Public Release: 6-Nov-2006 'LouseBuster' instrument shown to kill head lice
Biologists have invented a chemical-free, hairdryer-like device -- the
LouseBuster -- and conducted a study showing it eradicates head lice
infestations on children by exterminating the eggs, or "nits," and
killing enough lice to prevent them from reproducing.
Contact: Cheryl Dybas cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734 National Science Foundation Public Release: 6-Nov-2006
48th Annual ASTRO Scientific Meeting Prostate cancer less likely to spread when treated with higher dose of radiation
New research suggests that men with prostate cancer who choose
radiation therapy should seek treatment centers that will offer
high-dose radiation. A new study from Fox Chase Cancer Center finds
that higher doses of radiation greatly reduces the risk that the cancer
will spread later -- even eight to 10 years after treatment.
Contact: Karen Mallet karen.mallet@fccc.edu
215-728-2700 Fox Chase Cancer Center Public Release: 6-Nov-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Natural compounds block autoimmune response in diabetes, arthritis
Natural compounds derived from a sea anemone extract and a shrub plant
have been found to block the autoimmune disease response in type 1
diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, according to University of
California, Irvine researchers.
National Institutes of Health, American Diabetes Association, Juvenile
Diabetes Research Foundation, National Multiple Sclerosis Society,
Arthritis National Research Foundation, David Israelsky
Contact: Tom Vasich tmvasich@uci.edu
949-824-6455 University of California - Irvine Public Release: 6-Nov-2006
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Early Earth haze may have spurred life, says University of Colorado study
Hazy skies on early Earth could have provided a substantial source of
organic material useful for emerging life on the planet, according to a
new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder.
NASA
Contact: Margaret Tolbert margaret.tolbert@colorado.edu
303-492-3179 University of Colorado at Boulder Public Release: 6-Nov-2006 UCLA engineers develop revolutionary nanotech water desalination membrane
Researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied
Science today announced they have developed a new reverse osmosis
membrane that promises to reduce the cost of seawater desalination and
wastewater reclamation.
Contact: Melissa Abraham mabraham@support.ucla.edu
310-206-0540 University of California - Los Angeles Public Release: 6-Nov-2006 Dried plums act as antioxidant in some meats
To help satisfy consumer demand for more natural food products,
researchers at Texas A&M University are investigating dried plums
as a meat preservative. They are finding that dried plums, when pureed,
have a good antioxidant capacity.
California Dried Plum Board
Contact: Dr. Jimmy Keeton jkeeton@tamu.edu
979-845-3975 Texas A&M University - Agricultural Communications Germs Never Sleep By ALLEN SALKIN
Published: November 5, 2006 SIMON SASSOON saw the future in a
dream. Mr. Sassoon, a former watch designer, dreamed he was standing in
a women’s public restroom, which his hygiene-conscious girlfriend
had just left. Attached to the door above the knob was a white plastic
box. To Prevent Amputations, Doctors Call for Aggressive Care By ELIZABETH SVOBODA
Published: November 7, 2006 About 1.8 million Americans have had
amputations; every year, more than 100,000 non-accident-related,
lower-limb amputations are performed in the United States. The high
numbers have prompted the medical community to debate whether most foot
and leg amputations can be prevented ― and, if so, how.
A preliminary mouse study suggests that the radioimmunotherapy used to treat cancer patients might also work against HIV
12:42 07 November 2006
Public Release: 7-Nov-2006
Psychological Science Children show strong preference for those smiled on by fate
Children as young as five to seven years of age prefer lucky
individuals over the less fortunate, according to new research by
psychologists at Harvard University and Stanford University. This
phenomenon, the researchers say, could clarify the origins of human
attitudes toward differing social groups and help explain the
persistence of social inequality.
National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Beinecke Scholarship at Harvard, Third Millennium Foundation
Contact: Steve Bradt steve_bradt@harvard.edu
617-496-8070 Harvard University Public Release: 7-Nov-2006
Behavioural Brain Research Antioxidants: New kid on the block for pain relief?
Antioxidant-based pain killers may one day become a viable alternative
to addictive medications such as morphine. Researchers found that
synthetic antioxidants practically eradicated pain-like behavior in
nearly three-quarters of mice with inflamed hind paws. "When it comes
to pain killers, there aren't many choices between over-the-counter
pain relievers like ibuprofen and aspirin and prescription opiates like
morphine."
