SciNews20071008

Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
Pediatrics
Low maternal cholesterol tied to premature birth
Pregnant women who have very low cholesterol may face a greater risk of delivering their babies prematurely than women with more moderate cholesterol levels, a team led by the National Human Genome Research Institute reported today. In a study published in the October Pediatrics, the researchers found that low maternal cholesterol levels also may lead to adverse birth outcomes, including premature birth and low birth weight.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Raymond MacDougall
macdougallr@mail.nih.gov
301-402-0911
NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute
Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
Neurology
New treatment for stroke works up to a day after symptoms start
People treated with the drug minocycline within six to 24 hours after a stroke had significantly fewer disabilities, according to a study published in the Oct. 2, 2007, issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Researchers say minocycline may be an alternative treatment for stroke because current treatments only work during the first few hours after the onset of symptoms, and many people don't get to the hospital in time to be treated.
Contact: Angela Babb
ababb@aan.com
651-695-2789
American Academy of Neurology
Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Chemical compound found in tree bark stimulates growth, survival of brain cells
Researchers have identified a compound in tree bark that mimics the chemical reactions of a naturally occurring molecule in the brain responsible for stimulating neuronal cell signaling. The tree bark compound, known as gambogic amide, behaves much like Nerve Growth Factor, a molecule found in the brain. NGF binds to TrkA, a neuronal receptor, and activates neuronal signaling. It is known that the loss of TrkA density correlates with neuronal atrophy and severe cognitive impairment such as that associated with Alzheimer's disease.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Holly Korschun
hkorsch@emory.edu
404-727-3990
Emory University

Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
Archives of General Psychiatry
Low level of conscientiousness may be a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease
Individuals who are more conscientious -- in other words, those with a tendency to be self-disciplined, scrupulous and purposeful -- appear less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Kimberly Waterman
312-942-7820
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
Annals of Internal Medicine
Stanford researchers find way to fight treacherous hepatitis B
A team of researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine has identified the most cost-effective way of fighting hepatitis B.
Contact: Mitzi Baker
mabaker@stanford.edu
650-725-2106
Stanford University Medical Center
Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Genes influence people's economic choices
An international team of researchers including an MIT graduate student has demonstrated for the first time that genes exert influence on people's behavior in a very common experimental economic game.
Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation, Swedish Research Council
Contact: Greg Frost
frost@mit.edu
617-258-5401
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
Cancer Research
Standard treatment for prostate cancer may encourage spread of disease
A popular prostate cancer treatment called androgen deprivation therapy may encourage prostate cancer cells to produce a protein that makes them more likely to spread throughout the body, a new study by Johns Hopkins researchers suggests.
National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Cancer Institute, Evensen Family Foundation, German Cancer Aid Foundation
Contact: Christen Brownlee
cbrownlee@jhmi.edu
410-955-7832
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions

Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
New technology identifies warped fingerprints at warp speed
Researchers at the University of Warwick have devised a means of identifying partial, distorted, scratched, smudged or otherwise warped fingerprints in just a few seconds.
Contact: Peter Dunn
p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk
0247-652-3708
University of Warwick
Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
New test could help consumers avoid surprise headaches from chocolate, wine
Researchers in California are reporting development of a fast, inexpensive test suitable for home use that could help millions of people avoid those "out of the blue" headaches that may follow consumption of certain red wines, cheese, chocolate and other aged or fermented foods. The test is designed to detect the presence of so-called biogenic amines, naturally occurring toxins that can trigger a wide range of symptoms in sensitive individuals.
Contact: Michael Bernstein
m_bernstein@acs.org
202-872-4400
American Chemical Society
Public Release: 1-Oct-2007
American Naturalist
Three-way mating game of North American lizard found in distant European relative
An intricate three-way mating struggle first observed in a species of North American lizard has been discovered in a distant relative, the European common lizard. The two species are separated by 5,000 miles and 175 million years of evolution, yet they share behavioral and reproductive details right down to the gaudy colors of the males.
National Science Foundation, National Center for Scientific Research, National Geographic
Contact: Hugh Powell
hpowell@ucsc.edu
831-459-2495
University of California - Santa Cruz

