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Public Release: 15-Oct-2006
Nature Neuroscience
Commonplace sugar compound silences seizures
Though in clinical use for decades, a
small, sweet-tasting compound is revealing a startling new face as a
potential cure for epilepsy
Contact: Avtar Roopra
roopra@neurology.wisc.edu
608-265-9072
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Release: 16-Oct-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Learning to live with oxygen on early Earth
Scientists at the Carnegie Institution
and Penn State University have discovered evidence showing that
microbes adapted to living with oxygen 2.72 billion years ago, at least
300 million years before the rise of oxygen in the atmosphere. The
finding is the first concrete validation of a long-held hypothesis that
oxygen was being produced and consumed by that time and that the
transition to an oxygenated atmosphere was long term.
National Science Foundation, NASA Astrobiology Institute
Contact: Jennifer Eigenbrode
j.eigenbrode@gl.ciw.edu
202-478-8981
Carnegie Institution
Public Release: 16-Oct-2006
Archives of Surgery
Small but substantial proportion of surgeons interested in part-time training
Medical students expressed increased
interest in a career in surgery if part-time training options were
available, and some residents, fellows and practicing surgeons would be
interested in flexible training options as well, according to the
results of a web-based survey published in the October issue of
Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Mary Jane Gore
434-924-9241
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 16-Oct-2006
Journal of Clinical Pathology
New study gives further hope that vitamin D can fight breast cancer
Vitamin D may help curb breast cancer
progression, according to a study published today in the Journal of
Clinical Pathology. The authors, from Imperial College London, measured
the levels of vitamin D in the blood serum of 279 women with invasive
breast cancer. The disease was in its early stages in 204 of the women,
and advanced in the remaining 75.
Contact: Laura Gallagher
L.Gallagher@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-46702
Imperial College London
Public Release: 16-Oct-2006
Optics Letters
Listening to the sound of skin cancer
Researchers at the University of
Missouri-Columbia can now detect the spread of skin cancer cells
through the blood by literally listening to their sound. The
unprecedented, minimally invasive technique causes melanoma cells to
emit noise, and could let oncologists spot early signs of metastases --
as few as 10 cancer cells in a blood sample -- before they even settle
in other organs.
Contact: Colleen Morrison
cmorri@osa.org
202-416-1437
Optical Society of America
Public Release: 16-Oct-2006
Physical Review C
Livermore scientists team with Russia to discover element 118
Scientists from the Chemistry,
Materials and Life Sciences Directorate at the Lawrence Livermore
National Laboratory, in collaboration with researchers from the Joint
Institute for Nuclear Research in Russia (JINR), have discovered the
newest superheavy element, element 118.
Contact: Anne Stark
stark8@llnl.gov
91-574-229-799
DOE/Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
October 17, 2006
Supercomputers Can't Mimic Nuke Blast
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Filed at 9:22 p.m. ET
While North Korea was testing a
nuclear bomb, France was verifying its nuclear arms, too -- with a
battalion of soundless, black, cabinet-sized calculators buried beneath
a meadow.
The world's established nuclear powers
have for the past decade foregone real test blasts for the onscreen
kind, harnessing the world's most powerful computers to simulate as
best as possible what happens when a nuclear bomb explodes.
So why should any nation test-blast
weapons anymore if supersimulators can do the job? Because, nuclear
experts say, it has turned out to be tougher than most people thought
to mimic the ''real thing.''
October 17, 2006
Personal Health
New Devices and Effective Options in Contraception
By JANE E. BRODY
Every year in the United States, six
million women become pregnant, and half of these pregnancies are
unplanned. More than three-fourths of teenage pregnancies and half of
the pregnancies among women approaching menopause are unexpected.
A shocking 60 percent of unplanned
pregnancies occur in women using contraception, and nearly half of
unplanned pregnancies end with an elective abortion. This should not be
happening in a country with such a wide variety of contraceptive
options. The safest and fastest way to reduce abortions and unwanted
births is to assure that every sexually active woman is always
protected by a contraceptive that suits her needs and health
circumstances, unless and until she chooses to become pregnant.
