A partial dose of a commonly used vaccine against meningitis may be as effective as a full dose, according to new research published Dec. 2 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases. Fractional dosing would enable large-scale vaccination campaigns during epidemics, especially at a time of global vaccine shortages.
Contact: Mary Kohut
Press@plos.org
415-568-3457
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Journal of American College of Cardiology
Lack of vitamin D could spell heart trouble
Vitamin D deficiency -- which is traditionally associated with bone and muscle weakness -- may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. A growing body of evidence links low 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels to common CVD risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes, as well as major cardiovascular events including stroke and congestive heart failure.
Contact: Amanda Jekowsky
ajekowsk@acc.org
202-375-6645
American College of Cardiology
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Stanford scientists' discovery of virus in lemur could shed light on AIDS
The genome of a squirrel-sized, saucer-eyed lemur from Madagascar may help scientists understand how HIV-like viruses co-evolved with primates, according to new research from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Contact: Rosanne Spector
manishma@stanford.edu
650-725-5374
Stanford University Medical Center
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
Test-tube babies profitable business for the state
Increased financial support for IVF fertilization would be downright profitable for the state. Test-tube babies are an investment for the future, not an expense. This is shown by Anders Svensson, who studied this issue in a bachelor's thesis in economics at Lund University School of Economics and Management in Sweden. His article on the subject was recently published in Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.
Contact: Kristina Rorstrom
Kristina.Rorstrom@ehl.lu.se
Swedish Research Council
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Surgery
New research projects shortage of general surgeons by 2010
In less than two years, there may not be enough surgeons in US hospitals to treat the critically injured or chronically ill. A new study suggests that the number of available general surgeons, who often perform life-saving operations on patients in emergency rooms, will not keep up with public demand. As the population continues to grow, there will be a shortage of 1,300 general surgeons in 2010. That shortage will worsen each decade, reaching a deficit of 6,000 by 2050.
Contact: Thomas E. Williams
Tom.williams@osumc.edu
614-293-5629
Ohio State University
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
FASEB Journal
Eating eggs when pregnant affects breast cancer in offspring
A stunning discovery based on epigenetics (the inheritance of propensities acquired in the womb) reveals that consuming choline -- a nutrient found in eggs and other foods -- during pregnancy may significantly affect breast cancer outcomes for a mother's offspring. This finding by Boston University biologists is the first to link choline consumption during pregnancy to breast cancer. It also is the first to identify possible choline-related genetic changes that affect breast cancer survival rates.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Antarctic islands surpass Galapagos for biodiversity
More sea and land animals live on the South Orkney Islands than on the tropical Galapagos Islands, a new survey shows
16:05 01 December 2008
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Delays in radiation therapy lead to increased breast cancer recurrence
A new analysis of the National Cancer Institute's cancer registry has found that as many as one in five older women experience delayed or incomplete radiation treatment following breast-conserving surgery and that this suboptimal care can lead to worse outcomes.
Contact: Andrew Klein
ank2017@med.cornell.edu
212-821-0560
New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College
Public Release: 1-Dec-2008
Lancet
New medication brings hope of jet lag cure
A team of researchers from Monash University, The Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Vanda Pharmaceuticals has found a new drug with the potential to alleviate jet lag and sleep disorders caused by shift work.
Contact: Shaunnagh O'Loughlin
shaunnagh.o'loughlin@adm.monash.edu.au
61-448-574-148
Monash University
Public Release: 2-Dec-2008
Radiological Society of North America Annual Meeting
Patient photos spur radiologist empathy and eye for detail
Including a patient's photo with imaging exam results may enable a more meticulous reading from the radiologist interpreting the images, as well as a more personal and empathetic approach, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.
