ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Thursday, January 27, 2011
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Mediator of blood pressure regulation in the liver identified; Pressor reflex triggered simply by drinking water (January 27, 2011) -- For 60 years, scientists have puzzled over the possibility of a hepatic osmoreceptor that influences blood pressure regulation. Now, researchers in Germany have discovered a new group of sensory neurons in the mouse liver which mediates the regulation of blood pressure and metabolism. This peripheral control center outside of the brain is triggered simply by drinking water and leads to an elevation of blood pressure in sick and elderly people. ... > full story
DMP1 protein inhibits angiogenesis, could lead to new treatments against cancer and other diseases (January 27, 2011) -- Researchers in Belgium have demonstrated that the DMP1 protein has previously unsuspected anti-angiogenic activities which could be used for the development of new treatments against cancer, but also against diseases in which angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels) plays a major role, such as psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis or diabetic retinopathy. ... > full story
Hardware, software advances help protect operating systems from attack (January 27, 2011) -- The operating system (OS) is the backbone of your computer. If the OS is compromised, attackers can take over your computer -- or crash it. Now researchers have developed an efficient system that utilizes hardware and software to restore an OS if it is attacked. ... > full story
Highly interactive training helps workers in dangerous jobs avoid deadly mistakes (January 27, 2011) -- Hands-on safety training for workers in highly hazardous jobs is most effective at improving safe work behavior, according to psychologists who analyzed close to 40 years of research. However, less engaging training can be just as effective in preparing workers to avoid accidents when jobs are less dangerous. ... > full story
How pathogenic bacteria hide inside host cells (January 27, 2011) -- A new study into Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium which is responsible for severe chronic infections worldwide, reveals how the bacteria have developed a strategy of hiding within host cells to escape the immune system as well as many antibacterial treatments. The research demonstrates how 'phenotype switching' enables bacteria to adapt to their environmental conditions, lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections. ... > full story
Molecular network influences development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (January 27, 2011) -- The three most common chromosome changes seen in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) disrupt a molecular network that includes several important genes and strongly influence the outcome of the disease. The study provides important new information about how CLL develops and could improve CLL diagnose, and it identifies new molecular targets for the development of new treatments. ... > full story
Pay-for-performance does not improve patient health, finds UK hypertension study (January 27, 2011) -- A large UK-based study involving nearly 500,000 patients and spanning seven years found that in cases of hypertension, patient health did not improve under a pay-for-performance program. ... > full story
Non-alcoholic energy drinks may pose 'high' health risks, experts argue (January 26, 2011) -- Highly-caffeinated energy drinks -- even those without alcohol -- may pose a significant threat to individuals and public health, say researchers. In a new commentary, they recommend health providers educate patients, voluntary disclosures by manufacturers and new federal labeling requirements. ... > full story
Neuroscientists learn how channels fine-tune neuronal excitability (January 26, 2011) -- Scientists have discovered a new mechanism that nerve cells (neurons) use to fine-tune their electrical output. The discovery provides new insights about how the activity of the nervous system is regulated at the cellular level ... > full story
Nanotech milling produces dramatic increase in thermoelectric performance of bulk semiconductor (January 26, 2011) -- Researchers report achieving thermoelectric performance gains in a bulk semiconductor material, which could pave the way for harvesting power from a range of heat sources -- from the sun to car exhaust systems. ... > full story
Eyewitnesses are not as reliable as one might believe (January 26, 2011) -- Eyewitnesses play a key role in police investigations. But how likely is it that they remember correctly? Today the police place far too much emphasis on eyewitness accounts, according to experts. ... > full story
New way to prevent infections in dialysis patients (January 26, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered that a drug used to treat dialysis catheter malfunction in kidney dialysis patients may now also help prevent both malfunction as well as infections. ... > full story
Shockable cardiac arrests are more common in public than home, study finds (January 26, 2011) -- Cardiac arrests that can be treated by electric stimulation, also known as shockable arrests, were found at a higher frequency in public settings than in the home, according to a new study. ... > full story
Eating poorly can make you blue: Trans-fats increase risk of depression, while olive oil helps avoid risk (January 26, 2011) -- Researchers have shown that trans-fats increase the risk of depression, and that olive oil helps avoid this risk. ... > full story
New anti-HIV gene therapy makes T-cells resistant to HIV infection (January 26, 2011) -- An innovative genetic strategy for rendering T-cells resistant to HIV infection without affecting their normal growth and activity is described in a new research paper. ... > full story
Infiltrating cancer's recruitment center: How beneficial cells are subverted to support cancer growth (January 26, 2011) -- Scientists have shown for the first time that the fibroblasts can be "recruited" to support inflammation and stimulate tumor growth. The researchers hope their work will lead to better cancer drugs, and to a deeper understanding of the long-suspected link between inflammation and cancer. ... > full story
