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CHMP4C gene gives cells a 'safety belt' against genetic damage
Majority of fourth graders are exposed to smoke, study finds
New Research from Penn Medicine Reveals Mothers of Kids with Autism Earn Significantly Less
Memory Problems May Increase After Being Hospitalized
Too close for comfort - Grizzly bear encounters
Seeing movement: Why the world in our head stays still when we move our eyes
Parents of Children with Cancer Distrust and Fear Online Sources of Health Information, Study Shows
Research Highlights Pitfall of Psychiatric Drug Development: Publication Bias May Provide Physicians with an Incomplete Picture
Salk scientists open new window into how cancers override cellular growth controls
BUSM Study Demonstrates Tomosynthesis Effective in Diagnosing Knee Osteoarthritis
Structure of ‘Salvia’ receptor, kappa opioid receptor solved
Researchers look for ways to make an emerging technology safe for environment
Discovery offers insight into treating viral stomach flu
Berkeley Lab Study Shows Significantly Higher Potential for Wind Energy in India than Previously Estimated
Nemours researchers uncover new evidence of cancer-causing agent present in gaseous phase of cigarette smoke
Ibuprofen decreases likelihood of altitude sickness, researchers find
Researchers discover drug target for stimulating recovery from stroke
Imaging study reveals differences in brain function for children with math anxiety

CHMP4C gene gives cells a 'safety belt' against genetic damage

Posted: 22 Mar 2012 06:03 AM PDT

Researchers at King’s College London have identified a gene which offers cells a ‘safety belt’ against genetic damage by stopping them dividing at the wrong time.

DNA damage is a common cause of cancer and by identifying a significant element of the cell division process, the study could help identify new cancer research paths.

Majority of fourth graders are exposed to smoke, study finds

Posted: 22 Mar 2012 05:52 AM PDT

More than 75 percent of fourth-graders in urban and rural settings have measurable levels of a nicotine breakdown product in their saliva that documents their second-hand smoke exposure, researchers report.

New Research from Penn Medicine Reveals Mothers of Kids with Autism Earn Significantly Less

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:15 PM PDT

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a lifelong set of developmental disorders that often demand significant resources of time and money from families. New research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and the Center for Autism Research at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) now reveals that a wide range of negative parental employment and earnings outcomes are associated with childhood ASD, and specifically have a major impact on a mother’s ability to contribute to the overall income of the family.

Memory Problems May Increase After Being Hospitalized

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:09 PM PDT

A new study suggests that older people may have an increased risk of problems with memory and thinking abilities after being in the hospital, according to research published in the March 21, 2012, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Too close for comfort - Grizzly bear encounters

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 08:59 PM PDT

The ranchland near the southwestern Alberta town of Pincher Creek is a hot zone for grizzly bear encounters, according to a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Alberta.

The research, led by former U of A graduate student Joe Northrup, mapped the locations of 303 grizzly bear encounters over the last 10 years. There were no human fatalities, even though the vast majority of the encounters happened on private ranch land.

Seeing movement: Why the world in our head stays still when we move our eyes

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 08:43 PM PDT

When observing a fly buzzing around the room, we should have the impression that it is not the fly, but rather the space that lies behind it that is moving. After all, the fly is always fixed in our central point of view. But how does the brain convey the impression of a fly in motion in a motionless field?

Parents of Children with Cancer Distrust and Fear Online Sources of Health Information, Study Shows

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 08:38 PM PDT

Parents and adult caregivers of pediatric cancer patients prefer personal consultations with trusted health care providers over online sources for information about their child's illness, according to a University at Buffalo research study.

Despite the accessibility of online medical information, the UB study found that parents not only distrusted information found through the Internet, they often feared what types of information they might encounter.

Research Highlights Pitfall of Psychiatric Drug Development: Publication Bias May Provide Physicians with an Incomplete Picture

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 02:59 PM PDT

Physicians who prescribe antipsychotic medications may be basing their decisions on incomplete information, according to new research published by scientists at Oregon Health & Science University. The study is published in PLoS Medicine, a peer-reviewed open-access journal published by the Public Library of Science.

