| Motivational text messages and counselling boost health of patients with RA Posted: 10 Jun 2016 02:35 PM PDT Motivational text messages and counselling boost health of patients with rheumatoid arthritis |
| The primate brain is 'pre-adapted' to face potentially any situation Posted: 10 Jun 2016 02:35 PM PDT Scientists have shown how the brain anticipates all of the new situations that it may encounter in a lifetime by creating a special kind of neural network that is 'pre-adapted' to face any eventuality. |
| New treatment offers hope for children with debilitating skin and muscle disease Posted: 10 Jun 2016 11:08 AM PDT The results of a UK study showed that tumor necrosis factor inhibitor treatment is effective at improving both muscle and skin involvement in children with juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM). These findings bring new hope to JDM patients who have failed to respond to multiple drug treatments and who, as a result, have a greater risk of painful complications and premature death. |
| Facebook key to identifying thousands with inflammatory back pain Posted: 10 Jun 2016 11:07 AM PDT The results of a UK study showed that using Facebook to raise awareness about the symptoms of Inflammatory Back Pain (IBP) and the need to seek medical help early may reduce the delay in diagnosis and treatment. The findings suggest that Facebook advertising may be a more effective way of identifying IBP patients earlier than other approaches, including newspaper adverts. |
| Scientists approve the similarity between reprogrammed and embryonic stem cells Posted: 10 Jun 2016 09:18 AM PDT Researchers have concluded that reprogramming does not create differences between reprogrammed and embryonic stem cells. |
| Southern Europe risks Zika outbreaks this summer Posted: 10 Jun 2016 08:27 AM PDT Established Aedes-mosquito population could spread the Zika virus in Europe this summer if infected travelers introduce the virus. An analysis of temperatures, vectorial capacity, basic reproductive number (R0), and air traveler flows suggests parts of Southern Europe may be at risk for Zika outbreaks between June and August, according to a study. |
| Activity of nerve cell in freely moving animal analyzed by new robot microscope system Posted: 10 Jun 2016 08:27 AM PDT Researchers have developed a novel robot microscope system that automatically tracks a freely moving small animal and manipulates its brain activity with 'projection mapping.' |
| 'Invisible wounds of war' now visible Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:52 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a unique pattern of scarring in the brains of deceased service members who were exposed to blast injury that differs from those exposed to other types of head injury. |
| The vascular bypass revolution Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:52 AM PDT Coronary or peripheral bypasses are the most frequently performed vascular operations. Although one million patients per year and around the world, undergo this intervention, its failure rate reaches 50%, because of poor vessel healing, leading to vessel graft occlusion. To improve the outcome of bypasses, researchers have developed a gel containing microparticles –'GeM', enabling the controlled release of a drug inhibiting cellular over-proliferation. Administered locally, directly on the bypass graft during surgery, this preventive treatment will reduce the risk of obstruction reoccurrence. |
| Pill may increase survival after colon cancer Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:50 AM PDT It is well known that the drug ASA, also known internationally as Aspirin, has analgesic and fever-reducing properties. However, this drug may also increase the likelihood of surviving colon cancer. |
| Popcorn-like fossils provide evidence of environmental impacts on species numbers Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:50 AM PDT The number of species that can exist on Earth depends on how the environment changes, according to new research By analyzing the fossil record of microscopic aquatic creatures called planktonic foraminifera, whose fossil remains now resemble miniaturized popcorn and date back millions of years, the research provided the first statistical evidence that environmental changes put a cap on species richness. |
| Elephant calves more likely to survive in the care of their grandmothers Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:50 AM PDT Among the Asian elephants, the grandmothers have a significant role. They ensure the survival of the calves and breeding success for their daughters, new research shows. |
| Final Kyoto analysis shows 100% compliance Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:50 AM PDT All 36 countries that committed to the Kyoto Protocol on climate change complied with their emission targets, according to a new scientific study. |
| Bifocals in the brain Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:50 AM PDT Seeing -- arguably our most important way of perceiving the world -- mostly happens without conscious intent. We see much better in the center of our visual field (along the visual axis) than in the periphery. So when our brain detects an object of interest in the periphery of our visual field, it immediately initiates an eye movement so our visual axis intersects with those objects. Once an object is in our direct line of sight, we can perceive it in far more depth and detail. Now researchers report that visual information from near and far space are processed with differing degrees of acuity. |
| Filarial nematodes taking a fancy to Austria Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:49 AM PDT In Austria, the parasitic roundworms Dirofilaria repens and Dirofilaria immitis are usually considered to be unpleasant souvenirs from travels abroad. A preliminary study has identified indigenous mosquitoes as carriers of Dirofilaria repens, suggesting for the first time that the parasite has become endemic in Eastern Austria. Dirofilaria immitis, commonly known as heartworm, also appears to be on the verge of becoming autochthonous. The slow pace at which the parasites are establishing themselves is probably due in part to the keeping conditions of dogs in Austria. |
| A child’s right to fertility preservation when undergoing sterilizing chemotherapy Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:49 AM PDT Ovarian tissue cryopreservation (OTC), harvesting and freezing ovarian tissue, is the most promising complication-free strategy to preserve potential fertility in pre-pubescent girls undergoing sterilizing chemotherapy, according to a 13 year study. |
