EurekAlert! - Breaking News

  • Henry Ford Hospital researchers identity potential biomarker for osteoarthritis
    Henry Ford Hospital researchers have identified for the first time two molecules that hold promise as a biomarker for measuring cartilage damage associated with osteoarthritis.Researchers say the concentration of two molecules called non-coding RNAs in blood were associated with mild cartilage damage in 30 patients who were one year removed from reconstruction surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, injury.

  • Hearing metaphors activates brain regions involved in sensory experience
    New brain imaging research reveals that a region of the brain important for sensing texture through touch, the parietal operculum, is also activated when someone listens to a sentence with a textural metaphor. The same region is not activated when a similar sentence expressing the meaning of the metaphor is heard.

  • Why 2 new studies represent important breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease research
    Two separate research findings have the potential to give us a much more sophisticated understanding of what goes wrong in Alzheimer's disease and what can be done to prevent or repair damage in the brain.

  • Whole exome sequencing identifies cause of metabolic disease
    Sequencing a patient's entire genome to discover the source of his or her disease is not routine, but geneticists are getting close. A case report shows how researchers can combine a simple blood test with an "executive summary" scan of the genome to diagnose a severe glycosylation disorder.

  • Study: Stroke victims recover much better after temporary stent procedure
    A new way of opening blocked arteries in the brain using a removable stent system in people suffering strokes brought remarkably positive results in how those patients recovered from the strokes, according to a study presented Feb. 3 at the American Stroke Association's annual conference in New Orleans.

  • Discovery of extremely long-lived proteins may provide insight into cell aging
    One of the big mysteries in biology is why cells age. Now scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report that they have discovered a weakness in a component of brain cells that may explain how the aging process occurs in the brain.

  • Dieting with the denomination, determination
    According to a new study, those starting new weight loss programs may be surprised to find out that both location and level of experience may influence their success. A recent article published in the Journal of Black Psychology (a journal from the Association of Black Psychologists, published by SAGE) finds that African-American women beginning a new group weight loss program are more successful if they are less experienced with weight management and if the program meets in a church.

  • Study published in Neuro-Oncology shows brain tumor eradication and prolonged survival
    Tocagen Inc. today announced the publication of data showing the company's investigational treatment for high grade glioma eradicates brain tumors and provides a dramatic survival benefit in mouse models of glioblastoma. Almost all mice receiving the top dose of Toca 511 followed by 5-FC were still alive at 180 days, which was the termination date for the experiment, whereas all control mice died by day 43. The article was published today in the February issue of the Neuro-Oncology journal.

  • Regular use of vitamin and mineral supplements could reduce the risk of colon cancer
    Could the use of vitamin and mineral supplements in a regular diet help to reduce the risk of colon cancer and protect against carcinogens? A study published in the Canadian Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology found that rats given regular multivitamin and mineral supplements showed a significantly lower risk of developing colon cancer when they were exposed to carcinogens.

  • Coughing and other respiratory symptoms improve within weeks of smoking cessation
    A new study shows that 18- to 24-year olds who stop smoking for at least two weeks report substantially fewer respiratory symptoms, especially coughing. The study appears in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology.

  • New device removes stroke-causing blood clots better than standard treatment
    An experimental device for removing blood clots in stroke patients dramatically outperformed the standard mechanical treatment, according to research presented by UCLA Stroke Center director Dr. Jeffrey L. Saver at the American Stroke Association's 2012 international conference in New Orleans on Feb. 3.

  • UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center offers new hope for deadly brain tumor
    In the United States, each year, approximately 10,000 patients are affected by recurrant glioblastoma multiforme. Now, a novel investigational device - available only at clinical trial sites - is offering new hope to these patients.

  • The complex relationship between memory and silence
    People who suffer a traumatic experience often don't talk about it, and many forget it over time. But not talking about something doesn't always mean you'll forget it; if you try to force yourself not to think about white bears, soon you'll be imagining polar bears doing the polka. A group of psychological scientists explore the relationship between silence and memories in a new paper published in Perspectives on Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

  • Schooling protects fleeing children from disease
    Refugee children have scant access to medical care and are particularly vulnerable to disease. Fresh research results from the University of Copenhagen show that just a few hours of schooling a week may have a pronounced positive impact on their health not only in childhood but later in life when they achieve adulthood.

