The premier website for science news since 1996. A service of AAAS. http://www.eurekalert.org en-us Copyright 2006 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science Thu, 16 Nov 2006 15:21:00 EST EurekAlert! http://www.eurekalert.org/images/logo.gif http://www.eurekalert.org The premier online source for science news, a service of AAAS 20 webmaster@eurekalert.org A team of scientists has discovered two new subatomic particles, rare but important relatives of the familiar, commonplace proton and neutron. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/jhu-jtd111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Geologists have developed a new theory to explain how and when the Appalachian Mountain range was created. Their research redraws the map of the planet from 420 million years ago. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/ou-gfn111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Researchers at the University of Minnesota's Institute for Human Genetics have shown for the first time that the severity of an adult neurodegenerative disease is tied to how well the brain developed shortly after birth. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uom-uom111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A new method of treating mitral regurgitation (MR), the leaking of blood through the mitral valve into the heart chamber, provides a less-invasive alternative to open heart surgery. A study published in Journal of Interventional Cardiology found that a variety of advances have allowed for the potential treatment of MR through various catheter techniques, similar to angioplasty. While over 50,000 mitral valve surgical procedures are performed annually, open surgery is an undesirable option, especially for high-risk patients. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bpl-nto111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Specific language impairment is a condition in which a child's language development is deficient despite showing normal development in all other areas. New research, published in Current Directions in Psychological Science, attempts to identify the cause behind this affliction. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bpl-gia111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Frequent bouts of depression, anxiety, hostility and anger are known to increase a person's risk for developing coronary heart disease, but a combination of these "negative" personality traits may put people at especially serious risk, according to a study by researchers at Duke University Medical Center. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/dumc-cop111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Researchers have improved upon an edible coating for fresh fruits and vegetables by enabling it to kill deadly E. coli bacteria while also providing a flavor-boost to food. Composed of apple puree and oregano oil, which is a natural antibacterial agent, the coating shows promise in laboratory studies of becoming long-lasting alternative to conventional produce washes, according to a team of scientists from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the University of Lleida in Spain. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/acs-efw111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Common tooth whitening products, which have been used by millions of people, are found to be safe and do not increase the risk of oral cancer when used as directed. This exhaustive review of the literature, including numerous unpublished clinical studies involving over 4,000 human subjects, appeared in an article by Dr. Ian Monroe entitled, "Use of Hydrogen Peroxide-Based Tooth Whitening Products and it Relationship to Oral Cancer," published in Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bpl-twd111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) affects up to 20 percent of men in Western cultures, five percent of whom experience significant physical symptoms. A study published in Journal of Forensic Sciences finds that sex offenders who suffer from OSA experience more harmful psychological symptoms than do sex offenders with normal sleep patterns. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bpl-sat111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST The country's leading African American lawmakers, civil rights leaders and medical experts today called on the federal government to adopt and implement a new blueprint to address the HIV/AIDS crisis in the African American community. The plan is outlined in a new report, "African Americans, Health Disparities and HIV/AIDS: Recommendations for Confronting the Epidemic in Black America," written by Robert E. Fullilove, EdD, associate dean at the Mailman School of Public Health. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/cums-nhs111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a new protein associated with acute myelogenous leukemia. Several lines of evidence point to a protein called "Tribbles," named after the furry creatures that took over the starship Enterprise in the original Star Trek series. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uops-pi111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Research from the University of Michigan Health System suggests that hormone therapy might help women retain certain memory functions. In a study in the new issue of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, they report that a group of postmenopausal women showed more brain activity during a visual memory test than did women who were not taking the hormone therapy. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uomh-hrt111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A survey of over 700 UK family doctor practices has shown that two-thirds provide PSA testing for prostate cancer on demand, despite lack of evidence that this approach is effective. This represents a major pressure on family doctors and cancer services alike, says the paper in BJU International. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bpl-ipd111606.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Joshua Bongard, at the University of Vermont, has invented robots that can self-heal. For example, they can detect a missing leg and invent ways to continue walking. Bongard's research, "Resilient Machines through Continuous Self Modeling," will appear in Science, November 17. NASA has "a need for planetary robotic rovers to be able to fix things on their own," said Bongard. Even if f they are damaged, robots must be able to continue their mission. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uov-rht111506.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Researchers have discovered that dark energy, a mysterious repulsive force that makes the universe expand at an ever-faster rate, is not new but rather has been present in the universe for most of its 13-billion-year history. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/jhu-dee111506.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A dioxin toxin contained in the herbicide Agent Orange affects male reproductive health by limiting the growth of the prostate gland and lowering testosterone levels. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/usmc-etd111506.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Researchers have found that a class of RNA molecules, previously thought to have no function, may in fact protect sex cells from self-destructing. These findings will be published in the November 17 issue of the journal Cell. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/wifb-sdr111506.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A vaccine for treating a recurrent cancer of the central nervous system that occurs primarily in the brain, known as glioma, has shown promising results in preliminary data from a clinical trial at UCSF Medical Center. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uoc--vfb111406.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Why are some people more self-sufficient than others? Why are some people more willing to volunteer or help out than others? What makes some people seem stand-offish, while others move right in and help? Research conducted by Kathleen Vohs, assistant professor of marketing at the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota, demonstrates that money -- more specifically, people's exposure to the concept of money -- can start to answer these questions. The research is published in the November 17 issue of Science. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uom-mi111406.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Countering the widespread view of evolution as a process played out over the course of eons, evolutionary biologists have shown that natural selection can turn on a dime -- within months -- as a population's needs change. In a study of island lizards exposed to a new predator, the scientists found that natural selection dramatically changed direction over a very short time, within a single generation, favoring first longer and then shorter hind legs. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/hu-pbp111406.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST When you dial 911 you expect rescuers to pull up at your front door, unload and get busy -- not park the truck down the street and eat donuts. It's the same for a cell -- just before it divides, it recruits protein complexes that repair breakage that may have occurred along your 46 chromosomes. Without repair, damage caused by smoking, chemical mutagens, or radiation might be passed on to the next generation. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/si-drt111306.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST As wildfires put more and more human lives and property at risk, people are looking to fire managers for protection. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uow-nme111306.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Two papers in Science report new discoveries regarding transcription, significantly advancing our understanding of the molecular machine that carries out the process. This breakthrough sets the stage for new opportunities in combating antibiotic-resistant bacterial diseases that kill 13 million persons worldwide each year, including the emerging virulent XDR tuberculosis strain. Richard Ebright's laboratory at Rutgers is at the center of these collaborative studies. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/rtsu-nty111306.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Droughts and longer summers tied to global warming are causing more fires in the Earth's vast northernmost forests, a phenomenon that will spew a steadily increasing amount of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uof-fif111306.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST New research helps explain polio's persistence in India despite massive immunization efforts and offers hope for the campaign to stamp out the virus once and for all. The study, whose authors include some of the experts heading the global polio eradication effort, appears in the November 17 issue of the journal Science, published by AAAS, the nonprofit science society. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/aaft-sse111006.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Countering hypotheses that forest fires in Alaska, Canada and Siberia warm the climate, scientists at UC Irvine have discovered that cooling may occur in areas where charred trees expose more snow, which reflects sunlight into space. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uoc--ffm110906.php Thu, 16 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Whether they have a new, ruby red color, taste better or better resist insect attack for purposes of organic production, researchers at Oregon State University are evaluating thousands of potential selections of potatoes for possible production in the Pacific Northwest. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/osu-pdf111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Active individuals lacking in B-vitamins -- including college athletes and other elite competitors -- may perform worse during high-intensity exercise and have a decreased ability to repair and build muscle than counterparts with nutrient-rich diets, a new study concludes. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/osu-pap111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST The formation of myelin sheaths during development requires a complex choreography generally considered to be one of nature's most spectacular examples of the interaction between different kinds of cells. Now, a group of Vanderbilt researchers has successfully produced movies that provide the first direct view of the initial stage of this process: the period when the cells that ultimately produce the myelin sheathing spread throughout the developing nervous system. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/vu-mrt111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Data presented this week at the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation meeting, demonstrated that Kadian improved sleep and overall quality of life in patients with moderate-to-severe chronic neck pain who had inadequate relief on previous analgesic regimens. Kadian is an extended-release formulation of morphine sulfate. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/hp-nas111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Polymers, large molecules comprised of chains of repeating structures, are used in everything from the coatings on walls of ships and pipes to reduce flow drag to gene therapy. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uom-sfn111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Long before they lit up movie screens in animated feature films or enthralled documentary film audiences worldwide with the story of their endless struggle to survive and reproduce, Emperor penguins intrigued early Antarctic explorers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/nsf-vew111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Research has shown that most smoking in the US occurs among people who have psychiatric conditions, such as alcohol or drug abuse, major depression, anxiety and ADHD. Columbia University Medical Center researchers are recruiting smokers who have been diagnosed with ADHD to be part of a study that will help them quit smoking. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/cumc-cse111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST By analyzing sound, Montana State University electrical engineering professor Rob Maher's research could lead to systems that detect snipers and provide environmental monitoring of wildlands. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/msu-ltg111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Research performed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on the mechanisms that contribute to liver disease in alpha-1-AT deficiency patients. People with alpha-1-deficiency have a genetic mutation that can lead to emphysema at an early age and to liver damage. Using an experimental mouse model of the disorder, the researchers investigated the effects of a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug on liver injury. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/wuso-nil111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST The veil of mystery surrounding our extinct hominid cousins, the Neanderthals, has been at least partially lifted to reveal surprising results. Scientists with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and the Joint Genome Institute (JGI) have sequenced genomic DNA from fossilized Neanderthal bones. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/dbnl-ngs111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Brain and behavior relationships may have changed in a profound way as larger, more complex insect societies evolved from smaller, simpler ones, according to a new study. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uow-bbm111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Newly identified strains of Chlamydia trachomatis could produce new diseases. The disease currently affects one-tenth of the world's population. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/chr-nis111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST As public health officials around the world keep a nervous eye on the spread of avian influenza, the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization has uncovered a key step in how the influenza virus causes infection. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/cioh-uos111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A device first implanted in the United States at the University of Rochester Medical Center as part of a clinical trial is showing a significant reduction in blood pressure in patients who suffer from severe hypertension and cannot control their condition with medications or lifestyle changes. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uorm-sri111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST New clues about the origins of cosmic rays, mysterious high-energy particles that bombard the Earth, have been revealed using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. An extraordinarily detailed image of the remains of an exploded star provides crucial insight into the generation of cosmic rays. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/cxc-cdr111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Using nanotechnology, a team of University of Georgia researchers has developed a diagnostic test that can detect viruses as diverse as influenza, HIV and RSV in 60 seconds or less. In addition to saving time, the technique -- which is detailed in the November issue of the journal Nano Letters -- could save lives by rapidly detecting a naturally occurring disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uog-sbu111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A study published in the October journal of Clinical and Applied Thrombosis/Hemostasis shows Pycnogenol (pic-noj-en-all), an antioxidant plant extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree reduced edema, a typical side effect of antihypertensive medications, by 36 percent in patients taking these medications. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/mg-ptb111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST The actions of a mutated protein in cells linked to thyroid cancer have been uncovered by researchers at Queen's University. The discovery paves the way for the future development of drugs to more effectively target, treat and possibly even prevent both inherited and non-inherited thyroid cancers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/qu-tcd111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A team of researchers, led by scientists at Dartmouth, have identified and tested a gene that dramatically alters both muscle metabolism and performance. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/dc-dri111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Visitors to Supercomputing '06 in Tampa, Fla., this week will be the first to see a new interactive map that shows nine of the world's largest computing grids. The map, developed by researchers from GridPP in the UK and the European particle physics laboratory, CERN, in Geneva, uses Google Earth to pinpoint grid sites on six continents, showing more than 300 sites overall like the medieval "mappa mundi." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/ppa-gc111506.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST British researchers have developed a vaccine that stimulates colorectal cancer patients' immune systems to fight cancerous cells. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/aafc-nvs111406.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Controlling population peaks on the edges of the gypsy moth range may help to slow their invasion into virgin territory, according to a team of researchers. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/ps-edk111406.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Making merry is often synonymous with overindulging -- whether from holiday feasts or rich desserts or alcoholic beverages -- ringing in the holiday season as "heartburn season." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/usmc-hsc111406.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Tiny particles one-billionth of a meter in size can be loaded with high concentrations of drugs designed to kill brain cancer. What's more, these nanoparticles can be used to image and track tumors as well as destroy them, according to researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uomh-uru111406.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Society is in danger of squandering the powerful potential of nanotechnology due to a lack of clear information about its risks, conclude 14 top international scientists in a major paper published in the Nov. 16 issue of the journal Nature. The paper, "Safe Handling of Nanotechnology," identifies Five Grand Challenges for research on nanotechnology risk that must be met if the technology is to reach its full promise. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/poen-sop111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Fourteen top international scientists in the field of nanotechnology have identified "Five Grand Challenges" for nanotechnology risk research that must be met if the technology is to reach its full potential. Their findings are the subject of a major paper published in the Nov. 16 issue of the journal Nature. Three of the paper's authors will discuss their recommendations at a program and live webcast at 9 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 16 at the Woodrow Wilson Center. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/poen-ssf111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Collaborating scientists from the Wistar Institute in Philadelphia and the Vienna Biocenter in Austria have identified a novel mechanism involved in normal repression of the p53 protein, perhaps the single most important molecule for the control of cancer in humans. The new molecular pathway described in the study suggests intriguing approaches to diagnosing or intervening in the progression of many types of cancer. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/twi-nrm111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Researchers have previously noted that many of the advantages children receive from preschool experiences begin to wane as they continue through school. A study by James Heckman, a Nobel-Prize winning economist at the University of Chicago and an expert on early childhood education, now shows for the first time that systematic interventions throughout childhood and adolescence could sustain the early gains and build on them. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uoc-eet111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST In the most thorough study to date of the Neanderthal genome, scientists suggest an early human-Neanderthal split. The two species have a common ancestry, say the authors, but do not share much else after evolving their separate ways. The study, published in this week's issue of Science, also finds no evidence of genetic admixture between Neanderthals and humans. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uocm-gso111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST 454 Life Sciences today announced that comparison of the human and chimpanzee genomes to Neandertal DNA sequences determined by 454 Sequencing reveals that modern human and Neandertal DNA sequences diverged on average about 500,000 years ago and the effective size of the ancestral population of the two groups was similar to that of modern humans. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/nc-4ls111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Children and teens who smoke cigarettes have nearly four times the risk of developing asthma in their teens compared to children and teens who do not smoke. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uosc-tws111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Potentially deadly influenza outbreaks in nursing homes are less likely to occur when large numbers of staff and residents get flu shots, according to a study issued today by the RAND Corporation.The study by the nonprofit research organization found that nursing homes were 60 percent less likely to have a cluster of influenza-like illnesses if more than 55 percent of the staff and more than 89 percent of the residents were vaccinated for influenza. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/rc-rsf111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A novel vascular targeting agent completely prevented the development of bone tumors in 50 percent of the mice tested in a preclinical study, providing early evidence that it could treat, or thwart, growth of tumors in bone, a common destination for a number of cancers when they start to spread. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uotm-ha111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST By comparing influenza viruses found in birds with those of the avian virus that have also infected human hosts, researchers have identified key genetic changes required for pandemic strains of bird flu. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uow-sfm111306.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST In a study of more than 44,000 patients being treated for a possible heart attack, cardiologists at the Duke Clinical Research Institute found that while transfusions were associated with a benefit in some patients, they were associated with harm in others. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/dumc-bts111006.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Antibiotics are routinely prescribed unnecessarily for acute bronchitis, according to Virginia Commonwealth University findings published in today's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/vcu-aup111006.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Researchers have found that lemurs suspected to belong to different species because of their strikingly different coat colors, are not only genetically alike, but belong to the same species. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/yu-dcc111006.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Taking low-dose aspirin daily reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke, as well as the risk of dying, among patients who previously have had a heart attack or stroke but whose cardiovascular disease has stabilized, according to a new analysis by Duke University Medical Center cardiologists. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/dumc-lar111006.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Different coat color might not correspond to different species for nocturnal lemurs. In a study published today in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology, researchers find that lemurs that appeared to belong to different species because they have strikingly different coat colors, are in fact genetically related and belong to the same species. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bc-lfc111006.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Doctors at UCLA's Jules Stein Eye Institute have pioneered the first technique to biopsy tumor tissue from the living eye and test it for a genetic marker linked to aggressive metastasis. The new test is life-changing, because ocular melanoma doesn't just cause blindness -- it can kill you in as quickly as a year. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uoc--ngt110806.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Over time, inhaling environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) -- a process often called "passive smoking" -- can cause otherwise healthy adults to develop chronic respiratory symptoms. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/ats-ete110706.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Adolescents who smoke cigarettes regularly have a significantly increased risk of developing asthma during their teens compared to their non-smoking peers, according to the latest results from the Children's Health Study. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/ats-rss110706.php Wed, 15 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Detailed evaluation conducted at WEHI into a possible new cancer drug suggests that it may prove to be more effective and less toxic than current chemotherapeutic drugs. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/ra-hfa111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Deakin University is taking the global lead in improving the quality of life of children with cerebral palsy. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/ra-cwc111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Another Australian breakthrough is likely to strengthen the case for embryonic stem cell research. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uons-abf111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A visiting biologist at the University of California, San Diego, and her colleagues in Africa and Britain have shown that there are close linkages between outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in human and wildlife populations, and that climate may influence the spread of the disease. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uoc--poh111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Over the last several years angioplasty has exceeded coronary bypass surgery as the preferred way to treat coronary artery disease. The stents, narrow tubes inserted into the artery to facilitate blood flow, commonly used in the procedure are less invasive than open-heart surgery and offer greater convenience to the patient and the ability to perform more complex procedures. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bpl-nap111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Despite significant improvements in dialysis treatments, currently over 20 percent of the 350,000 maintenance hemodialysis patients in the United States die each year. A study published in Hemodialysis International finds that this high mortality rate may be attributed to malnutrition. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bpl-oaa111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST According to a new study, septic shock -- a dangerous, often deadly runaway immune response -- is controlled by a genetic on/off switch. The research also suggests how a drug might temper sepsis. This is the first time this genetic mechanism has been revealed in an experimental animal. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/nyum-nsf111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Erectile dysfunction medications known as Phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors have been used by millions of men as safe and effective management options associated with high rates of patient and partner satisfaction. Recent reports have appeared, however, that some individuals have misused this class of drug, combining them with narcotics such as methamphetamines. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bpl-nlf111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST How drugs such as adrenalin do primarily one thing -- in this case, increase the heart rate -- now makes more sense to scientists. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/mcog-spp111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST IT engineers have developed a mathematical model that could help energy companies produce natural gas more efficiently and ensure a more reliable supply of this valuable fuel. The researchers are now collaborating with experts at Shell to apply the model to a natural gas production system in Malaysia. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/miot-mmm111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST An MIT researcher's mathematical model explains for the first time the distinctive structure of collagen, a material key to healthy human bone, muscles and other tissues. The new model shows collagen's structure from the atomic to the tissue scale. An improved understanding of nature's most abundant protein could aid the search for cures to such ailments as osteoporosis and scurvy, all recognized as arising from diseased collagen. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/miot-mmc111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Adolescents with a history of arrest are at greater risk for HIV infection than adolescents with no arrest history, according to a new study published in the November issue of Drug and Alcohol Dependence. Researchers from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center and Brown Medical School attribute higher rates of substance abuse, sexual risk behaviors and mental-health issues to the increased risk of infection. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/l-aah111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST According to a recent study, predicting the impact of climate change on organisms is more complicated than simply looking at species northern and southern range limits. Studying the California Sea Mussel -- Mytilus californianus -- Brian Helmuth (University of South Carolina) and colleagues from the University of California-Santa Barbara, the University of British Columbia-Vancouver and Oregon State University measured body temperatures of this mussel along most of its range, from Washington to Southern California. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/esoa-ss111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Stronger quadriceps muscles in the legs can help protect against cartilage loss behind the kneecap, according to Mayo Clinic researchers presenting preliminary study data at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting on Nov. 15. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/mc-mrn111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST In an effort to close the gap between organ supply and demand, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine, the University of Michigan and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons are studying ways to reimburse living donors for some of their out-of-pocket expenses when they choose to donate an organ. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/wuso-rsr111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST During sleep, freshly minted memories move from the hippocampus, part of the "old" brain, to the neocortex, or "new" brain, for long-term storage. This has been the reigning theory for decades. Brown University research provides the strongest proof yet of this interaction between the old and new brains -- and offers surprising evidence that challenges critical details of this theory of learning and memory. Results appear in Nature Neuroscience. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/bu-smr111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Just three days after catching a Siberian tiger in the Russian Far East, an international team led by biologists from the Wildlife Conservation Society captured another species last week that carries the dubious distinction of being the world's most endangered big cat: an extremely Far Eastern leopard. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/wcs-ffe111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST The best way to prevent airborne terrorist attacks may be to improve the baseline security screening of all air travelers rather than identifying and screening high-risk passengers, according to new research by experts at MIT and Harvey Mudd College. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/ifor-tpt111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Columbia University Medical Center research at AHA this year includes presentations on the molecular roots of atrial fibrillation, genetic influence on heart transplant rejection, the cost of end-stage heart failure and repairing heart failure damage with stem cells. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/cumc-csp111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST UCLA researchers report that although the majority of medical journals have conflict of interest policies in place for study authors, less than half require such policies for editors or peer-reviewers. In addition, many journals do not inform readers about those potential conflicts that have been disclosed to them. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uoc--usr111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A new lab-on-a-chip can identify single bacterial cells for the most common cases of drug-resistant pneumonia, cutting down the wait from days to hours for identifying the particular strain and treating it. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/aiop-lcs111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Results of the two largest studies on hyponatremia found that the investigational drug tolvaptan treated hyponatremia -- water intoxication -- more effectively than available treatments. These studies, presented by a researcher from Northwestern University, proved that hyponatremia can be treated with an oral drug that has no significant side effects. Hyponatremia is a relatively common electrolyte disorder. It affects a wide spectrum of patients including those with liver problems, heart failure and the elderly. It also may affect marathon runners. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/nu-dt111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Global warming has already caused extinctions in the most sensitive habitats and will continue to cause more species to go extinct over the next 50 to 100 years, confirms the most comprehensive study since 2003 on the effects of climate change on wild species worldwide by a University of Texas at Austin biologist. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uota-gwi111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST An international group of researchers has identified genes which enable the maize smut pathogen to live as a parasite. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/m-wts111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Researchers at the Johns Hopkins' High Throughput Biology Center have invented two new gene "chip" technologies that can be used to help identify otherwise elusive disease-causing mutations in the 97 percent of the genome long believed to be "junk." http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/jhmi-tt111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Swiss researchers led by R. Zenobi have developed a mass-spectrometric method to quickly and easily obtain a proper fingerprint of breath, including the quantitative detection of large, nonvolatile compounds. Breath analysis has some advantages for clinical diagnosis, for example it requires no puncture. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/jws-pe111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST In the largest review of "broken heart syndrome" patients ever conducted, Mayo Clinic researchers studied 100 patients and found symptoms recurred in 1 out of 10 patients over a four-year period, and that patients experiencing physical stress had a worse survival rate than those under emotional stress. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/mc-mcr111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Max Planck Scientists discover a novel construction principle at the nanoscale which prevents bones from breaking at excessive force. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/m-nu111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST A new study has suggested a novel way of combating diseases related to the immune system, including cancer and autoimmune diseases such as type I diabetes and arthritis. The study, funded by the Wellcome Trust, appears online in the journal Nature. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/wt-tft111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Scientists at the University of Manchester are using 3-D computer graphics to combat the pain suffered by amputees. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uom-sup111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Frenzied star-making in the Milky Way Galaxy starting about 2,400 million years ago had extraordinary effects on life on Earth. Harvests of bacteria in the sea soared and crashed in a succession of booms and busts, with an instability not seen before or since. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/dnsc-tmw111406.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST Even after successful treatment for colon cancer, the very obese are about one-third more likely to have their cancer recur and to die prematurely from cancer than those of normal weight. For patients with stage II or stage III colon cancer, the difference was comparable to the difference between those who had surgery plus chemotherapy and those who had only surgery. The very thin were also at increased risk of death. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uocm-rac111306.php Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:00:00 EST