From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Sat, May 11, 2013 at 1:58 AM
Subject: Phys.org Newsletter Friday, May 10
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for May 10, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Researchers develop metamaterials able to control spread of light- If you can't beat them, join them: Grandmother cells revisited
- Researchers extend electron spin in diamond for incredibly tiny magnetic detectors
- ISS crew ready for spacewalk after 'serious' ammonia leak (Update)
- The Elephant's Tomb in Carmona may have been a temple to the god Mithras
- Discovery pinpoints cause of two types of leukemia, providing insights into new treatment approach
- Researchers present causal evidence on how markets affect moral values
- Perfectly doped quantum dots yield colors to dye for
- Researcher finds earliest evidence of human ancestors hunting and scavenging
- Greenhouse gas level highest in two million years, NOAA reports (Update)
- Stem cell researchers move toward treatment for rare genetic nerve disease
- Facebook eyes $1bn deal for GPS app Waze
- Research reveals possible reason for cholesterol-drug side effects
- The RHex takes a leap at robotics conference (w/ Video)
- Study identifies influenza viruses circulating in pigs and birds that could pose a risk to humans
Space & Earth news
NASA image: Wildfires in Siberia
The Aqua satellite provided this satellite image showing a series of hotspots found in the Siberian region of Russia.
'Very serious' ammonia leak outside ISS, Russian officials report (Update 2)
Russian and US space experts were scrambling to address a "very serious" ammonia leak outside the International Space Station that may require astronauts to perform an emergency spacewalk, a Russian official said on Friday.
Australian sky-gazers witness 'ring of fire' eclipse
Sky-gazers were treated to an annular solar eclipse in remote areas of Australia on Friday, with the Moon crossing in front of the Sun to leave a "ring of fire" around its silhouette.
Adding veggies to your diet helps cut global warming
If the carnivorous U.S. population – as a whole – ate a more-vegetarian diet that included egg and milk products, the environment would be greatly relieved, says a preliminary Cornell study.
Secret streets of Britain's Atlantis are revealed
A University of Southampton professor has carried out the most detailed analysis ever of the archaeological remains of the lost medieval town of Dunwich, dubbed 'Britain's Atlantis'.
Nations agree to phase out toxic chemical HBCD
Governments have agreed to phase out the use of the toxic chemical HBCD, and restrict trade in four other dangerous substances, the head of the UN's anti-pollution division said Friday.
NASA sees two tropical cyclones competing in the Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is alive with tropical activity today, May 10, as there's a tropical storm in both the northern and southern oceans. Tropical Cyclone Jamala (formerly 24S) and newborn Tropical Cyclone 01B were both captured on one image from NASA's Terra satellite today.
Astronauts aim to fix ammonia leak at space station
Two astronauts are preparing to step out on a spacewalk to try and fix an ammonia leak at the International Space Station, in a hastily arranged venture outside the orbiting lab, NASA said Friday.
No-win situation for agricultural expansion in the Amazon, research says
The large-scale expansion of agriculture in the Amazon through deforestation will be a no-win scenario, according to a new study. Published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, it shows that deforestation will not only reduce the capacity of the Amazon's natural carbon sink, but will also inflict climate feedbacks that will decrease the productivity of pasture and soybeans.
Curiosity rover team selects second drilling target on Mars
(Phys.org) —The team operating NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has selected a second target rock for drilling and sampling. The rover will set course to the drilling location in coming days.
Dust involved in sulfate production in clouds
(Phys.org) —A new study from Germany has studied the tiny dust particles within clouds and their influence on the climate. The influence of dust particles on cloud formation and on the chemical reactions within clouds has been poorly understood until now.
At the junction of humid and sticky: Relative humidity determines viscosity of carbon-based atmospheric particles
(Phys.org) —What climate component can be as thick and sticky as honey, peanut butter or even asphalt? It is tiny particles forming in the atmosphere. An international team of scientists used two new techniques to find the viscosity of organic particles produced when α-pinene, one gas given off by pine trees, meets ozone, a gas produced from pollution. The researchers, from the University of British Columbia, Harvard University, University of Canterbury in New Zealand, University of Leeds in England, and the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that the resulting carbon-containing particles behave like liquids, semi-solids or solids across a range of atmospheric relative humidity conditions. Their research was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Reports from "Humans 2 Mars Summit" suggest dust may prevent human settlement of Mars
(Phys.org) —Reports given by experts in the space-health field suggest it might take longer for humans to build a colony on Mars than has been expected. Such experts speaking to attendees at the recent "Humans 2 Mars Summit" in Washington D.C. expressed concern about the dangers of Martian dust. They believe the health hazards posed by the Martian regolith could prevent humans from colonizing the planet anytime soon.
