ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Diabetes belt identified in southern United States
• Acupuncture curbs severity of menopausal hot flushes, study suggests
• High levels of 'good' cholesterol may cut bowel cancer risk
• One in three doctors afraid to report underperforming colleagues, UK study finds
• Laboratory-grown urethras implanted in patients, scientists report
• Surprising behavior of cells during blood-vessel formation
• Experts develop tool to predict course of Haiti's cholera outbreak, offer disease control strategies for immediate implementation
• Engineers demonstrate use of proteins as raw material for biofuels, biorefining
• Researchers hunt for green catalysts
• Body's clock may lead to increased risk for fainting during the nighttime
• Increased, mandatory screenings help identify more kids with emotional/behavioral problems
• Genetic makeup and duration of abuse reduce the brain's neurons in drug addiction
• Targeted ovarian cancer therapy not cost-effective, study suggests
• Psychosocially hazardous neighborhoods associated with worse cognitive function in some older adults
• Prevalence and severity of bipolar disorder worldwide
• Prevalence of eating disorders among adolescents studied
• Use of interactive digital exercise games by children can result in high level of energy expenditure
• Young adults with chronic illnesses have poorer educational, vocational and financial outcomes
• Media character use on food packaging appears to influence children's taste assessment
• Mediterranean diet: A heart-healthy plan for life
• Stroke survivors with irregular heartbeat may have higher risk of dementia
• 'Nano-Velcro' technology used to improve capture of circulating cancer cells
• Web use doesn't encourage belief in political rumors, but e-mail does
• DNA better than eyes when counting endangered species
• New perspective diminishes racial bias in pain treatment
• Class of potent anti-cancer compounds discovered
• Microbial forensics used to solve the case of the 2001 anthrax attacks
• Why poor diet during pregnancy negatively affects offspring's long-term health
• Multiple taste cell sensors contribute to detecting sugars
• Popular drugs for common male health problems can affect their sexual health
• People would rather let bad things happen than cause them, especially if someone is watching
• Evolution drives many plants and animals to be bigger, faster
• Helicobacter pylori infection linked to decreased iron levels in otherwise healthy children
• California superstorm would be costliest US disaster
• Lung cancer: Chemotherapy drug pemetrexed shows promising results for patients with ALK-positive lung cancer, study suggests
• Relationship of Texas coastal prairie-pothole wetlands to Galveston Bay demonstrated
• Rainwater harvest study finds roofing material affects water quality
• Student innovation transmits data and power wirelessly through submarine hulls
• Great tits also have age-related defects
• Key mechanism of childhood respiratory disease identified
• New compound rids cells of Alzheimer protein debris
• Odd corn plant provides insight into how corn makes hormones
• Fossil bird study describes ripple effect of extinction in animal kingdom
• New weight loss discovery moves us closer to 'the Pill' for obesity
• Research sheds light on fat digestibility in pigs
• Pathology study tracks uterine changes with mifepristone
• What doctors (and patients) can learn from air traffic controllers: What's that you say?
• Laminin's role in cancer formation illuminated
• Ultra fast photodetectors out of carbon nanotubes
• Inexpensive biofuels: Isobutanol made directly from cellulose
• Physician's empathy directly associated with positive clinical outcomes
• Alcohol consumption after age 75 associated with lower risk of developing dementia
• Effects of alcohol on risk factors for cardiovascular disease
• Aging in place preserves seniors' independence, reduces care costs, researchers find
• Nursing, engineering professors developing device to get seniors moving
• What you see is what you do: Risky behaviors linked to risk-glorifying media exposure
• Teaching robots to move like humans
• Weak supporting evidence can undermine belief in an outcome
• Universal screening programs can uncover abuse, study finds
• Clustering gene expression changes reveals pathways toward glaucoma prevention

Diabetes belt identified in southern United States Posted: 07 Mar 2011 05:41 PM PST Researchers were able to identify clustered high prevalence areas, or a "diabetes belt" of 644 counties in 15 mostly southeastern states, using data compiled for the first time of estimates of the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes for every US county.

