Public Release: 11-Jun-2007
Cancer
Studies link insurance coverage to more advanced cancers
Two new studies find the uninsured and people with certain types of public health insurance are more likely to be diagnosed with more advanced cancer compared to those with private insurance.
Contact: Amy Molnar
amolnar@wiley.com
John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Public Release: 11-Jun-2007
Archives of Internal Medicine
Survey: Most patients want to shake hands with their physicians
Most patients want physicians to shake their hands when they first meet, and about half want their first names used in greetings, according to a report in the June 11 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Marla Paul
312-503-8928
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 11-Jun-2007
Journal of the American College of Nutrition
A daily dose of pistachios offers potential heart health benefits
Adding to a growing body of evidence, new research shows that a daily dose of pistachios may offer protective benefits against cardiovascular disease, according to a study published in the Volume 26, No. 2 issue of the Journal of the American College of Nutrition.
Contact: Sonya Grigoruk
sgrigoruk@paramountfarms.com
310-966-4681
Paramount Farms
Public Release: 11-Jun-2007
Injury Prevention
First study of gun shows finds California laws reduce illegal gun purchases
First study of gun shows finds California laws reduce illegal gun purchases. More undocumented, private-party gun sales and illegal "straw" purchases found outside of California, study shows.
Contact: Carole Gan
carole.gan@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
916-734-9047
University of California, Davis - Health System
Public Release: 11-Jun-2007
Arthritis & Rheumatism
Gabapentin shown effective for fibromyalgia pain
New research supported by the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases shows that the anticonvulsant medication gabapentin, which is used for certain types of seizures, can be an effective treatment for the pain and other symptoms associated with the common, often hard-to-treat chronic pain disorder, fibromyalgia.
NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Contact: Ray Fleming
flemingr@mail.nih.gov
301-496-8190
NIH/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
Public Release: 11-Jun-2007
Journal of Conflict Resolution
UGA study finds that weaker nations prevail in 39 percent of military conflicts
Despite overwhelming military superiority, the world's most powerful nations failed to achieve their objectives in 39 percent of their military operations since World War II, according to a new University of Georgia study. The study, by assistant professor Patricia L. Sullivan in the UGA School of Public and International Affairs, explains the circumstances under which more powerful nations are likely to fail, and creates a model that allows policymakers to calculate the probability of success in current and future conflicts.
National Science Foundation, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation
Contact: Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
706-542-5361
University of Georgia
Public Release: 11-Jun-2007
Archives of Internal Medicine
Many doctors don't use patients' names on first visit
Doctors do not address patients by name in half of first-time visits, even though nearly all patients want this personal greeting, according to new research from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. There has been little evidence to guide doctors about how they should greet patients or what patients actually expect. The study focused on finding out what patients think is an appropriate greeting. It also analyzed a sample of interactions between doctors and patients during first-time visits.
American Board of Medical Specialties Research and Education Foundation
Contact: Marla Paul
marla-paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern University
Public Release: 11-Jun-2007
American Journal of Managed Care
Split the difference: Pill-splitting study looks at cost-saving step that could be used by millions
Slicing certain pills in half could slice a hefty amount off of Americas prescription drug costs. While only some types of pills can be split safely, they include popular cholesterol-lowering drugs. Now, the first prospective randomized controlled trial of pill-splitting gives more evidence of how the practice could be used.
University of Michigan
Contact: Kara Gavin
kegavin@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 12-Jun-2007
Evolution and Human Behavior
Daddies' girls choose men just like their fathers
Women who enjoy good childhood relationships with their fathers are more likely to select partners who resemble their dads research suggests. In contrast, the team of psychologists from Durham University and two Polish institutions revealed that women who have negative or less positive relationships were not attracted to men who looked like their male parents.
Economic and Social Research Council, Royal Society
Contact: Dr. Lynda Boothroyd
l.g.boothroyd@durham.ac.uk
44-019-133-43289
Durham University
Public Release: 12-Jun-2007
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Matter flashed at ultra speed
Using a robotic telescope at the ESO La Silla Observatory, astronomers have for the first time measured the velocity of the explosions known as gamma-ray bursts. The material is travelling at the extraordinary speed of more than 99.999 percent of the velocity of light, the maximum speed limit in the universe.
