Newest
Science News Blog 20090330
Public
Release: 23-Mar-2009
237th American Chemical Society
National Meeting & Exposition
Tales
of the 'Trojan horse drug' and the 'miracle dogs'
Scientists are reporting
promising results with a drug called
nitrosylcobalamin (NO-Cbl) in battling cancer in dogs without any
negative side effects. While it gives profound hope to dog owners,
NO-Cbl also points to a powerful new cancer treatment for humans -- one
that infiltrates cancer cells like a biological Trojan horse. Their
study is scheduled for presentational in March at the 237th National
Meeting of the American Chemical Society.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
Public
Release: 23-Mar-2009
237th American Chemical Society
National Meeting & Exposition
Redefining
DNA: Darwin from the atom up
In a dramatic rewrite of
the recipe for life, scientists from Florida
describe the design of a new type of DNA with 12 chemical letters
instead of the usual four. This artificial genetic system already is
helping to usher in the era of personalized medicine for millions of
patients with HIV, hepatitis and other diseases, they say. Their study
is scheduled for presentation in March at the 237th National Meeting of
the American Chemical Society.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Neurology
Vertigo
linked to osteoporosis
People who have
osteoporosis are more likely to also have vertigo,
according to a study published in the March 24, 2009, print issue of
Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Contact: Jenine Anderson
janderson@aan.com
American Academy
of Neurology
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
PLoS Medicine
Comprehensive
map of global malaria endemicity -- a key resource for malaria control
and elimination
Using data from nearly
8,000 local surveys of malaria parasite
infection rates, an international team of researchers has built a
global map showing the proportion of the population infected with the
parasite Plasmodium falciparum at locations throughout the globe.
Contact: Andrew Hyde
press@plos.org
44-122-346-3330
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
PLoS Medicine
Alcohol-induced
flushing is a risk factor for esophageal cancer from alcohol consumption
There
is growing
evidence, say researchers in this week's PLoS
Medicine, that people who experience facial flushing after drinking
alcohol are at much higher risk of esophageal cancer from alcohol
consumption than those who do not.
Contact: Andrew Hyde
press@plos.org
44-122-346-3330
Public Library of Science
The
legendary Himiko may have lived here
Researchers
say they have found evidence of what may be an early third-century
palace that could have been part of the Yamatai kingdom ruled by
Himiko, the legendary queen.
THE
ASAHI SHIMBUN
2009/3/23
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Licorice
extract blocks colorectal cancer in mice
Although drugs that
target the protein COX-2, including aspirin and
ibuprofen, prevent the development of intestinal polyps, the precursors
of colorectal cancer, they have severe side effects that preclude their
routine use for this purpose. However, new research indicates that
inhibiting 11-beta-HSD2 (both genetically and using an extract from
licorice) blocks COX-2 activity in human and mouse colorectal tumor
cells, inhibiting their growth and metastasis in experimental models of
colorectal cancer.
American Cancer Society, National Institutes
of Health, US Department
of Veterans Affairs Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
215-573-1850
Journal of Clinical
Investigation
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Archives of Internal Medicine
Vitamin
D supplements associated with reduced fracture risk in older adults
Oral vitamin D
supplements at a dose of at least 400 international
units per day are associated with a reduced risk of bone fractures in
older adults, according to results of a meta-analysis published in the
March 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the
JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari, Dr.P.H.
heike.bischoff@usz.ch
JAMA and Archives
Journals
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences
Social
isolation makes strokes more deadly, study finds
New research in mice
suggests that social isolation may promote more
damaging inflammation in the brain during a stroke. Researchers at Ohio
State University found that all the male mice that lived with a female
partner survived seven days after a stroke, but only 40 percent of
socially isolated animals lived that long.
American Heart Association, NIH/National
Institute of Neurological
Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Contact: Kate Karelina
Karelina.1@osu.edu
614-688-4665
Ohio State
University
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences
Research
links evolution of fins and limbs with that of gills
The genetic toolkit
animals use to build fins and limbs is the same one
that controls the development of part of the gill skeleton in sharks.
Also, the skeleton of any animal appendage is probably patterned by the
developmental genetic program that regulates the formation of shark
gills. This finding is consistent with an old theory, often discounted
in textbooks, that fins and (later) limbs evolved from the gills of an
extinct vertebrate.
