ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Tuesday, November 22, 2011
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Improved method of electrical stimulation could help treat damaged nerves (November 22, 2011) -- A plastic surgery research team and an engineering team have described a new method of nerve stimulation that reduces electrical threshold by 40 percent, compared with traditional functional electrical stimulation therapy. ... > full story
Key gene function against cell death discovered (November 22, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered that two genes (TSC/Tuberin and PRAS40) are extremely important regulators in the development of stem cells: if these genes are switched off, the stem cells do not develop but instead die a programmed cell death. ... > full story
Wood biofuel could be a competitive industry by 2020 (November 22, 2011) -- Fuel made from wood could become a competitive commercial alternative to fuel made from corn by 2020 if the wood biofuel industry is supported, according to a new study. ... > full story
Research examines college students' knowledge about eating disorders (November 22, 2011) -- They're the prime demographic for developing eating disorders, yet new research suggests that it could be difficult for college students to notice the warning signs of disordered eating. ... > full story
People with early Alzheimer's disease may be more likely to have lower BMI (November 22, 2011) -- Studies have shown that people who are overweight in middle age are more likely to develop Alzheimer's disease decades later than people at normal weight, yet researchers have also found that people in the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease are more likely to have a lower body mass index (BMI). A current study examines this relationship between Alzheimer's disease and BMI. ... > full story
Erectile dysfunction study shows high prevalence of peripheral neuropathy (November 22, 2011) -- Researchers have uncovered clear links between erectile dysfunction (ED) and peripheral neuropathy. This study of 90 patients shows that men with more severe symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, which can be caused by disease, trauma or illness, had greater self-reported ED and required more aggressive treatment. The findings underline the importance of clinicians carrying out neurophysiological tests on patients with ED, particularly in the pelvic area. ... > full story
Public asked to help in fight against malaria (November 22, 2011) -- IBM's Watson computing system broke new ground earlier this year when it defeated two celebrated human competitors on the Jeopardy! game show. Now, The Scripps Research Institute is hoping to do something equally novel but more critical to human health with part of the prize money from that tournament: Find a cure for drug-resistant malaria. And it's asking for the public's help. ... > full story
Measuring outcome in the treatment of depression via the Web (November 22, 2011) -- A newly published article reports that Web-based assessments for outcome measurements of patients in treatment for depression are valid and reliable. The findings indicate that the Internet version of the depression scale was equivalent to the paper version, and that patients preferred the Internet version. ... > full story
Future prostate cancer treatments might be guided by math (November 21, 2011) -- Scientists have designed a first draft of a mathematical model that someday could guide treatment decisions for advanced prostate cancer, in part by helping doctors predict how individual patients will respond to therapy based on the biology of their tumors. These decisions would apply to treatment of cancer that has already spread beyond the prostate gland or that has recurred after initial treatments, such as surgery or radiation. ... > full story
Hemoglobin A1c testing method fails to identify kids with diabetes, study shows (November 21, 2011) -- In 2009, the American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommended that Hemoglobin A1c be exclusively used for the diagnosis of diabetes in children. The simple test measures longer-term blood sugar levels -- without requiring patients to fast overnight. However, a new study has shown that these tests are not very accurate in children. ... > full story
New way to form extracellular vesicles (November 21, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a protein called TAT-5 that affects the production of extracellular vesicles, small sacs of membrane released from the surface of cells, capable of sending signals to other cells. ... > full story
Ignorance is bliss when it comes to challenging social issues (November 21, 2011) -- The less people know about important complex issues such as the economy, energy consumption and the environment, the more they want to avoid becoming well-informed, according to new research. ... > full story
Key molecules for hearing and balance discovered: Can hearing be restored? (November 21, 2011) -- Researchers have identified two proteins that may be the key components of the long-sought after mechanotransduction channel in the inner ear -- the place where the mechanical stimulation of sound waves is transformed into electrical signals that the brain recognizes as sound. A gene-therapy trial based on this research will attempt to restore hearing in deaf mice. ... > full story
Cancer drug cisplatin found to bind like glue in cellular RNA (November 21, 2011) -- An anti-cancer drug used extensively in chemotherapy binds pervasively to RNA -- up to 20-fold more than it does to DNA, a surprise finding that suggests new targeting approaches might be useful, according to researchers. ... > full story
