Public Release: 3-May-2010
Journal of Clinical Microbiology
Disease caused by insect bites can be transmitted to children at birth
A North Carolina State University researcher has discovered that bacteria transmitted by fleas -- and potentially ticks -- can be passed to human babies by the mother, causing chronic infections and raising the possibility of bacterially induced birth defects.
Contact: Tracey Peake
tracey_peake@ncsu.edu
919-515-6142
North Carolina State University
Public Release: 3-May-2010
JAMA
Standard heel-stick test ineffective at screening for CMV in newborns
A national study involving a UT Southwestern Medical Center neonatologist and pediatric infectious diseases specialist suggests that a screening test routinely performed in newborns is not very good at identifying cytomegalovirus infection, a leading cause of hearing loss in children.
NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Contact: Kristen Holland Shear
kristen.hollandshear@utsouthwestern.eu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Public Release: 3-May-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Weird, ultra-small microbes turn up in acidic mine drainage
For nearly a decade, Jillian Banfield and her UC Berkeley colleagues have been studying the microbe community that lives in one of the most acidic environments on Earth: the drainage from a former copper mine in Northern California. One group of these microbes, dubbed ARMAN, seems to be smaller, and weirder, than any other known, free-living organism. Occasionally, it gets impaled by it larger neighbors.
US Department of Energy, NASA
Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley
Really?
The Claim: Green Tea Can Help Lower Blood Pressure
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
Few foods have a reputation for soothing stress quite like a hot cup of tea.
Enhancing the Placebo
By OLIVIA JUDSON
Seeking some understanding about how hope, fear and trust factor into medicine.
Sloths' bizarre 'toilet habit' recorded in Amazon, Peru
Two-toed sloths have been recorded descending from the trees to feed out of a human toilet.
By Matt Walker Editor, Earth News
4 May 2010 11:53 UK
It Started More Than One Revolution
By GARDINER HARRIS
Fifty years ago, the birth control pill began to transform the way regulators viewed their work.
Public Release: 4-May-2010
Nature Communications
Fishing fleet working 17 times harder than in 1880s to make same catch
New study by University of York and Marine Conservation Society examines UK fish catch data since 1889 taking into account changes in sophistication of the UK trawl fishing fleet.
Contact: Professor Callum Roberts
cr10@york.ac.uk
44-190-443-4066
University of York
Public Release: 4-May-2010
Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes
By 2030, cardiovascular disease and death rates will surge in China
By 2030, researchers project that aging and increases in risk factors will raise annual heart disease and stroke rates in China by up to 73 percent. This could translate into 21.3 million more cardiovascular disease events and 7.7 million related deaths between 2010 and 2030. If the population in China dramatically eliminates smoking in men, or lowers high blood pressure in men and women, it could reverse future cardiovascular disease.
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, William J. Matheson Foundation, Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute, Swanson Family Fund
Contact: Tagni McRae
tagnimcrae@heart.org
214-706-1383
American Heart Association
African rocks record ancient magnetic field
Scientists have managed to push back the date for the earliest known presence of a magnetic field on Earth by about 250 million years.
By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News, Vienna
4 May 2010 10:19 UK
Public Release: 4-May-2010
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Trauma-induced changes to genes may lead to PTSD
A study by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health suggests that traumatic experiences "biologically embed" themselves in select genes, altering their functions and leading to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Stephanie Berger
sb2247@columbia.edu
212-305-4372
Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health
Public Release: 4-May-2010
Archives of General Psychiatry
A new biological explanation for sadness in early postpartum
Greater levels of a brain protein called monoamine oxidase A (MAO-A) -- may explain why postpartum blues and clinical depression are so common after childbirth according to an important study published today in the Archives of General Psychiatry.
NARSAD, Ontario Mental Health Foundation, Canadian Institutes in Health Research, Canada Foundation for Innovation
Contact: Michael Torres
media@camh.net
416-595-6015
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
Public Release: 5-May-2010
Nature
U of T researchers crack 'splicing code,' solve a mystery underlying biological complexity
Researchers at the University of Toronto have discovered a fundamentally new view of how living cells use a limited number of genes to generate enormously complex organs such as the brain.
