Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Annals of Internal Medicine
Internal Medicine organization issues
guidelines to improve care of 3 symptoms at end of life
The American College of Physicians has issued new guidelines to improve
palliative care at the end of life. The guidelines say that clinicians
should regularly assess people with serious illness at the end of life
for symptoms of pain, shortness of breath and depression; that they
should use proven therapies to treat these conditions; and should
ensure that advance care planning occurs for all patients with serious
illness.
American College of Physicians
Contact: Susan Anderson
sanderson@acponline.org
215-351-2653
American College of
Physicians
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Genetically modified carrots provide
more calcium
Genetically modifying carrots to express increased levels of a gene
that enables the transport of calcium across membranes of plant cells
can make the vegetables a better source of calcium, said researchers at
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and the Vegetable and Fruit
Improvement Center at Texas A&M University in a report that
appears
today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
National Institutes of Health, Vegetable and Fruit Improvement Center
at Texas A&M University, USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research
Center at Baylor College of Medicine
Contact: Dipali Pathak
pathak@bcm.edu
713-798-4710
Baylor
College of Medicine
Fossils reveal dinosaurs had
teen sex
Young female dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus rex, started breeding
before they had finished growing to adult size, a new study shows
22:00 14 January 2008
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Annals of Internal Medicine
Sexually-active gay men vulnerable to
new, highly infectious bacteria
Sexually-active gay men are many times more likely than others to
acquire a new, highly antibiotic-resistant strain of the so-called MRSA
bacteria widely know as the "superbug," a UCSF-led study shows.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Pfizer
Contact: Wallace Ravven
wravven@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California -
San Francisco
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Archives of Internal Medicine
Minor leg injuries associated with risk
of blood clots
Muscle ruptures, ankle sprains and other common minor leg injuries
appear to be associated with a higher risk for blood clots in the legs
or lungs, according to a report in the Jan. 14 issue of Archives of
Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Frits R. Rosendaal
F.R.Rosendaal@LUMC.nl
JAMA and Archives
Journals
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Archives of Internal Medicine
Vitamin D2 supplements may help prevent
falls among high-risk older women
Vitamin D2 supplements appear to reduce the risk of falls among women
with a history of falling and low blood vitamin D levels living in
sunny climates, especially during the winter, according to a report in
the Jan. 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the
JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Richard L. Prince
rlprince@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
JAMA and Archives
Journals
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
PLoS Genetics
10-fold life span extension reported in
simple organism
Researchers achieve record longevity for ordinary baker's yeast through
dietary and genetic changes. Findings provide insight into aging
mechanisms shared with humans and other mammals.
NIH/National Institute on Aging, American Federation for Aging Research
Contact: Carl Marziali
marziali@usc.edu
213-219-6347
University of Southern
California
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
PLoS Medicine
Existing antiretroviral drugs may
thwart vaginal HIV transmission, researchers report
Prescription drugs now used to treat human immunodeficiency virus
infection in adults may prevent the vaginal transmission of HIV,
researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Kristen Holland Shear
kristen.hollandshear@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical
Center
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Nature Immunology
Study helps explain how allergic
reactions are triggered
In demonstrating that a group of calcium ion channels play a crucial
role in triggering inflammatory responses, researchers at Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center have not only solved a longstanding molecular
mystery regarding the onset of asthma and allergy symptoms, but have
also provided a fundamental discovery regarding the functioning of mast
cells.
National Institutes of Health, Irvington Institute
Contact: Bonnie Prescott
bprescot@bidmc.harvard.edu
617-667-7306
Beth Israel
Deaconess Medical Center
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Psychopharmacology
Aggression as rewarding as sex, food
and drugs
New research from Vanderbilt University shows for the first time that
the brain processes aggression as a reward -- much like sex, food and
drugs -- offering insights into our propensity to fight and our
fascination with violent sports like boxing and football.
Vanderbilt University
Contact: Melanie Moran
melanie.moran@vanderbilt.edu
615-322-2706
Vanderbilt
University
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Canadian Medical Association Journal
Fish oil -- helpful or harmful?
