Fwd: Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Sep 30

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From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Wed, Oct 1, 2014 at 2:37 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Tuesday, Sep 30
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for September 30, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Scientists manipulate molecules inside living cells with temperature gradients
- Axons growing out of dendrites? Neuroscientists hate when that happens
- Deceptive-looking vortex line in superfluid led to twice-mistaken identity
- Blades of grass inspire advance in organic solar cells
- Apple software update protects Macs from 'Bash' bug
- Sandblasting winds shift Mars' landscape
- In stickleback fish, dads influence offspring behavior and gene expression
- Unexpected new mechanism reveals how molecules become trapped in ice
- Breakthrough study discovers six changing faces of 'global killer' bacteria
- Layering rough surfaces with nanometer-thin optical interference coatings opens new array of possible applications
- Mathematical model tackles 'Game of Thrones' predictions
- How dinosaur arms turned into bird wings
- At dusk and dawn: Scientists pinpoint biological clock's synchronicity
- Study shows how chimpanzees share skills
- A new dimension for integrated circuits: 3-D nanomagnetic logic

Astronomy & Space news

	NASA rocket has six minutes to study solar heating (Phys.org) —On Sept. 30, 2014, a sounding rocket will fly up into the sky – past Earth's atmosphere that obscures certain wavelengths of light from the sun—for a 15-minute journey to study what heats up the sun's atmosphere. This is the fourth flight for the Very high Angular Resolution Ultraviolet Telescope, or VAULT, will launch from the White Sands Missile Range near Las Cruces, New Mexico.
	Sandblasting winds shift Mars' landscape High winds are a near-daily force on the surface of Mars, carving out a landscape of shifting dunes and posing a challenge to exploration, scientists said Tuesday.
	Swift mission observes mega flares from a mini star On April 23, NASA's Swift satellite detected the strongest, hottest, and longest-lasting sequence of stellar flares ever seen from a nearby red dwarf star. The initial blast from this record-setting series of explosions was as much as 10,000 times more powerful than the largest solar flare ever recorded.
Space debris expert warns of increasing CubeSat collision risk The increasing number of small 'CubeSat' satellites being launched combined with a relaxed attitude to debris mitigation could lead to hazards for all space users unless preventative measures are taken, warns a leading space debris expert from the University of Southampton.
Astronomers find 'cousin' planets around twin stars European astronomers have found two new Jupiter-sized extra-solar planets, each orbiting one star of a binary-star system.
	PanSTARRS K1, the comet that keeps going Thank you K1 PanSTARRS for hanging in there! Some comets crumble and fade away. Others linger a few months and move on. But after looping across the night sky for more than a year, this one is nowhere near quitting. Matter of fact, the best is yet to come.
US-India to collaborate on Mars exploration The United States and India, fresh from sending their own respective spacecraft into Mars' orbit earlier this month, on Tuesday agreed to cooperate on future exploration of the Red Planet.
	Orion spacecraft transfers to Launch Abort System Facility NASA and Lockheed Martin have finished fueling the Orion spacecraft with ammonia, hydrazine and high pressure helium at Kennedy Space Center's Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility. Orion has now been moved to the Launch Abort System Facility for integration with the launch abort system (LAS).

Medicine & Health news

	Axons growing out of dendrites? Neuroscientists hate when that happens (Medical Xpress)—The well-behaved neuron receives signals through its many dendrites to generate spikes on a single axon. The electrical energy of these signals is generally believed to be integrated at the cell body and converted into pulses at the axon initial segment (this is the region where the axon sprouts, the AIS). There have always been exceptions to this neat and tidy picture of a neuron. Certain interneurons, dopaminergic cells, or neuroendicrine cells for example, have been shown to grow their axon out from a lucky dendrite instead of the soma. The existence of these anomalies is an inconvenient truth for all neuron modelers and typically they choose to ignore them. A paper recently published in Neuron now suggests that minimizing this fundamental neural character has been a mistake. Rather than mere quirk or curiousity the axon carrying dendrite, or AcD as the authors call it, is found on most neurons—at least amo! ng pyramidal cells in the CA1 area of the mouse hippocampus.
