Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
RSNA 2009
Elastography reduces unnecessary breast biopsies
Elastography is an effective, convenient technique that, when added to breast ultrasound, helps distinguish cancerous breast lesions from benign results, according to an ongoing study.
Contact: Linda Brooks
lbrooks@rsna.org
630-590-7762
Radiological Society of North America
Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Arthritis Research and Therapy
Chicken capsules good for aching joints
Chicken collagen can provide relief from rheumatoid arthritis symptoms. A randomized, controlled trial, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy, has found that Chicken type II collagen, a protein extracted from the cartilage of chicken breast, is a safe and effective treatment for RA.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central
Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Scientists reveal malaria parasites' tactics for outwitting our immune systems
Malaria parasites are able to disguise themselves to avoid the host's immune system, according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust and published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Wellcome Trust
Contact: Craig Brierley
c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
44-207-611-7329
Wellcome Trust
Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Circulation
Stroke and heart disease trigger revealed in new research
Scientists have identified the trigger that leads to the arteries becoming damaged in the disease atherosclerosis, which causes heart attacks and strokes, in research published today in the journal Circulation. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London, say their findings suggest that the condition could potentially be treated by blocking the molecule that triggers the damage. The research also suggests that bacteria may be playing a part in the disease.
British Heart Foundation, European Commission
Contact: Lucy Goodchild
lucy.goodchild@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-46702
Imperial College London
Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Journal of Leukocyte Biology
Seeing family for the holidays? Scientists discover how the stress might kill you
If you ever thought the stress of seeing your extended family over the holidays was slowly killing you -- bad news: a new research report in the December 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology shows that you might be right.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Big freeze plunged Europe into ice age in months
In the film "The Day After Tomorrow," the world enters the icy grip of a new glacial period within the space of just a few weeks. New research supported by the European Science Foundation shows this scenario may not be so far from the truth after all.
European Science Foundation
Contact: Chloe Kembery
ckembery@esf.org
33-388-762-158
European Science Foundation
Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Annals of Internal Medicine
UAB physician urges changes in diagnosis for sore throat in young adults
New analysis from UAB suggests that physicians need to re-think their diagnosis and treatment of sore throat, or pharyngitis, in adolescents and young adults to consider a more newly identified and potentially dangerous culprit as the source of that infection.
Contact: Bob Shepard
bshep@uab.edu
205-934-8934
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Coverage of inexpensive drugs may increase length and quality of life after heart attack
Providing free medications to people after heart attack could add years to patients' lives at a relatively low cost for provincial governments, according to a new study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto.
Contact: Julie Saccone
sacconej@smh.toronto.on.ca
416-864-5047
St. Michael's Hospital
Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Management Science
Silver lining effect study, 'I have some good news and some bad news,' in INFORMS journal
Communicating "I have some good news and some bad news" is better than combining messages into a single, bleak result when small gains and large losses occur together, according to a study in the current issue of Management Science, the flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.
Contact: Barry List
barry.list@informs.org
443-757-3560
Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences
 Public Release: 30-Nov-2009
Neurobiology of Disease
Heavy metal paradox could point toward new therapy for Lou Gehrig's disease
New discoveries have been made about how an elevated level of lead, which is a neurotoxic heavy metal, can slow the progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease -- findings that could point the way to a new type of therapy.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Joe Beckman
joe.beckman@oregonstate.edu
541-737-8867
Oregon State University
Well
In Month of Giving, a Healthy Reward
By TARA PARKER-POPE
For a woman with multiple sclerosis, a gift-giving plan changed her outlook and improved her health ― and science appears to back her up.
* Health Guide: Multiple Sclerosis »
Public Release: 1-Dec-2009
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Loneliness can be contagious
Loneliness, like a bad cold, can spread among groups of people, research at the University of Chicago, the University of California-San Diego and Harvard shows. Using longitudinal data from a large-scale study that has been following health conditions for more than 60 years, a team of scholars found that lonely people tend to share their loneliness with others. Gradually over time, a group of lonely, disconnected people moves to the fringes of social networks.
NIH/National Institute on Aging
Contact: William Harms
w-harms@uchicago.edu
773-702-8356
University of Chicago
Public Release: 1-Dec-2009
British Medical Journal
Doulas may indicate failings in patient care, warns doctor
The presence of doulas (paid birth assistants) during labor may alter the doctor-patient dynamic and can compromise communication and therefore patient care, warns a doctor on bmj.com today.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
We May Be Born With an Urge to Help
By NICHOLAS WADE
Biologists are forming a better view of humankind than the traditional opinions of it as warlike and selfish.
Public Release: 1-Dec-2009
Molecular Therapy
Tumor-attacking virus strikes with 'one-two punch'
Ohio State University cancer researchers developed a tumor-attacking virus that kills brain-tumor cells and blocks tumor blood-vessel growth. The research shows that viruses designed to kill cancer cells -- oncolytic viruses -- might be more effective against aggressive brain tumors if they can also inhibit blood-vessel growth. The study showed that an oncolytic virus containing the gene for this protein, called vasculostatin, eliminated human glioblastoma tumors growing in some animals and significantly slowed tumor recurrence in others.
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Cancer Institute, American Association for Neurological Surgeons/Congress of Neurological Surgeons, American Brain Tumor Association
Contact: Darrell E. Ward
Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu
614-293-3737
Ohio State University Medical Center
Public Release: 1-Dec-2009
Homicide rates linked to trust in government, sense of belonging, study suggests
When Americans begin routinely complaining about how they hate their government and don't trust their leaders, it may be time to look warily at the homicide rate. An Ohio State University historian tried to make sense of changing homicide rates by sifting through records of tens of thousands of homicides in the United States and western Europe over the past four centuries.
Contact: Randolph Roth
Roth.5@osu.edu
614-292-6843
Ohio State University
Public Release: 1-Dec-2009
Geology
In CO2-rich environment, some ocean dwellers increase shell production
In a striking finding that raises new questions about carbon dioxide's (CO2) impact on marine life, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists report that some shell-building creatures -- such as crabs, shrimp and lobsters -- unexpectedly build more shell when exposed to ocean acidification caused by elevated levels of atmospheric CO2.
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, National Science Foundation
Contact: Media Relations
media@whoi.edu
508-289-3340
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Public Release: 2-Dec-2009
Naturwissenschaften
Antarctica served as climatic refuge in Earth's greatest extinction event
A new fossil species suggests that some land animals may have survived the end-Permian extinction by living in cooler climates in Antarctica. Researchers have identified a distant relative of mammals that apparently survived the mass extinction by living in Antarctica.
German Research Foundation, National Science Foundation
Contact: Jorg Frobisch
jfrobisch@fieldmuseum.org
312-665-7099
Field Museum
Public Release: 2-Dec-2009
Nature
Balancing protein intake, not cutting calories, may be key to long life
Getting the correct balance of proteins in our diet may be more important for healthy aging than reducing calories, new research funded by the Wellcome Trust and Research into Ageing suggests.
Wellcome Trust
Contact: Craig Brierley
c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
44-207-611-7329
Wellcome Trust
Public Release: 2-Dec-2009
American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology
Treatments for asthma and pre-term labor may increase risk of autism in developing fetus
Commonly prescribed beta 2 adrenergic agonist drugs for the treatment of asthma in pregnant women as well as pre-term labor may increase the incidence of autism-spectrum disorders, psychiatric pathology, cognitive problems and poor school performance in their children, according to a new study published in the December 2009 issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Contact: Pamela Poppalardo
ajogmedia@elsevier.com
732-238-3628
Elsevier Health Sciences
Autism and schizophrenia could be genetic opposites
11:33 02 December 2009
The conditions may be two sides of the same coin, suggests a review of genetic data – the finding could help design complementary treatments
Public Release: 2-Dec-2009
Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes
Chances of surviving cardiac arrest at home or work unchanged in 30 years
The chance of surviving an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest has not improved since the 1950s, according to a report by the University of Michigan Health System. The analysis shows only 7.6 percent of victims survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Contact: Shantell M. Kirkendoll
smkirk@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 2-Dec-2009
Suzaku spies treasure trove of intergalactic metal
Every cook knows the ingredients for making bread: flour, water, yeast and time. But what chemical elements are in the recipe of our universe? Most of the ingredients are hydrogen and helium. These cosmic lightweights fill the first two spots on the famous periodic table of the elements.
NASA, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Contact: Francis Reddy
Francis.j.reddy@nasa.gov
301-286-4453
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Public Release: 2-Dec-2009
PLOS One
Music and speech based on human biology
A pair of studies by Duke University neuroscientists shows powerful new evidence of a deep biological link between human music and speech.
Contact: Karl Leif Bates
karl.bates@duke.edu
919-681-8054
Duke University
Public Release: 3-Dec-2009
Science
Hawaiian hot spot has deep roots
A classic explanation for oceanic hot spots such as Hawaii has been that they originate from upwellings of hot rock, called mantle "plumes," deep in the Earth's mantle. Evidence for these deep structures has been sketchy, however. Now, a sophisticated array of seismometers deployed on the sea floor around Hawaii has provided the first high-resolution seismic images of a mantle plume extending to depths of at least 1,500 kilometers (932 miles).
National Science Foundation
Contact: Sean Solomon
scs@dtm.ciw.edu
202-478-8850
Carnegie Institution
Reform movement for English libel law gathers momentum
10:36 03 December 2009
Calls for reform of the draconian libel laws in force in England and Wales have finally caught the ears of the government
Cool find in hunt for exoplanets
Astronomers have spotted what may prove to be the coolest planet outside our Solar System that has ever been seen directly.
