Newest
Science News Blog 20090914
Public
Release:
7-Sep-2009
Neurology
Infections
may lead to faster memory loss in Alzheimer's disease
Getting a cold, stomach
bug or other infection may lead to increased
memory loss in people with Alzheimer's disease, according to research
published in the Sept. 8, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical
journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
American Academy
of Neurology
Public Release:
7-Sep-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Researchers
find first evidence of virus in malignant prostate cells
In a finding with
potentially major implications for identifying a
viral cause of prostate cancer, researchers at the University of Utah
and Columbia University medical schools have reported that a type of
virus known to cause leukemia and sarcomas in animals has been found
for the first time in malignant human prostate cancer cells.
Contact: Phil Sahm
phil.sahm@hsc.utah.edu
801-581-2517
University
of Utah Health Sciences
Public Release:
7-Sep-2009
Society for General Microbiology Autumn 2009 Meeting
Using
insects to test for drug safety
Insects, such as some
moths and fruit flies, react to microbial
infection in the same way as mammals and so can be used to test the
efficiency of new drugs, thereby reducing the need for animal testing.
Dr Kevin Kavanagh from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth,
presented his research findings at the Society for General
Microbiology's meeting at Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, today,
September 8.
Contact: Dianne Stilwell
diannestilwell@me.com
07-957-200-214
Society for General
Microbiology
Public Release:
7-Sep-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
'Liposuction
leftovers' easily converted to IPS cells, Stanford study shows
Researchers at Stanford
School of Medicine have found that fat cells
left over from liposuction can be easily coaxed into become induced
pluripotent stem cells.
Mallinckrodt Foundation, American Heart
Association, California
Institute for Regenerative Medicine, National Institutes of Health,
Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, Oak Foundation, Hagey Laboratory for
Pediatric Regenerative Medicine
Contact: Krista Conger
kristac@stanford.edu
650-725-5371
Stanford
University Medical Center
Fat reprograms genes linked to
diabetes
Clues to how diabetes
develops in adults comes from research showing that fats reprogramme
muscle cell genes
12:44
07 September 2009
Public Release: 7-Sep-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Half
of the fish consumed globally is now raised on farms, study finds
Aquaculture, once a
fledgling industry, now accounts for 50 percent of
the fish consumed globally, according to a new report by an
international team of researchers. And while the industry is more
efficient than ever, it is also putting a significant strain on marine
resources by consuming large amounts of feed made from wild fish
harvested from the sea, the authors conclude.
David and Lucile Packard Foundation
Contact: Mark Shwartz
mshwartz@stanford.edu
650-723-9296
Stanford University
Earth-sized planets are just
right for life
A study of plate
tectonics and magnetic fields on rocky planets shows why Earth is the
right size for these processes to occur, making it amenable to life
THIS
WEEK:
16:20 07 September 2009
Really?
The Claim: Cinnamon Oil Kills
Bacteria.
By
ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Can cinnamon oil fight
off bacteria?
Personal
Health
Updating
the Rules for Skin Cancer Checks
By
JANE E. BRODY
A yearly head-to-toe
checkup for skin cancer may not be required, new guidelines suggest.
Tool
to Offer Fast Help for H.I.V. Exposure
By
RONI CARYN RABIN
An
application makes it clear that people exposed to the AIDS virus should
start treatment as soon as possible.
* Health Guide: H.I.V. Infection»
Where
Did All the Flowers Come From?
By
CARL ZIMMER
A few genes seem to have
guided the great evolutionary burst of flowering plants.
Sept. 8, 2009
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
'Hygiene
hypothesis' challenged
New research hints that the
common belief that kids who go to daycare
have lower rates of asthma and allergy later in life might be nothing
more than wishful thinking. While young children in daycare definitely
do get more illnesses and experience more respiratory symptoms as a
result, any perceived protection these exposures afford against asthma
and allergy seem to disappear by the time the child hits the age of
eight.
Contact: Keely Savoie
kgsavoie@gmail.com
212-315-8620
American Thoracic
Society
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
Neuropsychology
Healthy
older brains not significantly smaller than younger brains, new imaging
study shows
The belief that healthy older
brains are substantially smaller than
younger brains may stem from studies that did not screen out people
whose undetected, slowly developing brain disease was killing off cells
in key areas, according to new research. As a result, previous findings
may have overestimated atrophy and underestimated normal size for the
older brain.