October 17, 2006
Prospects
When Advice on Diabetes Is Sound, but Ignored
By GINA KOLATA
Ask any diabetes specialist whether
people can protect themselves from Type 2 diabetes through diet and
exercise and the answer will be a resounding yes. It has been shown
three times, in studies in three countries, one of them the United
States.
Weight loss and exercise can do more
than just stave off diabetes, diabetes specialists will tell you. They
can result in lower blood pressure, lower levels of cholesterol, less
sleep apnea, more vigor and, in general, a better life.
But if you ask how likely it is that
people at high risk of diabetes will follow the advice to diet and
exercise, or about using a drug instead, you will get a different sort
of answer.
Cases
In the Game of Family Dynamics, Who Knows the Rules?
By KENT SEPKOWITZ, M.D.
Doctors often find themselves trapped
in the middle of a chronic family feud, innocent bystanders in a civil
war lasting decades. Although voyeurism can have its rewards, we
sometimes get a bit more than we bargained for. Families, after all,
play by a homegrown set of rules, an idiosyncratic code of conduct that
can confuse the rest of us.
Really?
The Claim: Microwave Ovens Kill Nutrients in Food
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: October 17, 2006
October 17, 2006
With a Product for Sudsing, Some Accidental Sipping
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
A household cleaning product that
researchers say looks and smells like a soft drink has been the cause
of more than 100 accidental ingestions, according to a study published
in the journal Pediatrics in August and presented Sunday at a
conference of the American College of Emergency Physicians.
October 17, 2006
Preschool Puberty, and a Search for the Causes
By DARSHAK M. SANGHAVI
Parents often think their children
grow up too quickly, but few are prepared for the problem that Dr.
Michael Dedekian and his colleagues at the University of Massachusetts
Medical School reported recently.
At the annual Pediatric Academic
Society meeting in May in San Francisco, they presented a report that
described how a preschool-age girl, and then her kindergarten-age
brother, mysteriously began growing pubic hair. These cases were not
isolated; in 2004, pediatric endocrinologists from San Diego reported a
similar cluster of five children.
'DNA computer' is unbeatable at tic-tac-toe
A
computer that uses strands of DNA to perform calculations has mastered
the simple game – the work may one day boost DNA sample analysis
10:35 17 October 2006
Two vaccines show promise against prion disease
The
treatments combated infectious prions in mice in different ways,
raising hopes of a cure for the deadly human version of "mad cow
disease"
Hope for cannabis-based drug for Alzheimer's
Old
rats with simulated Alzheimer's suffered less brain inflammation and
did better on a spatial memory task – but a human version of the drug
is far off
Professor finds more on web than in years on site
Catherine Clabby, Staff Writer
After 25 years of fieldwork abroad,
UNC-Chapel Hill archaeologist Scott Madry has dug up a new way to hunt
for ancient ruins -- without leaving home. Madry found more online in minutes than in years in France. Google Earth has free satellite maps
'Ecstasy' Linked To Survival Of Key Movement-related Cells In Brain
New research from the University of Cincinnati suggests that the
widely abused club drug "ecstasy," or MDMA, can increase the survival
of dopamine cells in the brain during fetal development. Because these
cells are critical in the regulation of voluntary movement, the
findings, the ... > full story
Public Release: 18-Oct-2006
Angewandte Chemie International
The smell of iron
The typical "metallic" smell which occurs when we touch iron objects
such as tools, utensils, railings or coins actually comes from a
bouquet of organic compounds, writes D. Glindemann (U Leipzig, Germany)
in a recent communication in the journal Angewandte Chemie.
