Public Release: 26-Feb-2007
Archives of Internal Medicine Stanford
study drives stake through claims that garlic lowers cholesterol levels When it comes to
lowering cholesterol levels, garlic stinks, according to a new study
from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Contact: Susan Ipaktchian susani@stanford.edu
650-725-5375 Stanford
University Medical Center Public Release: 26-Feb-2007
PLoS Medicine Aspirin
reduces esophageal-cancer risk in people with most-aggressive form of
Barrett's esophagus
People with the most-aggressive form of Barrett's esophagus, a
precancerous condition that can lead to esophageal cancer, may benefit
the most from preventive therapy with aspirin and other NSAIDs.
National Institutes of Health, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Contact: Kristen Lidke Woodward kwoodwar@fhcrc.org
206-667-5095 Fred Hutchinson Cancer
Research Center Public Release: 26-Feb-2007
PLoS Medicine Opening windows may
be the best way of preventing transmission of airborne infection
Opening windows may be the best way of preventing transmission of
airborne infection. A study of eight hospitals in Peru has shown that
opening windows and doors provided ventilation more than double that of
mechanically ventilated negative-pressure rooms and 18 times that of
rooms with windows and doors closed.
Contact: Andrew Hyde press@plos.org
44-122-346-3330 Public Library of Science Public Release: 26-Feb-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early
Europeans unable to stomach milk
The first direct evidence that early Europeans were unable to digest
milk has been found by scientists at UCL (University College London)
and Mainz University.
Contact: Alex Brew a.brew@ucl.ac.uk
44-020-767-99726 University College London Public Release: 26-Feb-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences The
influence of the menstrual cycle on the female brain
French CNRS researcher, with NIH, has identified the influence
variation in the estrogen cycle has on the female brain. For the first
time, scientists have identified the neural networks involved in
processing reward-related functions modulated by female gonadal steroid
hormones. This was published on the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences USA Web site Jan. 29, 2007.
CNRS, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Monica McCarthy monica.mccarthy@cnrs-dir.fr
33-196-445-191 CNRSPublic
Release: 26-Feb-2007
Journal of Food Engineering Manual
dishwashing study digs up dirt on dish cleanliness
New research answers an infectious question about eating at
restaurants: How clean are manually washed dishes? They found that even
when they washed dishes in cooler-than-recommended water, numbers of
bacteria on the dishware dropped to levels accepted in the Food and
Drug Administration's Food Code. They also found that certain foods --
especially cheese and milk -- can be safe havens for bacteria when
dried onto dishware. Lipstick, however, proved to be dangerous to
bacteria.
Center for Innovative Food Technologies, US Department of Agriculture
Contact: Melvin Pascall pascall.1@osu.edu
614-292-6281 Ohio State
University Public Release: 26-Feb-2007
Journal of General Internal Medicine Usefulness
of cardiovascular disease test questioned
Dartmouth/VA researchers show that adding CRP testing to routine
assessments would increase the number of Americans eligible for
cholesterol-lowering treatment by about two million if used
judiciously, and by over 25 million if used broadly -- with most of
these people being at low risk for heart attacks or heart disease.
Contact: Genevieve Haas genevieve.haas@dartmouth.edu
603-646-3661 Dartmouth College Public Release: 26-Feb-2007
Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association Gene therapy shows promise as treatment
for diseased limbs
New research suggests that gene therapy is a safe treatment method to
explore in patients whose lower limbs are at risk for amputation
because of poor circulation caused by blocked blood vessels.
Genzyme Corp.
Contact: Emily Caldwell emily.caldwell@osumc.edu
614-293-3737 Ohio State
University Medical Center Public Release: 26-Feb-2007
Behavioral Genetics Genes and genius: Researchers confirm
association between gene and intelligence
A team of scientists, led by psychiatric geneticists at Washington
University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has gathered the most
extensive evidence to date that a gene that activates signaling
pathways in the brain influences one kind of intelligence. They have
confirmed a link between the gene, CHRM2, and performance IQ.
NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH/National
Institute on Drug Abuse
Contact: Jim Dryden jdryden@wustl.edu
314-286-0110 Washington University
School of Medicine Public Release: 26-Feb-2007 New
UD technology removes viruses from drinking water
University of Delaware researchers have developed an inexpensive,
nonchlorine-based technology that can remove harmful microorganisms,
including viruses, from drinking water.
UD's patented technology, developed jointly by researchers in the
College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and the College of
Engineering, incorporates highly reactive iron in the filtering process
to deliver a chemical "knock-out punch" to a host of notorious
pathogens, from E. coli to rotavirus.