Contact: Public Affairs Office
public.affairs@apa.org
202-336-5700
American Psychological
Association
Diamonds
are for softies – boron is harder
The
super-tough gemstones are in danger of losing their crown as the
hardest kid on the block
FEATURE:
10:33 08 September 2009
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
Peer
Review Survey 2009: Preliminary findings
Should peer review detect fraud
and misconduct? What does it do for
science and what does the scientific community want it to do? Will it
illuminate good ideas or shut them down? Should reviewers remain
anonymous? These questions are raised by one of the largest ever
international surveys of authors and reviewers, the Peer Review Survey
2009, whose preliminary findings are released today.
Contact: Alice Tuff
ATuff@senseaboutscience.org
44-207-478-4380
Elsevier
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
105th Annual Meeting of the American
Political Science Association
Study:
Parenthood makes moms more liberal, dads more conservative
Parenthood is pushing mothers and
fathers in opposite directions on
political issues associated with social welfare, from health care to
education, according to new research from North Carolina State
University.
Contact: Matt Shipman
matt_shipman@ncsu.edu
919-515-6386
North Carolina State
University
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
Journal of Women's Health
Seizure
drug enhances sleep for women with hot flashes
Gabapentin, a drug initially used
to treat seizures, improves sleep
quality in menopausal women with hot flashes, University of Rochester
Medical Center researchers report online and in the September issue of
the Journal of Women's Health.
Contact: Michael Wentzel
Michael_Wentzel@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-1309
University of
Rochester Medical Center
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
K-12
education should include engineering
The introduction of K-12
engineering education has the potential to
improve student learning and achievement in science and mathematics,
increase awareness about what engineers do and of engineering as a
potential career and boost students' technological literacy, according
to a new report from the National Academy of Engineering and the
National Research Council.
Contact: Maureen O'Leary
news@nas.edu
202-334-2138
National Academy of Sciences
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
Biological Reviews
Infertility
and the battle of the sexes
Dr. Oren Hasson of Tel Aviv
University's Department of Zoology says in
a recent issue of Biological Reviews that high rates of human
infertility may have an evolutionary cause.Contact:
George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel
Aviv University
No sex tonight honey, I haven't
taken my statins
High
cholesterol levels could prevent women from becoming sexually aroused
15:28 08 September 2009
Don't be fooled: swine flu still
poses a deadly threat
H1N1
pandemic flu has not grown more severe but a minority of its victims
become deathly ill and experts warn that cases could overwhelm hospitals
17:01 08 September 2009
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
Journal of Applied Gerontology
Study:
Hairstylists can help identify older clients who need health services
Hairstylists may have a unique
opportunity to help steer their elderly
clients to needed health services, according to a small, exploratory
study. More than 80 percent of 40 Columbus-area stylists surveyed said
that older clients often or always shared their problems during
appointments.
Contact: Keith Anderson
Anderson.1630@osu.edu
614-247-8963
Ohio State
University
Public Release:
8-Sep-2009
Worldwide
isotope shortage continues to pose significant challenges
SNM recently conducted a survey
of nuclear pharmacies -- pharmacies
that supply the critical radioisotope Technetium-99m, which is used in
more than 16 million nuclear medicine tests each year in the United
States -- to assess, anecdotally, the impact of the worldwide medical
isotope shortage.
Contact: Amy Shaw
ashaw@snm.org
703-652-6773
Society of Nuclear Medicine
Rain of meteorites makes the moon
hum
The
moon is ringing due to a barrage of tiny meteorite impacts –
fortunately, the noise won't be loud enough to stymie future missions
to peek at the lunar core
18:54 08 September 2009
Public
Release: 9-Sep-2009
Journal of National Cancer Institute
Link
found between common sexual infection and risk of aggressive prostate
cancer
A
new study from Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and
Women's Hospital researchers has found a strong association between the
common sexually transmitted infection, Trichomonas vaginalis, and risk
of advanced and lethal prostate cancer in men.
