SciNews20080721

Public Release: 14-Jul-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
More kidney stone disease projected due to global warming, predicts UT Southwestern researchers
Global warming is likely to increase the proportion of the population affected by kidney stones by expanding the higher-risk region known as the "kidney-stone belt" into neighboring states, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center and UT Dallas have found.
Contact: Erin Prather Stafford
erin.pratherstafford@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Public Release: 14-Jul-2008
Archives of Opthamology
'Snapshots' of eyes could serve as early warning of diabetes
A new vision screening device, already shown to give an early warning of eye disease, could give doctors and patients a head start on treating diabetes and its vision complications, a new study shows. It captures images of the eye to detect metabolic stress and tissue damage that occur before the first symptoms of disease are evident.
National Institutes of Health, Research to Prevent Blindness
Contact: Betsy Nisbet
bsnisbet@umich.edu
734-647-5586
University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 14-Jul-2008
BMC Microbiology
The 700-year-old Mexican mummy with a tummy ache
Remnants of the bacterium that causes stomach ulcers, Helicobacter pylori, have been discovered in gastric tissue from North American mummies. A study of human remains believed to predate Columbus' discovery of the New World has shown for the first time that H. pylori infection occurred in native populations, according to research published in BioMed Central's open access journal, BMC Microbiology.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-707-94804
BioMed Central
Public Release: 14-Jul-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Undersea volcanic rocks offer vast repository for greenhouse gas, says study
A group of scientists has used deep ocean-floor drilling and experiments to show that volcanic rocks off the West Coast and elsewhere might be used to securely imprison huge amounts of globe-warming carbon dioxide captured from power plants or other sources. In particular, they say that natural chemical reactions under 78,000 square kilometers (30,000 square miles) of ocean floor off California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia could lock in as much as 150 years of US CO2 production.
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Earth Institute
Contact: Kevin Krajick
kkrajick@ei.columbia.edu
212-854-9729
The Earth Institute at Columbia University
Public Release: 14-Jul-2008
EPHAR 2008
Weeding out the highs of medical marijuana
Research exploring new ways of exploiting the full medicinal uses of cannabis while avoiding unwanted side-effects will be presented to pharmacologists today by leading scientists attending the Federation of European Pharmacological Societies Congress, EPHAR 2008.
Contact: Aeron Haworth
aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk
44-161-275-8383
University of Manchester
Public Release: 14-Jul-2008
Palaeontology
Was it a bird or was it a plane?
A new study of extinct flying reptiles called kuehneosaurs, has shown that of the of the two genera found in Britain, Kuehneosuchus was a glider while Kuehneosaurus, with much shorter "wings," was a parachutist.
Contact: Cherry Lewis
Cherry.lewis@bristol.ac.uk
44-117-928-8086
University of Bristol
Public Release: 14-Jul-2008
Annals of Family Medicine
Positive thinking is prescription for the heart
Optimism is good for heart health, at least among men, a new study shows. University of Rochester Medical Center researcher Robert Gramling, M.D., D.Sc., found that men who believed they were at lower-than-average risk for cardiovascular disease actually experienced a three times lower incidence of death from heart attacks and strokes.
NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute
Contact: Leslie Orr
Leslie_Orr@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-5774
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 14-Jul-2008
Archives of Internal Medicine
Rx for time-crunched physicians
Certain communication skills can help physicians increase the efficiency of their time with patients during office visits.
Contact: Leila Gray
leilag@u.washingtone.edu
206-685-0381
University of Washington
Ebola-like virus returns to Europe after 40 years
The Marburg virus has killed a Dutch woman who recently visited Uganda – New Scientist takes a closer look at the virus and its history
21:10 14 July 2008
Devils get pregnant early to avoid cancer
In a desperate bid to survive, Tasmanian devils are showing precocious sexual behaviour in populations ravaged by a fatal facial tumour disease
22:00 14 July 2008
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
Cochrane Library
Breast self-exams do not appear to reduce breast cancer deaths
A review of recent studies says there is no evidence that self-exams actually reduce breast cancer deaths. Instead, the practice may be doing more harm than good, since it led to almost twice as many biopsies that turned up no cancer in women who performed the self-exams, compared to women who did not do the exams.
Contact: Lisa Esposito
hbns-editor@cfah.org
Center for the Advancement of Health
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
Journal of Infectious Diseases
Stomach bug appears to protect kids from asthma, says NYU study
A long-time microbial inhabitant of the human stomach may protect children from developing asthma, according to a new study among more than 7,000 subjects led by NYU Langone Medical Center researchers. Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that has co-existed with humans for at least 50,000 years, may lead to peptic ulcers and stomach cancer. Yet, kids between the ages of 3 and 13 are nearly 59 percent less likely to have asthma if they carry the bug, the researchers report.
