Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
ASTRO's 50th Annual Meeting
3-week radiation therapy as effective as 5 weeks for early-stage breast cancer
Early-stage breast cancer patients who receive a more intensive course of radiation to their whole breast over three weeks is as effective as the standard, less intensive five-week whole breast radiation and offers patients more convenience at a lower cost, thereby providing a better quality of life, according to a randomized, long-term study presented Sept. 22, 2008, in the plenary session at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.
Contact: Nicole Napoli
nicolen@astro.org
703-839-7336
American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology
Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
Journal of Applied Psychology
Shorter Radiation for Cancer of the Breast
By DENISE GRADY
Three weeks of radiation treatment work just as well as the usual course of five weeks or more for women with early-stage breast cancers, Canadian researchers have reported, after monitoring a large group of patients for 12 years.
Published: September 22, 2008
Sexism pays: Study finds men who hold traditional views of women earn more than men who don't
When it comes to sex roles in society, what you think may affect what you earn. A new study has found that men who believe in traditional roles for women earn more money than men who don't, and women with more egalitarian views don't make much more than women with a more traditional outlook.
Contact: Audrey Hamilton
ahamilton@apa.org
202-336-5706
American Psychological Association
Massive diamond found in Lesotho
Miners in Lesotho have discovered a huge gem stone which may become the largest ever polished round diamond.
World's common birds 'declining'
By Mark Kinver Science and environment reporter, BBC News
The populations of the world's common birds are declining as a result of continued habitat loss, a global assessment has warned.
Dig pinpoints Stonehenge origins
The first accurate carbon dating of Stonehenge reveals the monument was built in 2300 BC, some 300 years later than previously thought.
Unlocking Stonehenge's secrets
Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
Archives of Internal Medicine
Yale study takes a closer look at safety gaps during patient 'sign out'
Patients may receive poor or delayed care after sign-out -- the transfer of a patient from one doctor to another during a shift change -- Yale School of Medicine researchers report in an Archives of Internal Medicine study.
Contact: Karen N. Peart
karen.peart@yale.edu
203-432-1326
Yale University
Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
Alzheimer Disease and Associated Disorders
Study confirms benefit of combination therapy for Alzheimer's disease
The first long-term study of the real-world use of Alzheimer's drugs finds that treatment can significantly slow the rate at which the disorder advances, and combination therapy with two different classes of drugs is even better at helping patients maintain their ability to perform daily activities.
NIH/National Institute on Aging, Massachusetts Alzheimer's Disease Research Center
Contact: Sue McGreevey
smcgreevey@partners.org
617-724-2764
Massachusetts General Hospital
Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice
Patients stay with phone psychotherapy longer than office visits
The problem with psychotherapy is that nearly half the patients quit going to the therapist's office after a few sessions. But a new meta-analysis by researchers at Northwestern University has found that when patients receive psychotherapy for depression over the phone, more than 90 percent continue with it. The study is the first national "snapshot" of telephone-administered therapy. This therapy, which appears to be as effective for reducing depression as face-to-face therapy, is becoming more prevalent.
NIH/National Institute of Mental Health
Contact: Marla Paul
marla-Paul@northwestern.edu
312-503-8928
Northwestern University
Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
Indian spice reduces size of hemorrhagic stroke
You might want to make curcumin part of your daily diet. This active ingredient of the Indian curry spice, turmeric, not only lowers your chances of getting cancer and Alzheimer's disease, but may reduce the size of a hemorrhagic stroke, say Medical College of Georgia researchers. Second-year medical student Jay McCracken is working with Dr. Krishnan Dhandapani, neuroscientist in the MCG School of Medicine, using animal models to study curcumin's effect on intracerebral hemorrhages, bleeding in the brain caused by ruptured vessels.
Contact: Amy Connell
aconnell@mcg.edu
706-721-8605
Medical College of Georgia
Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
Nature
Iron-moving malfunction may underlie neurodegenerative diseases, aging
A glitch in the ability to move iron around in cells may underlie a disease known as Type IV mucolipidosis and the suite of symptoms -- mental retardation, poor vision and diminished motor abilities -- that accompany it, new research at the University of Michigan shows.
University of Michigan
Contact: Nancy Ross-Flanigan
rossflan@umich.edu
734-647-1853
University of Michigan
Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
Nature
Hidden infections crucial to understanding, controlling disease outbreaks
Scientists and news organizations typically focus on the number of dead and gravely ill during epidemics, but research at the University of Michigan suggests that less dramatic, mild infections lurking in large numbers of people are the key to understanding cycles of at least one potentially fatal infectious disease: cholera.
Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Contact: Nancy Ross-Flanigan
rossflan@umich.edu
734-647-1853
University of Michigan
Public Release: 22-Sep-2008
Journal of Lipid Research
The secret ingredients behind germinated rice
A team of researchers has identified the active compounds that contribute to the health benefits of pre-germinated brown rice: a related set of sterol-like molecules known as acylated steryl-beta-glucosides.
Contact: Nick Zagorski
nzagorski@asbmb.org
301-634-7366
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Chimps can recognise friends by their behinds
Chimps can match up the faces of group members with photos of their behinds, showing that they have a "whole body" perception of others
16:19 22 September 2008
Wasps have a good memory for a face
Paper wasps that can remember rivals after a busy week apart display a level of social memory never seen before in insects
17:00 22 September 2008
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
2008 AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO
Honey effective in killing bacteria that cause chronic sinusitis
Honey is very effective in killing bacteria in all its forms, especially the drug-resistant biofilms that make treating chronic rhinosinusitis difficult, according to research presented during the 2008 American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO, in Chicago, Ill.
Contact: Matt Daigle
newsroom@entnet.org
703-535-3754
American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
JAMA
Termination-of-resuscitation rules helps ID cardiac arrest patients with small chance of survival
Researchers have validated criteria that are used to identify patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest who have little or no chance of survival after resuscitation, according to a study in the Sep. 24 issue of JAMA.
Contact: Kara Gavin
734-764-2220
JAMA and Archives Journals
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
ASTRO's 50th Annual Meeting
Journal of General Internal Medicine
Plant antioxidant may protect against radiation exposure
Resveratrol, the natural antioxidant commonly found in red wine and many plants, may offer protection against radiation exposure, according to a study by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. When altered with acetyl, resveratrol administered before radiation exposure proved to protect cells from radiation in mouse models. The results of the research will be presented during the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Contact: Coutney McCrimmon
McCrimmonCP@upmc.edu
412-647-3555
University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
European Heart Journal
Isoflavone dietary supplement improves the functioning of the arteries in stroke patients
A dietary supplement containing isoflavone -- a chemical found in soybeans, chickpeas, legumes and clovers -- can improve artery function in stroke patients according to new research published online in Europe's leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal on Wednesday Sept. 24.
University of Hong Kong, Sun Chieh Yeh Heart Foundation, Great Liaison Ltd. Hong Kong
Contact: Emma Mason
wordmason@mac.com
44-077-112-96986
European Society of Cardiology
'Chemical equator' protects Antarctica's clean air
Scientists have discovered an atmospheric barrier that keeps Asian pollution apart from the largely uncontaminated air of the Southern Ocean
15:40 23 September 2008
Well
The Doctor’s Hands Are Germ-Free. The Scrubs Too?
By TARA PARKER-POPE
Amid growing concerns about hospital infections and a rise in drug-resistant bacteria, the attire of health care workers is getting more attention.
Ban Near on Diverting Water From Great Lakes
By SUSAN SAULNY
    The House began debate Monday on a sweeping bill that would ban almost any diversion of water from the Great Lakes' natural basin to places outside the region.
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
Genes & Development
Rare genetic disorder gives clues to autism, epilepsy, mental retardation
Studying a rare genetic disorder called tuberous sclerosis complex, researchers have uncovered a possible cause of some neurodevelopmental disorders: structural abnormalities in neurons. The growth of too many axons, resulting in an exuberance of brain connections, supports recent thinking that autism, epilepsy and mental retardation (all common complications of TSC) stem at least partly from abnormal brain connectivity. The researchers also found, in mice, that normal neuronal structure can potentially be restored.
Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance, Manton Foundation, Hearst Fund, National Institutes of Health
Contact: James Newton
james.newton@childrens.harvard.edu
617-919-3110
Children's Hospital Boston
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
Journal of Nutrition
Dark chocolate: Half a bar per week to keep at bay the risk of heart attack
Good news for chocolate lovers: 6.7 grams of chocolate per day represent the ideal amount for a protective effect against inflammation and subsequent cardiovascular disease. A new effect, demonstrated for the first time in a population study by the Research Laboratories of the Catholic University in Campobasso, in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute of Milan. The findings have been published in the last issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
Pfizer Foundation
Contact: Americo Bonanni
bonanni@filemazio.net
39-347-930-5981
Catholic University
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Scientists detect cosmic 'dark flow' across billions of light years
Using data from NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, scientists have identified an unexpected motion in distant galaxy clusters. The cause, they suggest, is the gravitational attraction of matter that lies beyond the observable universe.
