ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Tuesday, November 4, 2008
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Mending Broken Hearts With Tissue Engineering (November 4, 2008) -- Broken hearts could one day be mended using a novel scaffold. The new scaffold approach could also aid the engineering of other tissues. ... > full story
Skin Cancer: Designer Molecule Tackles Malignant Cells By Two Completely Different Routes (November 4, 2008) -- By playing it safe and using a two-pronged attack, a novel designer molecule fights malignant melanoma. The substance is similar to components of viruses and in this way alerts the immune system. The body's own defenses are also strengthened against cancer cells in this process. At the same time, the novel molecule also puts pressure on the tumor in a different way. It switches off a specific gene in the malignant cells, thus driving them to suicide. With mice suffering from cancer, the researchers have thus been able to fight metastases in the lung. ... > full story
Fluid Transducer: Electricity From Gas And Water (November 4, 2008) -- A large number of technical systems work with air or water. Air compression systems and water pipes are just two examples. Researchers have now successfully managed to convert this fluidic energy into electricity. This could enable sensors to supply themselves with energy in future. ... > full story
Video-assisted Thoracic Surgery Offers Comprehensive Cancer Removal Compared To Open Surgery, Study Suggests (November 4, 2008) -- Minimally invasive surgery for lung cancer called video-assisted thoracic surgery or VATS is a relatively new procedure performed almost exclusively at academic centers. Now, a preliminary study is giving surgeons an early look at its benefits. ... > full story
Smart Fabrics, The New Black (November 4, 2008) -- Smart fabrics and intelligent textiles – material that incorporates cunning molecules or clever electronics – is thriving and European research efforts are tackling some of the sector’s toughest challenges. ... > full story
Greater Alcohol Outlet Density Is Linked To Male-to-female Partner Violence (November 4, 2008) -- Alcohol-outlet density is associated with a number of adverse health and social consequences. New research examines the relationship between AOD and intimate partner violence. Findings show that an increase of 10 alcohol outlets per 10,000 persons was associated with a 34 percent increased risk of male-to-female partner violence. ... > full story
Human Genes: Alternative Splicing Far More Common Than Thought (November 4, 2008) -- Scientists have long known that it's possible for one gene to produce slightly different forms of the same protein by skipping or including certain sequences from the messenger RNA. Now, scientists have shown that this phenomenon, known as alternative splicing, is both far more prevalent and varies more between tissues than was previously believed. ... > full story
Gene Scan Of Alzheimer's Families Identifies Four New Suspect Genes (November 4, 2008) -- The first family-based genome-wide association study in Alzheimer's disease has identified the sites of four novel genes that may significantly influence risk for the most common late-onset form of the devastating neurological disorder. ... > full story
New Mechanism Of Resistance To Dengue Virus (November 4, 2008) -- It is becoming increasingly common to see individuals infected by the dengue virus who develop an ultimately fatal hemorrhagic syndrome, particularly in children during epidemics. However, in most cases, dengue remains a generally benign or even asymptomatic viral infection. One explanation for this phenomenon is a new mechanism of resistance to dengue virus could form the basis for new strategies to prevent this disease. ... > full story
First International Guidelines For Treatment Of Psoriatic Arthritis Developed (November 4, 2008) -- Rheumatologists, dermatologists and patient advocates have come together to publish the first-ever international guidelines for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis, a disease that mainly affects people who have psoriasis but also some people without it. ... > full story
Large Anthropogenic Nutrient And Pollutant Loads To The Sea From Small Unmonitored Near-coastal Catchment Areas (November 4, 2008) -- A new study shows that the waterborne nutrient and pollutant loads from land to the sea may be larger from small near-coastal areas, which are left without systematic environmental monitoring of their coastal loads, than from the large, systematically monitored main rivers. ... > full story
Criminal Offenders: Childhood Anxiety May Delay Onset Of Criminal Behavior Until After Age 21 (November 4, 2008) -- A new study examines whether certain childhood traits in boys delay criminal behavior until after the age of 21. ... > full story
