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Oral Microbiome: Spit Reveals A Lot About What Lives In Your Mouth Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Your mouth is home to a thriving community of microbial life. More than 600 different species of bacteria reside in this "microbiome," yet everyone hosts a unique set of bugs, and this has important implications for health and disease. Scientists have now performed the first global survey of salivary microbes, finding that the oral microbiome of your neighbor is just as different from yours as someone across the globe.

'Wireless' Activation Of Brain Circuits Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Traditionally, stimulating nerves or brain tissue involves cumbersome wiring and a sharp metal electrode. But a team of researchers is going "wireless." And it's a unique collaboration between chemists and neuroscientists that led to the discovery of a remarkable new way to use light to activate brain circuits with nanoparticles.

How Inflammatory Disease Causes Fatigue Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST New animal research may indicate how certain diseases make people feel so tired and listless. Although the brain is usually isolated from the immune system, the study suggests that certain behavioral changes suffered by those with chronic inflammatory diseases are caused by the infiltration of immune cells into the brain. The findings suggest possible new treatment avenues to improve patients' quality of life.

Case Report Of A Brain And Spinal Tumor Following Human Fetal Stem Cell Therapy Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST A case report, published in a medical journal, describes a rare side effect of human fetal stem cell therapy.

Assisted Colonization Key To Species' Survival In Changing Climate Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Species are adapting slowly to climate change and "assisted colonization" can play a vital role in helping wildlife to survive in a warming world.

New IPod Listening Study Shows Surprising Behavior Of Teens Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST A new study involving iPods and teenagers indicates teenagers who receive pressure from their peers or others to turn down the volume of their iPods instead turn them up higher.

HIV Is Evolving To Evade Human Immune Responses Posted: 28 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST HIV is evolving rapidly to escape the human immune system, scientists have shown. The findings demonstrate the challenge involved in developing a vaccine for HIV that keeps pace with the changing nature of the virus. The study better describes HIV's ability to adapt by spelling out at least 14 different "escape mutations" that help keep the virus alive after it interacts genetically with immunity molecules that normally attack HIV.

Immune System 'Atlas' Will Speed Detection Of Kidney Transplant Posted: 28 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Scientists have devised a new way to decode the immune signals that cause slow, chronic rejection of all transplanted kidneys.

Engineering Students Build And Design A Fuel-Stingy Vehicle Posted: 28 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST With its light body made of Kevlar, sleek aerodynamic design and three Olympic-racing wheelchair tires, it looks like something that escaped from the Batcave.

Type Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Medication May Be Associated With Increased Risk For Shingles Posted: 28 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Use of certain medications known as monoclonal anti-tumor necrosis factor ± antibodies for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis appears to be associated with an increased risk for herpes zoster, the painful infection characterized by blisters, according to a new study.

Engineers Tune A Nanoscale Grating Structure To Trap And Release A Variety Of Light Waves Posted: 28 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Researchers have developed a graded grating structure that can be scaled to dimensions compatible with light waves in both the terahertz and telecommunications portion of the spectrum. The achievement opens the door to the control of light waves on a chip. It has applications in spectroscopy, sensing and medical imaging, and it could hasten the arrival of all-optical telecommunication networks.

Old Toenails Show Level Of Environmental Exposure To Arsenic Posted: 28 Feb 2009 08:00 AM PST Scientists have devised a method for identifying levels of exposure to environmental arsenic – by testing toenail clippings. Arsenic occurs naturally in the environment and people can be exposed to it in several ways, for example through contaminated water, food, dust or soil.

Desert Ants Smell Their Way Home Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Humans lost in the desert are well known for going around in circles, prompting scientists to ask how desert creatures find their way around without landmarks for guidance. New research shows that desert ants input both local smells and visual cues into their navigation systems to guide them home.

Slowing Aging: Anti-aging Pathway Enhances Cell Stress Response Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Scientists have discovered a new molecular relationship critical to keeping cells healthy across a long span of time: a protein called SIRT1, important for caloric restriction and lifespan and activated by resveratrol, regulates heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), keeping it active. HSF1 in turn senses the presence of damaged proteins in the cell and elevates the expression of molecular chaperons to keep a cell's proteins in a folded, functional state. "We have identified a pathway that can be manipulated to alter lifespan," said one of the researchers.

How One And The Same Nerve Cell Reacts To Two Visual Areas In Flies Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST In comparison to many other living creatures, flies tend to be small and their brains, despite their complexity, are quite manageable. Scientists have now ascertained that these insects can make up for their low number of nerve cells by means of sophisticated network interactions. The neurobiologists examined nerve cells that receive motion information in their input region from only a narrow area of the fly's field of vision. Yet, thanks to their linking with neighboring cells, the cells respond in their output regions to movements from a much wider field of vision. This results in a robust processing of information.

Some MRSA Infections In ICU Patients Have Been Decreasing In Recent Years Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST In contrast to the perception that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections associated with use of a catheter is an increasing problem in intensive care unit patients, the incidence of this type of infection decreased by nearly 50 percent from 1997 - 2007, according to a new study.

Using Software To Measure Variances In 'Honeycrisp' Apple Peels Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST Apples, long been associated with good health, contain anthocyanins, important antioxidants that give the peels their red coloring. One variety of apple called "honeycrisp" has peel pigment that takes on one of two patterns -- "striped" or "blushed." A single honeycrisp tree can produce both striped and blushed apples, a phenomenon unique to this variety. In terms of marketability, consumers in some regions prefer striped apples, while others prefer blushed, but overall redder is better.

