From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Wed, Jun 19, 2013 at 2:04 AM
Subject: Phys.org Newsletter Tuesday, Jun 18
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>
Dear Pascal Alter,
Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for June 18, 2013:
Spotlight Stories Headlines
- Two collider research teams find evidence of new particle Zc(3900)- Scientists make first direct images of topological insulator's edge currents
- Surprising turns in magnetic thin films could lead to better data storage
- Study shows cultural images may hinder proficiency in second language skills
- Super-hurricane-force winds on Venus are getting stronger
- Shellfish show population growth did not send humans out of Africa
- 3D printing tiny batteries
- New method to distinguish between neighboring quantum bits may bring us closer to large-scale quantum computers
- Academics earn street cred with TED Talks but no points from peers, research shows
- Key protein is linked to circadian clocks, helps regulate metabolism
- Team builds first integrated graphene digital circuit to function at gigahertz frequencies
- The discerning fruit fly: Linking brain-cell activity and behavior in smell recognition
- Tesla to demo quick-swap electric car batteries
- Rice blast research reveals details on how a fungus invades plants
- Chemical probe confirms that body makes its own H2S to benefit health
Space & Earth news
Two thirds of Chile faces desertification
Two thirds of Chile's territory is facing desertification in which the bone-dry Atacama Desert grows by over a meter (3.3 feet) a day, President Sebastian Pinera warned.
Singapore, Indonesia tussle over haze problem
Smog from forest fires in Indonesia stayed at unhealthy levels in Singapore on Tuesday as the two neighbours blamed each other for the seasonal problem.
Egypt, Ethiopia in further talks over Nile dam
Ethiopia and Egypt have agreed to hold further talks on the impact of an Ethiopian dam to quell tensions between the two countries, the foreign ministers of both nations said Tuesday.
Meteorologists meet to mull weird British weather (Update)
Come rain, wind or sunshine, weather has long been one of Britain's main topics of conversation. Now it has also become a mystery.
Heavy rains can strip away mobile soil nutrients
(Phys.org) —Heavy spring rains in portions of the state have probably increased yield potentials but may also be increasing nutrient losses of nitrogen, sulfur and chloride. In addition, water-logged soils and cool temperatures increase disease potential and decrease plant nutrient uptake due to poor root growth.
Singapore fumes after pollution hits 16-year high
Singaporeans rolled back military training, kept cough-stricken children indoors and considered wearing protective masks to work Tuesday after a smoky haze triggered by forest fires in neighboring Indonesia caused air pollution to briefly hit its worst level in nearly 16 years.
China 'launches its first carbon trading scheme'
China, the world's largest carbon emitter, was set Tuesday to launch its first carbon trading scheme aimed at reducing emissions, state-media said.
ExoMars 2016 set to complete construction
ESA's mission to Mars in 2016 has entered the final stage of construction with the signature of a contract today with Thales Alenia Space at the Paris Air & Space Show.
Weather reports aid life-or-death decisions in Africa
(Phys.org) —The Africa Climate Exchange (AfClix), a University of Reading led project, is helping to bring vital drought and flood information to the people of sub-Saharan Africa.
Seismic gap outside of Istanbul: Is this where the expected Marmara earthquake will originate from?
Earthquake researchers have now identified a 30 kilometers long and ten kilometers deep area along the North Anatolian fault zone just south of Istanbul that could be the starting point for a strong earthquake. The group of seismologists including Professor Marco Bohnhoff of the GFZ German Research Centre for Geosciences reported in the current online issue of the scientific journal Nature Communications, that this potential earthquake source is only 15 to 20 kilometers from the historic city center of Istanbul.
Small dam construction to reduce greenhouse emissions is causing ecosystem disruption
Researchers conclude in a new report that a global push for small hydropower projects, supported by various nations and also the Kyoto Protocol to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, may cause unanticipated and potentially significant losses of habitat and biodiversity.