Contact: Linda Brooks
lbrooks@rsna.org
630-590-7762
Radiological Society of North America
Swapping your body becomes a virtual reality
Camera trickery convinces volunteers that they have swapped bodies with someone else or a mannequin
16:09 02 December 2008
Public Release: 2-Dec-2008
Cardiovascular Research
Mini heart attacks lessen damage from major ones
Researchers have discovered one potential mechanism by which briefly cutting off, then restoring, blood flow prior to a heart attack lessens the damage caused. The work could lead to new drugs that provide protection ahead of heart attacks, and may help to prevent damage caused as US heart surgeons temporarily cut off blood flow 450,000 times each year to perform coronary artery bypass graft surgeries. The discoveries may also the value of the Mediterranean diet.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Greg Williams
Greg_Williams@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-1757
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 2-Dec-2008
Archives of General Psychiatry
New test for depression
A new universal test to predict the risk of someone succumbing to major depression has been developed by UCL researchers. The online tool, predictD, could eventually be used by family doctors and local clinics to identify those at risk of depression for whom prevention might be most useful.
European Commission
Contact: Jenny Gimpel
j.gimpel@ucl.ac.uk
44-020-767-99726
University College London
Memories may be stored on your DNA
Patterns of chemical "caps" on our DNA may be responsible for preserving both long and short-term memories, suggest experiments in mice
THIS WEEK:  10:20 02 December 2008
Public Release: 2-Dec-2008
Psychological Science
Is empty nest best? Changes in marital satisfaction in late middle age
The phrase "empty nest" can conjure up images of lonely parents sitting at home, waiting for their children to call or visit. However, a new study suggests that an empty nest may be beneficial for the parents' marriage. The results revealed that marital satisfaction increased as women got older, but in addition, women who had made the transition to an empty nest increased more in marital satisfaction than women who still had children at home.
Contact: Barbara Isanski
bisanski@psychologicalscience.org
Association for Psychological Science
Public Release: 2-Dec-2008
Old as you want to be: Study finds most seniors feel younger
Older people tend to feel about 13 years younger than their chronological age.
Contact: Diane Swanbrow
swanbrow@umich.edu
734-647-9069
University of Michigan
Public Release: 2-Dec-2008
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 57th Annual Meeting
Vaccine and drug research aimed at ticks and mosquitoes to prevent disease transmission
Most successful vaccines and drugs rely on protecting humans or animals by blocking certain bacteria from growing in their systems. But a new theory actually hopes to take stopping infectious diseases such as West Nile virus and Malaria to the next level by disabling insects from transmitting these viruses.
Contact: Jennifer Bender
jbender@environics-usa.com
203-325-8772
American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
'Test and treat everyone' to vanquish HIV
A new calculation suggests testing everyone for the virus and treating those who have it immediately is the fastest way to eradicate HIV
UPFRONT:  10:25 02 December 2008
Deep-voiced men not guaranteed to impress
Women might swoon over Barry White's deep bass, yet when looking for a provider, they find Justin Timberlake's falsetto sounds sexier
00:01 03 December 2008
A New Picture of the Early Earth
Geologists now think the planet soon became a cool place of land, seas and perhaps even life.
By KENNETH CHANG
Venus ultraviolet puzzle 'solved'
One of the many mysteries of Earth's nearest planetary neighbour Venus has been cracked, Nature journal reports.
By Paul RinconScience Reporter, BBC News
Gulf war costs US consumers 3 to 15 cents a gallon
How much does the US military spend on guaranteeing a supply of oil-based fuels from the Persian Gulf to road vehicles in the states? Between 3 and 15 cents for every gallon, in 2004 terms
16:27 03 December 2008 - updated 13:46 04 December 2008
First 'placebo gene' discovered
For the first time, a gene is being linked to increased susceptibility to the placebo effect – the mysterious capacity some people have to benefit from sham treatments
THIS WEEK:  18:14 03 December 2008
Public Release: 3-Dec-2008
New England Journal of Medicine
Treatment for advanced hepatitis C doesn't work, researchers find
In an NIH funded study, researchers found that low-dose peginterferon was not an effective form of treatment for advanced hepatitis C patients.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Carrie Bebermeyer
bebermcl@slu.edu
314-977-8015
Saint Louis University
Public Release: 3-Dec-2008
PNAS
Researchers identify cell group key to Lyme disease arthritis
A research team led by the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology and Albany Medical College has illuminated the important role of natural killer T cells in Lyme disease, demonstrating that the once little understood white blood cells are central to clearing the bacterial infection and reducing the intensity and duration of arthritis associated with Lyme disease.
