| Where infants sleep may affect how long they are breastfed Posted: 06 Feb 2016 05:56 AM PST A new study indicates that mothers who frequently sleep, or bed-share, with their infants consistently breastfeed for longer than mothers who do not bed-share. Also, pregnant women who expressed a strong motivation to breastfeed were more likely to bed-share frequently once their baby was born. The findings, which come from a study of 678 women in a randomized breastfeeding trial who were recruited at mid-pregnancy, question whether recommendations to avoid bed-sharing due to concerns such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) may impede some women from achieving their breastfeeding goals and could thereby prevent women and their children from experiencing all of the short- and long-term benefits of breastfeeding. |
| Prehistoric mystery meat put to the test (spoiler alert: It’s not woolly mammoth or giant ground sloth) Posted: 05 Feb 2016 12:35 PM PST Sorry, Explorers Club, but woolly mammoth is no longer on the menu. Neither is the giant ground sloth. |
| Proteomics and precision medicine Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:45 AM PST Researchers have used personalized proteomics to devise a successful treatment strategy for a patient with uveitis, a potentially blinding eye disease that can have many causes, making it particularly difficult to diagnose and treat effectively. |
| Uncovering secrets of elastin's flexibility during assembly Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:45 AM PST Elastin is a crucial building block in our bodies -- its flexibility allows skin to stretch and twist, blood vessels to expand and relax with every heartbeat, and lungs to swell and contract with each breath. But exactly how this protein-based tissue achieves this flexibility remained an unsolved question -- until now. An international team has carried out an analysis that reveals the details of a hierarchical structure of scissor-shaped molecules that gives elastin its remarkable properties. |
| Protein that switches cancers from inflammation to proliferation identified Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:45 AM PST PAD4 has been observed in cancers but its role was unclear. An Oxford University team have found that PAD4 citrullinates protein E2F-1, which causes it to form a protein complex with BRD4 that drives expression of inflammatory genes. |
| Assessing the biosimilarity of protein drugs: New study shows method's precision Posted: 05 Feb 2016 11:45 AM PST First-ever interlaboratory study of four versions of a therapeutic protein drug -- all manufactured from living cells -- reports that an established analytical tool akin to magnetic resonance imaging reliably assessed the atomic structures of the biologically similar products, yielding the equivalent of a fingerprint for each. |
| New tool for efficiently validating the accuracy of CRISPR-Cas9 reactions Posted: 05 Feb 2016 08:01 AM PST IBS researchers create multiplex Digenome-seq to find errors in CRISPR-Cas9 processes. |
| New luminous creatures illuminate the mystery of the Red Sea Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:53 AM PST Biologists have discovered new species of fluorescent polyps living in colonies on the shells of gastropods. |
| The geometry of histamine Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:53 AM PST Scientists have obtained a gas phase structure of histamine -- a substance that is responsible for allergic reactions. |
| Scientists discover molecular link between psychiatric disorders and type 2 diabetes Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:53 AM PST Scientists show that a gene called 'DISC1,' which is believed to play a role in mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and some forms of depression, influences the function of pancreatic beta cells which produce insulin to maintain normal blood glucose levels. |
| New analysis method may reduce need for invasive biopsies Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:53 AM PST Scientists have identified a quantitative method to measure changes in biomarkers, which may reduce or eliminate the need for invasive biopsies. |
| Aggression causes new nerve cells to be generated in the brain Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:53 AM PST Neurobiologists have demonstrated experimentally that aggression has an influence on the production of new nerve cells in the brain. The scientists conducted a series of experiments on male mice. |
| Effectiveness of routine Tdap booster wanes in adolescents Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:53 AM PST A new study found that the Tdap booster vaccine provides moderate protection against whooping cough during the first year after vaccination, but its effectiveness wanes to less than 9 percent after four years among teenagers who have received only a newer form of the whooping cough vaccine (acellular pertussis vaccine) as infants and children. |
| More effective speech therapy approach for children with Down Syndrome Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:08 AM PST Children with Down syndrome who have motor speech deficits have been inadequately diagnosed, which could have a major impact on the interventions used by speech pathologists when treating patients, a new study indicates. |
| No Hib booster needed by vaccinated infants in Kenya Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:06 AM PST Children living in Kenya are well protected from life-threatening infections -- such as meningitis, sepsis and pneumonia -- caused by the bacteria Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib), by the existing three-dose vaccine regime. |
| Radar reveals the hidden secrets of wombat warrens Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:06 AM PST For the first time ever, researchers have been able to non-invasively study the inner workings of wombat warrens, with a little help from ground-penetrating radar. |
| Milk, vitamin supplements and exercise raise children's vitamin D levels Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:06 AM PST Sufficient intake of fortified dairy products is of significant importance for the serum vitamin D level in primary school children, shows a new study. |
