SciNews20070910

Public Release: 2-Sep-2007
Nature Genetics
Genome study shines light on genetic link to height
Using a new "genome-scanning" method, a team of scientists has identified the first robust link between genes and stature in humans. A single letter change in a gene called HMGA2 enables people who carry it to gain as much as a centimeter in height. The work provides insights into how genes hardwire growth in humans and suggests that finding additional height-related genes may be feasible.
Contact: Nicole Davis
ndavis@broad.mit.edu
617-258-0952
Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Public Release: 3-Sep-2007
Society for General Microbiology 161st Meeting
Hepatitis E in Europe -- are pigs or pork the problem?
Hepatitis E virus infections can be fatal in pregnant women, but until recently doctors thought the disease was confined to China, India and developing countries. Now Europeans are also contracting the disease here, say scientists today, Sept. 3, 2007, at the Society for General Microbiology's 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from Sept. 3-6, 2007.
Contact: Lucy Goodchild
l.goodchild@sgm.ac.uk
44-011-898-81843
Society for General Microbiology
Public Release: 3-Sep-2007
Society for General Microbiology 161st Meeting
Cooked ham with a 39 day shelf life
Cooked ham could soon be given a 39 day shelf life, according to scientists speaking today, Sept. 4, 2007, at the Society for General Microbiology's 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs Sept. 3-6, 2007.
Contact: Lucy Goodchild
l.goodchild@sgm.ac.uk
44-011-898-81843
Society for General Microbiology
Public Release: 3-Sep-2007
Psychiatric Services
Psychiatrists are the least religious of all physicians
A survey of the religious beliefs and practices of American physicians has found that the least religious of all medical specialties is psychiatry. Among psychiatrists who have a religion, more than twice as many are Jewish and far fewer are Protestant or Catholic. The study also found that religious physicians, especially Protestants, are less likely to refer patients to psychiatrists, and more likely to send them to members of the clergy or religious counselors.
Greenwall Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program
Contact: John Easton
John.Easton@uchospitals.edu
773-702-6241
University of Chicago Medical Center
Public Release: 3-Sep-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Pig study sheds new light on the colonisation of Europe by early farmers
The earliest domesticated pigs in Europe, which many archaeologists believed to be descended from European wild boar, were actually introduced from the Middle East by Stone Age farmers, new research suggests.
Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme Trust, Arts and Humanities Research Council, Smithsonian Institution
Contact: Alex Thomas
media.relations@durham.ac.uk
01-913-346-075
Durham University
Public Release: 3-Sep-2007
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
Pop stars more than twice as likely to die an early death
Rock and pop stars are more than twice as likely as the rest of the population to die an early death, and within a few years of becoming famous, reveals research published ahead of print in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. The findings are based on more than 1050 North American and European musicians and singers who shot to fame between 1956 and 1999.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ Specialty Journals
Public Release: 3-Sep-2007
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
Knee arthritis link to lung cancer
Arthritis of the knee may be the first sign of a type of lung cancer that is hard to treat in heavy smokers, suggests research published ahead of print in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The researchers reviewed the case notes of all patients with rheumatic disorders, diagnosed at one tertiary referral centre over six years.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ Specialty Journals
Public Release: 3-Sep-2007
Gut
Fat transforms vitamin C from 'good cop' into 'bad cop'
Fat in the stomach may cause vitamin C to promote, rather than prevent, the formation of certain cancer causing chemicals, reveals research published ahead of print in the journal Gut. The researchers analysed the impact of both fat (lipid) and vitamin C (ascorbic acid) on nitrite chemistry in the upper (proximal) stomach, which is especially vulnerable to pre-cancerous changes and tumour growth.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ Specialty Journals
Public Release: 3-Sep-2007
Large intensive care study reveals vital recommendations for treatment of brain injury patients
A landmark Australian and New Zealand intensive care study has provided vital information for the treatment of patients with brain injuries. The results of the SAFE-TBI Study, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, confirm that the choice of resuscitation fluids affects the chances of patients with brain injury surviving.
