Public Release: 14-Mar-2010
Nature Neuroscience
Psychopaths' brains wired to seek rewards, no matter the consequences
The brains of psychopaths appear to be wired to keep seeking a reward at any cost, new research from Vanderbilt University finds. The research uncovers the role of the brain's reward system in psychopathy and opens a new area of study for understanding what drives these individuals.
NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse
Contact: Melanie Moran
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu
615-322-2706
Vanderbilt University
Medieval Child's Brain Found Preserved
Scientists were able to identify neurons and cerebral cells from the brain preserved from the 13th century.
Discovery
Public Release: 15-Mar-2010
2010 SIR 35th Annual Scientific Meeting
Vertebroplasty for patients with osteoporosis provides effective pain relief
Patient selection is key for vertebroplasty -- a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional radiologists in individuals with painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures that fail to respond to conventional medical therapy -- to be effective and successful, according to a study of more than 1,500 persons who were followed over seven years. Additionally, collaboration between an interventional radiologist and other medical experts in treating a patient is imperative, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.
Contact: Maryann Verrillo
mverrillo@sirweb.org
703-460-5572
Society of Interventional Radiology
Electronics 'missing link' brings neural computing closer
NEWS:  10:21 15 March 2010
Memristors, the "missing link of electronics", behave uncannily like the junctions between neurons in the brain
Public Release: 15-Mar-2010
American College of Cardiology's 59th Annual Scientific Session -- Atlanta, Ga.
Studies find treating vitamin D deficiency significantly reduces heart disease risk
Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Utah last fall demonstrated the link between vitamin D deficiency and increased risk for coronary artery disease. These new studies show that treating vitamin D deficiency with supplements may help to prevent or reduce a person's risk for cardiovascular disease and a host of other chronic conditions. Researchers also establish what level of vitamin D further enhances that risk reduction.
Contact: Jess C. Gomez
jess.gomez@imail.org
801-507-7455
Intermountain Medical Center
Meat-Eating Amphibian Predated Dinos
A terrestrial amphibian lived 70 million years before dinosaurs in what is now Pennsylvania.
Ocean Geoengineering Scheme May Prove Lethal
Seeding the oceans with iron could produce a deadly neurotoxin.
Public Release: 15-Mar-2010
Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association
Erectile dysfunction strong predictor of death, cardiovascular outcomes
Men with cardiovascular disease and erectile dysfunction (ED) are at higher risk for death from all causes and also are more likely to suffer cardiovascular death, heart attack, stroke and heart failure hospitalization. Treatments effective in reducing cardiovascular disease had no effect on ED. Erectile dysfunction should be considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, researchers said.
Boehringer-Ingelheim
Contact: Karen Astle
karen.astle@heart.org
214-706-1396
American Heart Association
Public Release: 15-Mar-2010
Journal of Biological Chemistry
University of Michigan scientists identify chemical in bananas as potent inhibitor of HIV infection
A potent new inhibitor of HIV, derived from bananas, may open the door to new treatments to prevent sexual transmission of HIV, according to a University of Michigan Medical School study published this week.
National Institutes of Health, Burroughs Wellcome Fund
Contact: Shantell M. Kirkendoll
smkirk@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 15-Mar-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Molecular study could push back angiosperm origins
Flowering plants may be considerably older than previously thought, says a new analysis of the plant family tree. Previous studies suggest that flowering plants, or angiosperms, first arose 140 to 190 million years ago. Now, a paper to be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences pushes back the age of angiosperms to 215 million years ago, some 25 to 75 million years earlier than either the fossil record or previous molecular studies suggest.
Contact: Robin Ann Smith
rsmith@nescent.org
919-668-4544
National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent)
Public Release: 15-Mar-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Brain plaques may explain higher risk of Alzheimer's based on mom's history
A family history of Alzheimer's is one of the biggest risk factors for developing the memory-robbing disease, which affects more than 5 million Americans and is the most common form of senile dementia. Now an international collaboration led by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers has found the likely basis for this heightened familial risk -- especially from the maternal side.
NIH/National Institute on Aging, NIH/National Center for Research Resources, Alzheimer's Association, Academy of Finland, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Turku University Hospital
Contact: Lorinda Klein
lorindaann.klein@nyumc.org
212-404-3555
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
Nausea Medication Could be a Life-Saver
Dramamine, which is typically used to treat motion sickness, could help patients with heart disease.