Odorprints Like Fingerprints? Personal Odors Remain Distinguishable Regardless Of Diet (November 3, 2008) -- Scientists present behavioral and chemical findings to reveal that an individual's underlying odor signature remains detectable even in the face of major dietary changes. The findings indicate that biologically-based odorprints, like fingerprints, could be a reliable way to identify individual humans. ... > full story
Crucial Hormonal Pathway To Bone Building Uncovered (November 3, 2008) -- New study shows parathyroid hormone given intermittently enhances the body's own bone-building action through a specific "co-receptor" on the surface of bone cells. Previously, PTH was known to stimulate bone formation, but the exact mechanism was unknown. ... > full story
Parasites And Global Change: Past Patterns, Future Projections (November 3, 2008) -- Throughout history, environmental disturbances and global climate change have strongly influenced how humans are affected by parasites, according to one parasitologist. ... > full story
Patience During Stalled Labor Can Avoid Many C-sections, Study Shows (November 3, 2008) -- Pregnant women whose labor stalls while in the active phase of childbirth can reduce health risks to themselves and their infants by waiting out the delivery process for an extra two hours, according to a new study. ... > full story
Antioxidants Can Reduce The Toxic Effects Of Lead, Study Suggests (November 3, 2008) -- A research study shows that administering natural antioxidants can reduce the effects of lead poisoning in animals during the gestation and lactation periods. The study suggests that it could also be effective in humans. ... > full story
Weight Does Not Affect Women's Sexual Behavior, Study Finds (November 3, 2008) -- Oregon and Hawaiian researchers have found that a woman's weight does not seem to affect sexual behavior. In fact, overweight women are more likely to report having sex with men than women considered to be of "normal weight." ... > full story
Tiny Fungi May Have Sex While Infecting Humans (November 3, 2008) -- A fungus called microsporidia that causes chronic diarrhea in AIDS patients, organ transplant recipients and travelers has been identified as a member of the family of fungi that have been discovered to reproduce sexually. Scientists have proven that microsporidia are true fungi and that this species most likely undergoes a form of sexual reproduction during infection of humans and other host animals. ... > full story
Stem Cell Therapies For Heart Disease (November 3, 2008) -- New research brings stem cell therapies for heart disease one step closer. The findings reveal that our bodies' ability to respond to an internal "mayday" signal may hold the key to success for long-awaited regenerative medicine. ... > full story
Teen Pregnancy Linked To Viewing Of Sexual Content On TV (November 3, 2008) -- Adolescents who have high levels of exposure to television programs that contain sexual content are twice as likely to be involved in a pregnancy over the following three years as their peers who watch few such shows, according to a new study. ... > full story
Obesity, Other Health Problems Delay MS Diagnosis (November 3, 2008) -- People with pre-existing medical conditions, such as obesity, and vascular problems such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol, may experience a delay in being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, or experience an increase in severity of the disease at diagnosis. ... > full story
Long-term Stabilization Of Carbon Dioxide In Atmosphere Will Require Major Cuts In Emissions (November 3, 2008) -- Carbon dioxide, the greenhouse gas that has had the largest impact on our climate, will continue to rise even if current national and international targets for reducing emissions are met, scientists warn. But, they say, strong action taken now – such as the 80% target recently announced by the UK government – will continue to have benefits a long time into the future. ... > full story
Streamlining Brain Signals For Speed And Efficacy (November 3, 2008) -- Life exists at the edge of chaos, where small changes can have striking and unanticipated effects, and major stimuli may go unheard. But there is no space for ambiguity when the brain needs to transform head motion into precise eye, head, and body movements that rapidly stabilize our posture and gaze. Now researchers have explained how the vestibular-ocular reflex, which keeps us and the world around us stable, achieves its accuracy. ... > full story
Critically Endangered Fruit Bat Make Dramatic Return From Brink Of Extinction (November 3, 2008) -- A once critically endangered bat species, the 'Pemba flying fox', has made a dramatic return from the brink of extinction, according to new research. As recently as 1989, only a scant few individual fruit bats could be observed on the tropical island of Pemba, off Tanzania. Its numbers have since soared to an astounding 22,000 bats in less than 20 years, the new research finds. ... > full story
Magnet Restores Color Perception In Partially-sighted Patient (November 3, 2008) -- By manipulating the brain non-invasively in a new way with magnetic stimulation, researchers have shown that they can restore some experience of color where before there was no visual awareness whatsoever. ... > full story