| Cancer treatment: Therapeutic approach gives hope for the treatment of multiple myeloma Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:06 AM PST A new therapeutic approach gives promising results for the treatment of multiple myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow currently considered incurable with conventional chemotherapy. The study resulted in a total cure rate of 41 percent, a record level using this strategy. Moreover, patients in complete remission six months after the allograft had a relapse-free survival rate of 60 percent. |
| Human-made underwater sound may have wider ecosystem effects than previously thought Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:05 AM PST Underwater sound linked to human activity could alter the behaviour of seabed creatures that play a vital role in marine ecosystems, according to new research. |
| Secondhand smoke: Nations producing less greenhouse gas most vulnerable to climate change Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:05 AM PST A new study shows a dramatic global mismatch between nations producing the most greenhouse gases and the ones most vulnerable to the effects of climate change. |
| Researchers identify striking genomic signature shared by five types of cancer Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:05 AM PST Researchers have identified a striking signature in tumor DNA that occurs in five different types of cancer. The specific signature results from a chemical modification of DNA called methylation, which can control the expression of genes like a dimmer on a light switch. Based on this advance, the researchers hope to spur development of a blood test that can be used to diagnose a variety of cancers at early stages. |
| New assay detects persistent disease in leukemia patients thought to be in remission Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:05 AM PST A new study describes a new personalized DNA-based digital assay that detects persistent chronic myeloid leukemia in 81 percent of samples taken from a group of patients thought to be in remission. |
| Motorboat noise gives predators a deadly advantage Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:04 AM PST Biologists found that noise from passing motorboats increases stress levels in young coral reef fish and reduces their ability to flee from predators. As a consequence they are captured more easily and their survival chances are halved. |
| Most internet resources for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis are inaccurate, incomplete and outdated Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:04 AM PST After evaluating content on idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on almost 200 websites, researchers with medical backgrounds found that the information on IPF from these sites was often incomplete, inaccurate and outdated. |
| First reported autopsy of patient with MERS coronavirus infection provides critical insights Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:04 AM PST Since 2012, at least 1,500 individuals have developed Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), resulting in more than 500 fatalities. Only now are results being reported of the first autopsy of a MERS patient, which was performed in 2014. Not only do these findings provide unprecedented, clinically-relevant insights about how MERS progresses, they challenge previously accepted ideas about MERS and the relevance of current animal models. |
| First-of-its-kind study explains why rest is critical after a concussion Posted: 05 Feb 2016 07:04 AM PST Neuroscientists say rest -- for more than a day -- is critical for allowing the brain to reset neural networks and repair any short-term injury. This new study in mice also shows that repeated mild concussions with only a day to recover between injuries leads to mounting damage and brain inflammation that remains evident a year after injury. |
| SI Superheroes return with another weighty adventure Posted: 04 Feb 2016 02:56 PM PST 'Mass Uncertainty' is the third and latest adventure from the League of SI Superheroes, the animated online series from NIST. The episode touches upon a topic -- how to redefine the basic unit of mass known as the kilogram -- that represents a cutting-edge undertaking for researchers working to modernize the worldwide metric measurement system known as the International System of Units (SI). |
| Children on autism spectrum more likely to wander, disappear, study suggests Posted: 04 Feb 2016 02:56 PM PST A new study suggests that more than one-quarter million school-age children with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disorders wander away from adult supervision each year. |
| Molecular switch lets salmonella fight or evade immune system Posted: 04 Feb 2016 02:54 PM PST Researchers have discovered a molecular regulator that allows salmonella bacteria to switch from actively causing disease to lurking in a chronic but asymptomatic state called a biofilm. |
| Emerging vascular risk factors in women and men: Any differences? Posted: 04 Feb 2016 02:54 PM PST The incidence and severity of both traditional and emerging cardiovascular disease risk factors as well as the response to treatment may differ between men and women. |
| 'Meaningful' media may push altruism across bounds of race and age Posted: 04 Feb 2016 02:54 PM PST People who watch meaningful entertainment may be more willing to lend a hand to people they consider different, according to researchers. |
| Better quality of care may reduce risk of death for patients on opioid painkillers Posted: 04 Feb 2016 02:54 PM PST Better quality of care may reduce the risk of death for patients who are prescribed opioid painkillers for chronic pain, say Yale researchers. Their study offers evidence that supports recommendations from clinical practice guidelines encouraging physicians to engage patients with mental health services and substance abuse treatment, as well as to avoid co-prescriptions for sedatives. |
| Graphene is strong, but is it tough? Posted: 04 Feb 2016 12:11 PM PST Scientists have developed the first known statistical theory for the toughness of polycrystalline graphene, which is made with chemical vapor deposition, and found that it is indeed strong, but more importantly, its toughness -- or resistance to fracture -- is quite low. |