NASA, University of California -- Davis, University of Hawaii
Contact: Francis Reddy
Francis.j.reddy@nasa.gov
301-286-4453
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
Step back to move forward emotionally, study suggests
When you're upset or depressed, should you analyze your feelings to figure out what's wrong? Or should you just forget about it and move on?
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Diane Swanbrow
swanbrow@umich.edu
734-647-9069
University of Michigan
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
Carcinogenesis
The dietary supplement genistein can undermine breast cancer treatment
Women taking aromatase inhibitors to treat breast cancer or prevent its recurrence should think twice before also taking a soy-based dietary supplement, researchers report.
Contact: Diana Yates
diya@illinois.edu
217-333-5802
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
NTDs burden in Latin America and the Caribbean may exceed that of HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria
According to a new analysis published Sep. 24 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, neglected tropical diseases as a group may have surpassed HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as the most prevalent infectious diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Contact: Mary Kohut
Press@plos.org
415-568-3457
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 23-Sep-2008
World Journal of Gastroenterology
The effect of Curcuma wenyujin on human HepG2 cancer cell
Nowadays in China, the essential oil of Curcuma wenyujin has been used as injection to cure paediatric disease such as acute upper respiratory infection, viral myocarditis and acute pneumonia. A group from China investigated the effect and mechanism of CWO induced growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis in human HepG2 cancer cell.
University of Macau, Science and Technology Development Fund
Contact: Lai-Fu Li
wjg@wjgnet.com
86-105-908-0039
World Journal of Gastroenterology
Mysterious Neolithic People Made Optical Art
Rossella Lorenzi, Discovery News
Sept. 22, 2008 -- An egalitarian Neolithic Eden filled with unique, geometric art flourished some 7,000 years ago in Eastern Europe, according to hundreds of artifacts on display at the Vatican.
Public Release: 24-Sep-2008
World Journal of Gastroenterology
An effective strategy for inhibition of cirrhosis
Hepatic fibrosis is associated with a number of morphological and biochemical changes leading to structural and metabolic abnormalities in the liver. Qianggan-Rongxian decoction is a traditional Chinese medicine. A team from China investigated the protective effects of Qianggan-Rongxian decoction on liver fibrosis induced by dimethylnitrosamine in rats.
Research Program of Department of Science and Technology of Hebei Province
Contact: Lai-Fu Li
wjg@wjgnet.com
86-105-908-0039
World Journal of Gastroenterology
Public Release: 24-Sep-2008
Archives of Disease in Childhood
Fishy diet in early infancy cuts eczema risk
An infant diet that includes fish before the age of 9 months curbs the risk of developing eczema, indicates research published ahead of print in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.
Contact: Rachael Davies
RDavies@bma.org.uk
44-020-738-36529
BMJ-British Medical Journal
Wolves make dog's dinner out of domestication theory
Tame wolves are as able to understand human signals as dogs, casting doubt on the idea that dogs have a better understanding of human minds
12:39 24 September 2008
Public Release: 24-Sep-2008
Detecting human activities through barriers
Doppler radar signals become animation.
Contact: Stephanie Peco
speco@mail.utexas.edu
512-232-4298
University of Texas at Austin, Electrical & Computer Engineering
Public Release: 25-Sep-2008
World Stroke Congress
Surgery unnecessary for 95 percent of those with asymptomatic carotid stenosis
Research led by Dr. David Spence of Robarts Research Institute at the University of Western Ontario shows that with more intensive medical therapy, the risk of stroke has become so low that at least 95 percent of patients with asymptomatic carotid stenosis would be better off with medical therapy than with surgery or stenting. In the United States, one-half to two-thirds of the patients being subjected to surgery for revascularization are asymptomatic.
Contact: Kathy Wallis
kwallis3@uwo.ca
519-661-2111 x81136
University of Western Ontario
Public Release: 25-Sep-2008
Nature Neuroscience
Spacing, not size, matters in visual recognition, NYU researchers find
You might think that the farthest distance at which you can hold a book and still read it quickly is determined by the size of the letters. However, New York University neuroscientists have concluded that it's the spacing between letters, not their size, that matters.
Contact: James Devitt
james.devitt@nyu.edu
212-998-6808
New York University
Scots anger over discarded fish
By Jeremy Cooke BBC News
Around 1m tonnes of fish are dumped back in the North Sea every year - much of it because catches exceed EU fishing quotas. The Scottish Government estimates that one million tonnes of fish is being wasted in this way in the North Sea every year. And now a united front of Scottish fishermen, policy-makers and environmentalists are demanding an end to discards.