New research shows babies are born to dance
A study of infants finds they respond to the rhythm and tempo of music and find it more engaging than speech. The research suggest that babies may be born with a predisposition to move rhythmically in response to music.
Swiss National Science Foundation
Contact: James Reed
jr576@york.ac.uk
44-190-443-2029
University of York
Hazards: Report Finds High Rate of Herpes in U.S.
Public Release: 15-Mar-2010
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Studies provide more support for health benefits of coffee
Multitudes of people worldwide begin each day with a cup of steaming hot coffee. Although it is sometimes referred to as "the devil's brew," coffee contains several nutrients (e.g., calcium) as well as hundreds of potentially biologically active compounds (e.g., polyphenols) that may promote health.
Contact: Suzanne Price
sprice@nutrition.org
American Society for Nutrition
Drug Helps Diabetics, Trial Finds
By RONI CARYN RABIN
A generic anti-inflammatory drug from the aspirin family helped patients in a clinical trial lower their blood sugar.
* Health Guide: Diabetes »
A Host of Mummies, a Forest of Secrets
By NICHOLAS WADE
Chinese archaeologists unearthed a 4,000-year-old cemetery in Xinjiang Province that seemed to be a vanished people’s paean to the pleasures or utility of procreation.
Public Release: 16-Mar-2010
JAMA
SBRT eliminates tumors with promising survival for early-stage inoperable lung cancer patients
Highly-focused stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) can eliminate the targeted tumor while avoiding treatment-related illness and may ultimately improve survival for patients with inoperable non-small cell lung cancer, according to early findings of a Radiation Therapy Oncology Group study published in the March 17 cancer-themed issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Contact: Shawn Farley
sfarley@acr-arrs.org
703-648-8936
American College of Radiology / American Roentgen Ray Society
Public Release: 16-Mar-2010
Flavour and Fragrance Journal
Cloves are the best natural antioxidant
Using spices eaten in the Mediterranean diet as natural antioxidants is a good way forward for the food industry, given the beneficial health effects of these products. This has been shown by researchers from the Miguel Hernández University, who have put the clove in first place.
Contact: SINC
info@plataformasinc.es
34-914-251-820
FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology
Highly Allochthonous
Earth's forgotten youth - and beyond
March 16, 2010
Crystals + sound + water = clean hydrogen fuel
12:41 16 March 2010
A novel material absorbs the energy of sound waves and uses it to rip apart water molecules, releasing hydrogen gas
Public Release: 16-Mar-2010
American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session 2010
American Journal of Cardiology
As girth grows, risk of sudden cardiac death shrinks
Study finds that being skinny confers no advantage when it comes to the risk of dying suddenly from cardiac causes. Scientists found that non-obese heart failure patients -- including overweight, normal and underweight patients -- had a 76 percent increase in risk of sudden cardiac death compared to obese heart failure patients. Normal and underweight patients showed a startling 99 percent increase in risk for sudden cardiac death compared to obese patients.
Contact: Emily Butler
emily_butler@urmc.rochester.edu
585-273-1757
University of Rochester Medical Center
Hobbit Ancestors Once Colonized Indonesia Island
ABC News
Algae's solar electrons hijacked to steal power
10:18 17 March 2010
Sticking an electrode into a photosynthesising cell makes it possible to draw off power from light
Early Dads Helped With Child Care
Active fathers may have been a key factor in why our early ancestors flourished.
New exoplanet like 'one of ours'
A new temperate planet, found 1,500 light-years away from Earth, has similarities to planets within our own Solar System.
Public Release: 17-Mar-2010
Science Translational Medicine
Targeting blood vessels, immune system may offer way to stop infection-caused inflammation
Treating virulent influenza, sepsis, and other potentially deadly infections long has focused on looking for ways to kill viruses and bacteria. But new research from the University of Utah and Utah State University shows that modulating the body's own overeager inflammatory response to infection may help save more lives.
Contact: Phil Sahm
phil.sahm@hsc.utah.edu
801-581-2517
University of Utah Health Sciences
New Finding Puts Origins of Dogs in Middle East
By NICHOLAS WADE
A discovery strengthens the link between the first animal to enter human society and the subsequent invention of agriculture about 10,000 years ago.
Public Release: 18-Mar-2010
Fifth Decennial: International Conference on Healthcare-Associated Infections 2010
France's national program to reduce HAIs reports important successes; uses mandatory reporting
Researchers evaluating France's national infection control program for health-care facilities found significant decreases in the rates of health-care-associated infections (HAIs) since 2004. The drop in HAIs, including MRSA and surgical site infections, could be attributed to important changes in the national infection control system. France's national, regional and local coordinating centers have been reorganized to help facilities throughout the country comply and conform with mandatory public reporting requirements and key program objectives.