Public Release: 3-Dec-2009
BMC Biology
Mice holding back muscular dystrophy research
Humans and mice have previously unknown and potentially critical differences in one of the genes responsible for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Biology have found that two major features of a key DMD gene are present in most mammals, including humans, but are specifically absent in mice and rats, calling into question the use of the mouse as the principal model animal for studying DMD.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central
Public Release: 3-Dec-2009
BMC Neurology
Study confirms that cannabis is beneficial for multiple sclerosis
Cannabis can reduce spasticity in multiple sclerosis patients. A systematic review, published in the open access journal BMC Neurology, found that five out six randomized controlled trials reported a reduction in spasticity and an improvement in mobility.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central
Public Release: 3-Dec-2009
BMC Evolutionary Biology
Poisonous Poisson
In contrast to the exhaustive research into venom produced by snakes and spiders, venomous fish have been neglected and remain something of a mystery. Now, a study of 158 catfish species, published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, has catalogued the presence of venom glands and investigated their biological effects.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central
Public Release: 3-Dec-2009
Nature Chemical Biology
Green tea chemical combined with another may hold promise for treatment of brain disorders
Scientists at Boston Biomedical Research Institute and the University of Pennsylvania have found that combining two chemicals, one of which is the green tea component EGCG, can prevent and destroy a variety of protein structures known as amyloids. Amyloids are the primary culprits in fatal brain disorders such as Alzheimer's, Huntington's, and Parkinson's diseases.
Contact: patti Jacobs
pjacobs12@comcast.net
617-864-2712
Boston Biomedical Research Institute
Public Release: 3-Dec-2009
British Medical Journal
Risk of blood clot after surgery higher and lasts longer than previously thought
The risk of having a potentially fatal blood clot after surgery is higher and lasts for longer than had previously been thought, concludes new research published on bmj.com today.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Public Release: 3-Dec-2009
British Medical Journal
Popular diabetes drugs linked to increased risk of heart failure and death
Sulphonylureas, a type of drug widely used to treat type 2 diabetes, carries a greater risk of heart failure and death compared with metformin, another popular anti-diabetes drug.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Public Release: 3-Dec-2009
UCSB, UCL scientists rescue visual function in rats using induced pluripotent stem cells
An international team of scientists has rescued visual function in laboratory rats with eye disease by using cells similar to stem cells. The research shows the potential for stem cell-based therapies to treat age-related macular degeneration in humans.
Contact: Gail Gallessich
gail.g@ia.ucsb.edu
805-893-7220
University of California - Santa Barbara
Public Release: 4-Dec-2009
Journal of Biological Chemistry
New therapy targets for amyloid disease
A major discovery is challenging accepted thinking about amyloids -- the fibrous protein deposits associated with diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's -- and may open up a potential new area for therapeutics.
Wellcome Trust, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Contact: Clare Elsley
clare@campuspr.co.uk
44-113-258-9880
University of Leeds
Public Release: 4-Dec-2009
Scientometrics
Where are the female scientists in research articles?
A recent research article published in the journal Scientometrics by a team from the University of Extremadura has proved something that was already obvious to its scientific community -- the extreme imbalance between the visibility of its male and female scientists. Only 20 percent of the university's articles studied had female lead authors, while the percentage of male lead authors stood at 50 percent. The remaining articles were led by authors from other universities.
Contact: SINC
info@plataformasinc.es
34-914-251-820
FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology
Public Release: 4-Dec-2009
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
Scientists think 'killer petunias' should join the ranks of carnivorous plants
Scientists from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and the Natural History Museum believe that carnivorous behavior in plants is far more widespread than previously thought, with many commonly grown plants -- such as petunias -- at least part way to being "meat eaters." A review paper, Murderous plants: Victorian Gothic, Darwin and modern insights into vegetable carnivory, is published today, December 4, 2009, in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. Full Text: HTML, PDF (Size: 2341K)
Contact: Bronwyn Friedlander
pr@kew.org
020-833-25605
Wiley-Blackwell
Contested signs of mass cannibalism
A research team argues that hundreds of people were butchered and eaten at a 7,000-year-old German site
Public Release: 6-Dec-2009
American Society for Cell Biology 49th Annual Meeting
'Rational drug design' identifies fragments of FDA-approved drugs relevant to emerging viruses
A massive, data-crunching computer search program that matches fragments of potential drug molecules to the known shapes of viral surface proteins has identified several FDA-approved drugs that could be the basis for new medicines -- if emerging viruses such as the H5N1 (avian flu) or H1N1/09 (swine flu) develop resistance to current antiviral therapies.
Contact: Cathy Yarbrough
sciencematter@yahoo.com
858-243-1814
American Society for Cell Biology