ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• WASP gives NASA's planetary scientists new observation platform
• Thinking skills take biggest hit from anxiety in midlife women with HIV
• Huntington disease prevention trial shows creatine safe, slows progression
• Medics speak of time assisting in the typhoon-hit Philippines
• Diaphragm pacing in spinal cord injury successful in weaning patients from ventilators
• Women fare worse than men following stroke
• Stroke trigger more deadly for African-Americans
• Large-scale studies to evaluate testosterone therapy risks
• Drop in crime rates are less where Wal-Mart builds, study shows
• Variability of contact precaution policies in U.S. emergency departments
• Bio scaffolds categorized by characteristic cell shapes
• Surprising new clue to the roots of hunger, neurons that drive appetite
• Genetic signals affecting lipid levels used to investigate heart disease risk
• Analysis of calls to IBD clinic predicts emergency visits, hospitalizations
• Exercise may slow progression of retinal degeneration
• Why not measure the quality, quantity of sleep? New device an at-home solution
• The fatality rate among heroin, cocaine users 14 times higher than for the general population
• Protein found to be associated with canine hereditary ataxia
• GMO soybean pollen threatens Mexican honey sales, report finds
• Rett syndrome genetic variants now available for advance testing, diagnosis & research
• Policies to reduce energy consumption in Germany missing targets, research shows
• Zoo offers blueprint for conserving native wildlife
• Potential novel treatment against septic shock, one of the leading causes of mortality in ICUs
• Love at the office? When relationships go from platonic to romantic
• Acute kidney injury may be a risk factor for later heart problems
• Quality problems in America's nursing homes tied to turnover

WASP gives NASA's planetary scientists new observation platform Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:07 AM PST Scientists who study Earth, the sun and stars have long used high-altitude scientific balloons to carry their telescopes far into the stratosphere for a better view of their targets. Not so much for planetary scientists. That's because they needed a highly stable, off-the-shelf-type system that could accurately point their instruments and then track planetary targets as they moved in the solar system. That device now exists.

Thinking skills take biggest hit from anxiety in midlife women with HIV Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:07 AM PST Hot flashes, depression, and most of all, anxiety, affect the thinking skills of midlife women with HIV, so screening for and treating their anxiety may be especially important in helping them function, according to a study just published. The reproductive stage, whether it was premenopause, perimenopause or postmenopause, did not seem to be related to these women's thinking skills.

Huntington disease prevention trial shows creatine safe, slows progression Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:07 AM PST The first clinical trial of a drug intended to delay the onset of symptoms of Huntington disease reveals that high-dose treatment with the nutritional supplement creatine was safe and well tolerated by most participants. In addition, neuroimaging showed a treatment-associated slowing of regional brain atrophy, evidence that creatine might slow the progression of presymptomatic disease.

Medics speak of time assisting in the typhoon-hit Philippines Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:06 AM PST Medics have spoken about their role treating the injured following the typhoon that hit the Philippines in what they believe was the UK's first joint civilian and military humanitarian response effort. The model, which saw part of the team board HMS Daring, helped treat hundreds of people cut off on remote islands by the typhoon which struck last November.

Diaphragm pacing in spinal cord injury successful in weaning patients from ventilators Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:05 AM PST Laparoscopic diaphragm mapping – an electronic reading of the diaphragm nerves – is safe and can be performed in multiple centers with success, a new study shows. Early diaphragm mapping can quickly determine if a phrenic nerve injury is complete, allowing for early ventilator planning and prevention of weaning trials for patients with spinal cord injuries.

Women fare worse than men following stroke Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:05 AM PST The good news: More people survive stroke now than 10 years ago due to improved treatment and prevention. The bad news: Women who survive stroke have a worse quality of life than men, according to a study published.

Stroke trigger more deadly for African-Americans Posted: 08 Feb 2014 05:05 AM PST In a new study, results show that African-Americans were 39 times more likely to die of a stroke if they were exposed to an infection.

Large-scale studies to evaluate testosterone therapy risks Posted: 07 Feb 2014 12:13 PM PST According to a statement issued today by the Endocrine Society, the risks and benefits of testosterone therapy for older men with declining levels of the hormone need to be fully evaluated.

Drop in crime rates are less where Wal-Mart builds, study shows Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST The study titled "Rolling back prices and raising crime rates? The Wal-Mart effect on crime in the United States," released last month shows that the crime decline was stunted in counties where Wal-Mart expanded in the 1990s.

Variability of contact precaution policies in U.S. emergency departments Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST In a study, researchers surveyed a random sample of U.S. emergency departments and found substantial variation in the adoption of policies relating to contact precautions.

Bio scaffolds categorized by characteristic cell shapes Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:30 AM PST Getting in the right shape might be just as important in a biology lab as a gym. Shape is thought to play an important role in the effectiveness of cells grown to repair or replaced damaged tissue in the body. To help design new structures that enable cells to "shape up," researchers have come up with a way to measure, and more importantly, classify, the shapes cells tend to take in different environments.