Contact: Mario Pidutti
mariop@ecf.utoronto.ca
416-946-7257
University of Toronto
Public Release: 5-May-2010
Molecular Pharmaceutics
Prescription drug could boost effects of vaccines for HIV and other diseases
A prescription drug already approved to treat genital warts and skin cancer may have a new use in boosting the effectiveness of future vaccines for bacterial and viral diseases, such as hepatitis C and HIV. These findings appear in ACS' Molecular Pharmaceutics, a bi-monthly journal.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-6042
American Chemical Society
Public Release: 5-May-2010
New England Journal of Medicine
Discovery of rare genetic mutation could help battle Tourette syndrome
A single, very unusual family with Tourette syndrome has led Yale School of Medicine researchers to identify a rare mutation in a gene that is required to produce histamine. The finding provides a new framework to understand many years of data on the role of histamine function in the brain and points to a potentially novel approach to treatment of tics and Tourette.
NIH/National Institute Mental Health, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Contact: Karen N.Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University
Public Release: 5-May-2010
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Brain may use clot-busting drug naturally as protection against stroke
New research on the properties of the clot-busting stroke drug tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) suggests that tPA can act as a neuroprotectant and may form the keystone of an adaptive response to a reduction in blood flow. Scientists have shown that certain parts of the brains of mice lacking the gene for tPA are more vulnerable to stroke. In addition, tPA can protect neurons in the same part of the brain from the stress of hypoxia (low oxygen).
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Jennifer Johnson
jrjohn9@emory.edu
404-727-5696
Emory University
Mammoth Hemoglobin Offers More Clues to Its Arctic Evolution
By NICHOLAS WADE
The research raises the possibility that much of the physiology of extinct animals may one day be recoverable from DNA.
Evolution gave flawed eye better vision
THIS WEEK:  17:15 06 May 2010
It looks wrong, but the strange, "backwards" structure of the vertebrate retina actually improves vision
Editorial: The eye was evolution's great invention
First cancer vaccine approved for use in people
UPFRONT:  18:00 06 May 2010
The prostate cancer vaccine offers modest benefits but paves the way for immune-based approaches to fighting other cancers
Public Release: 5-May-2010
Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism
How dark chocolate may guard against brain injury from stroke
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that a compound in dark chocolate may protect the brain after a stroke by increasing cellular signals already known to shield nerve cells from damage.
National Institutes of Health, American Heart and Stroke Association
Contact: Stephanie Desmon
sdesmon1@jhmi.edu
410-955-8665
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Neanderthal genome reveals interbreeding with humans
19:00 06 May 2010
Sequence reveals how lots of us came to have Neanderthal genes – but we won't be able to clone our extinct closest relatives
Neandertal Genome Study Reveals That We Have a Little Caveman in Us
The sequence shows that Neandertals and modern humans interbred, and that their DNA persists in us
By Kate Wong
Public Release: 6-May-2010
PLoS Genetics
New genes involved in human eye color identified
Three new genetic loci have been identified with involvement in subtle and quantitative variation of human eye color.
Contact: Tamsin Milewicz
press@plos.org
44-122-346-3339
Public Library of Science
Hand-washing wipes emotional baggage from decisions
13:32 07 May 2010
Long a metaphor for the desire to distance oneself from immoral acts, hand-washing does more than just wipe your conscience clean
Public Release: 6-May-2010
Cell Stem Cell
New nerve cells -- even in old age
Max Planck researchers find different types of stem cells in the brains of mature and old mice.
Max Planck Society
Contact: Verdon Taylor
taylor@immunbio.mpg.de
49-761-510-8487
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Public Release: 6-May-2010
Journal of Experimental Medicine
New atherosclerosis vaccine gives promising results
A new study by researchers at the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet shows that the immune defense's T cells can attack the "bad" LDL cholesterol and thereby cause an inflammation that leads to atherosclerosis. By producing a vaccine against the T cell receptors, the researchers have managed to inhibit the development of atherosclerosis in animals. The study is presented in the Journal of Experimental Medicine and is expected to be of significance to the treatment of atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke.
