Public Release: 23-Jun-2008
Exploited fish make rapid comeback in world's largest no-take marine reserve network
No-take marine reserves, in which fishing is completely banned, can lead to very rapid comebacks of the fish species most prized by commercial and recreational fisheries, reveals a new study of Australia's Great Barrier Reef published in the June 24 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication.
Australian Institute of Marine Science, Australian Research Council, Department of Environment and Heritage, CRC Reef Research Center, Marine and Tropical Scientific Research Facility
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 23-Jun-2008
PLoS Medicine
Better tools needed for assessing infant pain
Currently used pain assessment tools may be underestimating the pain response in infants according to a study published in the open access journal PLoS Medicine this week. Dr. Slater and colleagues (University College London, UK) studied the association between cortical pain responses in young infants and currently used pain assessment tools which are based on behavioral and physiological measures, such as change in facial expression.
Contact: Andrew Hyde
press@plos.org
01-223-463-330
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 23-Jun-2008
Archives of Internal Medicine
Subtle nervous system abnormalities appear to predict risk of death in older individuals
Subtle but clinically detectable neurological abnormalities, such as reduced reflexes and an unstable posture, may be associated with the risk of death and stroke in otherwise healthy older adults, according to a report in the June 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Contact: Marco Inzitari, M.D.
marcoinzitari@gmail.com
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 23-Jun-2008
New Phylotologist
Life on the edge: To disperse, or become extinct?
The hardiest plants and those most likely to survive the climatic shifts brought about by global warming are now easier to identify, thanks to new research findings by a team from Queen's University.
Contact: Nancy Dorrance
nancy.dorrance@queensu.ca
613-533-2869
Queen's University
Public Release: 23-Jun-2008
Molecular Ecology
Primate's scent speaks volumes about who he is
Perhaps judging a man by his cologne isn't as superficial as it seems. Duke University researchers, using sophisticated machinery to analyze hundreds of chemical components in a ringtailed lemur's distinctive scent, have found that individual males are not only advertising their fitness for fatherhood, but also a bit about their family tree as well.
National Science Foundation
Contact: Karl Leif Bates
karl.bates@duke.edu
919-681-8054
Duke University
Public Release: 23-Jun-2008
Journal of Adolescent Health
Scientifically valid prevention programs cut rates of juvenile delinquency
Seventh-grade students in US communities that have set up scientifically validated programs to reduce juvenile delinquency have a significantly smaller chance of engaging such behavior than do children in towns that have not adopted such programs.
NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Cancer Institute, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention
Contact: Joel Schwarz
joels@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public Release: 23-Jun-2008
Journal of Economic Entomology
Study shows single insecticide application can kill 3 cockroach generations
One dose of an insecticide can kill three generations of cockroaches as they feed off of each other and transfer the poison, according to Purdue University entomologists who tested the effectiveness of a specific gel bait.
Purdue Industrial Affiliates Program, DuPont
Contact: Susan A. Steeves
ssteeves@purdue.edu
765-496-7481
Purdue University
Public Release: 23-Jun-2008
Journal of Experimental Medicine
Anti-inflammatory drug blocks brain plaques
An anti-inflammatory drug may help restore brain function in patients with Alzheimer's disease, according to an animal study published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Contact: Hema Bashyam
hbashyam@rockefeller.edu
212-327-7053
Journal of Experimental Medicine
Olympic start gun gives inside runners an edge
When sprinters compete at Beijing this year, use of the traditional pistol shot to mark "go" could mean the fastest athlete won't take gold
11:35 23 June 2008
Why anaesthetics can make the pain worse
Many anaesthetics activate pain receptors, making the soreness experienced after operations worse
22:00 23 June 2008
Organic pigs breed more bad bugs
Levels of dangerous bacteria and parasitic worms in free-range, organic pork are higher than in farmed pigs given antibiotics
10:05 24 June 2008
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
JAMA
Electromagnetic interference from some identification devices may pose hazards to medical equipment
The use of radio frequency identification devices appears to have the potential to cause critical care medical equipment to malfunction, according to a study in the June 25 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Erik Jan van Lieshout, M.D.
e.j.vanlieshout@amc.nl
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
JAMA
Our genome changes over lifetime, Johns Hopkins experts say
Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that epigenetic marks on DNA -- chemical marks other than the DNA sequence -- do indeed change over a person's lifetime, and that the degree of change is similar among family members. Reporting in the June 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, the team suggests that overall genome health is heritable and that epigenetic changes occurring over one's lifetime may explain why disease susceptibility increases with age.
