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Tuesday, April 16, 2013

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


High heart rate at rest signals higher risk of death even in fit healthy people

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 05:49 PM PDT

A high heart rate (pulse) at rest is linked to a higher risk of death even in physically fit, healthy people, suggests new research.

England's smoking ban linked to annual 5 percent drop in emergency admissions for asthma

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 05:49 PM PDT

Emergency admissions for asthma among adults fell by just under five percent in each of the first three years after the ban on smoking in public places was introduced in England, reveals the largest study of its kind.

Biomarker for devastating intestinal disease, necrotizing enterocolitis, found in early preterm infants

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 05:49 PM PDT

Researchers have discovered a biomarker that may help prevent a devastating intestinal disease that occurs in one of every 10 early preterm infants. The study may help prevent necrotizing enterocolitis, a condition primarily seen in preemies in which bowel tissue dies.

Gene signature can predict who will survive chemotherapy

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 05:48 PM PDT

An eight gene 'signature' can predict length of relapse-free survival after chemotherapy, finds new research.

Seasonal patterns of tropical rainfall changes from global warming revealed

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 03:25 PM PDT

Projections of rainfall changes from global warming have been very uncertain because scientists could not determine how two different mechanisms will impact rainfall. The two mechanisms turn out to complement each other and together shape the spatial distribution of seasonal rainfall in the tropics, according to a new study.

Cholesterol increases risk of Alzheimer's and heart disease

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 03:25 PM PDT

Using insights gained from studying two much rarer disorders, Down Syndrome and Niemann Pick-C disease, researchers found that cholesterol wreaks havoc on the orderly process of cell division, leading to defective daughter cells throughout the body.

Plant protein shape puzzle solved by molecular 3-D model

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 03:25 PM PDT

Researchers believe they have solved a puzzle that has long vexed science. The researchers provide the first three-dimensional model of an enzyme that links a simple sugar, glucose, into long-chain cellulose, the basic building block within plant cell walls that gives plants structure. Cellulose is nature's most abundant renewable biomaterial and an important resource for production of biofuels that represent alternatives to fossil fuels.

Surprising findings on hydrogen production in green algae

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 03:24 PM PDT

New research fuels hope of efficient hydrogen production with green algae may be possible in the future, despite the prevailing scepticism based on previous research.

New training package could help doctors cut rates of sudden cardiac death in athletes

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 03:23 PM PDT

New training modules guide doctors on how to recognize ECG changes that indicate problems rather than healthy cardiac adaptation.

Bad decisions arise from faulty information, not faulty brain circuits

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:24 PM PDT

Researchers have found that it might be the information rather than the brain's decision-making process that is to blame. The researchers report that erroneous decisions tend to arise from errors, or "noise," in the information coming into the brain rather than errors in how the brain accumulates information.

Shifts in physiological mechanisms let male bats balance the need to feed and the urge to breed

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:24 PM PDT

New research reveals shifts in the mechanisms bats use to regulate metabolism throughout their seasonal activity period.

Training the brain to improve on new tasks

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:24 PM PDT

A brain-training task that increases the number of items an individual can remember over a short period of time may boost performance in other problem-solving tasks by enhancing communication between different brain areas. The new study is one of a growing number of experiments on how working-memory training can measurably improve a range of skills -- from multiplying in your head to reading a complex paragraph.

Drug could improve working memory of people with autism, study finds

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:24 PM PDT

Investigators found that propranolol, a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, anxiety and panic, improves the working memory performance of individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Sharing individual health information could improve care and reduce costs for all

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:24 PM PDT

Information collected from individual patients at doctor's office and hospital visits could be used to improve health care and reduce costs on a national scale, according to a new article.

Multitasking runners can read on a treadmill using new system

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:23 PM PDT

A new innovation allows treadmill users to work their bodies and brains at the same time. The system, called ReadingMate, adjusts text on a monitor to counteract the bobbing motion of a runner's head so that the text appears still.

The bigger the group, the smaller the chance of interracial friendship

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:23 PM PDT

The larger the group, the smaller the chance of forming interracial friendships, a new study shows.

Nanodiamonds could improve effectiveness of breast cancer treatment

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:23 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a new drug delivery system based on nanodiamonds to effectively delivery cancer chemotherapy. The agent they created, called a nanodiamond-lipid hybrid particle, or NDLP, was used to deliver the highly toxic chemotherapy drug epirubicin. When tested on mice with highly aggressive triple negative breast cancers the drug-carrying NDLP caused a marked reduction in tumor size while virtually eliminating the drug's devastating side effects.

National study of scientist-educators reveals surprises in training, funding

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:23 PM PDT

The first large-scale study of US science faculty with education specialties concludes that their training and funding vary considerably depending on their college or university.

Concert cacophony: Short-term hearing loss can be protective, not damaging, researchers find

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:23 PM PDT

Contrary to conventional wisdom, short-term hearing loss after sustained exposure to loud noise does not reflect damage to our hearing: Instead, it is the body's way to cope. The landmark finding could lead to improved protection against noise-induced hearing loss in future.

Drinking cup of beetroot juice daily may help lower blood pressure

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:22 PM PDT

A cup of beetroot juice a day may help reduce your blood pressure, according to a small study.

Cancer cell metabolism kills: Possible new therapies targeting energy supply of cancer cells?

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:22 PM PDT

Adenosine-5'-triphosphate (ATP) is the main energy source for all forms of work inside our cells. Scientists have found that even a short-term shortage of ATP supply can be fatal for cancer cells because activation of a mitochondria-addressed cell death pathway. These findings may lead to new therapies specifically targeting the altered energy supply chains of cancer cells to get cancer cells to commit suicide.

Scientists learn what makes nerve cells so strong

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:20 PM PDT

How do nerve cells -- which can each be up to three feet long in humans -- keep from rupturing or falling apart? Axons, the long, cable-like projections on neurons, are made stronger by a unique modification of the common molecular building block of the cell skeleton.

Fainting may run in families while triggers may not

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:20 PM PDT

New research suggests that fainting may be genetic and, in some families, only one gene may be responsible. However, a predisposition to certain triggers, such as emotional distress or the sight of blood, may not be inherited.

Doctors freeze nerves to knock chronic pain out cold

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:20 PM PDT

For the millions of Americans who rely on pain medications for neuralgia, a condition where nerves damaged by surgery, traumatic injury, or diseases such as diabetes cause chronic pain, an emerging non-pharmacological treatment may offer relief. By placing a tiny ball of ice on damaged nerves by way of a minimally invasive interventional radiology treatment called cryoneurolysis, doctors were able to safely short circuit chronic pain caused by nerve damage.

Brain development is guided by junk DNA that isn't really junk

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 02:20 PM PDT

Specific DNA once dismissed as junk plays an important role in brain development and might be involved in several devastating neurological diseases, scientists have found.

Titan's methane: Going, going, soon to be gone?

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 01:41 PM PDT

By tracking a part of the surface of Saturn's moon Titan over several years, NASA's Cassini mission has found a remarkable longevity to the hydrocarbon lakes on the moon's surface.

NASA-funded asteroid tracking sensor passes key test

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 01:38 PM PDT

An infrared sensor that could improve NASA's future detecting and tracking of asteroids and comets has passed a critical design test.

Without adequate funding, deadly wheat disease could threaten global food supplies

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

Disease-resistant wheat developed over the past half century helped ensure steady world food supplies, but a global team warns in a new article that without increased financial support for disease resistance research, new strains of a deadly fungal disease could leave millions without affordable access to food.

Fish prone to melanoma get DNA decoded

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

Scientists have decoded the genome of the platyfish, a cousin of the guppy and a popular choice for home aquariums. Among scientists, the fish are meticulously studied for their tendency to develop melanoma and for other attributes more common to mammals, like courting prospective mates and giving birth to live young.

Medical researchers implant telescope for macular degeneration

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

Physicians have successfully implanted a telescope in a patient's eye to treat macular degeneration.

New light shed on traumatic brain injuries

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

A new article offers the latest information concerning a "switch" that turns "on" and "off" inflammation in the brain after trauma.

