ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Monday, August 16, 2010
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Drugs encased in nanoparticles travel to tumors on the surface of immune-system cells (August 16, 2010) -- Clinical trials using patients' own immune cells to target tumors have yielded promising results. However, this approach usually works only if the patients also receive large doses of drugs designed to help immune cells multiply rapidly, and those drugs have life-threatening side effects. Now engineers have devised a way to deliver the necessary drugs by smuggling them on the backs of the cells sent in to fight the tumor. That way, the drugs reach only their intended targets, greatly reducing the risk to the patient. ... > full story
Shape matters: The corkscrew twist of H. pylori enables it to 'set up shop' in the stomach (August 16, 2010) -- The bacterium Helicobacter pylori, which lives in the human stomach and is associated with ulcers and gastric cancer, is shaped like a corkscrew, or helix. For years researchers have hypothesized that the bacterium's twisty shape is what enables it to survive -- and thrive -- within the stomach's acid-drenched environment, but until now they have had no proof. ... > full story
Researchers assess severity of prostate cancers using magnetic resonance imaging (August 16, 2010) -- Researchers are developing methods that can accurately assess the severity of prostate cancer by analyzing magnetic resonance images and spectra of a patient's prostate gland. This may help physicians decide more confidently which patients need aggressive treatment and which are better served by "watchful waiting," and could even postpone or eliminate invasive biopsies in patients with low-grade tumors. ... > full story
Technique to preserve fertility in young women may be unsafe for patients with leukemia (August 16, 2010) -- Although the use of ovarian tissue cryopreservation and transplantation has lead to 13 live births in women with lymphoma or solid tumors, this method of fertility preservation may be unsafe for patients with leukemia, according to a recent study. ... > full story
Pushing the limits of 3D TV technology (August 16, 2010) -- Some of the thrills of 3D cinema have reached the living room of the average family this year, but the result is still far from perfect. That could change thanks to a technology developed by a German-Swiss partnership. ... > full story
Childhood abuse, adversity may shorten life, weaken immune response among the elderly (August 16, 2010) -- The emotional pains we suffer in childhood can lead to weakened immune systems later in life, according to a new study. Based on this new research, the amount of this immune impairment even enhances that caused by the stress of caregiving later in life. ... > full story
Evidence of new solar activity from observations of aurora in New Zealand (August 16, 2010) -- Scientists have obtained sub-visual evidence of the onset of a new cycle of solar-terrestrial activity. The key results being reported deal with the fact that recent auroral displays at high latitudes (ones visible to the naked eye) were accompanied by far less luminous glows in the atmosphere at lower latitudes. ... > full story
Lethal brain tumor's strength may be a weakness as well (August 16, 2010) -- Malignant gliomas are the most common subtype of primary brain tumor – and one of the deadliest. Even as doctors make steady progress treating other types of solid tumor cancers, from breast to prostate, the most aggressive form of malignant glioma, called a glioblastoma multiforme or GBM, has steadfastly defied advances in neurosurgery, radiation therapy and various conventional or novel drugs. But scientists have discovered a new signaling pathway between GBM cells – one that, if ultimately blocked or disrupted, could significantly slow or reduce tumor growth and malignancy. ... > full story
Climate change affects geographical range of plants, study finds (August 16, 2010) -- Researches in Sweden have shown how climate change many million years ago has influenced the geographical range of plants by modeling climate preferences for extinct species. The method can also be used to predict what effects climate change of today and tomorrow will have on future distributions of plants and animals. ... > full story
Green tea extract appears to keep cancer in check in majority of CLL patients (August 16, 2010) -- An extract of green tea appears to have clinical activity with low toxicity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who used it in a Phase II clinical trial. ... > full story
Combination of biological and chemical pesticides more effective than expected on malaria mosquitoes (August 16, 2010) -- A combination of fungal spores and chemical insecticides are effective in combating insecticide-resistant malaria mosquitoes. Researchers have shown that the effect of using a combination of both is greater than the sum of using the two methods separately. ... > full story
Daughters caring for a parent recovering from stroke more prone to depression than sons (August 16, 2010) -- Daughters caring for a parent recovering from stroke are more prone to depression than sons, according to new research. Strained relationships before or following the stroke increases depression in daughters. ... > full story
Dangerous bacterium hosts genetic remnant of life's distant past (August 15, 2010) -- Within a dangerous stomach bacterium, researchers have discovered an ancient but functioning genetic remnant from a time before DNA existed. ... > full story
Carbon nanotubes form ultrasensitive biosensor to detect proteins (August 15, 2010) -- A cluster of carbon nanotubes coated with a thin layer of protein-recognizing polymer form a biosensor capable of using electrochemical signals to detect minute amounts of proteins, which could provide a crucial new diagnostic tool for the detection of a range of illnesses, researchers report. ... > full story
NGC 4696: A cosmic question mark (August 15, 2010) -- Curling around itself like a question mark, the unusual looking galaxy NGC 4696 itself begs many questions. Why is it such a strange shape? What are the odd, capillary-like filaments that stretch out of it? And what is the role of a large black hole in explaining its decidedly odd appearance? ... > full story
