Science News SciGuru.com

Why a wide-eyed expression of fear can be a good thing
Baby knows best: Fetuses emit hormone crucial to preventing preeclampsia
Scientists assemble genetic playbook for acute leukemia
Researchers Propose New Old Way to Purify Carbon Nanotubes
New Research Shows Weekend Binge Drinking Could Leave Lasting Liver Damage
One step closer to a blood test for Alzheimer’s
Teen girls less successful than boys at quitting meth in UCLA pilot research study
A Text Message A Day Keeps the Asthma Attack Away
Study finds survival from cardiac arrest highest in the operating room or post-anesthesia care unit
No Link Between Anesthesia, Dementia in Elderly, Mayo Clinic Study Finds

Why a wide-eyed expression of fear can be a good thing

Posted: 02 May 2013 07:17 AM PDT

Wide-eyed expressions that typically signal fear seem to enlarge our visual field making it easier to spot threats at the same time they enhance the ability of others to locate the source of danger, according to new research from the University of Toronto.

The research by Daniel Lee, a graduate student in the Department of Psychology, is published on the Psychological Science website and in an upcoming issue.

Baby knows best: Fetuses emit hormone crucial to preventing preeclampsia

Posted: 02 May 2013 07:09 AM PDT

In a study using mice, researchers from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that a hormone, adrenomedullin, plays a crucial role in preventing the pregnancy complication preeclampsia. Surprisingly, this hormone protects women from preeclampsia when emitted by the fetus, not the mother, during the most critical times in pregnancy.

Scientists assemble genetic playbook for acute leukemia

Posted: 01 May 2013 11:48 AM PDT

A team of researchers led by Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has identified virtually all of the major mutations that drive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a fast-growing blood cancer in adults that often is difficult to treat.

The findings, published online May 1 in The New England Journal of Medicine, pave the way for developing better treatments for AML based on the genetic profile of a patient’s cancer. They also could lead to ways to more accurately predict the severity of disease in individual patients.

Researchers Propose New Old Way to Purify Carbon Nanotubes

Posted: 01 May 2013 10:58 AM PDT

An old, somewhat passé, trick used to purify protein samples based on their affinity for water has found new fans at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), where materials scientists are using it to divvy up solutions of carbon nanotubes, separating the metallic nanotubes from semiconductors. They say it's a fast, easy and cheap way to produce high-purity samples of carbon nanotubes for use in nanoscale electronics and many other applications.

New Research Shows Weekend Binge Drinking Could Leave Lasting Liver Damage

Posted: 01 May 2013 09:25 AM PDT

Overconsumption of alcohol creates a different kind of liver damage that affects key organ functions. Long after a hangover, a night of bad decisions might take a bigger toll on the body than previously understood. Described in the current issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, a study at the University of Missouri has revealed a unique connection between binge drinking and the risk for developing alcoholic liver disease and a variety of other health problems.

One step closer to a blood test for Alzheimer’s

Posted: 01 May 2013 08:57 AM PDT

Australian scientists are much closer to developing a screening test for the early detection of Alzheimer’s disease, the leading cause of dementia.

A quarter of a million Australians currently suffer from dementia and given our ageing population, this is predicted to increase to one million by 2050.

Researchers identified blood-based biological markers that are associated with the build up of amyloid beta, a toxic protein in the brain, which occurs years before symptoms appear and irreversible brain damage has occurred.

Teen girls less successful than boys at quitting meth in UCLA pilot research study

Posted: 01 May 2013 08:20 AM PDT

A UCLA-led study of adolescents receiving treatment for methamphetamine dependence has found that girls are more likely to continue using the drug during treatment than boys, suggesting that new approaches are needed for treating meth abuse among teen girls.

Results from the study, conducted by the UCLA Center for Behavioral and Addiction Medicine and the community-based substance abuse treatment program Behavioral Health Services Inc., are published in the April edition of the Journal of Adolescent Health.

A Text Message A Day Keeps the Asthma Attack Away

Posted: 01 May 2013 08:14 AM PDT

Simply sending children with asthma a text message each day asking about their symptoms and providing knowledge about their condition can lead to improved health outcomes.

In a study by the Georgia Institute of Technology, pediatric patients who were asked questions about their symptoms and provided information about asthma via SMS text messages showed improved pulmonary function and a better understanding of their condition within four months, compared to other groups.

Study finds survival from cardiac arrest highest in the operating room or post-anesthesia care unit

Posted: 01 May 2013 08:04 AM PDT

A University of Michigan study from the “Online First” edition of Anesthesiology found cardiac arrest was associated with improved survival when it occurred in the operating room (O.R.) or post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) compared to other hospital locations. The findings offer evidence that the presence of anesthesia providers in these locations may improve outcomes for certain patients.

No Link Between Anesthesia, Dementia in Elderly, Mayo Clinic Study Finds

Posted: 01 May 2013 07:55 AM PDT

Elderly patients who receive anesthesia are no more likely to develop long-term dementia or Alzheimer's disease than other seniors, according to new Mayo Clinic research. The study analyzed thousands of patients using the Rochester Epidemiology Project — which allows researchers access to medical records of nearly all residents of Olmsted County, Minn. — and found that receiving general anesthesia for procedures after age 45 is not a risk factor for developing dementia. The findings were published Wednesday, May 1, online in Mayo Clinic Proceedings.