Rocks May Be Oldest on Earth, Scientists Say
By KENNETH CHANG
A study suggests that portions of a patch of bedrock in northern Quebec are 4.28 billion years old and formed when the Earth was less than 300 million years old.
Lung treatment breathes new life into flu vaccines
Inhaling, rather than injecting, vaccines provides added protection against influenza, and could make stocks go further in a pandemic
14:55 25 September 2008
Public Release: 25-Sep-2008
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
Pertussis: Adults can fall severely ill too
Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is not just a childhood disease. The pathogen Bordetella pertussis is highly infectious and an infection may occur at any age. The risk of a pertussis infection can be greatly reduced by vaccination, as Marion Riffelmann of the Krefeld Institute for Infectious Diseases and her colleagues report in the current Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.
Contact: Elke Bartholomäus
bartholomaeus@aerzteblatt.de
49-223-470-11133
Deutsches Aerzteblatt International
Public Release: 25-Sep-2008
BMC Cancer
Social class dictates cancer risk
Cervical and lung cancer are more common in poor people while rates of breast cancer and melanoma are higher in the wealthy. A detailed analysis of the incidence of these four different kinds of cancer, carried out on more than 300,000 English cancer patients and published today in the open access journal BMC Cancer, describes the effects of socioeconomic group, region and age.
Contact: Graeme Baldwin
graeme.baldwin@biomedcentral.com
44-020-707-94804
BioMed Central
Stem cells created without cancer-causing viruses
For the first time, adult cells have been turned into stem cells without using viruses that leave risky genes in the cells' chromosomes
17:51 25 September 2008
Public Release: 25-Sep-2008
Academy of Management
New research finds workers more prone to lie in E-mail
A pair of recent studies suggest that E-mail is the most deceptive form of communications in the workplace -- even more so than more traditional kinds of written communications, like pen-and-paper. More surprising is that people actually feel justified when lying using E-mail, the studies show.
Contact: Tom Yencho
tsy205@lehigh.edu
610-758-3172
Lehigh University
Public Release: 25-Sep-2008
Discovered: world's largest tsunami debris
A line of massive boulders on the western shore of Tonga may be evidence of the most powerful volcano-triggered tsunami found to date. The house-sized boulders were likely flung ashore by a wave rivaling the 1883 Krakatau tsunami, which is estimated to have towered 35 meters (115 feet) high. Researchers will discuss these findings on Sun., Oct. 5, 2008, at the Joint Annual Meeting of the Geological Society of America.
Contact: Christa Stratton
cstratton@geosociety.org
303-357-1093
Geological Society of America
Public Release: 25-Sep-2008
ToorCon
Just in time for school: free Adeona service tracks stolen laptops
Researchers at the University of Washington have created the first free laptop theft-protection tool. The open-source software not only provides a virtual watchdog on your precious machine -- reporting the laptop's location when it connects to the Internet -- but does so without letting anybody but you monitor your whereabouts.
Contact: Rachel Tompa
rtompa@u.washington.edu
206-543-2580
University of Washington
Public Release: 26-Sep-2008
International Journal of Feminist Approaches to Bioethics
An ethical argument: Include pregnant women in research
Why aren't pregnant women included in most clinical trials? That's the question posed by leading bioethicists at Duke University Medical Center, Johns Hopkins and Georgetown Universities, who say it's time to confront the challenges that have led to the exclusion of pregnant women from important research that could positively impact maternal and fetal health.
Contact: Debbe Geiger
Debbe.Geiger@duke.edu
919-660-9461
Duke University Medical Center
Public Release: 26-Sep-2008
Engineer: Head-first slide is quicker
With baseball playoffs heating up and the World Series right around the corner, it's guaranteed that fans will see daring slides, both feet-first and head-first, and even slides on bang-bang plays at first. Who gets there faster, the head-first slider or the feet-first? The heads first player, says David A. Peters, engineering professor at Washington University in St. Louis, and big-time baseball fan. It's a matter of the player's center of gravity.
Contact: David A. Peters
dap@wustl.edu
314-935-4337
Washington University in St. Louis
Horny goat weed could be better than Viagra
A chemical derived from a common herb could be as effective at treating erectile dysfunction as Viagra but with fewer side effects
17:00 26 September 2008
Mars iron is ideal for building future bases
The elemental iron that peppers the surface of Mars is not rusty and could be a perfect construction material for future inhabited bases
11:22 27 September 2008