NIH/National Cancer Institute, NIH/National
Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute, Harvard University Milton Fund, Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer
Center Prostate SPORE, Prostate Cancer Foundation
Contact: Todd
Datz
tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-3952
Harvard School of
Public Health
Public
Release: 9-Sep-2009
BJU International
75
percent would consider letting an unsupervised trainee perform surgery
if it could be done quicker
Having
an operation done quickly appears to be more important to
patients than having a fully qualified surgeon carry it out. A study of
80 surgical patients found that three-quarters would consider allowing
a competent unsupervised trainee junior doctor to perform their entire
operation if it meant they could have it done more quickly. The results
have surprised doctors, as before waiting times were mentioned only 10
percent of patients were happy with the idea.
Contact:
Annette Whibley
wizard.media@virgin.net
Wiley-BlackwellKiller birds bite off bats' heads
Great
tits have been seen killing and eating hibernating bats in a Hungarian
cave
00:00 09 September 2009
Public
Release: 9-Sep-2009
Clinical Infectious Diseases
New
research confirms potential deadly nature of emerging new monkey
malaria species in humans
Researchers in Malaysia have
identified key laboratory and clinical
features of an emerging new form of malaria infection. The research,
funded by the Wellcome Trust, confirms the potentially deadly nature of
the disease.
Wellcome Trust
Contact:
Craig Brierley
c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
44-207-611-7329
Wellcome Trust
New
look at Alzheimer's could revolutionise treatment
Inflammation and
worn-out blood vessels rather than plaques may be behind Alzheimer's
THIS WEEK:
13:42 09 September 2009
A skull that rewrites the history
of man
It
has long been agreed that Africa was the sole cradle of human
evolution. Then these bones were found in Georgia...
By Steve
Connor, Science Editor
Wednesday, 9 September 2009
Public
Release: 9-Sep-2009
Journal of Natural Products
'Dung
of the devil' plant roots point to new swine flu drugs
Scientists in China have
discovered that roots of a plant used a
century ago during the great Spanish influenza pandemic contains
substances with powerful effects in laboratory experiments in killing
the H1N1 swine flu virus that now threatens the world. Their report is
scheduled for the Sept. 25 issue of ACS' Journal of Natural Products, a
monthly publication.
Contact:
Michael Woods
m_woods@acs.org
202-872-6293
American Chemical Society
Ancient figurines were toys not
mother goddess statues, say experts as 9,000-year-old artefacts are
discovered
By
David Derbyshire
Last updated at 12:57 AM on 10th September 2009
Public
Release: 9-Sep-2009
Nature
Ancient
oceans offer new insight into the origins of animal life
New
geochemical data reveals how animals first got a foothold on earth.
Contact: Dr.
Simon Poulton
s.w.poulton@ncl.ac.uk
44-191-222-6426
Newcastle University
Public
Release: 9-Sep-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Cement's
basic molecular structure finally decoded
In the 2,000 years since the
Roman Empire employed a naturally
occurring form of cement to build a vast system of concrete aqueducts,
researchers have analyzed the molecular structure of natural materials
and created entirely new building materials such as steel. Oddly
enough, the three-dimensional crystalline structure of cement hydrate
had eluded scientific attempts at decoding, until an MIT team tackled
the problem.
Cimpor Corporation, MIT-Portugal Program
Contact:
Denise Brehm
brehm@mit.edu
617-253-8069
Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Public
Release: 9-Sep-2009
Food Research International
Model
backs green tea and lemon claim, lessens need to test animals
An animal study at Purdue
University has shown that adding ascorbic
acid and sugar to green tea can help the body absorb helpful compounds
and also demonstrates the effectiveness of a model that could reduce
the number of animals needed for these types of studies.
National Institutes of Health, Purdue
University, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Contact:
Brian Wallheimer
bwallhei@purdue.edu
765-496-2050
Purdue University
Public
Release: 10-Sep-2009
Science
Archaeologists
discover oldest-known fiber materials used by early humans
Scientists have discovered the
oldest-known fiber materials that could
have been used by humans for making clothing, shoes, and other items
for domestic use. The fibers are flax, and are over 34,000 years old.