Contact: Greg Borzo
greg.borzo@uchospitals.edu
773-702-0892
University of
Chicago Medical Center
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences
New
research reveals the earliest evidence for corn in the New World
An international team of
scientists led by Dolores Piperno,
archaeobotanist at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural
History, and Anthony Ranere, professor of anthropology at Temple
University in Philadelphia, have discovered the first direct evidence
that indicates maize was domesticated by 8,700 years ago, the earliest
date recorded for the crop. The research findings will be published
March 23 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Contact: Michele Urie
uriem@si.edu
202-633-2950
Smithsonian
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
European Journal of Cancer
New
data on cancer survival in Europe show more patients are cured
New data and analyses
from a long-running study of cancer survival in
Europe have shown that the number of people actually cured of cancer --
rather than just surviving for at least five years after diagnosis --
is rising steadily. Reports from the EUROCARE-4 Working Group are
published in a special issue of the European Journal of Cancer.
Contact: Emma Mason
wordmason@mac.com
44-771-129-6986
ECCO-the European CanCer
Organisation
Synthetic
blood from embryos bid
UK scientists plan a
major research project to see if synthetic human blood can be made from
embryonic stem cells.
Monday, 23 March 2009
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica
New
research highlights dramatically reduced risk of developing dementia
People with memory
problems are less at risk of developing dementia
than previously thought, a new study led by the University of Leicester
and Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust reveals.
Contact: Dr. Alex Mitchell
ajm80@le.ac.uk
44-116-225-6218
University of
Leicester
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences
Listening
to pleasant music could help restore vision in stroke patients,
suggests study
Patients who have lost
part of their visual awareness following a
stroke can show an improved ability to see when they are listening to
music they like, according to a new study published today in the
journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
British Academy, Biotechnology and Biological
Sciences Research
Council, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research
Council, Stroke Association Contact: Lucy Goodchild
lucy.goodchild@imperial.ac.uk
44-207-594-6702
Imperial College
London
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Journal of Applied Psychology
Groups
share information in workplace, but not the 'right' information
From the operating room
to the executive board room, the benefits of
working in teams have long been touted. But a new analysis of 22 years
of applied psychological research shows that teams tend to discuss
information they already know and that "talkier" teams are less
effective.
Contact: Audrey Hamilton
ahamilton@apa.org
202-336-5706
American Psychological
Association
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Stem Cells and Development
Human
adult testes cells can become embryonic-like
Using what they say is a
relatively simple method, scientists at
Georgetown University Medical Center have extracted stem/progenitor
cells from testes and have converted them back into pluripotent
embryonic-like stem cells. Researchers say that the naïve cells are now
potentially capable of morphing into any cell type that a body needs,
from brain neurons to pancreatic tissue.
National Institutes of Health Contact: Karen
Mallet
km463@georgetown.edu
215-514-9751
Georgetown
University Medical Center
Public Release: 23-Mar-2009
Journal of Neuroscience
Astrocytes
help separate man from mouse
A type of brain cell that
was long overlooked by researchers embodies
one of very few ways in which the human brain differs fundamentally
from that of a mouse or rat. Human astrocytes are bigger, faster, and
much more complex than those in mice and rats.
G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Charitable
Foundation, NIH/National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Contact: Tom Rickey
tom_rickey@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-7954
University of
Rochester Medical Center
Public
Release: 23-Mar-2009
Nature
Proteins
by design: Penn biochemists create new protein from scratch
Using design and
engineering principles learned from nature, a team of
biochemists have built -- from scratch -- a completely new type of
protein. This protein can transport oxygen, akin to human neuroglobin,
a molecule that carries oxygen in the brain and peripheral nervous
system. Some day this approach could be used to make artificial blood
for use on the battle field or by emergency-care professionals.
US Department of Energy, National Institutes
of Health, National
Science Foundation Contact: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of
Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Public Release:
23-Mar-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Early
agriculture left traces in animal bones
Unraveling the origins of
agriculture in different regions around the
globe has been a challenge for archeologists. Now researchers writing
in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences report finding
evidence of early human experiments with grain cultivation in East
Asia. They gathered this information from an unlikely source -- dog and
pig bones.
Contact: Seth Newsome
snewsome@ciw.edu
202-478-8987
Carnegie Institution
Public Release:
24-Mar-2009
237th American Chemical Society National Meeting & Exposition
Licorice
may block effectiveness of drug widely used by transplant patients
Chemists in Taiwan are
reporting that an ingredient in licorice --
widely used in various foods and herbal medicines -- appears to block
the absorption of cyclosporine, a drug used by transplant patients to
prevent organ rejection. This drug interaction could potentially result
in illness and death among transplant patients and others taking
cyclosporine and licorice together, they caution. Their study is
scheduled for presentation in March at the 237th National Meeting of
the American Chemical Society.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
Public Release: 24-Mar-2009
237th American Chemical Society
National Meeting & Exposition
New
form of destructive terrorist material unlikely, chemists report
Concerns that terrorists
could produce a new and particularly dangerous
form of the explosive responsible for airport security screening of
passengers' shoes and restrictions on liquids in carryon baggage are
unfounded, a group of scientists is reporting. Their study, which
demonstrates that a new form of destructive terrorist material is
unlikely, is scheduled for presentation at the 237th National Meeting
of the American Chemical Society.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
Public Release:
24-Mar-2009
Anesthesiology
Mayo
researchers find link between anesthesia exposure and learning
disabilities in children
Mayo Clinic researchers
have found that children who require multiple
surgeries under anesthesia during their first three years of life are
at higher risk of developing learning disabilities later.