SUMO works with replication protein A complex to repair DNA (August 15, 2010) -- Researchers have shown for the first time that the small protein SUMO can team up with the replication protein A complex to facilitate DNA repair. ... > full story
Gene discovery could help to boost crop yields (August 15, 2010) -- A discovery of a vital feature of a plant's temperature sensing and growth mechanism could help to increase yields from crops. Researchers have found a gene that plays a significant role in the growth rate of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. ... > full story
Parents' mental health more likely to suffer when a grown child struggles (August 15, 2010) -- Even into adulthood, problem children continue to give their parents heartache, and it doesn't matter if other children in the family grow up to be successful, according to a new study of middle-aged parents. ... > full story
Home foreclosure is symptom -- not cause -- for increased crime rates, research shows (August 15, 2010) -- High levels of foreclosures in a community do not independently lead to increased crime rates, as previously believed, according to new research. ... > full story
Cultural capital is key to preparing for college and getting into a good school (August 15, 2010) -- A new study has found that students with low-income or minority status do not prepare for college in the same way as their more privileged counterparts, regardless of their academic ability or plans to attend college. The less privileged students are over-represented in community colleges while their counterparts are more likely to attend more selected schools. ... > full story
Ocean's color affects hurricane paths (August 14, 2010) -- A change in the color of ocean waters could have a drastic effect on the prevalence of hurricanes, new research indicates. In a simulation of such a change in one region of the North Pacific, the study finds that hurricane formation decreases by 70 percent. ... > full story
Expensive new blood pressure meds no better than generics, according to long-term data (August 14, 2010) -- Expensive brand-name medications to lower blood pressure are no better at preventing cardiovascular disease than older, generic diuretics, according to new long-term data from the landmark ALLHAT study. ... > full story
Scientists clarify structural basis for biosynthesis of mysterious 21st amino acid (August 14, 2010) -- Researchers in Japan have clarified the structural basis for the biosynthesis of selenocysteine (Sec), an amino acid whose encoding mechanism offers clues about the origins of the genetic alphabet. The findings deepen our understanding of protein synthesis and lay the groundwork for advances in protein design. ... > full story
New approach which can help to predict neurodegenerative diseases (August 14, 2010) -- New research by scientists in Spain offers hope for predicting neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Researchers have described, for the first time, the structure of a protein known as Vps54, one of the four making up the GARP complex of proteins. ... > full story
Nano world of Shrinky Dinks: Low-cost nanopatterning method utilizes popular shrinkable plastic (August 14, 2010) -- The magical world of Shrinky Dinks -- an arts and crafts material used by children since the 1970s -- has taken up residence in a Northwestern University laboratory. A team of nanoscientists is using the flexible plastic sheets as the backbone of a new inexpensive way to create, test and mass-produce large-area patterns on the nanoscale. Anyone needing access to these patterns on the cheap could benefit from this method, known as solvent-assisted nanoscale embossing. ... > full story
Happy employees may be the key to success for organizations (August 14, 2010) -- When a JetBlue flight attendant creatively deplaned earlier this week, many questions arose as to why someone would be willing to give up a steady paycheck during these tough economic times. While this "working man's hero" will most likely be questioning his motives as he hands over his lawyer's fees, a new report in Perspectives on Psychological Science, suggests that his action may be a sign of trouble for JetBlue and other large companies. ... > full story
Human noise pollution in ocean can lead fish away from good habitats and off to their death (August 13, 2010) -- The growing amount of human noise pollution in the ocean could lead fish away from good habitat and off to their death. ... > full story
New sporadic prion protein disease: Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy shares genotype characteristics with Creutzfeldt-Jakob (August 13, 2010) -- A new sporadic prion protein disease has been discovered. Variably protease-sensitive prionopathy, as it has been named, is the second type of complete sporadic disease to be identified since Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease was reported in the 1920s. ... > full story
Implantable silk metamaterials could advance biomedicine, biosensing (August 13, 2010) -- Researchers have fabricated and characterized the first large-area metamaterial structures patterned on implantable, bio-compatible silk substrates. The antenna-like devices can monitor the "fingerprints" of chemical and biological agents and might be implanted to signal changes in the body. Metamaterials are artificial electromagnetic composites whose structures respond to electromagnetic waves in ways that atoms in natural materials do not. ... > full story
Chronic myeloid leukemia: New lab test could identify imatinib resistance (August 13, 2010) -- Scientists in Japan may have developed a way to accurately predict those patients who will resist treatment with imatinib, which is the standard of care for chronic myeloid leukemia. ... > full story
New nanoscale transistors allow sensitive probing inside cells (August 13, 2010) -- Chemists and engineers have fashioned nanowires into a new type of V-shaped transistor small enough to be used for sensitive probing of the interior of cells. The new device is smaller than many viruses and about one-hundredth the width of the probes now used to take cellular measurements, which can be nearly as large as the cells themselves. ... > full story