National Institutes of Health, Swedish Cancer Foundation, Icelandic Parliament, Huntsman General Clinical Research Center,
W. M. Keck Foundation, George S. and Delores Doré Eccles Foundation, Fulbright Foundation, Icelandic Student Innovation Fund
Contact: Audrey Huang
audrey@jhmi.edu
410-614-5105
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
Journal of Finance
Individual trading positively related to future returns
A new study in the Journal of Finance reveals that individual trading is positively associated with future short-horizon returns.
Contact: Amy Molnar
journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net
201-748-8844
Wiley-Blackwell
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
Blue light used to harden tooth fillings stunts tumor growth
A blue curing light used to harden dental fillings also may stunt tumor growth, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.
Contact: Amy Connell
aconnell@mcg.edu
706-721-8605
Medical College of Georgia
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering
Researchers develop neural implant that learns with the brain
Devices known as brain-machine interfaces could someday be used routinely to help paralyzed patients and amputees control prosthetic limbs with just their thoughts. Now, University of Florida researchers have taken the concept a step further, devising a way for computerized devices not only to translate brain signals into movement but also to evolve with the brain as it learns.
Contact: April Frawley Birdwell
afrawley@ufl.edu
352-273-5817
University of Florida
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
Biological Psychiatry
Study uncovers how Ritalin works in brain to boost cognition, focus attention
Stimulant medications such as Ritalin have been prescribed for decades to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and their popularity as "cognition enhancers" has recently surged among the healthy, as well.
NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, UW-Madison Discovery Seed Grant Program
Contact: David Devilbiss
ddevilbiss@wisc.edu
608-265-8722
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
New report: The truth about drug innovation
A new report co-authored by Manhattan Institute senior fellow Benjamin Zycher, and Joseph DiMasi, and Christopher-Paul Milne, researchers from the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development, examines case histories for thirty-five important pharmaceutical innovations. Skeptics of the private industry assert that the development of new medicines is most attributable to publicly funded sources.
Contact: Charlene Neu
617-636-2187
Tufts University, Health Sciences
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Alzheimer's disease as a case of brake failure?
Rutgers researcher Karl Herrup and colleagues at Case Western Reserve University have discovered that a protein that suppresses cell division in brain cells effectively "puts the brakes" on the dementia that comes with Alzheimer's disease. When the brakes fail, dementia results. This discovery could open the door to new ways of treating Alzheimer's disease, which affects up to half the population over the age of 85.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Joseph Blumberg
blumberg@ur.rutgers.edu
732-932-7084 x652
Rutgers University
Public Release: 24-Jun-2008
New UGA invention effectively kills foodborne pathogens in minutes
University of Georgia researchers have developed an effective technology for reducing contamination of dangerous bacteria on food. The new antimicrobial wash rapidly kills Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 on foods ranging from fragile lettuce to tomatoes, fruits, poultry products and meats. It is made from inexpensive and readily available ingredients that are recognized as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Contact: Kim Osborne
kosborne@uga.edu
706-583-0913
University of Georgia
Pet cats may trigger eczema in children
A gene mutation that predisposes youngsters to the skin condition seems to pose a greater risk if they are also exposed to cats
17:36 24 June 2008
Really?
The Claim: Listerine Can Ward Off a Swarm of Mosquitoes
By ANAHAD O'CONNOR
To some resourceful outdoors types, Listerine has a second life.
Vital Signs
Safety: Deaths Soar After Repeal of Helmet Law
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Published: June 24, 2008
In 2003, Pennsylvania legislators repealed a law requiring motorcycle riders to wear helmets. Researchers say that decision had lethal, and expensive, consequences. Helmet use among riders in crashes decreased to 58 percent from 82 percent and head injury deaths increased 66 percent while head injury hospitalizations increased 78 percent.
*** Health Guide: Head Injury >>
Drug-Resistant High Blood Pressure on the Rise
By BRENDA GOODMAN
High blood pressure, the most commonly diagnosed condition in the United States, is becoming increasingly resistant to drugs that lower it.
 * Health Guide: Hypertension ?
Basics
For Alien Life-Seekers, New Reason to Hope
By NATALIE ANGIER
To some theorists, an announcement last week virtually guarantees the existence of other Earthlike worlds.
Q & A
Nasty Noises
By C. CLAIBORNE RAY
Published: June 24, 2008
Is there a name and an explanation for the “nails on a chalkboard” reaction?
Public Release: 25-Jun-2008
Neuron
Neuroscientists discover a sense of adventure
Wellcome Trust scientists have identified a key region of the brain which encourages us to be adventurous. The region, located in a primitive area of the brain, is activated when we choose unfamiliar options, suggesting an evolutionary advantage for sampling the unknown. It may also explain why rebranding of familiar products encourages to pick them off the supermarket shelves.
Wellcome Trust
Contact: Craig Brierley
c.brierley@wellcome.ac.uk
44-207-611-7329
Wellcome Trust
Asteroid smash turned Mars into 'takeaway pizza' planet
Legacy of ancient impact means Mars now comes with either thick or thin crust.