Columbus Medical Research Foundation, TUBITAK
Contact: Robert Stephens stephens.6@osu.edu
614-292-4706 Ohio State University Public Release: 7-Nov-2006 An old discovery could boost ethanol production from plant fiber
A discovery some 40 years ago is showing promise as a chemical
pre-treatment that breaks down plant fiber. That could release the
simple sugars in corn stalks or switchgrass so they can be fermented
into ethanol. And that could add value to Iowa's crops or the fibrous
co-products of ethanol production.
US Department of Energy, Midwest Consortium for Biobased Products and Bioenergy
Contact: John Verkade jverkade@iastate.edu
515-294-5023 Iowa State University Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
Neuron
Evidence that subliminal is not so 'sub'
The popular notion of subliminal information is that it streams into an
unguarded mind, unchecked and unprocessed. However, neurobiologists'
experiments are now revealing that the brain does consciously process
subliminal information and that such processing influences how that
subliminal information is perceived.
Nakayama Foundation for Human Sciences, Japan Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology
Contact: Heidi Hardman hhardman@cell.com
617-397-2879 Cell Press Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
New England Journal of Medicine A 20-year study finds no association between low-carb diets and risk of coronary heart disease
In the first study to look at the long-term effects of low-carbohydrate
diets, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH)
found no evidence of an association between low-carb diets and an
increased risk of CHD in women.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Todd Datz tdatz@hsph.harvard.edu
617-432-3952 Harvard School of Public Health Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
Nature
Transplanted photoreceptor precursor cells restore visual function in mice with retinal degeneration
Scientists have successfully transplanted light-sensing cells called
photoreceptors directly into the eyes of mice and restored their visual
function. The achievement is based on a novel technology in which the
cells are introduced at a particular stage in their development. The
experiment has potential implications for human eye diseases that dim
the sight of millions of people.
National Institutes of Health, Foundation Fighting Blindness, Sramek Foundation, Research to Prevent Blindness
Contact: Betsy Nisbet bsnisbet@umich.edu
734-647-5586 University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
Nature Moon's escaping gasses expose fresh surface
A fresh look at Apollo-era images combined with recent spectral data
leads researchers to re-examine conventional wisdom. Several lines of
evidence suggest that the moon may have seen eruptions of interior
gasses as recently as one million years ago, rather than three billion
years ago -- the date that has been most widely accepted.
NASA
Contact: Martha Downs martha_downs@brown.edu
401-863-2752 Brown University Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium
Enzyme inhibitor produces stable disease in patients with advanced solid cell cancers
Preliminary trials of a MEK enzyme inhibitor have shown that it is
capable of producing long-lasting stable disease in patients with
advanced solid cancers. Tests showed that the drug inhibited key
targets in the patients' tumours, and now it is being tested in phase
II clinical trials according to research presented at the 18th
EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics
in Prague.
Array BioPharma, AstraZeneca
Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com
44-077-112-96986 European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
Nature Why our shifty eyes don't drive us crazy
Our eyes are constantly making saccades, or little jumps. Yet the world
appears to us as a smooth whole. Somehow, the brain's visual system
"knows" where the eyes are about to move and is able to adjust for that
movement. In a paper published online this week in Nature, researchers
at the University of Pittsburgh and the National Eye Institute for the
first time provide a circuit-level explanation as to why.
NIH/National Eye Institute
Contact: Karen Hoffmann klh52@pitt.edu
412-624-4356 University of Pittsburgh Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
Nature
Tarantula venom and chili peppers target same pain sensor
Venom from a West Indian tarantula has been shown to cause pain by
exciting the same nerve cells in mice that sense high temperatures and
the hot, spicy ingredient in chili peppers, UCSF scientists have
discovered.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Wallace Ravven wravven@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557 University of California - San Francisco Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
Journal of Internal Medicine
10 million people a year are affected by zoonotic viruses spread by non-human hosts
An estimated 50 million people were affected by zoonotics diseases,
including H5N1 (bird flu), SARS and Rabies, between 2000 and 2005 and
up to 78,000 died. No effective vaccines exist for the most common
diseases. And the Dengue virus, which caused about a third of the
deaths is experiencing a global resurgence. Zoonotic diseases can
become serious killers if they adapt to human to human transmission --
HIV and Measles are two examples.
Contact: Annette Whibley wizard.media@virgin.net Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Fizzy drinks increase risk of pancreatic cancer
The high consumption of sweetened food and drink increases the risk of
developing pancreatic cancer, according to a new study from Karolinska
Institutet. A heavy intake of fizzy drinks, creamed fruit and sugar in
coffee are three common ways of increasing the risk.
