Public Release: 17-Dec-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
New strategy to cut heart attack risk is effective in initial test
The first clinical trial of a new kind of drug to cut the risk of cardiovascular disease has been found safe and effective at dropping levels of "bad" low density lipoprotein cholesterol by as much as 40 percent. High LDL levels increase the risk for heart attack and stroke.
Karo Bio AB
Contact: Wallace Ravven
wravven@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
Public Release: 17-Dec-2007
PLoS Medicine
Older antibiotic gains new respect as potent treatment for tuberculosis
It has no current market, not even a prescription price. Its makers stopped commercial production years ago, because demand was so low. But an antibiotic long abandoned as a weak, low-dose treatment for tuberculosis may have found renewed purpose, this time as a potent, high-dose fighter against the most common and actively contagious form of the lung disease.
Contact: David March
dmarch1@jhmi.edu
410-955-1534
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 17-Dec-2007
PLoS Biology
Monkeys can perform mental addition
Researchers at Duke University have demonstrated that monkeys have the ability to perform mental addition. In fact, monkeys performed about as well as college students given the same test.
Contact: Kelly Malcom
kmalcom@gmail.com
919-668-1889
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 17-Dec-2007
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata
Cat fleas' journey into the vacuum is a 'one-way trip'
Homeowners dogged by household fleas need look no farther than the broom closet to solve their problem. Scientists have determined that vacuuming kills fleas in all stages of their lives, with an average of 96 percent success in adult fleas and 100 percent destruction of younger fleas. In fact, the results were so surprisingly definitive that the lead scientist, an Ohio State University insect specialist, repeated the experiments several times to be sure the findings were correct.
Royal Appliance Manufacturing Company
Contact: Glen Needham
Needham.1@osu.edu
614-688-3026
Ohio State University
Public Release: 17-Dec-2007
Recent studies confirm significant underuse of colorectal cancer screening
Two recently released studies confirm an alarming reality, that a majority of Americans who should be getting screened for colorectal cancer are not. According to a study in the journal Cancer, among an assessment of Medicare beneficiaries between 1998 and 2004, only 25.4 percent of people were screened, despite Medicare coverage for colorectal cancer screening. Figures released by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality show that only half of Americans age 50 and over have had a screening colonoscopy.
Contact: Anne Brownsey
abrownsey@asge.org
630-570-5635
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
Public Release: 17-Dec-2007
Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
Z-shaped incision enhances minimally invasive surgery
A novel surgical technique allowing doctors to operate on patients by making a Z-shaped incision inside the stomach could potentially replace certain types of conventional surgery in humans, according to Penn State medical researchers who have successfully demonstrated the procedure in pigs.
Contact: Amitabh Avasthi
axa47@psu.edu
814-865-9481
Penn State
Public Release: 17-Dec-2007
PLoS Medicine
Bacteria that cause urinary tract infections invade bladder cells
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found definitive proof that some of the bacteria that plague women with urinary tract infections are entrenched inside human bladder cells. The finding confirms a controversial revision of scientists' model of how bacteria cause UTIs. Previously, most researchers assumed that the bacteria responsible for infections get into the bladder but do not invade the individual cells that line the interior of the bladder.
NIH/Office of Research on Women's Health, NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Contact: Michael C. Purdy
purdym@wustl.edu
314-286-0122
Washington University School of Medicine
Public Release: 17-Dec-2007
Nature Materials
New property found in ancient mineral lodestone
Using the latest nanofabrication methods, a team of Rice University physicists has discovered a surprising new electronic property in one of the earliest-known and most-studied magnetic minerals on Earth -- lodestone. Also known as magnetite, lodestone was used to make compass needles as early as 900 years ago. In new research in Nature Materials, the researchers describe how super-cooled magnetite reverted from an insulator to a conductor when the voltage was altered in their experiment.
US Department of Energy
Contact: B.J. Almond
balmond@rice.edu
713-348-6770
Rice University
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Color sudoku puzzle demonstrates new vision for computing
Researchers at the University of Warwick's Department of Computer Science have developed a color-based sudoku puzzle that will help sudoku players solve traditional sudoku puzzles but also helps demonstrate the potential benefits of a radical new vision for computing.