Fish oil supplements may help some cardiac patients while harming
others, suggests a new review of evidence compiled by St. Michael's
Hospital and University of Toronto researchers. In a systematic review
of trials where patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators
used fish oil supplements, Dr. David Jenkins and Dr. Paul Dorian found
significant differences among the trials, indicating fish oil may be
beneficial to some patients while having a negative impact on others.
Contact: April Kemick
april.kemick@utoronto.ca
416-978-5949
University of Toronto
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Journal of Psychopharmacology
Psychotherapy should be subject to
rigorous regulation just like drug treatments, say academics
Psychotherapies such as cognitive behavior therapy are under-regulated
in the UK and should be subject to the same standards of evidence as
drugs, assert two experts in psychological medicine writing in the
Journal of Psychopharmacology (Jan. issue published today by SAGE).
Contact: Mithu Mukherjee
mithu.mukherjee@sagepub.co.uk
020-732-42223
SAGE Publications UK
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice
Simple online methods increase
physician disease reporting
Low-cost methods such as e-mail, a Web site, and a PDA program
significantly increased spontaneous disease reporting by physicians
according to a study led by Temple University's Lawrence Ward, M.D.,
and published in the January issue of the Journal of Public Health
Management and Practice.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Contact: Eryn Jelesiewicz
dobeck@temple.edu
215-707-0730
Temple University
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
Chemical Communications
New buffer resists pH change, even as
temperature drops
Researchers at the University of Illinois have found a simple solution
to a problem that has plagued scientists for decades: the tendency of
chemical buffers used to maintain the pH of laboratory samples to lose
their efficacy as the samples are cooled. The research team, headed by
chemistry professor Yi Lu, developed a method to formulate a buffer
that maintains a desired pH at a range of low temperatures.
Contact: Diana Yates
diya@uiuc.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
87th Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board
Toll road privatization may result in
indirect impacts
Privatizing toll roads in the US may result in significant diversions
of truck traffic from privatized toll roads to "free" roads, and may
result in more crashes and increased costs associated with use of other
roads, according to a new study.
Contact: Steve Hevner
sdh4@psu.edu
717-948-6029
Penn State
Public Release: 14-Jan-2008
American Astronomical Society Meeting
Arecibo telescope finds critical
ingredients for the soup of life in a galaxy far, far away
Astronomers from Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in Arecibo, Puerto
Rico, have detected for the first time the molecules methanimine and
hydrogen cyanide -- two ingredients that build life-forming amino acids
-- in a galaxy some 250 million light years away.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Blaine Friedlander
bpf2@cornell.edu
607-254-8093
Cornell
University Communications
Public Release: 15-Jan-2008
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine
Mothers' stress may increase children's
asthma
Children whose mothers are chronically stressed during their early
years have a higher asthma rate than their peers, regardless of their
income, gender or other known asthma risk factors.
Contact: Keely Savoie
ksavoie@thoracic.org
212-315-8620
American Thoracic
Society
Garlic combats arsenic
poisoning
Daily garlic might provide relief for millions of Indians and
Bangladeshis whose water supplies are contaminated with the poisonous
element
12:00 14 January 2008
Well
On Sex After Prostate Surgery,
Confusing Data
By TARA PARKER-POPE
One of the biggest fears for men undergoing prostate surgery is
impotence, but research doesn’t do much to clarify risk.
Personal Health
A Stable Life, Despite
Persistent Dizziness
By JANE E. BRODY
Living with dizziness is anything but fun. It can throw one’s
whole life out of kilter, literally and figuratively.
Monkey’s
Thoughts Propel Robot, a Step That May
Help Humans
Jeremy
M. Lange for The New York Times, left; Masafumi Yamamoto for The New
York Times
On Thursday, the 12-pound,
32-inch monkey made a
200-pound, 5-foot humanoid robot walk on a treadmill using only her
brain
activity. She was
in North Carolina,
and the robot was in Japan. It
was the
first time that brain signals had been used to make a robot walk. Dr.
Nicolelis
said, are the first steps toward a brain machine interface that might
permit
paralyzed people to walk by directing devices with their thoughts.