Gene-expression signature may signify risk for recurrence, metastasis in prostate cancer

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

Scientists have identified a genetic signature that appears to reflect the risk of tumor recurrence or spread in men surgically treated for prostate cancer. If confirmed, the finding not only may help determine which patients require additional treatment after surgery, it also may help address the most challenging problem in prostate cancer treatment -- distinguishing tumors that require aggressive treatment from those that can safely be monitored.

No evidence drugs, vitamins, supplements help prevent cognitive decline in healthy older adults

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

A review has found no evidence that drugs, herbal products or vitamin supplements help prevent cognitive decline in healthy older adults.

Research aims to settle debate over origin of Yellowstone volcano

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

A debate among scientists about the geologic formation of the supervolcano encompassing the region around Yellowstone National Park has taken a major step forward, thanks to new evidence.

Excess vitamin E intake not a health concern, study suggests

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 12:14 PM PDT

Despite concerns that have been expressed about possible health risks from high intake of vitamin E, a new review concludes that biological mechanisms exist to routinely eliminate excess levels of the vitamin, and they make it almost impossible to take a harmful amount.

Electroconvulsive therapy can restore quality of life for some severely depressed patients

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:49 AM PDT

Patients whose severe depression goes into remission for six months following electroconvulsive therapy report a quality of life similar to that of healthy individuals, researchers say.

Invasive kudzu bugs may pose greater threat than previously thought

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:49 AM PDT

The invasive kudzu bug has the potential to be a major agricultural pest, causing significant damage to economically important soybean crops. Conventional wisdom has held that the insect pests will be limited to areas in the southern United States, but new research shows that they may be able to expand into other parts of the United States.

Photons run out of loopholes: Quantum world really is in conflict with our everyday experience

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:49 AM PDT

Physicists have carried out an experiment with photons in which they have closed an important loophole. The researchers have thus provided the most complete experimental proof that the quantum world is in conflict with our everyday experience.

Smartphone way to lose weight

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:49 AM PDT

Forget fad diets and hypnotherapy; your smartphone could be a key tool to losing those post-Easter egg pounds, according to scientists.

Laser liposuction melts fat, results in tighter skin

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT

A new, minimally invasive treatment that uses lasers to melt fat could replace the "tummy tuck," suggests research on more than 2,000 people.

Nonsurgical treatment turns back the clock, shrinks enlarged prostate

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT

Men with a common condition that causes frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom can get relief with a minimally invasive treatment that shrinks the prostate, suggests a new study. The early findings hail from the first prospective US trial of prostatic artery embolization, which reduces blood flow to the prostate, thus shrinking it.

Stenting dramatically improves treatment access for dialysis patients

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT

Kidney failure patients on dialysis derive long-term benefit from the minimally invasive placement of a stent that improves the function of dialysis access grafts, according to 12-month trial results.

Engineers craft new material for high-performing 'supercapacitors

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT

Taking a significant step toward improving the power delivery of systems ranging from urban electrical grids to regenerative braking in hybrid vehicles, researchers have synthesized a material that shows high capability for both the rapid storage and release of energy.

Twelve principles for effective contraceptive counseling

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT

New research has led experts to suggest 12 evidence-based principles that can be used to improve contraceptive counseling of adolescents in US health care clinics, doctor's offices, and health service organizations.

Key bone marrow protein identified as potential new leukemia treatment target

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT

A new study on how the progression of acute lymphocytic leukemia is influenced by the bone marrow environment has demonstrated for the first time that targeting a specialized protein known as osteopontin may be an effective strategy to increase the efficacy of chemotherapy in patients with this type of blood cancer.

Skin cells turned directly into the cells that insulate neurons

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT

Researchers have succeeded in transforming skin cells directly into oligodendrocyte precursor cells, the cells that wrap nerve cells in the insulating myelin sheaths that help nerve signals propagate. The current research was done in mice and rats. If the approach also works with human cells, it could eventually lead to cell therapies for diseases like inherited leukodystrophies -- disorders of the brain's white matter -- and multiple sclerosis, as well as spinal cord injuries.