	Vitamin D in diet might ease effects of age on memory, study suggests If you don't want to dumb down with age, vitamin D may be the meal ticket. A boosted daily dosage of the vitamin over several months helped middle-aged rats navigate a difficult water maze better than their lower-dosed cohorts, according to a study published online Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
New discovery approach accelerates identification of potential cancer treatments Researchers at the University of Michigan have described a new approach to discovering potential cancer treatments that requires a fraction of the time needed for more traditional methods.
	Team uncovers important process for immune system development Research by UC Irvine immunologists reveals new information about how our immune system functions, shedding light on a vital process that determines how the body's ability to fight infection develops.
	Improving babies' language skills before they're even old enough to speak In the first months of life, when babies begin to distinguish sounds that make up language from all the other sounds in the world, they can be trained to more effectively recognize which sounds "might" be language, accelerating the development of the brain maps which are critical to language acquisition and processing, according to new Rutgers research.
Genomic data could help doctors know whether to prescribe statins Genomic data could predict whether statins will benefit a patient or not, according to an article in the open access journal Genome Biology. The research suggests that genomic data alone can explain around 15% of patients' responses to a cholesterol-lowering statin, and further studies could increase the accuracy of these predictions.
Endoscopists recommend frequent colonoscopies, leading to its overuse A retrospective study led by researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH), has found an overuse of colonoscopies for colorectal cancer screening and surveillance. The study demonstrated that endoscopists commonly recommended shorter follow-up intervals than established guidelines support, and these recommendations were strongly correlated with subsequent colonoscopy overuse.
Gut bacteria promote obesity in mice A species of gut bacteria called Clostridium ramosum, coupled with a high-fat diet, may cause animals to gain weight. The work is published this week in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
	Alcohol makes smiles more 'contagious,' but only for men Consuming an alcoholic beverage may make men more responsive to the smiles of others in their social group, according to new research in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. The findings suggest that, for men, alcohol increases sensitivity to rewarding social behaviors like smiling, and may shed light on risk factors that contribute to problem drinking among men.
	Obese in adolescence, colon cancer in later life? (HealthDay)—Obesity and inflammation in late adolescence are associated with increased risk for colon and rectal cancer in adulthood, a new study of Swedish males suggests.
	40 states, district of columbia reporting respiratory virus that targets kids (HealthDay)—Forty states and the District of Columbia now have a total of 277 confirmed cases of Enterovirus D68, the severe respiratory illness that typically targets children, U.S. health officials are reporting.
	Ultrasound can accurately diagnose carpal tunnel (HealthDay)—Ultrasound can accurately confirm the diagnosis of carpal tunnel syndrome, according to a study published in the Sept. 3 issue of The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.
	Charge data influence patient surgical treatment decisions (HealthDay)—When presented with procedural charge data, people tend to choose the less expensive technique, according to a study published online Sept. 1 in the Annals of Surgery.
	AAP: Good nutrition, exercise optimize pediatric bone health (HealthDay)—Pediatricians play an important role in fostering optimal bone health in children and adolescents, according to research published online Sept. 29 in Pediatrics.
	ACC withdraws one 'Choosing Wisely' recommendation (HealthDay)—Researchers have withdrawn one of the previous Choosing Wisely recommendations from April 2012, according to a report from the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
	Insulin increases resting-state functional connectivity in T2DM (HealthDay)—For older adults with type 2 diabetes, a single dose of intranasal insulin increases resting-state brain functional connectivity, according to a study published online Sept. 23 in Diabetes.
Smart catheters help doctors navigate the heart Joshua M. Cooper inserted a catheter through a vein in Janice McKemey's groin, up through her abdomen and all the way inside her heart.
High-dose vitamin D for ICU patients who are vitamin D deficient does not improve outcomes Administration of high-dose vitamin D3 compared with placebo did not reduce hospital length of stay, intensive care unit (ICU) length of stay, hospital mortality, or the risk of death at 6 months among patients with vitamin D deficiency who were critically ill, according to a study published in JAMA. The study is being posted early online to coincide with its presentation at the European Society of Intensive Care Medicine annual congress.