Genetic archaeology finds parts of human genome more closely related to orangutans than chimps (January 26, 2011) -- In a new study, in coordination with the publication of the orangutan genome sequence, scientists have presented the surprising finding that although orangutans and humans are more distantly related, some regions of our genomes are more alike than those of our closest living relative, the chimpanzee. ... > full story
Sharing child caregiving may increase parental conflict, study finds (January 26, 2011) -- Parents who share caregiving for their preschool children may experience more conflict than those in which the mother is the primary caregiver, according to a new study. Results showed that couples had a stronger, more supportive co-parenting relationship when the father spent more time playing with their child. But when the father participated more in caregiving, like preparing meals for the child or giving baths, the couples were more likely to display less supportive and more undermining co-parenting behavior toward each other. ... > full story
Growth-factor-containing nanoparticles accelerate healing of chronic wounds (January 26, 2011) -- Researchers have developed a novel system for delivery of growth factors to chronic wounds such as pressure sores and diabetic foot ulcers. The team fabricated nanospheres containing keratinocyte growth factor fused with elastin-like peptides. When suspended in a fibrin gel, the nanoparticles improved the healing of deep skin wounds in diabetic mice. ... > full story
Molecular mechanism links stress with predisposition for depression (January 26, 2011) -- A new study provides insight into how stress impacts the brain and may help to explain why some individuals are predisposed to depression when they experience chronic stress. The research reveals complex molecular mechanisms associated with chronic stress and may help to guide new treatment strategies for depression. ... > full story
'Undead' may influence biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions (January 26, 2011) -- Dormant microbes are less like zombies and more like hibernating bears. What isn't known, however, is how large numbers of dormant microorganisms affect the natural environments when they act as microbial seed banks. A new review examines the cellular mechanisms that allow microbes to hibernate and addresses the implications they can have on larger ecosystems such as soil, oceans, lakes and the human body. ... > full story
Centuries of sailors weren't wrong: Looking at the horizon stabilizes posture (January 26, 2011) -- Everybody who has been aboard a ship has heard the advice: if you feel unsteady, look at the horizon. For a new study, researchers measured how much people sway on land and at sea and found there's truth in that advice; people aboard a ship are steadier if they fix their eyes on the horizon. ... > full story
Hot flushes are linked with a significant reduction in breast cancer risk, study finds (January 26, 2011) -- Women who have experienced hot flushes and other symptoms of menopause may have a 50 percent lower risk of developing the most common forms of breast cancer than postmenopausal women who have never had such symptoms, according to a recent study. ... > full story
Use of antidepressant associated with reduction in menopausal hot flashes (January 26, 2011) -- Women who were either in the transition to menopause or postmenopausal experienced a reduction in the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flashes with the use of the antidepressant medication escitalopram, compared to women who received placebo, according to a new study. ... > full story
Armchair nanoribbons made into spintronic device (January 26, 2011) -- A new advance may soon revolutionize handheld electronics, flat-panel displays, touch panels, electronic ink, and solar cells. Physicists in Iran have created a spintronic device based on "armchair" graphene nanoribbons that could one day replace more expensive indium tin oxide. ... > full story
Soldiers’ brains adapt to perceived threat during mission (January 26, 2011) -- A study of soldiers who took part in the ISAF mission in Afghanistan between 2008 and 2010 has found that their brains adapt when they are continuously exposed to stress. The perceived threat appears to be the major predictor of brain adaptation, rather than the actual events. In other words, if a roadside bomb goes off right in front of you, the degree to which you perceive this as threatening is what counts. This is what determines how the brain and the stress system adapt. Between 2008 and 2010 the researchers studied a group of 36 soldiers. Before and after taking part in the mission, the soldiers’ brain activity was measured and compared with the brain activity of a control group of equal size who stayed at home. Unique to this study is that it is the first to use a control group. This control group, which stayed behind in the barracks in the Netherlands, had received similar combat training. ... > full story
New method attacks bacterial infections on contact lenses (January 26, 2011) -- Researchers have discovered a new method to fight bacterial infections associated with contact lenses. The method may also have applications for bacterial infections associated with severe burns and cystic fibrosis. ... > full story
Imaging procedure can identify biomarker associated with Alzheimer's disease (January 26, 2011) -- Preliminary research suggests that use of a type of molecular imaging procedure may have the ability to detect the presence of beta-amyloid in the brains of individuals during life, a biomarker that is identified during autopsy to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study. ... > full story
Mercury in Bay Area fish a legacy of California mining (January 26, 2011) -- Mercury contamination, a worldwide environmental problem, has been called "public enemy No. 1" in California's San Francisco Bay. ... > full story
Preschool kids know what they like: Salt, sugar and fat (January 26, 2011) -- A child's taste preferences begin at home and most often involve salt, sugar and fat. And, researchers say, young kids learn quickly what brands deliver the goods. ... > full story
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