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Smoking and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls Are “Red Flag” for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis
Report finds materials manufacturers will likely be unable to meet targets for carbon-emissions reductions by 2050
Gaze following provides insight into the evolution of leadership
Scientists Identify First Potentially Effective Therapy for Human Prion Disease
Brain-imaging tool and stroke risk test help identify cognitive decline early
Urinary tract infections 29 times more likely in schizophrenia relapse
Thrusters powered by ionic wind may be an efficient alternative to conventional atmospheric propulsion technologies
Invasive crabs help Cape Cod marshes
Surgical menopause may prime brain for stroke, Alzheimer’s

Smoking and Depressive Symptoms in Adolescent Girls Are “Red Flag” for Postmenopausal Osteoporosis

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 07:19 AM PDT

Depression, anxiety, and smoking are associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) in adults, but these factors have not previously been studied during adolescence, when more than 50% of bone accrual occurs. This longitudinal preliminary study is the first to demonstrate that smoking and depressive symptoms in adolescent girls have a negative impact on adolescent bone accrual and may become a red flag for a future constrained by low bone mass or osteoporosis and higher fracture rates in postmenopausal years.

Report finds materials manufacturers will likely be unable to meet targets for carbon-emissions reductions by 2050

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 07:12 AM PDT

A new report by researchers at MIT and elsewhere finds that the global manufacturing sector has made great strides in energy efficiency: The manufacturing of materials such as steel, cement, paper and aluminum has become increasingly streamlined, requiring far less energy than when these processes were first invented.

Gaze following provides insight into the evolution of leadership

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 05:14 AM PDT

In the background of evolution, gaze following is one of the oldest manifestations of leadership. Three-month-old babies, for example, already follow the eye movements of their parents. Psychologists at VU University Amsterdam have discovered that in times of danger people follow the eye movements of individuals with a masculine and dominant appearance. When people feel safe, however, they follow the eye movements of both men and women. The results were published yesterday in the scientific journal PLoS One.

Scientists Identify First Potentially Effective Therapy for Human Prion Disease

Posted: 04 Apr 2013 04:50 AM PDT

Human diseases caused by misfolded proteins known as prions are some of most rare yet terrifying on the planet—incurable with disturbing symptoms that include dementia, personality shifts, hallucinations and coordination problems. The most well-known of these is Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which can be described as the naturally occurring human equivalent of mad cow disease.

Brain-imaging tool and stroke risk test help identify cognitive decline early

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:29 AM PDT

UCLA researchers have used a brain-imaging tool and stroke risk assessment to identify signs of cognitive decline early on in individuals who don't yet show symptoms of dementia.

The connection between stroke risk and cognitive decline has been well established by previous research. Individuals with higher stroke risk, as measured by factors like high blood pressure, have traditionally performed worse on tests of memory, attention and abstract reasoning.

Urinary tract infections 29 times more likely in schizophrenia relapse

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 11:23 AM PDT

Schizophrenia patients experiencing relapse are 29 times more likely than healthy individuals to have a urinary tract infection, researchers report.

Urinary tract infections, which can cause painful and frequent urination, are common but patients hospitalized for schizophrenia are even more likely to have a UTI than healthy individuals or even others whose illness is under control, said Dr. Brian J. Miller, psychiatrist and schizophrenia expert at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.

Thrusters powered by ionic wind may be an efficient alternative to conventional atmospheric propulsion technologies

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 09:10 AM PDT

When a current passes between two electrodes — one thinner than the other — it creates a wind in the air between. If enough voltage is applied, the resulting wind can produce a thrust without the help of motors or fuel.

Invasive crabs help Cape Cod marshes

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 08:50 AM PDT

Ecologists are wary of non-native species, but along the shores of Cape Cod where grass-eating crabs have been running amok and destroying the marsh, an invasion of a predatory green crabs has helped turn back the tide in favor of the grass. The counter-intuitive conclusions appear in a new paper in the journal Ecology.

Surgical menopause may prime brain for stroke, Alzheimer’s

Posted: 03 Apr 2013 08:32 AM PDT

Removing the ovaries before menopause, appears to leave more of the brain vulnerable to stroke and increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report.

Low doses of estrogen started right after surgery appear to reduce this vulnerability in an area of the brain that typically is not super-sensitive to stress, said Dr. Darrell Brann, Associate Director of the Institute of Molecular Medicine and Genetics at the Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University.