Acupuncture curbs severity of menopausal hot flushes, study suggests Posted: 07 Mar 2011 03:46 PM PST Traditional Chinese acupuncture curbs the severity of hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms, suggests a small study.

High levels of 'good' cholesterol may cut bowel cancer risk Posted: 07 Mar 2011 03:46 PM PST High levels of "good" (high density lipoprotein) HDL cholesterol seem to cut the risk of bowel cancer, suggests new research.

One in three doctors afraid to report underperforming colleagues, UK study finds Posted: 07 Mar 2011 03:46 PM PST Almost one in five UK doctors has had direct experience of an incompetent or poorly performing colleague in the past three years, finds a survey of professional values.

Laboratory-grown urethras implanted in patients, scientists report Posted: 07 Mar 2011 03:46 PM PST For the first time, medical researchers have used a patients' own cells to build tailor-made urinary tubes and successfully replaced damaged tissue.

Surprising behavior of cells during blood-vessel formation Posted: 07 Mar 2011 02:24 PM PST Biologists look at cells in bulk, taking the average behavior as the norm and assuming that identical cells behave the same. Biomedical engineers now show a surprising variation in how cells behave during formation of a blood vessel. They have now characterized, for the first time, what happens when endothelial cells move from an initial dispersed state to capillary-like structures.

Experts develop tool to predict course of Haiti's cholera outbreak, offer disease control strategies for immediate implementation Posted: 07 Mar 2011 02:23 PM PST A new study outlines the path of the cholera outbreak in Haiti and identifies immediate strategies for controlling the epidemic. Control strategies are needed, as Haiti is in the midst of a cholera epidemic that has killed 4,000 people, and sickened at least 217,000 more in all of Haiti's ten geographical "departments."

Engineers demonstrate use of proteins as raw material for biofuels, biorefining Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:20 PM PST Researchers demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of using proteins, one of the most abundant biomolecules on earth, as a significant raw material for biorefinery and biofuel production.

Researchers hunt for green catalysts Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:19 PM PST Scientists are looking for cleaner, greener and cheaper catalysts. They are turning to biology for some ideas. And they're developing high-throughput approaches to quickly test a reaction using up to a hundred trillion different catalysts.

Body's clock may lead to increased risk for fainting during the nighttime Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:19 PM PST The circadian system may contribute to the daily pattern of vasovagal syncope via its influences on physiological responses to changes in body posture.

Increased, mandatory screenings help identify more kids with emotional/behavioral problems Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:19 PM PST A new study finds that Massachusetts' court-ordered mental health screening and intervention program led to more children being identified as behaviorally and emotionally at risk.

Genetic makeup and duration of abuse reduce the brain's neurons in drug addiction Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:19 PM PST Drug addicted individuals who have a certain genetic makeup have lower gray matter density -- and therefore fewer neurons -- in areas of the brain that are essential for decision-making, self-control, and learning and memory, a new study shows.

Targeted ovarian cancer therapy not cost-effective, study suggests Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:19 PM PST An analysis conducted by cancer researchers has found that adding the targeted therapy bevacizumab to the treatment of patients with advanced ovarian cancer is not cost effective.

Psychosocially hazardous neighborhoods associated with worse cognitive function in some older adults Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:19 PM PST Residing in a psychosocially hazardous neighborhood is associated with worse cognitive function in older age for persons with the apolipoprotein E µ4 allele (an alternative form of the gene), according to a new report.

Prevalence and severity of bipolar disorder worldwide Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:19 PM PST Despite international variation in prevalence rates of bipolar spectrum disorder, the severity and associated disorders are similar and treatment needs are often unmet, especially in low-income countries, according to a new article.

Prevalence of eating disorders among adolescents studied Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:18 PM PST Eating disorders are prevalent in the general US adolescent population and are associated with other psychiatric disorders, role impairment and suicidality, according to a new article

Use of interactive digital exercise games by children can result in high level of energy expenditure Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:18 PM PST Middle school-aged children who participated in interactive digital gaming activities that feature player movement (exergaming), such as dancing or boxing, increased their energy expenditure to a level of moderate or vigorous intensity, according to a new article.

