ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• In breakthrough, nerve connections are regenerated after spinal cord injury
• Bariatric surgery in diabetic adults improves insulin sensitivity better than diet, study finds
• Genetic differences that make some people susceptible to meningitis revealed in major new study
• Kinked nanopores slow DNA passage for easier sequencing
• Doctors not strongly encouraging HPV vaccine to girls of certain age; National guidelines not closely followed, survey finds
• Highly directional terahertz laser rays created: Semiconductor laser suitable for security screening, chemical sensing and astronomy
• New anti-viral drug shows promise for dramatic improvement in hepatitis C treatment
• 'Fearless' aphids ignore warnings, get eaten by ladybugs
• Genome study identifies genetic variant linked to TB susceptibility in Africans
• As crops wither in Russia's severe drought, vital plant field bank faces demolition
• Autism: Lack of evidence for antidepressants, study concludes
• Gain and loss in optimistic versus pessimistic brains
• Discovery may aid remission of ulcerative colitis
• Spin ice used to examine exotic properties of magnetic systems
• Popular diabetes drugs associated with fractures in type 2 diabetic patients, study finds
• Mental health outcomes in children in foster care improved with mentoring, skills development
• Butterflies shed light on how some species respond to global warming
• New approach to Alzheimer’s therapy
• Scientists post lower speed limit for cell-signaling protein assembly
• Whole breast irradiation guidelines released
• Is biochar the answer for agriculture? Long-term study digs up new information on biochar’s ability to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from soils
• 'Path of mental illness' follows path of war, 20 years after conflict ends
• Help from the dark side: Using 'dark channel' fluorescence, scientists can explain how biochemical substances carry out their function

In breakthrough, nerve connections are regenerated after spinal cord injury Posted: 09 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT Researchers for the first time have induced robust regeneration of nerve connections that control voluntary movement after spinal cord injury, showing the potential for new therapeutic approaches to paralysis and other motor function impairments.

Bariatric surgery in diabetic adults improves insulin sensitivity better than diet, study finds Posted: 09 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT Gastric bypass surgery improves type 2 diabetes by other mechanisms in addition to weight loss and does so better than a low-calorie diet despite achieving equal weight loss, a new study finds.

Genetic differences that make some people susceptible to meningitis revealed in major new study Posted: 09 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT Genetic differences that make some people susceptible to developing meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia, and others naturally immune, are revealed in a new study of over 6,000 people. The research is the largest ever genetic study of meningitis and septicaemia caused by meningococcal bacteria.

Kinked nanopores slow DNA passage for easier sequencing Posted: 09 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT In an innovation critical to improved DNA sequencing, a markedly slower transmission of DNA through nanopores has been achieved.

Doctors not strongly encouraging HPV vaccine to girls of certain age; National guidelines not closely followed, survey finds Posted: 09 Aug 2010 08:00 AM PDT The vast majority of pediatricians and family physicians nationally are offering the human papillomavirus (also called HPV) vaccine, though fewer physicians are strongly encouraging it for 11- to 12-year-old girls as recommended by national guidelines, according to a survey.

Highly directional terahertz laser rays created: Semiconductor laser suitable for security screening, chemical sensing and astronomy Posted: 09 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated a new terahertz (THz) semiconductor laser that emits beams with a much smaller divergence than conventional THz laser sources. The advance opens the door to a wide range of applications in terahertz science and technology. Harvard has filed a broad patent on the invention.

New anti-viral drug shows promise for dramatic improvement in hepatitis C treatment Posted: 09 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Adding a direct acting anti-viral drug to the standard treatment regimen for hepatitis C significantly increases the cure rate in the most difficult to treat patients, according to a new study.

'Fearless' aphids ignore warnings, get eaten by ladybugs Posted: 09 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT 'Fearless' aphids -- which become accustomed to ignoring genetically engineered chemical alarms in plants and alarms sent by fellow aphids -- become easy prey for ladybugs. That's good news for farmers, according to researchers.

Genome study identifies genetic variant linked to TB susceptibility in Africans Posted: 09 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Scientists have identified a genetic variant which increases susceptibility to tuberculosis in African populations using a technique known as a genome-wide association study. This is the first novel disease variant to be identified using this technique in Africans and demonstrates that such studies are viable in African populations, which have a high degree of genetic diversity.

As crops wither in Russia's severe drought, vital plant field bank faces demolition Posted: 09 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT As the fate of Europe's largest collection of fruit and berries hangs in the balance of a Russian court decision, the Global Crop Diversity Trust issued an urgent appeal for the Russian government to embrace its heroic tradition as protector of the world's crop diversity and halt the planned destruction of an incredibly valuable crop collection near St. Petersburg.