Public Release: 2-Oct-2007
Cell Metabolism
Low doses of a red wine ingredient fight diabetes in mice
Even relatively low doses of resveratrol -- a chemical found in the skins of red grapes and in red wine -- can improve the sensitivity of mice to the hormone insulin, according to a report in the October issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication. As insulin resistance is often characterized as the most critical factor contributing to the development of type 2 diabetes, the findings "provide a potential new therapeutic approach for preventing or treating" both conditions, the researchers said.
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Basic Research Program of China, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, Program of Shanghai Subject Chief Scientist
Contact: Nancy Wampler
nwampler@cell.com
617-386-2121
Cell Press
Public Release: 2-Oct-2007
Cell Metabolism
Avoiding sweets may spell a longer life, study in worms suggests
A new study in the October issue of Cell Metabolism, a publication of Cell Press, reveals that worms live to an older age when they are unable to process the simple sugar glucose. Glucose is a primary source of energy for the body, and can be found in all major dietary carbohydrates as a component of starches and other forms of sugar, including sucrose and lactose.
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Wilhelm Sander Stiftung
Contact: Nancy Wampler
nwampler@cell.com
617-386-2121
Cell Press
Neanderthals roamed as far as Siberia
Bones found in a cave push the boundary of the Neanderthals' territory 2000 km further east than previously thought, according to a DNA study
18:00 30 September 2007
Starving is like ecstasy use for anorexia sufferers
The eating condition affects the brain in a similar way to psychostimulant drugs, say researchers, possibly indicating targets for new treatments
09:00 02 October 2007
Talk Therapy Pivotal for Depressed Youth
By BENEDICT CAREY
Cognitive behavior therapy appears to cancel the risk of suicidal thinking associated with taking antidepressant medication, says one study.
Well
Marital Spats, Taken to Heart
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Researchers investigating if the way you fight with your spouse can affect your health. From this week’s Science Times.
Basics
The Ambivalent Bond With a Ball of Fur
By NATALIE ANGIER
The death of a pet is very different than the death of a family member or friend. The pain tends to be felt in the details.
Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Scientists are concerned by this summer’s massive polar ice melt and its implications for the future.
Sun's 'twin' an ideal hunting ground for alien life
Astronomers have found the most Sun-like star yet - they plan to scan it for alien transmissions with the new Allen Telescope Array
19:00 04 October 2007
Ancient plant has hot, stinky sex
A primitive cycad uses different intensities of a foul odour to control the movements of pollinating insects
05:07 03 October 2007
Military wins Ig Nobel peace prize for 'gay bomb'
Jet-lagged hamsters, "bottomless" soup bowls, and a study of sword-swallowing are also honoured at the tongue-in-cheek awards

Public Release: 2-Oct-2007
Injury Prevention
Dogs that bite children have often not bitten kids before
Dogs that bite children have often not bitten kids before, but they tend to have underlying behavioral or medical problems, indicates research in the journal Injury Prevention. The research team analysed the circumstances surrounding 111 cases of dog bite over a period of four years. All the 103 dogs involved had bitten children, and had been referred to the same veterinary behavior clinic.
Contact: Emma Dickinson
edickinson@bmj.com
44-020-738-36529
BMJ Specialty Journals
Public Release: 2-Oct-2007
Cardiovascular Research
Fetal cell 'transplant' could be a hidden link between childbirth and reduced risk of breast cancer
Some benefits of motherhood are intangible, but one has been validated through biostatistical research: women who bear children have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer. In Seattle, researchers at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center believe they have identified a source of this protective effect: fetal cells "transplanted" to the mother before birth.
National Institutes of Health, Amgen, Inc.
Contact: Greg Lester
greg.lester@aacr.org
267-646-0554
American Association for Cancer Research
Public Release: 2-Oct-2007
Blood
Daisies lead scientists down path to new leukemia drug
A new, easily ingested form of a compound that has already shown it can attack the roots of leukemia in laboratory studies is moving into human clinical trials, according to a new article by University of Rochester investigators in the journal, Blood.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Leslie Orr
Leslie_Orr@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-5774
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 3-Oct-2007
Nature leads the way for the next generation of paints, cosmetics and holograms
A plant-like micro-organism mostly found in oceans could make the manufacture of products, from iridescent cosmetics, paints and fabrics to credit card holograms, cheaper and "greener."
Contact: Natasha Richardson
natasha.richardson@epsrc.ac.uk
44-017-934-44404
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Public Release: 3-Oct-2007
American Astronomical Society Division for Planetary Sciences
Astrophysical Journal
APL astronomer spies conditions 'just right' for building an Earth
An Earth-like planet is likely forming 424 light-years away in a star system called HD 113766, say astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope.
NASA
Contact: Michael Buckley
Michael.Buckley@jhuapl.edu
240-228-7536
Johns Hopkins University
Public Release: 3-Oct-2007
Journal of Pediatrics
Combination vaccines okay for infants, study shows
Good news for new parents -- a University of Rochester recently published in the Journal of Pediatrics shows that no efficacy or safety is compromised when clinicians administer a new combination vaccine that streamlines the newborn immunization schedule. By tripling up three of the recommended shots, pediatricians can reduce the painful "poke" total, from five to three, at each of the infant's three bimonthly checkups.
GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals
Contact: Becky Jones
rebecca_jones@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-8490
University of Rochester Medical Center