Contact: Janet Hall
janethall@bigpond.com
61-411-187-808
Research Australia
Public Release: 4-Sep-2007
Cell Metabolism
Study reveals an ancient gene for lean
Researchers have revealed an antiobesity gene that has apparently been keeping critters lean during times of plenty since ancient times. The gene, first discovered by another team in flies, also keeps worms and mice trim, according to the new report in the September issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press. If the gene works similarly in humans, the findings could lead to a new weapon against our burgeoning waistlines, according to the researchers.
National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Contact: Nancy Wampler
nwampler@cell.com
617-386-2121
Cell Press

‘Livestock meltdown’ threatens developing world
Hardy breeds of animals vital for food supplies are dying out in many countries, especially Africa, and being replaced by weaker Western breeds
13:45 04 September 2007
Childhood TV viewing linked to teen attention problems
Watching more than two hours of television a day is associated with attention problems in adolescence, finds a new study
14:05 04 September 2007
Personal Health
For Living Donors, Many Risks to Weigh
By JANE E. BRODY
Published: September 4, 2007
Transplants between unrelated donors are now highly successful, thanks to improved methods of immune suppression that reduce the need for close tissue matching to prevent rejection. But many problems can complicate transplants from live donors. It is important that potential donors know about them and take the time to resolve them before deciding whether to go ahead with a donation, which carries the potential for serious physical and emotional risks.
Change in Older Brains Tied to Use of Statins
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
A new study shows a possible link between cholesterol drugs and the prevention of Alzheimer’s disease.
Heirs to a Rare Legacy in New Mexico
By BEN DAITZ, M.D.
Genealogy often holds the key to understanding the origin of serious diseases in those with a Hispanic heritage.
Cases
In the Blink of an Eye, a Vision of Disaster
By LINDA SIMON
Urgent flashing, a swirl of shadowy floaters. Can I be normal?
Basics
A Supple Casing, Prone to Damage
By NATALIE ANGIER
You can no more survive without your skin than you can without your lungs, yet we continue to mistreat it.
Virus Is Seen as Suspect in Death of Honeybees
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
A virus appears to be a prime suspect ― but not likely to be the only culprit ― in the mass die-offs of honeybees reported last fall and winter.
In the Genome Race, the Sequel Is Personal
By NICHOLAS WADE
A newly decoded genome makes clear that the variation in the genetic programming carried by an individual is much greater than expected, researchers are reporting.
* Graphics: Decoding Himself | Building on the Celera Genome
Saturn's dizzying spin hints at quick birth
The Ringed Planet appears to spin 7 minutes faster than thought, suggesting it may have formed in the cosmic blink of an eye
19:00 06 September 2007
Faulty pipe blamed for UK foot and mouth outbreak
A government-run research facility was the source of the virus that crippled the UK’s farming industry last month, say officials
17:51 07 September 2007
Political affiliation could be all in the brain
A brain scan might one day predict your voting patterns – that is the implication of a study that found different brain activity among liberals and conservatives
18:00 09 September 2007
MINERVA WORLD EXCLUSIVE
A New Palaeolithic Revolution
For decades archaeologists have rightly respected the Neolithic period c. 8500 BC. From the shores of Budrinna on Lake Fezzan in Libya, and Melka Konture in Ethiopia, a series of stunning discoveries are set to challenge the originality of the Neolithic Revolution. Professor Helmut Ziegert of Hamburg University has discovered huts and sedentary village life dating between 400,000 and 200,000 Before Present - literally a quantum leap in our understanding of man's evolution.
Potato 'fuel of human evolution'
Man's ability to digest starchy foods like the potato may explain our success on the planet, genetic work suggests.
Rabies 'could be gone in decade'
Rabies could be wiped out across the world within a decade if sufficient vaccination programmes are carried out on domestic dogs, according to experts.
Public Release: 5-Sep-2007
Nature
'Alien' jaws help moray eels feed
Moray eels have a unique way of feeding reminiscent of a science fiction thriller, researchers at UC Davis have discovered. After seizing prey in its jaws, a second set of jaws located in the moray's throat reaches forward into the mouth, grabs the food and carries it back to the esophagus for swallowing.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Andy Fell
ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533
University of California - Davis