Scientists: Soggy British weather likely to stay
The best advice for visitors to Britain—pack an umbrella—is more vital than ever.
NASA announces Asteroid Grand Challenge
NASA announced Tuesday a Grand Challenge focused on finding all asteroid threats to human populations and knowing what to do about them.
NOAA predicts possible record-setting deadzone for Gulf of Mexico
Scientists are expecting a very large "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico and a smaller than average hypoxic level in the Chesapeake Bay this year, based on several NOAA-supported forecast models.
Cassini imaging lead hopes for planet-wide celebration of the Pale Blue Dot
(Phys.org) —On July 19, 2013, NASA's Cassini spacecraft will be turned to image Saturn and its entire ring system during a total eclipse of the sun, as it has done twice before during its previous 9 years in orbit. But this time, the images that will be collected have been specifically designed for something very special. They will capture, in natural color, a glimpse of our own planet next to Saturn and its rings, during an event that will be the first time Earthlings know in advance their picture will be taken from a billion miles away.
Australian team maps Moon's hidden craters
Australian scientists Tuesday said they had identified a possible 280 additional craters on the Moon, a finding they said could shed light on the history of the Earth's natural satellite.
Three centaurs follow Uranus through the solar system
Astrophysicists from the Complutense University of Madrid have confirmed that Crantor, a large asteroid with a diameter of 70 km has an orbit similar to that of Uranus and takes the same amount of time to orbit the Sun. Researchers have demonstrated for the first time that this and a further two objects of the group of the Centaurs are co-orbital with Uranus.
Super-hurricane-force winds on Venus are getting stronger
(Phys.org) —As the closest planet to Earth, Venus is a relatively easy object to observe. However, many mysteries remain, not least the super-rotation of Venus' atmosphere, which enables high altitude winds to circle the planet in only four days. Now images of cloud features sent back by ESA's Venus Express orbiter have revealed that these remarkably rapid winds are becoming even faster.
Medicine & Health news
Deadly year for encephalitis feared in India
A mosquito-borne disease that preys on the young and malnourished is sweeping across poverty-riven northern India again this monsoon season, with officials worried it could be the deadliest outbreak in nearly a decade.
Ukraine kids at risk from low vaccination rates
When the time came to vaccinate her 4-year-old daughter, Yelena Hlushko hesitated, spooked by widespread fears in Ukraine about vaccines and by a boil her older child developed after an immunization shot. Eventually she decided to follow the government's recommendation—only to find her local health clinic was out of the vaccine.
NIH launches Dietary Supplement Label Database
Researchers, as well as health care providers and consumers, can now see the ingredients listed on the labels of about 17,000 dietary supplements by looking them up on a website. The Dietary Supplement Label Database, free of charge and hosted by the National Institutes of Health, is available at www.dsld.nlm.nih.gov.
After-school exercise and nutrition programs can help reduce childhood obesity
(Medical Xpress)—Research has shown that children from low-income neighborhoods are at higher risk of being obese and overweight than children from affluent neighborhoods; in fact, one-third of low-income children enter kindergarten either overweight or obese.
Early mammograms in young women at increased breast cancer risk may save lives
(Medical Xpress)—Findings, published in journal Familial Cancer, show women under the age of 40 at higher risk of breast cancer who went for mammographic screening had their breast cancer detected at an earlier, more easily treatable stage, potentially improving their chance of survival.
Smoking and neurosurgical outcomes
The effects of long-term cigarette smoking on morbidity and mortality have long been known. In a more immediate sense, smoking in the days and weeks before surgery can lead to morbidity and complications for many surgical procedures. In this review, researchers from the University of California San Francisco and Yale University examined the surgical literature and, specifically, the neurosurgical literature to characterize the impact of active smoking on neurosurgical outcomes. They found strong evidence for the association between smoking and perioperative complications throughout the surgical literature. A small number of published reports specifically focus on neurosurgical procedures. On the basis of their findings—higher rates of intraoperative blood loss, greater need for intraoperative transfusions, higher rates of postoperative complications, and, in some patients with cranial cancer, shorter survival times—the researchers conclude that there are strong reasons! for neurosurgeons to urge their patients to quit smoking prior to surgery and to encourage nationwide efforts to promote smoking cessation before surgical procedures.
