Fwd: Science X Newsletter Monday, Jan 26

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Tue, Jan 27, 2015 at 3:08 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Monday, Jan 26
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for January 26, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Live long and prosper? Decoupling lifespan and healthspan in aging research
- Global warming doubles risk of extreme La Nina event, study shows
- Best of Last Week – Setting a quantum speed limit, slowing the speed of light and turning back the aging clock
- Electronic circuits with reconfigurable pathways closer to reality
- Entanglement on a chip: Breakthrough promises secure communications and faster computers
- Cosmic puzzle settled: Comets give us shooting stars
- Gigantic ring system around J1407b much larger, heavier than Saturn's
- Researchers make magnetic graphene
- Engineering discovery brings invisibility closer to reality
- Physicist suggests new experiments could make or break axion as dark matter theory
- How ionic: Scaffolding is in charge of calcium carbonate crystals
- Researchers use oxides to flip graphene conductivity
- Ribose-seq identifies and locates ribonucleotides in genomic DNA
- Brain circuit that regulates thirst identified
- Higher dementia risk linked to more use of common drugs

Astronomy & Space news

	Cosmic puzzle settled: Comets give us shooting stars Suspicions that shooting stars come from comet dust, transformed into fiery streaks as they hit Earth's atmosphere, have been bolstered by Europe's Rosetta space mission, scientists reported Monday.
	Gigantic ring system around J1407b much larger, heavier than Saturn's Astronomers at the Leiden Observatory, The Netherlands, and the University of Rochester, USA, have discovered that the ring system that they see eclipse the very young Sun-like star J1407 is of enormous proportions, much larger and heavier than the ring system of Saturn. The ring system - the first of its kind to be found outside our solar system - was discovered in 2012 by a team led by Rochester's Eric Mamajek.
	Elon Musk's SpaceX drops lawsuit against Air Force A spacecraft company run by billionaire Elon Musk has dropped a lawsuit alleging the U.S. Air Force improperly awarded a contract to launch military satellites to a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
	NASA craft set to beam home close-ups of Pluto Nine years after leaving Earth, the New Horizons spacecraft is at last drawing close to Pluto and on Sunday was expected to start shooting photographs of the dwarf planet.
	A recoiling, supermassive black hole When galaxies collide, the central supermassive black holes that reside at their cores will end up orbiting one another in a binary pair, at least according to current simulations. Einstein's general theory of relativity predicts that masses in a binary system should radiate gravitational waves, analogous to the way that accelerating electrical charges radiate electromagnetic waves but very much weaker.
	Helicopter could be 'scout' for Mars rovers Getting around on Mars is tricky business. Each NASA rover has delivered a wealth of information about the history and composition of the Red Planet, but a rover's vision is limited by the view of onboard cameras, and images from spacecraft orbiting Mars are the only other clues to where to drive it. To have a better sense of where to go and what's worth studying on Mars, it could be useful to have a low-flying scout.
	Swarm of microprobes to head for Jupiter A swarm of tiny probes each with a different sensor could be fired into the clouds of Jupiter and grab data as they fall before burning up in the gas giant planet's atmosphere. The probes would last an estimated 15 minutes according to planetary scientists writing in the International Journal Space Science and Engineering. Transmitting 20 megabits of data over fifteen minutes would be sufficient to allows scientists to get a picture of a large part of the atmosphere of the planet.
	Boeing, SpaceX will beat Russia on price for astronaut rides (Update 2) NASA expects to save millions of dollars sending astronauts to the International Space Station, once its commercial crew program starts flying in a couple of years.
	Black hole chokes on a swallowed star A five-year analysis of an event captured by a tiny telescope at McDonald Observatory and followed up by telescopes on the ground and in space has led astronomers to believe they witnessed a giant black hole tear apart a star. The work is published this month in The Astrophysical Journal.
	Huge asteroid 2004 BL86 to fly by Earth Asteroid 2004 BL86, slated to swoosh by Earth on Jan. 26, is the largest known body to pass near our home planet until 2027. But there's no need to panic as the astronomers estimate that the 500 meters-wide space rock will pass by Earth at a safe distance of about three LD (lunar distances) - that's 1.2 million km from us. "We can indeed safely say that there is no chance - in the next 100 years - that this object will hit [Earth]," Detlef Koschny, head of the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Segment in the Space Situational Awareness (SSA) programme office at ESA, told astrowatch.net. The upcoming fly-by will also be a great opportunity for scientists and amateur astronomers to observe the rocky visitor from outer space allowing them to gather valuable scientific data and to obtain detailed images.
	Spacecraft Integral manoeuvres for the future Since 2002, ESA's Integral spacecraft has been observing some of the most violent events in the Universe, including gamma-ray bursts and black holes. While it still has years of life ahead, its fuel will certainly run out one day.