Contact: Peter Dunn
p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk
0247-652-3708
University of Warwick
13:07 17 December 2007
Galaxy fires powerful particle beam at neighbour
The mother of all civilisations
16 Dec 2007, 0001 hrs IST,Shobhan Saxena,TNN
It took Ruth Shady many years and many rounds of carbon dating to prove that the earliest known civilisation in South Americas—at 2,627 BC–was much older than the Harappa Valley towns and the pyramids of Egypt.
Can a ‘Fertility Diet’ Get You Pregnant? A new book suggests that among other things, eating ice cream and cutting back on meat may help raise your fertility.
Why Nobody Likes a Smart Machine We and our machines are about to go through a rocky transition as the machines get smarter and take over more tasks.
The Claim: A Little Alcohol Can Help You Beat a Cold When it comes to quick remedies for colds, many people insist that a glass of brandy or a hot toddy is just what the doctor ordered. Laws of Nature, Source Unknown Which came first: the order or the universe? And can science ever supply an answer?
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
JAMA
Women with osteoporosis, previous vertebral fracture have increased long-term risk for new fracture
Over a 15-year period, women with low bone mineral density and a previous vertebral fracture had an increased risk of a new vertebral fracture compared to women with normal bone mineral density and no previous fracture, according to a study in the Dec. 19 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Clare Collins
412-624-2607
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Journal of American Geriatrics Society
No need for reduced alcohol consumption in later life
Provided they stick to the same guidelines about alcohol consumption as younger adults, regular moderate drinking poses no additional risks to the "over 65s," and may even bring health benefits, according to two studies from the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England.
Contact: Andrew Gould
media@pr-works.co.uk
0044-139-268-6107
The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Anthrozoos
Dolphin 'therapy' a dangerous fad, Emory researchers warn
People suffering from chronic mental or physical disabilities should not resort to a dolphin "healing" experience, warn two researchers from Emory University. The scientists have launched an educational campaign countering claims made by purveyors of what is known as dolphin-assisted therapy.
Contact: Beverly Clark
beverly.clark@emory.edu
404-712-8780
Emory University
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Vitamin B12 function may be diminished by excessive folate
In a study of adults aged 20 and over, researchers at Tufts University showed that homocysteine and methylmalonic acid are at much higher levels in individuals who have a combination of vitamin B-12 deficiency and high blood folate levels than in individuals who are also vitamin B12 deficient but have normal folate levels.
Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture
Contact: Andrea Grossman
617-636-3728
Tufts University, Health Sciences
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Cancer and arthritis therapy may be promising treatment for diabetes
An antibody used to treat certain cancers and arthritis also greatly delays type 1 diabetes in mice.
Contact: Jacqueline Weaver
jacqueline.weaver@yale.edu
203-432-8555
Yale University
DOE/Sandia National Laboratories Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Evolutionary Psychology
Family ties that bind: Maternal grandparents are more involved in the lives of their grandchildren
As families gather round for the winter holidays, some faces may be more familiar than others. A recent study from Newcastle University shows that the amount of social interaction between extended family members depends on whether people are related through their mother or father.
Contact: Karen Bidewell
press.office@ncl.ac.uk
01-912-227-850
Newcastle University
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Geotimes
Evolution tied to Earth movement
Scientists long have focused on how climate and vegetation allowed human ancestors to evolve in Africa. Now, University of Utah geologists are calling renewed attention to the idea that ground movements formed mountains and valleys, creating environments that favored the emergence of humanity.
National Science Foundation, Ethiopian Geological Survey
Contact: M. Royhan Gani
rgani@egi.utah.edu
801-585-3539
University of Utah
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Lancet
Simple strategy could prevent half of deadly tuberculosis infections
By using a combination of inexpensive infection control measures, hospitals around the world could prevent half the new cases of extensively drug resistant tuberculosis, according to a new study in the Lancet by researchers at Yale School of Medicine.
Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Brain
Intensive training post-spinal cord injury can stimulate repair in brain and spinal cord
Intensive rehabilitation training for patients with spinal cord injuries can stimulate new branches growing from severed nerve fibers, alongside compensatory changes in the brain, say Canadian researchers. Most importantly, it could lead to restoring hand function and the ability to walk. A study recently published in Brain highlights the remarkable benefits of rehabilitation training after cervical spinal cord injury -- something that has been overshadowed in recent years by the promise of cutting-edge stem cell research.
Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research, Canadian Institute for Health Research, Natural Science and Engineering Council of Canada, Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
Contact: Isabela C. Varela
isabela.varela@ualberta.ca
780-492-6041
University of Alberta
Public Release: 18-Dec-2007
Nano Letters
Move over, silicon: Advances pave way for powerful carbon-based electronics
Bypassing decades-old conventions in making computer chips, engineers developed a novel way to replace silicon with carbon on large surfaces, clearing the way for new generations of faster, more powerful cell phones, computers and other electronics.
US Office of Naval Research
Contact: Steven Schultz
sschultz@princeton.edu
609-258-3617
Princeton University, Engineering School Public Release: 19-Dec-2007
Neurology
Walking and moderate exercise help prevent dementia
People age 65 and older who regularly walk and get other forms of moderate exercise appear to significantly lower their risk of developing vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer's disease, according to a study published in the Dec. 19, 2007, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Contact: Angela Babb
ababb@aan.com
651-695-2789
American Academy of Neurology
Public Release: 19-Dec-2007
Neuron
MIT corrects inherited retardation, autism in mice
Researchers at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory have corrected key symptoms of mental retardation and autism in mice.
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Fragile X Foundation, FRAXA, Simons Foundation
Contact: Elizabeth Thomson
thomson@mit.edu
617-258-5402
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Public Release: 19-Dec-2007
BMC Oral Health
Simple push filling wins crown in battle against tooth decay
A simple technique using a preformed crown offers an improved and effective method to fight tooth decay in children's molars, according to research published in the online open access journal, BMC Oral Health.
Contact: Charlotte Webber
press@biomedcentral.com
44-020-763-19980
BioMed Central
Public Release: 19-Dec-2007
Proceedings of the Royal Society
Traffic jam mystery solved by mathematicians
Mathematicians from the University of Exeter have solved the mystery of traffic jams by developing a model to show how major delays occur on our roads, with no apparent cause. Many traffic jams leave drivers baffled as they finally reach the end of a tail-back to find no visible cause for their delay. Now, a team of mathematicians from the Universities of Exeter, Bristol and Budapest, have found the answer, and published their findings in leading academic journal Proceedings of the Royal Society.
Contact: Sarah Hoyle
s.hoyle@exeter.ac.uk
01-392-262-062
University of Exeter
Public Release: 19-Dec-2007
American Journal of Infection Control
If you don't want to fall ill this Christmas, then share a festive kiss but don't shake hands
We've all heard people say 'I won't kiss you, I've got a cold'. But a report just published warns that we may be far more at risk of passing on an infection by shaking someone's hand than in sharing a kiss.
Contact: Sally Bloomfield
sallyfbloomfield@aol.com
07-919-554-781
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Public Release: 19-Dec-2007
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Earliest stage of planet formation dated
UC-Davis researchers have dated the earliest step in the formation of the solar system -- when microscopic interstellar dust coalesced into mountain-sized chunks of rock -- to 4,568 million years ago, within a range of about 2,080,000 years.
NASA
Contact: Andy Fell
ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533
University of California - Davis
Public Release: 19-Dec-2007
Animal Behavior
Squirrels use snake scent
California ground squirrels and rock squirrels chew up rattlesnake skin and smear it on their fur to mask their scent from predators, according to a new study by researchers at UC-Davis.
National Science Foundation, Animal Behavior Society
Contact: Andy Fell
ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533
University of California - Davis
Public Release: 20-Dec-2007
Myth of a cultural elite -- education, social status determine what we attend, listen to and watch
There have been a number of theories put forward to explain how our tastes in cinema, theatre, music and the fine arts relate to our position in society. New research funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, has concluded that there is little evidence of a "cultural elite" that aspires to "high culture," while turning its back on popular culture.
Economic and Social Research Council
Contact: Alexandra Saxon
alexandra.saxon@esrc.ac.uk
01-793-413-032
Economic & Social Research Council
Public Release: 20-Dec-2007
BMC Biology
More evidence for new species hidden in plain sight
Two articles published today in the online open access journals BMC Evolutionary Biology and BMC Biology provide further evidence that we have hugely underestimated the number of species with which we share our planet. Today sophisticated genetic techniques mean that superficially identical animals previously classed as members of a single species, including the frogs and giraffes in these studies, could in fact come from several distinct 'cryptic' species.
Contact: Charlotte Webber
press@biomedcentral.com
44-020-763-19980
BioMed Central
Public Release: 20-Dec-2007
PLoS Pathogens
Sea cucumber protein used to inhibit development of malaria parasite
Scientists have genetically engineered a mosquito to release a sea-cucumber protein into its gut which impairs the development of malaria parasites, according to research out today (Dec. 21) in PLoS Pathogens. Researchers say this development is a step towards developing future methods of preventing the transmission of malaria.
Contact: Danielle Reeves
danielle.reeves@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-42198
Imperial College London
Public Release: 20-Dec-2007
Current Biology
A link between greenhouse gases and the evolution of C4 grasses
In an article published online on Dec. 20, evolutionary biologists provide strong evidence that changes in global carbon dioxide levels probably had an important influence on the emergence of a specific group of plants, termed C4 grasses.
Swiss National Science Foundation, Irish Higher Education Authority, Entreprise Ireland
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 20-Dec-2007
Lasers in Surgery and Medicine
Surgery without stitches
A thin polymer bio-film that seals surgical wounds could make sutures a relic of medical history. Measuring just 50 microns, the film is placed on a surgical wound and exposed to an infrared laser, which heats the film just enough to meld it and the tissue, thus perfectly sealing the wound. Known as Surgilux, the device's raw material is extracted from crab shells and has Food and Drug Administration approval in the US.
Australian Research Council, University of New South Wales
Contact: Dan Gaffney
d.gaffney@unsw.edu.au
61-411-156-015
University of New South Wales
Public Release: 21-Dec-2007
Cancer
Most breast cancer surgeons don't talk to patients about reconstruction options, U-M study finds
Only a third of patients with breast cancer discussed breast reconstruction options with their surgeon before their initial surgery, according to a new study. What's more, women who did discuss reconstruction up front were four times more likely to have a mastectomy compared to those women who did not discuss reconstruction.
 Watch related video clip.
NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Nicole Fawcett
nfawcett@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 21-Dec-2007
Number of conflicts in the world no longer declining
The trend toward fewer conflicts reported by peace researchers since the early 1990s now seems to have been broken. This is shown in the latest annual report, "States in Armed Conflict," from the Uppsala Conflict Data Program at the Uppsala University Department of Peace and Conflict Research. The findings worry the researchers. The Middle East is the region where peace initiatives are most conspicuous in their absence.
Contact: Johanna Blomqvist
johanna.blomqvist@uadm.uu.se
46-704-250-864
Uppsala University
Public Release: 21-Dec-2007
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Light powered platinum more targeted and 80 times more powerful than similar cancer treatments
Researchers from the Universities of Warwick, Edinburgh, Dundee and the Czech Republic's Institute of Biophysics have discovered a new light-activated platinum-based compound that is up to 80 times more powerful than other platinum-based anti-cancer drugs and which can use "light activation" to kill cancer cells in much more targeted way than similar treatments.
Contact: Peter Dunn
p.j.dunn@warwick.ac.uk
44-077-676-55860
University of Warwick
Public Release: 21-Dec-2007
Astrophysical Journal
To curious aliens, Earth would stand out as living planet
With powerful instruments scouring the heavens, astronomers have found more than 240 planets in the past two decades, none likely to support Earth-like life.
Contact: Eric Ford
eford@astro.ufl.edu
352-392-2052
University of Florida
Public Release: 23-Dec-2007
Biological Journal of the Linnean Society
Where and why humans made skates out of animal bones
Archaeological evidence shows that bone skates (skates made of animal bones) are the oldest human powered means of transport, dating back to 3000 B.C.
Contact: Federico Formenti
federico.formenti@dpag.ox.ac.uk
Wiley-Blackwell The Doh! of technology