Previous studies overstated evidence on Medtronic spinal fusion product, review finds
An analysis by the Evidence-based Practice Center at Oregon Health & Science University has found that previously published clinical trial studies about a controversial bone growth product used in spinal surgeries overstated the product's effectiveness.
Storytelling program helps change medical students' perspectives on dementia
Treating patients with dementia can be viewed as a difficult task for doctors, but Penn State College of Medicine researchers say that storytelling may be one way to improve medical students' perceptions of people affected by the condition. Participation in a creative storytelling program called TimeSlips creates a substantial improvement in student attitudes.
Royalty Pharma lets Elan takeover bid expire
Royalty Pharma has let its latest takeover bid for Irish drugmaker Elan lapse as it decided against pressing ahead with a court challenge of a requirement that it withdraw the offer.
Whooping cough has lifelong health impact, study finds
People born during whooping cough outbreaks are more likely to die prematurely even if they survive into adulthood, research at Lund University in Sweden has found. Women had a 20% higher risk of an early death, and men a staggering 40%. Women also suffered more complications during and after pregnancy, with an increased risk of miscarriage as well as infant death within the first month of life.
Hard to make us personally or financially responsible for our health
Free and equal access to medical treatment has been a staple of the Danish welfare state, but more and more Danes express the view that people treated for lifestyle diseases like smoker's lungs or obesity should pay for their own treatment – as these patients are thought to be responsible for their own medical conditions. The logic behind this view is, however, dubious, says PhD Martin Marchman Andersen from the University of Copenhagen. In a new thesis, he shows how difficult it is to defend the claim that people are responsible for their health and that it is very unclear what they should be held cost-responsible for.
'Cell' article reveals new resistance mechanism to chemotherapy in breast and ovarian cancer
It is estimated that between 5% and 10% of breast and ovarian cancers are familial in origin, which is to say that these tumours are attributable to inherited mutations from the parents in genes such as BRCA1 or BRCA2. In patients with these mutations, PARP inhibitors, which are currently in clinical trials, have shown encouraging results that make them a new option for personalised cancer treatment, an alternative to standard chemotherapy. Nevertheless, the latest studies indicate that a fraction of these patients generate resistance to the drug and, therefore, stop responding to the new treatment.
Researcher publishes a study of psychopathy and criminal behavior
University of Huddersfield researcher, Dr Daniel Boduszek, has co authored a an article in the Journal of Ciminal Psychology that analyses the relationship between psycopathy and criminal behaviour.
Measles epidemic sweeps northern Syria
An epidemic of measles is sweeping through parts of northern Syria, with at least 7,000 people affected because the ongoing civil war has disrupted vaccination programmes, Doctors Without Borders said on Tuesday.
US House takes up far-reaching anti-abortion bill (Update)
The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday sought to shore up their support from conservatives with a vote on one of the most far-reaching anti-abortion bills in years.
ACS NSQIP data is more accurate than administrative data for tracking 30-day hospital readmissions
With Medicare penalties on hospitals with higher-than-expected rates of 30-day readmissions expected to rise in 2014, more hospitals are evaluating the most accurate methods for tracking readmissions of patients. A new study appearing in the June issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons finds that the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP) led to more accurate data tracking than another popular database, the University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), for tracking 30-day hospital readmissions among colorectal surgical patients.
Hormonal therapy for transsexualism safe and effective
Hormonal therapy for transsexual patients is safe and effective, a multicenter European study indicates. The results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
CAMH policy study outlines ways to reduce alcohol harms
The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) has released a summary report outlining policy strategies to reduce the harms related to alcohol, with a focus on the province of Ontario, Canada.