	Mysteries in Nili Fossae These new images from the high-resolution stereo camera on ESA's Mars Express show Nili Fossae, one of the most enticing regions on Mars. This 'graben system' lies northeast of the volcanic region of Syrtis Major on the northwestern edge of the large Isidis impact basin – and intriguing hints of methane have been seen here.
	NASA marching towards milestone test firing of space launch system booster The first solid rocket booster qualification motor for NASA's mammoth new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is aimed and ready to fire in a major ground test after NASA and ATK finished its installation at a test stand in Utah, and confirms that the pace of SLS development is gaining momentum.
	CATS experiment installed on the exterior of the International Space Station "Robotic controllers let the CATS out of the bag!" So says NASA spokesman Dan Huot in a cool new NASA timelapse video showing in detail how CATS crawled around the space stations gangly exterior and clawed its way into its new home – topped off with a breathtaking view of our home planet that will deliver science benefits to us down below.
	There's a crack forming on Rosetta's 67P: Is it breaking up? Not all comets break up as they vent and age, but for Rosetta's comet 67P, the Rubber Duckie comet, a crack in the neck raises concerns. Some comets may just fizzle and uniformly expel their volatiles throughout their surfaces. They may become like puffballs, shrink some but remain intact.
	Image: Jupiter's cratered moon, Callisto The speckled object depicted here is Callisto, Jupiter's second largest moon. This image was taken in May 2001 by NASA's Galileo spacecraft, which studied Jupiter and its moons from 1995 until 2003.
	NOAA's DSCOVR going to a 'far out' orbit Many satellites that monitor the Earth orbit relatively close to the planet, while some satellites that monitor the sun orbit our star. DSCOVR will keep an eye on both, with a focus on the sun. To cover both the Earth and sun, it will have an unusual orbit in a place called L1.

Medicine & Health news

	Live long and prosper? Decoupling lifespan and healthspan in aging research (Medical Xpress)—A long-standing assumption in aging research, and therefore in resulting antiaging interventions, is that modifying genetic and environmental factors to extend lifespan also increases healthspan – the length of time an organism is in optimal health. As it turns out, however, that assumption has escaped scientific scrutiny due largely to its apparent validity. Recently, scientists at University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) examined this assumption, and thereby the life-/healthspan relationship, by investigating multiple lifespan-modulating signaling pathways – mechanisms in which ligands (ions or molecules) bind to receptors, resulting in altered cellular responses – in the wild type and four long-lived mutants (insulin/insulin-like growth factor-1, dietary restriction, protein translation, and mitochondrial signaling) of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, a species studied for over two decades! in aging research. They found that all long-lived mutants spent a higher percentage of their extended lifespan in a frail, rather than healthy, state. The scientists therefore conclude that aging research must include additional factors beyond lifespan alone.
	Brain circuit that regulates thirst identified Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have identified a circuit in the brains of mice that regulates thirst. When a subset of cells in the circuit is switched on, mice immediately begin drinking water, even if they are fully hydrated. A second set of cells suppresses the urge to drink.
	Video shows blind mother seeing baby for first time A video that went viral this week showed a legally blind mother in Canada getting to look at her newborn child for the first time thanks to vision-enhancing glasses.
	Brazil finds coffee protein with morphine effect Brazilian scientists have discovered a protein in coffee that has effects similar to pain reliever morphine, researchers at the state University of Brasilia (UnB) and state-owned Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation Embrapa said Saturday.
	Medical pot only OK for sick kids failed by other drugs: MDs With virtually no hard proof that medical marijuana benefits sick children, and evidence that it may harm developing brains, the drug should only be used for severely ill kids who have no other treatment option, the nation's most influential pediatricians group says in a new policy.
	Flexible work schedules improve health, sleep Giving employees more control over their work schedules may help curb sleep deficiency, according to health researchers.
	Stress during pregnancy can affect fetal development Stress hormones in the mother can affect foetal development, according to a study published today in The Journal of Physiology.
	Team creates device to alleviate dry eye A search for medical needs in eye clinics led Stanford Biodesign fellows to develop an implantable neurostimulator that painlessly increases natural tear production.
	Researchers say they resolved century-old argument about brain What started a few years ago as a brain-imaging study turned into a scientific mystery that eventually ended in the basement of the Lane Medical Library, within the pages of a book first published in 1881 and last checked out in 1912.
	Research shows infants are able to remember more than originally thought If you were verbally given a list of random items at the grocery store to purchase, could you remember everything without writing it down?
	Higher dementia risk linked to more use of common drugs A large study links a significantly increased risk for developing dementia, including Alzheimer's disease, to taking commonly used medications with anticholinergic effects at higher doses or for a longer time. Many older people take these medications, which include nonprescription diphenhydramine (Benadryl). JAMA Internal Medicine published the report, called "Cumulative Use of Strong Anticholinergic Medications and Incident Dementia."
