Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
Chest
Doctors trained on patient simulators exhibit superior skills
Senior internal medicine residents who are trained in critical resuscitation skills on patient simulators become more skilled than residents who undergo traditional training, according to new research. Though prior studies have already shown that simulation training is effective in imparting such skills, this study sought to demonstrate the superiority of simulation training over traditional methods. In doing so, researchers found that simulation-trained residents out-performed their traditionally trained counterparts during a simulated scenario of respiratory arrest.
Contact: Amy Jenkins
amy@jenkinspublicrelations.com
312-836-0613
American College of Chest Physicians
Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
Archives of Neurology
Combination therapy including antibiotics may be beneficial for multiple sclerosis
A preliminary study suggests that combining a medication currently used to treat multiple sclerosis with an antibiotic may slow the progress of the disease, according to an article posted online today that will appear in the February 2008 print issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Elaine King
318-675-5408
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting
Cord blood viable option for kids with life-threatening metabolic disorders
Children born with inherited metabolic disorders that cause organ failure and early death can be treated successfully with umbilical cord blood transplants from unrelated donors and, in some cases go on to live for many years, according to a study led by Duke University Medical Center researchers.
National Institutes of Health, Hunter's Hope Foundation
Contact: Lauren Shaftel Williams
lauren.shaftel@duke.edu
919-684-4966
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
Annals of Oncology
Morphine: A comfort measure for the dying or pain control for the living?
Cancer patients are suffering unnecessarily because they wrongly believe that morphine and other opioids are only used as "comfort for the dying" and as a "last resort" rather than seeing them as legitimate pain killers that can improve their quality of life, according to research published in Annals of Oncology.
Contact: Emma Mason
wordmason@mac.com
44-077-112-96986
European Society for Medical Oncology
Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
Gastroenterology
Scientists find how bacteria in cows' milk may cause Crohn's disease
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have found how a bacterium, known to cause illness in cattle, may cause Crohn's disease in humans.
Contact: Samantha Martin
samantha.martin@liv.ac.uk
01-517-942-248
University of Liverpool
Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
Journal of Infectious Diseases
Vaccine shows promise in preventing mono
A new study suggests that a vaccine targeting Epstein-Barr virus may prevent infectious mononucleosis, commonly known as "mono" or "glandular fever." The study is published in the Dec. 15 issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.
Contact: Steve Baragona
sbaragona@idsociety.org
703-299-0412
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association
Abdominal fat distribution predicts heart disease
Abdominal obesity is a strong independent risk factor for heart disease, and using the waist-hip ratio rather than waist measurement alone is a better predictor of heart disease risk among men and women, researchers reported in a study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Cancer Research UK, Medical Research Council, Stroke Association, British Heart Foundation, UK Department of Health, Europe Against Cancer Program Commission of the European Union, Food Standards Agency, Wellcome Trust
Contact: Karen Astle
karen.astle@heart.org
214-706-1392
American Heart Association
Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2007
Waterborne carbon increases threat of environmental mercury
Mercury is a potent neurotoxin and a worrisome environmental contaminant, but the severity of its threat appears to depend on what else is in the water.
Contact: John Moreau
moreau@geology.wisc.edu
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Release: 10-Dec-2007
American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting 2007
Arsenic contamination lacks one-size-fits-all remedy
Though a worldwide problem, arsenic contamination of drinking water does not have a universal solution.
Contact: Madeline Gotkowitz
mbgotkow@wisc.edu
608-262-1580
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Release: 11-Dec-2007
JAMA
Use of diabetes medication by older adults linked with increased risk of heart problems, death
Older patients treated with the diabetes medications known as thiazolidinediones (which include rosiglitazone) had a significantly increased risk of heart attack, congestive heart failure and death, compared with the use of other hypoglycemic drugs, according to a study in the Dec. 12 issue of JAMA. The authors suggest that these results provide further evidence that this class of medication may cause more harm than good.
Contact: Kristine Galka
416-480-4780
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 11-Dec-2007
Hazy red sunset on extrasolar planet
The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has given astronomers a fascinating new insight into the atmosphere of a planet in orbit around another star. The observations provide evidence of the presence of hazes in the atmosphere of the planet HD 189733b.