Young adults with chronic illnesses have poorer educational, vocational and financial outcomes Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:18 PM PST Most young adults who grow up with chronic illness graduate high school and have employment, but those with cancer, diabetes or epilepsy are significantly less likely than their healthy peers to achieve important educational and vocational milestones, according to a new article.

Media character use on food packaging appears to influence children's taste assessment Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:18 PM PST The use of media characters on cereal packaging may influence children's opinions about taste, according to a new article.

Mediterranean diet: A heart-healthy plan for life Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:18 PM PST The Mediterranean diet has proven beneficial effects not only regarding metabolic syndrome, but also on its individual components including waist circumference, HDL-cholesterol levels, triglycerides levels, blood pressure levels and glucose metabolism, according to a new study. The study is a meta-analysis, including results of 50 studies on the Mediterranean diet, with an overall studied population of about half a million subjects.

Stroke survivors with irregular heartbeat may have higher risk of dementia Posted: 07 Mar 2011 01:18 PM PST Stroke survivors who have an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation may be at higher risk of developing dementia than stroke survivors who do not have the heart condition, according to new research.

'Nano-Velcro' technology used to improve capture of circulating cancer cells Posted: 07 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST Researchers have announced the successful demonstration of a 2nd-generation CTC enrichment technology, capable of effectively identifying and capturing circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood samples collected from prostate cancer patients. This new approach could be even faster and cheaper than existing methods and captures a greater number of CTCs.

Web use doesn't encourage belief in political rumors, but e-mail does Posted: 07 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST Despite the fears of some, a new study suggests that use of the internet in general does not make people more likely to believe political rumors. However, one form of internet communication -- e-mail -- does seem to have troubling consequences for the spread and belief of rumors.

DNA better than eyes when counting endangered species Posted: 07 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST Using genetic methods to count endangered eagles, a group of scientists showed that traditional counting methods can lead to significantly incorrect totals that they believe could adversely affect conservation efforts.

New perspective diminishes racial bias in pain treatment Posted: 07 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST Years of research show black patients getting less treatment in the American health care system than their white counterparts, but a new study suggests that a quick dose of empathy helps close racial gaps in pain treatment.

Class of potent anti-cancer compounds discovered Posted: 07 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST Working as part of a public program to screen compounds to find potential medicines and other biologically useful molecules, scientists have discovered an extremely potent class of potential anti-cancer and anti-neurodegenerative disorder compounds. The scientists hope their findings will one day lead to new therapies for cancer and Alzheimer's disease patients.

Microbial forensics used to solve the case of the 2001 anthrax attacks Posted: 07 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST Researchers working with the FBI have published the first scientific paper based on their investigation into the anthrax attacks of 2001. The case was groundbreaking in its use of genomics and microbiology in a criminal investigation, a new field called microbial forensics. More than 20 people contracted anthrax from spores mailed in letters in 2001, and five people died.

Why poor diet during pregnancy negatively affects offspring's long-term health Posted: 07 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST Poor diet during pregnancy increases offspring's vulnerability to the effects of aging, new research has shown for the first time.

Multiple taste cell sensors contribute to detecting sugars Posted: 07 Mar 2011 12:19 PM PST A new research study dramatically increases knowledge of how taste cells detect sugars, a key step in developing strategies to limit overconsumption. Scientists have discovered that taste cells have several additional sugar detectors other than the previously known sweet receptor.

Popular drugs for common male health problems can affect their sexual health Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST 5a-reductase inhibitors commonly used to treat urinary problems in patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and found in popular medications to treat hair loss, can produce, persistent erectile dysfunction.

People would rather let bad things happen than cause them, especially if someone is watching Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST People are more comfortable committing sins of omission than commission -- letting bad things happen rather than actively causing something bad. A new study suggests that this is because they know other people will think worse of them if they do something bad than if they let something bad happen.