	Largest-ever autism genome study finds most siblings have different autism-risk genes The largest-ever autism genome study, funded by Autism Speaks, reveals that the disorder's genetic underpinnings are even more complex than previously thought: Most siblings who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have different autism-linked genes.
	How your friends might help you avoid flu A study of social networks has yielded clues about how best to improve vaccination rates for influenza.
	How cancer turns good cells to the dark side Cancer uses a little-understood element of cell signaling to hijack the communication process and spread, according to Rice University researchers.
	Support cells in the brain offer a new strategy to boost memory A study by scientists from the Gladstone Institutes shows that decreasing the number of A2A adenosine receptors in a particular type of brain cells called astrocytes improved memory in healthy mice. What's more, reducing receptor levels also prevented memory impairments in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.
	Study reveals how a cancer-causing virus blocks human immune response Scientists at The University of Texas at Austin and the University of California at San Francisco have revealed how a type of cancer-causing virus outwits the human body's immune response. The discovery might help explain why some cancer therapies fail to treat certain cancers and might lead to more effective treatments.
	Antiangiogenesis drugs could make major improvement in tuberculosis treatment Use of the same antiangiogenesis drugs that have improved treatment of some cancers could also help surmount persistent difficulties in treating tuberculosis (TB). In their PNAS Early Edition report, investigators from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) show that blood vessels supplying pulmonary granulomas - dense masses of immune cells that surround pockets of the TB bacteria in the lungs of infected patients - have the same sort of structural and functional abnormalities seen in solid tumors and that treatment with the antiangiogenesis drug bevacizumab (Avastin) significantly improved delivery of a small-molecule drug surrogate within granulomas in an animal model.
	Cooperation between cancer cells makes therapies ineffective, suggests new treatment Cooperation between cancer cells makes current therapies ineffective but also suggests new treatment
	Planning may start in brain's amygdala, study says Thinking of a new career? Buying a home? Have you consulted your amygdala?
	Loss of loved ones drives a family's determination to eradicate cancer Alison Brown-Carvalho lost her husband William Brown to pancreatic cancer in 2009, after 16 years of marriage. A few years later she lost her mother, Janet (Ikeda) Shitabata, to stomach cancer.
Disney measles outbreak spreads to more US states, Mexico A measles outbreak centered around Disneyland in California has spread to six more US states and Mexico, and an international visitor to the theme park likely sparked the health alert, officials said Friday.
	Tide turning in Ebola fight after hard lessons A top U.N. official in the fight against Ebola greeted just three patients at one treatment center he visited this week in Sierra Leone. Families in Liberia are no longer required to cremate the remains of loved ones to halt the spread of the virulent disease.
Morphine following common childhood surgery may be life threatening Treating post-operative pain with morphine can cause life-threatening respiratory problems in some children who have had their tonsils and/or adenoids removed, new research has found.
Many women with breast cancer have poor knowledge about their condition A new analysis has found that many women with breast cancer lack knowledge about their illness, with minority patients less likely than white patients to know and report accurate information about their tumors' characteristics. Published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings highlight the need to educate patients about their health conditions, which could lead to more informed treatment decisions.
Daily drinking increases risk of alcoholic cirrhosis Approximately 170,000 people die from alcoholic cirrhosis of the liver in Europe every year. Although alcohol is the most important risk factor, less is known about the significance of different patterns of drinking. Currently scientists believe that cirrhosis is a function of the volume of alcohol consumed irrespective of patterns of drinking. Investigators have now established that alcohol drinking pattern has a significant influence on the risk of cirrhosis and that daily drinking increases that risk compared with drinking less frequently. Results are published in the Journal of Hepatology.
The 'fifth taste,' umami, could be beneficial for health The umami taste could have an important and beneficial role in health, according to research published in the open access journal Flavour. The journal's special series of articles 'The Science of Taste' also finds that 'kokumi' substances, which modify flavour, could improve the taste of low-fat foods.
Patients dismissing 'trivial' symptoms could delay cancer diagnosis People who dismiss their symptoms as trivial or worry about wasting the doctor's time may decide against going to their GP with red-flag cancer warning symptoms, according to a Cancer Research UK study* published in the British Journal of General Practice today (Monday).
	Leaky channels could contribute to unusual heart arrhythmias Leaks are not just problems for plumbers and politicians; researchers in Canada reveal how leaky transmembrane channels could cause disruptions in normal heart function. The study, published in The Journal of General Physiology, suggests that ion leaks in mutant sodium channels might contribute to an unusual set of cardiac arrhythmias.
	Learning from scorpions to control impulses Scorpions can teach us a lot about the benefits of prolonging nerve impulses, and we might now be better students thanks to a study published in The Journal of General Physiology. The results could pave the way for easier identification of drugs that function similarly to scorpion venom, but with happier results for the recipient.