ISS crew ready for spacewalk after 'serious' ammonia leak (Update)
The International Space Station crew Friday were preparing for an emergency spacewalk to fix a "very serious" leak of ammonia from the orbiting laboratory's power system seeping into space.
Greenhouse gas level highest in two million years, NOAA reports (Update)
Worldwide levels of the greenhouse gas that plays the biggest role in global warming have reached their highest level in almost 2 million years—an amount never before encountered by humans, U.S. scientists said Friday.
Medicine & Health news
Stigma hampering cervical cancer battle in India
Social stigma is harming attempts to combat cervical cancer in India where more women die annually of the disease than anywhere else in the world, a new report said Friday.
Regulator keeps vaccines at right temperature
Rice University students have created a way to help health care workers track vaccines and keep them at a safe temperature.
Would you 'Like' a drink? Youth drinking cultures, social networking and alcohol marketing
Preventing alcohol abuse, especially among young people, has long been a focus of public-health campaigns. But despite the well-publicised social and medical consequences of drinking too much it's clear that for many, heavy drinking has become a normal part of life.
Helping the youngest stroke sufferers get a leg up
Toddlers who suffered a stroke as babies are learning how to walk thanks to research being conducted at the University of Alberta.
Modified formula aims to prevent death in premature infants
Necrotizing Entercolitis, an infection and inflammation that causes destruction of the intestine,affects about 10,000 babies a year in the country, and mortality rates are roughly 40 percent.
WHO says Cambodia can end HIV infections by 2020
Cambodia is on track to become one of the few countries in the world to successfully reverse its HIV epidemic and may eliminate new infections by 2020, the World Health Organization said Friday.
Study supports alternative model for personality disorders in upcoming DSM-5
A new "alternative model" included in the upcoming Fifth Edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM -5) lines up well with the current approach to diagnosis of personality disorder, according to a study in the May Journal of Psychiatric Practice.
Utah to be first to use dual-model health exchange
(AP)—The federal government has approved Utah to become the first state to have a dual-model health insurance exchange in which the state and the federal government divide responsibilities.
Judge in NYC refuses to suspend his Plan B ruling
(AP)—A New York judge has refused to suspend his ruling giving women of all ages broad access to morning-after birth control.
Save the Children teams up with pharma giant GSK in Africa
International development charity Save the Children is linking up with British pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline in what both sides say is a unique collaboration to save children's lives in Africa.
Private insurers' Medicare Advantage plans cost Medicare an extra $34.1 billion in 2012
A study published online today finds that the private insurance companies that participate in Medicare under the Medicare Advantage program and its predecessors have cost the publicly funded program for the elderly and disabled an extra $282.6 billion since 1985, most of it over the past eight years. In 2012 alone, private insurers were overpaid $34.1 billion.
Mosquito survey identifies reservoir of disease
A large scale, five year study of mosquitoes from different ecological regions in Kenya, including savannah grassland, semi-arid Acacia thorn bushes, and mangrove swamps, found a reservoir of viruses carried by mosquitoes (arboviruses) that are responsible for human and animal diseases. This research, published in BioMed Central's open access journal Virology Journal, highlights the need for continued surveillance in order to monitor the risk of disease outbreaks.
Cancer drug prevents build-up of toxic brain protein
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have used tiny doses of a leukemia drug to halt accumulation of toxic proteins linked to Parkinson's disease in the brains of mice. This finding provides the basis to plan a clinical trial in humans to study the effects.
Allergic disease worsens respiratory symptoms and exacerbations in COPD
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who also have allergic disease have higher levels of respiratory symptoms and are at higher risk for COPD exacerbations, according to a new study from researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.
Future hospitalization and increased health service use may be linked to insomnia
Having trouble falling or staying asleep? According to a new study led by a team of researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, insomnia may be an important indicator of future hospitalization among middle-aged and older adults. They examined the association between insomnia and use of home healthcare services, nursing homes and hospitalization and found that insomnia symptoms experienced by middle-aged and older adults were associated with greater future use of costly health services. The results are featured online in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.
France fears more cases of deadly SARS-like virus
French health authorities said on Thursday they feared the country's first case of a new SARS-like virus that has killed 18 people, mostly in Saudi Arabia, may have infected two other people.
Three suspected cases of SARS-related virus in France
French health officials said Friday they are investigating three suspected cases of a deadly new respiratory virus related to SARS, in people who had close contact in the hospital with France's only confirmed case.
Genetic test helps predict risk of prostate cancer recurrence
(Medical Xpress)—Prostate cancer ranks as the most common internal malignancy diagnosed in men in the United States, but often does not require extensive treatment.