Evolution drives many plants and animals to be bigger, faster Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST For the vast majority of plants and animals, the 'bigger is better' view of evolution may not be far off the mark, says a new broad-scale study of natural selection. Organisms with bigger bodies or faster growth rates tend to live longer, mate more and produce more offspring, whether they are deer or damselflies, the authors report.

Helicobacter pylori infection linked to decreased iron levels in otherwise healthy children Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST Children without previous iron deficiencies or anemia who remained infected with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) had significantly lower levels of iron compared to children who had the infection eradicated, according to researchers.

California superstorm would be costliest US disaster Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST A hurricane-like superstorm expected to hit California once every 200 years would cause devastation to the state's businesses unheard of even in the Great Recession, an economist warns.

Lung cancer: Chemotherapy drug pemetrexed shows promising results for patients with ALK-positive lung cancer, study suggests Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST A discovery shows testing lung cancer on a molecular level can produce new insights into this deadly disease. People with ALK-positive lung cancer have much better outcomes with an established chemotherapy drug called pemetrexed (trade name: Alimta), new study suggests.

Relationship of Texas coastal prairie-pothole wetlands to Galveston Bay demonstrated Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST New research reveals vast tracts of wetlands along the upper Gulf Coast are more hydrologically connected to Galveston Bay and other waters of the US than previously thought, suggesting immediate implications for how they are preserved, managed and regulated.

Rainwater harvest study finds roofing material affects water quality Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST Using rainwater from your roof to water plants seems simple enough, right? But a new study finds that the type of roofing material used can make a big difference in water quality.

Student innovation transmits data and power wirelessly through submarine hulls Posted: 07 Mar 2011 11:22 AM PST Steel walls are no match for one doctoral student. He has developed and demonstrated an innovative new system that uses ultrasound to simultaneously transmit large quantities of data and power wirelessly through thick metal walls, like the hulls of ships and submarines.

Great tits also have age-related defects Posted: 07 Mar 2011 10:02 AM PST The offspring of older great tit females are much less successful than those of younger mothers. Things mainly go wrong in the later stages of the upbringing, concludes an evolutionary biologist. For great tit females, it turns out to be a good idea to invest in generating offspring in the first years of life.

Key mechanism of childhood respiratory disease identified Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:50 AM PST Researchers have identified a critical part of the process by which one of the world's most common and dangerous early childhood infections, respiratory syncytial virus, causes disease.

New compound rids cells of Alzheimer protein debris Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:50 AM PST If you can't stop the beta-amyloid protein plaques from forming in Alzheimer's disease patients, then maybe you can help the body rid itself of them instead. At least that's what scientists were hoping for when they found a drug candidate to do just that.

Odd corn plant provides insight into how corn makes hormones Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:50 AM PST It's a corn plant only a geneticist could love. Its ears -- if it makes them at all -- resemble small, chubby, lime-green caterpillars, not exactly something you want to dig your teeth into. To top it off, the corn plant stands only about three feet tall, at full maturity, and has few leaves. By using a positional cloning technique and molecular markers, scientists were able to pinpoint the absent gene in this plant, which they named vanishing tassel2 or vt2. The gene encodes an enzyme, called tryptophan aminotransferase, important for making auxin, an important growth hormone in plants.

Fossil bird study describes ripple effect of extinction in animal kingdom Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:49 AM PST A new study demonstrates extinction's ripple effect through the animal kingdom, including how the demise of large mammals 20,000 years ago led to the disappearance of one species of cowbird.

New weight loss discovery moves us closer to 'the Pill' for obesity Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:49 AM PST A discovery in mice may make a big difference in people's waistlines thanks to scientists who found that reducing the function of a transmembrane protein, called Klotho, in obese mice with high blood sugar levels produced lean mice with reduced blood sugar. This protein exists in humans, suggesting that targeting Klotho could lead to new drugs that reduce obesity and possibly type 2 diabetes.

Research sheds light on fat digestibility in pigs Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:49 AM PST Producers and feed companies add fat to swine diets to increase energy, but recent research suggests that measurements currently used for fat digestibility need to be updated.

