Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Common food dye may hold promise in treating spinal cord injury
A common food additive that gives M&Ms and Gatorade their blue tint may offer promise for preventing the additional -- and serious -- secondary damage that immediately follows a traumatic injury to the spinal cord. In the study, which appears today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that the compound Brilliant Blue G stops the cascade of molecular events that cause damage to the spinal cord in the hours following an injury.
National Institutes of Health, New York Spinal Cord Injury Program Contact: Mark Michaud
mark_michaud@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-4790
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Journal of American College of Cardiology
Heart failure: Women different than men
Striking differences in the risk factors for developing heart failure (HF) and patient prognosis exist between men and women. Men and women may also respond differently to treatment, raising concerns about whether current practices provide the best care and reinforcing the urgency for sex-specific clinical trials for HF, according to a review article published in the Aug. 4, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
Contact: Amanda Jekowsky
ajekowsk@acc.org
202-375-6645
American College of Cardiology
Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Journal of Health and Social Behavior
Divorce undermines health in ways remarriage doesn't heal
Divorce and widowhood have a lingering, detrimental impact on health, even after a person remarries, research at the University of Chicago and Johns Hopkins University shows. "Among the currently married, those who have ever been divorced show worse health on all dimensions. Both the divorced and widowed who do not remarry show worse health on all dimensions," said University of Chicago sociologist Linda Waite and co-author of a new study on marriage and health.
Office of the Demography of Aging, Behavioral and Social Research Program, NIH/National Institute on Aging Contact: William Harms
w-harms@uchicago.edu
773-702-8356
University of Chicago
Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Earliest animals lived in a lake environment, research shows
A UC Riverside-led team of researchers studying ancient rock samples in South China has found that the first animal fossils in the paleontological record are preserved in ancient lake deposits, not marine sediments as commonly assumed. The research gives scientists a glimpse into where some of the early animals lived and what the environmental conditions were like for them -- important information for addressing the broader questions of how and why animals appeared when they did.
National Science Foundation, NASA, Geological Society of America Contact: Iqbal Pittalwala
iqbal@ucr.edu
951-827-6050
University of California - Riverside
Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association
Cardiothoracic surgeons projected to be in short supply by 2025
Within the next 15 years, the United States faces a severe shortage of cardiothoracic surgeons -- possibly resulting in diminished quality of care and delayed care for heart and lung surgery patients. Health and population trends could result in a 46 percent increased demand for cardiothoracic surgeons by 2025, while the supply of these surgeons is projected to shrink by at least 21 percent during the same time.
American Association for Thoracic Surgery, Society of Thoracic Surgeons Contact: Bridgette McNeill
bridgette.mcneill@heart.org
214-706-1135
American Heart Association
Smart machines: What's the worst that could happen?
15:38 27 July 2009
Everything from human-mimicking viruses to machines that self-replicate are being considered by an elite panel of AI scientists as they debate the potential risks of artificial intelligence
Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
How the pathology of Parkinson's disease spreads
Accumulation of the synaptic protein alpha-synuclein, resulting in the formation of aggregates called Lewy bodies in the brain, is a hallmark of Parkinson's and other related neurodegenerative diseases. This pathology appears to spread throughout the brain as the disease progresses. Now, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea, have described how this mechanism works.
Korean Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Contact: Debra Kain
ddkain@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego
Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
RNA Biology
ISU researchers find possible treatment for spinal muscular atrophy
Spinal muscular atrophy affects 1 in 6,000 to 1 in 10,000 children born every year. One in 40 people are carriers of the disease -- they don't have the symptoms, but could pass the disease to their children. Ravindra Singh, associate professor in biomedical sciences at Iowa State University's College of Veterinary Medicine, has made a huge discovery on the road to curing the disease.
Contact: Ravindra Singh
singhr@iastate.edu
515-294-8505
Iowa State University
Comets, not asteroids, to blame for moon's scarred face
19:28 27 July 2009
Greenland rocks suggest dirty snowballs pummelled the young moon and Earth, soaking our planet with life-nurturing oceans
Public Release: 27-Jul-2009
Genome Biology and Evolution
After dinosaurs, mammals rise but their genomes get smaller
Evidence buried in the chromosomes of animals and plants strongly suggests only one group -- mammals -- have seen their genomes shrink after the dinosaurs' extinction. What's more, that trend continues today, say Indiana University Bloomington scientists in the first issue of a new journal, Genome Biology and Evolution.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Indiana METACyt Initiative Contact: David Bricker
brickerd@indiana.edu
812-856-9035
Indiana University
Personal Health
A Twisted Ankle Isn’t Just a Simple Sprain
Mistreating a sprained ankle could lead to lasting weakness, an unstable joint and repeated sprains.