Contact: Henri Boffin
hboffin@eso.org
49-893-200-6222
European Southern Observatory (ESO)
Public Release: 12-Jun-2007
PLoS ONE
Pavlov's cockroach: Classical conditioning of salivation in an insect
A new study, led by Makoto Mizunami and colleagues at Tohoku University in Japan, demonstrates classical conditioning of salivation in cockroaches, for the first time in species other than dogs and humans, and its underlying neural mechanisms remain elusive because of the complexity of the mammalian brain.
Contact: Makoto Mizunami
makoto@biology.tohoku.ac.jp
81-222-175-050
Public Library of Science
A Planet Is Too Hot for Life, but Another May Be Just Right A new study suggests that the so-called Goldilocks planet is too hot to be like Earth, but astronomers have uncovered another, cooler option.
Sleek, Fast and Focused: The Cells That Make Dad Dad Sperm are some of the most extraordinary cells of the body, a triumph of efficient packaging, sleek design and superspecialization. As Breeders Test DNA, Dogs Become Guinea Pigs Breeders have used new tests to exert dominion over the canine gene pool, and the lessons may bear on humans. Muscle-rub blamed for athlete's death
A 17-year-old US runner appears to have overdosed on a type of muscle cream used to soothe her aching legs after exercise
18:31 11 June 2007
Mysterious signal hints at subsurface ocean on Titan
When it landed on the moon in 2005, the Huygens probe detected a strange radio signal -- it may be evidence of an underground ocean
22:29 11 June 2007
Obesity pill increases suicidal thoughts
Patients taking rimonabant in clinical trials were more likely to report suicidal thoughts or actions -- the drug is already on sale in many countries
17:30 12 June 2007
US doctor smeared for raising drug concerns
An FDA spokesman has sent negative information to reporters about a doctor with safety concerns over a diabetes drug
10:30 13 June 2007
50,000 Years of Resilience May Not Save Tribe
Tanzania Safari Deal Lets Arab Royalty Use Lands
By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
One of the last remaining tribes of hunter-gatherers on the planet is on the verge of vanishing into the modern world. The dwindling Hadzabe tribe, who now number fewer than 1,500, say it is being hastened by a United Arab Emirates royal family, which plans to use the tribal hunting land as a personal safari playground.
Public Release: 13-Jun-2007
Nature
New findings challenge established views about human genome
The ENCyclopedia Of DNA Elements (ENCODE), an international research consortium organized by the National Human Genome Research Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, today published the results of its exhaustive, four-year effort to build a "parts list" of all biologically functional elements in 1 percent of the human genome in the journal Nature.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Anna-Lynn Wegener
wegener@embl.de
49-622-138-7452
European Molecular Biology Laboratory
Public Release: 13-Jun-2007
Nature
Study supports notion that Mars once had ocean
UC Berkeley geophycists are providing strong evidence that Mars once had an ocean. Naysayers have argued that what appear to be ancient coastlines near the North Pole are too warped to be true seashores. The researchers claim, however, that this anomaly resulted from the tilt of Mars' spin axis 2 to 3 billion years ago, possibly because the weight of surface water made the planet tip like a weighted top.
NASA, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of California - Berkeley
New 'space jet' proposed for suborbital jaunts
The European firm EADS Astrium plans to build a rocket-powered jet to take tourists to the edge of space -- if funded, it could begin flights in 2012
19:36 13 June 2007
Study: Avoiding Predators Has Its Price
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 15, 2007
It hardly seems fair, but water creatures nimble enough to avoid being gobbled up by predators might harm their species more than help, new research suggests.
Red Shrimp Said May Threaten Food Chain
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: June 15, 2007
A red shrimp found in Lake Erie and two other Great Lakes has scientists concerned they could threaten the food chain.
Many Arctic Plants Have Adjusted to Big Climate Changes, Study Finds
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Experts said the study provided a glimmer of optimism in the face of bleak scientific assessments of the vulnerability of ecosystems.
Public Release: 13-Jun-2007
Biology Letters
Plants recognize their siblings, biologists discover
Biologists at McMaster University have found that plants get competitive when forced to share their plot with strangers of the same species, but they're accommodating when potted with their siblings. It's the first time the ability to recognize and favor kin has been revealed in plants.