	Study reveals how Listeria breaches the placenta A gut bacterium called Listeria (Listeria monocytogenes), which is often found in soft cheese, is known to present a risk to pregnant women. Listeria uses distinct tactics to breach the intestine and the placenta, using a protein called phosphoinositide-3 kinase (PI3-K), according to a study published in The Journal of Experimental Medicine.
Care eliminates racial disparity in colon cancer survival rates, study finds For the past two decades, the National Cancer Institute has documented a persistent racial disparity in colon cancer survival rates in the United States.
Testosterone helps to bind antidepressants in the brain Female sex hormones have a strong effect on the psyche. This has been confirmed by numerous scientific studies and by phenomena such as the "baby blues", a bout of low mood following childbirth, or recurrent mood swings that occur prior to menstruation. However the male sex hormone testosterone also affects our mood and emotions, as well as our libido - and in a positive way.
Study finds lead negatively impacts cognitive functions of boys more than girls A study recently published in the Journal of Environmental Health provides evidence the female hormones estrogen and estradiol may help ward off the effects of lead exposure for young girls, explaining why boys, in greater numbers than girls, are shown to suffer from the cognitive disabilities linked to lead.
Comparing the effects of stalking versus cyberstalking on victims The devastating effects of stalking and cyberstalking – harassing or threatening communication via the Internet – are explored in a new study in the journal Justice Quarterly.
New exam nearly quadruples detection of invasive breast cancers in dense breast tissue A new breast imaging technique pioneered at Mayo Clinic nearly quadruples detection rates of invasive breast cancers in women with dense breast tissue, according to the results of a major study published this week in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
	Case illuminates immune system-psychiatric disorder link The case of Paul Michael Nelson, a boy living in Half Moon Bay, illustrates an alarming phenomenon: Your immune system can make you go crazy.
	Five intriguing facts about viruses that cause measles, Ebola and other scourges Viruses are incredibly simple, arguably the most simple living organisms on the planet. They have no brains, no metabolism, and they can't reproduce on their own. Yet they are able to wreak incredible havoc on our bodies and to outwit the scientifically advanced weapons that humans have invented to fight their spread.
Screening people for diseases doesn't necessarily save lives, study shows It seems like it should work: If everyone were tested for every disease, lives would be saved, right? These conditions would be spotted quickly, treated, and voilà: The deadly illness would be vanquished.
'Kindness curriculum' boosts school success in preschoolers Over the course of 12 weeks, twice a week, the prekindergarten students learned their ABCs. Attention, breath and body, caring practice—clearly not the standard letters of the alphabet.
	Zombie bacteria in tuberculosis "Living-dead" bacteria exist in limbo: biologically active but not proliferating. Buried in this zombie state, disease-causing bacteria could come back from the dead to re-infect patients. Researchers at EPFL have produced the first evidence of this strange phenomenon in tuberculosis, suggesting new avenues for treatment.
	Researchers solve metabolic mystery lending insight into Lafora disease Scientists at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine have determined how an enzyme essential for energy metabolism functions, solving a mystery eluding molecular biologists for decades.
Even with copayments for nonurgent care, Medicaid patients still rely on ERs How can states and federal government provide adequate health care to poor people, without overburdening taxpayers or leaving health care providers with billions in unpaid bills? That thorny problem is especially challenging in the aftermath of a recession and congressional mandates expanding Medicaid eligibility. To help control rising costs, in 2005, Congress gave states the option of charging copayments for Medicaid recipients who get nonurgent care in hospital emergency departments, where care is much more expensive than in most doctors' offices.
	Scientists discover a new blood platelet formation mechanism Thrombocytopenia is a disease characterised by a lower platelet level than normal. Platelets are tiny cells that participate in the coagulation of blood. Patients usually suffer uncontrolled bleeding that gives rise to hematomas and haemorrhages, and even death. Understanding how these cells are produced by the body, then, could be of great use for alleviating the illness, whose incidence increases exponentially in those patients who undergo chemotherapy. Such is the gravity of the symptoms in these patients that they can even lead to the suspension of the treatment.
Initial diagnostic test in ED for chest pain did not affect low rate of heart attack Patients seen in the emergency department (ED) for chest pain who did not have a heart attack appeared to be at low risk of experiencing a heart attack during short- and longer-term follow-up and that risk was not affected by the initial diagnostic testing strategy, according to a study published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Brain white matter changes seen in children who experience neglect Experiencing neglect in childhood was associated with alterations in brain white matter in a study of abandoned children in Romania who experienced social, emotional, linguistic and cognitive impoverishment while living in institutions compared with children who were placed in high-quality foster care or those who had never been in institutional care, according to the results of a clinical trial published online by JAMA Pediatrics.