Study finds need for improvement on state health care price websites
"With rising health care costs and 30 percent of privately insured adults enrolled in high-deductible health care plans, calls for greater health care price transparency are increasing. In response, health plans, consumer groups, and state governments are increasingly reporting health care prices. Despite recognition that price information must be relevant, accurate, and usable to improve the value of patients' out-of-pocket expenditures, and the potential for this reporting to affect health care organizations and prices, there are no data on what kind of price information is being reported," writes Jeffrey T. Kullgren, M.D., M.S., M.P.H., of the Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, Mich., and colleagues.
Male on male consensual sex and sexual assault common in South Africa
A survey of adult South African men published in this week's PLOS Medicine, shows that while overlapping sexual relationships with women appear to be common, roughly one in 20 men reported consensual sexual contact with a man, approximately one in ten reported being sexually assaulted by another man, and around 3% reported perpetrating such an assault.
Medicare: Cost-saving changes coming for diabetics
Medicare begins a major change next month that could save older diabetics money and time when they buy crucial supplies to test their blood sugar.
UH Case Medical Center launches novel clinical trial using stem cells to prevent amputation
University Hospitals Case Medical Center clinical researchers have launched an innovative clinical trial, unique in its design, which will evaluate the ability of a patient's own stem cells to prevent leg amputations in end stage peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
World's poorest children twice as likely to contract malaria as least poor
The findings of the systematic review and meta-analysis, published Online First in The Lancet, suggest that investment in socioeconomic development (eg, better housing and improved education and nutrition) should be a vital part of efforts to control and eliminate malaria.
Saudi announces four new deaths from MERS virus
Four more people have died from the MERS virus in Saudi Arabia, bringing the death toll from the SARS-like virus in the kingdom to 32, the health ministry said Monday.
Moderate drinking during pregnancy does not seem to harm baby's neurodevelopment
Moderate drinking during pregnancy - 3 to 7 glasses of alcohol a week - does not seem to harm fetal neurodevelopment, as indicated by the child's ability to balance, suggests a large study published in the online only journal BMJ Open.
Can new FDA graphic warning labels for tobacco pass a first amendment legal challenge?
When the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) imposes new graphic warning labels for tobacco products, they can survive a First Amendment challenge if they depict health consequences and their effectiveness is supported by adequate scientific evidence, says a Georgetown University Medical Center public health expert and attorney.
The Facebook effect: Social media dramatically boosts organ donor registration
A social media push boosted the number of people who registered themselves as organ donors 21-fold in a single day, Johns Hopkins researchers found, suggesting social media might be an effective tool to address the stubborn organ shortage in the United States.
Atherosclerosis in abdominal aorta may signal future heart attack, stroke
In a study of more than 2,000 adults, researchers found that two MRI measurements of the abdominal aorta—the amount of plaque in the vessel and the thickness of its wall—are associated with future cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack or stroke. Results of the study are published online in the journal Radiology.
Concussion patients show Alzheimer's-like brain abnormalities
The distribution of white matter brain abnormalities in some patients after mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) closely resembles that found in early Alzheimer's dementia, according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology.
Treating infection may have sting in the tail, parasite study shows
Using drugs to treat an infection could allow other co-existing conditions to flourish, a study in wild animals has shown.
US program marks birth of one millionth HIV-free baby
Secretary of State John Kerry on Tuesday hailed the 10th anniversary of a US program to battle AIDS, saying it has helped one million babies be born disease-free to mothers infected with HIV.
US adult smoking rate dips to 18 percent, report says
Fewer U.S. adults are smoking, a new government report says. Last year, about 18 percent of adults participating in a national health survey described themselves as current smokers.
The rhythm of everything
Dawn triggers basic biological changes in the waking human body. As the sun rises, so does heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature. The liver, the kidneys and many natural processes also begin shifting from idle into high gear. Then as daylight wanes and darkness descends, these processes likewise begin to subside, returning to their lowest levels again as we sleep.
