Public Release: 27-Jul-2008
Alzheimer's Association International Conference
Angiotensin receptor blockers are lower incidence, progression of Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine have, for the first time, found that angiotensin receptor blockers -- a particular class of anti-hypertensive medicines -- are associated with a striking decrease in the occurrence and progression of dementia. Data from this study will be presented this weekend at the 2008 International Conference on Alzheimer's disease in Chicago.
Retirement Research Foundation, Casten Foundation
Contact: Gina DiGravio
gina.digravio@bmc.org
617-638-8491
Boston University
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Cancer
Hip bone density helps predict breast cancer risk
Measuring a woman's bone mineral density can provide additional information that may help more accurately determine a woman's risk of developing breast cancer
Contact: David Sampson
david.sampson@cancer.org
American Cancer Society
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Cancer
Prostate cancer patients undergoing hormone therapy may experience cognitive effects
A recent review of the literature has found that hormone deprivation therapy, a commonly used treatment for prostate cancer, may have subtle adverse effects on cognition in patients -- such as in the ability to recall and concentrate.
Contact: David Sampson
david.sampson@cancer.org
American Cancer Society
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Brain Research
Erectile dysfunction drugs allowed more chemotherapy to reach brain tumors in laboratory study
In a study using laboratory animals, researchers found that medications commonly prescribed for erectile dysfunction opened a mechanism called the blood-brain tumor barrier and increased delivery of cancer-fighting drugs to malignant brain tumors.
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute, Ruth and Lawrence Harvey Chair in Neuroscience
Contact: Sandy Van
sandy@prpacific.com
800-880-2397
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Geology
Snapshot of past climate reveals no ice in Antarctica millions of years ago
A snapshot of New Zealand's climate 40 million years ago reveals a greenhouse Earth, with warmer seas and little or no ice in Antarctica. A new study led by Cardiff University suggests Antarctica at that time was yet to develop extensive ice sheets.
Natural Environment Research Council, Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research, GNS Science (New Zealand)
Contact: Dr. Cat Burgess
catherine_burgess99@hotmail.com
07-740-500-722
Cardiff University
Wild orangutans treat pain with natural anti-inflammatory
Great apes have never before been seen self medicating, although local people use the same natural balm to treat aches and pains
11:21 28 July 2008
Blue light helps flies feel the force
A protein that detects blue light also helps fruit flies tune into the Earth's magnetic field – crucial for the homing and migration abilities of many animals
13:00 28 July 2008
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
European Journal of Clinical Hypnosis
Hypnosis shown to reduce symptoms of dementia
A scientist at the University of Liverpool has found that hypnosis can slow down the impacts of dementia and improve quality of life for those living with the condition.
Contact: Laura Johnson
laura.johnson@liv.ac.uk
01-517-942-026
University of Liverpool
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Journal of Lipid Research
Compound that helps rice grow reduces nerve, vascular damage from diabetes
Researchers have found that a compound that helps rice seed grow, springs back into action when brown rice is placed in water overnight before cooking, significantly reducing the nerve and vascular damage that often result from diabetes.
Fancl Hatsuga Genmai Co., Ltd.
Contact: Toni Baker
tbaker@mcg.edu
706-721-4421
Medical College of Georgia
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Journal of American Geriatrics Society
Alleviating the fear of falling
Ritalin could prevent fatal falls, a Tel Aviv University study finds.
Contact: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
How molecules out of balance lead to human multiple myeloma and other cancers
An international team of scientists has identified processes that are heavily implicated in human multiple myeloma and other B cell cancers, moving us closer to developing quick tests and readouts that could help in the tailored treatment of patients.
Contact: Alison Heather
a.heather@garvan.org.au
61-292-958-128
Research Australia
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
'Chicken and chips' theory of Pacific migration
A new study of DNA from ancient and modern chickens has shed light on the controversy about the extent of prehistoric Polynesian contact with the Americas.
Contact: Alan Cooper
alan.cooper@adelaide.edu.au
61-883-035-950
University of Adelaide
Public Release: 28-Jul-2008
InterLymph Symposium
Hey fever! The surprise benefit of allergies
Long-suffering victims of allergies such as asthma and hay fever might enjoy a surprise benefit, according to research led by the University of New South Wales.
Contact: Susi Hamilton
susi.hamilton@unsw.edu.au
61-293-851-583
University of New South Wales
Boozy tree shrews avoid fermented fruit hangovers
Alcoholic nectar is an essential part of the tree shrews' diet, but the animals avoid the effects of alcohol by metabolising most of it
22:00 28 July 2008
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
Alzheimer's Association International Conference
New study finds healthy children of Alzheimer patients show early brain changes
Medical College of Wisconsin researchers in Milwaukee have reported that children of Alzheimer's patients who are carriers of a genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease have neurological changes that are detectable long before clinical symptoms may appear.