Contact: Katarina Sternudd
katarina.sternudd@ki.se
46-085-248-3895
Karolinska Institutet
Public Release: 6-May-2010
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Shape up the quick way
If you thought the best way to lose and maintain weight was the slow and steady approach, think again. A new study by Lisa Nackers and colleagues, from the University of Florida in the US, suggests that the key to long-term weight loss and maintenance is to lose weight quickly, not gradually, in the initial stages of obesity treatment. Their findings1 are published online in Springer's International Journal of Behavioral Medicine.
NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
Contact: Renate Bayaz
renate.bayaz@springer.com
49-622-148-78531
Springer
Cosmic 'dandruff' may have brought carbon to Earth
19:00 06 May 2010
Fluffy specks of carbon-rich dust found in Antarctica could help explain how the carbon needed for life wound up on Earth
Lack of sleep 'linked to early death'
Getting less than six hours sleep a night can lead to an early grave, UK and Italian researchers have warned.
4 May 2010 00:11 UK
Public Release: 6-May-2010
Angwandte Chemie
Peptides may hold 'missing link' to life
Emory University scientists have discovered that simple peptides can organize into bi-layer membranes. The finding suggests a "missing link" between the pre-biotic Earth's chemical inventory and the organizational scaffolding essential to life.
National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy
Contact: Beverly Clark
beverly.clark@emory.edu
404-712-8780
Emory University
Public Release: 6-May-2010
Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine
Endometrial stem cells restore brain dopamine levels
Endometrial stem cells injected into the brains of mice with a laboratory-induced form of Parkinson's disease appeared to take over the functioning of brain cells eradicated by the disease. The finding raises the possibility that women with Parkinson's disease could serve as their own stem cell donors. Similarly, because endometrial stem cells are readily available and easy to collect, banks of endometrial stem cells could be stored for men and women with Parkinson's disease
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Robert Bock
bockr@mail.nih.gov
301-496-5133
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Public Release: 7-May-2010
ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting
Unlike CT, standard X-rays don't detect the majority of pelvic injuries, study suggests
Computed tomography scans are superior to standard radiography (X-rays) for the detection of pelvic fractures, according to a study to be presented at the ARRS 2010 Annual Meeting in San Diego, Calif. CT scanning combines special X-ray equipment with sophisticated computers to produce multiple images of pictures of the inside of the body.
Contact: Heather Curry
hcurry@acr-arrs.org
703-390-9822
American College of Radiology / American Roentgen Ray Society
Public Release: 7-May-2010
International Conference the Power of Programming
Gender-specific disease risks start in the womb
Pregnancy places competing demands on a mother's physiology: her body wants to produce a healthy baby but not at the expense of her own health. Therefore, she passes so-called "imprinted genes" on to her child to protect her body from excessive demands from the child. Genes inherited from the father however aim at getting as many resources for the fetus as possible. This battle of genes might be at the root of later life diseases.
European Commission
Contact: Rhonda Smith or Marc Catchpole
info@minervaprc.com
44-126-471-0428
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Public Release: 7-May-2010
Neuron
UT Southwestern researchers uncover Fragile X syndrome gene's role in shaping brain
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how the genetic mutation that causes Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation, interferes with the "pruning" of nerve connections in the brain. Their findings appear in the April 29 issue of Neuron.
National Institutes of Health, Autism Speaks, the Whitehall Foundation and Simons Foundation
Contact: Aline McKenzie
aline.mckenzie@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Novel material 'mimics muscles'
Scientists have created an artificial material that mimics the tough, stretchy properties of muscle.
6 May 2010 10:17 UK
Even silent videos excite the listening brain
IN BRIEF:  13:00 08 May 2010
Silent videos of a person playing a musical instrument stimulate auditory regions of the brain