Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism
Hormone thought to slow aging associated with increased risk of cancer death
According to a new study accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, older men with high levels of the hormone IGF-I (insulin-like growth factor 1) are at increased risk of cancer death, independent of age, lifestyle and cancer history.
Contact: Aaron Lohr
alohr@endo-society.org
240-482-1380
The Endocrine Society
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
American Journal of Medicine
Regular analgesic use increases hearing loss in men
In a study published in the March 2010 issue of the American Journal of Medicine, researchers determined that regular use of aspirin, acetaminophen and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs increases the risk of hearing loss in men, particularly in younger men, below age 60.
Contact: Pamela Poppalardo
ajmmedia@elsevier.com
732-238-3628
Elsevier Health Sciences
Ants navigate with 'stereo smell'
Desert ants in Tunisia are the first animals known to navigate with stereo smell, using it to create an odour map of their surroundings.
The pheromone myth: Sniffing out the truth
THE BIG IDEA:  14:58 01 March 2010
Many scientists have long believed these chemical signals dictate human behaviour – but there's no evidence they actually exist, says Richard L. Doty
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
PLoS Biology
Fossil snake from India fed on hatchling dinosaurs
The remains of an extraordinary fossil unearthed in 67-million-year-old sediments from Gujarat, western India provide a rare glimpse at an unusual feeding behavior in ancient snakes.
National Geographic Society
Contact: Nancy Ross-Flanigan
rossflan@umich.edu
734-647-1853
University of Michigan
Pterodactyls in Japan Hung Out With Birds
Trackways found in Japan reveal a small pterosaur with hook-like claws on each foot.
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine
Some parents weigh 'hastening death' for children in extreme pain with terminal cancer
A survey of parents who had a child die of cancer found one in eight considered hastening their child's death, a deliberation influenced by the amount of pain the child experienced during the last month of life, report Dana-Farber researchers. The study suggests that many parents worry that their children will suffer from uncontrollable pain. The researchers say the findings underscore the importance of managing patients' suffering and communicating with parents about pain management options.
Agency for Health Research and Quality, NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Bill Schaller
william_schaller@dfci.harvard.edu
617-632-5357
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
Genes and Development
Key player found for a cancer typical in Down syndrome
Between five and 10 percent of babies with Down syndrome develop a transient form of leukemia that usually resolves on its own. However, for reasons that haven't been clear, 20-30 percent of these babies progress to a more serious leukemia known as Down syndrome acute megakaryoblastic leukemia, which affects the blood progenitor cells that form red blood cells and platelets.
German National Academic Foundation, Madelein Schickedanz Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Rob Graham
617-919-3110
Children's Hospital Boston
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
Journal of Biological Psychiatry
Critical brain chemical shown to play role in severe depression
The next advance in treating major depression may relate to a group of brain chemicals that are involved in virtually all our brain activity, according to a study published today in Biological Psychiatry from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. This study shows that compared to healthy individuals, people who have major depressive disorder have altered functions of the neurotransmitter GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid).
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, Ontario Mental Health Foundation, Canadian Institutes of Health, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
Contact: Michael Torres
media@camh.net
416-595-6015
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
Psychological Bulletin
Study proves conclusively that violent video game play makes more aggressive kids
A new study published in the March 2010 issue of the Psychological Bulletin, an American Psychological Association journal, reports definitively that exposure to violent video games is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive thoughts and behavior, and decreased empathy and prosocial behavior in youths.
Contact: Mike Ferlazzo
ferlazzo@iastate.edu
515-294-8986
Iowa State University
How the Men Reacted as the Titanic and Lusitania Went Under
By SINDYA BHANOO
A study found that time was the key to differing responses aboard the two ships, both of which sank almost 100 years ago.
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
Biological Psychiatry
A new generation of rapid-acting antidepressants?
In a new issue of Biological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, researchers from the National Institutes of Health report that another medication, scopolamine, also appears to produce replicable rapid improvement in mood.
Contact: Maureen Hunter
m.hunter@elsevier.com
215-239-3674
Elsevier
Egg shells illustrate human story
Etched ostrich shells from South Africa are among the earliest examples of the use of symbolism, scientists say.
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
Psychological Science
Darkness increases dishonest behavior
Darkness increases dishonest, self-serving behaviors.
Contact: Catherine Allen-West
202-293-9300
Association for Psychological Science
Public Release: 1-Mar-2010
Annals of Internal Medicine
Hospices not deactivating defibrillators in patients
Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have found that patients admitted to hospice care who have an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) are rarely having their ICDs deactivated and are receiving electrical shocks from these devices near the end of life. This first-of-its-kind study of hospice patients with ICDs is published in the March 2, 2010, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Contact: Mount Sinai Press Office
newsnow@mountsinai.org
212-241-9200
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Public Release: 2-Mar-2010
Disease Models & Mechanisms
The sea squirt offers hope for Alzheimer's sufferers
Plaques and tangles in the brains of Alzheimer's patients mark its slow, inexorable progression. Finding new drugs to prevent plaques is currently the best hope for sufferers. However, efficient drug screens that detect plaque formation are often impossible due to their slow formation. Virata and Zeller now identify the sea squirt, our closest invertebrate relative, as a potential new resource for drug development.