Contact: Bonnie Ward
contact@liai.org
619-303-3160
La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology
Public Release: 3-Dec-2008
Blood
Researchers discover new enzyme in cancer growth
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center discovered a new enzyme that not only affects the blood, but seems to play a primary role in how cancer tumors expand and spread throughout the body.
US Department of Defense, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
Contact: Diane Clay
diane-clay@ouhsc.edu
405-271-2323
University of Oklahoma
Public Release: 3-Dec-2008
Neuro-Oncology
Mayo Clinic identifies best treatments for long-term survival in brain tumor patients
A new Mayo Clinic study found that patients with low-grade gliomas survived longest when they underwent aggressive surgeries to successfully remove the entire tumor. If safely removing the entire tumor was not possible, patients survived significantly longer when surgery was followed by radiation therapy. This study is available online as an advance publication in Neuro-Oncology.
Contact: Elizabeth Rice
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
British Medical Journal
Happiness is a collective -- not just individual -- phenomenon
Happiness spreads through social networks like an emotional contagion, according to a study that looked at nearly 5,000 individuals over a period of 20 years. When an individual becomes happy, the network effect can be measured up to three degrees. One person's happiness triggers a chain reaction that benefits not only his friends, but his friends' friends, and his friends' friends' friends. The effect lasts for up to one year. Conversely, sadness does not spread through social networks as robustly as happiness.
NIH/National Institute on Aging, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Contact: David Cameron
david_cameron@hms.harvard.edu
617-432-0441
Harvard Medical School
Spanish Inquisition couldn’t quash Moorish, Jewish genes
Finding suggests modern history, not just prehistory, can leave a strong mark on a region’s genetic signature
By Tina Hesman Saey   
Thursday, December 4th, 2008
Universe's dark matter mix is 'just right' for life
If the total abundance of dark matter in the universe was any different, humans and all other life on Earth might not exist
THIS WEEK:  11:28 04 December 2008
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
Science
Caltech researchers find ancient climate cycles recorded in Mars rocks
Researchers at the California Institute of Technology and their colleagues have found evidence of ancient climate change on Mars caused by regular variation in the planet's tilt, or obliquity. On Earth, similar "astronomical forcing" of climate drives ice-age cycles.
NASA
Contact: Kathy Svitil
ksvitil@caltech.edu
626-395-8022
California Institute of Technology
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
Immunity
Well-armed immune cells help long-term nonprogressors contain HIV
Researchers are trying to better understand how the immune systems of a minority of HIV-infected people known as long-term nonprogressors (LTNPs) contain the virus naturally. CD8+ T cells, which kill cells infected with HIV, enable LTNPs to control HIV, but it has been unclear how CD8+ T cells mediate that control so effectively. A new report shows that the ability to stockpile two molecular weapons makes the HIV-specific CD8+ T cells of LTNPs superior cellular killers.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Contact: Laura Sivitz
sivitzl@niaid.nih.gov
301-402-1663
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
Cell
Dormant stem cells for emergencies
A small group of stem cells in the bone marrow remains dormant almost throughout life. Only in case of injury or blood loss do they awaken and become active. Then they start dividing immediately to make up for the loss of blood cells. The possibility of specifically waking up these dormant stem cells opens up new prospects for cancer treatment.
Swiss National Science Foundation, Swiss Cancer League
Contact: Dr. Sibylle Kohlstaedt
s.kohlstaedt@dkfz.de
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
New bone implant technology using techniques normally used to make catalytic converters
A method of producing synthetic bone, using techniques normally used to make catalytic converters for cars, is being developed by researchers at WMG at the University of Warwick.
