Τρίτη 22 Ιανουαρίου 2013

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


Stopping smoking reduces risk of bacterial pneumonia in people with HIV

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 04:20 PM PST

Bacterial pneumonia is one of the commonest and most serious infections occurring in people infected with HIV.  A metanalysis of cohort and case control studies finds that current smokers with HIV were at double the risk of bacterial pneumonia than non-smoking counterparts, but that when people stopped smoking their risk was reduced.

Perfectionism and eating disorders: Complex issue

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 04:20 PM PST

Two aspects of perfectionism are involved in body dissatisfaction and the development of eating disorders, according to a new study.  Adaptive perfectionism is high standards driving a person towards achieving a goal body image, and maladaptive perfectionism is concerned with mistakes and other people's opinions.

'Rock dissolving' method of geoengineering to mitigate climate change would not be easy

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 04:20 PM PST

The benefits and side effects of dissolving particles in our ocean's surfaces to increase the marine uptake of carbon dioxide, and therefore reduce the excess amount of it in the atmosphere, have been analyzed in a new study. Researchers calculate that if three gigatons of olivine were deposited into the oceans each year, it could compensate for only around nine per cent of present day anthropogenic CO2 emissions.

Cleaning jobs linked to asthma risk

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 04:20 PM PST

A new study has found strong evidence for a link between cleaning jobs and risk of developing asthma. Researchers tracked the occurrence of asthma in a group of 9,488 people born in Britain in 1958. Not including those who had asthma as children, nine per cent developed asthma by age 42. Risks in the workplace were responsible for one in six cases of adult onset asthma – even more than the one in nine cases attributed to smoking, according to the analysis. There are many occupations that are thought to cause asthma. In this study, 18 occupations were clearly linked with asthma risk, four of which were cleaning jobs and a further three of which were likely to involve exposure to cleaning products.

Linchpin of skin response to UVA light discovered

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:19 PM PST

Researchers have strengthened their understanding of how skin cells called melanocytes sense ultraviolet light and act to protect themselves with melanin. In a new study, they report experiments showing that an ion channel well-known elsewhere in the body for its chemical sensitivity, plays a central role in this process.

Overlooked ugly cholesterol causes heart disease, study suggests

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:19 PM PST

The risk of ischaemic heart disease is three times higher in persons with high levels of the so-called "ugly" cholesterol. This is the finding of a new study which is shedding light on a long debate on this topic.

Childhood diagnosis of ADHD increased dramatically over 9-year period

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:19 PM PST

The rate of children diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder rose dramatically between 2001 and 2010 with non-Hispanic white children having the highest diagnosis rates, according to a new study. The study also showed there was a 90 percent increase in the diagnosis of ADHD among non-Hispanic black girls during the same nine-year period.

Nearly half of children under two years of age receive some vaccinations late

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:19 PM PST

Researchers found that 49 percent of children ages 2-24 months did not receive all recommended vaccinations or did not get vaccinated according to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices schedule.

Regular aspirin use linked to increased risk of age-related macular degeneration

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:19 PM PST

Regular aspirin use appears to be associated with an increased risk of neovascular age-related macular degeneration, which is a leading cause of blindness in older people, and it appears to be independent of a history of cardiovascular disease and smoking.

New way to kill lymphoma without chemotherapy: Golden nanoparticle starves cancer cell to death

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:19 PM PST

Scientists annihilated lymphoma by depriving it of a favorite food: HDL cholesterol. Researchers developed a new golden nanoparticle that's a replica of natural HDL. Acting like a secret double agent, the particle appears to the human lymphoma cell like natural HDL. But when the cell engages it, the particle plugs up the cell and blocks cholesterol from entering. The cell dies.

A relative from the Tianyuan Cave: Humans living 40,000 years ago likely related to many present-day Asians and Native Americans

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:18 PM PST

Ancient DNA has revealed that humans living some 40,000 years ago in the area near Beijing were likely related to many present-day Asians and Native Americans.

Light shed on complexity of gene therapy for congenital blindness

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:17 PM PST

Independent clinical trials have reported safety and efficacy for Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA), a congenital form of blindness caused by mutations in a gene (RPE65) required for recycling vitamin A in the retina. Now, new research finds that gene therapy for LCA shows enduring improvement in vision but also advancing degeneration of affected retinal cells, both in LCA patients and animal models of the same condition.

How cells' DNA repair machinery can destroy viruses

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:17 PM PST

Researchers have decoded a system that makes certain types of immune cells impervious to HIV infection. The system's two vital components are high levels of a molecule that becomes embedded in viral DNA like a code written in invisible ink, and an enzyme that, when it reads the code, switches from repairing the DNA to chopping it up into unusable pieces.

Longer CPR improves survival in both chidren and adults

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:17 PM PST

Two large national U.S. studies show that extending CPR longer than previously thought useful saves lives in both children and adults. Research teams analyzed impact of duration of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients who suffered cardiac arrest while hospitalized.

Hearing loss accelerates brain function decline in older adults

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 01:17 PM PST

Older adults with hearing loss are more likely to develop problems thinking and remembering than older adults whose hearing is normal, according to a new study.