Contact: Sharon Reis
sreis@gymr.com
202-745-5103
Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
How to move the brain with a Japanese line drawing
THIS WEEK:  13:25 18 March 2010
Brain scans suggest how an 18th-century Japanese artist was able to evoke movement so well
Public Release: 18-Mar-2010
Breakthrough for babies born with severe cleft palates after experiments at ISIS
Scientists working on a treatment for babies born with cleft palates have made a promising breakthrough and the first clinical trials are planned for early next year. Clefts are the most common birth defect in Britain, with one in every 700 babies affected; currently in severe cases radical surgery is required to correct the problem, and in addition future complications can occur as the child grows into an adult.
Contact: Lucy Stone
lucy.stone@stfc.ac.uk
44-123-544-5627
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Post-coital warfare: insect semen kills rival sperm
18:00 18 March 2010
Males of some social insects carry on the fight for females after insemination: their seminal fluid harms sperm of other males, but not their own
Dinosaurs Did Not Gradually Die Out
The dinosaur die-off may have happened much more abruptly than once thought.
Public Release: 18-Mar-2010
Social Psychological and Personality Science
Women do make men throw caution to the wind, research confirms
The presence of an attractive woman elevates testosterone levels and physical risk taking in young men, according to a recent study in the inaugural issue of Social Psychological and Personality Science.
Contact: Jim Gilden
media.inquiries@sagepub.com
SAGE Publications
Deep Brain Stimulation May Help People With Epileptic Seizures
Epilepsy Experiment Involves Risky Surgery, but Helps Serious Cases; FDA Approval Urged
By JOSEPH BROWNSTEIN and DAN CHILDS ABC News Medical Unit
Public Release: 19-Mar-2010
Anticancer Research
Study shows further benefits of noscapine for prostate cancer
Noscapine, a non-addictive derivative of opium, has previously been shown to have anti-cancer properties. This is the first study examining noscapine's potential as a prophylactic agent against prostate cancer.
Contact: Deena Illions
deena1@medinsight.org
443-927-7755
MedInsight Research Institute
Why teenagers find learning a drag
14:09 19 March 2010
The brain molecules behind a learning deficit that sets in during puberty have been identified in mice - and blocked
Public Release: 19-Mar-2010
Journal of Infectious Diseases
Acne drug prevents HIV breakout
Johns Hopkins scientists have found that a safe and inexpensive antibiotic in use since the 1970s for treating acne effectively targets infected immune cells in which HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, lies dormant and prevents them from reactivating and replicating.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Maryalice Yakutchik
myakutc1@jhmi.edu
443-287-2251
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 21-Mar-2010
American Chemical Society 234th National Meeting
Seaweed to tackle rising tide of obesity
Newcastle University scientists show that by adding seaweed fiber to the diet you can reduce fat digestion by up to 75 percent.
Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
Contact: Dr. Iain Brownlee
i.a.brownlee@ncl.ac.uk
44-191-222-5013
Newcastle University
Public Release: 21-Mar-2010
Nature Medicine
Newly identified growth factor promotes stem cell growth, regeneration
Scientists at Duke University Medical Center have identified a new growth factor that stimulates the expansion and regeneration of hematopoietic (blood-forming) stem cells in culture and in laboratory animals. The discovery, appearing in the journal Nature Medicine, may help researchers overcome one of the most frustrating barriers to cellular therapy: the fact that stem cells are so few in number and so stubbornly resistant to expansion.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Michelle Gailiun
michelle.gailiun@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 21-Mar-2010
Nature Chemical Biology
Einstein researchers discover 2 new ways to kill TB
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found two novel ways of killing the bacteria that cause tuberculosis, a disease responsible for an estimated two million deaths each year.
Contact: Deirdre Branley
sciencenews@einstein.yu.edu
718-430-3101
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Public Release: 21-Mar-2010
Lancet Oncology
Gene is linked to lung cancer development in never-smokers
A five-center collaborative study that scanned the genomes of thousands of "never-smokers" diagnosed with lung cancer as well as healthy never smokers has found a gene they say could be responsible for a significant number of those cancers.
National Institutes of Health, Mayo Foundation
Contact: Karl Oestreich
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic