ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Thursday, November 13, 2008
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New Technique To Study The Genetics Of Breast Cancer (November 13, 2008) -- A new technique to study genetic changes that can lead to breast cancer could be one step closer. ... > full story
Steps To Block Key Enzyme Action In Heart Failure Mapped (November 13, 2008) -- Taking a cue from the way drugs like Viagra put the biological brakes on a key enzyme involved in heart failure, scientists have mapped out a key chemical step involved in blocking the enzyme. ... > full story
Molecular Clipping Mechanism Confirmed Behind Stem Cell Development (November 13, 2008) -- Stem cells don't just become a part of the liver or the brain in a flash; it takes a complex molecular choreography and requires that specific genes be switched on and off at specific times. Some of these genes are regulated through a process by which proteins in the cell nucleus, called histones, are chemically modified by small "chemical marks" such as acetyl or methyl groups. ... > full story
U.S. Gets A 'D' As March Of Dimes Releases Premature Birth Report Card (November 13, 2008) -- In the first Premature Birth Report Card, the United States received a "D" and no U.S. state earned an "A," when the March of Dimes compared preterm birth rates to Healthy People 2010 objectives. Premature birth affects more than 530,000 babies annually in the United States. Premature birth is the leading cause of newborn death and lifelong disability. ... > full story
Overnight Hemodialysis Dramatically Improves Survival, Study Shows (November 13, 2008) -- For hemodialysis patients, undergoing dialysis for eight hours overnight, three times weekly, reduces the risk of death by nearly 80 percent, compared to conventional, four-hour dialysis, according to new research. ... > full story
Wide Variability In Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Suggests Alternative Dosing Should Be Considered (November 13, 2008) -- Methotrexate is commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and is suggested as the "anchor" drug in treating the disease. Despite its widespread use, the understanding of its mechanism of action and pharmacokinetics is limited. ... > full story
No Drop In IQ Seen After Bypass For Child Heart Surgery (November 13, 2008) -- The use of cardiopulmonary bypass does not cause short-term neurological problems in children and teenagers after surgery for less complex heart defects, according to pediatric researchers. The new finding contrasts favorably with previous studies that showed adverse neurological effects after newborn surgery for more complex heart conditions. ... > full story
Low Potassium Linked To High Blood Pressure (November 12, 2008) -- As a risk factor for high blood pressure, low levels of potassium in the diet may be as important as high levels of sodium -- especially among African-Americans, according to new research. ... > full story
Primary Insomnia Linked To Neurochemical Abnormality In Young And Middle-aged Adults (November 12, 2008) -- A new study in the journal Sleep is the first demonstration of a specific neurochemical abnormality in adults with primary insomnia, providing greater insight to the limited understanding of the condition's pathology. ... > full story
Computerized Carer Lessens Dementia Load (November 12, 2008) -- An artificial intelligence coaching system has been developed that will help carers of older adults with moderate dementia. The COACH system uses a camera and computer to deliver interactive advice -- lessening the workload on often-overburdened carers. ... > full story
Mandatory HPV Vaccination Is Unwarranted And Unwise, According to Experts (November 12, 2008) -- A new article in the Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics suggests that it is premature for states to currently mandate the HPV vaccine as a condition for school attendance. Gardasil is relatively new and long-term safety and effectiveness in the general population is unknown, experts point out. ... > full story
Molecule That Stops SARS Invented (November 12, 2008) -- A newly created compound prevents the replication of the virus that causes SARS and could lead to a treatment for the disease. In addition to its ability to block the SARS virus, the molecular compound that inhibits the virus provides new insights into a group of proteins found in a range of diseases including childhood croup, herpes and cancer. ... > full story
Hip Resurfacing Is Not For Everyone, Study Suggests (November 12, 2008) -- Hip resurfacing is often seen as a modern alternative to the more conventional total hip replacement, but new data suggest that a patient's age and gender are key to the operation's success. ... > full story
Miniaturizing Memory: Taking Data Storage To The Molecular Level (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers are now exploring ways of exploiting the unique properties of carbon nanotubes to create a cheap and compact memory cell that uses little power and writes information at high speeds. ... > full story