Contact: Lars Lindberg Christensen
lars@eso.org
49-893-200-6306
ESA/Hubble Information Centre
Public Release: 11-Dec-2007
PLoS ONE
Does time slow in crisis?
In The Matrix, hero Neo wins his battles when time slows in the simulated world. In the real world, accident victims often report a similar slowing as they slide unavoidably into disaster. But can humans really experience events in slow motion? Apparently not, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, who studied how volunteers experience time when they free-fall 100 feet into a net below.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Graciela Gutierrez
ggutierr@bcm.edu
713-798-4710
Baylor College of Medicine
Nuclear plant shutdown brings hospital delays
Extended maintenance of the world's single largest supplier of medical radioisotopes is drastically delaying patient tests
13:02 10 December 2007
'Twilight zones' on scorched planets could support life
Rocky exoplanets thought to be half frozen and half scorched might instead rock back and forth, creating twilight zones that could be suitable for life
05:02 11 December 2007
Ominous Arctic Melt Worries Experts
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 12, 2007
An already relentless melting of the Arctic greatly accelerated this summer, a warning sign that some scientists worry could mean global warming has passed an ominous tipping point. One even speculated that summer sea ice would be gone in five years.
Really?
The Claim: Don't Eat the Mistletoe. It Can Be Deadly
By ANAHAD O’CONNOR
Published: December 11, 2007
That Christmas bough of mistletoe has a legendary reputation for romance, but it is also widely considered as lethal as it is festive. At this time of year, poison control centers warn of the dangers of the plant.  In reality, studies show that mistletoe is not quite as hazardous as it is made out to be.
Personal Health
Mental Reserves Keep Brains Agile
By JANE E. BRODY
Well-designed studies suggest several ways to improve the brain’s viability.
Found: a real old man of the sea
Deborah Smith December 13, 2007
IT WAS obvious he was special from the moment archaeologists began to unearth his 3000-year-old remains. Skulls from three other people - two men and a woman - and the jaw of a fourth person had been carefully laid to rest on top of his skeleton.  The old man was one of the mysterious Lapita people - crafters of exquisite pottery who made the last great human migration on Earth.
Emergency Antidote, Direct to Addicts
By DAN HURLEY
Naloxone has lately become a tool for states and cities struggling to reduce stubbornly high death rates among opiate users.
Fin Whale at Feeding Time: Dive Deep, Stop Short, Open Wide
By CARL ZIMMER
Scientists are tracking the ocean’s biggest whales to figure out how exactly they get enough food to build their giant bodies.
Graphic: Lunge Feeding
Scientist at Work | Shinya Yamanaka
Risk Taking Is in His Genes
By MARTIN FACKLER
After years of searching, Shinya Yamanaka found a way to turn adult skin cells into the equivalent of human embryonic stem cells without using an actual embryo.
Spines, Made Extra Curvy for Women
By JOHN SCHWARTZ
Pregnant women do not tip over, and the reason has a lot to do with an evolutionary curve, researchers say.
Great beasts peppered from space
By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News, San Francisco
Startling evidence has been found which shows mammoth and other great beasts from the last ice age were blasted with material that came from space.
Public Release: 11-Dec-2007
Biological Psychiatry
Natural human hormone as the next antidepressant?
Novel treatment strategies for major depression with broader treatment success or a more rapid onset of action would have immense impact on public health, a new study published in the Dec. 1 issue of Biological Psychiatry explains.
Contact: Jayne Dawkins
ja.dawkins@elsevier.com
215-239-3674
Elsevier
Public Release: 11-Dec-2007
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Kids more active when playground has balls, jump ropes, UNC study shows
Children play harder and longer when their child care centers provide portable play equipment (like balls, hoola hoops, jump ropes and riding toys), more opportunities for active play and physical activity training and education for staff and students, according to a study published in the January 2008 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health examined environmental factors that encourage children to be active with greater intensity and for longer periods of time.
Contact: AJPM Editorial Office
eAJPM@ucsd.edu
858-457-7292
Elsevier Health Sciences
Public Release: 11-Dec-2007
Researchers build new model of bio-exploration
Two land-grant universities have developed a new approach to global bio-exploration, one that returns most of the fruits of discovery to the countries that provide the raw materials on which the research depends. The new approach has become a model of sustainable, non-exploitive research in the developing world.