Public Release: 3-Oct-2007
Differing attitudes found between women and doctors concerning menstrual suppression
More than the two thirds of the women in a national survey say that they are interested in suppressing their menstrual periods but many of them aren't sure if it's safe. Yet when physicians are polled, 97 percent say that continuous oral contraceptive therapy to suppress menstruation is, in fact, medically safe and acceptable.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Contact: Marc Kaplan
marc.kaplan@uphs.upenn.edu
215-662-2560
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Public Release: 3-Oct-2007
American Journal of Epidemiology
Naturally-occurring apple compounds reduce risk of pancreatic cancer
Eating flavonol-rich foods like apples may help reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer, especially in smokers.
Contact: Stacie Haaga
Shaaga@USApple.org
703-442-8850
U.S. Apple Association
Public Release: 4-Oct-2007
Science
Salmonid hatcheries cause 'stunning' loss of reproduction
The rearing of steelhead trout in hatcheries causes a dramatic and unexpectedly fast drop in their ability to reproduce in the wild, a new Oregon State University study shows, and raises serious questions about the wisdom of historic hatchery practices.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Contact: Michael Blouin
blouinm@science.oregonstate.edu
541-737-2362
Oregon State University
Public Release: 4-Oct-2007
Science
Agent that triggers immune response in plants is uncovered
Rsearchers at the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research on the Cornell campus have identified how plants signal that they have been attacked in order to trigger a plantwide resistance.
Contact: Blaine Friedlander
bpf2@cornell.edu
607-254-8093
Cornell University News Service
Public Release: 4-Oct-2007
Science
Simplest circadian clocks operate via orderly phosphate transfers
Researchers at Harvard University and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have found that a simple circadian clock found in some bacteria operates by the rhythmic addition and subtraction of phosphate groups at two key locations on a single protein. This phosphate pattern is influenced by two other proteins, driving phosphorylation to oscillate according to a remarkably accurate 24-hour cycle.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, National Science Foundation
Contact: Steve Bradt
steve_bradt@harvard.edu
617-496-8070
Harvard University
Public Release: 4-Oct-2007
Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Men with chronic heart failure can have active sex lives
Although medication can help extend the lives of men with chronic heart failure, several factors associated with this disease can interfere with a person's ability to engage in and enjoy sexual activities.
Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
Contact: John Murphy
newsbureau@mayo.edu
507-284-5005
Mayo Clinic

Public Release: 4-Oct-2007
Journal of Pediatrics
Kids still not drinking enough milk
American children are drinking too little milk and what they are consuming is too high in fat, according to a Penn State study. "There is a strong correlation between dairy consumption and calcium," says Sibylle Kranz, assistant professor of nutritional sciences. "While there is calcium in fortified orange juice, for example, it is not as bioavailable as that found in milk."
Contact: Andrea Elyse Messer
aem1@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State
Public Release: 4-Oct-2007
Neuron
Cholesterol metabolism links early- and late-onset Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered evidence strengthening the case for another potential cause of Alzheimer's. The finding also represents the first time scientists have found a connection between early- and late-onset Alzheimer's.
National Institutes of Health, Alzheimer's Association, American Health Assistance Foundation
Contact: Gwen Ericson
ericsong@wustl.edu
314-286-0141
Washington University in St. Louis
Public Release: 4-Oct-2007
Cell Stem Cell
Human embryonic stem cells remain embryonic because of epigenetic factors
A human embryonic stem cell is reined in -- prevented from giving up its unique characteristics of self-renewal and pluripotency -- by the presence of a protein modification that stifles genes that would prematurely instruct the cell to develop into specialized tissue. Thanks to the simultaneous presence of different protein modifications, stem cells are primed and poised, ready to develop into specialized body tissue, Singapore scientists reported.
Contact: Cathy Yarbrough
sciencematter@yahoo.com
858-243-1814
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore
Public Release: 5-Oct-2007
Sports Biomechanics
Rugby kick success may come down to swing of the arm, shows research
The prodigious kicking success of England rugby player Johnny Wilkinson's may come down to what he does with his arms -- but it is not just his trademark preparation stance that does the trick.
Contact: Andrew McLaughlin
a.mclaughlin@bath.ac.uk
44-012-253-86883
University of Bath
Public Release: 5-Oct-2007
Journal of Neuroscience
UCI researchers restore memory process in most common form of mental disability
University of California, Irvine scientists have discovered how to reverse the learning and memory problems inherent in the most common form of mental impairment.
National Institutes of Health, UC Industry-University Cooperative Research Program, UC Discovery grant
Contact: Tom Vasich
tmvasich@uci.edu
949-824-6455
University of California - Irvine
Stalag Luft III's 'Great Escape' tunnels revealed
Aerial photographs together with magnetometry and ground-penetrating radar have been used to lo-cate the original Tom, Dick and Harry tunnels, later immortalised in the The Great Escape
Norman Hammond Archaeology Correspondent