Autism: Lack of evidence for antidepressants, study concludes Posted: 09 Aug 2010 05:00 AM PDT Antidepressants commonly prescribed to people with autistic spectrum disorders cannot be recommended based on current evidence, a new study concludes. Despite some evidence of benefits in adults diagnosed with autism, they say there is no evidence for any benefits associated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors in children, who may suffer serious adverse effects as a result of taking the drugs.

Gain and loss in optimistic versus pessimistic brains Posted: 09 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT Our belief as to whether we will likely succeed or fail at a given task -- and the consequences of winning or losing -- directly affects the levels of neural effort put forth in movement-planning circuits in the human cortex, according to a new brain-imaging study by neuroscientists.

Discovery may aid remission of ulcerative colitis Posted: 09 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT Researchers have identified a specific chemical that may trigger remission in patients with ulcerative colitis.

Spin ice used to examine exotic properties of magnetic systems Posted: 09 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT Spin ice can be used to examine exotic properties of magnetic systems. Surprising observations have been made by physicists using magnetic islands only micrometers in size that are placed on a periodic lattice with honeycomb symmetry. When a magnetic field is applied, the system selects an unexpectedly ordered state, hazarding the consequences of having the like poles of the magnets (all south or all north) close together which is energetically unfavorable.

Popular diabetes drugs associated with fractures in type 2 diabetic patients, study finds Posted: 09 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT Postmenopausal women with diabetes taking thiazolidinediones (TZDS), including rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, may be at increased risk for fractures, according to a new study. Men with diabetes taking both loop diuretics and TZDs may also be at increased risk of fractures.

Mental health outcomes in children in foster care improved with mentoring, skills development Posted: 09 Aug 2010 02:00 AM PDT Incorporating mentoring and group skill-building intervention programs for children in foster care may help improve mental health outcomes in this population, according to a new report.

Butterflies shed light on how some species respond to global warming Posted: 08 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have begun studying the genetic explanation for how two species of butterflies respond to warming. They are investigating what genes are responsible for the individualized responses, and will use genomic tools to learn which genes are involved when the species is experiencing climate change.

New approach to Alzheimer’s therapy Posted: 08 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers have shown that the ADAM10 protein can inhibit the formation of beta-amyloid, which is responsible for Alzheimer's disease. ADAM10 acts like a pair of molecular scissors to cut the protein from which beta-amyloid is formed, effectively preventing the formation of beta-amyloid. This makes ADAM10 a key molecule in Alzheimer's therapy.

Scientists post lower speed limit for cell-signaling protein assembly Posted: 08 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT The apparently random self-assembly of molecular threads into the proteins that make the body work is far less frantic than previously thought, scientists say. That discovery could be a key to help unlock the nature of some diseases. How proteins spontaneously "fold" from wiggling chains of amino acids into a wide variety of functional -- or malfunctioning -- 3-D molecules is one of the biggest mysteries in biochemistry.

Whole breast irradiation guidelines released Posted: 08 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT The American Society for Radiation Oncology has released evidence-based guidelines to define appropriate fractionation of whole breast irradiation (WBI), finding that hypofractionated WBI is effective for many patients with early-stage breast cancer.

Is biochar the answer for agriculture? Long-term study digs up new information on biochar’s ability to reduce nitrous oxide emissions from soils Posted: 08 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT Scientists have found that over several months, biochar applied to soil can significantly reduce emissions of nitrous oxide and leaching of nitrates.

'Path of mental illness' follows path of war, 20 years after conflict ends Posted: 08 Aug 2010 11:00 PM PDT Researchers assessed the geographical distribution of the long-term burden of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a region of Liberia and report that the prevalence of PTSD remains high nearly two decades after the principal conflict there and five years after war in Liberia ended entirely. Particularly interesting was the geographic distribution of PTSD. Investigators found that certain villages in the region had a much higher prevalence of PTSD than did others.

Help from the dark side: Using 'dark channel' fluorescence, scientists can explain how biochemical substances carry out their function Posted: 07 Aug 2010 09:00 PM PDT By using X-ray absorption spectroscopy, researchers in Germany have observed the moving of electric charges from solute to solvent (electron transfer). They can even make assertions on the temporal sequence of this process. As one example, they can find out how solute biochemical substances carry out their microscopic functions in their natural environment at room temperature and normal pressure. Until recently, studying such systems by soft X-ray radiation has not been possible.

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