Contact: Katarina Sternudd katarina.sternudd@ki.se
46-852-483-895 Karolinska Institutet Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
Social Neuroscience
Social exclusion changes brain function and can lead to poor decision-making
In new research, reported in the current online issue of the journal
Social Neuroscience, researchers from the University of Georgia and San
Diego State University report for the first time that social exclusion
actually causes changes in a person's brain function and can lead to
poor decision-making and a diminished learning ability.
University of Georgia Research Foundation
Contact: Philip Lee Williams phil@franklin.uga.edu
706-542-8501 University of Georgia Public Release: 8-Nov-2006
Boston University Conference on Language Development Traditional books provide more positive parent-child interaction
Parents and pre-school children have a more positive interaction when
sharing a reading experience with a traditional book as opposed to an
electronic book or e-book, according researchers at Temple University's
Infant Laboratory and Erikson Institute in Chicago. This shared
positive experience from traditional books characteristically promotes
early literacy skills.
Contact: Preston M. Moretz pmoretz@temple.edu
215-204-7476 Temple University
Could our big brains come from Neanderthals?
Tue Nov 7, 6:07 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters)
Neanderthals may have given the modern
humans who replaced them a priceless gift -- a gene that helped them
develop superior brains, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday.
A study in Malawi shows that chloroquine has once again become effective against the mosquito-borne parasite
22:00 08 November 2006
Public Release: 9-Nov-2006
Science Sea urchin genome is a biology boon and a computational feat
Now that the entire DNA map of the sea urchin is complete, it's clear
that these spiny sea creatures are even closer genetic cousins to
humans than suspected. Brown University professors Gary Wessel and
Sorin Istrail helped reveal the secrets of the urchin -- from its
powerful immune system to its formidable gene regulatory network -- by
identifying individual genes and creating the first high-resolution map
of genes activated in its embryo. The work appears on the cover of
Science.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Brown University
Contact: Wendy Lawton Wendy_Lawton@brown.edu
401-863-1862 Brown University Public Release: 9-Nov-2006
18th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium
Scientists harness diptheria toxin and interleukin 2 to help the immune system attack melanoma
Researchers investigating ways of prompting the immune system to
recognize and kill tumor cells have found that a drug containing parts
of the diptheria toxin appears to work well in patients with advanced
melanoma, according to research presented at the 18th EORTC-NCI-AACR
Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics on Thursday.
Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com
44-077-112-96986 European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Public Release: 9-Nov-2006
American Mineralogist
Selecting life: Scientists find new way to search for origin of life
Over the last half century, researchers have found that mineral
surfaces may have played critical roles activating molecules that would
become essential ingredients to life. Identifying which
biomolecule/mineral surface pairs, however, has stumped scientists for
years because of countless possible combinations. Now a team of
researchers, led by Robert Hazen of the Carnegie Institution's
Geophysical Laboratory, has developed new protocols and procedures for
adapting DNA microarray technology to rapidly identify promising
molecule/mineral pairs.
National Science Foundation, NASA Astrobiology Institute, Carnegie Institution
Contact: Robert Hazen rhazen@gl.ciw.edu
202-478-8962 Carnegie Institution Public Release: 9-Nov-2006
Archives of Internal Medicine Seven-point system gauges seriousness of heart failure in elderly
A simple points system may soon help guide treatment of elderly heart
failure patients. Researchers at Washington University School of
Medicine in St. Louis found that by counting how many of seven
easy-to-obtain health factors a patient has, physicians can estimate
the patient's risk of dying.
Washington University School of Medicine Mentors in Medicine Program, NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Contact: Gwen Ericson ericsong@wustl.edu
314-286-0141 Washington University School of Medicine Public Release: 10-Nov-2006
Nature Neuroscience Mysterious 'neural noise' actually primes brain for peak performance
Researchers at the University of Rochester may have answered one of
neuroscience's most vexing questions -- how can it be that our neurons,
which are responsible for our crystal-clear thoughts, seem to fire in
utterly random ways?
Contact: Jonathan Sherwood jonathan.sherwood@rochester.edu
585-273-4726 University of Rochester Public Release: 10-Nov-2006 UVa finds 'Alzheimer's gene' protects children from severe diarrhea
Researchers at the University of Virginia School of Medicine and
Federal University of Ceará in Brazil have joined forces to study if
the gene believed to contribute to Alzheimer's protects children from
the developmental stresses of early childhood diarrhea.
NIH/National Institute of Child and Human Development
Contact: David Foreman davidforeman@virginia.edu
434-924-2242 University of Virginia Health System
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