  • A new study shows how to boost the power of pain relief, without drugs
    Placebos reduce pain by creating an expectation of relief. Distraction -- say, doing a puzzle -- relieves it by keeping the brain busy. But do they use the same brain processes? Neuromaging suggests they do. When applying a placebo, scientists see activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. That's the part of the brain that controls high-level cognitive functions like working memory and attention -- which is what you use to do that distracting puzzle.

  • Scientists chart high-precision map of Milky Way's magnetic fields
    Scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory are part of an international team that has pooled their radio observations into a database, producing the highest precision map to date of the magnetic field within our own Milky Way galaxy.

  • Warfarin and aspirin are similar in heart failure treatment
    In the largest and longest head-to-head comparison of two anti-clotting medications, warfarin and aspirin were similar in preventing deaths and strokes in heart failure patients with normal heart rhythm, according to late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

  • Rare mutations may help explain aneurysm in high-risk families
    An innovative approach to genome screening has provided clues about rare mutations that may make people susceptible to brain aneurysms, predisposing them to brain bleeds, according to preliminary late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

  • Vitamin D deficiency in geriatric patients
    The great majority of geriatric patients in a German rehabilitation hospital were found to have vitamin D deficiency. Stefan Schilling presents his study results in this week's issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.

  • New drug doesn't improve disability among stroke patients
    A new drug that showed promise in animal studies and an early clinical trial didn't improve disability among stroke patients, according to late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

  • Clopidogrel with aspirin doesn't prevent more small strokes, may increase risk of bleeding, death
    The anti-blood clot regimen that adds the drug clopidogrel (Plavix) to aspirin treatment is unlikely to prevent recurrent strokes and may increase the risk of bleeding and death in patients with subcortical stroke according to late-breaking research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2012.

  • New device performs better than old for removing blood clots
    An experimental blood clot-removing device outperformed the FDA-approved MERCI; retriever device, according to late-breaking science presented at the American Stroke Association's 2012 International Stroke Conference.

  • Castaway lizards offer new look at evolutionary processes
    Biologists who released lizards on tiny uninhabited islands in the Bahamas have uncovered a seldom-observed interaction between evolutionary processes.Jason Kolbe, a biologist at the University of Rhode Island -- along with colleagues at Duke University, Harvard University and the University of California, Davis -- found that the lizards' genetic and morphological traits were determined by both natural selection and a phenomenon called the founder effect.

  • Media portrayal of race in sports reveals biases in corporate world
    The US may have its first black president and the Fortune 500 its first black female chief executive, but African American CEOs account for a mere one percent of the chiefs of those 500 largest companies.

  • Gene related to fat preferences in humans found
    A preference for fatty foods has a genetic basis, according to researchers, who discovered that people with certain forms of the CD36 gene may like high-fat foods more than those who have other forms of this gene.

  • Lower levels of sunlight link to allergy and eczema
    Increased exposure to sunlight may reduce the risk of both food allergies and eczema in children, according to a new scientific study published this week.

  • Dignity counts when caring for older people
    Older people feel that their health problems pose a challenge to their sense of independence, dignity and identity and sometimes the health care they are given makes things worse.

  • Soy isoflavone supplements did not provide breast cancer protections
    Findings suggest the effects of food may be more complex. Adverse effect observed in younger women.

  • Global extinction: Gradual doom is just as bad as abrupt
    Around 250 million years ago, most life on Earth was wiped out in an extinction known as the "Great Dying." A team led by University of Cincinnati geologist Thomas J. Algeo finds that the end came slowly from thousands of centuries of volcanic activity.

  • Surface of Mars an unlikely place for life after 600 million year drought, say scientists
    Mars may have been arid for more than 600 million years, making it too hostile for any life to survive on the planet's surface, according to researchers who have been carrying out the painstaking task of analyzing individual particles of Martian soil.