Musicians who learn a new melody demonstrate enhanced skill after a night's sleep

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:48 AM PDT

A new study examining how the brain learns and retains motor skills provides insight into musical skill. Musicians who practiced and learned a new melody and were tested on it again after a night's sleep showed enhanced learning, says a researcher. The study found, however, that when two similar musical pieces were practiced one after the other, followed by sleep, any gains in speed and accuracy were diminished.

In sex, happiness hinges on keeping up with the Joneses

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:47 AM PDT

In sex, happiness hinges on keeping up with the Joneses, a new study finds. Sex apparently is like income: People are generally happy when they keep pace with the Joneses and they're even happier if they get a bit more.

Our futures look bright, because we reject the possibility that bad things will happen

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:47 AM PDT

People believe they'll be happy in the future, even when they imagine the many bad things that could happen, because they discount the possibility that those bad things will actually occur, according to a new research.

Taste of beer, without effect from alcohol, triggers dopamine release in the brain

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:47 AM PDT

The taste of beer, without any effect from alcohol itself, can trigger dopamine release in the brain, which is associated with drinking, and other drugs of abuse.

C-peptide levels linked to death and heart disease in nondiabetic adults

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:47 AM PDT

High blood levels of the serum C-peptide are linked to heart disease and death in people without diabetes, according to a large study.

Can new plasma-based biomaterials speed healing of injured tissues?

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:45 AM PDT

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) derived from blood contains growth factors and other bioactive molecules that promote healing at sites of tissue injury. However, it is difficult to deliver and retain these molecules at a target site, and clinical results have proven to be mixed – until now. A new solid form of bioactive plasma-based biomaterials, known as PBMs, can accelerate tissue healing. Not only are PBMs easier to work with, inexpensive to produce, and safe to use, they are available as off-the-shelf products.

Blue tits provide insight into climate change, bird study shows

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:45 AM PDT

Researchers believe that the size of birds' nests created in response to changing weather patterns may be partly to blame for reproductive failures over the last two years.

Following a Western style diet may lead to greater risk of premature death

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:45 AM PDT

Data from a new study of British adults suggest that adherence to a "Western-style" diet (fried and sweet food, processed and red meat, refined grains, and high-fat dairy products) reduces a person's likelihood of achieving older ages in good health and with higher functionality.

NASA and JAXA's GPM mission takes rain measurements global

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:40 AM PDT

As anyone who has ever been caught in a sudden and unexpected downpour knows, gaps still exist in our knowledge about the behavior and movement of precipitation, clouds and storms. An upcoming satellite mission from NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) aims to fill in those gaps both in coverage and in scientists' understanding of precipitation.

Early investment in families helps children succeed in school

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:39 AM PDT

An innovative program that supports parents and teachers of public school pre-kindergarten students improves early academic achievement, according to a new study.

Research uses mirrors to make solar energy cost competitive

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:39 AM PDT

Concentrating solar power technologies use mirrors to reflect and concentrate sunlight to produce heat, which can then be used to produce electricity, according to ongoing work by mechanical engineers. These technologies present a distinct advantage over photovoltaic (PV) cells in their ability to store the sun's energy as thermal energy, experts say.

Rigid growth matrix: A key to success of cardiac tissue engineering

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:36 AM PDT

A new study suggests that the elasticity of the physical matrix used for growing heart muscle cells outside of the body may be critical to the success of cardiac tissue engineering.

Where are the best windows into Europa's interior?

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:34 AM PDT

The surface of Jupiter's moon Europa exposes material churned up from inside the moon and also material resulting from matter and energy coming from above. If you want to learn about the deep saltwater ocean beneath this unusual world's icy shell -- as many people do who are interested in possible extraterrestrial life -- you might target your investigation of the surface somewhere that has more of the up-from-below stuff and less of the down-from-above stuff.

Update: Comet to make close flyby of Red Planet in October 2014

Posted: 15 Apr 2013 09:32 AM PDT

New observations of comet C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) have allowed NASA's Near-Earth Object Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. to further refine the comet's orbit.

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