By JANE E. BRODY
Public Release: 28-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Field Museum scientist describes first vertebrate to live in trees
In the Late Paleozoic (260 million years ago), long before dinosaurs dominated the Earth, ancient precursors to mammals took to the trees to feed on leaves and live high above predators that prowled the land, Jörg Fröbisch, Ph.D., a Field Museum paleontologist has concluded. Elongated fingers, an opposable "thumb," and a grasping tail of Suminia getmanovi demonstrate that this small plant-eating synapsid is the earliest known tree-climbing vertebrate.
Government of Canada, German Academic Exchange Service, University of Toronto, Field Museum, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Contact: Field Museum Public Relations
media@fieldmuseum.org
312-665-7100
Field Museum
Really?
The Claim: Refrigeration Preserves the Nutrients of Fruits and Vegetables.
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
First Mention: Kidney Transplant
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: July 27, 2009
Surgeons tried at least nine times to transplant a human kidney before succeeding.
Vital Signs: Regimens: Restrictive Diets May Not Be Appropriate for Children With Autism
1:18 PM ET  Multimedia
Linguist’s Preservation Kit Has New Digital Tools
By CHRIS NICHOLSON
5:18 PM ET
Tucker Childs, a field linguist, is using digital technology to study and record one of Africa’s many dying languages.
Scary music is spookier with eyes shut
11:10 28 July 2009
A brain centre involved in sensing emotion and fear kicks into action when volunteers listen to horror-movie scores with eyes closed
Public Release: 28-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Maternal, paternal genes' tug-of-war may last well into childhood
An analysis of rare genetic disorders in which children lack some genes from one parent suggests that maternal and paternal genes engage in a subtle tug-of-war well into childhood, and possibly as late as the onset of puberty.
Contact: Steve Bradt
steve_bradt@harvard.edu
617-496-8070
Harvard University
Public Release: 28-Jul-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Naming evolution's winners and losers
Mammals and many species of birds and fish are among "evolution's winners," while crocodiles, alligators and a reptile cousin of snakes known as the tuatara are among its losers, according to a study by Michael Alfaro, UCLA assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, and colleagues. The study also shows new species emerge nearly as often as they die off.
Contact: Stuart Wolpert
swolpert@support.ucla.edu
310-206-0511
University of California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 29-Jul-2009
Criminology and Criminal Justice
US guns fuel Canada and Mexico crimes, UK gun crime remains rare
Guns smuggled from the US arm criminals in Canada and Mexico, contributing to a higher murder rate in Canada and more intense drug crime conflict near the Mexican border, according to a study published today in a special issue of Criminology and Criminal Justice, published by SAGE.
Contact: Mithu Mukherjee
mithu.mukherjee@sagepub.co.uk
44-020-732-42223
SAGE Publications UK
Public Release: 29-Jul-2009
Nature
Scientists create energy-burning brown fat in mice
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute have shown that they can engineer mouse and human cells to produce brown fat, a natural energy-burning type of fat that counteracts obesity. If such a strategy can be developed for use in people, the scientists say, it could open a novel approach to treating obesity and diabetes.
National Institutes of Health, Picower Foundation
Contact: Bill Schaller
william_schaller@dfci.harvard.edu
617-632-5357
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Public Release: 29-Jul-2009
Conservation Biology
Bizarre walking bat has ancient heritage
A bizarre New Zealand bat that is as much at home walking four-legged on the ground as winging through the air had an Australian ancestor 20 million years ago with the same rare ability, a new study has found. The discovery overturns a long-held held view that the agile walking and climbing skills of the lesser short-tailed bat evolved in the absence of any ground-dwelling mammal competitors or predators.
Australian Research Council
Contact: Bob Beale
bbeale@unsw.edu.au
61-241-170-5435
University of New South Wales
Public Release: 29-Jul-2009
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry
Freshly crushed garlic better for the heart than processed
A new study reports what scientists term the first scientific evidence that freshly crushed garlic has more potent heart-healthy effects than dried garlic. Scheduled for the Aug. 12 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it also challenges the widespread belief that most of garlic's benefits are due to its rich array of antioxidants.
Contact: Michael Woods
m_woods@acs.org
202-872-6293
American Chemical Society
Public Release: 29-Jul-2009
Academic Pediatrics
Research shows rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled
Rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled in the last 25 years, putting many children at risk for diabetes and heart disease, according to a report in Academic Pediatrics by an obesity expert at Brenner Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Rae Bush
rbush@wfubmc.edu
336-716-6878
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Enigma of the 23-year-old baby
HISTORIES:  12:04 29 July 2009
In 1678 French surgeon Pierre Dionis discovered a leathery, fetus-like object in a "cabinet of curiosity" – could it have been the result of a two-decade pregnancy?