Certain Types Of Thinking Are Best Suited To Certain Types Of Problem-solving (November 12, 2008) -- Geometry problems are best solved by a combination of verbal and spatial strategies, but not shape-based imagery strategies. ... > full story
Blood-brain Barrier Disarmed In Rodents: Hormone Shows Promise In Reversing Alzheimer’s Disease And Stroke (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers have disarmed the blood-brain barrier sentry that keeps a potential treatment for stroke and Alzheimer's disease from getting into the brain. The brain is protected by the blood-brain barrier (BBB), a gate-keeping system of cells that lets in nutrients and keeps out foreign substances. The blood-brain barrier passes no judgment on which foreign substances are trying to get into the brain to treat diseases and which are trying to do harm, so it blocks them without discrimination. ... > full story
Over 50% Of People With High Blood Pressure Unaware They Have Condition (November 12, 2008) -- Results from a European project show that too many hypertensive people are not aware of their condition, while drugs fail to achieve optimal blood pressure in more than half of those under treatment. The European map of cardiovascular risk is changing, with England doing better than Italy. ... > full story
Text Messaging May Help Children Fight Off Obesity (November 12, 2008) -- Cell phone text messaging could be used to reduce children's chances of becoming overweight or obese later in life, by helping them monitor and modify their own behaviors now. ... > full story
Stem Cells From Monkey Teeth Can Stimulate Growth And Generation Of Brain Cells (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers have discovered dental pulp stem cells can stimulate growth and generation of several types of neural cells. Findings suggest dental pulp stem cells show promise for use in cell therapy and regenerative medicine, particularly therapies associated with the central nervous system. ... > full story
New Method Provides Panoramic View Of Protein-RNA Interactions In Living Cells (November 12, 2008) -- Scientists have developed a genome-wide platform to study how specialized proteins regulate RNA in living, intact cells. The platform allows researchers to identify, in a single experiment, every sequence within every strand of RNA to which proteins bind. The result is an unbiased and unprecedented look at how differences in RNA can explain how a worm and a human can each have 25,000 genes yet be so different. ... > full story
Nature’s Own Chemical Plant (November 12, 2008) -- Crude oil is getting more and more expensive, a fact clearly felt by the chemical industry. An alternative source of carbon is biomass, for instance colza and whey, which can likewise be used to produce chemical products. ... > full story
Airport Malaria: Cause For Concern In U.S. (November 12, 2008) -- "Airport malaria" is a term coined by researchers to explain the more recent spread of malaria to areas such as the United States and Europe, which some scientists credit to warmer climate changes. ... > full story
Antibiotic Use Increases At Academic Medical Centers (November 12, 2008) -- Antibacterial drug use appears to have increased at academic medical centers between 2002 and 2006, driven primarily by greater use of broad-spectrum agents and the antibiotic vancomycin, according to a new article. ... > full story
New Nanomaterial Could Be Breakthrough For Implantable Medical Devices (November 12, 2008) -- Researchers have made a breakthrough that could lead to new dialysis devices and a host of other revolutionary medical implants. The researchers have found that the unique properties of a new material can be used to create new devices that can be implanted into the human body, including blood glucose sensors for diabetics and artificial hemo-dialysis membranes that can scrub impurities from the blood. ... > full story
Football Players: Staying Active May Lower Health Risks For Large, Retired Athletes (November 12, 2008) -- Retired NFL players have fewer heart disease risk factors overall, but higher cholesterol and glucose levels. Physical activity may have prevented the development of higher rates of diabetes or greater amounts of atherosclerosis. Since today's players are 50 percent larger than 25 years ago, further study is needed on whether current players are at greater risk for cardiovascular events or death, researchers said. ... > full story
Positive Results In Phase 2 Trial Of Treatment Of C-difficile-associated Diarrhea (November 12, 2008) -- A Phase 2 trial of an anti-C. difficile antibody combination treatment in patients with C. difficile associated diarrhea successfully met its primary objective. The top-line results from the recently completed multi-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 trial indicated a statistically significant reduction in recurrences of CDAD when compared with placebo. ... > full story
Previous Abortions And Exercise: Do They Affect Pregnancy? (November 12, 2008) -- Women who have had two or more induced abortions have a reduced risk of pre-eclampsia by 60 percent. It is not currently understood to what degree physical activity during pregnancy protects against pre-eclampsia, compared to previous studies. ... > full story
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