Public Release: 20-Sep-2009
Nature Neuroscience
UCLA scientists make paralyzed rats walk again after spinal-cord injury
UCLA researchers found that drugs, electrical stimulation and regular exercise can enable paralyzed rats to walk and even run again. The finding may hold implications for human rehabilitation after spinal cord injuries.
Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, Craig Nielsen Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, US Civilian Research and Development Foundation, International Paraplegic Foundation, Swiss National Science Foundation
Contact: Elaine Schmidt
eschmidt@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2272
University of California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 20-Sep-2009
Nature Neuroscience
Scientists find that individuals in vegetative states can learn
Scientists have found that some individuals in the vegetative and minimally conscious states, despite lacking the means of reporting awareness themselves, can learn and thereby demonstrate at least a partial consciousness. Their findings are reported in today's (September 20) online edition of Nature Neuroscience.
Antorchas Foundation, Marie Curie Foundation, Human Frontiers Science Program, Medical Research Council Acute Brain Injury Collaborative
Contact: Genevieve Maul
Genevieve.maul@admin.cam.ac.uk
44-012-237-65542
University of Cambridge
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
American Journal of Roentgenology
Radiological treatment method spares patients surgery and offers 89 percent cost savings
Pericardial effusion, the collection of fluid around the heart, typically occurs in patients following heart surgery and is usually treated using an invasive surgical drainage technique. However researchers have discovered that a minimally invasive procedure called CT-guided tube pericardiostomy is just as effective -- requiring no recovery time, fewer resources, and provides an 89 percent cost savings over the surgical drainage technique, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Contact: Heather Curry
hcurry@acr-arrs.org
703-390-9822
American Roentgen Ray Society
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback
Breathing technique can reduce frequency, severity of asthma attacks
Researchers at Southern Methodist University are expanding a study that shows promise for reducing both the expense and suffering associated with chronic asthma. A four-week program teaches asthmatics how to better control their condition by changing the way they breathe. Funded with a four-year, $1.4 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, 120 Dallas County patients will participate in four weeks of breathing training by the study's projected end in July 2011.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Kim Cobb
cobbk@mail.smu.edu
214-768-7654
Southern Methodist University
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
New species discovered on whale skeletons
When a whale dies, it sinks to the seafloor and becomes food for an entire ecosystem. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have discovered previously unknown species that feed only on dead whales -- and use DNA technology to show that the species diversity in our oceans may be higher than previously thought.
Contact: Krister Svahn
krister.svahn@science.gu.se
46-031-786-4912
University of Gothenburg
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Journal of Biology
Echoes of phlogiston in stem cell biology
Chemists used to explain combustion as the release of a mysterious substance, which they named "phlogiston." Only when it came to pinning down the distinctive physical properties of phlogiston did it become clear that no such thing exists. Now an opinion piece by Arthur Lander, published in BioMed Central's open-access Journal of Biology, argues that the idea of stem cells is running into similar troubles as investigators try to pin it down to a set of distinctive molecular characteristics.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-203-192-2165
BioMed Central
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Experimental Hematology
Experimental drug lets B cells live and lymphoma cells die
An investigative drug deprived non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells of their ability to survive too long and multiply too fast, according to an early study published recently in the journal Experimental Hematology.
NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Greg Williams
Greg_Williams@urmc.rochestere.edu
585-273-1757
University of Rochester Medical Center
End of an era: New ruling decides the boundaries of Earth's history
EurekAlert
  22 September 2009 10:45 UK
Torturing 'does not get truth'
Torture techniques used on suspected terrorists by the Bush administration may have failed to get to the truth, researchers say.
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Journal of Consumer Research
Hummer owners claim moral high ground to excuse overconsumption
Hummer drivers believe they are defending America's frontier lifestyle against anti-American critics, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
Contact: Mary-Ann Twist
JCR@bus.wisc.edu
608-255-5582
University of Chicago Press Journals
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Journal of Consumer Research
What are you getting? Consumer behavior in restaurants
Consumers follow a predictable pattern when it comes to ordering food and drinks, according new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. It seems people in groups tend to seek variety when making initial orders, then gravitate toward similar choices, and then, as the group consensus grows, to move away from popular choices.