  • Judder-free videos on the smartphone
    Overloaded cellular networks can get annoying - especially when you want to watch a video on your smartphone. An optimized Radio Resource Manager will soon be able to help network operators accommodate heavy network traffic. Researchers will present their solution at the GSMA Mobile World Congress from Feb. 27 to March 1, 2012 in Barcelona (Hall 2, Booth E41).

  • Collective action
    Genetic switches called enhancers and the molecules that activate them can be used to draw a cell's family tree, EMBL scientists have found.

  • Making sense of addiction terminology
    A new editorial released this week offers clarity and structure on confusing drug and alcohol addiction terminology for prescribers, users and regulators.

  • Jointly utilizing LTE networks
    Data-intensive Internet applications on smartphones, tablets and laptops are more popular than ever before. The result: Traffic on the mobile network is increasing at a blinding speed. Intelligent technologies are intended to increase the data rates on the new LTE network. The solution is to use the mobile networks jointly.

  • Sediments from the Enol lake reveal more than 13,500 years of environmental history
    A team of Spanish researchers have used different geological samples, extracted from the Enol lake in Asturias, to show that the Holocene, a period that started 11,600 years ago, did not have a climate as stable as was believed.

  • Parasites or not? Transposable elements in fruit flies
    The problem of parasitism occurs at all levels right down to the DNA scale. Genomes may contain up to 80 percent "foreign" DNA but details of the mechanisms by which this enters the host genome and how hosts attempt to combat its spread are still the subject of conjecture. Important new information comes from the group of Christian Schlötterer at the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. The findings are published in the prestigious journal PLoS Genetics.

  • NYU Courant researchers weigh methods to more accurately measure genome sequencing
    Researchers at New York University's Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences evaluate some current methods to sequence individual genomes -- a study that serves as a "stress test" of the efficacy of these practices.

  • New technology to tackle treatment-resistant cancers
    Free-flowing cancer cells have been mapped with unprecedented accuracy in the bloodstream of patients with prostate, breast and pancreatic cancer, using a brand new approach, in an attempt to assess and control the disease as it spreads in real time through the body, and solve the problem of predicting response and resistance to therapies.

  • New technique dissolves blood clots in the brain and lowers risk of brain damage after stroke
    Johns Hopkins neurologists report success with a new means of getting rid of potentially lethal blood clots in the brain safely without cutting through easily damaged brain tissue or removing large pieces of skull. The minimally invasive treatment, they report, increased the number of patients with intracerebral hemorrhage who could function independently by 10 to 15 percent six months following the procedure.

  • New procedure repairs severed nerves in minutes, restoring limb use in days or weeks
    American scientists believe a new procedure to repair severed nerves could result in patients recovering in days or weeks, rather than months or years. The team used a cellular mechanism similar to that used by many invertebrates to repair damage to nerve axons. Their results are published today in the Journal of Neuroscience Research.

  • Classic portrait of a barred spiral galaxy
    The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has taken a picture of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1073, which is found in the constellation of Cetus (The Sea Monster). Our own galaxy, the Milky Way, is a similar barred spiral, and the study of galaxies such as NGC 1073 helps astronomers learn more about our celestial home.

  • Breastfeeding and lung function at school age: Does maternal asthma modify the effect?
    Breastfeeding is associated with improved lung function at school age, particularly in children of asthmatic mothers, according to a new study from researchers in Switzerland and the UK.

  • A battle of the vampires, 20 million years ago?
    They are tiny, ugly, disease-carrying little blood-suckers that most people have never seen or heard of, but a new discovery in a one-of-a-kind fossil shows that "bat flies" have been doing their noxious business with bats for at least 20 million years.

  • NASA satellites see wind shear battering Tropical Depression Iggy
    NASA satellites have watched as wind shear has torn Cyclone Iggy apart over the last day. NASA infrared satellite imagery showed that Iggy's strongest thunderstorms have been pushed away from the storm's center and visible imagery shows the storm is being stretched out. Iggy is weakening and heading for a landfall between Geraldton and Perth.

  • 'First light' taken by NASA's newest CERES instrument
    The doors are open on NASA's Suomi NPP satellite and the newest version of the Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instrument is scanning Earth for the first time, helping to assure continued availability of measurements of the energy leaving the Earth-atmosphere system.