Contact: Tracey Bryant tbryant@udel.edu
302-831-8185 University of Delaware
Generously
proportioned males may enjoy an evolutionary advantage over their less
well-endowed competitors - in certain rodents, anyway
11:00 26 February 2007
Study Points to Genetics in
Disparities in Preterm Births Dilip Vishwanat for
The New York Times
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: February 27, 2007 Black women
have significantly
higher rates of premature birth than white women, and a new study
suggests there may be underlying genetic factors even when other known
risks are taken into account.
Cases A Mystery Ailment, but Not for
the Right Doctor By CLAIRE
PANOSIAN DUNAVAN, M.D.
Published: February 27, 2007 This is the story of a
sore foot. In
the annals of illness, a sore foot is a humble woe unless it is your
foot, and if searching out its cause has led you nowhere.
Personal
Health A Mix of Medicines That Can Be
Lethal By JANE E. BRODY
Published: February 27, 2007 The death of
Libby Zion, an
18-year-old college student, in a New York hospital on March 5, 1984,
led to a highly publicized court battle and created a cause ce'le`bre
over the lack of supervision of inexperienced and overworked young
doctors. But only much later did experts zero in on the preventable
disorder that apparently led to Ms. Zion’s death: a form of
drug
poisoning called serotonin syndrome. Really? The
Claim: Duct Tape Removes Warts
By ANAHAD O’CONNORPublished:
February 27, 2007
A small study in 2002 gave credence to an old remedy for an
ugly
problem when it stated that duct tape was a highly effective treatment
for warts. It
Seems the Fertility Clock Ticks for Men, Too By RONI RABIN Mounting evidence is
suggesting that as men get older, they face an increased risk of
fathering children with abnormalities.
A
simple, inexpensive and surprisingly powerful
combination of treatments all but wiped out malaria in a group of
H.I.V.-positive children in a study, scientists are reporting.
Stephen Hawking, the
British cosmologist, is to take
a zero-gravity ride out of Cape Canaveral on a so-called vomit comet,
offering him a chance to get away from his wheelchair. Public Release: 27-Feb-2007
PLoS ONE New
DNA study helps explain unique diversity among Melanesians
Small populations of Melanesians -- among the most genetically diverse
people on the planet -- have significant differences in their
mitochondrial DNA that can be linked to where they live, the size of
their home island and the language they speak.
National Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation for Anthropological
Research, National Geographic Society Exploration Fund, Penn Faculty
Research Fund
Contact: Preston M. Moretz pmoretz@temple.edu
215-204-7476 Temple University Public Release: 27-Feb-2007
JAMA Use
of some antioxidant supplements may increase mortality risk
Contradicting claims of disease prevention, an analysis of previous
studies indicates that the antioxidant supplements beta carotene,
vitamin A and vitamin E may increase the risk of death, according to a
meta-analysis and review article in the Feb. 28 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Goran Bjelakovic, M.D. goranb@junis.ni.ac.yu JAMA and Archives
Journals Public Release: 27-Feb-2007
Human Reproduction Eating
ice cream may help women to conceive, but low-fat dairy foods may
increase infertility risk
Drinking whole fat milk and eating ice cream appears to be better for
women trying to become pregnant than a diet consisting of low-fat dairy
products such as skim milk and yogurt, according to new research
published in Human Reproduction journal. Researchers in the United
States have found a link between a low-fat dairy diet and increased
risk of anovulatory infertility.
Contact: Emma Mason wordmason@mac.com
44-077-112-96986 European Society for Human
Reproduction and Embryology Public Release: 27-Feb-2007 Innovative
treatment for migraines combines Botox and surgery
Five years ago, Sharon Schafer Bennett suffered from migraines so
severe that the headaches disrupted her life, kept her from seeking a
job and interfered with participation in her children's daily
activities.
Contact: Donna Steph Hansard donna.hansard@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404 UT Southwestern Medical
Center Public Release: 27-Feb-2007
Nature Neuroscience Brain
works more chaotically than previously thought
The brain appears to process information more chaotically than has long
been assumed. This is demonstrated by a new study conducted by
scientists at the University of Bonn.