Faster-than-light neutrinos? New test confirms accuracy of experiment's initial measurement in flight time of neutrinos (November 21, 2011) -- After inviting the particle physics community to scrutinize their surprising neutrino time-of-flight measurements, a collaboration of physicists has rechecked many aspects of its analysis and taken into account valuable suggestions from a wide range of sources. One key test was to repeat the measurement with very short beam pulses from CERN. This allowed the extraction time of the protons, which ultimately lead to the neutrino beam, to be measured more precisely. The beam sent from CERN consisted of pulses three nanoseconds long separated by up to 524 nanoseconds. Some 20 clean neutrino events were measured at the Gran Sasso Laboratory, and precisely associated with the pulse leaving CERN. This test confirms the accuracy of OPERA's timing measurement, ruling out one potential source of systematic error. ... > full story
Too much undeserved self-praise can lead to depression (November 21, 2011) -- People who try to boost their self-esteem by telling themselves they've done a great job when they haven't could end up feeling dejected instead, according to new research. ... > full story
New way to boost potency of natural pain relief chemical in body (November 21, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new means of enhancing the effects of anandamide -- a natural, marijuana-like chemical in the body that provides pain relief. ... > full story
Cancer vaccine impact limited unless drug industry focuses on difficult-to-treat tumors, experts say (November 21, 2011) -- Drug companies currently developing therapeutic cancer vaccines may be determining the cancers they target based on the number of annual cases, not the number of deaths they cause. This approach may limit the patient benefits of such drugs, according to a new University of Michigan report. ... > full story
Lightning sprites are out-of-this-world: 'Sprites' predicted in atmospheres of Jupiter, Saturn and Venus (November 21, 2011) -- Lightning storms on planets like Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars may also produce "sprites," bursts of electric energy. Scientists have re-created the atmospheres of these planets to produce artificial "sprites," and the research could lead to a new understanding of electrical and chemical processes on these planets. ... > full story
Nerve cells key to making sense of our senses (November 21, 2011) -- The human brain is bombarded with a cacophony of information from the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and skin. Now scientists have unraveled how the brain manages to process those complex, rapidly changing, and often conflicting sensory signals to make sense of our world. ... > full story
Retinal microvascular changes associated with disability in daily activities among older adults (November 21, 2011) -- Retinal microvascular changes appear to be associated with development of disability in performing activities of daily living among older adults, and retinal signs may be useful in predicting outcomes among this population, according to new report. ... > full story
More accurate tropical cyclone prediction model developed (November 21, 2011) -- While the prediction of hurricane tracks have steadily improved over the last few decades, improvements in the predictions of storm intensity and structure have proven much more difficult. ... > full story
Older women still suffer from hot flashes and night sweats years after menopause, study finds (November 21, 2011) -- Women still have hot flashes and night sweats years after menopause, a new study finds. Hot flashes and night sweats (HF/NS) are the main physical signs of the menopause, however their prevalence, frequency, severity and duration vary considerably. ... > full story
New test for coronary artery disease linked to higher rates of cardiac procedures and greater costs (November 21, 2011) -- A new, noninvasive diagnostic test for coronary artery disease is associated with a higher rate of subsequent invasive cardiac procedures and higher health-care spending, according to an observational study of Medicare recipients. ... > full story
New class of small molecules discovered through innovative chemistry (November 21, 2011) -- Inspired by natural products, scientists have now created a new class of small molecules with the potential to serve as a rich foundation for drug discovery. ... > full story
Poverty-related stress affects readiness for school (November 21, 2011) -- Researchers studying 1,300 mostly low-income children looked at demographic characteristics, household environment, parenting quality, and cortisol levels when the children were 7-24 months old and executive functions when the children were 3. They found that children in lower-income homes received less positive parenting and had higher levels of cortisol in their first two years than children in slightly better-off homes, and that higher levels of cortisol were associated with lower levels of executive function abilities. ... > full story
Patients with severe sepsis and new-onset atrial fibrillation at increased risk of in-hospital stroke, death (November 21, 2011) -- Patients hospitalized with severe sepsis who experience new-onset atrial fibrillation have an associated increased risk of in-hospital stroke and death, according to a new study. ... > full story
Spanish researchers design a new TV remote control (November 21, 2011) -- Researchers in Spain have designed a new type of TV remote control that is capable of measuring finger pressure and wrist rotation angle. It then transmits this information to the TV to change channel or adjust the volume to the preferred level. ... > full story
Friendship makes a difference in stress regulation (November 21, 2011) -- A nationwide Dutch study of 100 fourth graders sought to determine whether victimization and exclusion by peers were related to increases in cortisol (a stress hormone), and whether friendships moderated this association. The study found that children who were excluded by their classmates had elevated levels of cortisol at school, indicating that exclusion is stressful. Victimization by classmates wasn't associated with increased cortisol levels, suggesting that victimization is not as stressful as exclusion. ... > full story
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