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• New combination drug therapy proves very effective in hepatitis C treatments
• Faraway moon or faint star? Possible exomoon found
• Hepatitis C treatment cures over 90 percent of patients with cirrhosis
• Low vitamin D linked to fatty liver disease in UK children
• Fecal transplant? Gut microbiota may play a role in development of alcoholic liver disease
• Impressive SVR12 data for once-daily combination to treat HCV genotype 1 patients
• New Chinese herbal medicine has significant potential in treating hepatitis C, study suggests
• Researchers examine metabolism in defective cells
• Computer rendering: Graduate student brings extinct plants 'back to life'
• Warming climate has consequences for Michigan's forests
• Guns aren't the only things killing cops
• Odds that global warming is due to natural factors: Slim to none
• What happens when we try to manipulate our voice to attract a mate? Her voice is hot, his is not
• Impact of the 1,000 mph supersonic car predicted
• Better solar cells, better LED light and vast optical possibilities
• New form of matter: Exotic hadron with two quarks, two anti-quarks confirmed
• Search for elusive dark matter: Looking for traces by studying particles with low masses and interaction rates
• NASA's Hubble extends stellar tape measure 10 times farther into space
• NASA simulation portrays ozone intrusions from aloft
• Tamiflu & Relenza: How effective are they?
• Nanostructures with applications in infrared and terahertz ranges
• Confirmation of neurobiological origin of attention-deficit disorder
• New molecules working against Alzheimer's discovered
• Passive houses save lots of energy
• The ATM strikes back: Researchers protect money with method borrowed from an aggressive beetle

New combination drug therapy proves very effective in hepatitis C treatments Posted: 12 Apr 2014 11:58 AM PDT Treatment options for the 170 million people worldwide with chronic Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) are evolving rapidly, although the available regimens often come with significant side effects. Two multi-center clinical trials show promise for a new option that could help lead to both an increase in patients cured with a much more simple and tolerable all oral therapy.

Faraway moon or faint star? Possible exomoon found Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:41 AM PDT Titan, Europa, Io and Phobos are just a few members of our solar system's pantheon of moons. Are there are other moons out there, orbiting planets beyond our sun? Researchers have spotted the first signs of an "exomoon," and though they say it's impossible to confirm its presence, the finding is a tantalizing first step toward locating others. The discovery was made by watching a chance encounter of objects in our galaxy, which can be witnessed only once.

Hepatitis C treatment cures over 90 percent of patients with cirrhosis Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:34 AM PDT Twelve weeks of an investigational oral therapy cured hepatitis C infection in more than 90 percent of patients with liver cirrhosis and was well tolerated by these patients, according to a new study.

Low vitamin D linked to fatty liver disease in UK children Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:33 AM PDT A UK study investigating the link between low vitamin D status and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in British children has identified a genetic variant associated with the disease's severity.

Fecal transplant? Gut microbiota may play a role in development of alcoholic liver disease Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:33 AM PDT Exciting new data shows that the gut microbiota has a potential role in the development of alcoholic liver disease. Though an early stage animal model, a French study highlights the possibility of preventing ALD with fecal microbiota transplantation -- the engrafting of new microbiota, usually through administering human fecal material from a healthy donor into the colon of a recipient.

Impressive SVR12 data for once-daily combination to treat HCV genotype 1 patients Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:33 AM PDT Results from three Phase III clinical trials evaluating the investigational once-daily fixed-dose combination of the nucleotide analogue polymerase inhibitor sofosbuvir 400mg and the NS5A inhibitor ledipasvir 90mg, with and without ribavirin, for the treatment of genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C virus infection have been presented.

New Chinese herbal medicine has significant potential in treating hepatitis C, study suggests Posted: 12 Apr 2014 06:33 AM PDT A new compound, SBEL1, has the ability to inhibit hepatitis C virus activity in cells at several points in the virus' lifecycle. SBEL1 is a compound isolated from Chinese herbal medicines that was found to inhibit HCV activity by approximately 90%. SBEL1 is extracted from a herb found in certain regions of Taiwan and Southern China. In Chinese medicine, it is used to treat sore throats and inflammations. The function of SBEL1 within the plant is unknown and its role and origins are currently being investigated.

Researchers examine metabolism in defective cells Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT Mitochondria produce energy for cells through oxidative metabolism, but the process produces toxic byproducts that can accumulate and cause defects in the cell's mitochondria. These defects, in turn, affect the cell's ability to generate energy and can potentially lead to cell death and are associated with aging and various neurological diseases. Researchers have examined how dietary changes at the cell level can affect cell health.

Computer rendering: Graduate student brings extinct plants 'back to life' Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT Most fossilized plants are fragments indistinguishable from a stick, but a graduate student hopes a new technique will allow paleontologists to more precisely identify these fossils. A graduate student showed the power of this technique by turning a 375 million-year-old lycopod fossil into a life-like rendering.

Warming climate has consequences for Michigan's forests Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:38 PM PDT The vulnerability of forest ecosystems within a 16.6-million-acre area in Michigan's eastern Upper Peninsula and northern Lower Peninsula, about 70 percent of the state's forested land cover, has been assessed by researchers. Topics of their report include information on the contemporary landscape, past climate trends, and a range of projected future climates.

Guns aren't the only things killing cops Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:36 PM PDT The public does not realize -- in fact, police themselves may not realize -- that the dangers police officers are exposed to on a daily basis are far worse than anything on "Law and Order."