	Photoelectric dye-coupled thin film as a novel type of retinal prosthesis Eye doctor Dr. Toshihiko Matsuo and polymer science engineer Dr. Tetsuya Uchida have been developing a new type of retinal prosthesis that is based on a photoelectric dye. The photoelectric dye is an organic molecule that absorbs light and converts light energy into electric potentials. The dye molecules are coupled to the surface of a film made of polyethylene. The polyethylene film (or polymer) is a biologically safe and stable material which is used, for example, as a component of artificial joints. The photoelectric dye-coupled polyethylene film, called Okayama University-type retinal prosthesis or OUReP, can be implanted beneath the retina as a substitute for photoreceptor cells.
	Specialist teamwork better for older hip-fracture patients Patients who undergo hip fracture surgery in hospitals that have an orthogeriatric service have an improved chance of surviving beyond 30 days after surgery, new research shows
	Tips, myths surrounding breastfeeding Breastfeeding is the method of infant feeding recommended by the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
Cohabiting couples differ on contraceptive use by class Most cohabiting couples intend to delay childbirth until they're married, steadily employed and financially stable. Despite these preferences, surprise pregnancies are common, particularly among working-class men and women who struggle to plan for and access reliable contraceptives.
	Computer models help cerebral palsy patients step out University of Queensland researchers are using computer modelling to predict the most effective way to help cerebral palsy patients walk and move more easily.
	Study clues to aging bone loss In Canada, bone fractures due to osteoporosis affect one in three women and one in five men over their lifetimes, costing the health care system more than $2.3 billion a year.
Aspirin may lower the risk for aggressive prostate cancer Use of aspirin and/or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) was associated with a reduced risk for aggressive prostate cancer in men who had elevated prostate specific antigen (PSA) and a negative biopsy prior to study commencement, according to data presented at the 13th Annual American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held Sept. 28-Oct. 1.
Study identifies low-dose aspirin's mechanisms of action in reducing cancer mortality Low-dose aspirin may lower the risk for cancer metastasis and mortality by inhibiting both COX-1 and COX-2 pathways, according to data presented at the 13th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held Sept. 28–Oct. 1.
	New technique could improve the outcome of breast cancer surgery A new technique will help surgeons to detect where the margins of cancerous breast tumours are during surgery, reducing the need for secondary operations in breast cancer patients.
	Scientists discover gene controlling muscle fate Scientists at the University of New Mexico have moved a step closer to improving medical science through research involving muscle manipulation of fruit flies. They discovered in the flight muscles of Drosophila a new regulator of a process called alternative splicing. Their findings give additional hope that could help treat diseases such as myotonic dystrophy, a multisystem disorder affecting skeletal and smooth muscle as well as the eye, heart, endocrine system and central nervous system.
	Breakthrough could prevent hip implant replacement Hip implants rely on the normal functioning of bone cells to achieve fixation of the implant with the bone. However, small metal particles released from hip implants, due to friction between the moving surfaces, have been shown to be toxic to the surrounding bone cells.
Asthma symptoms kicking up? Check your exposure to air pollution People who suffer from asthma may think there's not a lot they can do to control their asthma besides properly taking medications and avoiding allergic triggers.
	Viagra ads target women for first time The maker of the world's top-selling erectile dysfunction drug on Tuesday will begin airing the first Viagra TV commercial in America that targets the less-obvious sufferers of the sexual condition: women.
Boys and girls who have had a traumatic brain injury differ in rates of harmful behavior Teenagers who said they had a traumatic brain injury in their lifetime, especially girls, also reported significantly higher rates of harmful behavior, according to new research.