Super-sized citizens: The relationship between a country's fast-food outlets and its obesity rates
Many studies have linked the meals served at fast-food outlets to obesity, but is there a relationship between the number of restaurants in a country and the girth of its population?
Scientists confirm Justinianic Plague caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis
(Medical Xpress)—From the several pandemics generally called 'pestilences' three are historically recognized as due to plague, but only for the third pandemic of the 19th-21st centuries AD there were microbiological evidences that the causing agent was the bacterium Yersinia pestis.
Bird flu expert working on vaccine that protects against multiple strains
(Medical Xpress)—As the bird flu outbreak in China worsens, a Purdue University expert is working on vaccines that offer broader protection against multiple strains of the virus.
Is there a link between postpartum depression and the 'love hormone'?
UNC researchers are launching a 5-year study aimed at understanding the role of oxytocin in postpartum depression and bonding between mothers and babies.
Blocking protein expression delays onset of multiple sclerosis in mice, study says
(Medical Xpress)—Blocking the expression of just one protein in the brain delays the onset of paralysis in mice with a form of multiple sclerosis, say researchers at the School of Medicine.
Brain diseases affecting more people and starting earlier than ever before
Professor Colin Pritchard's latest research published in Public Health journal has found that the sharp rise of dementia and other neurological deaths in people under 74 cannot be put down to the fact that we are living longer – the rise is because a higher proportion of old people are being affected by such conditions, and what is really alarming, it is starting earlier and affecting people under 55 years.
Individual efficacy of chemotherapies
The function of the mitochondria – also defined as "power plants" within the cells – is essential as to whether, and how, some chemotherapeutic agents take effect in tissue. Scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München have thus discovered a significant cell characteristic that could possibly predict the success of therapy. Their results will soon be published in the trade magazine The Journal of Pathology.
Gene mutation as cause of breast and ovarian cancer
A change to the so-called TERT gene considerably increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer. This is the result of a current, multicenter study in which the University Department of Gynaecology and the Comprehensive Cancer Center Vienna (CCC), an establishment belonging to the MedUni Vienna and Vienna General Hospital, were taking part.
Animals in research: Zebrafish
Zebrafish are probably not the first creatures that come to mind when it comes to animals that are valuable for medical research.
New research reveals swimming beneficial for young people with asthma
New research by medical students working in the Breathe Well Centre of Research Excellence at the UTAS School of Medicine has revealed swimming has health benefits for young people with asthma, with no adverse effects on asthma control or exacerbations.
Study finds gaps in 'decision aids' designed to help determine right cancer screening option
When it comes to a cancer diagnosis, timing can be everything – the sooner it's found, the more treatable it is. But when and how often should someone get screened?
Young women hold the key to success of 'sunless tanning' products, researcher finds
Sunless tanning—whether with lotions, bronzers or tanning pills—has been promoted as an effective substitute to dodge the health risks of ultraviolet rays, but if the products don't provide the perfect tan, young women likely will not use them, according to a Baylor University researcher.
Exercise for patients with major depression: What kind, how intense, how often?
Exercise has been shown to be an effective treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD), both when used alone and in combination with other treatments. There's now sufficient research data to provide specific guidance on how to prescribe exercise for depressed patients, according to a report in the May Journal of Psychiatric Practice.
Background noise in the operating room can impair surgical team communication
Chicago (May 10, 2013): Ambient background noise—whether it is the sound of loud surgical equipment, talkative team members, or music—is a patient and surgical safety factor that can affect auditory processing among surgeons and the members of their team in the operating room (OR), according to a new study that appears in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The findings are the first to demonstrate that a surgeon's ability to understand spoken words in the OR is directly affected by noise in the environment.
FDA approves once-a-day inhaler from Glaxo
The Food and Drug Administration says it has approved a new once-a-day inhaler drug from GlaxoSmithKline for patients with chronic lung disease.
When teen dating turns abusive and violent
(HealthDay)—When teens start dating, parents' worries grow—and experts say that dating violence should be on their list of concerns.
Same-sex relationships pose abuse risks, too
(HealthDay)—Though many teens find it difficult to talk about dating violence or abuse, the shroud of secrecy may be even harder to get through for same-sex couples.
User satisfaction with electronic health records down
(HealthDay)—Since 2010, there has been a decrease in the satisfaction and usability ratings for certified electronic health records (EHRs), according to survey results presented by the American College of Physicians (ACP) and AmericanEHR Partners.
Poor service, bedside manner top patients' online complaints
(HealthDay)—On "rate-your-doctor" websites, patients complain more about poor bedside manner and unprofessional office staff than inadequate medical skills, according to a recent multi-city study published by Vanguard Communications.