Compound Stabilizes Main Natural Suppressor Of Tumors (November 3, 2008) -- Scientists have discovered a substance with the capacity to maintain protein p53 stable even when it presents certain mutations that promote the appearance of cancer. ... > full story
New Mouse Mutant Contains Clue To Progressive Hearing Loss (November 3, 2008) -- Researchers have defined a mutation in the mouse genome that mimics progressive hearing loss in humans. Scientists have found that mice carrying a mutation called Oblivion displayed problems with the function of hair cells in the inner ear, occurring before clear physical effects are seen. ... > full story
Good Code, Bad Computations: A Computer Security Gray Area (November 3, 2008) -- If you want to make sure your computer or server is not tricked into undertaking malicious or undesirable behavior, it's not enough to keep bad code out of the system. New research shows that the process of building bad programs from good code using "return-oriented programming" can be automated and that this vulnerability applies to multiple computer architectures. ... > full story
Study Of Learning Disabled Mice Shows Balance In The Brain Is Key (November 3, 2008) -- A new study has revealed the molecular and cellular underpinnings of one of the most common, single gene causes for learning disability in humans. The findings made in learning disabled mice offer new insight into what happens in the brain when we learn and remember. ... > full story
Earliest Known Hebrew Text In Proto-Canaanite Script Discovered In Area Where 'David Slew Goliath' (November 3, 2008) -- The earliest known Hebrew text written in a Proto-Canaanite script has been discovered by Hebrew University archaeologists in an ancient city in the area where legend has it that David slew Goliath -- the earliest Judean city found to date. The 3,000 year old finding is thought to be the most significant archaeological discovery in Israel since the Dead Sea Scrolls -- predating them by 1,000 years. ... > full story
Vigorous Activity Protects Against Breast Cancer, Study Shows (November 3, 2008) -- Normal-weight women who carry out lots of vigorous exercise are approximately 30 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who don't exercise vigorously. A study of more than 30,000 postmenopausal American women has revealed that a sedentary lifestyle can be a risk factor for the disease -- even in women who are not overweight. ... > full story
Corn Researchers Discover Novel Gene Shut-off Mechanisms (November 3, 2008) -- Scientists have identified unusual differences in the natural mechanisms that turn off, or "silence," genes in corn. The discovery, which was made by comparing the impact of inactivating a gene that occurs in both corn and in the much-studied laboratory plant Arabidopsis, provides new insight into how one of the world's most important crops protects itself from mutation-causing mobile DNA elements and viruses. ... > full story
How Signals Flow Between Neurons: New Research Explains Membrane Fusion At Synapse (November 3, 2008) -- Imagine a bathtub with two soap bubbles colliding but never fusing. Then you add detergent, and the surface of the water goes flat as the walls of the bubbles collapse and merge. Scientists have used that analogy to describe the action of synaptotagmin-1, which acts to catalyze the fusion of the membranes of tiny neurotransmitter-filled bubbles called vesicles with the wall membrane of a neuron. This action allows signals to flow between neurons. ... > full story
Satellites Approach Theoretical Shannon Limit (November 3, 2008) -- Satellites are achieving unparalleled efficiency with a new protocol, DVB-S2. The performance of DVB-S2 satellite systems is very close to the theoretical maximum, defined by the Shannon Limit. That efficiency could be pushed even further by network optimization tools and equipment recently developed by European researchers. ... > full story
Prenatal Exposure To Famine May Lead To Persistent Epigenetic Changes (November 3, 2008) -- Prenatal exposure to famine can lead to epigenetic changes that may affect a person's health into midlife. New findings show a trickle-down effect from pregnant women to the DNA of their unborn children and the timeframe over which such early damage can operate. These data are the first to show that early-life environmental conditions can cause epigenetic changes in humans that persist throughout life. ... > full story
Credit Card-swipe Device To Test For Hundreds Of Diseases (November 3, 2008) -- Scientists successfully created a sensitive prototype device that could test for dozens or even hundreds of diseases simultaneously by acting like a credit card-swipe machine to scan a card loaded with microscopic blood, saliva or urine samples. The prototype works on the same principle -- giant magnetoresistance or GMR -- that is used to read data on computer hard drives or listen to tunes on portable digital music players. ... > full story