A quiet epidemic: Men's risk of oesophageal cancer is triple women's risk
(Medical Xpress)—Men are almost three times more likely to get oesophageal cancer than women – one of the biggest gender gaps in cancer rates – according to figures released from Cancer Research UK.
Researchers launch novel investigation into tuberculosis transmission
(Medical Xpress)—Researchers at Colorado State University are launching the most realistic study ever conducted into how transmission of the tuberculosis pathogen triggers infectious disease, an investigation expected to yield new insights into a disease that attacks the lungs and kills some 1.5 million people worldwide each year.
Recognize and treat Internet addiction
(Medical Xpress)—Do you stay up late into the night using the Internet? Are you grumpy or anxious when you cannot log on? Do you feel the need to use the Internet more and more to feel satisfied? Do you stay online longer than you intended? Is your Internet use interfering with your social life, work, or academic performance? Do you continue to use the Internet despite family conflict about your use? Have you lied in order to conceal your involvement with the Internet?
The link between genes and cancer
(Medical Xpress)—When people think about genes and their relationship to cancer, most probably think about a person's hereditary cancer risk, especially after Angelina Jolie's recent news about her inherited breast and ovarian cancer risk associated with the BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene abnormalities. But genetic counselors will tell you that only about 5 to 10 percent of cancers are caused by inherited genetic mutations.
Expelled DNA that traps toxins may backfire in obese
(Medical Xpress)—The body's most powerful immune cells may have a radical way of catching their prey that could backfire on people who are overweight and others at risk for cancer, diabetes and chronic inflammation, suggests a new Cornell study.
Researcher studies protein's link to heart disease
(Medical Xpress)—The largest protein known to exist in the human body functions as a molecular spring, and University of Arizona researchers are gaining new insights into its role in heart disease.
Fiber-optic pen helps see inside brains of children with learning disabilities
For less than $100, University of Washington researchers have designed a computer-interfaced drawing pad that helps scientists see inside the brains of children with learning disabilities while they read and write.
An ally against childhood pneumonia
(Medical Xpress)—Since 2000, children born in the United States benefit from the research of Keith Klugman, who helped develop the pneumonia vaccine that is now part of their immunization regimen. As a result, invasive pneumococcal disease among young American children has decreased by nearly 80%.
FGF21 hormone, key to control obesity, also protects against heart diseases in mice
A research group has found that FGF21, an endocrine factor which reduces glucose levels, protects against cardiac diseases in mice. The research, published online on the journal Nature Communications, was led by Francesc Villarroya, professor from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the UB and Director of the Institute of Biomedicine of the University of Barcelona (IBUB), affiliated centre with the campus of international excellence BKC. Anna Planavila, first author of the paper, from that Department of the UB, the experts Luigi Gabrielli and Marta Sitges (IDIBAPS-Hospital Clínic de Barcelona) and other international experts also collaborated in the research.
Scientists find potential genetic drivers behind male heart disease risk
(Medical Xpress)—University of Leicester scientists have discovered a potential genetic contributor to the increased risk of heart disease among men.
Iodine in bread not enough for pregnant women
(Medical Xpress)—New research from the University of Adelaide shows that iodised salt used in bread is not enough to provide healthy levels of iodine for pregnant women and their unborn children.
Hospital, doctor shopping isn't easy for patients looking to compare prices of health care services
When it comes to shopping for health care services, few publicly available tools help patients measure the best bang for their buck, according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
Improving overall employee wellness could yield multiple benefits
(Medical Xpress)—Controlling health care costs is crucial for Iowa manufacturers to remain competitive. But a big question for many companies is whether investing in an employee wellness program will cut costs and improve productivity. To help answer that question, a team of Iowa State University researchers is conducting a pilot program with three Iowa manufacturers.