Long Ago, a Rodent as Big as
a Bull Lurked in South America
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Uruguayan
scientists have uncovered fossil evidence of the biggest species of
rodent ever found, more than eight feet long and weighing between 1,700
and 3,000 pounds.
Pacific Islanders’
Ancestry Emerges in Genetic Study
By JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
An international team of scientists found evidence that Polynesians and
Micronesians were more closely related to East Asians, and had few
links to western Pacific islanders.
Public Release: 15-Jan-2008
Journal of Rheumatology
Popular osteoporosis drugs triple risk
of bone necrosis
A University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health Research
Institute study has found that a popular class of osteoporosis drugs
nearly triples the risk of developing bone necrosis, a condition that
can lead to disfigurement and incapacitating pain.
Contact: Basil Waugh
basil.waugh@ubc.ca
604-822-2048
University of British Columbia
Public Release: 15-Jan-2008
Biofuels, Bioproducts & Biorefining
Biomass production -- careful planning
can bring many benefits
One way of supplying energy is to grow plant material and burn it. If
managed well most of the carbon released by burning the material will
be captured by the growing plants, and so have a low impact on overall
levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide. Better still, the growing plants
could be used to help solve other environmental problems.
Contact: Jennifer Beal
jbeal@wiley.com
44-012-437-70633
Wiley-Blackwell
Public Release: 15-Jan-2008
Clinical Infectious Diseases
Monkey malaria widespread in humans and
potentially fatal
A potentially fatal species of malaria is being commonly misdiagnosed
as a more benign form of the disease, thereby putting lives at risk,
according to research funded by the Wellcome Trust and the University
Malaysia Sarawak.
Wellcome Trust, University Malaysia Sarawak
Contact: Craig Brierley
c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
44-207-611-7329
Wellcome Trust
Public Release: 15-Jan-2008
Oncogene
Findings point to molecular 'Achilles
heel' for half of breast cancer tumors
Researchers at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown
University Medical Center have shown why a protein known as cyclin D1
may be the Achilles heel for breast tumors that are estrogen receptor
positive -- which is the most common type of breast cancer.
US Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Becky Wexler
rjw43@georgetown.edu
202-687-5100
Georgetown
University Medical Center
Public Release: 15-Jan-2008
Montana State University researcher
finds renewed interest in turning algae into fuel
The same brown algae that cover rocks and cause anglers to slip while
fly fishing contain oil that can be turned into diesel fuel, says a
Montana State University microbiologist.
Contact: Evelyn Boswell
evelynb@montana.edu
406-994-5135
Montana State University
Public Release: 15-Jan-2008
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
When being a model minority is
good…and bad
Asian-Americans have been labeled the "model minority" because of their
stereotype of being hardworking, intelligent and self-disciplined.
However, people who endorse this positive stereotype are also more
likely to have mixed feelings towards Asian-Americans. Research
published by SAGE in the January issue of Personality and Social
Psychology Bulletin examines that interesting dichotomy.
Contact: Andrea Rulfo
media.inquiries@sagepub.com
410-805-7150
SAGE Publications
Public Release: 15-Jan-2008
Cancer Research
MIT: Why men are more
prone to liver cancer
A fundamental difference in the way males and females respond to
chronic liver disease at the genetic level helps explain why men are
more prone to liver cancer, according to MIT researchers.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Elizabeth Thomson
thomson@mit.edu
617-258-5402
Massachusetts
Institute of Technology
Public Release: 16-Jan-2008
Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society
New genus of self-destructive palm
found in Madagascar
A gigantic palm that flowers itself to death and exists as part of an
entirely unique genus has been discovered in Madagascar. Its name will
be published in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society on Jan.
17, 2008.
Contact: Davina Quarterman
davina.quarterman@oxon.blackwellpublishing.com
01-865-476-307
Wiley-Blackwell
Public Release: 16-Jan-2008
New England Journal of Medicine
New drug lets kids feel good in their
skin
College student Maria Anichini no longer has to hide her skin under
long sleeves and pants. Her skin and life have rebounded since she
became part of a trial testing an injectable drug for children and
adolescents with psoriasis, a common skin disease causing red scaly
patches all over the body. Northwestern University researchers report
the drug etanercept -- FDA approved for adults but never before tested
in children for psoriasis-- dramatically reduced psoriasis flare-ups.
Immunex, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Contact: Marla Paul
Marla-Paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern
University
Public Release: 16-Jan-2008
World Journal of Gastroenterology
Indian medicinal plant Acanthus
ilicifolius may combat liver cancer
Cancer chemoprevention is an active measure to limit/retard the
progression and pathogenesis of malignancy. Herbal preparations
constitute an important component of indigenous/traditional medicines.
A study led by Prof. Malay Chatterjee from Jadavpur University, India
reported the potential chemopreventive efficacy of an Indian medicinal
plant Acanthus ilicifolius in preventing liver DNA damage and in
remodeling hepatocellular malignant lesions in an animal model, which
may have an ultimate benefit to human beings in near future.
Contact: Jing Zhu
wjg@wjgnet.com
0086-105-908-0039
World Journal of
Gastroenterology
Public Release: 16-Jan-2008
World Journal of Gastroenterology
How does Fu-Zheng-Jie-Du-Decoction act
on PTEN expression in hepatocellular carcinoma?
Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the major cancer killers.
Traditional Chinese Medicine has been widely used as a combined therapy
in treating the disease in China. How TCM works is still unknown. A
research group in China has found TCM can down-regulate the expression
of PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin Homolog deleted on Chromosome 10) in
HCC which may suppress tumor cell growth and regulate tumor cell
invasion and metastasis.
Contact: Jing Zhu
wjg@wjgnet.com
0086-105-908-0039
World Journal of
Gastroenterology
Public Release: 16-Jan-2008
Animal Cognition
Computer learns dogspeak
Computer programs may be the most accurate tool for studying acoustic
communications amongst animals, according to Csaba Molnar from Eoetvoes
Lorand University in Hungary and his research team. Their paper,
published in Springer's journal Animal Cognition this week, shows that
a new piece of software is able to classify dog barks according to
different situations and even identify barks from individual dogs, a
task humans find challenging.
Contact: Renate Bayaz
renate.bayaz@springer.com
49-622-148-78531
Springer
Public
Release: 16-Jan-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Researchers put the bite on mosquitoes
Few things sting like a mosquito's bite -- especially if that bite
carries a disease such as malaria, yellow fever, Dengue fever or West
Nile virus. But if a team of University of Arizona researchers has its
way, one day mosquito bites may prove deadly to the mosquitoes.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Deborah Daun
ddaun@email.arizona.edu
520-626-2059
University of Arizona
Public
Release: 16-Jan-2008
American Journal of Psychiatry
Toxoplasma
infection increases risk of schizophrenia, study suggests
Findings from what is believed to be the largest comparison of blood
samples collected from healthy individuals and people with
schizophrenia suggest that infection with the common Toxoplasma gondii
parasite, carried by cats and farm animals, may increase the risk of
schizophrenia.
Stanley Medical Research Institute, US Army
Contact: Katerina Pesheva
epeshev1@jhmi.edu
410-516-4996
Johns Hopkins
Medical Institutions
Public
Release: 16-Jan-2008
American Naturalist
Ant parasite turns host into
ripe red berry, biologists discover
Parasites occasionally change the behavior or looks of their host, but
a nasty tropical nematode alters both, making its ant host's
parasite-filled abdomen resemble a ripe red berry. According to UC
Berkeley and University of Arkansas biologists, this behavior is a
strategy the nematode evolved to entice birds to eat the ant's abdomen
and spread the parasite in their droppings.
National Geographic Society, BBC
Contact: Robert Sanders
rsanders@berkeley.edu
510-643-6998
University of
California - Berkeley
DNA
'fabricator' constructs walking DNA
A
revolutionary way to program biochemical reactions has been used to
assemble pre-designed molecules to order
18:00 16 January 2008
Public
Release: 17-Jan-2008
Science
New function for colon cancer gene found
Dartmouth Medical School geneticists have discovered a striking
turnabout role for a gatekeeper known to put on the brakes for colon
cancer. Flaws in a gene called adenomatous polyposis coli, which
normally prevents excessive cell growth, are thought to trigger
development of most colorectal cancers. But in an about face, the tumor
suppressor gene also has a second task, the researchers found, as a gas
pedal that accelerates signaling between cells.
National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, GM
Research Foundation, Emerald Foundation, ACS
Contact: Hali Wickner
hali.wickner@dartmouth.edu
Dartmouth Medical
School
Public
Release: 17-Jan-2008
International Journal of Cancer
Plant pathogen yields substance to
fight neuroblastoma
Drug treatment of neuroblastoma, a tumor of the nervous system in
children, poses major problems. Therefore, scientists at the German
Cancer Research Center have been searching for substances that are
suitable as a basis for developing better drugs. Now they have found a
candidate: HC-toxin, which is isolated from a fungal plant pathogen.
The substance from the maize pathogen reprograms neuroblastoma cells in
such a way that they behave almost like healthy cells again.
National Genome Research Network 2, Deutsche Krebshilfe
Contact: Dr. Sibylle Kohlstädt
s.kohlstaedt@dkfz.d
49-622-142-2843
Helmholtz
Association of German Research Centres
Public
Release: 17-Jan-2008
Science
Team finds an economical way to boost
the vitamin A content of maize
A team of plant geneticists and crop scientists has pioneered an
economical approach to the selective breeding of maize that can boost
levels of provitamin A, the precursors that are converted to vitamin A
upon consumption. This innovation could help to enhance the nutritional
status of millions of people in the developing world.
Contact: Diana Yates
diya@uiuc.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at
Urbana-Champaign
Public
Release: 17-Jan-2008
Deep-ocean researchers target tsunami
zone near Japan
Rice University Earth scientist Dale Sawyer and colleagues have
reported the discovery of a strong variation in the tectonic stresses
in a region of the Pacific Ocean notorious for generating devastating
earthquakes and tsunamis in southeastern Japan. The results came from
an eight-week expedition last fall at the Nankai Trough near Kobe,
Japan. The team used a high-tech drill ship to probe deep into a zone
responsible for undersea earthquakes known to cause tsunamis.
Contact: David Ruth
druth@rice.edu
713-348-6327
Rice University
Public
Release: 17-Jan-2008
19th IEEE International Conference on Micro Electro Mechanical Systems
Contact lenses with circuits, lights a
possible platform for superhuman vision
Achieving superhuman vision like the Bionic Woman's could be as easy as
popping in a contact lens. UW engineers have for the first time
combined a flexible, biologically safe contact lens with an imprinted
electronic circuit and lights.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Hannah Hickey
hickeyh@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public
Release: 17-Jan-2008
Immunity
Scripps research scientists find new
genetic mutation that halts the development of lupus
Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute have uncovered a specific
genetic mutation that suppresses the development of systemic lupus, an
incurable autoimmune disease that causes the body to attack itself. The
research suggests potential targets for future drug development.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Keith McKeown
kmckeown@scripps.edu
858-784-8134
Scripps Research
Institute
Public Release: 18-Jan-2008
Virtual biopsy cuts out need for
diagnostic surgery
Technology used to measure body composition in gyms could soon be used
to help diagnose cancers without patients going under the knife.
Contact: Niki Widdowson
n.widdowson@qut.edu.au
Queensland University of
Technology
Public Release: 18-Jan-2008
Further breakthroughs for breast cancer
patients
Researchers at the Tenovus Centre for Cancer Research at Cardiff
University have made a breakthrough in breast cancer treatment that
could help save the lives of women who become resistant to breast
cancer drugs such as tamoxifen.
Contact: Lowri Jones
joneslc3@cardiff.ac.uk
029-208-70995
Cardiff University
Public Release: 20-Jan-2008
Nature Materials
New technology sharpens X-ray vision
Researchers at the Paul Scherrer Institute and the EPFL in Switzerland
have developed a novel method for producing dark-field x-ray images at
wavelengths used in typical medical and industrial imaging equipment.
Contact: Franz Pfeiffer
franz.pfeiffer@epfl.ch
41-763-201-045
Ecole Polytechnique
Fédérale de Lausanne
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