Salk scientists open new window into how cancers override cellular growth controls

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:33 PM PDT

Rapidly dividing cancer cells are skilled at patching up damage that would stop normal cells in their tracks, including wear and tear of telomeres, the protective caps at the end of each chromosome.

Loss of telomeres forces cells out of the dividing game and into a growth arrest state called "senescence," but cancer cells evade this by employing an enzyme called telomerase to extend eroded telomeres.

BUSM Study Demonstrates Tomosynthesis Effective in Diagnosing Knee Osteoarthritis

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:21 PM PDT

A recent study done by researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shows that tomosynthesis may be more beneficial in diagnosing knee osteoarthritis than X-ray imaging. In the study, which is published online in the journal Radiology, tomosynthesis detected more osteophytes (abnormal bony spurs) and subchondral cysts (small collection of fluid within the bone) in the knee joint than conventional X-ray imaging.

Structure of ‘Salvia’ receptor, kappa opioid receptor solved

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 01:18 PM PDT

At the molecular level, drugs like salvinorin A (the active ingredient of the hallucinogenic plant Salvia divinorum) work by activating specific proteins, known as receptors, in the brain and body.

Researchers look for ways to make an emerging technology safe for environment

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:44 PM PDT

The percentage of electronic waste occupying our landfills has grown at an alarming rate over the last decade, giving rise to concerns about the toxicity of components used in consumer electronics.

Researchers at the University of Florida are looking for ways to minimize environmental hazards associated with a material likely to play an increasingly important role in the manufacture of these goods in the future. The results of their most recent studies are published in the March 2012 issue of Nanotoxicology.

Discovery offers insight into treating viral stomach flu

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:41 PM PDT

Twenty million Americans get sick from norovirus each year according to data released last week by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Often called vomiting illness, it can spread rapidly on cruise ships, and in dormitories and hospitals. Recent data from the CDC shows deaths from gastrointestinal infections have more than doubled and have become a particular threat to the elderly. The virus is shed in the stool of the infected individual, has a short incubation period and can spread quickly if proper hand washing and other measures are neglected.

Berkeley Lab Study Shows Significantly Higher Potential for Wind Energy in India than Previously Estimated

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 12:35 PM PDT

A new assessment of wind energy in India by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has found that the potential for on-shore wind energy deployment is far higher than the official estimates— about 20 times and up to 30 times greater than the current government estimate of 102 gigawatts. This landmark finding may have significant impact on India’s renewable energy strategy as it attempts to cope with a massive and chronic shortage of electricity.

Nemours researchers uncover new evidence of cancer-causing agent present in gaseous phase of cigarette smoke

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 10:02 AM PDT

A team of researchers led by A. K. Rajasekaran, PhD, Director of the Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research, has shown that a key protein involved in cell function and regulation is stopped by a substance present in cigarette smoke. Their work is published online in the American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cell and Molecular Physiology.

Ibuprofen decreases likelihood of altitude sickness, researchers find

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:50 AM PDT

“A really nasty hangover” is how Grant Lipman, MD, describes the feeling of acute mountain sickness, and for good reason: Symptoms can include headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, vomiting and poor appetite.

Researchers discover drug target for stimulating recovery from stroke

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:42 AM PDT

Investigators at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that removing a matched set of molecules that typically help to regulate the brain’s capacity for forming and eliminating connections between nerve cells could substantially aid recovery from stroke even days after the event. In experiments with mice, the scientists demonstrated that when these molecules are not present, the mice’s ability to recover from induced strokes improved significantly.

Imaging study reveals differences in brain function for children with math anxiety

Posted: 21 Mar 2012 09:33 AM PDT

Scientists at the Stanford University School of Medicine have shown for the first time how brain function differs in people who have math anxiety from those who don’t.

A series of scans conducted while second- and third-grade students did addition and subtraction revealed that those who feel panicky about doing math had increased activity in brain regions associated with fear, which caused decreased activity in parts of the brain involved in problem-solving.