Contact: Mary-Ann Twist
JCR@bus.wisc.edu
608-255-5582
University of Chicago Press Journals
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Experimental approach may reverse rheumatoid arthritis and osteoporosis
Researchers have identified a mechanism that may keep a well known signaling molecule from eroding bone and inflaming joints, according to an early study published online today in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Greg Williams
Greg_Williams@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-1757
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 21-Sep-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Cancer predisposition from genetic variation shows strong gender bias
Cancer predisposition resulting from the presence of a specific gene variant shows a strong gender bias, researchers at the University of Cincinnati have demonstrated.
National Institutes of Health, UC Center for Environmental Genetics
Contact: Keith Herrell
keith.herrell@uc.edu
513-558-4559
University of Cincinnati Academic Health Center
Bashed your head? You needed a stiff drink
21:00 21 September 2009
Alcohol in the blood makes people more likely to survive head injuries than those without – which could make it an emergency treatment
Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
A trillion triangles
Mathematicians from North America, Europe, Australia and South America have resolved the first one trillion cases of an ancient mathematics problem. The advance was made possible by a clever new computational technique for multiplying large numbers. The numbers involved are so enormous that if their digits were written out by hand they would stretch to the moon and back.
National Science Foundation, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Contact: Estelle Basor
ebasor@aimath.org
650-845-2071
American Institute of Mathematics
Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34 Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress
Targeted heat therapy offers new standard treatment option for soft tissue sarcoma
Patients with soft-tissue sarcomas at high risk of spreading were 30 percent more likely to be alive and cancer free almost three years after starting treatment if their tumors were heated at the time they received chemotherapy.
Deutsche Krebshilfe, Helmholtz Assocation
Contact: Emma Ross
rosswrite@mac.com
ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation
Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
New report shows rising tide of fractures in Asia
A new audit report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation today shows that osteoporosis is a serious and growing problem throughout Asia. Gathering data from 14 Asian countries, regions or territories, "The Asian Audit" is a landmark report examining epidemiology, costs and burden in individual countries as well as collectively across the region.
Fonterra
Contact: Victoria Monti
info@iofbonehealth.org
41-798-745-188
International Osteoporosis Foundation
Naked mole rats may help cure cancer
IN BRIEF:  10:52 22 September 2009
They might be bald and ugly, but these rodents never get cancer – and we may have found out why
Really?
The Claim: Lack of Sleep Increases the Risk of Catching a Cold.
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
As cold season approaches, many Americans stock up on their vitamin C and echinacea, but heeding the advice on getting more sleep could be more important.
Killer fungus breaks chemical stalemate
10:14 22 September 2009
The fungus killed mosquitoes resistant to three classes of chemical insecticides commonly used in Africa and could aid anti-malaria efforts
Tie to Pets Has Germ Jumping to and Fro
By BRENDA GOODMAN
Published: September 21, 2009
For decades, the drug-resistant germ called MRSA was almost exclusively a concern of humans, usually in hospitals and other health care settings.
But in recent years, the germ has become a growing problem for veterinarians, with an increasing number of infections turning up in birds, cats, dogs, horses, pigs, rabbits and rodents.
Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
Genetics
New research provides new insight into age-related muscle decline
An article in September 2009 Genetics shows that about 3 percent of the air we breathe gets converted into harmful superoxides, which ultimately harm our muscles by leading to the creation of a toxic molecule called "reactive oxygen species" or ROS, shown to be harm muscle tissue, and may lead to problems ranging from aging and frailty to Parkinson's disease and cancer.
Contact: Tracey DePellegrin Connelly
td2p@andrew.cmu.edu
412-268-1812
Genetics Society of America
Stem cell hope for childhood motor neuron disease
22:00 22 September 2009
Treated mice recovered mobility and lived longer
Found: 62 meteor showers new to science
02:35 23 September 2009
Move over Perseids – radar observations have revealed previously unrecognised associations in the interplanetary debris that rains down on Earth
Public Release: 22-Sep-2009
Private umbilical cord banking not cost-effective, UCSF research shows
Private cord blood banking is not cost-effective because it costs an additional $1,374,246 per life-year gained, according to a new analysis by UCSF researchers. The research team also concluded that private cord blood banking is cost-effective only for families with a child with a very high likelihood of needing a stem cell transplant.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Contact: Karin Rush-Monroe
karin.rush-monroe@ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
Public Release: 23-Sep-2009
Nature
Lasers from space show thinning of Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets
The most comprehensive picture of the rapidly thinning glaciers along the coastline of both the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets has been created using satellite lasers. The findings are an important step forward in the quest to make more accurate predictions for future sea level rise.