Katharine Sanderson
Public Release: 25-Jun-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Salutary pizza spice
Oregano doesn't only give a pizza its typical taste. Researchers at Bonn University and the ETH Zürich have discovered that this spice also contains a substance which, amongst other qualities, appears to help cure inflammations. The researchers administered its active ingredient -- known as beta-caryophyllin -- to mice with inflamed paws. In seven out of ten cases there was a subsequent improvement in the symptoms. E-BCP might possibly be of use against disorders such as osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis.
Contact: Dr. Andreas Zimmer
neuro@uni-bonn.de
49-228-688-5300
University of Bonn
Public Release: 25-Jun-2008
Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Mars air once had moisture, new soil analysis says
A new analysis of Martian soil data led by UC Berkeley geoscientists suggests that there was once enough water in the planet's atmosphere for dew to hit the ground, leaving tell-tale signs of its interaction with the planet's surface. The study's conclusion breaks from the more dominant view that the liquid water that once existed during the red planet's infancy came mainly in the form of upwelling groundwater.
NASA, National Science Foundation
Contact: Sarah Yang
scyang@berkeley.edu
510-643-7741
University of California - Berkeley
Public Release: 25-Jun-2008
Human Nature
Was it good for you too?
The sexual and feminist revolutions were supposed to free women to enjoy casual sex just as men always had. Yet according to Professor Anne Campbell from Durham University in the UK, the negative feelings reported by women after one-night stands suggest that they are not well adapted to fleeting sexual encounters. Her findings are published online in the June issue of Springer's journal, "Human Nature."
Contact: Renate Bayaz
renate.bayaz@springer.com
49-622-148-78531
Springer
Public Release: 25-Jun-2008
Nature
Geologists discover signs of volcanoes blowing their tops in the deep ocean
A research team led by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution has uncovered evidence of explosive volcanic eruptions deep beneath the ice-covered surface of the Arctic Ocean. Such violent eruptions of splintered, fragmented rock -- known as pyroclastic deposits -- were not thought possible at great ocean depths because of the intense weight and pressure of water and because of the composition of seafloor magma and rock.
Contact: Media Relations
media@whoi.edu
508-289-3340
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Public Release: 25-Jun-2008
Journal of General Internal Medicine
Hurried doctor visits may leave patients feeling forgetful
Have you ever been whisked through a doctor's visit, and afterward were unable to remember what the doctor said? A University of Rochester Medical Center study disclosed that doctors don't often take the steps necessary to help patients recall medical instructions.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Contact: Leslie Orr
Leslie_Orr@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-5774
University of Rochester Medical Center
Artificial brain predicts death-row executions
A new computer system can predict which condemned prisoners will live and which will be executed – with chilling accuracy
18:00 25 June 2008
Is fructose fuelling the obesity epidemic?
We know about good and bad fats, but new evidence suggests that one sugar may bring about alarming changes in body fat and insulin sensitivity
10:12 26 June 2008
Public Release: 25-Jun-2008
Nature
Closing the gap between fish and land animals
New exquisitely preserved fossils from Latvia cast light on a key event in our own evolutionary history, when our ancestors left the water and ventured onto land. Swedish researchers Per Ahlberg and Henning Blom from Uppsala University have reconstructed parts of the animal and explain the transformation in the new issue of Nature.
Contact: Per Ahlberg
Per.Ahlberg@ebc.uu.se
46-018-471-2641
Uppsala University
Galaxy map hints at fractal universe
A new study of nearly a million galaxies suggests matter in the universe is distributed in a fractal pattern
00:00 25 June 2008
Public Release: 26-Jun-2008
Cell
Ronin an alternate control for embryonic stem cells
Like the masterless samurai for whom it is named, the protein Ronin chooses an independent path, maintaining embryonic stem cells in their undifferentiated state and playing essential roles in genesis of embryos and their development, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers who reported on this novel cellular regulator in the current issue of the journal Cell.
Lance Armstrong Foundation, Gillson Longenbaugh Foundation, Tilker Medical Research Foundation, Diana Helis Henry Medical Research Foundation, Huffington Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Glenna Picton
picton@bcm.edu
713-798-4710
Baylor College of Medicine
Public Release: 26-Jun-2008
Science
Huge genome-scale phylogenetic study of birds rewrites evolutionary tree-of-life
The largest ever study of bird genetics redraws the avian evolutionary tree, challenges current classifications, alters our understanding of avian evolution, and provides a resource for future studies. Early Bird, centered at the Field Museum, examined DNA from all major living bird groups. Scientists built and analyzed a dataset of more than 32 kilobases of nuclear DNA sequences from 19 locations on the DNA of each of 169 species -- equivalent to a small genome project.