	Helmet therapy is ineffective on babies with moderate to severe plagiocephaly Throughout the world, many thousands of babies wear a helmet 23 hours a day for six months. At the beginning of May, Renske van Wijk, of the University of Twente's IGS Research Institute, published an article in which she demonstrated that helmet therapy is ineffective on babies with moderate to severe plagiocephaly (skull flattening). The research was broadly discussed in the media and Van Wijk received responses from all over the world. Almost six months later, on the eve of the day on which she will defend her thesis, Van Wijk looks back on the debate provoked by her research.
	Smoking out the facts in the E-cigarette debate Electronic cigarettes seem to have become as ubiquitous as the vapor they produce. Their popularity has been skyrocketing over the past two years, even in the midst of a fierce debate about their potential risks and benefits.
Genetic test would help 'cut bowel cancer spread' Screening families of patients with bowel cancer for a genetic condition would cut their risk of developing bowel, womb, and ovarian cancers, new research has found.
Benzodiazepine sedatives linked to higher rates of mortality compared to propofol Sedation is frequently required for mechanically ventilated intensive care unit (ICU) patients to reduce anxiety, provide comfort, and assist in providing optimal respiratory support. It is estimated that each year, there are nearly 1 million U.S. patients treated with a continuous, intravenous sedative in an ICU setting.
	Erectile dysfunction drugs could affect vision of genetically susceptible users Sildenafil, the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, could cause unusual visual responses in people who carry a common mutation for eye disease and may have long-term detrimental effects on their vision, UNSW Australia researchers warn.
New learning mechanism for individual nerve cells The traditional view is that learning is based on the strengthening or weakening of the contacts between the nerve cells in the brain. However, this has been challenged by new research findings from Lund University in Sweden. These indicate that there is also a third mechanism – a kind of clock function that gives individual nerve cells the ability to time their reactions.
	Selectively rewiring the brain's circuitry to treat depression On Star Trek, it is easy to take for granted the incredible ability of futuristic doctors to wave small devices over the heads of both humans and aliens, diagnose their problems through evaluating changes in brain activity or chemistry, and then treat behavior problems by selectively stimulating relevant brain circuits.
Low-birth-weight children are particularly vulnerable to environmental influences Low birth weight children are more vulnerable to environmental influences than infants born with normal weight. When brought up with a great deal of sensitivity, they will be able to catch up in school, but on average they will not become better students than normal birth weight children. This result, provided by an international psychologist team, has confirmed the so-called diathesis-stress model of development for low birth weight populations. The researchers report their findings in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
Clinical trial finds virtual ward does not reduce hospital readmissions A virtual ward, a new model of care that provides support to high-risk and complex patients in the community for a few weeks after discharge from hospital, did not prevent hospital readmissions as hoped in a clinical trial in Toronto.
Synthetic sperm protein raises the chance for successful in vitro fertilization Having trouble getting pregnant—even with IVF? Here's some hope: A new research report published in October 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal, explains how scientists developed a synthetic version of a sperm-originated protein known as PAWP, which induced embryo development in human and mouse eggs similar to the natural triggering of embryo development by the sperm cell during fertilization.
Adolescent exposure to THC may cause immune systems to go up in smoke When it comes to using marijuana, new research, involving mice and published in the October 2014 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, suggests that just because you can do it, doesn't mean that you should. That's because a team of Italian scientists have found that using marijuana in adolescence may do serious long-term damage to the immune system. This damage may result in autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis in adulthood.
Scientists identify which genes are active in muscles of men and women If you want your doctor to know what goes wrong with your muscles because of age, disease or injury, it's a good idea to know what "normal" actually is. That's where a new research report published in the October 2014 issue of the FASEB Journal comes in. In the report, a team of scientists produce a complete transcriptome—a key set of molecules that can help scientists "see" which genes are active in an organ at a particular time. What's more, they found never-before-detected gene activity and that men have approximately 400 more active genes in their skeletal muscle than women have.
New blood test determines whether you have or are likely to get cancer A new research report published in the October 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal may make the early detection of cancer as easy as a simple blood test. This test, called the "lymphocyte genome sensitivity" (LGS) test, could not only detect some cancers earlier than ever before, but it may eliminate the need for some types of biopsies, as well as identify those more likely to develop cancer in the future.