More Compulsory Schooling -- Fewer Teenage Mothers Posted: 28 Feb 2009 02:00 AM PST More compulsory schooling results in fewer teenage pregnancies, according to new research. More school means less time for so-called risk activities, such as getting pregnant. And -- the more schooling they have, the smarter the choices girls make.

Babies Learn Music While Sleeping Posted: 27 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST Early screening and treatment for infants with hearing problems, and the ability to computer-generate musical scores, are two very different possible outcomes of some "off-the-wall" research.

Alzheimer's-associated Plaques May Have Impact Throughout The Brain Posted: 27 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST The impact of the amyloid plaques that appear in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease may extend beyond the deposits' effects on neurons -- the cells that transmit electrochemical signals throughout the nervous system. Researchers now report that amyloid plaques may globally increase the activity of astrocytes, nervous system cells traditionally considered to provide a supporting role in brain function.

Tigers Get A Stimulus Plan Posted: 27 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST A new effort for tiger conservation across its range has been started. There are no exact numbers for wild tiger populations, both historical and current. But two hundred years ago the total number of wild tigers was likely to have been between 100,000 to 500,000 compared to today's total of around about 5,000 tigers, including 2,300 breeding adults. Tigers are listed by IUCN as endangered.

Medicines From The Sea Posted: 27 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST For the first time, Norwegian scientists have managed to produce completely new antibiotics from bacteria found in the sea.

Solar Energy Performance With Plastic Solar Cells Improved With New Method Posted: 27 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST Scientists have engineered an approach that is leading to improved performance of plastic solar cells (hybrid organic solar cells).

Healthy Food Availability Could Depend On Where You Live, As Does The Quality Of Your Diet Posted: 27 Feb 2009 08:00 PM PST The availability of healthy food choices and your quality of diet is associated with where you live. Researchers examined healthy food availability and diet quality among Baltimore City and Baltimore County, Md., residents and found that availability of healthy foods was associated with quality of diet and 46 percent of lower-income neighborhoods had a low availability of healthy foods.

Nano-origami Used To Build Tiny Electronic Devices Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Researchers are developing the basic principles of nano-origami, a new technique that allows engineers to fold nanoscale materials into simple 3-D structures. The tiny folded materials could be used as motors and capacitors, potentially leading to better computer memory storage, faster microprocessors and new nanophotonic devices.

Compounds Protect Against Cerebral Palsy Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Two compounds developed by Northwestern University chemists have been shown to be effective in pre-clinical trials in protecting against cerebral palsy, a condition caused by neurodegeneration that affects body movement and muscle coordination. There was a remarkable difference between animals treated with a small dose of one of the compounds and those that were not. The findings suggest a preventive strategy for cerebral palsy may be feasible for humans in the future.

Critically Endangered Cheetahs In Algeria Snapped With Camera Trap Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST A survey of the Sahara has captured the first camera-trap photographs of the critically endangered Saharan cheetah in Algeria. Overall, the survey identified four different Saharan cheetahs --- a subspecies of cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus hecki) --- using spot patterns unique to each individual.

Supplement Of Probiotics Provides A New Therapy For Ulcerative Colitis Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a non-specific chronic inflammation of intestinal tract and the primary therapies are limited by the side-effects, poor compliance of patient and the high rates of relapse. The supplements of probiotics provide a new therapy for UC. A research group in China compared the effects of four strains of probiotics (E.feacalis, L.acidophilus, C.butyricum and B.adolescentis) in order to find one or two obvious effective strains.

Traces Of Blood Are Eliminated Completely By New Products Containing Active Oxygen Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Scientists have shown that traces of blood in various materials are eliminated completely when they are washed with detergents containing active oxygen. The conclusion of the study points out that these new products alter blood to such an extent that this cannot be detected by reagents used in forensics.

Ethanol Plants No Panacea For Local Economies, Study Finds Posted: 27 Feb 2009 05:00 PM PST Just over a year ago, the US ethanol industry was still in overdrive, fueling a wave of new factories to keep pace with surging demand for the corn-based gasoline additive. But the boom has since stalled amid a deep economic downturn that has stifled demand, one of many threats to the fledgling industry that were forecast in a 2007 study.

Scientists Discover Why Teeth In Mammals, But Not Sharks, Form In A Single Row Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST A system of opposing genetic forces determines why mammals develop a single row of teeth, while sharks sport several, according to a study in the journal Science. When completely understood, the genetic program described in the study may help guide efforts to re-grow missing teeth and prevent cleft palate, one of the most common birth defects.

Antibiotic Combination Defeats Extensively Drug-resistant TB Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST A combination of two FDA-approved drugs, already approved for fighting other bacterial infections, shows potential for treating extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, the most deadly form of the infection.

Commercial Ships Spew Half As Much Particulate Pollution As World's Cars Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Commercial ships emit almost half as much particulate pollutants into the air globally as the total amount released by the world's cars, according to a new study.

Type 1 Diabetes: Compounds That Trigger Beta Cell Replication Identified Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST Researchers have identified a set of compounds that can trigger the proliferation of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas, using sophisticated high-throughput screening techniques. This is an initial step in the possible discovery of regenerative medicines for type 1 diabetes.

An 'Impossible' Alloy Now Possible: Cerium And Aluminum Form Substitutional Alloy At High Pressure Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST What has been impossible has now been shown to be possible – an alloy between two incompatible elements.

Burnout Among Police Officers: Differences In How Male, Female Police Officers Manage Stress May Accentuate Stress On The Job Posted: 27 Feb 2009 02:00 PM PST The different ways in which men and women in the police force deal with stress may actually cause them more stress. Researchers studied the gender differences in stress and burnout among police officers.

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