Treating travellers' diarrhoea with antibiotics can promote the spread of drug-resistant "super-bacteria" Each year, more than 300 million tourists visit areas with low standards of hygiene. A recent Finnish study shows that about one-fifth of these travellers return home with an unwanted companion, a drug-resistant intestinal bacterium.
	By taking a rest, exhausted T cells live to fight another day Killer T cells are one of the body's main lines of defense against pathogens. Their job is to kill infected cells so that the viruses inside cannot replicate and spread. But often the force of their attack wanes during a chronic infection, as they become less effective at finding and destroying their targets – a state known as T cell exhaustion. T cells that target cancer cells for destruction become exhausted too, weakening the body's fight against a tumor. Howard Hughes Medical Institute scientists have discovered that this decline in activity is an essential coping mechanism that actually allows the T cells to persist in the face of a chronic infection.
	Naughty food photos attract more attention Researchers have discovered a quirk in how we pay attention to food.
	Neural spines operate like miniature neurons Nerve cells use a much larger repertoire of data-processing structures than previously thought. Research at LMU and in Regensburg shows that the so-called spines on the dendritic processes of neurons are able to process stimuli locally.
	Frogs prove ideal models for studying developmental timing University of Cincinnati endocrinology researchers were recently able to mutate the thyroid hormone receptor (THR) in one of two cells during the first step of early egg division in tadpoles. As a result, they have successfully disrupted the developmental timing of the hind limbs, showing clear evidence for the importance of THR in the early development of vertebrates. The results of this study may also have the potential to shed light on the importance of hormones in early development in humans.
Ethnic minorities and deprived communities hardest hit by air pollution Air pollution levels are linked to many forms of ill health, including higher risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, especially for more vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly.
Stress during pregnancy related to infant gut microbiota Women who experience stress during pregnancy are likely to have babies with a poor mix of intestinal microbiota and with a higher incidence of intestinal problems and allergic reactions. This could be related to psychological and physical problems as the child develops. (Psychoneuroendocrinology).
	Mindfulness-based program in schools making a positive impact, study finds A social and emotional learning program started by Academy Award winning actress Goldie Hawn to help school children improve their learning abilities, be more caring, and less stressed is now backed by new scientific evidence.
	Brain study sheds light on how children with autism process social play Brain scans confirm significant differences in play behavior, brain activation patterns and stress levels in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared with typically developing children.
An engineering approach from Virginia Tech helps breast cancer researchers at Georgetown Biologists working with engineers and physicists have found a molecule they say helps determine if breast cancer cells that are resistant to antiestrogen therapy will live or die.
	Brain activity analysis in zebra finches yields interesting results about how vocalization works New research published by the Neuronal Mechanism for Critical Period Unit at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) has shown the effectiveness of chemogenetic inhibition used to suppress neuronal activity as well as interesting results on how vocalization is controlled through this techniques application in zebra finches. The research conducted by Professor Yoko Yazaki-Sugiyama and Dr. Shin Yanagihara of OIST was done in collaboration with scientists from the International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine at Tsukuba University and the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard University and shows that different areas of the brain govern unique aspects of vocalization.
Would you tell your manager you had a mental health problem? Although nearly four in 10 workers wouldn't tell their manager if they had a mental health problem, half said that if they knew about a coworker's illness, they would desire to help, a new survey by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) shows.
Cochlear implant users can hear, feel the beat in music People who use cochlear implants for profound hearing loss do respond to certain aspects of music, contrary to common beliefs and limited scientific research, says a research team headed by an investigator at Georgetown University Medical Center. The scientists say exposure to the beat in music, such as drums, can improve the emotional and social quality-of-life of cochlear implant users and may even help improve their understanding and use of spoken language.
Are medications' adverse cognitive effects reversible? Whether the adverse cognitive effects of medications can be reversed is of significant importance to an aging population, their caregivers and their families, as well as to an overburdened health care system.
	Possible therapeutic target for common, but mysterious brain blood vessel disorder Tens of millions of people around the world have abnormal, leak-prone sproutings of blood vessels in the brain called cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs). These abnormal growths can lead to seizures, strokes, hemorrhages, and other serious conditions, yet their precise molecular cause has never been determined. Now, cardiovascular scientists at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have studied this pathway in heart development to discover an important set of molecular signals, triggered by CCM-linked gene defects, that potentially could be targeted to treat the disorder.
Team shows why wound healing is impaired in diabetics One of the most troubling complications of diabetes is its effect on wound healing. Roughly 15 percent of diabetics will suffer from a non-healing wound in their lifetime. In some cases, these open ulcers on the skin lead to amputations.
	Study shows risk for younger adults with isolated systolic hypertension Younger adults with elevated systolic blood pressure—the top number in the blood pressure reading—have a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease than those with normal blood pressure, according to a large long-term study of younger adults published online today in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The risk was higher for women.