Contact: Peter Dunn
pj.dunn@warwick.ac.uk
44-024-765-23708
University of Warwick
Mother of pearl mimic is toughest ever ceramic
Moulding a mineral on a template of ice helps yield a super-tough composite that could help make aircraft stronger
14:32 05 December 2008
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Apple or pear shape is not main culprit to heart woes -- it's liver fat
Pear-shaped people who carry weight in the thighs and backside have been told for years they are at lower risk for high blood pressure and heart disease than apple-shaped people who carry fat in the abdomen. But in two studies, School of Medicine researchers report that body shape isn't the only marker of risk. Excess liver fat appears to be the key to insulin resistance, cholesterol abnormalities and other problems that contribute to diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH/National Center for Research Resources
Contact: Jim Dryden
jdryden@wustl.edu
314-286-0110
Washington University School of Medicine
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
A little wine boosts omega-3 in the body: Researchers find a novel mechanism for a healthier heart
Moderate alcohol intake is associated with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells. This is the major finding of the European study IMMIDIET that will be published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study suggests that wine does better than other alcoholic drinks. This effect could be ascribed to compounds other than alcohol itself, representing a key to understand the mechanism lying behind the heart protection observed in moderate wine drinkers.
European Commission, European Research Advisory Board, Italian Ministry of Research
Contact: Americo Bonanni
bonanni@filemazio.net
39-347-930-5981
Catholic University
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
Neurology
UCLA expert blames American values for health-care crisis
To heal our ailing health-care system, we need to stop thinking like Americans. That's the consensus of two articles published Dec. 2 in the American Academy of Neurology journal Neurology by Dr. Marc Nuwer, a UCLA neurologist and leading expert on national health-care reform.
Contact: Elaine Schmidt
eschmidt@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2272
University of California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
'Zinc zipper' plays key role in hospital-acquired infections
A team of University of Cincinnati researchers is exploring a "zinc zipper" that holds bacterial cells together and plays a key role in hospital-acquired infections.
Ohio Eminent Scholars Program, Cincinnati Microbial Pathogenesis Center
Contact: Keith Herrell
Keith.Herrell@uc.edu
513-558-4559
University of Cincinnati
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
Mix of taiji, cognitive therapy and support groups benefits those with dementia
Those diagnosed with early stage dementia can slow their physical, mental and psychological decline by taking part in therapeutic programs that combine counseling, support groups, Taiji and qigong, researchers report. Some of the benefits of this approach are comparable to those achieved with anti-dementia medications.
Contact: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
PLoS Biology
Gene packaging tells story of cancer development
To decipher how cancer develops, Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center investigators say researchers must take a closer look at the packaging.
Contact: Valerie Mehl
mehlva@jhmi.edu
410-955-1287
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 4-Dec-2008
Science
New target discovered to treat epileptic seizures following brain trauma or stroke
New therapies for some forms of epilepsy may soon be possible, thanks to a discovery made by a team of University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute neuroscience researchers. The researchers found that hemichannels -- the same channels the researchers previously found to that cause cell death following a stroke -- may also cause epileptic seizures that occur following head trauma or a stroke.
Contact: Catherine Loiacono
catherine.loiacono@ubc.ca
604-822-2644
University of British Columbia
Humans 80,000 Years Older Than Previously Thought?
Modern humans may have evolved more than 80,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to a new study of sophisticated stone tools found in Ethiopia.
Kate Ravilious for National Geographic News
December 3, 2008
Company tries to get gun classed as medical device
A US firm wants to market an ergonomic firearm as a medical device
15:16 05 December 2008
Brain quirk makes eyewitnesses less reliable
Describing an event straight after it occurs can mean people later have trouble telling truth from fiction, a study finds
16:14 05 December 2008
Public Release: 5-Dec-2008
Brain
Maintaining the brain's wiring in aging and disease
Researchers at the Babraham Institute near Cambridge, supported by the Alzheimer's Research Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, have discovered that the brain's circuitry survives longer than previously thought in diseases of ageing such as Alzheimer's disease. The findings were published today in the journal Brain.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Contact: Dr. Claire Cockcroft
claire.cockcroft@bbsrc.ac.uk
44-012-234-96260
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Public Release: 8-Dec-2008
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Spider love: Little guys get lots more
Big males outperform smaller ones in head-to-head mating contests but diminutive males make ten times better lovers because they're quicker to mature and faster on their feet, a new study of redback spiders reveals. Published in the current online issue of Journal of Evolutionary Biology, the study shows the importance of maturation in defining mating and paternity success.
Contact: Dr. Michael Kasumovic
m.kasumovic@unsw.edu.au
61-401-090-071
University of New South Wales