	Americans undergo colonoscopies too often, study finds Colonoscopies are a very valuable procedure by which to screen for the presence of colorectal cancer. However, it seems that healthy Americans who do undergo this sometimes uncomfortable examination often have repeat screenings long before they actually should. Gina Kruse of Massachusetts General Hospital in the US and colleagues advise that endoscopists stick to the national guidelines more closely. Their findings appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
	Researchers discover potential biomarker to detect 'bubble boy' disorder Many people recognize "the bubble boy" as an unusual character from a "Seinfeld" episode or a John Travolta movie.
	Contaminated water linked to pregnancy complications, study finds Prenatal exposure to tetrachloroethylene (PCE) in drinking water may increase the risk of stillbirth and placental abruption, according to a new study led by a Boston University School of Public Health researcher.
	Expect 6,000 more Australian deaths if pollution rises to 'safe' threshold The National Environment Protection Measures (NEPM) has set maximum daily limits, or 'standards', for six key outdoor pollutants, which QUT's Associate Professor Adrian Barnett says many authorities wrongly assume to be 'safe' thresholds for health.
	Antioxidant found in grapes uncorks new targets for acne treatment Got grapes? UCLA researchers have demonstrated how resveratrol, an antioxidant derived from grapes and found in wine, works to inhibit growth of the bacteria that causes acne.
How to predict who will suffer the most from stress More than 23 per cent of Canadians report being stressed or very stressed on most days. While chronic stress increases the risk of poor mental and physical health, not everyone is affected the same way. Some cope well, but for others—especially those most likely to sweat the small stuff—chronic stress can be harmful.
Disease decoded: Gene mutation may lead to development of new cancer drugs The discovery of a gene mutation that causes a rare premature aging disease could lead to the development of drugs that block the rapid, unstoppable cell division that makes cancer so deadly.
Diuretics in proton pump inhibitor-associated hypomagnesemia Proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy is associated with hospitalization for hypomagnesemia, particularly among patients also receiving diuretics, according to research published this week in PLOS Medicine. The study, conducted by David Juurlink of the University of Toronto and colleagues, suggests that physicians reconsider long-term PPI therapy for patients with a diagnosis of hypomagnesemia or concurrent use of diuretics.
Depression increasing across the country A study by San Diego State University psychology professor Jean M. Twenge shows Americans are more depressed now than they have been in decades.
Comprehensive Study of allergic deaths in US finds medications are main culprit Medications are the leading cause of allergy-related sudden deaths in the U.S., according to an analysis of death certificates from 1999 to 2010, conducted by researchers at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The study, published online today in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, also found that the risk of fatal drug-induced allergic reactions was particularly high among older people and African-Americans and that such deaths increased significantly in the U.S. in recent years.
	New diagnostic approach for autism in Tanzania Autism is no stranger to the children of Tanzania. What is rare in the East African nation is access to clinical services, including reliable diagnosis and evidence-based treatments. There is no autism diagnostic measure, for example, validated for use in Swahili, a major language of the region. In a small new study, however, researchers at Brown University and the University of Georgia (UGA) describe a culturally compatible diagnostic approach that they implemented at two sites in the country and found to be effective for making diagnoses.
	Study shows that tongue size and fat may predict sleep apnea risk in obese adults A new study of obese adults is the first to show that those who have obstructive sleep apnea have a significantly larger tongue with a higher percentage of fat than obese controls. This may provide a mechanistic explanation for the relationship between obesity and sleep apnea.
Low social support linked to poor health in young heart attack survivors Having few friends, family and a general lack of social support is associated with poor health and quality of life and depression in young men and women a year after having a heart attack, according to new research in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Study finds acupuncture does not improve chronic knee pain Among patients older than 50 years with moderate to severe chronic knee pain, neither laser nor needle acupuncture provided greater benefit on pain or function compared to sham laser acupuncture, according to a study in the October 1 issue of JAMA.