Enzyme helps cancer cells avoid genetic instability

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

Cancer cells are resourceful survivors with plenty of tricks for staying alive. Researchers have uncovered one of these stratagems, showing how cells lacking the tumor suppressor BRCA1 can resume one form of DNA repair, sparing themselves from stagnation or death.

Monitoring of immune function in critically ill children with influenza reveals severe immune suppression in non-survivors

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 09:29 AM PST

Investigators have observed and evaluated critically ill children with influenza to evaluate the relationships between levels of systemic inflammation, immune function and likelihood to die from the illness.

Human-tiger conflict: Are the risks overestimated?

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 07:33 AM PST

A new study has found a complex web of factors increases perceived risk of tiger attack in the Sundarbans of Bangladesh. Wildlife conservationists are well aware of the potential conflicts that exist between the endangered species they seek to protect and the human populations which inhabit areas where the animals live. Carnivores, such as tigers, pose a risk to humans and their livestock and can be killed because of this potential risk. A new study has identified several key factors which may contribute to perceptions of risk from tigers in a conservation area in Bangladesh.

New findings on mortality of individuals with schizophrenia

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 07:33 AM PST

A new study shows that the average life expectancy of men and women with schizophrenia is 15 years and 12 years shorter respectively than for those who do not suffer from the disease.

Molecular forces are key to proper cell division

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 07:33 AM PST

New details emerge about a molecular surveillance system that helps detect and correct errors in mitosis that can lead to cell death or human diseases. Biologists can watch and record images of the key players including microtubules, kinetochores, molecular engines and the polar ejection force.

Did an 8th century gamma ray burst irradiate Earth?

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:32 AM PST

A nearby short duration gamma-ray burst may be the cause of an intense blast of high-energy radiation that hit the Earth in the 8th century, according to new research.

New evidence indicates auroras occur outside our solar system

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:32 AM PST

Planetary scientists have found new evidence suggesting auroras – similar to Earth's Aurora Borealis - occur on bodies outside our solar system.

Smoke-free law linked to large fall in child asthma hospital admissions

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:32 AM PST

The introduction of smoke-free legislation in England was immediately followed by a fall in the number of children admitted to hospital with asthma symptoms, a new study has found.

DNA chip to diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder?

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:32 AM PST

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is the most common childhood neuropsychiatric disorder. Yet there is currently no tool that will confirm the diagnosis of ADHD. Now a researcher has developed a tool that could improve not only the diagnosis of but also the therapeutics for this disorder. 

Of course the Tooth Fairy's real: How parents lie in the U.S. and China

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:32 AM PST

Almost everyone teaches their children that lying is always wrong. But the vast majority of parents lie to their children in order to get them to behave, according to new research.

Unique software supports behavioural intervention programs

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:32 AM PST

The internet offers users a cost-effective way of accessing information and advice on any health problem, 24-hours a day. A group of social scientists has taken advantage of this by developing software which enables other researchers to easily create interactive internet-based intervention programs to support behavioral change. The software, known as LifeGuide, is being used in intervention programs, for example to quit smoking or manage weight loss.

Scientists describe a 'new' type of volcanic eruption

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:32 AM PST

Scientists based in the UK and New Zealand have described a "new" type of volcanic eruption. Volcanic eruptions are commonly categorized as either explosive or effusive. But now, researchers have uncovered a previously undocumented type of eruption in underwater volcanoes – by looking at tiny original bubble spaces trapped in volcanic rock.

Cotton with special coating collects water from fogs in desert

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:30 AM PST

Researchers have developed a special treatment for cotton fabric that allows the cotton to absorb exceptional amounts of water from misty air: 340% of its own weight. What makes this 'coated cotton' so interesting is that the cotton releases the collected water by itself, as it gets warmer. This property makes of the coated cotton materials a potential solution to provide water to the desert regions, for example for agricultural purposes.

Protein structure: Immune system foiled by a hairpin

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:30 AM PST

The innate immune system detects invasive pathogens and activates defense mechanisms to eliminate them. Pathogens, however, employ a variety of tricks to block this process. A new study shows how the measles virus thwarts the system, by means of a simple hairpin-like structure.

New tool for selecting embryos in fertility treatments

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:30 AM PST

Scientists have developed a new tool, a mathematical model to be exact, to help in the selection of embryos for transfer in fertility treatments. The model is especially useful for transfers of intermediate quality embryos on the second day after fertilization, when it is possible to estimate the probability of implantation in the uterus.

New technology shows diabetes

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:30 AM PST

A new imaging method for the study of insulin-producing cells in diabetes among other uses has been developed.

Facebook makes users feel envious, dissatisfied: German study reveals social network's big role in users' emotional life

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:30 AM PST

In a new study by researchers in Germany, Facebook users were surveyed regarding their feelings after using the platform. More than one-third of respondents reported predominantly negative feelings, such as frustration. The researchers identified that envying their "Facebook friends" is the major reason for this feeling.

Ultra-small devices for energy-efficient electronics

Posted: 21 Jan 2013 05:30 AM PST

Scientists have designed and fabricated ultra-small devices for energy-efficient electronics. By finding out how molecules behave in these devices, a ten-fold increase in switching efficiency was obtained by changing just one carbon atom. These devices could provide new ways to combat overheating in mobile phones and laptops, and could also aid in electrical stimulation of tissue repair for wound healing.

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