	Study finds potential new drug target for lung cancer A new study by University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researchers suggests that targeting a key enzyme and its associated metabolic programming may lead to novel drug development to treat lung cancer.
	Collagen fibres not only passively support bone, tendons and ligaments, but also actively contract The bodies of humans and animals owe their strength especially to a fibrous structural protein called collagen. Collagen is abundant in bones, tendons, ligaments and skin. Water, a substance that is not often associated with strength, was found out to be an intrinsic component of collagen, as researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam-Golm, together with the scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge (USA), have shown. The team, led by Admir Masic and Luca Bertinetti, unveiled that removing water from collagen fibres has dramatic effects on molecular and nanoscopic features. The fibres contract and generate tensile forces that are 300-times higher than those exerted by human muscles. These findings could help researchers develop novel materials and also suggest that collagen may have more active role in living organisms than previously thought. In fact, it does not act! merely as a stabilising framework for the body, but can also generate tensions, for example during the synthesis of bones.
	Good bedtime habits equal better sleep for kids Children obtain better and more age-appropriate sleep in the presence of household rules and regular sleep-wake routines, according to sleep researchers.
Study of former NFL players reveals specifics of concussive brain damage A team of Johns Hopkins specialists, using a battery of imaging and cognitive tests, has gathered evidence of accumulated brain damage that could be linked to specific memory deficits in former National Football League (NFL) players experienced decades after they stopped playing the game.
More than half of ICU patients on ventilators have the ability to communicate A new study reveals that more than half of patients in intensive care units (ICU) using ventilators to help them breathe could benefit from assistive communication tools.The study found that 53.9 percent of the 2,671 mechanically ventilated patients screened met basic communication criteria and could potentially benefit from the use of assistive communication tools and speech language consultation. These tools could be as simple as a notepad and pen that would allow a patient to write requests and questions.
Bird flu confirmed in Canadian patient after China trip The first human case of H7N9 bird flu in North America has been confirmed in a Canadian woman who recently returned from a trip to China, health officials said Monday.
	Could premature birth affect adult relationships, self-esteem? (HealthDay)—Young adults who were born prematurely are less likely than their peers to have intimate relationships, and may see themselves as somewhat less attractive, a new study suggests.
	How to stay safe when riding out a blizzard (HealthDay)—As a potentially record-breaking blizzard pummels the U.S. Northeast, there are steps residents should take to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, doctors say.
	Troubled boys, girls have sex earlier, study finds (HealthDay)—Children with certain behavior problems are more likely to have sex at an early age, a new study reveals.
	Early alert intervention cuts heart failure readmission (HealthDay)—An electronic medical record system, designed to identify patients who have been discharged from heart failure hospitalization and present in the emergency department, can prevent readmissions, according to a study published in The American Journal of Medicine.
	Exercise regimen beneficial in head, neck CA radiation Tx (HealthDay)—For patients with head and neck cancers undergoing radiation therapy, an exercise regimen is better than a repetitive swallow regimen for swallowing function, according to a study published in the February issue of Head & Neck.
	High penicillin prescribing could build reservoirs of resistance (HealthDay)—High penicillin G prescribing may lead to an altered level of resistance in the commensal viridans group streptococci (VGS) population, which may be important in subsequent horizontal gene transfer events, according to a study published online Jan. 21 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
	Pre-op back pain, pain sensitivity predict outcomes (HealthDay)—Preoperative back pain and individual pain sensitivity can predict postoperative pain following lumbar surgery, according to a study published in the December issue of Pain Medicine.
	AAP approves 2015 vaccine schedule for children, teens (HealthDay)—The 2015 recommended childhood and adolescence immunization schedules have been approved by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and other medical organizations, according to a policy statement published online Jan. 26 in Pediatrics.
	Menu calorie data may prompt parents to encourage exercise (HealthDay)—Parents might order fewer calories for their children if menus included calorie counts or information on how much walking would be required to burn off the calories in foods, according to a study published online Jan. 26 in Pediatrics.
	Beating the clock: Researchers develop new treatment for rabies Successfully treating rabies can be a race against the clock. Those who suffer a bite from a rabid animal have a brief window of time to seek medical help before the virus takes root in the central nervous system, at which point the disease is almost invariably fatal.
New breast cancer risk prediction model more accurate current model A new breast cancer risk prediction model combining histologic features of biopsied breast tissue from women with benign breast disease and individual patient demographic information more accurately classified breast cancer risk than the current screening standard. Results of a Mayo Clinic study comparing the new model to the current standard, the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool (BCRAT), are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
	High cholesterol in 30s, 40s, increases later risk of heart disease Most young adults might assume they have years before needing to worry about their cholesterol.