  • Hubble zooms in on a magnified galaxy
    Thanks to the presence of a natural "zoom lens" in space, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope got a uniquely close-up look at the brightest "magnified" galaxy yet discovered.

  • New RNA-based therapeutic strategies for controlling gene expression
    Small RNA-based nucleic acid drugs represent a promising new class of therapeutic agents for silencing abnormal or overactive disease-causing genes, and researchers have discovered new mechanisms by which RNA drugs can control gene activity. A comprehensive review article in Nucleic Acid Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc., details these advances.

  • Football findings suggest concussions caused by series of hits
    A two-year study of high school football players suggests that concussions are likely caused by many hits over time and not from a single blow to the head, as commonly believed.

  • Scientists coax shy microorganisms to stand out in a crowd
    Scientists have advanced a method that allowed them to single out a marine microorganism and map its genome even though the organism made up less than 10 percent of a water sample teeming with many millions of individuals from dozens of identifiable groups of microbes.

  • Google Earth ocean terrain receives major update
    Internet information giant Google updated ocean data in its Google Earth application this week, reflecting new bathymetry data assembled by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego, NOAA researchers and many other ocean mapping groups from around the world.

  • Triglyceride levels predict stroke risk in postmenopausal women
    A new study by researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center and colleagues found that traditional risk factors for stroke -- such as high cholesterol -- are not as accurate at predicting risk in postmenopausal women as previously thought. Instead, researchers say doctors should refocus their attention on triglyceride levels to determine which women are at highest risk of suffering a devastating and potentially fatal cardiovascular event.

  • Diabetes rates vary widely in developing countries, 1 in 10 cases untreated
    Rates of diabetes vary widely across developing countries worldwide, according to a new analysis led by Dr. Longjian Liu of Drexel University's School of Public Health.Worldwide, four in five people with diabetes now live in developing countries. Liu's study found that access to healthcare support for diabetes varied widely in developing countries, and that one in 10 diagnosed cases remain untreated. The study is available online and will appear in the journal Diabetic Medicine.

  • A zap of cold plasma reduces harmful bacteria on raw chicken in Drexel study
    A new study by food safety researchers at Drexel University demonstrates that plasma can be an effective method for killing pathogens on uncooked poultry. The proof-of-concept study was published in the January issue of the Journal of Food Protection.

  • UAHuntsville business faculty investigate research ethics; Results are published in Science magazine
    Two UAHuntsville faculty members from the College of Business were published today in the prestigious journal Science for their investigation of an important issue in research ethics.

  • New research confirms need for lung cancer testing
    Different kinds of lung cancer behave in different ways, suggesting they are fundamentally different diseases. According to a University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in Cancer, the official journal of the American Cancer Society, different subgroups of non-small cell lung cancer show distinct patterns of spread in the body.

  • Planets circling around twin suns
    Double suns -- stars that are formed as a pair -- are a common phenomenon in the cosmos. But now NASA, working with a Tel Aviv University astronomer, has discovered two new planets, Kepler-34 and Kepler-35, each of which revolves around its own double sun, confirming that planets orbit these intriguing phenomena as well.

  • Bouquet bargains
    Most creatures face compromises when they reproduce -- the more energy they devote to having lots of babies, the less they can invest in each one. But do the same tradeoffs hold true for plants? Biologists have long assumed that plants with bigger, showier flowers can make fewer of them per plant. But the data don't always hold up, scientists say. A new study by researchers at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center may help explain why.

  • Best management practices for invasive crane flies in northeastern United States sod production
    A new study recently published in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management explains the best management practices for consideration and adoption by sod producers in the northeastern US.

  • Male and female behavior deconstructed
    Now a team of scientists at the University of California, San Francisco has uncovered many genes influenced by the male and female sex hormones testosterone and estrogen that, in turn, govern several specific types of male and female behaviors in mice.

  • High triglyceride levels found to predict stroke in older women
    In a surprising finding with significant implications for older women, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and NYU School of Medicine have found that high levels of triglycerides are the strongest risk factor for the most common type of stroke in older women - more of a risk factor than elevated levels of total cholesterol or of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. The study appears online today in Stroke.

  • Balancing oxaliplatin dose with neurological side effects in metastatic colon cancer
    "Stop-and-go" dosing along with calcium and magnesium supplements reduce neurological side effects of oxaliplatin use with metastatic colon cancer patients.

  • Treasure trove of wildlife found in Peru park
    The Wildlife Conservation Society's Peru program announced today the discovery of 365 species previously undocumented in Bahuaja Sonene National Park in southeastern Peru.

  • Untangling the mysteries of Alzheimer's
    Researchers have found new evidence that confirms the significance of a protein that neuroscientists call tau to the development of Alzheimer's disease. While earlier studies have focused on tau's aggregation into twisted structures known as "neurofibrillary tangles," the new work emphasizes intermediary steps between single protein units and the much larger tangles - small assemblages of two, three, four or more proteins, which the investigators believe are the most toxic entities in Alzheimer's.

  • DNA test that identifies Down syndrome in pregnancy can also detect trisomy 18 and trisomy 13
    A recent study by Drs. Glenn Palomaki and Jacob Canick of Women & Infants Hospital shows that a new DNA test that identifies Down syndrome in pregnancy can also detect trisomies 18 and 13.

  • Southampton research shows early bone growth linked to bone density in later life
    Researchers from the University of Southampton, in collaboration with a research group in Delhi, India, have shown that growth in early childhood can affect bone density in adult life, which could lead to an increased risk of developing bone diseases like osteoporosis.

  • The discovery of deceleration
    Stellar astrophysics helps to explain the behavior of fast rotating neutron stars in binary systems.

  • Investigational urine test can predict high-risk prostate cancer in men who chose 'watchful waiting'
    Initial results of a multicenter study coordinated by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center indicates that two investigational urine-based biomarkers are associated with prostate cancers that are likely to be aggressive and potentially life-threatening among men who take a "watchful waiting," or active-surveillance approach to manage their disease. Ultimately, these markers may lead to the development of a urine test that could complement prostate biopsy for predicting disease aggressiveness and progression.

  • Lecture or listen: When patients waver on meds
    According to a new analysis of hundreds of recorded office visits, doctors and nurse practitioners typically issued orders and asked closed or leading questions when talking to their HIV-positive patients about adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Attempts at problem-solving with patients who had lapsed occurred in less than a quarter of visits.

  • New super-Earth detected within the habitable zone of a nearby cool star
    An international team of scientists led by Carnegie's Guillem Anglada-Escudé and Paul Butler has discovered a potentially habitable super-Earth orbiting a nearby star. The star is a member of a triple star system and has a different makeup than our Sun, being relatively lacking in metallic elements. This discovery demonstrates that habitable planets could form in a greater variety of environments than previously believed.

  • Being confined to bed…
    Being confined to bed…can have fatal consequences. Incorrect fastening of restraints and inadequate monitoring led to the death of 19 people in care. Andrea M. Berzianovich and her colleagues, forensic medicine specialists from Munich and Vienna, investigated these fatalities in patients subjected to freedom-restraining measures.

  • Studying butterfly flight to help build bug-size flying robots
    By figuring out how butterflies flutter among flowers with amazing grace and agility, researchers hope to help build small airborne robots that can mimic those maneuvers.

  • Elevated glucose associated with undetected heart damage
    A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests that hyperglycemia injures the heart, even in patients without a history of heart disease or diabetes. The high-sensitivity test they used detected levels of cTnT tenfold lower than those found in patients diagnosed with a heart attack.

  • A new screening method for prostate cancer
    A new study by NYU Langone Medical Center and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine shows novel PSA velocity risk count testing may provide a more effective way for physicians to screen men for clinically significant prostate cancer. The new study, published online by the British Journal of Urology International, shows the benefits of tracking a man's PSA levels over time to help doctors more accurately assess his risk of life-threatening prostate cancer.

  • Rituximab possible treatment option for patients with primary biliary cirrhosis
    An open-label study of rituximab, a monoclonal antibody for human CD20, was shown to be safe in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis who had an incomplete response to the standard ursodeoxycholic acid therapy. Study details available in the February issue of Hepatology, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, report that rituximab was successful in reducing the level of alkaline phosphatase -- a protein used to measure liver injury.