Surprising new clue to the roots of hunger, neurons that drive appetite Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:29 AM PST A scientific team has made a surprising discovery about the brain's hunger-inducing neurons, a finding with important implications for the treatment of obesity.

Genetic signals affecting lipid levels used to investigate heart disease risk Posted: 07 Feb 2014 10:28 AM PST New genetic evidence strengthens the case that one well-known type of cholesterol is a likely suspect in causing heart disease, but also casts further doubt on the causal role played by another type. The findings may guide the search for improved treatments.

Analysis of calls to IBD clinic predicts emergency visits, hospitalizations Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:41 AM PST A comprehensive analysis of patient telephone records at an inflammatory bowel disease clinic revealed that 15 percent of patients account for half of all calls to the clinic. Forty-two percent of frequent-caller patients also were seen in the emergency department or hospitalized within the following year.

Exercise may slow progression of retinal degeneration Posted: 07 Feb 2014 08:40 AM PST Moderate aerobic exercise helps to preserve the structure and function of nerve cells in the retina after damage, according to an animal study. The findings suggest exercise may be able to slow the progression of retinal degenerative diseases.

Why not measure the quality, quantity of sleep? New device an at-home solution Posted: 07 Feb 2014 07:23 AM PST A new measuring system is enabling sleep monitoring in your own bed. A sensor is placed under the bed sheets, measuring e.g. heart rate, breathing, sleep quality and sleep length. The sleep data is presented to the user in a mobile app or online. This is the topic of a newly defended PhD dissertation.

The fatality rate among heroin, cocaine users 14 times higher than for the general population Posted: 07 Feb 2014 06:40 AM PST A new study analyses the risk factors and excess mortality among heroin and cocaine consumers admitted to treatment in Spain. The results reveal that the fatality rate among consumers of both drugs is 14.3 times higher than for the general population, while among those only using cocaine, it is 5.1 times higher.

Protein found to be associated with canine hereditary ataxia Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST Researchers have found a link between a mutation in a gene called RAB 24 and an inherited neurodegenerative disease in Old English sheepdogs and Gordon setters. The findings may help further understanding of neurodegenerative diseases and identify new treatments for both canine and human sufferers.

GMO soybean pollen threatens Mexican honey sales, report finds Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST Researchers have helped rural farmers in Mexico to quantify the genetically modified organism soybean pollen in honey samples rejected for sale in Germany.

Rett syndrome genetic variants now available for advance testing, diagnosis & research Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:39 AM PST Through collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and members of the clinical-laboratory and non-profit–research communities, 35 DNA samples containing many common RS genetic variants have now been characterized and made publicly available, eliminating a major stumbling-block for investigators and opening the possibility of earlier, more accurate diagnosis of Rett syndrome.

Policies to reduce energy consumption in Germany missing targets, research shows Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:38 AM PST New research has shown that policies to reduce energy consumption in homes are missing their targets. Germany's 2002 regulations were intended to create an 80% reduction by 2050 for energy used for home heating. According to the study, at the present rate reductions could achieve less than 25% by 2050.

Zoo offers blueprint for conserving native wildlife Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:37 AM PST Researchers have developed a blueprint to help zoos plan strategies for the conservation of native wildlife in and around their gardens.

Potential novel treatment against septic shock, one of the leading causes of mortality in ICUs Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:37 AM PST Septic shock is caused by excessive and systemic reaction of the entire body against infectious agents, in most cases of bacterial origin. The number of deaths by septic shock in intensive care units is very high and is still increasing, despite numerous large scale clinical trials. Scientists demonstrated in a mouse study that a potential novel treatment for sepsis may consist of the simultaneous neutralization of two harmful cytokines in the blood circulation, namely interleukin-1 and interleukin-18.

Love at the office? When relationships go from platonic to romantic Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:36 AM PST A new study on workplace romances has found that company culture contributes to how coworkers view workplace romances. The authors propose that, often, more relaxed office environments don't have official policies on interoffice relationships, making them more acceptable, while more formal offices have strict policies in place, which distinguish them as inappropriate and unprofessional.

Acute kidney injury may be a risk factor for later heart problems Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:36 AM PST Hospitalized patients who recovered from acute kidney injury had a 67% increased risk of experiencing coronary events or dying during a recent study, suggesting that there is a linkage between the two. Acute kidney injury's harmful effects on heart health were comparable to those attributed to diabetes.

Quality problems in America's nursing homes tied to turnover Posted: 07 Feb 2014 05:36 AM PST Nursing researchers find adverse outcomes are linked to turnover in studies of a sample representing more than 16,000 nursing homes in the United States, suggesting that preventing staff turnover should be given greater emphasis.

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