Contact: Greg Borzo
gborzo@fieldmuseum.org
312-665-7106
Field Museum
Public Release: 26-Jun-2008
Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association
10 percent of healthy people in study had injury from 'silent strokes'
MRIs on healthy Framingham offspring found that about 10 percent had experienced a silent stroke. Silent stroke -- silent cerebral infarction -- is a risk factor for stroke and dementia.
NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH/National Institute on Aging, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
Contact: Bridgette McNeill
bridgette.mcneill@heart.org
214-706-1135
American Heart Association
Public Release: 26-Jun-2008
Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association
Sudden hearing loss could indicate future stroke
Patients hospitalized for sudden hearing loss were more likely to suffer a later stroke than some other patients. The findings haven't been duplicated in other research and should be interpreted cautiously. Researchers suggest patients with sudden sensorineural hearing loss be evaluated for stroke risk factors.
Contact: Bridgette McNeill
bridgette.mcneill@heart.org
214-706-1135
American Heart Association
A simple therapy for brain injury
Severe brain injury due to blunt force trauma could be reduced by application of a simple polymer, polyethylene glycol or PEG, mixed in sterile water and injected into the blood stream -- as reported in BioMed Central's Journal of Biological Engineering.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-763-14804
BioMed Central
Public Release: 26-Jun-2008
Integrative Cancer Therapies
Ovarian cancer's specific scent detected by dogs
Groundbreaking research in the June issue of Integrative Cancer Therapies published by SAGE explored whether ovarian cancer has a scent different from other cancers and whether working dogs could be taught to distinguish it in its different stages.
Contact: Jim Gilden
media.relations@sagepub.com
SAGE Publications
Public Release: 26-Jun-2008
Why do people vote? Genetic variation in political participation
A groundbreaking new study finds that genes significantly affect variation in voter turnout, shedding new light on the reasons why people vote and participate in the political system.
Contact: Helena Saele
hsaele@apsanet.org
202-483-2512
American Political Science Association
Public Release: 26-Jun-2008
Higher coffee consumption associated with lower liver cancer risk
A new large, prospective population-based study confirms an inverse relationship between coffee consumption and liver cancer risk. The study also found that higher levels of gamma-glutamyltransferase in the blood were associated with an increased risk of developing the disease.
Contact: Sean Wagner
swagner@wiley.com
781-388-8550
Wiley-Blackwell
Even vegetarians may not be safe from 'mad cow' prions
Infectious prions – thought to cause BSE and human vCJD – can survive in wastewater, potentially contaminating fruit and vegetables
10:34 26 June 2008
Could nuclear warheads go off 'like popcorn'?
Missiles stored in the close confines of a submarine could explode in a chain reaction, according to a UK Ministry of Defence manual
10:59 26 June 2008
Alkaline Soil Sample From Mars Reveals Presence of Nutrients for Plants to Grow
By KENNETH CHANG
Scientists find that the soil on the northern arctic plains of Mars is full of mineral nutrients that plants would need to survive.
Dig moves back Paris's first known human occupation to about 7600BC, in the Mesolithic period between the two stone ages
Independent UK
Public Release: 27-Jun-2008
Journal of Neuroscience
Animal study suggests inadequate sleep may exacerbate cellular aging in the elderly
Researchers have shown that the unfolded protein response, which is a reaction to stress induced by sleep deprivation, is impaired in the brains of old mice. The findings suggest that inadequate sleep in the elderly could exacerbate an already-impaired protective response.
NIH/National Institute on Aging
Contact: Karen Kreeger
karen.kreeger@uphs.upenn.edu
215-349-5658
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Public Release: 27-Jun-2008
Cell Metabolism
Growth hormone's link to starvation may be clue to increasing life span, researchers find
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that starvation blocks the effects of growth hormone via a mechanism that may have implications in treating diabetes and extending life span.
National Institutes of Health, Welch Foundation, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Contact: Aline McKenzie
aline.mckenzie@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Australian crocs hit by cane toad 'wave of death'
Freshwater crocodile populations in the Northern Territory are plummeting as a wave of invasive toxic toads marches inland
17:23 27 June 2008
Stephen Hawking's explosive new theory
By Roger Highfield, Science Editor
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 26/06/2008
Prof Stephen Hawking has come up with a new idea to explain why the Big Bang of creation led to the vast cosmos that we can see today.
Public Release: 29-Jun-2008
Sexually Transmitted Infections
Doubling of sexually transmitted infections among over-45s in under a decade
Rates of sexually transmitted infections have doubled among the over-45s in less than a decade, reveals research published ahead of print in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections.
Contact: Rachael Davies
rdavies@bma.org.uk
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal

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