New model better predicts breast cancer risk in African American women Researchers from Boston University's Slone Epidemiology Center have developed a breast cancer risk prediction model for African- American women that found greater accuracy in predicting risk for the disease. The use of this model could result in increased eligibility of African Americans in breast cancer prevention trials.
Chronic insomniacs may face increased risk of hypertension Insomniacs who take longer than 14 minutes to fall asleep face a greater risk of hypertension, according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.
	Protein-based therapy shows promise against resistant leukemia Resistance of leukemia cells to contemporary chemotherapy is one of the most formidable obstacles to treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common form of childhood cancer. Now researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) have designed and developed a new protein-based therapy they believe will prove highly effective against drug-resistant leukemia cells. It may also amplify the potency of standard treatment options such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
	Nevada considering strict condom regulation for porn films Adult film production migrated from California to Nevada after voters in Los Angeles County approved a law requiring condom use on set. Now, a condom use requirement could follow.
Guinea president still 'at war' against Ebola Guinean President Alpha Conde is "still at war" against Ebola despite declining cases in his small west African nation, he told AFP in an interview.
Just five Ebola cases left in Liberia: UN The United Nations said on Saturday Liberia was dealing with just five remaining cases of Ebola, in the clearest sign yet that the country is nearing the end of the outbreak.
Avian flu confirmed in commercial turkey flock in California Federal agriculture officials say they have found avian influenza in a commercial turkey flock in central California.
	WHO mulls reforms to repair reputation after bungling Ebola The World Health Organization is debating how to reform itself after botching the response to the Ebola outbreak, a sluggish performance that experts say cost thousands of lives.
British Ebola nurse discharged from hospital A British nurse who contracted Ebola while working as a volunteer in Sierra Leone said she was "happy to be alive" as she was discharged from hospital on Saturday having made a full recovery.
Ebola mistakes should serve a lesson says WHO The World Health Organization's chief admitted on Sunday that the UN agency had been caught napping on Ebola, saying it should serve as a lesson to avoid similar mistakes in future.
Four tobacco makers accused by French anti-smoking of collusion A French anti-smoking association said Sunday it had filed a case accusing makers of Marlboro, Camel, Lucky Strike and Gauloise cigarettes of colluding to limit prices so smokers won't cut their consumption.
	Medical radiation may be reduced to one-sixth One of this century's most significant mathematical discoveries may reduce the number of measuring points to one-sixth of the present level. This means reduced exposure to radiation and faster medical imaging diagnostics.
The treatment of parasitic skin disease Leishmaniasis in Suriname Almost twelve million people world-wide are infected by Leishmaniasis. This disease can cause large, open wounds all over the body. However, not many people go – in time – to the doctor, while it is important to be treated at an early stage. Sahienshadebie Ramdas has examined which treatments patients in Suriname choose and what holds them to seek timely medical attention. Ramdas defended her PhD thesis on 15 January at the University of Amsterdam. A symposium on the subject was organised a day prior to her defense.
Swedish model for PSA testing has little effect on mortality The spontaneous PSA testing that has been applied in Sweden in recent decades has only had a marginal effect on mortality. An organized screening focused on those who have the most to gain would, however, reduce the risk of dying from prostate cancer by over 40 percent. This is shown by studies at the University of Gothenburg.
Senegal opens Guinea border as Ebola recedes Senegal reopened its land border with Guinea on Monday, pointing to the "significant efforts" of its neighbour in fighting an Ebola outbreak that has claimed thousands of lives.
Majority of primary care physicians find that medical imaging improves patient care According to a study published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR), large majorities of primary care physicians believe that advanced medical imaging, such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET), provides considerable value to patient care.
Mile High Opthalmics, University of Colorado launch device to ease cataract surgery A new device designed to perform safer, more effective cataract surgery is going on the market following a licensing agreement between the University of Colorado and Mile High Ophthalmics LLC.
Poor psychosocial work environments may contribute to heart problems A psychosocially poor work environment means that employees experience highly demanding requirements but have little ability to control their work or not feel sufficiently appreciated for the contributions they make.
Hemin improves adipocyte morphology and function by enhancing proteins of regeneration Scientists at the University of Saskatchewan College of Medicine, Department of Physiology, Saskatoon, Canada, led by Dr. Joseph Fomusi Ndisang have determined that upregulating heme-oxygenase with hemin improves pericardial adipocyte morphology and function. It does so by enhancing the expression of proteins of repair and regeneration such as beta-catenin, Oct3/4, Pax2 as well as the stem/progenitor-cell marker cKit, while concomitantly abating inflammatory/oxidative insults and suppressing extracellular-matrix/profibrotic and remodeling proteins. Visceral adiposity like pericardial fat is correlated to insulin resistance and cardiac disease, and this is amongst the major causes of cardiac complications in obese individuals. By virtue of its anatomical and functional proximity to the coronary circulation, pericardial adiposity can lead to myocardial inflammation, left ventricular hypertrophy and coronary artery disease through pa! racrine mechanisms that include increased production of inflammatory cytokines, reactive oxygen species and other atherogenic factors.