'Fused' people eager to die and kill for their group, research shows (August 13, 2010) -- People with extremely strong ties to their countries or groups are not only willing, but eager, to sacrifice themselves to save their compatriots, according to new psychology research. ... > full story
Extended solar minimum linked to changes in sun's conveyor belt (August 13, 2010) -- A new analysis of the unusually long solar cycle that ended in 2008 suggests that one reason for the long cycle could be a stretching of the sun's conveyor belt, a current of plasma that circulates between the sun's equator and its poles. The results should help scientists better understand the factors controlling the timing of solar cycles and could lead to better predictions. ... > full story
Acetaminophen use in adolescents linked to doubled risk of asthma (August 13, 2010) -- New evidence linking the use of acetaminophen to development of asthma and eczema suggests that even monthly use of the drug in adolescents may more than double risk of asthma in adolescents compared to those who used none at all; yearly use was associated with a 50 percent increase in the risk of asthma. ... > full story
Magnetic molecular machines deliver drugs to unhealthy cells (August 13, 2010) -- Researchers have developed a completely novel and noninvasive method of releasing drugs remotely into the cells. The method involves a novel material using porous silica nanoparticles, and molecular machines which can be attached to contain drug molecules in the pores until a magnetic field stimulus allows the molecules to be delivered into cells. ... > full story
Selected cells from blood or bone marrow may provide a route to healing blood vessels (August 13, 2010) -- When envisioning cell therapy for cardiovascular disease, a team of scientists is focusing on cells that nourish blood vessels, rather than on rare stem cells. In experiments with mice, CD31 positive cells from the blood or bone marrow can effectively treat hindlimb ischemia -- a model of peripheral artery disease. This approach has the potential to be safer and less arduous than experimental therapies involving the isolation of stem cells from bone marrow. ... > full story
Fires around Moscow: Satellite perspective reveals startling images of massive smoke clouds (August 13, 2010) -- Space scientists in the UK have released satellite images of vast plumes of smoke emanating from the peat bog fires which are currently sweeping across central and western Russia. ... > full story
Trusting people make better lie detectors (August 13, 2010) -- Trusting others may not make you necessarily a fool or a Pollyanna, according to a new study. Instead, it can be a sign that you're smart. ... > full story
Scientists identify DNA that may contribute to each person's uniqueness (August 13, 2010) -- Building on a tool that they developed in yeast four years ago, researchers scanned the human genome and discovered what they believe is the reason people have such a variety of physical traits and disease risks. ... > full story
Elevated heart rate over time linked to significant risk of death (August 13, 2010) -- An elevated resting heart rate that develops or persists during follow-up is associated with a significantly increased risk of death, whether from heart disease or other causes, researchers from the Ronald O. Perelman Heart Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center found studying outcomes in more than 9,000 patients. ... > full story
Wax, soap clean up obstacles to better batteries (August 13, 2010) -- A little wax and soap can help build electrodes for cheaper lithium ion batteries, according to a new study. The one-step method will allow battery developers to explore lower-priced alternatives to the lithium ion-metal oxide batteries currently on the market. ... > full story
Painters at significantly increased risk of bladder cancer, study finds (August 13, 2010) -- Painters are at significantly increased risk of developing bladder cancer, concludes a comprehensive analysis of published evidence. ... > full story
Teaching robot helps children to use wheelchair (August 13, 2010) -- A robotic wheelchair is being developed that will help children learn to 'drive'. In a new article, researchers describe the testing of ROLY -- robot-assisted learning for young drivers -- in a group of children without disabilities and one child with cerebral palsy. ... > full story
College students exhibiting more severe mental illness, study finds (August 13, 2010) -- Severe mental illness is more common among college students than it was a decade ago, with more young people arriving on campus with pre-existing conditions and a willingness to seek help for emotional distress, according to a new study. The data support what college mental health professionals have noted for some time. ... > full story
Fermi detects 'shocking' surprise from supernova's little cousin (August 13, 2010) -- Astronomers using NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope have detected gamma-rays from a nova for the first time, a finding that stunned observers and theorists alike. The discovery overturns the notion that novae explosions lack the power to emit such high-energy radiation. ... > full story
Immune system overreaction may enable recurrent urinary tract infections (August 13, 2010) -- The immune system may open the door to recurrent urinary tract infections by overdoing its response to an initial infection, researchers have found. ... > full story
Industrial production of biodiesel feasible within 15 years, researchers predict (August 13, 2010) -- Within 10 to 15 years, it will be technically possible to produce sustainable and economically viable biodiesel from micro-algae on a large scale. Technological innovations during this period should extend the scale of production by a factor of three, while at the same time reducing production costs by 90%. Two researchers from the Netherlands believe this to be possible. ... > full story
Specific oncogene plays a role in lung squamous cell carcinoma (August 13, 2010) -- The identification of an oncogene specific to lung squamous cell carcinoma suggests that genetic activation of this oncogene could be used as an identification marker for this type of lung cancer. ... > full story
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