  • Coffee consumption reduces fibrosis risk in those with fatty liver disease
    Caffeine consumption has long been associated with decreased risk of liver disease and reduced fibrosis in patients with chronic liver disease. Now, newly published research confirms that coffee caffeine consumption reduces the risk of advanced fibrosis in those with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. Findings published in the February issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, show that increased coffee intake, specifically among patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, decreases risk of hepatic fibrosis.

  • Rearranging the cell's skeleton
    Cell biologists at Johns Hopkins have identified key steps in how certain molecules alter a cell's skeletal shape and drive the cell's movement.

  • New ACS video celebrates the science behind one of Super Bowl Sunday's favorite foods
    With pizza, nachos and other cheesy dishes on the menu for an estimated 60 percent of Super Bowl Sunday football fans, the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, released a video today on the chemistry that transforms milk into cheese, a year-round favorite food. This video, the latest in ACS' award-winning Bytesize Science series, is available at www.BytesizeScience.com.

  • EARTH: Dangerous dust
    What would you do if you found out that the roads you drive on could cause cancer? This is the reality that residents face in Dunn County, North Dakota. For roughly 30 years, gravel containing the potentially carcinogenic mineral erionite was spread on nearly 500 kilometers of roads, playgrounds, parking lots, and even flower beds throughout Dunn County.

  • Understanding how bacteria come back from the dead
    Salmonella remains a serious cause of food poisoning, in part due to its ability to thrive and quickly adapt to the different environments in which it can grow. New research involving a team of scientists from the Institute of Food Research has taken a detailed look at what Salmonella does when it enters a new environment, which could provide clues to finding new ways of reducing transmission through the food chain and preventing human illness.

  • The effect of occasional binge drinking on heart disease and mortality among moderate drinkers
    Most studies have found that binge drinking is associated with a loss of alcohol's protective effect against ischemic heart disease and most studies have found an increase of coronary risk among binge drinkers.

  • UT biosolar breakthrough promises cheap, easy green electricity
    A professor of biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a team of researchers have developed a system that taps into photosynthetic processes to produce efficient and inexpensive energy.

  • Potential new treatment identified for leishmaniasis
    Researchers at the University of Dundee have identified fexinidazole as a possible, much-needed, new treatment for the parasitic disease visceral leishmaniasis.

  • Hand counts of votes may cause errors, says new Rice University study
    Hand counting of votes in postelection audit or recount procedures can result in error rates of up to two percent, according to a new study from Rice University and Clemson University.

  • Human immune cells react sensitively to 'stress'
    Scientists working with Professor Bernd Kaina of the Institute of Toxicology at the Medical Center of Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz have demonstrated for the first time that certain cells circulating in human blood - so-called monocytes - are extremely sensitive to reactive oxygen species .

  • Technology that translates content to the Internet protocol of the future
    A new protocol, IPv6, is being introduced across the Web. Researchers at Universidad Carlos III of Madrid who are participating in the Trilogy project have defined technology that allows users of this protocol to access Internet contents that are currently only available to users entering the Web using IPv4 protocol.

  • Using plants to silence insect genes in a high-throughput manner
    Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Germany, are now using a procedure which brings forward ecological research on insects: They study gene functions in moth larvae by manipulating genes using the RNA interference technology (RNAi). RNAi is induced by feeding larvae with plants that have been treated with viral vectors. This method called "plant virus based dsRNA producing system" increases sample throughput compared to the use of genetically transformed plants.

  • A silver bullet to beat cancer?
    The internet is awash with stories of how silver can be used to treat cancer. Now, lab tests have shown that it is as effective as the leading chemotherapy drug - and may have fewer side-effects.

  • Sanford-Burnham researchers find molecular switch that allows melanoma to resist therapy
    In a paper published Feb. 3 in Cell, researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute identified a molecular switch that controls the protein Activating Transcription Factor 2 (ATF2), which is associated with poor prognosis in melanoma. This switch is controlled by protein kinase Cε (PKCε), which disables ATF2's tumor-suppressing activities, sensitizing cells to chemotherapy; Instead, ATF2's tumor-promoting activity is enhanced. The team also found that high levels of PKCε in melanoma are associated with poor prognosis.