Fibromyalgia is not all in your head, new research confirms
Fibromyalgia, a painful condition affecting approximately 10 million people in the U.S., is not imaginary after all, as some doctors have believed. A discovery, published this month in Pain Medicine/i> (the journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine), clearly now demonstrates that fibromyalgia may have a rational biological basis located in the skin.
The secret of DNA methylation
Methylation refers to a chemical modification of DNA and this modification can occur in millions of positions in the DNA sequence. Until now, scientists believed that this epigenetic phenomenon actively reduced the expression of certain genes. Today, a team of researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, led by Emmanouil Dermitzakis, Louis-Jeantet Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, reveals that this is not always the case and that DNA methylation may play both a passive and active role in gene regulation. The mechanistic relationships between DNA sequence variability and gene expres- sion therefore prove to be more complex and variable than originally assumed.
It's the way you tell em': Study discovers how the brain controls accents and impersonations
A study, led by Royal Holloway University researcher Carolyn McGettigan, has identified the brain regions and interactions involved in impersonations and accents.
Study shows how the Nanog protein promotes growth of head and neck cancer
A study led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-– Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC–James) has identified a biochemical pathway in cancer stem cells that is essential for promoting head and neck cancer.
Beliefs about causes of obesity may impact weight, eating behavior
Whether a person believes obesity is caused by overeating or by a lack of exercise predicts his or her actual body mass, according to new research published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
Podium finish for Genetrainer
The world's first computer guided fitness training system using a person's DNA was announced as one of the three winners of the LeWeb'13 London Startup Competition, Europe's largest technology conference.
Parenting and home environment influence children's exercise and eating habits
Kids whose moms encourage them to exercise and eat well, and model those healthy behaviors themselves, are more likely to be active and healthy eaters, according to researchers at Duke Medicine.
Herbal extract boosts fruit fly lifespan by nearly 25 percent, study finds
The herbal extract of a yellow-flowered mountain plant long used for stress relief was found to increase the lifespan of fruit fly populations by an average of 24 percent, according to UC Irvine researchers.
New concussion data: Two biomarkers better than one
Scientists are scrambling to gather data for the FDA to support the need for a blood test to diagnose brain injury in the United States. The University of Rochester Medical Center just added significant evidence by reporting in the Journal of Neurotrauma that it might be clinically useful to measure two brain biomarkers instead of one.
Similar genetic variation found in overweight newborns and adults
Similar genetic variations occur in both overweight newborns and obese adults, a large study finds. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
New risk score could lead to earlier prevention of type 2 diabetes in African Americans
Researchers have developed a risk assessment scoring system that they believe may better identify certain adults-– especially African Americans-– at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke than does the current system of diagnosing the metabolic syndrome. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Insulin degludec lowers risk of recurrent low blood sugar or has similar risk to insulin glargine
Insulin degludec (Tresiba), a new ultra-long-acting insulin, has a similar or reduced risk of recurrent hypoglycemia— low blood sugar— compared with the commercially available insulin glargine, a new meta-analysis study finds. Results of the combined analysis, of five completed clinical trials, will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Timing of calcium and vitamin D supplementation may affect how bone adapts to exercise
Taking calcium and vitamin D before exercise may influence how bones adapt to exercise, according to a new study. The results will be presented on Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Sexual minority youth need specialized treatment from therapists, says researcher
President Obama officially declared June as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Pride Month. However, despite advances in civil rights, sexual minority youth are still at greater risk for suicide than their heterosexual peers, according to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center. A University of Missouri psychology graduate student recently published recommendation to improve psychologists' treatment of sexual minority youth, which could help improve psychological functioning and reduce depression and suicide rates.
Fat cells in breast may connect social stress to triple-negative breast cancer
Local chemical signals released by fat cells in the mammary gland appear to provide a crucial link between exposure to unrelenting social stressors early in life, and the subsequent development of breast cancer, researchers from the University of Chicago report in the July 2013 issue of the journal Cancer Prevention Research.