	Minimum alcohol pricing would be up to 50 times more effective than below cost selling ban Introducing minimum unit pricing in England would be up to 50 times more effective than the government's recent policy of a ban on below cost selling as a way of tackling problems caused by cheap alcohol, finds a study published in the BMJ today.
Researchers show EEG's potential to reveal depolarizations following TBI The potential for doctors to measure damaging "brain tsunamis" in injured patients without opening the skull has moved a step closer to reality, thanks to pioneering research at the University of Cincinnati (UC) Neuroscience Institute.
Rare respiratory virus, paralysis spreads among US kids An unusual respiratory virus has sickened more than 400 children across the United States, and the emergence of sudden paralysis in some Colorado youths is sparking concern among doctors.
First case of Ebola diagnosed in US The United States has diagnosed its first case of the deadly Ebola virus in a man who became infected in Liberia and traveled to Texas, US health officials said Tuesday.
	Spinal cord stimulation feasible for diabetic neuropathy (HealthDay)—For patients with painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy (PDPN), spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a successful treatment, according to a study published online Sept. 11 in Diabetes Care.
	Fish oil supplements don't prevent recurrence of A-fib (HealthDay)—High doses of fish oil supplements won't prevent recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF), Canadian researchers report. The study, funded by the Canadian Institutes for Health Research and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Quebec, was published in the Oct. 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
	Spacing between sibling births tied to autism risk in study (HealthDay)—Children conceived either less than one year or more than five years after the birth of a sibling could be at increased risk for autism, a new study suggests.
	Study says hepatitis C will be a rare disease by about 2036 Hepatitis C, a major infectious disease in the United States with 180 million cases worldwide, will likely become a rare disease by about 2036, according to a University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health analysis.
Third of countries struggling to meet the needs of aging population People around the world are living longer, but social policies to support their wellbeing in later life are lagging behind in many countries. This is according a new report by HelpAge International, developed in partnership with the University of Southampton.
	Dallas hospital confirms first Ebola case in US A patient at a Dallas hospital has tested positive for Ebola, the first case of the disease to be diagnosed in the United States, federal health officials announced Tuesday.
Ebola-hit Liberia staring into the abyss With its collapsed health service, sick and poorly equipped security forces and broken economy, Ebola-hit Liberia finds itself on the brink of complete societal breakdown, experts warn.
Dallas hospital monitoring patient for Ebola A patient in a Dallas hospital is showing signs of the Ebola virus and is being kept in strict isolation with test results pending, hospital officials said Monday.
Gov't to reveal drug company payments to doctors The Obama administration is planning to release data Tuesday on drug and medical device company payments to tens of thousands of individual doctors.
	AMA launches three programs for physician wellness (HealthDay)—Physicians' personal health is a global concern and three initiatives are being developed to encourage positive change, according to a report from the American Medical Association (AMA).
	Pharmacists less happy at work versus other occupations (HealthDay)—Compared to other types of employees, pharmacists are not as happy, according to results from the TINYpulse employee engagement surveys.
	Nurse turnover assessments inconsistent (HealthDay)—More than 17 percent of new nurses leave their first job within one year of starting, according to research published online Aug. 25 in Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice.
Correction of cardiovascular symptoms of MPS I in animal model REGENXBIO Inc. today announced that gene transfer mediated by REGENXBIO's NAV AAV8 vectors resulted in sustained serum α-L-iduronidase (IDUA) expression, as well as correction of systemic features of MPS I, or Hurler syndrome, a lysosomal storage disease (LSD) caused by the body's inability to produce the IDUA enzyme. Data from a study performed by researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania ("Penn") show animals treated with a single intravenous injection of NAV AAV8 vectors expressing the IDUA gene not only demonstrated meaningful improvements in the biochemical features of MPS I in most tissues, but the majority also exhibited complete resolution of aortic valve lesions. This effect is significant since it has not been previously observed in MPS I patients treated with current therapies or animal models.