Contact: PD Dr. Dirk Dietrich dirk.dietrich@ukb.uni-bonn.de
49-228-287-19224 University of Bonn Public Release: 27-Feb-2007
Journal of Nutrition Vitamin
D deficiency widespread during pregnancy
Even regular use of prenatal multivitamin supplements is not adequate
to prevent vitamin D insufficiency, a condition that is linked to
rickets and other musculoskeletal and health complications and found to
be widespread among women during pregnancy, particularly in the
northern latitudes, University of Pittsburgh researchers report in the
current issue of the Journal of Nutrition, the publication of the
American Society for Nutrition.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Michele Baum BaumMD@upmc.edu
412-647-3555 University
of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences Ancient
Egypt Meds: Prayer, Laxatives Jennifer
Viegas, Discovery News "Feeling irregular?"
might have been a common question in ancient Egypt, since laxatives
appear to have dominated their pharmaceuticals, suggests ongoing
research on medicine in the time of the Pharaohs. Tooth implant
'to release drugs'
The artificial tooth will contain a reservoir which will release the
drug
Forgetting to take medicine may be a thing of the past as researchers
close in on creating an artificial tooth which automatically releases
medicine.
Scientists probe 'hole in Earth' Scientists
are to sail to the mid-Atlantic to examine a massive "open wound" on
the Earth's surface. Dr Chris MacLeod, from
Cardiff University, said the Earth's crust appeared to be completely
missing in an area thousands of kilometres across. Public Release: 27-Feb-2007
The Plant Journal Nectar is not a simple soft drink The sugar-containing
nectar secreted by plants and consumed by
pollinators shares a number of similarities to fitness drinks,
including ingredients such as amino acids and vitamins. In addition to
these components, nectar can also contain secondary metabolites such as
the alkaloid nicotine and other toxic compounds. Scientists recently
addressed the question, why would plants risk poisoning the insects and
birds that provide pollination services?
Contact: Lucy Mansfield lucy.mansfield@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com
44-186-547-6241 Blackwell
Publishing Ltd.] Public Release: 27-Feb-2007
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry Unique tomatoes tops
in disease-fighting antioxidants Deep red tomatoes get
their rich color from lycopene, a
disease-fighting antioxidant. A new study, however, suggests that a
special variety of orange-colored tomatoes provide a different form of
lycopene, one that our bodies may more readily use. Researchers found
that eating spaghetti covered in sauce made from these orange tomatoes,
called Tangerine tomatoes, caused a noticeable boost in this form of
lycopene in participants' blood.
US Department of Agriculture, National Center of Research Resources,
National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Steven Schwartz Schwartz.177@osu.edu
614-292-2934 Ohio State
University Public Release: 27-Feb-2007
NeuroImage Brain maps online Digital atlases of the
brains of humans, monkeys, dogs, cats, mice,
birds and other animals have been created and posted online by
researchers at the UC Davis Center for Neuroscience.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Andy Fell ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533 University of California
- Davis Public Release: 28-Feb-2007
Nature Manchester physicists pioneer new
super-thin technology Researchers have used the
world's thinnest material to create a new
type of technology, which could be used to make super-fast electronic
components and speed up the development of drugs.
Contact: Alex Waddington alex.waddington@manchester.ac.uk
44-161-306-3983 University of
Manchester Public Release: 28-Feb-2007
American Scientist University of Nevada scientists gauge
earthquake hazards through study of precariously balanced rocks An exhaustive study by
Nevada research team pinpoints several causes and indications of
seismic threat in the West.
Contact: John Trent jtrent@unr.edu
775-784-4959 University of Nevada, Reno Public Release: 28-Feb-2007
Journal of Experimental Psychology: General Research
on the color red shows definite impact on achievement
The color red can affect how people function: Red means danger and
commands us to stop in traffic. Researchers at the University of
Rochester have now found that red also can keep us from performing our
best on tests.
Contact: Sharon Dickman sharon.dickman@rochester.edu
585-275-4128 University of Rochester Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
Clinical Cancer Research Green
tea and COX-2 inhibitors combine to slow growth of prostate cancer
Drinking a nice warm cup of green tea has long been touted for its
healthful benefits, both real and anecdotal. But now researchers have
found that a component of green tea, combined with low doses of a COX-2
inhibitor, could slow the spread of human prostate cancer.
NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Greg Lester lester@aacr.org
267-646-0554 American Association for
Cancer Research
Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
Clinical Cancer Research Researchers
wake up viruses inside tumors to image and then destroy cancers
Researchers have found a way to activate Epstein-Barr viruses inside
tumors as a way to identify patients whose infection can then be
manipulated to destroy their tumors. They say this strategy could offer
a novel way of treating many cancers associated with Epstein-Barr,
including at least four different types of lymphoma and nasopharyngeal
and gastric cancers.
NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Greg Lester lester@aacr.org
267-646-0554 American Association for
Cancer Research Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
British Journal of Sports Medicine Sweat
may pass on hepatitis B in contact sports
Sweat may be another way to pass on hepatitis B infection during
contact sports, suggests research published ahead of print in the
British Journal of Sports Medicine. Hepatitis B virus attacks the liver
and can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver,
liver cancer, liver failure and death.