Tackling a framework for surgical innovation
An international team of investigators co-led by Weill Cornell Medical College is offering a new framework for evidence-based surgery and device research, similar to the kind of risk and benefit analysis used in evidence-based medicine.
Getting enough sleep could help prevent type 2 diabetes
Men who lose sleep during the work week may be able to lower their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by getting more hours of sleep, according to Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) research findings presented today at The Endocrine Society's 95th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
Early-life air pollution linked with childhood asthma in minorities
A research team led by UCSF scientists has found that exposure in infancy to nitrogen dioxide (NO2), a component of motor vehicle air pollution, is strongly linked with later development of childhood asthma among African Americans and Latinos.
New drug could help AMD sufferers
There is no cure for age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness in older Americans. Last year, the National Institutes of Health reported that two drugs injected into the eyes, Avastin and Lucentis, eased symptoms for sufferers, especially those in the advanced, "wet" stage of the disease, when blood vessels in the eye become swollen and leak fluids in the eye.
About 15 percent of people currently uninsured in US
(HealthDay)—In 2012, nearly 15 percent of U.S. people of all ages were currently uninsured, according to a data brief published online June 18 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Racial discrepancy in oncologic outcomes for low-risk PCa
(HealthDay)—Among men with very-low-risk prostate cancer (PCa) who meet criteria for active surveillance but undergo radical prostatectomy, African-American race is associated with poorer outcomes, with higher rates of disease upgrading and adverse pathology, according to a study published online June 17 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Lots of Americans want health care via their smartphone
(HealthDay)—Plenty of Americans are eager to use their mobile phones and tablet computers to better manage their health care, a new poll finds—though the nation has a way to go before we're all consulting Dr. Smartphone.
Rates of gestational diabetes mellitus vary by state
(HealthDay)—Obesity, age, race/ethnicity, hospital characteristics, and insurance type may contribute to the variability in rates of gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) between states, according to research published in the May issue of Diabetes Care.
Physical function limitations prevalent in prediabetes
(HealthDay)—Middle-aged and older adults with prediabetes have an increased likelihood of physical function limitations, according to a study published online June 11 in Diabetes Care.
Meningococcal disease ID'd in men who have sex with men
(HealthDay)—Following reports of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) among men who have sex with men (MSM), the New York City (NYC) Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) has recommended that MSM who have engaged in intimate contact with another man should undergo vaccination, according to a report published online June 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Earlier treatment following stroke linked with reduced risk of in-hospital death
In a study that included nearly 60,000 patients with acute ischemic stroke, thrombolytic treatment (to help dissolve a blood clot) that was started more rapidly after symptom onset was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality and intracranial hemorrhage and higher rates of independent walking ability at discharge and discharge to home, according to a study in the June 19 issue of JAMA.
MRI screening may help identify spinal infections from contaminated drug injections
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the site of injection of a contaminated lot of a steroid drug to treat symptoms such as back pain resulted in earlier identification of patients with probable or confirmed fungal spinal or paraspinal infection, allowing early initiation of medical and surgical treatment, according to a study in the June 19 issue of JAMA.
MMR booster vaccine does not appear to worsen disease activity in children with juvenile arthritis
Among children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) who had undergone primary immunization, the use of a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) booster compared with no booster did not result in worse JIA disease activity, according to a study in the June 19 issue of JAMA.
Markers of beta-cell dysfunction associated with high rate of progression to type 1 diabetes
The majority of children at risk of type 1 diabetes who developed 2 or more diabetes-related autoantibodies developed type 1 diabetes within 15 years, findings that highlight the need for research into finding interventions to stop the development of multiple islet autoantibodies, according to a study in the June 19 issue of JAMA.