Contact: Diana Yates
diya@uiuc.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Saturn's rings 'may live forever'
By Jonathan Amos
Science reporter, BBC News, San Francisco
Saturn's iconic rings may be much older than we thought, scientists say.
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology
Primitive early relative of armadillos helps rewrite evolutionary family tree
A team of US and Chilean scientists working high in the Andes have discovered the fossilized remains of an extinct, tank-like mammal they conclude was a primitive relative of today's armadillos. The results of their surprising new discovery are described in an upcoming issue of Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
Contact: Ken Kostel
kkostel@amnh.org
212-496-3419
American Museum of Natural History
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
Reprogrammed human adult stem cells rescue diseased muscle in mice
Scientists report that adult stem cells isolated from humans with muscular dystrophy can be genetically corrected and used to induce functional improvement when transplanted into a mouse model of the disease. The research, published by Cell Press in the December issue of Cell Stem Cell, represents a significant advance toward the future development of a gene therapy that uses a patient's own cells to treat this devastating muscle-wasting disease.
Association Monegasque contre les Myopathies, Association Francaise contre les Myopathies, Duchenne Parent Project de France, Associazione La Nostra Famiglia Fondo DMD Gli Amici di Emanuele, Associazione Amici del Centro Dino Ferrari
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
Cell Stem Cell
Stanford researchers identify granddaddy of human blood cells
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have isolated a human blood cell that represents the great-grandparent of all the cells of the blood, a finding that could lead to new treatments for blood cancers and other blood diseases
Contact: Amy Adams
amyadams@stanford.edu
650-723-3900
Stanford University Medical Center
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
Women persist in plastic surgery treatments that are not working, research says
Women are more likely to persist with using creams, supplements and plastic surgery to look younger if they feel these are not yet working, new research says.
Contact: Tony Trueman
t.trueman@bath.ac.uk
0044-012-253-84220
University of Bath
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
BMC Biology
Piddling fish face off threat of competition
Research published today in the online open access journal, BMC Biology, shows that male tilapia fish use pheromones in their urine to fight off competitors and enforce social dominance.
Contact: Charlotte Webber
press@biomedcentral.com
44-020-763-19980
BioMed Central
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
Latest US policy in Iraq can lead to human rights abuses says Hebrew University researcher
US policy in Iraq courting tribal leaders may be yielding positive results in combating al-Qaida and stabilizing the country, but may also be repeating British policy of the previous century which led to severe human rights abuses, particularly against women, says a researcher at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Contact: Jerry Barach
jerryb@savion.huji.ac.il
972-258-82904
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
European Journal of Nutrition
Too much fructose could leave dieters sugar shocked
Dieters should focus on limiting the amount of fructose they eat instead of cutting out starchy foods such as bread, rice and potatoes, report University of Florida researchers, who propose using new dietary guidelines based on fructose to gauge how healthy foods are.
Contact: April Frawley Birdwell
afrawley@ufl.edu
352-273-5817
University of Florida

To 12 14 2007

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Milky Way's two stellar halos have opposing spins Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
Perception
Close relations exhibit greater agreement on the attractiveness of faces
Researchers at Harvard University have shown that spouses, siblings and close friends are more likely to have similar preferences with regard to the attractiveness of faces.
Contact: Amy Lavoie
amy_lavoie@harvard.edu
617-496-9982
Harvard University
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
AGU 2007 Fall Meeting
Large earthquakes may broadcast warnings, but is anyone tuning in to listen?
There may be a way to detect the footfalls of large earthquakes a week or more before they strike. A Stanford professor thinks a method to provide such warnings may have been buried in the scientific literature for over 40 years. Antony Fraser-Smith, professor emeritus of electrical engineering and of geophysics, has evidence that big temblors emit a burst of ultra-low-frequency electromagnetic radio waves days or even weeks before they hit.
Contact: Louis Bergeron
louisb3@stanford.edu
650-284-6182
Stanford University
Public Release: 12-Dec-2007
A drink to healthy aging
Researchers at the University of Newcastle say a glass of wine a day may be of benefit to the health of older women.
