Shackleton's Antarctic spirits saved
Irish Times
Public Release: 7-Feb-2010
  Nature Medicine
Inhibiting serotonin in gut could cure osteoporosis
An investigational drug that inhibits serotonin in the gut, administered orally once daily, effectively cured osteoporosis in mice and rats, reports a new paper in Nature Medicine. Serotonin in the gut has been shown in recent research to stall bone formation. The finding could lead to new therapies that build new bone; most osteoporosis drugs only prevent the breakdown of old bone.
Contact: Elizabeth Streich
eas2125@columbia.edu
212-305-6535
Columbia University Medical Center
Public Release: 7-Feb-2010
62nd AAN Annual Meeting
Industrial cleaner linked to increased risk of Parkinson's disease
Workers exposed to tricholorethylene, a chemical once widely used to clean metal such as auto parts, may be at a significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10-17, 2010.
Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
American Academy of Neurology
Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
  Disease Models & Mechanisms
A potent suppressor of endometrial cancer is revealed
Treatment of endometrial cancer has not advanced significantly in 30 years and there are no screening tests to promote early detection. Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Harvard Medical School developed a new approach to specifically target genetic changes to the endometrial cells in mice. Using this new technique, they show that loss of an emerging tumor suppressor causes abnormal growth and widespread malignancy of cells lining the uterus.
Contact: Kristy Kain
kristy.kain@vanderbilt.edu
615-343-1298
The Company of Biologists
Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
  Autism Research
UC Davis study confirms link between advanced maternal age and autism
Advanced maternal age is linked to a significantly elevated risk of having a child with autism, regardless of the father's age, according to an exhaustive study of all births in California during the 1990s by UC Davis Health System researchers.
 NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, US Environmental Protection Agency, UC Davis School of Medicine and Office of Graduate Studies
Contact: Phyllis Brown
phyllis.brown@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
916-734-9023
University of California - Davis - Health System
Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
  62nd AAN Annual Meeting
Mediterranean diet may lower risk of brain damage that causes thinking problems
A Mediterranean diet may help people avoid the small areas of brain damage that can lead to problems with thinking and memory, according to a study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10-17, 2010.
Contact: Rachel Seroka
rseroka@aan.com
651-695-2738
American Academy of Neurology
 Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Research reveals link between beer and bone health
A new study suggests that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, a key ingredient for increasing bone mineral density. Details of this study are available in the February issue of the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Society of Chemical Industry.
Contact: Dawn Peters
physicalsciencenews@wiley.com
781-388-8408
Wiley-Blackwell
Rush for iron spurred Inuit ancestors to sprint across Arctic, book contends
Vancouver Sun
Public Release: 8-Feb-2010
  Archives of Ophthalmology
Glaucoma medications may be associated with reduced risk of death over 4-year period
Glaucoma patients who take medication for the condition appear to have a reduced likelihood of death, according to a report in the February issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Betsy Nisbet
bsnisbet@umich.edu
734-647-5586
JAMA and Archives Journals
Home test for sperm count could leave men in a mess
  THIS WEEK:  15:38 08 February 2010
A "lab-on-a-chip" could determine male fertility in a matter of seconds, raising ethical issues about self-diagnosis
18 and Under
When to Worry if a Child Has Too Few Words
By PERRI KLASS, M.D.
Every pediatrician knows the frustration of trying to quantify the speech and language skills of a screaming toddler.
Will You Be E-Mailing This Column? It’s Awesome
By JOHN TIERNEY
A University of Pennsylvania study found that readers of news in print and online had more exalted tastes than might be expected.
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
JAMA
Molecular pathways linked to sex, age affect outcomes in lung cancer
The biology of lung cancer differs from one patient to the next, depending on age and sex, according to scientists at Duke University Medical Center. The findings may help explain why certain groups of patients do better than others, even though they appear to have the same disease.
 Emilene Brown Cancer Research Fund, Harold and Linda Chapman Lung Cancer Fund, Jimmy V Foundation, American Cancer Society, NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Michelle Gailiun
michelle.gailiun@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
Astronomy & Astrophysics
A new 3-D map of the interstellar gas within 300 parsecs from the sun
Astronomy & Astrophysics is publishing new 3-D maps of the interstellar gas in the local area around our sun. A French-American team of astronomers presents new absorption measurements towards more than 1800 stars. They were able to characterize the properties of the interstellar gas within each sight line.
Contact: Dr. Jennifer Martin
aanda.paris@obspm.fr
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
  European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation
IQ among strongest predictors of CVD -- second only to cigarette smoking in large population study
While lower intelligence scores have been associated with a raised risk of cardiovascular disease, no study has so far compared the relative strength of this association with other established risk factors. Now, a large study funded by Britain's Medical Research Council has found that lower intelligence scores were associated with higher rates of cardiovascular disease and total mortality at a greater level of magnitude than found with any other risk factor except smoking.
Contact: ESC Press Office
press@escardio.org
33-492-948-627
European Society of Cardiology
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
New research reveals burglars have changed their 'shopping list'
Research being undertaken at the University of Leicester highlights a career change for criminals from the more traditional household burglaries to personal muggings.
Contact: James Treadwell
jt146@le.ac.uk
01-162-523-747
University of Leicester
Steak Dinners Go Back 2.5 Million Years
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
 Molelcular Immunology
Research could lead to way to halt deadly immune response
Scientists have published new details of their research into the complement reaction, an immune system response that kills thousands annually. The study is published in the journal Molecular Immunology.
Contact: Doug Gardner
gardneda@evms.edu
757-446-6073
Eastern Virginia Medical School
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Cells can read damaged DNA without missing a beat
Under certain growth-limiting conditions, enzymes that read DNA can skim through damaged DNA without skipping any letters in the genetic "text." This suggests a mechanism that can allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.
  National Institutes of Health
Contact: Vince Dollard
404-778-4580
Emory University
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
  American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Multicenter study finds little effect of soy isoflavones on bone loss in postmenopausal women
Results from a new multicenter clinical trial of 224 postmenopausal women questions the value of consuming soy isoflavone tablets to help lessen bone loss and minimize the effect of osteoporosis.
  NIH/National Institute of Arthritis, Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Contact: Mike Ferlazzo
ferlazzo@iastate.edu
515-294-8986
Iowa State University
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
Young patients with chronic illnesses find relief in acupuncture
Doctors at Rush University Medical Center are offering pediatric patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses acupuncture therapy to help ease the pain and negative side effects like nausea, fatigue and vomiting caused by chronic health conditions and intensive treatments. The confluence of Chinese and Western medicine at Rush Children's Hospital is part of a study to analyze and document how acupuncture might help in reducing pain in children and increase quality of life.
Contact: Deb Song
deb_song@rush.edu
312-942-0588
Rush University Medical Center
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
  Ecology Letters
New UC Davis study: Climate 'tipping points' may arrive without warning, says top forecaster
A new University of California, Davis, study by a top ecological forecaster says it is harder than experts thought to predict when sudden shifts in Earth's natural systems will occur -- a worrisome finding for scientists trying to identify the tipping points that could push climate change into an irreparable global disaster.
  National Science Foundation
Contact: Alan Hastings
amhastings@ucdavis.edu
530-752-8116
University of California - Davis
Public Release: 9-Feb-2010
  Cancer Research
Researchers discover new way to kill pediatric brain tumors
Researchers have identified a previously unrecognized target, a protein called STAT3, at which they can aim new drugs for the treatment of cancer in neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1), a genetic condition that causes increased risk of benign and malignant brain tumors.
  US Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health, Siteman Cancer Center
Contact: Michael C. Purdy
purdym@wustl.edu
314-286-0122
Washington University School of Medicine
Public Release: 10-Feb-2010
  Nature
Study finds surprising new branches on arthropod family tree
Any way you look at it -- by sheer weight, species diversity or population -- the hard-shelled, joint-legged creepy crawlies called arthropods dominate planet Earth. Because of their success and importance, scientists have been trying for decades to figure out the family relationships that link lobsters to millipedes and cockroaches to tarantulas and find which might have come first.
  National Science Foundation
Contact: Karl Leif Bates
karl.bates@duke.edu
919-681-8054
Duke University
Public Release: 10-Feb-2010
  BioPsychoSocial Medicine
Self-control impaired in type 2 diabetics
Type 2 diabetes, an increasingly common complication of obesity, is associated with poor impulse control. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal BioPsychoSocial Medicine suggest that neurological changes result in this inability to resist temptation, which may in turn exacerbate diabetes.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22165
BioMed Central
Antarctic snowfall linked to West Australian drought
8 February 2010
An Antarctic ice core has revealed a link between drought conditions in south-west Western Australia and increased snowfall in Antarctica.
Public Release: 10-Feb-2010
Are bees also addicted to caffeine and nicotine?
Bees prefer nectar with small amounts of nicotine and caffeine over nectar that does not comprise these substances at all, a study from the University of Haifa reveals. "This could be an evolutionary development intended, as in humans, to make the bee addicted," states Prof. Ido Izhaki, one of the researchers who conducted the study.
Contact: Rachel Feldman
rfeldman@univ.haifa.ac.il
972-482-88722
University of Haifa
Stinky flower is kept warm by yeast partner
THIS WEEK:  12:50 10 February 2010
A European herb, the stinking hellebore, is the only plant discovered so far that relies on another organism to generate heat
Ferroelectrics without the twist
10 February 2010
Japanese chemists have developed a new ferroelectric material based on small hydrogen-bonded molecular crystals of croconic acid.