Study evaluates procedures for diagnosing sarcoidosis
Among patients with suspected stage I/II pulmonary sarcoidosis who were undergoing confirmation of the condition via tissue sampling, the use of the procedure known as endosonographic nodal aspiration compared with bronchoscopic biopsy, the current diagnostic standard, resulted in greater diagnostic yield, according to a study in the June 19 issue of JAMA.
Twice weekly iron supplementation to pregnant women as effective as a daily regime
Daily supplementation of iron tablets to pregnant women does not provide any benefits in birth weight or improved infant growth compared to twice weekly supplementation, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.
Respect may be the key to stopping patient 'no shows'
People with HIV are more likely to keep their scheduled medical appointments—and their disease under control—if they feel their physician listens, explains things clearly and knows them as a person, not just a "case," new Johns Hopkins research suggests.
Scientists catch EGFR passing a crucial message to cancer-promoting protein
Researchers have discovered and mapped the signaling network between two previously unconnected proteins, exposing a link that, if broken, could cut off cancer cell growth at its starting point.
Racial disparities exist in outcomes of spinal surgery
(HealthDay)—The rate of complications, length of stay, and costs associated with surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis differ for African-American patients compared with white patients, according to research published in the May 15 issue of Spine.
SimuCase avatars advance speech-language pathology training
A new commercial venture, using technology developed at Case Western Reserve University's College of Arts and Sciences and Case School of Engineering, has made available avatars—virtual patients—to train speech-language pathologists.
Scientists find new biomarker to measure sugar consumption
Scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks identified a new tool that can dramatically improve the notoriously inaccurate surveys of what and how much an individual eats and drinks. Their research is published in the June 2013 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
Study suggests new approach to fight lung cancer
Recent research has shown that cancer cells have a much different – and more complex – metabolism than normal cells. Now, scientists at The University of Texas at Dallas have found that exploiting these differences might provide a new strategy to combat lung cancer.
New virus isolated from patients with severe brain infections
Researchers have identified a new virus in patients with severe brain infections in Vietnam. Further research is needed to determine whether the virus is responsible for the symptoms of disease.
Exposure to high pollution levels during pregnancy may increase risk of having child with autism
Women in the U.S. exposed to high levels of air pollution while pregnant were up to twice as likely to have a child with autism as women who lived in areas with low pollution, according to a new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). It is the first large national study to examine links between autism and air pollution across the U.S.
Balancing act: Mitochondrial protein coordinates a little-known enzyme that controls how fat is stored or burned
(Medical Xpress)—Calories in, calories out. Any dieter is familiar with the two sides of the equation for weight loss, usually reduced to eating less and exercising more. But what controls the body's balance between burning fuel and storing it as fat? What tips the scales toward leanness and away from obesity?
Key protein is linked to circadian clocks, helps regulate metabolism
Inside each of us is our own internal timing device. It drives everything from sleep cycles to metabolism, but the inner-workings of this so-called "circadian clock" are complex, and the molecular processes behind it have long eluded scientists. But now, researchers at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how one important protein falls under direct instructions from the body's circadian clock. Furthermore, they uncover how this protein regulates fundamental circadian processes—and how disrupting its normal function can throw this critical system out of sync.
Aspirin may fight cancer by slowing DNA damage
Aspirin is known to lower risk for some cancers, and a new study led by a UC San Francisco scientist points to a possible explanation, with the discovery that aspirin slows the accumulation of DNA mutations in abnormal cells in at least one pre-cancerous condition.
The discerning fruit fly: Linking brain-cell activity and behavior in smell recognition
Behind the common expression "you can't compare apples to oranges" lies a fundamental question of neuroscience: How does the brain recognize that apples and oranges are different? A group of neuroscientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) has published new research that provides some answers.
Study shows cultural images may hinder proficiency in second language skills
(Medical Xpress)—A team of combined researchers from Columbia Business School and Singapore Management University has found that people who have learned a second language become less proficient at speaking it after being exposed to cultural images. In their paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the team describes three exercises they carried out to test second-language skill proficiency after exposure to cultural images.
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