National Science Foundation, Directorate for Engineering, UFZ Umweltforschungszentrum
Contact: Dietmar Glindemann
dglindem@vt.edu
49-345-687-9948
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Discovery Points to Our Fishy Heritage
When the scientists unearthed the primitive Gogo fossil, they could still open and close its mouth "like it died yesterday."
Public Release: 17-Oct-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A natural chemical found in strawberries boosts memory in healthy mice
Fisetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid commonly found in strawberries
and other fruits and vegetables, stimulates signaling pathways that
enhance long-term memory, report researchers at the Salk Institute for
Biological Studies in this week's online early edition of the
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Contact: Gina Kirchweger
kirchweger@salk.edu
858-453-4100 x1340
Salk Institute
Public Release: 18-Oct-2006
Clinical Cancer Research
Grape seed extract halts cell cycle, checking growth of colorectal tumors in mice
Chemicals found in grape seeds significantly inhibited growth of
colorectal tumors in both cell cultures and in mice, according to
researchers who have already demonstrated the extract's anti-cancer
effects in other tumor types.
NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Warren Froelich
froelich@aacr.org
215-440-9300
American Association for Cancer Research
Public Release: 18-Oct-2006
New England Journal of Medicine
Popular anti-aging supplement has no beneficial effects, Mayo Clinic study finds
A widely used anti-aging supplement has no effect on aging markers such
as muscle strength, peak endurance, muscle mass, fat mass and glucose
tolerance in elderly men and women, according to Mayo Clinic
researchers. The findings from their two-year study appear in the Oct.
19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Contact: John Murphy
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic
Public Release: 18-Oct-2006
Neurobiology of Disease
How brain injury leads to seizures, memory problems
Every 23 seconds, an American suffers a traumatic brain injury. In a
finding that may provide a scientific basis for eventual treatment,
neurology researchers have shown that traumatic brain injury (TBI)
reduces the level of a protein that helps keep brain activity in
balance. The resulting abnormal activity, in turn, is thought to be an
underlying reason for seizures and memory defects experienced by people
who have suffered a TBI.
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Contact: John Ascenzi
Ascenzi@email.chop.edu
267-426-6055
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Public Release: 18-Oct-2006
Program aims to make reading easier, more fun, for children in China
What could an English-speaking American reading expert hope to discover
from studying how Chinese learn their language? And what might he and
his colleagues have to offer as a result?
For one thing: A new program to make books and reading more fun for
Chinese children, and a publishing company started in order to produce
the materials and train teachers how to use them.
Spencer Foundation
Contact: Craig Chamberlain
cdchambe@uiuc.edu
217-333-2894
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Public Release: 18-Oct-2006
Nature
Earliest fungi may have found multiple solutions to propagation on land, new study infers
In the latest installment of a major international effort to probe the
origins of species, a team of scientists has reconstructed the early
evolution of fungi, the biological kingdom now believed to be animals'
closest relatives.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Monte Basgall
monte.basgall@duke.edu
919-681-8057
Duke University
Winners come last in the sperm wars
Males
of promiscuous species that wait until they are last in line to mate
may gain a sexual advantage by "parasitizing" the sperm of other males
17:51 19 October 2006
Gold mine holds life untouched by the Sun
Two miles down in a South African mine live the first known organisms to exist completely independently of the Sun, boosting chances of life on other planets
Public Release: 18-Oct-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Color names: More universal than you might think
From Abidji to English to Zapoteco, the perception and naming of color
is remarkably consistent in the world's languages. Across cultures,
people tend to classify hundreds of different chromatic colors into
eight distinct categories: red, green, yellow-or-orange, blue, purple,
brown, pink and grue (green-or-blue), say researchers in this week's
online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Contact: Delwin Lindsey
Lindsey.43@osu.edu
614-292-9535
Ohio State University
Public Release: 19-Oct-2006
Science
Science survey ranks top Biopharma employers
Genentech, Inc, of San Francisco, Calif., has earned top honors in a
ranking of the world's most respected biopharmaceutical employers. The
company has placed first each of the five years that Science has
carried out this survey.