Digital storytelling promotes HIV and AIDS education in Africa Children from poor backgrounds and with no previous technological experience are able to use digital storytelling to share their secrets and fears online, shows a recent doctoral thesis completed at the University of Eastern Finland. Since 2002, Marcus Duveskog, MSc, has been involved in various projects in southern Africa focusing on the development of technologies that make it possible for children and youth to share their experiences of HIV and AIDS.
Majority of homeless adults with mental illness have high rates of cognitive deficits Nearly three-quarters of homeless adults with mental illness in Canada show evidence of cognitive deficits, such as difficulties with problem solving, learning and memory, new research has found.
In infants, pain from vaccinations shows up in brain activity Infants show distinct, consistent patterns of brain activity in response to painful vaccinations, reports a study in the February issue of Pain, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain.
New Canadian guideline to help prevent and manage adult obesity A new guideline from the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care to help prevent and manage obesity in adult patients recommends body mass index measurement for both prevention and management and structured behavioural changes to help those who are overweight or obese to lose weight. The guideline, aimed at physicians and health care providers, is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Nocturnal leg cramps more common in summer Painful nocturnal leg cramps are about twice as common during summer than in winter, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Is head CT overused in emergency departments? Less than 7.1% of patients presenting to the emergency department with dizziness and 6.4% complaining of syncope or near-syncope benefited from head CT say researchers at Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Honolulu. The use of head CT as part of a screening examination, rather than as a diagnostic tool, likely stems from increased pressure on emergency physicians to evaluate and differentiate between benign and life-threatening causes of dizziness and syncope.
Heart surgeons explore changing patterns in care of patients with aortic dissection Cardiothoracic surgeons have long played a central role in the care of patients with aortic dissection, a life-threatening condition that in the past was treated only with open surgery or medicines. But according to a new study led by Grayson H. Wheatley III, MD, FACS, Associate Professor of Surgery at Temple University School of Medicine (TUSM), and Director of Aortic and Endovascular Surgery at Temple University Hospital, thanks to new minimally invasive endovascular procedures, other specialists are becoming increasingly involved in the management of patients with aortic dissection. In particular, vascular surgeons are playing a greater role in the care of patients with Type B aortic dissection, which affects the portion of the aorta that descends through the chest.
	Liberia: Only five people being treated for Ebola in country Liberia said Monday that there are currently only five confirmed cases of Ebola in the entire country—a dramatic turnaround in the West African nation where the virus has taken its deadliest toll.
	Gov't to overhaul Medicare payments to doctors, hospitals Medicare will change the way it pays hospitals and doctors to reward quality over volume, the Obama administration said Monday, in a shift that officials hope will be a catalyst for the nation's $3 trillion health care system.
Phase 1 clinical trial of CUDC-101 'throws kitchen sink' at head and neck cancer Head and neck cancer is among the few solid tumors whose incidence is increasing in the U.S. and outcomes have been slow to improve. Results of a phase 1 trial of the drug CUCD-101 with radiation and chemotherapy were reported by the University of Colorado Cancer Center and 6 other U.S. cancer centers in the journal Clinical Cancer Research. CUDC-101, currently being developed by Curis, Inc., works by inhibiting two growth factors and an enzyme that effects DNA expression - EGFR, Her2 and HDAC - all of which are overexpressed in many cancers, including the target of this trial: the common type of especially aggressive head and neck cancer that is not caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV-) but rather by tobacco or alcohol.
Union says California Kaiser nurses reach contract agreement Kaiser Permanente nurses in California have approved a new contract that boosts pay and improves patient care along with health and safety protections for nurses, a union official said.
	Hard search for less invasive brain surgery leads to eyelid Doctor after doctor said removing the tumor causing Pamela Shavaun Scott's unrelenting headaches would require cutting open the top of her skull and pushing aside her brain. Then one offered a startling shortcut—operating through her eyelid.
Natpara approved for hormone disorder causing low blood calcium (HealthDay)—Natpara (parathyroid hormone) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to control low blood calcium among people with hypoparathyroidism.
	Hospitals helping violence victims could save millions At more than 25 hospitals across the U.S., health care professionals have embraced a public health approach to their work—taking action to prevent violent injuries, not just treat them. In programs known as hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIPs), teams of medical professionals, social workers and researchers step in at a critical moment in a patient's life—the period following a violent injury such as a gunshot or stab wound—with case management, counseling and other services that help these victims break free from the cycle of violence.
New Mexico appeals court hears assisted suicide case Do terminally ill patients in New Mexico already have the right to end their lives?

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