12:24 23 March 2007
Public Release: 22-Mar-2007
Experimental Eye Research
Scientists discover zinc link to a leading cause of blindness
Scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston and
Neurobiotex Inc. have found high levels of zinc in amyloid plaque
deposits in the eye that are an indication of age-related macular
degeneration (AMD). The discovery marks an additional similarity
between AMD plaques and those seen in Alzheimer's disease and could
facilitate the development of effective treatments for AMD.
Contact: Jim Kelly
jpkelly@utmb.edu
409-772-8791
University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston
Public Release: 22-Mar-2007
New study says women and their managers differ on career advancement in chemical companies
During this Women's History Month, the National Science Foundation has
released a report called "It's Elemental," the results of a three-year
study of women's careers in the chemical industry. The first study of
its kind, the findings reveal that women and their managers have
differing attitudes and perceptions about career advancement.
Contact: Dana Topousis
dtopousi@nsf.gov
703-292-7750
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 22-Mar-2007
Natural polyester makes new sutures stronger, safer
With the help of a new type of suture based on MIT research, patients
who get stitches may never need to have them removed.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Elizabeth Thomson
thomson@mit.edu
617-258-5402
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Public Release: 22-Mar-2007
American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
MIT brace aids stroke recovery
At age 32, Maggie Fermental suffered a stroke that left her right side
paralyzed. After a year and a half of conventional therapy with minimal
results, she tried a new kind of robotic therapy developed by MIT
engineers. A study to appear in the April 2007 issue of the American
Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation shows that the
device, which helped Fermental, also had positive results for five
other severe stroke patients in a pilot clinical trial.
MIT's Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation
Contact: Elizabeth Thomson
thomson@mit.edu
617-258-5402
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Public Release: 22-Mar-2007
Could estriol be the elixir for MS?
This month a UCLA researcher begins a widespread clinical trial of the
female sex hormone estriol, produced during pregnancy, which she's
shown sharply reduces the symptoms of multiple sclerosis.
Southern California Chapter of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society
Contact: Mark Wheeler
mwheeler@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2265
University of California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 23-Mar-2007
Geology
New evidence puts 'Snowball Earth' theory out in the cold
The theory that Earth once underwent a prolonged time of extreme global
freezing has been dealt a blow by new evidence that periods of warmth
occurred during this so-called "Snowball Earth" era.
Contact: Abigail Smith
abigail.smith@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-46701
Imperial College London
Public Release: 23-Mar-2007
Nature
Chemists strike gold with new gold catalysts
Few people look beyond gold's glitter and rarity, but chemists have
found that its chemical properties are just as interesting, making it a
unique catalyst for producing unusual organic molecules. UC Berkeley's
Dean Toste, a leader in the area of gold catalysis, attributes these
properties to relativistic effects in the gold atom, the same effects
that give gold its yellow luster.
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley
Public Release: 23-Mar-2007
Sex in the 1700s
Prostitutes, perversions and public scandals -- the stuff of the 21st
century tabloids was familiar to readers three centuries earlier,
according to new research from the University of Leeds.
Contact: Simon Jenkins
s.jenkins@leeds.ac.uk
44-011-334-35764
University of Leeds
Public Release: 23-Mar-2007
International Association for Dental Research
Journal of Bacteriology
'Ancestral eve' was mother of all tooth decay
Researchers at NYU College of Dentistry have found the first oral
bacterial evidence supporting the dispersal of modern Homo sapiens out
of Africa to Asia. Dr. Page Caufield discovered that Streptoccocus
mutans, a bacterium associated with dental caries, has evolved along
with its human hosts in a clear line that can be traced back to a
single common ancestor who lived in Africa between 100,000 and 200,000
years ago.
Contact: Christopher James
christopher.james@nyu.edu
212-998-6876
New York University
Public Release: 23-Mar-2007
International Association for Dental Research
Bacteria from patient's dental plaque causes ventilator-associated pneumonia
Patients admitted to a hospital's intensive care unit already are
seriously ill, so the last thing they need is a new infection.
Unfortunately, statistics show that as many as 25 percent of all
patients admitted to the ICU and placed on ventilators develop
pneumonia, which can be fatal. Ironically, it turns out that the
patient’s own dental plaque is a major source of germs that cause
ventilator-associated pneumonia.
NIH/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Contact: Lois Baker
ljbaker@buffalo.edu
716-645-5000 x1417
University at Buffalo
New map proves Cook didn't discover Australia
March 21 2007 at 12:56PM
By Michael Perry
A 16th century maritime map in
a Los Angeles library vault proves that Portuguese adventurers, not
British or Dutch, were the first Europeans to discover Australia, says
a new book which details the secret discovery of Australia.
Public Release: 25-Mar-2007
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
Organic is healthier: Kiwis prove that green is good
Scientists have proven that organically grown kiwifruit contain
significantly increased levels of health-promoting polyphenols. They
also had a higher overall antioxidant activity, as well as higher
levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and important minerals compared
with their conventionally grown counterparts.
Also, compounds in grapefruit and oranges have been shown to lower
blood cholesterol, which could help prevent heart disease.
Contact: SCI Press Office
press@soci.org
44-079-313-15077
Society of Chemical Industry
Public Release: 25-Mar-2007
Meat and two neutrons -- the key to a longer life
Eating meat enhanced with isotopes could add as much as 10 years to
your life. Scientists have shown for the first time that food enriched
with natural isotopes builds bodily components that are more resistant
to the processes of aging. The concept has been demonstrated in worms
and researchers hope that the same concept can help extend human life
and reduce the risk of cancer and other diseases of ageing.
Contact: SCI Press Office
press@soci.org
44-079-313-15077
Society of Chemical Industry
Public Release: 25-Mar-2007
American College of Cardiology
iPods help docs improve stethoscope skills
The ability of physicians to recognize abnormal heart sounds is only
fair at best. Fortunately, the solution is simple: Listening
repeatedly. In fact, intensive repetition -- listening at least 400
times to each heart sound on an iPod -- significantly improved the
stethoscope abilities of doctors, according to a study presented at the
American College of Cardiology's annual meeting.
Contact: Eryn Jelesiewicz
dobeck@temple.edu
215-707-0730
Temple University
Public Release: 26-Mar-2007
Cancer
Few surgeons routinely refer breast cancer patients for reconstruction, U-M study finds
Forty-four percent of surgeons do not refer the majority of their
breast cancer patients to a plastic surgeon prior to the initial
surgery when the woman is choosing her treatment course, according to a
new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The finding may help explain the consistently low number of women who
pursue breast reconstruction after mastectomy.
NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Nicole Fawcett
nfawcett@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Scientists want new drug rankings
The drug classification system
in the UK is not "fit for purpose" and should be scrapped, scientists
have said. They have drawn up an alternative system which they
argue more accurately reflects the harm that drugs do.
Microwave plan for colossal squid
An industrial-scale microwave oven
may have to be used to defrost a colossal squid caught in the Antarctic
last month, scientists say.
WORD document HERE