Brain Stimulation Improves Dexterity (November 3, 2008) -- Applying electrical stimulation to the scalp and the underlying motor regions of the brain could make you more skilled at delicate tasks. Research in the journal BMC Neuroscience shows that a non-invasive brain-stimulation technique, transcranial direct current stimulation, is able to improve the use of a person's non-dominant hand. ... > full story
Study Rules Out Inbreeding As Cause Of Amphibian Deformities (November 3, 2008) -- Although research has linked inbreeding with elevated rates of deformity in a wide variety of animals, a new study finds it plays no part in the high incidence of malformation among salamanders. ... > full story
Can Your Doctor Correctly Read A Critical Heart Test? Improving Accuracy Of Electrocardiogram Interpretation (November 3, 2008) -- Correct interpretation of an electrocardiogram may prompt life-saving, emergency measures; incorrect interpretation may delay care with life-threatening consequences. Currently, there is no uniform way to teach doctors in training how to interpret an ECG or assess their competence in the interpretation. To address the lack of uniformity, a team of physicians from the University of Maryland School of Medicine and the American College of Cardiology has developed the first Web-based training and examination program for reading ECGs. ... > full story
'Superenzymes' Could Streamline Biofuels Refining (November 3, 2008) -- Stain removers that make even the most stubborn spots on your clothes vanish in the wash may be powered by molecules known as enzymes. Scientists are in search of similarly strong, fast-acting enzymes. But the ones they want would be put to work not in your laundry room, but instead at biofuels refineries, where the enzymes' job would be to break down the cell walls of bioenergy crops such as switchgrass. ... > full story
Videoconferencing More Confusing For Decision-makers Than Face-to-face Meetings (November 3, 2008) -- Although videoconferencing has become a billion-dollar substitute for flying business people to meetings, it leaves distant participants less likely to make sound judgments about speakers being viewed over a screen, according to a study in a journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. ... > full story
'Ghost Of Mirach' Materializes In Space Telescope Image (November 3, 2008) -- NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has lifted the veil off a ghost known to haunt the local universe, providing new insight into the formation and evolution of galaxies. The eerie creature, called NGC 404, is a type of galaxy known as "lenticular." Lenticular galaxies are disk-shaped, with little ongoing star formation and no spiral arms. NGC 404 is the nearest example of a lenticular galaxy, and therefore of great interest. But it lies hidden in the glare from a red giant star called Mirach. For this reason, NGC 404 became known to astronomers as the "Ghost of Mirach." ... > full story
Key To Aggressive Breast Cancer Discovered (November 3, 2008) -- In trying to find out why HER2-positive breast cancer can be more aggressive than other forms of the disease, researchers have surprisingly discovered that HER2 itself is the culprit. HER2 advances tumor growth by shutting down its own suppressor. ... > full story
World's Rarest Big Cat Gets A Check-up (November 3, 2008) -- The world's rarest big cat is alive and well. At least one of them, that is, according to researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society who captured and released a female Far Eastern leopard in Russia last week. ... > full story
Diabetes Medication May Be Linked To Lower Risk Of Death From Cardiovascular Disease (November 3, 2008) -- The diabetes medication metformin may be associated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to a meta-analysis of previously published studies. No associations were found between other diabetes medications and beneficial or harmful cardiovascular effects, in part because of insufficient data, the authors note. ... > full story
New Classification Of African Middle Stone Age (November 3, 2008) -- Archaeologists have succeeded in dating layers in South Africa that provide information about stone tool innovation on the Middle Stone Age. This archaeological epoch began at the same time as the earliest appearances of humans (homo sapiens sapiens), about 200,000 years ago, in Africa and differs from the European Middle Stone Age chronologically. It is categorized as an era of change and marked by the development of regional stone tool traditions, the appearance of many innovations and the emergence of significant new behavior such as the production of art and jewelery. ... > full story
Media Coverage Affects How People Perceive Threat Of Disease (November 3, 2008) -- Popular media coverage of infectious diseases greatly influences how people perceive those diseases, making them seem more dangerous, according to a new study. ... > full story
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