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada
Contact: Jane Christmas
chrisja@mcmaster.ca
90-552-591-402-7988
McMaster University
Public Release: 13-Jun-2007
Cell Host & Microbe
Herpes virus hijacks DNA repair process
Scientists probing the details of viral infection have discovered an intriguing surprise: in mice, herpes viruses hijack their host cells' tools for fixing DNA damage and use those tools to enhance their own reproduction.
National Institutes of Health, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
Contact: Michael C. Purdy
purdym@wustl.edu
314-286-0122
Washington University School of Medicine

Public Release: 14-Jun-2007
Science
LIAI researchers identify a potential role for retinoic acid in autoimmune and inflammatory diseases
An important finding, which could eventually lead to a new therapeutic approach for treating autoimmune and inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, colitis, psoriasis and others, was announced today by researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology. The studies, conducted in laboratory mice, demonstrated the role of retinoic acid, a substance derived when vitamin A is broken down in the body, in regulating inflammation.
Contact: Bonnie Ward
contact@liai.org
619-303-3160
La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology
Public Release: 14-Jun-2007
Science
Paying taxes, according to the brain, can bring satisfaction
Want to light up the pleasure center in your brain? Just pay your taxes, and then give a little extra voluntarily to your local food bank. University of Oregon scientists have found that doing those deeds can give you the same sort of satisfaction you derive from feeding your own hunger pangs.
NIH/National Institute of Aging
Contact: Jim Barlow
jebarlow@uoregon.edu
541-346-3481
University of Oregon
Public Release: 14-Jun-2007
British Medical Journal
Doctor advises caution over flu drug
In this week's BMJ, a senior doctor advises caution over the use of the antiviral drug oseltamivir. His concern follows advice by the Japanese authorities in March 2007 against prescribing oseltamivir to adolescents after the separate suicides of two 14-year-olds who jumped to their deaths while taking the drug.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Public Release: 14-Jun-2007
Research with a twist -- When to turn breech babies
An international study led by a McMaster researcher aims to determine if a manual procedure to turn breech babies in the uterus can result in fewer births by caesarean section.
Canadian Institutes for Health Research
Contact: Veronica McGuire
vmcguir@mcmaster.ca
90-552-591-402-2169
McMaster University
Oven cleaner provides surprising eye treatment
A substance commonly used to remove grease is found to be ideal for delivering drugs to the eye
15:00 14 June 2007 Public Release: 15-Jun-2007
Brain, Behavior, and Evolution
Fruit bats are not 'blind as a bat'
German-American research team finds daylight photoreceptors in the retinas of nocturnal fruit bats.
Contact: Dr. Brigitte Mueller
bmueller@mpih-frankfurt.mpg.de
49-699-676-9236
Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Public Release: 15-Jun-2007
European League Against Rheumatism Congress
Increased alcohol intake associated with decreased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis
New data presented today at EULAR 2007 suggest that alcohol may protect against rheumatoid arthritis, with three units a week exhibiting protective effects and ten units a week being more protective still. An alcohol consumption of three units per week or more also reduced the risk by smoking or by a genetic predisposition to RA.
Contact: EULAR Press Office
eularpressoffice@uk.cohnwolfe.com
44-077-253-28983
European League Against Rheumatism
Public Release: 15-Jun-2007
The kapok connection -- Study explains rainforest similarities
Celebrated in Buddhist temples and cultivated for its wood and cottony fibers, the kapok tree now is upsetting an idea that biologists have clung to for decades: the notion that African and South American rainforests are similar because the continents were connected 96 million years ago.
Contact: Cheryl Dybas
cdybas@nsf.gov
703-292-7734
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 15-Jun-2007
Sports Medicine
Runners -- Let thirst be your guide
Many people are drinking too much water, including sports drinks, when exercising, a practice that could put some individuals engaging in prolonged types of endurance exercise at risk of potentially lethal water intoxication, say international experts who study disorders of water metabolism.
Contact: Becky Wexler
rjw43@georgetown.edu
202-687-5100
Georgetown University Medical Center