Contact: Kristy Kain
615-343-1298
The Company of Biologists
For Pennies, a Disposable Toilet That Could Help Grow Crops
By SINDYA N. BHANOO
An architect and professor in Stockholm has developed a biodegradable bag that could serve as a single-use toilet in the developing world.
Human Culture, an Evolutionary Force
By NICHOLAS WADE
Biologists are finding evidence that culture has been interacting with genes to shape human evolution.
Ice deposits found at Moon's pole
A radar experiment aboard India's Chandrayaan-1 lunar spacecraft detects large deposits of water ice near the Moon's north pole.
'Significant' water found on Moon
Basics
Bringing New Understanding to the Director’s Cut
By NATALIE ANGIER
Shot by shot, films have evolved to resemble the natural rhythms of the brain.
* Graphic: Studying the Pacing of Movie Shots
Really?
The Claim: Fruit Juice Can Prevent Kidney Stones
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Can drinking more citrus juices prevent kidney stones?
* Health Guide: Kidney Stones »
Public Release: 2-Mar-2010
Sleep
Extremes of sleep related to increased fat around organs
Not getting enough sleep does more damage than just leaving you with puffy eyes. It can cause fat to accumulate around your organs -- more dangerous, researchers say, than those pesky love handles and jiggly thighs.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Jessica Guenzel
jguenzel@wfubmc.edu
336-716-3487
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Public Release: 2-Mar-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Learning keeps brain healthy, UCI researchers find
UC Irvine neurobiologists are providing the first visual evidence that learning promotes brain health -- and, therefore, that mental stimulation could limit the debilitating effects of aging on memory and the mind.
National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
Contact: Tom Vasich
tmvasich@uci.edu
949-824-6455
University of California - Irvine
Re-Using Equipment Could Help Hospitals Go Green
Hospitals could save hundreds of millions of dollars and tons of waste by reusing medical equipment.
Public Release: 2-Mar-2010
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Shopping for happiness? Get a massage, forget the flat-screen TV
Consumers found that satisfaction with "experiential purchases" -- from massages to family vacations -- starts high and increases over time. In contrast, spending money on material things feels good at first, but actually makes people less happy in the end, says Thomas Gilovich, Cornell University professor of psychology and Travis J. Carter, Cornell Ph.D. '10.
National Science Foundation
Contact: John Carberry
jjc338@cornell.edu
607-255-5353
Cornell University
Cow Dung, Urine as Medicine?
Borrowing from Hindu traditions, researchers in India are working on medicines based on bovine waste.
Public Release: 3-Mar-2010
Immunity
Scientists discover cause of destructive inflammations
The signaling molecule CD95L, known as "death messenger," causes an inflammatory process in injured tissue after spinal cord injuries and prevents its healing. This discovery was published by scientists of the German Cancer Research Center. In mice, the researchers found out that if they switch off CD95L, the injured spinal cord heals and the animals regain better ability to move. Therefore, substances which block the death messenger might offer a new approach in the treatment of severe inflammatory diseases.
Contact: Dr. Sibylle Kohlstaedt
s.kohlstaedt@dkfz.de
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Public Release: 3-Mar-2010
Vitamin D lifts mood during cold weather months
A daily dose of vitamin D may just be what Chicagoans need to get through the long winter, according to researchers at Loyola University Chicago Marcella Niehoff School of Nursing (MNSON). This nutrient lifts mood during cold weather months when days are short and more time is spent indoors.
Contact: Nora Plunkett
nplunkett@lumc.edu
708-216-6268
Loyola University Health System
Hangover-Free Booze?
Increasing Dissolved Oxygen Concentrations in Alcohol May Reduce Negative Side Effects
Public Release: 3-Mar-2010
American Journal of Physiology: Reg, Integrative & Comp Physiology
New way to control disease-spreading mosquitoes: Make them hold their urine
Cornell researchers have found a protein that may lead to a new way to control mosquitoes that spread dengue fever, yellow fever and other diseases when they feed on humans: Prevent them from urinating as they feed on blood.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Joe Schwartz
bjs54@cornell.edu
607-254-6235
Cornell University
Dinosaur's oldest relative found
Scientists have discovered a dinosaur-like creature 10 million years older than the earliest known dinosaurs.
Public Release: 3-Mar-2010
New England Journal of Medicine
Safety data favor norepinephrine over dopamine for shock
Physicians treating patients with shock should consider norepinephrine instead of dopamine as a tool for stabilizing blood pressure, according to an editorial in the March 4, 2010, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Jerrold Levy, MD, FAHA, professor and deputy chair for research, Department of Anesthesiology, Emory University School of Medicine, and co-director of cardiothoracic anesthesiology, Emory Healthcare, authored the editorial.
Contact: Lance Skelly
lskelly@emory.edu
404-686-8538
Emory University
Public Release: 4-Mar-2010
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Possible vaccine for mesothelioma proven safe
Researchers have demonstrated the safety of a potential vaccine against mesothelioma, a rare cancer associated primarily with asbestos exposure. The vaccine, which infuses uses a patient's own dendritic cells with antigen from the patient's tumor, was able to induce a T-cell response against mesothelioma tumors.