Pathology study tracks uterine changes with mifepristone Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:49 AM PST Research continues to show that the controversial abortion drug mifepristone might have another use, as a therapeutic option besides hysterectomy for women who suffer from severe symptoms associated with uterine fibroids.

What doctors (and patients) can learn from air traffic controllers: What's that you say? Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:49 AM PST A review of 35 years of scientific medical studies confirms that the social and emotional context of the doctor-patient relationship have yet to be incorporated into the equation when it comes to health care.

Laminin's role in cancer formation illuminated Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:49 AM PST Researchers have shown how the protein laminin, long thought to provide only structural support in the microenvironment of breast and other epithelial tissue, can play a leading role in the development of cancer.

Ultra fast photodetectors out of carbon nanotubes Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:49 AM PST Single-walled carbon nanotubes are promising building blocks for future optoelectronic devices. But conventional electronic measurements were not able to resolve the ultra fast optoelectronic dynamics of the nanotubes. Now scientists have found a way to directly measure the dynamics of photo-excited electrons in nanoscale photodetectors.

Inexpensive biofuels: Isobutanol made directly from cellulose Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:49 AM PST In the quest for inexpensive biofuels, cellulose proved no match for a bioprocessing strategy and a genetically engineered microbe.

Physician's empathy directly associated with positive clinical outcomes Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:48 AM PST It has been thought that the quality of the physician-patient relationship is integral to positive outcomes but until now, data to confirm such beliefs has been hard to find. Researchers have now been able to quantify a relationship between physicians' empathy and their patients' positive clinical outcomes, suggesting that a physician's empathy is an important factor associated with clinical competence.

Alcohol consumption after age 75 associated with lower risk of developing dementia Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:48 AM PST A new study investigates prospectively the relationship between current alcohol consumption (quantity and type of alcohol) and incident overall dementia and Alzheimer dementia. The authors conclusions suggests that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption is inversely related to incident dementia, also among individuals aged 75 years and older.

Effects of alcohol on risk factors for cardiovascular disease Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:48 AM PST A summary paper on the effects of alcohol consumption on biologic mechanisms associated with coronary heart disease provides an excellent review of a large number of intervention studies in humans. Appropriate analyses were done and the results are presented in a very clear fashion, although there was little discussion of the separate, independent effects of alcohol and polyphenols on risk factors.

Aging in place preserves seniors' independence, reduces care costs, researchers find Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:48 AM PST America's 75 million aging adults soon will face decisions about where and how to live as they age. Current options for long-term care, including nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, are costly and require seniors to move from place to place. Researchers have found that a new strategy for long-term care called Aging in Place is less expensive, provides better health outcomes and enables older adults to remain in the same environment.

Nursing, engineering professors developing device to get seniors moving Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:48 AM PST A team of researchers has invented a device to help get older adults moving to reduce health complications from sedentary living.

What you see is what you do: Risky behaviors linked to risk-glorifying media exposure Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:48 AM PST Exposure via the media to activities such as street racing, binge drinking and unprotected sex is linked to risk-taking behaviors and attitudes, according to a new analysis of more than 25 years of research.

Teaching robots to move like humans Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:48 AM PST Researchers find people can better understand robot movements when robots move in a more human way.

Weak supporting evidence can undermine belief in an outcome Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:45 AM PST New research shows that people who receive weak but supportive evidence about a proposition are less optimistic about the outcome than people who receive no evidence at all. The "weak evidence effect" could be a useful tool in communications, from marketing to political discourse.

Universal screening programs can uncover abuse, study finds Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:45 AM PST Screening every woman who comes to a health care center does increase the number who acknowledge they have been abused by their partners, a new study confirms.

Clustering gene expression changes reveals pathways toward glaucoma prevention Posted: 07 Mar 2011 09:45 AM PST Using a method that involved the clustering of samples that showed similarity in expression profiles, researchers were able to identify molecular signatures of early events in glaucoma progression -- events that were detectable before there was morphological evidence of damage.

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