Public Release: 29-Jul-2009
Nature Chemical Biology
UCSF researchers identify new drug target for Kaposi's sarcoma
UCSF researchers have identified a new potential drug target for the herpes virus that causes Kaposi's sarcoma, re-opening the possibility of using the class of drugs called protease inhibitors against the full herpes family of viruses, which for 20 years has been deemed too difficult to attain.
National Institutes of Health, American Lebanese and Syrian Associated Charities, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
Contact: Kristen Bole
kbole@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
Did an ice age boost human brain size?
THIS WEEK:  18:00 29 July 2009
Why did we humans evolve such big brains? Two new studies suggest it is no fluke that a big boom in brain size coincided with the onset of an ice age
Public Release: 30-Jul-2009
Science
Crashing comets not likely the cause of Earth's mass extinctions
A likely comet collision on Jupiter last week caused a minor sensation, but new research shows that similar impacts on Earth are most likely not responsible for any of the planet's mass extinctions, nor have they been responsible for more than one minor extinction event.
NASA, National Science Foundation
Contact: Vince Stricherz
vinces@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public Release: 30-Jul-2009
Science
Unexpected reservoir of monocytes discovered in the spleen
Researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Systems Biology have discovered an unexpected reservoir of monocytes in the spleen and found that these cells are essential to recovery of cardiac tissue in an animal heart attack model.
National Institutes of Health, Massachusetts General Hospital
Contact: Sue McGreevey
smcgreevey@partners.org
617-724-2764
Massachusetts General Hospital
Public Release: 30-Jul-2009
Critical Care
Little lifesavers -- kids capable of CPR
Nine-year-olds can and should learn CPR. A study of 147 schoolchildren, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Critical Care, has shown that, although the smallest may lack the requisite strength, the knowledge of how to perform basic life support is well retained by young children.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central
Public Release: 30-Jul-2009
Journal of Leukocyte Biology
Got zinc? New zinc research suggests novel therapeutic targets
Everyone knows that vitamins "from A to zinc" are important for good health. Now, a new research study in the August 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that zinc may be pointing the way to new therapeutic targets for fighting infections. Specifically, scientists from Florida found that zinc not only supports healthy immune function, but increases activation of the cells (T cells) responsible for destroying viruses and bacteria.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Public Release: 30-Jul-2009
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Species barrier may protect macaques from chronic wasting disease
Data from an ongoing study suggest that people who consume deer and elk with chronic wasting disease may be protected from infection by an inability of the CWD infectious agent to spread to people. The study appears online in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Contact: Ken Pekoc
kpekoc@niaid.nih.gov
406-375-9690
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Public Release: 30-Jul-2009
Journal of Investigative Dermatology
Study links virus to some cases of common skin cancer
A virus discovered in a rare form of skin cancer has been found in people with squamous cell carcinoma, a common skin cancer. Researchers identified the virus in more than a third of 58 SCC patients and in 15 percent of their tumors. Virus found in tumor cells had a mutation that could enable it to integrate into the host cell DNA, suggesting that the virus might help cause some cases of SCC.
American Cancer Society
Contact: Darrell E. Ward
Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu
614-293-3737
Ohio State University Medical Center
Public Release: 30-Jul-2009
Molecular Therapy
UF scientists program blood stem cells to become vision cells
University of Florida researchers were able to program bone marrow stem cells to repair damaged retinas in mice, suggesting a potential treatment for one of the most common causes of vision loss in older people. The success implies that blood stem cells taken from bone marrow can be programmed to restore a variety of cells and tissues, including ones involved in cardiovascular disorders.
NIH/National Eye Institute
Contact: John Pastor
jdpastor@ufl.edu
352-273-5815
University of Florida
Public Release: 31-Jul-2009
Physics World
From graphene to graphane, now the possibilities are endless
Ever since graphene was discovered in 2004, this one-atom thick, super strong, carbon-based electrical conductor has been billed as a "wonder material" that some physicists think could one day replace silicon in computer chips. In August's Physics World, Kostya Novoselov -- a condensed-matter physicist from the Manchester University group that discovered graphene -- explains how their discovery of graphane, an insulating equivalent of graphene, may prove more versatile still.
Contact: Joseph Winters
joseph.winters@iop.org
44-020-747-04815
Institute of Physics
Contact: Michael C. Purdy
purdym@wustl.edu
314-286-0122
Washington University School of Medicine
Gorilla HIV makes leap to humans
A French woman in Africa has been infected with a new strain of HIV virus similar to those found in wild gorillas
18:00 02 August 2009