Contact: Marie Zhuikov
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
Public Release:
24-Mar-2009
Clinical Cancer Research
NYU
study finds new risk factor for melanoma in younger women
Researchers may have
found a more potent risk factor for melanoma than
blistering sunburns, freckling, or family history of the deadly skin
disease. In a new study, scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center
report that a genetic variation leads to a nearly four-fold increase of
melanoma in women under the age of 50. The new study was released
online March 24, 2009, in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, and
will be published in the April 1, 2009, issue of the journal.
Marc Jacobs Campaign to Support Melanoma
Research, NIH/National Cancer
Institute Contact: Lorinda Klein
lorindaann.klein@nyumc.org
212-404-3533
NYU Langone Medical
Center / New York University School of Medicine
Public Release:
24-Mar-2009
Neurogastroenterology and Motility
Herbal
medicines for treatment of gastrointestinal disease
Herbal
medicines could
benefit patients suffering from gastrointestinal
(GI) motility disorders that cannot be treated using conventional drug
therapy. In a study published in Neurogastroenterology and Motility,
researchers reviewed data on Japanese herbal medicines and found them
to be effective in reducing the symptoms of GI disorders such as
functional dyspepsia, constipation and postoperative ileus.
Contact: Jennifer Beal
wbnewseurope@wiley.com
44-124-377-0633
Wiley-Blackwell
Really?
The Claim: Fish Oil Supplements
Can Contain Mercury
Could
fish oil capsules
contain the harmful pollutant found in some species of fish?
By
ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Oozing Through Texas Soil, a Team
of Amoebas Billions Strong
A
field of genetically identical amoebas in Texas raises the possibility
that cells might organize on much larger scales than once thought.
By
CAROL KAESUK YOON
Botox Frees Muscles for Stroke
Patients in the Know
The
drug used for
reducing wrinkles is also being used to relax muscles stiffened by a
stroke.
* Health Guide: Stroke »
By DONALD G.
McNEIL Jr.
Public Release: 24-Mar-2009
New England Journal of Medicine
New
study set to change how critically ill patients are treated
The
current practice of
intensively lowering blood glucose in
critically ill patients increases the risk of death by 10 percent.
Results of the largest trial of intensive glucose lowering in
critically ill patients published today in the New England Journal of
Medicine indicate that international clinical guidelines need urgent
review.
Contact: Emma Orpilla
eorpilla@george.org.au
61-299-934-500
Research
Australia
Public Release: 24-Mar-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences
Researchers
studying hearing loss find auditory regions of the brain convert to the
sense of touch
Virginia Commonwealth
University School of Medicine researchers have
discovered that adult animals with hearing loss actually re-route the
sense of touch into the hearing parts of the brain.
National Institutes of Health Contact: Sathya
Achia Abraham
sbachia@vcu.edu
804-827-0890
Virginia Commonwealth
University
Public Release: 24-Mar-2009
Nature Geoscience
Deep-sea
rocks point to early oxygen on Earth
Red jasper cored from
layers 3.46 billion years old suggests that not
only did the oceans contain abundant oxygen then, but that the
atmosphere was as oxygen rich as it is today, according to geologists.
NASA Astrobiology Institute Contact: A'ndrea
Elyse Messer
aem1@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State
Public
Release:
24-Mar-2009
Alarming
new data shows TB-HIV co-infection a bigger threat
The
World Health
Organization released staggering new data about the
threat of tuberculosis and the toll it takes on people with HIV/AIDS
today, in recognition of World TB Day.
Contact: Deirde Shesgreen
dshesgreen@idsociety.org
703-740-4954
Infectious Diseases
Society of America
Briny pools 'may exist on Mars'
Pools
of salty water
might be able to exist just below the surface of Mars, planetary
scientists tell a major US conference.