	Direct targeting and induction of immunological attacks on cancer cells Direct targeting and induction of immunological attacks on cancer cells are two widely used approaches for the treatment of cancer. But Professor Hiromi Kumon and colleagues at Okayama University have developed a third and potentially more effective approach based on Reduced Expression in Immortalized Cells (REIC)—a tumor suppressor gene discovered at Okayama University. "In 2005 researchers at the Okayama University Medical School forced its expression using adenoviral vector (Ad-REIC) and discovered it caused selective death (apoptosis) of prostate cancer cells without damaging normal cells," explains Kumon. "Our approach is a combination of targeting and immunology for the treatment of cancer. Some people have referred to this as a 'magic bullet'. We are working with international partners to develop an Ad-REIC/DKK3 vaccine to treat various intractable solid tumors."
	A new linked elbow prosthesis for patients with small bone structure Dr. Keiichiro Nishida, Associate Professor of Department of Human Morphology, Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, has developed a new linked elbow prosthesis (PROSNAP) in cooperation with Kyocera Medical (Osaka, Japan) which possesses a unique assembly system, initially to be used for the relatively small bony structure of Japanese patients.
	Anti-aging properties of drinking hydrogen-rich water on periodontal tissues Oxidative stress is involved in age-related inflammatory reactions. Molecular hydrogen is considered to be a novel antioxidant that can reduce oxidative stress. Therefore, drinking hydrogen-rich water may suppress age-related oxidative stress and inflammatory reactions in the periodontal tissues.
	US Ebola labs, parts for clinic arrive in Liberia U.S. mobile Ebola labs should be up and running in Liberia this week, and American troops have broken ground for a field hospital, as the international community races to increase the ability to care for the spiraling number of people infected with the dreaded disease.
	New imaging technique provides hope for deadly childhood cancer Cancer Research UK's Centre for Drug Development (CDD), in collaboration with the Rising Tide Foundation (link is external), a Swiss-based non-profit organisation which funds innovative cancer trials, today (TUESDAY) announce a new trial at The Royal Marsden (link is external)and University College London (link is external)that could revolutionise how children with one of the deadliest forms of cancer are diagnosed. The news falls in Children's Cancer Awareness Month, which runs throughout September.
Dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids linked to smaller risk of coronary heart disease A recent study completed at the University of Eastern Finland shows that dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. The sources of polyunsaturated fatty acids include fish, vegetable oils, and nuts. The findings were published in Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis & Vascular Biology, an esteemed journal of the American Heart Association.
	Women, work and the menopause Menopausal women fear age-based discrimination in the workplace and face a glaring lack of menopause-specific support, according to new research.
Johnson & Johnson buying Alios for $1.75B Johnson & Johnson is buying the biopharmaceutical company Alios BioPharma Inc. for about $1.75 billion.
China to open first high security bio laboratory China's first high-security biosafety laboratory will be ready for use by December, in a move hailed as a "crucial" moment in the fight against pathogens such as the Ebola virus, officials said Tuesday.
	Families wait in agony for word on Ebola patients First the ring tone echoed outside the barbed-wire-topped walls of the Ebola clinic. Then came the wails of grief, as news spread that 31-year-old Rose Johnson was dead just days after she was brought here unconscious by relatives.
	Promoting the positive effects of nutrition on health The EU BIOCLAIMS project is identifying new ways of confirming the beneficial effects of nutrition, which could help food firms make positive health claims.
	World's first wearable blue LED light therapy device to treat skin disease psoriasis vulgaris Royal Philips, the global leader in lighting, today announces the launch of Philips BlueControl, a clinically tested wearable medical device that uses blue LED light to control mild to moderate cases of psoriasis vulgaris. Philips BlueControl will be introduced to international healthcare professionals at the European Academy of Dermatology & Venereology (EADV) Congress (8th - 12th October) in Amsterdam. It will be prescribed by physicians and available through distributors in The Netherlands, Germany and The UK from October 2014.
Texas hospital isolates patient for Ebola tests A patient with symptoms of Ebola has been placed in strict isolation at a Texas hospital, and test results are expected later Tuesday, a spokesman told AFP.