Contact: Natasha Pinol
npinol@aaas.org
202-326-7088
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Public Release: 19-Oct-2006
Climatic Change
Expect a warmer, wetter world this century, computer models agree
Recent heat waves, long dry spells and heavy bursts of rain and snow
hint at longer-term changes to come, according to a new study based on
several advanced climate models. Much of the world will face
significant changes in extreme weather events by the end of this
century.
National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy, Environmental Protection Agency
Contact: David Hosansky
hosansky@ucar.edu
303-497-8611
National Center for Atmospheric Research/University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Public Release: 19-Oct-2006
Science
Research team identifies human 'memory gene'
Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen)
today announced the discovery of a gene that plays a significant role
in memory performance in humans. The study details how researchers
associated memory performance with a gene called Kibra in over 1,000
individuals -- both young and old -- from Switzerland and Arizona. This
study is the first to describe scanning the human genetic blueprint at
over 500,000 positions to identify cognitive differences between humans.
Contact: Galen Perry
gperry@tgen.org
602-343-8423
The Translational Genomics Research Institute
Public Release: 19-Oct-2006
Nature Genetics
In early embryos, cilia get the message across
How a perfectly symmetrical embryo settles on what's right and what's
left has fascinated developmental biologists for a long time. The
turning point came when the rotational beating of cilia, hair-like
structures found on most cells, was identified as essential to the
process. Now, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies
take a step back and illuminate the molecular process that regulates
formation of cilia in early fish embryos.
Contact: Gina Kirchweger
kirchweger@salk.edu
858-453-4100 x1340
Salk Institute
Public Release: 20-Oct-2006
International Journal of Cancer
High bread consumption is associated with increased risk of renal cell carcinoma
A case-control study of more than 2,300 Italians has found a
significant association between high bread consumption and renal cell
carcinoma. Eating a lot of pasta and rice may also raise the risk,
while eating many vegetables may lower the risk.
Contact: David Greenberg
dgreenbe@wiley.com
201-748-6484
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Researchers Developing Purple Tomatoes
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 20, 2006
Filed at 7:17 p.m. ET
SALEM, Ore. (AP) -- Oregon State University
researchers are fine-tuning a purple tomato, a new blend of colors and
nutrients. The skin is as dark as an eggplant. But it doesn't just look
cool, it could be better for you.
Biologists want to drop the word 'cloning'
Some
want to change the term "therapeutic cloning" to "somatic cell nuclear
transfer", to distinguish it from attempts to clone a human being
14:00 21 October 2006
Public Release: 22-Oct-2006
Geological Society of America 2006 Annual Meeting
Geological feature key to finding, protecting tombs
A 42-year-old method for finding water, monitoring pollution and
helping with tunneling may also be a way to locate and protect tombs in
the Valleys of the Kings and Queens and other burial sites in Egypt,
according to Penn State researchers.
Contact: A'ndrea Elyse Messer
aem1@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State
Domestication event: Why the donkey and not the zebra?
By Eric Hand
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT)
ST. LOUIS - A few years ago, Egyptologists found a new Pharaonic burial site more than 5,000 years old. They opened up a tomb.
"They're expecting to find nobles, the
highest courtiers," said Washington University archaeologist Fiona
Marshall. "And what do they find? Ten donkey skeletons."
Source: BioMed Central
Date: October 21, 2006
Brain Protein Improves Stroke Symptoms In Rats, Even When Injected After 3 Days
A protein naturally
occurring in the brain improves recovery from stroke when injected up to three
days after the onset of the stroke, and could be used as an effective stroke
drug.
Panda Bites Off Part of Woman's Thumb
By The Associated Press
posted: 20 October 2006
11:48 am ET
BEIJING (AP) ─ A panda cub bit
off part of the thumb of an American visitor who was feeding it at a
reserve in southwest China, state media said Thursday.
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