  • Scripps research scientists demonstrate effective new 'biopsy in a blood test' to detect cancer
    Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute, Scripps Health, and collaborating cancer physicians have successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of an advanced blood test for detecting and analyzing circulating tumor cells -- breakaway cells from patients' solid tumors -- from cancer patients. The findings, reported in five new papers, show that the highly sensitive blood analysis provides information that may soon be comparable to that from some types of surgical biopsies.

  • Study flags over-reliance on computer tests in return-to-plan decisions after concussion
    A new study by researchers at Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus and Pace University is critical of the widespread use of computerized neuropsychological tests in decisions regarding when athletes can return to play after suffering a concussion. The study points to inadequate levels of reliability and validity in the tests; their strain on brains that should be resting; and the fact that they miss elements that could be more important to recovery.

  • Heat and cold damage corals in their own ways, Scripps study shows
    Around the world coral reefs are facing threats brought by climate change and dramatic shifts in sea temperatures. While warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean policy managers, cold can also cause significant damage. Scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego have shown that cool temperatures can inflict more damage in the short term, but heat is more destructive in the long run.

  • Gene regulator in brain's executive hub tracked across lifespan -- NIH study
    Scientists have tracked the activity, across the lifespan, of an environmentally responsive regulatory mechanism that turns genes on and off in the brain's executive hub. Genes implicated in schizophrenia and autism are among those in which regulatory activity peaks during an environmentally-sensitive critical period in development. The mechanism, called DNA methylation, abruptly switches from off to on within the human brain's prefrontal cortex during this pivotal transition from fetal to postnatal life.

  • 'Goldilocks' gene could determine best treatment for TB patients
    Tuberculosis patients may receive treatments in the future according to what version they have of a single 'Goldilocks' gene, says an international research team from Oxford University, King's College London, Vietnam and the USA.

  • Sexually transmitted infections double in older population in 10 years
    Sexually active adults aged 45 and over are being encouraged to pay more thought to safe sex in line with recent figures showing that STIs in 50-90 year olds have doubled in the past ten years.

  • How to tell apart the forgetful from those at risk of Alzheimer's disease
    It can be difficult to distinguish between people with normal age-associated memory loss and those with amnestic mild cognitive impairment. However people with aMCI are at a greater risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Geriatrics shows that specific questions, included as part of a questionnaire designed to help diagnose AD, are also able to discriminate between normal memory loss and aMCI.

  • At International Stroke Conference, Cedars-Sinai neurology researchers present findings
    Stroke experts from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will present research updates at the International Stroke Conference of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Feb. 1 through Feb. 3 in New Orleans.

  • Plant power: The ultimate way to 'go green'?
    Researchers are turning to plants and solar power in the search for new sources of renewable and sustainable energy that can support the transition from rapidly depleting fossil fuels to a bio-based society. An article published by Cell Press in the Feb. 8 issue of Trends in Plant Science discusses innovative strategies for harnessing and re-routing the chemical reactions associated with photosynthesis to efficiently produce highly valuable products.

  • NIH study uncovers probable mechanism underlying resveratrol activity
    National Institutes of Health researchers and their colleagues have identified how resveratrol, a naturally occurring chemical found in red wine and other plant products, may confer its health benefits. The authors present evidence that resveratrol does not directly activate sirtuin 1, a protein associated with aging. Rather, the authors found that resveratrol inhibits certain types of proteins known as phosphodiesterases (PDEs), enzymes that help regulate cell energy.

  • Malaria kills nearly twice as many people than previously thought, but deaths declining rapidly
    Malaria is killing more people worldwide than previously thought -- 1.2 million -- but the number of deaths has fallen rapidly as efforts to combat the disease have ramped up, according to new research from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. IHME researchers say that deaths from malaria have been missed by previous studies because of the assumption that the disease mainly kills children under age five.

  • Intermittent exercise improves blood glucose control for diabetics
    Intermittent exercise with and without low oxygen concentrations can improve insulin sensitivity in type two diabetics, however exercise while under hypoxic conditions provides greater improvements in glycemic control than intermittent exercise alone, according to a recent study accepted for publication in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

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