Contact: Toranj Marphetia
toranj@mcw.edu
414-456-4744
Medical College of Wisconsin
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
1/5 of British adult survivors of childhood cancer smoke despite hazards
One-fifth of British adult survivors of childhood cancers are current smokers, and nearly a third have been regular smokers at some point in their lives, according to a study in the July 29 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Contact: Liz Savage
elizabeth.savage@oxfordjournals.org
301-841-1287
Journal of the National Cancer Institute
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
PLoS ONE
New research challenges notion that dinosaur soft tissues still survive
Paleontologists in 2005 hailed research apparently showing that soft tissues had been recovered from dissolved dinosaur bones, but new research suggests the supposed recovered tissue is really just biofilm -- or slime.
Contact: Vince Stricherz
vinces@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
T. rex 'tissue' may just be bacterial scum
A palaeontologist says extracts from fossils said to be dinosaur flesh may in fact be biofilms left by bacteria
00:01 30 July 2008
Bees join hunt for serial killers
Studying the way bumblebees search for food could help detectives hunt down criminals, scientists believe.
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
UT Southwestern digestive specialists freeze out esophagus cancer with new therapy
UT Southwestern Medical Center gastroenterologists are using a new method to freeze damaged cells in the esophagus, preventing them from turning cancerous.
Contact: Russell Rian
russell.rian@utsouthwestern.edu
214-648-3404
UT Southwestern Medical Center
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
Arthritis Research and Therapy
Frankincense provides relief to arthritis sufferers
An enriched extract of the 'Indian frankincense' herb Boswellia serrata has been proven to reduce the symptoms of osteoarthritis. Research published today in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy has shown that patients taking the herbal remedy showed significant improvement in as little as seven days.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-707-94804
BioMed Central
Alzheimer's drug 'halts' decline
UK scientists have developed a drug which may halt the progression of early-stage Alzheimer's disease.
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
Alzheimer's Association International Conference
Lancet Neurology
Alzheimer's disease patients show improvement in trial of new drug
A new drug has been shown to improve the brain function of people with early stage Alzheimer's disease and reduce a key protein associated with the disease in the spinal fluid, in a small study published today. The drug, known as PBT2, counteracts the production and build-up of a protein called amyloid-beta that occurs in Alzheimer's disease.
Contact: Laura Gallagher
L.Gallagher@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-46702
Imperial College London
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
Journal of Happiness Studies
Women end up less happy than men
Less able to achieve their life goals, women end up unhappier than men later in life -- even though they start out happier, reveals new research by Anke Plagnol of the University of Cambridge, and University of Southern California economist Richard Easterlin.
Contact: Suzanne Wu
suzanne.wu@usc.edu
213-740-0252
University of Southern California
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
Molecular Therapy
Improved estrogen reception may sharpen fuzzy memory
Finding ways to boost the brain's estrogen receptors may be an alternative to adding estrogen to the body in efforts to improve cognition in postmenopausal women and younger women with low estrogen levels, according to neuroscientists at the University of Florida's McKnight Brain Institute.
National Institutes of Health, Evelyn F. McKnight Brain Research Foundation
Contact: John Pastor
jdpastor@ufl.edu
352-273-5815
University of Florida
Public Release: 29-Jul-2008
Nature Neuroscience
Summer heat too hot for you? What is comfortable?
Extreme heat or cold is not only uncomfortable, it can be deadly -- causing proteins to unravel and malfunction.
NIH/National Eye Institute, NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Contact: Maryalice Yakutchik
myakutc1@jhmi.edu
443-287-2251
Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions
Personal Health
The Treadmill’s Place in Evaluating Hearts
By JANE E. BRODY
The exercise stress test has no value unless its findings are interpreted in the context of a person’s other risk factors for heart disease.
    * Health Guide: Heart Attack
» | Exercise Stress Test
News Analysis
Climate Experts Tussle Over Details. Public Gets Whiplash.
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
Many scientists fear that the normal trajectory of science is distracting the public from the undisputed basics about global warming.
Findings
10 Things to Scratch From Your Worry List
By JOHN TIERNEY
A list of 10 things not to worry about on your vacation.
Public Release: 30-Jul-2008
Nature
Increased burden of rare genetic variations found in schizophrenia
People with schizophrenia bear an "increased burden" of rare deletions and duplications of genetic material, genome-wide, say researchers. Although many of us have these changes in our genetic material, they are about 15 percent more frequent in people with schizophrenia. The researchers also discovered two large areas of chromosomal deletions that confer a great deal of risk for the disorder and confirmed involvement of a third previously reported area.