Contact: Keely Savoie
ksavoie@thoracic.org
212-315-8620
American Thoracic Society
Clues to Antarctica space blast
A large space rock may have exploded over Antarctica thousands of years ago, according to new research.
Fire in the sky: Tunguska at 100
Organic pesticide doubles up as worm killer
11:09 04 March 2010
The protein could drag hundreds of millions of people out of poverty, if cash can be found for human trials
Drug flop is blow to immune theory of dementia
11:07 04 March 2010
The failure of a hay fever drug to Alzheimer's undermines the theory that a dysfunctional immune system causes the disease, says Ewen Callaway
Public Release: 4-Mar-2010
Science
30 years later, what killed the dinosaurs is revisited
Scripps researcher among dozens making the case with new evidence that an asteroid impact caused a mass extinction 65.5 million years ago
Contact: Robert Monroe
scrippsnews@ucsd.edu
858-534-3624
University of California - San Diego
Public Release: 4-Mar-2010
Annals of Neurology
Researchers find further evidence linking Epstein-Barr virus and risk of multiple sclerosis
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, and a team of collaborators have observed for the first time that the risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) increases by many folds following infection with the Epstein-Barr virus.
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Contact: Todd Datz
tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-3952
Harvard School of Public Health
Baseballers with bona fide smiles live to ripe old age
13:26 05 March 2010
Players with honest grins lived an average of seven years longer than players who didn't smile and five years longer than those who faked it
Public Release: 4-Mar-2010
Scientists find signs of 'snowball Earth' amidst early animal evolution
Geologists have found evidence that sea ice extended to the equator 716.5 million years ago, bringing new precision to a "snowball Earth" event long suspected to have taken place around that time.
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 5-Mar-2010
Nature Genetics
Virus infections may be contributing factor in onset of gluten intolerance
Recent research findings indicate a possible connection between virus infections, the immune system and the onset of gluten intolerance, also known as celiac disease.
Academy of Finland, University of Helsinki
Contact: Paivi Saavalainen
paivi.saavalainen@helsinki.fi
358-094-742-5086
Academy of Finland
A Blog Around The Clock
Why it is important for media articles to link to scientific papers
March 3, 2010
Public Release: 5-Mar-2010
Planta Medica
Exploring Echinacea's enigmatic origins
An Agricultural Research Service scientist is helping to sort through the jumbled genetics of Echinacea, the coneflower known for its blossoms -- and its potential for treating infections, inflammation, and other human ailments.
Agricultural Research Service
Contact: Ann Perry
ann.perry@ars.usda.gov
301-504-1628
United States Department of Agriculture-Research, Education, and Economics
Public Release: 5-Mar-2010
Law and Society Review
It's who you kill that matters, according to new research
A defendant is much more likely to be sentenced to death if he or she kills a "high-status" victim, according to new research by Scott Phillips, associate professor of sociology and criminology at the University of Denver.
Contact: Kristal Griffith
kristal.griffith@du.edu
303-871-4117
University of Denver
Public Release: 5-Mar-2010
Journal of General Internal Medicine
Major depression more than doubles risk of dementia among adults with diabetes
Adults with both depression and diabetes are more than twice as likely to develop dementia compared to those with diabetes alone. Earlier studies have shown that depression alone is a risk factor for dementia, and that diabetes itself is a dementia risk factor. Researchers found even greater risk of dementia in people with both conditions. The mechanisms behind this increased risk are not yet clear. The researchers suggest that physicians screen and treat their diabetes patients for depression, which is common in people with diabetes.
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
Contact: Leila Gray
leilag@u.washington.edu
206-685-0381
University of Washington
Public Release: 6-Mar-2010
Society of Surgical Oncology Annual Cancer Symposium
Most early-stage breast cancer patients may not need radiation after mastectomy
Breast cancer patients with early stage disease that has spread to only one lymph node may not benefit from radiation after mastectomy, because of the low present-day risk of recurrence following modern surgery and systemic therapy, a finding that could one day change the course of treatment for thousands of women diagnosed each year, according to researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer.
Contact: Lindsay Anderson
lindsay.anderson@gabbe.com
212-220-4444
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Public Release: 7-Mar-2010
Nature Genetics
Gene site found for children's food allergy
Pediatrics researchers have identified the first major gene location responsible for a severe, often painful food allergy called eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). In this disease, which may cause weight loss, vomiting, heartburn and swallowing difficulties, a patient may be unable to eat a wide variety of foods. A genome-wide association study found EoE was linked to a region of chromosome 5 that includes two genes.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: John Ascenzi
Ascenzi@email.chop.edu
267-426-6055
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Public Release: 7-Mar-2010
Nature Neuroscience
Ritalin boosts learning by increasing brain plasticity
Doctors treat millions of children with Ritalin every year to improve their ability to focus on tasks, but scientists now report that Ritalin also directly enhances the speed of learning.
Contact: Jennifer O'Brien
jobrien@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco