Public
Release: 2-Mar-2008
Nature Cell Biology
Adult stem cell changes underlie rare
genetic disease associated with accelerated aging
Adult stem cells may provide an explanation for the cause of a
Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome, a rare disease that causes
premature aging in children. These findings, the first to indicate a
biological basis for the clinical features of HGPS, also known as
progeria, may also provide new insights into the biological mechanisms
of normal aging.
NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: NCI Press Officers
ncipressofficers@mail.nih.gov
301-496-6641
NIH/National Cancer
Institute
Public Release: 2-Mar-2008
Nature Medicine
HIV breakthrough: Researchers identify
protein that fights immunodeficiency
A Canada-US research team has solved a major genetic mystery: How a
protein in some people's DNA guards them against killer immune diseases
such as HIV. In an advance online edition of Nature Medicine, the
scientists explain how the protein, FOX03a, shields against viral
attacks and how the discovery will help in the development of a HIV
vaccine.
Genome Canada, Génome Québec, Fonds de la recherche en santé du Québec,
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institutes of Health,
BD Biosciences
Contact: SJ Desjardins
sylvain-jacques.desjardins@umontreal.ca
514-343-7593
University
of Montreal
Public Release: 2-Mar-2008
Psychoneuroendrocrinology
Aromatherapy may make you feel good,
but it won't make you well
One of the most comprehensive investigations done to date on
aromatherapy failed to show any improvement in either immune status,
wound healing or pain control among people exposed to two often-touted
scents. While one of two popular aromas touted by alternative medicine
practitioners -- lemon -- did appear to enhance moods positively among
study subjects, the other -- lavender -- had no effect on reported
mood, based on three psychological tests.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Jan Kiecolt-Glaser
kiecolt-glaser.1@osu.edu
614-292-0033
Ohio State University
No
compensation for faulty medical devices
A US Supreme Court decision could leave patients without legal
protection from faulty medical equipment
15:20 02 March 2008
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
Neurology
Psychological distress, not depression, linked to increased risk of stroke
Psychological distress, but not depression, may increase the risk of
stroke, according to a study published in the March 4, 2008, issue of
Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Previous studies have shown that stroke often leads to depression, but
the evidence was mixed as to whether depression could lead to stroke.
Contact: Angela Babb
ababb@aan.com
651-695-2789
American Academy of Neurology
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
New material can find a needle in a nuclear waste haystack
Nuclear power has advantages, but, if this method of making power is to
be viable long term, discovering new solutions to radioactive waste
disposal and other problems are critical. A team of Northwestern
University chemists is the first to focus on metal sulfide materials as
a possible source for nuclear waste remediation methods. Their new
material is extremely successful in removing strontium from a
sodium-heavy solution, which has concentrations similar to those in
real liquid nuclear waste.
Contact: Megan Fellman
fellman@northwestern.edu
847-491-3115
Northwestern University
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
'Lazy eye' treatment shows promise in adults
Researchers from the US and China announce positive results from a
study and a pilot clinical trial of a treatment for amblyopia, or "lazy
eye."
Chinese National Natural Science Foundation, NIH/National Eye Institute
Contact: Carl Marziali
marziali@usc.edu
213-219-6347
University of Southern California
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
Neurology
Head injuries result in widespread brain tissue loss one year later
In a rare, large-scale study of traumatic brain injury patients who
span the full range of severity from mild to moderate and severe,
Canadian researchers have found that the more severe the injury, the
greater the loss of brain tissue, particularly white matter.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Kelly Connelly
kconnelly@baycrest.org
416-785-2432
Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
PLoS Medicine
Link between alcohol and blood pressure greater than previously thought
The relationship between heavy drinking and hypertension is more
significant than previously thought according to a new analysis of
recent studies by researchers at Bristol University, published today in
PLoS Medicine.
Contact: Hannah Johnson
hannah.johnson@bristol.ac.uk
44-117-928-8896
University of Bristol
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
American Political Science Review
Long-term cycles in American national electoral politics occur more rapidly than previously believed
American electoral politics have been characterized by frequent and
regular cycles of support for the Republican and Democratic parties. A
new study has found that these cycles, and the shifts in party control
that accompany them, occur more frequently than previously thought; it
also presents a theoretical model for explaining them.
Contact: Bahram Rajaee
brajaee@apsanet.org
202-483-2512
American Political Science Association
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
Hepatology
Elevated liver enzymes associated with higher future mortality
A new population-based epidemiological study has found that elevated
liver enzymes discovered during routine medical care are associated
with higher future mortality.
Contact: Amy Molnar
amolnar@wiley.com
Wiley-Blackwell
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
Neuropsychologia
Gender differences in language appear biological
Researchers have long agreed girls have superior language abilities to
boys, but haven't clearly provided a biological basis to account for
their differences. For the first time and in unambiguous findings,
researchers show both that brain areas associated with language work
harder in girls during language tasks, and that boys and girls rely on
very different parts of the brain when performing these tasks.
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development,
NIH/National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Contact: Wendy Leopold
w-leopold@northwestern.edu
847-491-4890
Northwestern University
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Case Western Reserve University psychologist finds gender differences in forgiving
Forgiveness can be a powerful means to healing, but it does not come
naturally for both sexes. Men have a harder time forgiving than women
do, according to Case Western Reserve University psychologist Julie
Juola Exline. But that can change if men develop empathy toward an
offender by seeing they may also be capable of similar actions. Then
the gender gap closes, and men become less vengeful.
John Templeton Foundation
Contact: Susan Griffith
susan.griffith@case.edu
216-368-1004
Case Western Reserve University
Public Release: 3-Mar-2008
Journal of American Geriatrics Society
Dementia diagnosis brings relief, not depression
When it comes to a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, what you don't
know may not kill you, but knowing the truth as soon as possible
appears to be the better approach -- one that may improve the emotional
well-being of both patients and their caregivers, suggests new research
from Washington University in St. Louis.
Contact: Brian Carpenter
bcarpenter@wustl.edu
314-935-8212
Washington University in St. Louis
Public Release: 4-Mar-2008
JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association
Costly placebo works better than cheap one
A 10-cent pill doesn't kill pain as well as a $2.50 pill, even when
they are identical placebos, according to a provocative study by Dan
Ariely, a behavioral economist at Duke University.
MIT
Contact: Karl Leif Bates
karl.bates@duke.edu
919-681-8054
Duke University
Public Release: 4-Mar-2008
PLoS ONE
The Wiimote as an interface bridging mind and body
The Nintendo Wii is a popular source of video game entertainment, but
more recently, it has been adapted for a number of different uses. New
research from the University of Memphis, published this week in the
journal PLoS ONE, has found another use: psychological experimentation.
By integrating the Nintendo Wiimote with a laboratory computer,
psychologist Rick Dale and his student collaborators extracted rich
information about a person's reaching movements while they performed a
learning task.
Contact: Rebecca Walton
rwalton@plos.org
44-122-346-3333
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 4-Mar-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Einstein researchers discover gene mutations linked to longer lifespans
A gene linked to living a very long life -- to 90 and beyond -- is also
associated with short stature in women, according to new research by
scientists at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva
University.
Contact: Karen Gardner
kgardner@aecom.yu.edu
718-430-3101
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Public Release: 4-Mar-2008
Nature
Biologists surprised to find parochial bacterial viruses
Biologists examining ecosystems similar to those that existed on Earth
more than 3 billion years ago have made a surprising discovery: Viruses
that infect bacteria are sometimes parochial and unrelated to their
counterparts in other regions of the globe. The finding appears in the
journal Nature. It's surprising because bacteria are ubiquitous on
Earth, and both they and the viruses that affect them were long
believed to be cosmopolitan, having similar genetic histories across
the globe.
National Science Foundation, Area de Proteccion de Flora y Fauna of Cuatro Cienegas, University of South Florida
Contact: Jade Boyd
jadeboyd@rice.edu
713-348-6778
Rice University
Public Release: 4-Mar-2008
Molecular Cancer Therapeutics
Screening the herbal pharmacy
Searching for new anti-cancer drugs, scientists at the German Cancer
Research Center are systematically analyzing the constituents of
medicinal plants used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Joanneum Research
Contact: Dr. Sibylle Kohlstädt
s.kohlstaedt@dkfz.de
49-622-142-2843
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Public Release: 4-Mar-2008
Gender Medicine
Women are treated less frequently than men with statins, aspirin and beta-blockers
Women and men experience a similar prevalence of adverse drug reactions
in the treatment of coronary artery disease; however, women are
significantly less likely than their male counterparts to be treated
with statins, aspirin, and beta-blockers according to a new study by
researchers at Rush University Medical Center. The study is published
in the March issue of the journal Gender Medicine.
Contact: Kim Waterman
Kimberly_Waterman@rush.edu
312-942-7820
Rush University Medical Center
Public Release: 4-Mar-2008
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Sticky blood protein yields clues to autism
Many children with autism have elevated blood levels of serotonin -- a
chemical with strong links to mood and anxiety. But what relevance this
"hyperserotonemia" has for autism has remained a mystery. New research
by Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators provides a
physical basis for this phenomenon, which may have profound
implications for the origin of some autism-associated deficits.
National Institute of Health, National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression
Contact: Craig Boerner
craig.boerner@vanderbilt.edu
615-322-4747
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
From Multiple Sclerosis, a Multiplicity of ChallengesBy JANE E. BRODY
When it comes to understanding, preventing and treating chronic diseases, multiple sclerosis ranks among the most challenging.
Hazards: Sleeping Through Noise, but Still Feeling Its EffectsBy NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: March 4, 2008
Noise
while you are sleeping can significantly raise your blood pressure,
even when it does not wake you up, a new study suggests.
Vital SignsNostrums: To Prevent Pain in Infants, How About Sugar Water?By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: March 4, 2008
Infants
have to get shots, and they hurt. But a new study finds that there is
an anesthetic that is not only effective but also easy to administer
and safe: sugar water.
EssayDrug Pitchmen: Actor, Doctor or Pfizer's OptionBy ABIGAIL ZUGER, M.D.
Attractive,
healthy-looking models playing sick patients will sell drugs. So will
models playing kindly doctors. Until now, these have been the
time-honored approaches to selling drugs: bluntly speaking, companies
hire an actor, or buy a doctor. And then, Pfizer came up with a third
option.
MindWhen People Drink Themselves Silly, and WhyBy BENEDICT CAREY Published: March 4, 2008
The
urge to binge mindlessly, though it can strike at any time, seems to
stir in the collective unconscious during the last weeks of winter. Or
perhaps it's a simple a case of seasonal affective disorder in reverse.
Not SAD at all, but anticipation of warmth and eagerness for a little
disorder. Either way, researchers have had a hard time
understanding binge behavior. Until recently, their definition of binge
drinking ― five drinks or more in 24 hours ― was so loose that it
invited debate and ridicule from some scholars.
One-Ounce Mississippian of 55.8 Million Years AgoBy JOHN NOBLE WILFORD Published: March 4, 2008
It
is hard to picture a wee monkeylike adult creature weighing no more
than an ounce. But fossils of the 55.8 million-year-old animal, the
earliest known primate to inhabit North America, have emerged from
coastal sediments in Mississippi.
Eradicate Malaria? Doubters Fuel DebateBy DONALD G. McNEIL Jr.
Some people have lauded Bill and Melinda Gates’s call to eradicate malaria as inspirational; others call it noble but quixotic.
Sociable, and SmartBy CARL ZIMMER
In spotted hyenas, scientists are finding clues to why the human brain grew so large and complex.
Avalanches caught flowing on MarsA
NASA orbiter has captured the first images of Martian avalanches –
melting ice, high winds or a meteorite impact may have triggered the
flows
14:57 04 March 2008
'Hobbit' hominids were dwarf cretins, say scientistsby Richard Ingham Tue Mar 4, 7:06 PM ET
Anthropologists
have fired another salvo in a feud about diminutive "hobbit" people
whose fossilised remains were found in a cave on a remote Indonesian
island four years ago. They argue the tiny cave-dwellers were simply
Homo sapiens who became stunted and retarded as a result of iodine
deficiency in pregnancy.
Public
Release: 5-Mar-2008
Journal of American Society of Nephrology
Study
finds bacteria may reduce risk for kidney stones
Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have
found that the bacteria Oxalobacter formigenes (O. formigenes), a
naturally occurring bacterium that has no known side effects, is
associated with a 70 percent reduction in the risk of recurrent kidney
stones. These findings appear online in the March issue Journal of the
American Society of Nephrology.
NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Contact: Gina Digravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8491
Boston UniversityPublic Release: 5-Mar-2008
Cell Stem
Cell
UCLA
researchers find blood stem cells originate and are nurtured in the
placenta
Solving a long-standing biological mystery, UCLA stem cell researchers
have discovered that blood stem cells, the cells that later
differentiate into all the cells in the blood supply, originate and are
nurtured in the placenta.
Contact: Kim Irwin
kirwin@mednet.ucla.edu
310-206-2805
University of
California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 5-Mar-2008
Nature
Brown-led
study rearranges some branches on animal tree of life
An international research project led by Brown University evolutionary
biologist Casey Dunn traces new roots and shoots in the animal tree of
life. The study uses new genomics tools to answer old questions about
animal evolution -- and offers up a few surprises among the branches.
Results are published in Nature.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Wendy Lawton
Wendy_Lawton@brown.edu
401-863-1862
Brown
UniversityPublic Release: 5-Mar-2008
Psychological Science
Awkward!
New study examines our gazes during potentially offensive behavior
It's happened to all of us: While sitting at the conference table or at
dinner party, a friend or colleague unleashes a questionable remark
that could offend at least one person amongst the group. A hush falls
and, if you're like most people, your eyes will dart towards the person
most likely to take offense to the faux pas. This almost instinctive
stare toward the potentially offended has garnered the attention of
researchers seeking to understand why this phenomenon occurs.
Contact: Catherine West
cwest@psychologicalscience.org
202-293-9300
Association
for Psychological Science
Public Release: 5-Mar-2008
Diabetes
Care
Type
2 diabetes may be caused by intestinal dysfunction
Growing evidence shows that surgery may effectively cure type 2
diabetes -- an approach that not only may change the way the disease is
treated, but that introduces a new way of thinking about diabetes.
Contact: John Rodgers
jdr2001@med.cornell.edu
212-821-0560
New York-
Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell MedicalPublic Release: 5-Mar-2008
Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology
When
it comes to emotions, Eastern and Western cultures see things very
differently: Study
A team of researchers from Canada and Japan have uncovered some
remarkable results on how eastern and western cultures assess
situations very differently. The majority of Japanese participants
reported that their judgments of the center person's emotions were
influenced by the emotions of the background figures, while most North
Americans reported they were not influenced by the background figures
at all.
Contact: Kris Connor
kris.connor@ualberta.ca
University of AlbertaPublic Release: 5-Mar-2008
British
Journal of Psychology
Go
with your gut -- intuition is more than just a hunch, says Leeds
research
Most of us experience "gut feelings" we can't explain, such as
instantly loving -- or hating -- a new property when we're househunting
or the snap judgments we make on meeting new people. Now researchers at
Leeds say these feelings -- or intuitions -- are real and we should
take our hunches seriously.
Contact: Jo Kelly
jokelly@campuspr.co.uk
44-113-258-9880
University of LeedsPublic Release: 5-Mar-2008
Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology
Mother-daughter
conflict, low serotonin level may be deadly combination
The combination of negative mother-daughter relationships and low blood
levels of serotonin, an important brain chemical for mood stability,
may be lethal for adolescent girls, leaving them vulnerable to engage
in self-harming behaviors such as cutting themselves.
NIH/National Institute of
Mental Health, Seattle Children's Hospital
Research Institute, National Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Contact: Joel Schwarz
joels@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public Release: 5-Mar-2008
Blood
Leukemia
therapy with imatinib during pregnancy may cause infant abnormalities
While doctors already face many challenges in treating patients with
cancer, treating pregnant women with the disease, in particular, can be
quite difficult as studies suggest that certain therapies can harm
developing fetuses. According to the results of a study prepublished
today online in Blood, the official journal of the American Society of
Hematology, expectant women treated with imatinib, a commonly used
therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia, may be at moderate risk of
developing fetal abnormalities.
Contact: Becka Livesay
rlivesay@hematology.org
202-776-0544
American Society of
HematologyPublic Release: 5-Mar-2008
CA: A
Cancer Journal for Clinicians
Health
groups issue updated colorectal cancer screening guidelines
The American Cancer Society, the American College of Radiology, and the
US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer (a group that
comprises representatives from the American College of
Gastroenterology, American Gastroenterological Association, and
American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy) have released the
first-ever joint consensus guidelines for colorectal cancer screening.
Contact: David Sampson
david.sampson@cancer.org
American Cancer SocietyPublic Release: 6-Mar-2008
International Journal of Clinical Practice
Drugs
like aspirin could reduce breast cancer and help existing sufferers
Experts who reviewed studies on NSAIDs and breast cancer have concluded
that there is sufficient evidence to suggest that these popular
non-prescription drugs could, if used correctly, play an important role
in preventing and treating breast cancer. They suggest that they could
reduce breast cancer by up to 20 percent. But further research is
needed to see if the risks outweigh the benefits.
Contact: Annette Whibley
wizard.media@virgin.net
Blackwell
Publishing Ltd.Public Release: 6-Mar-2008
Cerebral
Cortex
Your
brain on Krispy Kremes
What makes you suddenly dart into the bakery when you spy
chocolate-frosted donuts in the window, though you certainly hadn't
planned on indulging? As you lick the frosting off your fingers, don't
blame a lack of self-control. New research from Northwestern University
reveals how hunger works in the brain and the way neurons pull your
strings to lunge for the sweet fried dough. Krispy Kremes helped lead
to the discovery.
NIH/National Institute of
Neurological Disease and Stroke
Contact: Marla Paul
Marla-Paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern
UniversityPublic Release: 6-Mar-2008
Geology
HiRISE
discovers a possibly once-habitable ancient Mars lake
Scientists studying images from The University of Arizona-led High
Resolution Imaging Experiment camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter have discovered never-before-seen impact "megabreccia" and a
possibly once-habitable ancient lake on Mars at a place called Holden
crater.
NASA
Contact: Lori
Stiles
lstiles@u.arizona.edu
520-626-4402
University
of ArizonaPublic Release: 7-Mar-2008
First
advert to be broadcast into space
University of Leicester space scientists play pivotal role in project.
Contact: Dr. Darren Wright
44-116-252-3568
University of
Leicester
Public Release: 7-Mar-2008
Psychological Science
New
study reveals profound impact of our unconscious on reaching goals
Whether you are a habitual list maker, or you prefer to keep your tasks
in your head, everyone pursues their goals in this ever changing,
chaotic environment. We are often aware of our conscious decisions that
bring us closer to reaching our goals, however to what extent can we
count on our unconscious processes to pilot us toward our destined
future?
Contact: Catherine West
cwest@psychologicalscience.org
202-293-9300
Association
for Psychological SciencePublic Release: 7-Mar-2008
International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology
New
bacteria contaminate hairspray
Scientists in Japan have discovered a new species of bacteria that can
live in hairspray, according to the results of a study published in the
March issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary
Microbiology.
Contact: Lucy Goodchild
l.goodchild@sgm.ac.uk
44-011-898-81843
Society for General
MicrobiologyPublic Release: 7-Mar-2008
Language
of a fly proves surprising
A group of researchers has developed a novel way to view the world
through the eyes of a common fly and partially decode the insect's
reactions to changes in the world around it. The research fundamentally
alters earlier beliefs about how neural networks function and could
provide the basis for intelligent computers that mimic biological
processes.
DOE/Los Alamos National
Laboratory, National Science Foundation
Contact: James E. Rickman
jamesr@lanl.gov
505-665-9203
DOE/Los Alamos National
LaboratoryPublic Release: 9-Mar-2008
Nature Genetics
Genetic
research unveils common origins for distinct clinical diagnoses
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have discovered that two clinically
different inherited syndromes are in fact variations of the same
disorder. Reporting in the April issue of Nature Genetics, the team
suggests that at least for this class of disorders, the total number
and "strength" of genetic alterations an individual carries throughout
the genome can generate a range of symptoms wide enough to appear like
different conditions.
National Institutes of Health,
NIH/National Institute of Child Health
and Development, NIH/National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive and
Kidney Disorders, Polycystic Kidney Disease Foundation, Medical
Research Council, Research to Prevent Blindness
Contact: Audrey Huang
audrey@jhmi.edu
410-614-5105
Johns Hopkins
Medical Institutions
Sea cucumber skin inspires new material for brain implants
Grand Canyon Still Grand but OlderBy JOHN NOBLE WILFORD
By
dating mineral deposits inside caves along the canyon’s walls,
geologists now claim the canyon’s formation began 11 million years
earlier than previous estimates.
Gauging Age of Universe Becomes More PreciseTwo
additional years of data from a NASA satellite have narrowed the
uncertainty in the age of the universe by tens of millions of years.
By KENNETH CHANG
WORD document HERE