Most endoscopic brow-lift patients satisfied with result
(HealthDay)—The majority of patients undergoing endoscopic brow-lift are happy with the outcome and would recommend the procedure, according to research published online May 9 in JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.
Cocaine vaccine passes key testing hurdle
Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College have successfully tested their novel anti-cocaine vaccine in primates, bringing them closer to launching human clinical trials. Their study, published online by the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, used a radiological technique to demonstrate that the anti-cocaine vaccine prevented the drug from reaching the brain and producing a dopamine-induced high.
Good diet helps people manage celiac disease
(HealthDay)—For people with celiac disease, an accurate diagnosis and proper diet are essential for good health, experts say.
Look for new, improved sunscreen labels
(HealthDay)—New labeling laws for sunscreen will help American consumers choose the product that provides the best sun protection, experts say.
Obesity crisis may be fueling big jump in sleep apnea cases
(HealthDay)—The widening American waistline may be feeding an epidemic of sleep apnea, potentially robbing millions of people of a good night's rest, a new study suggests.
Title V coverage varies across states for diabetes
(HealthDay)—There is significant state by state variation in Title V medical coverage for children with diabetes, according to a study published in the April issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.
For mentally ill, a search for help is often in vain
When Chris Marciano was 4 years old, he would have a blistering tantrum whenever music came on the radio. By the second grade, his teacher described him as "not with us." At age 11, he was kicked out of school.
Pharmacist-directed anticoagulation service can impact patient satisfaction
As hospitals look for ways to improve patient satisfaction and boost their Medicare reimbursement, a Henry Ford Hospital study found that an inpatient pharmacist-directed anticoagulation service (PDAS) might be an unexpected opportunity.
FDA denies request to block generic painkiller
In a surprise move, federal health regulators have denied a request by Endo Health Solutions to block generic versions of its painkiller Opana ER, which the company argued can be more easily abused than its branded product.
Could adaptable bacteria cause repeat urinary tract infections?
(HealthDay)—Women suffering from recurring urinary tract infections may carry a particularly hearty strain of E. coli bacteria that flourishes in both the gut and the bladder, and can migrate back and forth despite repeated treatments, a small new study finds.
A cautionary tale on genome-sequencing diagnostics for rare diseases
Children born with rare, inherited conditions known as Congenital Disorders of Glycosylation, or CDG, have mutations in one of the many enzymes the body uses to decorate its proteins and cells with sugars. Properly diagnosing a child with CDG and pinpointing the exact sugar gene that's mutated can be a huge relief for parents—they better understand what they're dealing with and doctors can sometimes use that information to develop a therapeutic approach. Whole-exome sequencing, an abbreviated form of whole-genome sequencing, is increasingly used as a diagnostic for CDG.
Sense of touch reproduced through prosthetic hand
In a study recently published in IEEE Transactions on Neural Systems and Rehabilitation Engineering, neurobiologists at the University of Chicago show how an organism can sense a tactile stimulus, in real time, through an artificial sensor in a prosthetic hand.
Discovery pinpoints cause of two types of leukemia, providing insights into new treatment approach
(Medical Xpress)—Patients with two forms of leukemia, who currently have no viable treatment options, may benefit from existing drugs developed for different types of cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU).
Stem cell researchers move toward treatment for rare genetic nerve disease
(Medical Xpress)—UCLA researchers at the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research have used induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) to advance disease-in-a-dish modeling of a rare genetic disorder, ataxia telangiectasia. Their discovery shows positive effects of drugs that may lead to effective new treatments for the neurodegenerative disease. iPSC are made from patient skin cells rather than from embryos and can become any type of cells in the laboratory.
Research reveals possible reason for cholesterol-drug side effects
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and physicians continue to document that some patients experience fuzzy thinking and memory loss while taking statins, a class of global top-selling cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Study identifies influenza viruses circulating in pigs and birds that could pose a risk to humans
In the summer of 1968, a new strain of influenza appeared in Hong Kong. This strain, known as H3N2, spread around the globe and eventually killed an estimated 1 million people.
If you can't beat them, join them: Grandmother cells revisited
(Medical Xpress)—In the absence of any real progress in defining neuronal codes for the brain, the simple idea of the grandmother cell continues to percolate through the scientific and popular literature. Many researchers have reported marked increases in the firing rate of otherwise quiet or idling neurons in response to very specific stimuli, like for example, a picture of grandma. If these experiments are taken at face value, we must accept that grandmother cells, at least in some form, exist. Last December, Asim Roy from Arizona State revived some discussion of this topic with a paper in Frontiers in Cognitive Science. He has just released a follow-up paper in the same journal where he seeks to further extend the idea of the grandmother cell into a more general concept cell principle. A further implication of his paper is that such localist neurons should not be rare in the brain, but rather a commonly found feature.
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