Contact: Lauren Eyles
61-249-214-841
Research Australia
Public Release: 13-Dec-2007
Science
Fish farms drive wild salmon populations toward extinction
A study appearing in the Dec. 14 issue of the journal Science shows, for the first time, that parasitic sea lice infestations caused by salmon farms are driving nearby populations of wild salmon toward extinction. The results show that the affected pink salmon populations have been rapidly declining for four years. The scientists expect a 99 percent collapse in another four years, or two salmon generations, if the infestations continue.
Contact: Matt Wright
mwright@seaweb.org
617-835-9395
SeaWeb
Public Release: 13-Dec-2007
Semen ingredient 'drastically' enhances HIV infection
A plentiful ingredient found in human semen drastically enhances the ability of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to cause infection, according to a report in the Dec. 14, 2007, issue of the journal Cell, a publication of Cell Press. The findings help to understand the sexual transmission of HIV and suggest a potential new target for preventing the spread of AIDS, the researchers said.
European TRIoH Consortium, Government of Lower Saxony, VW Foundation, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Wilhelm Sander Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press

Public Release: 13-Dec-2007
New clinical data shows chromium picolinate improves cognitive function
Nutrition 21 Inc., a leading developer and marketer of chromium-based and omega-3 fish oil-based nutritional supplements, today announced the results of a clinical study that showed daily supplementation with 1000 mcg of chromium as chromium picolinate improved cognitive function in older adults experiencing early memory decline. The results of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study were presented to the medical community at a neurological meeting.
Nutrition 21 Inc.
Contact: Maryrose Lombardo
mlombardo@nutrition21.com
914-701-4525
Nutrition 21
Public Release: 13-Dec-2007
Journal of Biological Chemistry
New study suggests why vaccines directed against cancer, HIV don't work
Researchers from the University of Missouri and Imperial College London have found evidence suggesting why vaccines directed against the virus that causes AIDS and many cancers do not work. This research is being published in the Dec. 14 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Breeden-Adams Foundation, State of Missouri, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Wellcome Trust
Contact: Christian Basi
BasiC@missouri.edu
573-882-4430
University of Missouri-Columbia
  Menopause sets humans apart from chimps Public Release: 14-Dec-2007
San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
Men unaware of their cancer risk when female relatives test positive for BRCA mutation
Men whose mothers, sisters or daughters test positive for a cancer-causing gene mutation also have an increased risk of developing the disease but are unaware of that risk. That is the conclusion of a study at Fox Chase Cancer Center exploring how families communicate genetic test results.
Contact: Karen Mallet
karen.mallet@fccc.edu
215-514-9751
Fox Chase Cancer Center
Public Release: 16-Dec-2007
San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
Even tiny breast tumors can be aggressive and may require maximum therapy
Breast tumors that are 1 centimeter in size or smaller -- no more than 0.4 inch in length -- can still be very aggressive and may require more intensive therapy than is routinely offered today, say researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.
Contact: Paul Scotti
scotti.paul@mayo.edu
904-953-2299
Mayo Clinic
Public Release: 16-Dec-2007
San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium
Survival shortened when ER/PR negative breast cancer spreads to the brain
Two studies from Mayo Clinic's site in Jacksonville, Fla., of women whose breast cancer spread to their brain, have found that women whose tumors do not have estrogen or progesterone receptors have the worst overall outcomes. Because of this, these patients should be treated aggressively after an initial diagnosis to help prevent such a metastasis, say the investigators, who presented their findings at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
Mayo Clinic
Contact: Paul Scotti
scotti.paul@mayo.edu
904-953-2299
Mayo Clinic
Public Release: 16-Dec-2007
Nature Genetics
International research collaboration narrows focus on genetic cause of Kawasaki disease
Researchers from Japan's RIKEN SNP Research Center, collaborating with a team at the University of California-San Diego, have discovered a new genetic variation that affects a child's risk of getting Kawasaki disease, an illness characterized by acute inflammation of the arteries throughout the body.
Contact: Kimberly Edwards
kedwards@ucsd.edu
619-543-6163
University of California - San Diego