Probe ends historic Mars mission
Q&A:
Liquid water on Mars
24 March 2009
Five classic examples of gene
evolution
Find out why humans have
better colour perception than dogs, how light-refracting eye proteins
came about, and how a bacteria manages to munch on waste chemicals from
nylon manufacture
16:56 24 March 2009
How speeding cancer growth offers
hope of cure
Certain
cancer therapies
may make tumours grow more aggressively depending on the dose given,
new research shows, which paradoxically could help discover a cure
11:16 25 March 2009
Desire to amputate healthy limbs
shows up in brain scans
Scans of people with the "body
integrity identity disorder" show an abnormal response in areas that
form a mental body map
14:02 25 March 2009
Beneficial Alzheimer's gene can
be perilous in pairs
If you inherit one copy of a
particular gene mutation it seems to protect you from Alzheimer's – but
inherit a copy from both parents and you may be in trouble...
IN
BRIEF: 15:41 25 March 2009
Germany's
stone age cannibalism
Tens of
thousands of ancient human bones found in
Germany suggest that victims were not killed just to satisfy hunger
Guardian UK
Public Release: 25-Mar-2009
Journal
of American Chemical Society
New
drug agent knocks out multiple enzymes in cancer pathway
A
team of 24 researchers from the US, Europe, Taiwan and Japan and led
by University of Illinois scientists has engineered a new anti-cancer
agent that is about 200 times more active in killing tumor cells than
similar drugs used in recent clinical trials. The study appears this
week in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Contact:
Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Public Release: 25-Mar-2009
24th
Annual EAU Congress
Nature
A
new approach to prostate cancer detection
US researcher Dr. Chris Beecher
from the University of Michigan gave a
well attended lecture about sarcosine at the 24th Annual EAU Congress
in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr Beecher is a colleague of lead author Dr. Arun
Sreekumar. The research looked at more than 1,000 small molecules in
tissues associated with prostate cancer. These findings suggest that
not only is sarcosine a marker of cancer aggressiveness, it also has a
role in endowing a cancer with malignant properties.
Contact:
Lindy Brouwer
l.brouwer@uroweb.org
European Association of
Urology
Public Release: 25-Mar-2009
Lab on a
Chip
A
fast magnetic fix for sepsis?
An innovative new device created
by researcher's at Children's Hospital
Boston uses magnetism to quickly pull disease pathogens out of an
infected bloodstream. The device could become a first-line defense for
blood infections like sepsis, which causes over 200,000 deaths in the
US per year.
Center for Integration of Medicine and
Innovative Technology, National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Contact:
James Newton
james.newton@childrens.harvard.edu
617-919-3110
Children's
Hospital Boston
Public Release: 26-Mar-2009
American
Journal of Cardiology
Mending
a broken heart: Study offers closer look at 'broken heart syndrome'
Researchers from the Miriam
Hospital created a registry of 70 patients
with the medical phenomenon known as "broken heart syndrome."
Contact:
Jessica Collins Grimes
jgrimes2@lifespan.org
401-793-7484
Lifespan
Artificial cartilage performs
better than the real thing
Synthetic bone joints could
outperform the natural materials they replace, thanks to tiny brushes
made of plastic
18:00 26 March 2009
Ironware
piece unearthed from Turkey found to be oldest steel
The Hindu
Public
Release: 26-Mar-2009
British Medical Journal
Drinking
very hot tea can increase the risk of throat cancer
People are advised to wait a few
minutes before drinking a cup of
freshly boiled tea today as a new study, published on bmj.com, finds
that drinking very hot tea (70 degrees C or more) can increase the risk
of cancer of the esophagus, the muscular tube that carries food from
the throat to the stomach.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-207-383-6529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Public
Release: 26-Mar-2009
Population and Development Review
Do
Americans have an identity crisis when it comes to race and ethnicity?
Say
goodbye to Italian-Americans and German-Americans and say hello to
Vietnamese-Americans, Salvadoran-Americans and a bunch of other
hyphenated Americans. The way people identify themselves in the United
States is changing, and the way the federal census classifies them by
race or ethnicity isn't painting a clear portrait of America, according
to new research.
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and
Human Development
Contact: Joel Schwarz
joels@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public
Release: 30-Mar-2009
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Study:
Embrace the 'Dwight Schrutes' in your office for better performance
Nobody wants to share a cubicle
with a new hire like Dwight Schrute.
The beet-farming volunteer sheriff's deputy/paper salesman creates many
awkward moments because of his differences with co-workers on NBC's
"The Office."
But according to new research co-authored by a Brigham Young University
business professor, better decisions come from teams that include a
"socially distinct newcomer." That's psychology-speak for someone who
is different enough to bump other team members out of their comfort
zones.Contact:
Michael Smart
michael_smart@byu.edu
801-422-7320
Brigham Young University