| Individuals exposed to blue wavelength lights experienced faster reaction times Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:47 AM PDT A new study found that blue wavelength light exposure led to subsequent increases in brain activity in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) when participants were engaging in a cognitive task after cessation of light exposure. |
| Strong prevalence of insomnia symptoms among female veterans Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:47 AM PDT A new study sheds light on the prevalence of insomnia symptoms among female veterans. |
| Disease that causes blindness in children tied to new gene Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:47 AM PDT Scientists have identified a gene that causes severe glaucoma in children. The finding validates a similar discovery made by the scientists in mice two years ago and suggests a target for future therapies to treat the devastating eye disease that currently has no cure. |
| El Nino made a nuisance of itself in 2015 Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:47 AM PDT The frequency of nuisance tidal flooding in many U.S. cities increased as predicted for the 2015 meteorological year, from May 2015 to April 2016, according to a new report. |
| Average 'dead zone' predicted for Gulf of Mexico in 2016 Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:47 AM PDT Scientists forecast that this year's Gulf of Mexico dead zone -- an area of low to no oxygen that can kill fish and marine life -- will be approximately 5,898 square miles or about the size of Connecticut, the same range as it has averaged over the last several years. |
| Deep 'scars' from ancient geological events play role in current earthquakes Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:44 AM PDT Super-computer modelling of Earth's crust and upper-mantle suggests that ancient geologic events may have left deep 'scars' that can come to life to play a role in earthquakes, mountain formation, and other ongoing processes on our planet. These multi-million-year-old structures, situated at sites away from existing plate boundaries, may trigger changes in the structure and properties at the surface in the interior regions of continents. |
| Laser ablation becomes increasingly viable treatment for prostate cancer Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:44 AM PDT Up until now, capturing an image of a prostate cancer has been difficult because prostate tissue and tumor tissue are so similar. Precise, non-invasive surgical treatment has proved difficult as a result. Now researchers report that prostate cancer patients may soon have a new option to treat their disease: laser heat. |
| Atrial fibrillation associated with higher death risk in motor vehicle accident victims Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:44 AM PDT A study in nearly three million motor vehicle accident victims has found that atrial fibrillation is associated with a higher risk of death. |
| Disjointed: Cell differences may explain why rheumatoid arthritis varies by location Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:44 AM PDT Not only are there distinct differences in key cellular processes and molecular signatures between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) but, more surprisingly, there are joint-specific differences in RA, report researchers. The findings help explain why drugs treating RA vary in effect and provide a potential new template for precisely targeting treatment for each and every ailing joint. |
| Research team first to identify AF1q protein associated with multiple myeloma, extramedullary disease Posted: 10 Jun 2016 06:44 AM PDT A group of researchers is the first to identify a protein, AF1q, associated with multiple myeloma and a condition that occurs in approximately one-fourth of very aggressive multiple myeloma, extramedullary disease or EMD. |
| MS breakthrough: Replacing diseased immune system halts progression, allows repair Posted: 09 Jun 2016 07:24 PM PDT An intensive procedure that completely wipes out the immune system and then regenerates a new one using blood stem cells can eliminate all signs of damaging brain inflammation in people with early, aggressive multiple sclerosis (MS), and facilitate lasting recovery, report scientists. |
| For the first time, air pollution emerges as a leading risk factor for stroke worldwide Posted: 09 Jun 2016 07:22 PM PDT Air pollution -- including environmental and household air pollution -- has emerged as a leading risk factor for stroke worldwide, associated with about a third of the global burden of stroke in 2013, according to a new study. |
| Take a picture, you'll enjoy it more Posted: 09 Jun 2016 02:48 PM PDT While you might think photo-taking would detract from the enjoyment of everyday activities, research suggests that people who take photos of their experiences usually enjoy the events more than people who don't. |
| Relationship advice from a gender-bending fish that mates for life Posted: 09 Jun 2016 02:48 PM PDT A 3-inch monogamous hermaphrodite proves the saying 'there's plenty more fish in the sea' isn't always the case. And researchers say said the loyal chalk bass offers humans in relationships this simple wisdom: You get what you give. |
| Climate change mitigation: Turning carbon dioxide into rock Posted: 09 Jun 2016 11:24 AM PDT An international team of scientists have found a potentially viable way to remove anthropogenic (caused or influenced by humans) carbon dioxide emissions from the atmosphere - turn it into rock. The study has shown for the first time that the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide can be permanently and rapidly locked away from the atmosphere, by injecting it into volcanic bedrock. The carbon dioxide reacts with the surrounding rock, forming environmentally benign minerals. |
| 'Weather@Home' offers precise new insights into climate change in the West Posted: 09 Jun 2016 11:23 AM PDT Tens of thousands of 'citizen scientists' have volunteered some use of their personal computer time to help researchers create one of the most detailed, high resolution simulations of weather ever done in the Western United States. This approach will ultimately help improve future predictions of regional climate and answer very specific questions. |
| Mixing solids, liquids enhances optical properties of both Posted: 09 Jun 2016 11:23 AM PDT By immersing glass particles in a fluid, researchers are exploring a new mechanism for modifying an optical device's diffusivity, or the extent to which it scatters light. |
| Camouflage influences life-and-death decisions that animals make Posted: 09 Jun 2016 10:44 AM PDT Nesting birds time their escape from an approaching predator depending on how well camouflaged their eggs and their own bodies are, researchers have discovered. |