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529 BMJ Specialty Journals Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
Journal of Medical Ethics Universal
rules needed for medics responding to calls for help in public
Universal rules are needed for doctors playing the "Good Samaritan" to
members of the public who fall ill outside hospital, says an
experienced medic. Dr Rubin is a paediatrician by training, who has
responded to some two dozen pleas over the past 25 years to help a
member of the public who sustained injuries or became critically ill.
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529 BMJ Specialty Journals Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
British Medical Journal Using
morphine to hasten death is a myth, says doctor
Using morphine to end a person's life is a myth, argues a senior doctor
in a letter to this week's BMJ.
It follows the case of Kelly Taylor, a terminally ill woman who went to
court earlier this month for the right to be sedated into
unconsciousness by morphine, even though it will hasten her death.
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529 BMJ-British Medical Journal Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
Operations Research Murder
and the operations researcher
The criminal justice system, often the subject of political
controversy, gains major insights from the unbiased analytical tools
that operations researchers introduced beginning with the President's
Crime Commission in the 1960s, according to a career retrospective by
the winner of the Stockholm Prize in Criminology.
Contact: Barry List barry.list@informs.org
443-757-3560 Institute for Operations
Research and the Management Sciences Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
Psychological Science Goooal!New study showsgoalie may influencedirection of penaltykick in soccer
New study in Psychological Science finds that penalty takers are more
likely to direct the football to the side with more space.
Contact: Rich Masters mastersr@hku.edu Association
for Psychological Science Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
Science Peruvian
citadel is site of earliest ancient solar observatory in the Americas
Archeologists from Yale and the University of Leicester have identified
an ancient solar observatory at Chankillo, Peru, as the oldest in the
Americas with alignments covering the entire solar year, according to
an article in the March 2 issue of Science.
Yale University, Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru,
National
Science Foundation, Wenner-Gren Foundation, Field Museum, Schwerin
Foundation, Earthwatch Institute, Asociación Cultural
Peruano Británica
in Lima, Peru
Contact: Janet Rettig Emanuel janet.emanuel@yale.edu
203-432-2157 Yale University
Public Release: 1-Mar-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Size
of brain areas does matter -- but bigger isn't necessarily better
The ability to hit a baseball or play a piano well is part practice and
part innate talent. One side of the equation required for skilled
performances has its roots in the architecture of the brain genetically
determined before birth, say scientists at the Salk Institute for
Biological Studies. Practice takes no explaining, just persistence.
Contact: Gina Kirchweger Kirchweger@salk.edu
858-453-4100 x1340 Salk Institute Public Release: 2-Mar-2007
AHA's 47th Annual Conference on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology and
Prevention
Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association Whole-grain
breakfast cereal associated with reduced heart failure risk
Eating whole-grain breakfast cereals seven or more times per week was
associated with a lower risk of heart failure, according to an analysis
of the observational Physicians' Health Study.
NIH/National Cancer Institute, NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood
Institute
Contact: Karen Astle karen.astle@heart.org
214-706-1392 American Heart
Association
Second-born twin faces doubled risk of death Birth complications leave the second
twin at a much higher risk during and immediately after birth - planned
caesareans may help avoid the problem
11:11 02 March 2007
Public Release: 2-Mar-2007
New England Journal of Medicine New medical finding: Treatment for gum disease could also help the heart
Scientists at University College London (UCL) have conducted the first
clinical trial to demonstrate that an intensive treatment for
periodontitis (gum disease) directly improves the health of blood
vessels. This study, conducted in conjunction with Professor Maurizio
Tonetti (University of Connecticut, USA), and reported in the latest
edition of the New England Journal of Medicine, may have relevance for
the prevention of heart attacks and stroke.
Contact: Ruth Metcalfe r.metcalfe@ucl.ac.uk University College London Public Release: 2-Mar-2007
British Journal of Psychiatry Antidepressants improve post-stroke 'thinking outside the box'
Antidepressant treatment appears to help stroke survivors with the kind
of complex mental abilities often referred to as "thinking outside the
box," according to a University of Iowa study.
The antidepressants' effects on study participants' abilities were
independent of any changes in depression. In addition, the improvements
in complex mental abilities were not seen immediately but during the
course of 21 months after the treatment ended.
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
Contact: Becky Soglin becky-soglin@uiowa.edu
319-335-6660 University of Iowa Spiky oddball prowled ocean half billion years ago By Will Dunham
WASHINGTON (Reuters) A spectacularly quirky
creature with long, curved spines protruding from its armored body
prowled the ocean floor half a billion years ago near the dawn of
complex life forms on Earth
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