Longitudinal report shows challenging reality of ageing with an intellectual disability A new report launched today by the Intellectual Disability Supplement to TILDA (The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing) conducted by academics from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, has highlighted the serious, complex and unique health and social challenges facing Ireland's intellectual disability population.
	New hypothyroidism treatment guidelines from American Thyroid Association Levothyroxine (L-T4), long the standard of care for treating hypothyroidism, is effective in most patients, but some individuals do not regain optimal health on L-T4 monotherapy. New knowledge about thyroid physiology may help to explain these differences. An expert task force of the American Thyroid Association on thyroid hormone replacement reviewed the latest studies on L-T4 therapy and on alternative treatments to determine whether a change to the current standard of care is appropriate, and they present their recommendations in the article "Guidelines for the Treatment of Hypothyroidism," published in Thyroid, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers and the official journal of the American Thyroid Association (ATA). The Guidelines are available free on the Thyroid website.
US military making progress reducing stigma tied to seeking help for mental illness The U.S. Department of Defense has made progress in reducing the stigma associated with seeking help for mental illnesses such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder, but more improvement is still needed, according to a new RAND Corporation study.
NIH taps lab to develop sophisticated electrode array system to monitor brain act The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) a grant today to develop an electrode array system that will enable researchers to better understand how the brain works through unprecedented resolution and scale.
US aims for traumatic brain injury clinical trial success An unprecedented, public-private partnership funded by the Department of Defense (DoD) is being launched to drive the development of better-run clinical trials and may lead to the first successful treatments for traumatic brain injury, a condition affecting not only athletes and soldiers, but also millions among the general public, ranging from youngsters to elders.
Medicaid and Uninsured patients obtain new patient appointments most easily at FQHCs Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) granted new patient appointments to Medicaid beneficiaries and uninsured patients at higher rates than other primary care practices (non-FQHCs), in addition to charging less for visits, according to results of a new 10-state University of Pennsylvania study published this month in Medical Care.
Rehospitalization in younger patients Older adults often are readmitted after hospitalization for heart failure, pneumonia, and acute myocardial infarction, a significant issue that has caused Medicare to target hospitals with high 30-day readmission rates for financial penalties. Older adults are also often admitted for reasons other than the original hospitalization. This vulnerability to readmission has been referred to as "post-hospital syndrome." However, whether younger patients also experience a similar pattern of readmission has not been well studied.
Ebola outbreak nears end in Nigeria The Ebola outbreak in Nigeria is almost over, US health officials said Tuesday, in a rare sign of authorities turning the tide on the highly contagious disease that has killed more than 3,000 in West Africa.
Use of a 'virtual ward' model of care does not reduce hospital readmissions, risk of death In a trial involving patients at high risk of hospital readmission or death, use of a virtual ward model of care (using some elements of hospital care in the community) after hospital discharge did not significantly reduce the rate of readmission or death up to a year following discharge, according to a study in the October 1 issue of JAMA.
Medical professional liability claims and esophageal cancer screening An analysis of liability claims related to esophageal cancer screening finds that the risks of claims arising from acts of commission (complications from screening procedure) as well as acts of omission (failure to screen) are similarly low, according to a study in the October 1 issue of JAMA.
Study compares long-term outcomes for types of aortic valve replacements Among patients ages 50 to 69 years who underwent aortic valve replacement with bioprosthetic (made primarily with tissue) compared with mechanical prosthetic valves, there was no significant difference in 15-year survival or stroke, although patients in the bioprosthetic valve group had a greater likelihood of reoperation but a lower likelihood of major bleeding, according to a study in the October 1 issue of JAMA.
	Groups call for medicare coverage of lung cancer screening (HealthDay)—Medicare should cover low-dose computed tomography lung cancer screening for people at high risk for the disease, a coalition of more than 60 patient and medical groups says.
Developing countries should enroll medical and nursing students from rural areas Nearly one third of medical and nursing students in developing countries may have no intention of working in their own countries after graduation, while less than one fifth of them intend to work in rural areas where they are needed most, according to a new study.

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