Contact: Lorinda Klein
Lorindaann.Klein@nyumc.org
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
Icarus
Tunguska catastrophe: Evidence of acid rain supports meteorite theory
The Tunguska catastrophe in 1908 evidently led to high levels of acid rain. This is the conclusion reached by Russian, Italian and German researchers based on the results of analyses of peat profiles taken from the disaster region. In peat samples corresponded to 1908 permafrost boundary they found significantly higher levels of the heavy nitrogen and carbon isotopes 15N and 13C.
DFG
Contact: Tilo Arnhold
presse@ufz.de
49-341-235-1635
Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
EPHAR 2008
Turning on hormone tap could aid osteoporosis fight
A potential new drug that "opens the taps" for the release of useful hormones could stimulate new bone growth -- and may eventually bring relief to osteoporosis sufferers.
Contact: Aeron Haworth
aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk
44-161-275-8383
University of Manchester
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
Resuscitation
LSUHSC study finds high-dose HBO2 therapy extends survival window after cardiopulmonary arrest
A ground-breaking study by researchers at the School of Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans published in the August 2008 issue of Resuscitation has major implications for the No. 1 cause of death of Americans -- sudden cardiac arrest. To resuscitate any living organism after 25 minutes of heart stoppage at room temperature has never been reported and suggests that the time to successful resuscitation in humans may be extended beyond the stubborn figure of 16 minutes that has stood for 50 years.
Ocean Advanced Research Inc.
Contact: Leslie Capo
lcapo@lsuhsc.edu
504-452-9166
Louisiana State University Health Science Center
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
Journal of Biological Chemistry
Scientists demonstrate means of reducing Alzheimer's-like plaques in fly brain
Neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are part of a collaboration that has succeeded in demonstrating that overexpression of an enzyme in the brain can reduce telltale deposits causally linked with Alzheimer's disease.
Contact: Jim Bono
bono@cshl.edu
516-367-8455
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
Geophysical Research Letters
Scientists close in on source of X-rays in lightning
University of Florida and Florida Institute of Technology engineering researchers have narrowed the search for the source of X-rays emitted by lightning, a feat that could one day help predict where lightning will strike.
Contact: Martin Uman
uman@ece.ufl.edu
352-392-4038
University of Florida
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
Autoimmunity Reviews
UT pathologists believe they have pinpointed Achilles heel of HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston believe they have uncovered the Achilles heel in the armor of the virus that continues to kill millions.
National Institutes of Health, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Contact: Robert Cahill
Robert.Cahill@uth.tmc.edu
713-500-3030
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston
Public Release: 15-Jul-2008
PLoS ONE
Vitamin A pushes breast cancer to form blood vessel cells
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered that vitamin A, when applied to breast cancer cells, turns on genes that can push stem cells embedded in a tumor to morph into endothelial cells. These cells can then build blood vessels to link up to the body's blood supply, promoting further tumor growth.
National Institutes of Health, US Department of Defense
Contact: Karen Mallet
km463@georgetown.edu
414-312-7085
Georgetown University Medical Center
Tongue Orchids’ Sexual Guile: Utterly Convincing
By CAROL KAESUK YOON
Many orchids have evolved elaborate ruses to lure pollinators, but one species takes the deception to shameless heights.
Gene Variation May Raise Risk of H.I.V., Study Finds
By NICHOLAS WADE
A genetic variation could account for 11 percent of the caseload of H.I.V. in Africa, explaining why the disease is more common there than expected, researchers say.
Trial for Vaccine Against H.I.V. Is Canceled
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
Plans for a trial of a vaccine against the AIDS virus in the United States were canceled because health officials said it was unlikely to prove effective.
* Health Guide: AIDS
Public Release: 16-Jul-2008
Current Biology
Men and women may need different diets: research
Diet can strongly influence how long you live and your reproductive success, but now scientists have discovered that what works for males can be very different for females. In the first study of its kind, the researchers have shown that gender plays a major role in determining which diet is better suited to promoting longer life or better reproductive success.
Australian Research Council Discovery Grant
Contact: Rob Brooks
rob.brooks@unsw.edu.au
61-402-446-847
University of New South Wales
Public Release: 16-Jul-2008
Nature
New findings show diverse, wet environments on ancient Mars
Mars once hosted vast lakes, flowing rivers and a variety of other wet environments that had the potential to support life, according to two new studies.