Public Release: 10-Feb-2010
  American Journal of Psychiatry
People with anxiety disorder less able to regulate response to negative emotions, study shows
People with generalized anxiety disorder, or GAD, have abnormalities in the way their brain unconsciously controls emotions. That's the conclusion of a new Stanford University School of Medicine study, and the study authors say the findings could open up new avenues for treatments and change our understanding of how emotion is regulated in everyday life.
Contact: Michelle Brandt
mbrandt@stanford.edu
650-723-0272
Stanford University Medical Center
Ancient Man in Greenland Has Genome Decoded
By NICHOLAS WADE
Using a swatch of hair, researchers analyzed the genome of a man who lived on the western coast of Greenland some 4,000 years ago.
Public Release: 11-Feb-2010
  Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery
Restrictions on female plasma may not be warranted
Three years after the US blood banking industry issued recommendations that discourage transfusing plasma from female donors because of a potential antibody reaction, Duke University Medical Center researchers discovered that female plasma actually may have advantages.
Contact: Mary Jane Gore
mary.gore@duke.edu
919-660-1309
Duke University Medical Center
11 February 2010
Genes behind stammering uncovered
Stammering has long been recognised to run in families, but scientists now say they have identified three genes which may cause the problem in some people.
Public Release: 11-Feb-2010
  Journal of Nuclear Medicine
Less is more in cancer imaging
In a paper published last month in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, a team led by fifth-year Rice graduate student Guoping Chang described an amplitude gating technique that gives physicians a clearer picture of how tumors are responding to treatment.
  GE Healthcare
Contact: David Ruth
druth@rice.edu
713-348-6327
Rice University
Mass Extinctions: 'Giant' Fossils Are Revolutionizing Current Thinking
Science Daily
Public Release: 11-Feb-2010
  Journal of American Chemical Society
UNH chemists create molecule with promising semiconductor properties
A team of chemists from the University of New Hampshire has synthesized the first-ever stable derivative of nonacene, creating a compound that holds significant promise in the manufacture of flexible organic electronics such as large displays, solar cells and radio frequency identification tags. The team, led by professor of organic chemistry and materials science Glen Miller and including two UNH undergraduates, published their findings in January 2010 in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
  National Science Foundation, Nanoscale Science & Engineering Center for High-Rate Nanomanufacturing
Contact: Beth Potier
beth.potier@unh.edu
603-862-1566
University of New Hampshire
Public Release: 11-Feb-2010
Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology
Parents often wait too long to treat children's asthma symptoms
Parents of young children with asthma often recognize signs that their child is about to have an asthma attack but delay home treatment until the attack occurs, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report.
  NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Contact: Beth Miller
millerbe@wusm.wustl.edu
314-286-0119
Washington University School of Medicine
Rootbeer-Smelling Roses? Pick Your Scent
Road Test
Finally, Good-Looking Nontoxic Paint?
By STEPHEN TREFFINGER
Testing 10 brands of indoor paints that are very low in, or free of, the chemicals like benzene and formaldehyde found in traditional paints.
Public Release: 12-Feb-2010
Journal of the American Chemical Society
Scientists synthesize unique family of anti-cancer compounds
Yale University scientists have streamlined the process for synthesizing a family of compounds with the potential to kill cancer and other diseased cells, and have found that they represent a unique category of anti-cancer agents.
Yale University, Eli Lilly
Contact: Suzanne Taylor Muzzin
suzanne.taylormuzzin@yale.edu
203-432-8555
Yale University
The Break-Up Addiction [VIDEO]
The area of the brain associated with addiction is triggered during breakups.
Why whooping cough's making a comeback
11:55 12 February 2010
Infections are on the rise in rich countries, despite longstanding vaccination programmes - now there is an explanation, says Wendy Zukerman
Public Release: 12-Feb-2010
  Journal of Experimental Biology
The cost of being on your toes
Humans, other great apes and bears are among the few animals that step first on the heel when walking, and then roll onto the ball of the foot and toes. Now, a University of Utah study shows the advantage: Compared with heel-first walking, it takes 53 percent more energy to walk on the balls of your feet, and 83 percent more energy to walk on your toes.
National Science Foundation, Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, Berufsgenossenschaft Nahrungsmittel und Gaststatten Erfurt
Contact: Lee Siegel
leesiegel@ucomm.utah.edu
801-581-8993
University of Utah
Public Release: 12-Feb-2010
Texas Children's discharges history-making patient
The wait is over for 16-year-old Francesco "Frank" De Santiago. On Jan. 29, De Santiago received a donor heart in a nine-hour transplant operation at Texas Children's Heart Center De Santiago made news last October as the first child ever discharged from a pediatric hospital with an implanted mechanical heart pump, or ventricular assist device (VAD). Until then, pediatric patients with VADs remained in the hospital, often in ICU, while awaiting a donor heart.
Contact: Carol Wittman
cmwittma@texaschildrens.org
832-824-2040
Texas Children's Hospital