Discovered in a cave in the Republic of Georgia, the excavation was led
by a Harvard archaeologist.
American School of Prehistoric Research at
the Peabody Museum, Harvard University
Contact: Amy
Lavoie
amy_lavoie@harvard.edu
617-496-9982
Harvard University
Public
Release: 10-Sep-2009
Biological Psychiatry
Ketamine
reduces suicidality in depressed patients
Drug treatment options for
depression can take weeks for the beneficial
effects to emerge, which is clearly inadequate for those at immediate
risk of suicide.
Contact:
Jayne Dawkins
ja.dawkins@elsevier.com
215-239-3674
Elsevier
Public
Release: 10-Sep-2009
British Medical Journal
No
change in the link between deprivation and death since 1900s
The link between deprivation and
premature death is as strong today as
it was in the early 1900s according to research published on bmj.com
today.
Contact: Emma
Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-207-383-6529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Public
Release: 10-Sep-2009
Graffiti-free
historic buildings
Many a historic landmark is
defaced with graffiti, but the spray paint
can only be removed -- if at all -- using caustic solutions which risk
damaging the underlying surface. A new breathable coating provides
efficient, all-round protection against attacks by taggers.
Contact:
Andre Laschewsky
andre.laschewsky@iap.fraunhofer.de
49-331-568-1327
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Public
Release: 10-Sep-2009
Dandelion
rubber
Most natural rubber comes from
rubber trees in Southeast Asia, but this
source is now under threat from a fungus. Researchers have optimized
the Russian dandelion to make it suitable for large-scale rubber
production.
Contact: Dirk
Pruefer
dirk.pruefer@ime.fraunhofer.de
49-251-832-2302
Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Public
Release: 10-Sep-2009
Journal of Experimental Social Psychology
Don't
stand by me: When involving an interested party may not be in your best
interest
When
business leaders leave organizations following poor decisions,
constituents often find comfort in replacing them with insiders --
others familiar with the problem and original choices. But, new
research shows that such decisions are best left to a completely
unrelated, outside party, contrary to the natural inclination to go to
an insider -- someone with personal connections to the old boss.
Contact:
Betsy Berger
betsy.berger@mslworldwide.com
847-577-6063
Manning Selvage &
Lee
Public
Release: 10-Sep-2009
Psychiatry Research
UCLA
researchers develop biomarker for rapid relief of major depression
It
takes weeks before physicians know if a particular medication will
work in treating major depression. Now UCLA has developed a test to
accurately predict within a single week whether a particular drug will
be effective. The test is noninvasive, and takes less than 15 minutes
to administer. It will allow physicians to quickly switch patients to a
more effective treatment, if necessary.
Contact: Mark
Wheeler
mwheeler@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2265
University of
California - Los Angeles
Mighty Mouse takes off – thanks
to magnets
Laboratory
mice in NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are being made to levitate to
help research into how low gravity affects astronauts
19:05 10 September 2009Giant stone-age axes found in
African lake basin
A
giant African lake basin is providing information about possible
migration routes and hunting practices of early humans in the Middle
and Late Stone Age periods, between 150,000 and 10,000 years ago.
September 10th, 2009
Public
Release: 11-Sep-2009
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Muscle:
'Hard to build, easy to lose' as you age
Have
you ever noticed that people have thinner arms and legs as they
get older? As we age it becomes harder to keep our muscles healthy.
They get smaller, which decreases strength and increases the likelihood
of falls and fractures. New research is showing how this happens -- and
what to do about it.
Contact:
Professor Michael Rennie
michael.rennie@nottingham.ac.uk
44-133-272-4603
University of
NottinghamMaster gene creates armies of
natural-born killers
A gene has been
discovered that allows the body to make cells which are the lynchpin of
the immune system
18:00 13 September 2009
Public
Release: 14-Sep-2009
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Ice
cream may target the brain before your hips, UT Southwestern study
suggests
Blame
your brain for sabotaging your efforts to get back on track after
splurging on an extra scoop of ice cream or that second burger during
Friday night's football game.
NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and
Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Contact:
Kristen Holland Shear
Kristen.hollandshear@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical
Center
