Public Release: 10-Sep-2007
Archives of Internal Medicine
Vitamin D supplements appear to be associated with lower risk of death
Individuals who take vitamin D supplements appear to have a lower risk of death from any cause over an average follow-up time of six years, according to a meta-analysis of 18 previously published studies in the Sept. 10 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Philippe Autier, M.D.
autierp@iarc.fr
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 10-Sep-2007
Stem Cells
Embryonic stem cells thrive when shaken
Researchers from Georgia Tech and Emory University have discovered that gently shaking embryonic stem cells, similar to how an embryo is shaken in the mother's womb, improves their development and could some day even be used to control what type of cell they eventually become.
Contact: Megan McRainey
megan.mcrainey@icpa.gatech.edu
404-894-6016
Georgia Institute of Technology
Public Release: 10-Sep-2007
Japanese beetle may help fight hemlock-killing insect
The eastern hemlock, a tall, long-lived coniferous tree that shelters river and streamside ecosystems throughout the eastern United States and Canada, is in serious danger of extinction because a tiny, non-native insect is literally sucking the life out of it. Entomologists at Virginia Tech are now studying a beetle from Japan that may be a natural predator of Adelges tsugae, or hemlock woolly adelgid.
USDA Forest Service
Contact: Michael Sutphin
msutphin@vt.edu
540-231-6975
Virginia Tech
Public Release: 10-Sep-2007
Archives of Internal Medicine
Study shows adverse drug events reported to the FDA have significantly increased
A new study shows the number of drug-therapy related deaths and injuries reported to the US Food and Drug Administration nearly tripled between 1998 and 2005.
Institute for Safe Medication Practices
Contact: Shannon Koontz
shkoontz@wfubmc.edu
336-716-2415
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Public Release: 11-Sep-2007
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Customized virus kills brain tumor stem cells that drive lethal cancer
A tailored virus destroys brain tumor stem cells that resist other therapies and cause lethal re-growth of cancer after surgery, a research team led by scientists at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Sept. 18 edition of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Contact: Scott Merville
sdmervil@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Public Release: 11-Sep-2007
JAMA
Long-term use of diabetes drug increases heart attack risk by more than 40 percent
An analysis of four studies involving more than 14,000 patients found that long-term use of the diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) increased the risk of heart attack by 42 percent and doubled the risk of heart failure, according to a new report from researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues. There was no effect on death from cardiovascular causes.
Contact: Shannon Koontz
shkoontz@wfubmc.edu
336-716-2415
Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center
Public Release: 11-Sep-2007
Primate behavior explained by computer 'agents'
The complex behavior of primates can be understood using artificially-intelligent computer "agents" that mimic their actions, shows new research published in a special edition of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B and presented at the BA Festival of Science in York.
Contact: Andrew McLaughlin
a.mclaughlin@bath.ac.uk
44-079-663-22357
University of Bath
Public Release: 11-Sep-2007
Cancer Cell
New class of RNA molecules may be important in human cancer
New research shows that an obscure form of RNA, part of the protein-making machinery in all cells, might play an important role in human cancer. These ultraconserved noncoding RNAs have been considered "junk" by some researchers, but a new report in the September issue of the journal Cancer Cell indicates that this may not be the case.
NIH/National Cancer Institute, Sydney Kimmel Research Foundation, CLL Global Research Foundation, Italian Ministry of Public Health, Italian Ministry of University Research, Italian Association for Cancer Research, Comitato dei Sosteni
Contact: Darrell E. Ward
Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu
614-293-3737
Ohio State University Medical Center
Public Release: 11-Sep-2007
PLOS ONE
260 million-year-old reptiles from Russia possessed the first modern ears
In a new study published in PLoS ONE, Johannes Müller and Linda Tsuji, paleobiologists at the Natural History Museum of the Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany, report that these fossil animals, found in deposits of Permian age near the Mezen River in central Russia, possessed all the anatomical features typical of a vertebrate with a surprisingly modern ear.
Contact: Dr. Johannes Müller
Johannes.Mueller@MUSEUM.HU-Berlin.de
49-302-093-8805
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 11-Sep-2007
PLOS ONE
Shape encoding may start in the retina
New evidence from the University of Southern California suggests that there may be dedicated cells in the retina that help compile small bits of information in order to recognize objects. The research was conducted by Ernest Greene, professor of psychology in the area of brain and cognitive sciences at USC. The study is published in the Public Library of Science journal, PLoS ONE.
Contact: Ernest Greene
egreene@usc.edu
818-353-4051
Public Library of Science
Did our galaxy's black hole eat its baby brother?
The grisly act may have taken place 120 million years ago, suggests a new study of 'hypervelocity' stars ejected from the galactic centre
00:59 11 September 2007
Powerful x-ray to unravel fragile Dead Sea scrolls
Ian Sample, science correspondent
The Guardian
Thursday September 13 2007
Ancient writings from the Dead Sea scrolls are to be read for the first time by British scientists using powerful x-rays.
Japan launches first lunar probe
Japan's space agency has successfully launched its first lunar probe on a mission to explore the Moon.
Warming 'opens Northwest Passage'
The most direct shipping route from Europe to Asia is fully clear of ice for the first time since records began, the European Space Agency (Esa) says.
Dark matter clues in oldest stars
By Liz Seward
Science reporter, York
A computer model of the early Universe indicates the first stars could have formed in spectacular, long filaments.
Scientists warn of 'vocal terror'
By Liz Seward Science reporter, York
Computers could mimic human speech so perfectly that vocal terrorism could be a new threat in 10-15 years' time, scientists suggest.
Public Release: 12-Sep-2007
PLoS ONE
Men shed light on the mystery of human longevity, study finds
It turns out that older men chasing younger women contributes to human longevity and the survival of the species, according to new findings by researchers at Stanford and the University of California-Santa Barbara.
NIH/National Institute on Aging
Contact: Lisa Trei
lisatrei@stanford.edu
650-725-0224
Stanford University
Public Release: 13-Sep-2007
BA Science Festival
Nonstick chewing gum to become a reality
Easy-to-remove chewing gum is to become a reality, thanks to a major technological break-through.
Contact: Joanne Fryer
joanne.fryer@bristol.ac.uk
44-117-331-7276
University of Bristol
Public Release: 13-Sep-2007
Using green chemistry to deliver cutting-edge drugs
Green chemistry is being employed to develop revolutionary drug delivery methods that are more effective and less toxic -- and could benefit millions of patients.
Contact: Professor Steve Howdle
steve.howdle@nottingham.ac.uk
University of Nottingham