Contact: Athena Dinar
amdi@bas.ac.uk
44-122-322-1414
British Antarctic Survey
Public Release: 23-Sep-2009
Nature
New research reveals the ancestral populations of India and their relationships to modern groups
In a study published in the Sept. 24 issue of Nature, an international team describes how they harnessed modern genomic technology to explore the ancient history of India, the world's second most populous nation.
National Institutes of Health, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Council of Scientific and Industrial Research of the Government of India, others
Contact: Nicole Davis
ndavis@broadinstitute.org
617-714-7152
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Public Release: 23-Sep-2009
Nature
Ratchet-like genetic mutations make evolution irreversible
A University of Oregon research team has found that evolution can never go backwards, because the paths to the genes once present in our ancestors are forever blocked. The findings come from the first rigorous study of reverse evolution at the molecular level.
National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Contact: Jim Barlow
jebarlow@uoregon.edu
541-346-3481
University of Oregon
Public Release: 23-Sep-2009
British Journal of Cancer
Study reveals 2/3 of prostate cancer patients do not need treatment
Research at the University of Liverpool involving more than 500 prostate cancer patients has revealed two thirds of cases did not require urgent treatment, due to the absence of a protein that indicates progressive disease.
Contact: Samantha Martin
samantha.martin@liv.ac.uk
44-151-794-2248
University of Liverpool
Public Release: 23-Sep-2009
Saying sorry really does cost nothing
When it comes to apologizing, talk is cheap, according to economists.
Contact: Malcolm Jones
malcolm.jones@bulletinpr.co.uk
44-798-470-0030
University of Nottingham
Public Release: 23-Sep-2009
Proceedings of the Royal Society B
Research team finds first evolutionary branching for bilateral animals
In the most computationally intensive phylogenetic analysis to date, an international research team led by Brown University has found the first evolutionary branching for bilateral animals. The researchers determined that the flatworm group Acoelomorpha is a product of the deepest split within the bilateral creatures -- multi-celled organisms that, like humans, have symmetrical body forms. Results appear online in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.
National Science Foundation, San Diego Supercomputing Center
Contact: Richard Lewis
Richard_Lewis@Brown.edu
401-863-3766
Brown University
24 September 2009 12:27 UK
HIV vaccine 'reduces infection'
An experimental HIV vaccine has for the first time cut infection rates, in a major trial in Thailand, researchers say.
Public Release: 24-Sep-2009
ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34 Multidisciplinary Cancer Congress
Pancreatic cancer: Researchers find drug that reverses resistance to chemotherapy
For the first time researchers have shown that by inhibiting the action of an enzyme called TAK-1, it is possible to make pancreatic cancer cells sensitive to chemotherapy, opening the way for the development of a new drug to treat the disease.
Contact: Emma Mason
wordmason@mac.com
ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation
Widespread water may cling to moon's surface
05:15 24 September 2009 
A trio of spacecraft has found evidence that the moon may be covered with trace amounts of water, overturning previous ideas
Mars probe watches water-ice fade
Water-ice in new meteorite craters suggests Mars has considerable ice deposits in its near-surface layers.
Public Release: 24-Sep-2009
Human Genetics
New genetic research indicates Jewish priesthood has multiple lineages
University of Arizona geneticist Michael Hammer and his colleagues used a larger number of DNA markers to trace the ancient bloodline to more than one source.
Contact: Jeff Harrison
jeffh@email.arizona.edu
520-626-4386
University of Arizona
Public Release: 24-Sep-2009
Cancer
M. D. Anderson examines use of toad venom in cancer treatment
Huachansu, a Chinese medicine that comes from the dried venom secreted by the skin glands of toads, has tolerable toxicity levels, even at doses eight times those normally administered, and may slow disease progression in some cancer patients, say researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Contact: Lindsay Anderson
lindsay.anderson@gabbe.com
212-220-4444
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Public Release: 24-Sep-2009
Current Biology
Scandinavians are descended from Stone Age immigrants
Today's Scandinavians are not descended from the people who came to Scandinavia at the conclusion of the last ice age but, apparently, from a population that arrived later, concurrently with the introduction of agriculture. This is one conclusion of a new study straddling the borderline between genetics and archaeology, which involved Swedish researchers and which has now been published in the journal Current Biology.
Contact: Anders Götherström
anders.gotherstrom@ebc.uu.se
46-739-927-864
Uppsala University
Slimy-skinned ships to slip smoothly through the seas
Designing ships to exude slime from their hulls could cut their fuel consumption by preventing the growth of plants and barnacles
FEATURE:  11:00 26 September 2009