NASA
Contact: Jennifer Huergo
Jennifer.Huergo@jhuapl.edu
240-228-5618
Johns Hopkins University
Public Release: 16-Jul-2008
Nature
Eruptions wiped out ocean life 94 million years ago
University of Alberta scientists contend they have the answer to mass extinction of animals and plants 93 million years ago. The answer, research has uncovered, has been found at the bottom of the sea floor where lava fountains erupted, altering the chemistry of the sea and possibly of the atmosphere.
Contact: Steve Turgeon
turgeonsc@ualberta.ca
780-492-0356
University of Alberta
Public Release: 16-Jul-2008
Immunity
Asthma and other allergies tied to absence of specialized cells
When it comes to allergies, both the problem and the solution are found within us. Our immune systems respond to foreign substances with an arsenal of cells. Some are programmed to "remember" invaders they've encountered in the past. Normally, anything previously identified as harmless is allowed to pass. Sometimes, however, the immune response goes awry, triggering an allergic reaction.
National Institutes of Health, National Multiple Sclerosis Society, Sandler Foundation
Contact: Lorinda Klein
lorindaann.klein@nyumc.org
NYU Langone Medical Center / New York University School of Medicine
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Science
Yale researchers discover remnant of an ancient 'RNA world'
Some bacterial cells can swim, morph into new forms and even become dangerously virulent -- all without initial involvement of DNA. Yale University researchers describe Friday in the journal Science how bacteria accomplish this amazing feat -- and in doing so provide a glimpse of what the earliest forms of life on Earth may have looked like.
National Institutes of Health, Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Contact: Bill Hathaway
william.hathaway@yale.edu
203-432-1322
Yale University
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
PLoS Computational Biology
Suckling infants trigger surges of trust hormone in mothers' brains
Researchers from the University of Warwick, in collaboration with other universities and institutes in Edinburgh, France and Italy, have for the first time been able to show exactly how, when a baby suckles at a mother's breast, it starts a chain of events that leads to surges of the "trust" hormone oxytocin being released in their mothers brains.
Contact: Peter Dunn
07-767-655-860
University of Warwick
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
PLoS Pathogens
Researchers discover primary sensor that detects stomach viruses
Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified the primary immune sensor that detects the presence of stomach viruses in the body. They show that the sensor -- a protein called MDA-5 -- triggers an immune response that revs up the body's defenses to fight off the infection. This knowledge may help develop a treatment that prevents or reduces infection, the researchers suggest in their study, published July 18 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.
Contact: Mary Kohut
Press@plos.org
415-568-3457
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Lancet
Early study reveals promising Alzheimer's disease treatment
A drug once approved as an antihistamine in Russia improved thinking processes and ability to function in patients with Alzheimer's disease in a study conducted there, said an expert at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. The findings are published in the current issue of the journal the Lancet.
Medivation, Inc.
Contact: Graciela Gutierrez
ggutierr@bcm.edu
713-798-4710
Baylor College of Medicine
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Vaccine for koala chlamydia close
Eighteen female koalas treated with an anti-chlamydia vaccine are showing positive results, giving QUT scientists hope they have an answer to the disease that is threatening the survival of koalas in the wild.
Contact: Professor Peter Timms
p.timms@qut.edu.au
Queensland University of Technology
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Biological Psychiatry
Researchers find a partially shared genetic profile between schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder can be disabling conditions, and both present clinically with significant mood and psychotic symptoms.
Contact: Jayne Dawkins
ja.dawkins@elsevier.com
215-239-3674
Elsevier
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Journal of Applied Physics
Tree branching key to efficient flow in nature and novel materials
Nature, in the simple form of a tree canopy, appears to provide keen insights into the best way to design complex systems to move substances from one place to another, an essential ingredient in the development of novel "smart" materials.
US Air Force Office of Scientific Research
Contact: Richard Merritt
919-660-8414
Duke University
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Current Biology
UNC, Caltech research finds further evidence for genetic contribution to autism
Some parents of children with autism evaluate facial expressions differently than the rest of us -- and in a way that is strikingly similar to autistic patients themselves, according to new research by psychiatrist Dr. Joe Piven of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and neuroscientist Ralph Adolphs, Ph.D., of the California Institute of Technology.
National Institutes of Health, Simons Foundation
Contact: Tom Hughes
tahughes@unch.unc.edu
919-966-6047
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
'Ten Commandments' of race and genetics issued
A multidisciplinary group has issued a set of guidelines on how geneticists should deal with issues of race, genetics and medicine
Updated 18:13 18 July 2008
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Modern Pathology
As rates rise, researchers find better way to identify melanoma
University of Rochester Medical Center researchers found a new protein produced excessively in malignant melanoma, a discovery that is particularly relevant as skin cancer rates climb dramatically among young women.