Odds that global warming is due to natural factors: Slim to none Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:34 PM PDT An analysis of temperature data since 1500 all but rules out the possibility that global warming in the industrial era is just a natural fluctuation in the earth's climate, according to a new study.

What happens when we try to manipulate our voice to attract a mate? Her voice is hot, his is not Posted: 11 Apr 2014 12:33 PM PDT Trying to sound sexier? Sorry, guys, it seems you just don't have what it takes. New research suggests that men cannot intentionally make their voices sound more sexy or attractive, while women have little trouble. And true to the stereotype, women will lower their pitch and increase their hoarseness to dial up the allure.

Impact of the 1,000 mph supersonic car predicted Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:31 AM PDT What are the aerodynamic characteristics of traveling at 1,000 mph? Simulations have looked at how the car will cope with the supersonic rolling ground, rotating wheels and resulting shock waves in close proximity to the test surface at the record attempt site in Hakskeen Pan, South Africa. Where, in 2015, it will make high speed test runs of up to 800mph, with the full 1,000mph attempt scheduled for 2016.

Better solar cells, better LED light and vast optical possibilities Posted: 11 Apr 2014 07:29 AM PDT Changes at the atom level in nanowires offer vast possibilities for improvement of solar cells and LED light. Researchers have discovered that by tuning a small strain on single nanowires they can become more effective in LEDs and solar cells.

New form of matter: Exotic hadron with two quarks, two anti-quarks confirmed Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT Physicists have confirmed the existence of exotic hadrons -- a type of matter that cannot be classified within the traditional quark model. "We've confirmed the unambiguous observation of a very exotic state -- something that looks like a particle composed of two quarks and two anti-quarks," said one of the scientists. "The discovery certainly doesn't fit the traditional quark model. It may give us a new way of looking at strong-interaction physics."

Search for elusive dark matter: Looking for traces by studying particles with low masses and interaction rates Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT The ongoing search for invisible dark matter is a subject of great interest to physicists. Although dark matter has never been seen directly, it is thought to be six times more prevalent in the universe than normal matter.

NASA's Hubble extends stellar tape measure 10 times farther into space Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT Astronomers now can precisely measure the distance of stars up to 10,000 light-years away -- 10 times farther than previously possible. Astronomers have developed yet another novel way to use the 24-year-old space telescope by employing a technique called spatial scanning, which dramatically improves Hubble's accuracy for making angular measurements. The technique, when applied to the age-old method for gauging distances called astronomical parallax, extends Hubble's tape measure 10 times farther into space.

NASA simulation portrays ozone intrusions from aloft Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT Outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado's Front Range are occasionally rewarded with remarkable visibility brought about by dry, clear air and wind. But it's what people in the mountainous U.S. West can't see in conditions like this -- ozone plunging down to the ground from high in the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere -- that has attracted the interest of scientists, university scientists and air quality managers.

Tamiflu & Relenza: How effective are they? Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:19 AM PDT Experts call on government and health policy decision makers to review guidance on use of Tamiflu in light of the most recent evidence. Tamiflu (the antiviral drug oseltamivir) shortens symptoms of influenza by half a day, but there is no good evidence to support claims that it reduces admissions to hospital or complications of influenza.

Nanostructures with applications in infrared and terahertz ranges Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:18 AM PDT Scientists have created a compound semiconductor of nearly perfect quality with embedded nanostructures containing ordered lines of atoms that can manipulate light energy in the mid-infrared range. More efficient solar cells, less risky and higher resolution biological imaging, and the ability to transmit massive amounts of data at higher speeds are only a few applications that this unique semiconductor will be able to support.

Confirmation of neurobiological origin of attention-deficit disorder Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:17 AM PDT The neurobiological origin of attention-deficit disorder (ADD), a syndrome whose causes are poorly understood, has just been confirmed by a study carried out on mice. Researchers have identified a cerebral structure, the superior colliculus, where hyperstimulation causes behavior modifications similar to those of some patients who suffer from ADD. Their work also shows noradrenaline accumulation in the affected area, shedding light on this chemical mediator having a role in attention disorders.

New molecules working against Alzheimer's discovered Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:17 AM PDT Eight new active molecules working against Alzheimer's have been discovered by researchers. One of the most relevant aspects of the work is that the new molecules have been designed following a mechanism which not only implies the inhibition of the deposit of the beta-amyloid protein, which causes the disease to originate and the creation of small fragments of protein, called oligomers, which originate in the initial stages of the disease and seem to play a determinant role in the development of the process.

Passive houses save lots of energy Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:17 AM PDT Housing is the easiest sector to change if we are to reach the climate targets, experts say. Norwegian research shows the housing sector today represents about one-third of the country's energy consumption, or about 35 terawatt hours out of a total of 112 terawatt hours. As a result, it is indirectly one of largest contributors to Norway's greenhouse gas emissions.

The ATM strikes back: Researchers protect money with method borrowed from an aggressive beetle Posted: 11 Apr 2014 06:14 AM PDT Its head and pronotum are usually rusty red, and its abdomen blue or shiny green: the bombardier beetle is approximately one centimeter long and common to Central Europe. At first glance, it appears harmless, but it possesses what is surely the most aggressive chemical defense system in nature. When threatened, the bombardier beetle releases a caustic spray, accompanied by a popping sound. Researchers are now borrowing methods from the bombardier beetle to protect ATMs.

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