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
Contact: Jules Asher
NIMHpress@nih.gov
301-443-4536
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
Public Release: 30-Jul-2008
Neuron
MGH study suggests how amyloid plaques may damage brain cells in Alzheimer's disease
A major question surrounding Alzheimer's disease -- whether and how amyloid plaques found in the brains of patients actually damage neurons -- may be closer to an answer. Using an advanced imaging technique, researchers from the MassGeneral Institute for Neurodegenerative Disease found that levels of intracellular calcium are significantly elevated in neurons close to Alzheimer's plaques in a mouse model and showed how excess calcium may interfere with neuronal signals and cause cell death.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Sue McGreevey
smcgreevey@partners.org
617-724-2764
Massachusetts General Hospital
Public Release: 30-Jul-2008
Nature
Cassini instrument confirms liquid surface lake on Titan
Scientists have confirmed that at least one body in our solar system, other than Earth, has a surface liquid lake. Using an instrument on NASA's Cassini orbiter, they discovered that a lake-like feature in the south polar region of Saturn's moon, Titan, is truly wet. The lake is about 235 kilometers, or 150 miles, long.
NASA
Contact: Lori Stiles
lstiles@u.arizona.edu
520-360-0574
University of Arizona
Public Release: 30-Jul-2008
Analytical Chemistry
'Hidden' Van Gogh painting revealed
A new technique allows pictures which were later painted over to be revealed once more. An international research team, including members from Delft University of Technology and the University of Antwerp, has successfully applied this technique for the first time to the painting entitled Patch of Grass by Vincent van Gogh. Behind this painting is a portrait of a woman.
Contact: Joris Dik
J.Dik@tudelft.nl
31-015-278-9571
Delft University of Technology
Public Release: 30-Jul-2008
Psychological Science
The power of Peter Piper: How alliteration enhances poetry, prose and memory
From nursery rhymes to Shakespearian sonnets, alliterations have always been an important aspect of poetry whether as an interesting aesthetic touch or just as something fun to read. But a new study suggests that this literary technique is useful not only for poetry but also for memory.
Contact: Catherine West
cwest@psychologicalscience.org
202-293-9300
Association for Psychological Science
Public Release: 30-Jul-2008
Biological Psychiatry
Study identifies changes to DNA in major depression and suicide
Autopsies usually point to a cause of death but now a study of brain tissue collected during these procedures, may explain an underlying cause of major depression and suicide. Michael O. Poulter of Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario and Hymie Anisman of the Neuroscience Research Institute at Carleton University, found proteins that modify DNA directly are more highly expressed in the brains of people who commit suicide.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
Contact: Kathy Wallis
kwallis3@uwo.ca
519-661-2111 x81136
University of Western Ontario
Public Release: 30-Jul-2008
Cartilage that repairs itself? OHSU research reveals important clues
A strain of mice with the natural ability to repair damaged cartilage may one day lead to significant improvements in treatment of human knee, shoulder and hip injuries. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered males from a strain of mice called MRL/MpJ have the innate ability to repair their own knee cartilage.
National Football League Charities
Contact: Ken Olsen
olsenke@ohsu.edu
503-494-8231
Oregon Health & Science University
Was ancient Greek 'computer' an astronomical tool?

Inscriptions on a 2000-year-old clockwork device suggest it was inspired by earlier devices made by the great Greek mathematician Archimedes
18:00 30 July 2008
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
First performance-enhancing drugs for exercise endurance?
While steroids can help build the bulky muscles that lend athletes and body builders power and speed, there hadn't been a drug capable of building the endurance needed to run a marathon or to ride a bike through the Alps. Now, there just might be, suggests a new study in mice reported in the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Hilblom Foundation, National Institutes of Health
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
Science
'Major discovery' from MIT primed to unleash solar revolution
Until now, solar power has been a daytime-only energy source, because storing extra solar energy for later use is prohibitively expensive and grossly inefficient. MIT researchers have hit upon a simple, inexpensive, highly efficient process for storing solar energy.
National Science Foundation, Chesonis Family Foundation
Contact: Teresa Herbert
therbert@mit.edu
617-258-5403
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
Alzheimer's Association International Conference
Living with a partner reduces risk of Alzheimer's
Living with a spouse or a partner decreases the risk of developing Alzheimer's and other dementia diseases. This according to a study by Krister Håkansson, researcher in psychology at Växjö University and Karolinska Institutet, Sweden. The results were presented for the first time yesterday at the world's largest dementia conference.
Contact: Sabina Bossi
sabina.bossi@ki.se
46-085-248-6077
Karolinska Institutet
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
Atherosclerosis
New discovery may lead to immunization against cardiovascular disease
Low levels of naturally occurring antibodies may represent an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease, particularly stroke in men. This discovery, published in the academic journal Atherosclerosis, has now led to attempts to develop an immunization against cardiovascular disease.
Contact: Sabina Bossi
sabina.bossi@ki.s
46-085-248-6077
Karolinska Institutet
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis
Liver damage in hepatitis C patients could be treated with warfarin, says study
The drug warfarin may help prevent liver failure in thousands of people with hepatitis C, according to new research. In a study published tomorrow, researchers show that warfarin reduces the scarring on the liver caused by hepatitis C. This scarring, or fibrosis, replaces normal liver cells and can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and ultimately liver failure.
Contact: Laura Gallagher
L.Gallagher@imperial.ac.uk
44-020-759-46702
Imperial College London
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
Neurotoxicology
New study shows compounds from soy affect brain and reproductive development
Two hormone-like compounds linked to the consumption of soy-based foods can cause irreversible changes in the structure of the brain, resulting in early-onset puberty and symptoms of advanced menopause, according to a new study by researchers at North Carolina State University. The study is a breakthrough in determining how these compounds can cause reproductive health problems, as well as in providing a key building block for how to treat these problems.
Contact: Matt Shipman
matt_shipman@ncsu.edu
919-515-6386
North Carolina State University
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
Journal of Marriage and Family
Biological fathers not necessarily the best, social dads parent well too
Men who marry a child's mother parent just as well, if not better than biological fathers.
Contact: Amy Molnar
journalnews@bos.blackwellpublishing.net
201-748-8844
Wiley-Blackwell
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
Emerging Infectious Diseases
Simian foamy virus found in several people living and working with monkeys in Asia
A research team led by University of Washington scientists has found that several people in South and Southeast Asian countries working and living around monkeys have been infected with simian foamy virus, a primate virus that, to date, has not been shown to cause human disease. The findings provide more evidence that Asia, where interaction between people and monkeys is common and widespread, could be an important setting for future primate-to-human viral transmission.
Contact: Justin Reedy
jreedy@u.washington.edu
206-685-0382
University of Washington
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
Physicians ask EPA, 'Antibiotics to cure sick apples, or sick children?'
A federal decision to permit the State of Michigan to spray the state's apple orchards with gentamicin risks undermining the value of this important antibiotic to treat blood infections in newborns and other serious human infections, according to the Infectious Diseases Society of America.
Contact: Steve Baragona
sbaragona@idsociety.org
703-299-0412
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Public Release: 31-Jul-2008
British Medical Journal
Free articles get read but don't generate more citations
When academic articles are "open access" or free online, they get read more often, but they don't -- going against conventional wisdom -- get cited more often in academic literature, finds a new Cornell study.
Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Contact: Blaine Friedlander
bpf2@cornell.edu
607-254-8093
Cornell University Communications
Public Release: 1-Aug-2008
Cancer Research
Turned-off cannabinoid receptor turns on colorectal tumor growth
New preclinical research shows that cannabinoid cell surface receptor CB1 plays a tumor-suppressing role in human colorectal cancer, scientists report in the Aug. 1 edition of the journal Cancer Research.
Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-792-0661
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
First Stars Were Brutes, but Died Young, Astronomers Say
By DENNIS OVERBYE
The first stars in the universe were short-lived brutish monsters that changed the nature of the cosmos forever, new computer simulations suggest.
Scientists 'reprogram' cells from sick, elderly patients
Motor neurons have been grown from skin cells taken from aged women with a fatal neurodegenerative disease – a first in ill patients
19:00 31 July
Phoenix Mars lander 'tastes' first sample of water ice
The TEGA instrument detected its first water ice in relatively dry soil collected on Wednesday – the mission was also extended
Updated 19:43 01 August 2008
Public Release: 1-Aug-2008
Guilt on their hands: tiny 'tags' could help to solve and deter gun crime
Criminals who use firearms may find it much harder to evade justice in future, thanks to an ingenious new bullet tagging technology developed in the UK.
Contact: Natasha Richardson
natasha.richardson@epsrc.ac.uk
44-017-934-44404
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Public Release: 1-Aug-2008
New male circumcision device for HIV prevention studied by NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell
With the recent endorsement by the World Health Organization and scientists worldwide of adult male circumcision as an important strategy for HIV prevention, there is increased urgency to develop safe and cost-effective circumcision services. This is especially the case in Africa where HIV/AIDS continues to spread at an epidemic rate.
Contact: Andrew Klein
ank2017@med.cornell.edu
212-821-0560
New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College
Stinging Tentacles Offer Hint of Oceans’ Decline
By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL
The explosion of jellyfish populations reflects overfishing, rising sea temperatures and pollution, scientists say.Public Release: 4-Aug-2008
Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research
Epilepsy drug may help alcoholics recover from dependence, small study suggests
A new study hints that people who have both alcohol problems and sleep problems -- which often occur together -- might be helped by an epilepsy drug. The study, which is small but was placebo-controlled, opens the door for further research on how to help alcohol-dependent people escape the Catch-22 of insomnia and drinking that often stands in the way of their recovery.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Kara Gavin
kegavin@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System