University of Rochester Medical Center
Contact: Leslie Orr
Leslie_Orr@urmc.rochester.edu
585-275-5774
University of Rochester Medical Center
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Science
Research publications online: Too much of a good thing?
The Internet gives scientists and researchers instant access to an astonishing number of academic journals. So what is the impact of having such a wealth of information at their fingertips? The answer, according to new research released today in the journal Science, is surprising -- scholars are actually citing fewer papers in their own work, and the papers they do cite tend to be more recent publications. This trend may be limiting the creation of new ideas and theories.
Contact: Dana Cruikshank
dcruiksh@nsf.gov
703-292-8070
National Science Foundation
Public Release: 17-Jul-2008
Science
When fish talk, scientists listen
New research on the midshipman fish, a close relative of the toadfish, indicates that that the ability to make and respond to sound is an ancient part of the vertebrate success story.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Diana Kenney
dkenney@mbl.edu
508-289-7139
Marine Biological Laboratory
Toadfish vocalizations: (.wav format)
Growl | Grunt | Hum
Public Release: 18-Jul-2008
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Coffee and cigarette consumption are high among AA attendees
More than one million Americans currently participate in the Alcoholics Anonymous program. Recent findings confirm that coffee and cigarette use among AA members is greater than among the general US population. Most AA members drink coffee for its stimulatory effects; more than half smoke to reduce feelings of depression, anxiety and irritability.
NIH/National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse
Contact: Peter R. Martin, M.D.
peter.martin@vanderbilt.edu
615-322-3527
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Public Release: 18-Jul-2008
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Loud music can make you drink more, in less time, in a bar
Commercial venues are very aware of the effects that the environment -- in this case, music -- can have on in-store traffic flow, sales volumes, product choices and consumer time spent in the immediate vicinity. A study of the effects of music levels on drinking in a bar setting has found that loud music leads to more drinking in less time.
Centre de Recherches en Psychologie, Université de Bretagne-Sud
Contact: Nicolas Guéguen, Ph.D.
nicolas.gueguen@univ-ubs.fr
33-297-872-992
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Public Release: 18-Jul-2008
Nature Geoscience
Saharan dust storms sustain life in Atlantic Ocean
Research at the University of Liverpool has found how Saharan dust storms help sustain life over extensive regions of the North Atlantic Ocean.
Contact: Samantha Martin
samantha.martin@liv.ac.uk
01-517-942-248
University of Liverpool
Public Release: 18-Jul-2008
Journal of Virology
HIV conquers immune system faster than previously realized
New research into the earliest events occurring immediately upon infection with HIV-I shows that the virus deals a stunning blow to the immune system earlier than was previously understood. According to scientists at Duke University Medical Center, this suggests the window of opportunity for successful intervention may be only a matter of days -- not weeks -- after transmission, as researchers had previously believed.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Michelle Gailiun
michelle.gailiun@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 18-Jul-2008
Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal
Averting postsurgical infections in kids: Give antibiotics within hour before first incision
Giving children preventive antibiotics within one hour before they undergo spinal surgery greatly reduces the risk for serious infections after the surgery, suggests a Johns Hopkins study to be published in the August issue of Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal.
Contact: Katerina Pesheva
epeshev1@jhmi.edu
410-516-4996
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Public Release: 18-Jul-2008
JAMA
Analysis of quickly stopped Rx orders provides new tool for reducing medical errors
By studying medication orders that are withdrawn ("discontinued") by physicians within 45 minutes of their origination, researchers at The University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have demonstrated a systematic and efficient method of identifying prescribing errors. The method, they say, has value to screen for medication errors and as a teaching tool for physicians and physicians-in-training.
Contact: Marc Kaplan
marc.kaplan@uphs.upenn.edu
215-662-2560
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
Public Release: 18-Jul-2008
Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Intervention
Still puzzling: Best care for the frail and elderly with coronary artery disease
A new study from Duke University Medical Center finds that patients treated solely with medications after suffering from chest pain, heart attack or coronary artery disease are more likely to die during the first year following their initial hospitalization.
Contact: Michelle Gailiun
michelle.gailiun@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
What would Earth look like to alien astronomers?
If they had super-powerful telescopes, it might look like what the Deep Impact probe recently saw from its vantage point 50 million km away
00:40 18 July 2008
Smell of fresh earth traced to bacteria genes
A mysterious chemical that is a key part of the familiar smell of soil has been traced to not one, but two, bacterial genes
18:45 18 July 2008
Vestigial Vocal Organ Muffles Human Speech
All four great apes have vocal tract air sacs evolved for calling out to others over long distances. In humans, the anatomical structures have shrunk, leaving us with the vestiges of the sacs and much quieter voices as a result. The find highlights how human evolution sacrificed volume for a better ability to speak with others, one on one.