ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Brain displays an intrinsic mechanism for fighting infection
• Potent antibodies neutralize HIV and could offer new therapy, study finds
• Intensified chemotherapy shows promise for children with very high risk form of leukemia
• Experimental graft-versus-host disease treatment equivalent to standard care in phase 3 trial
• More than 3,000 epigenetic switches control daily liver cycles
• Conservatives can be persuaded to care more about environmental issues when couched in terms of fending off threats to 'purity'
• Pre-diabetic patients respond to self-directed lifestyle interventions, researcher says
• Binge eating, overeating may be associated with initiating use of marijuana, other drugs
• Mobile app boosts weight loss by 15 pounds
• Can going hungry as a child slow down cognitive decline in later years?
• Drug combination acts against aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• As Amazon urbanizes, rural fires burn unchecked
• Possible clue to children's early antisocial behavior
• Inspiration from a porcupine's quills
• Biologists engineer algae to make complex anti-cancer 'designer' drug
• How our nerves regulate insulin secretion
• Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also wiped out the 'Obamadon'
• Toxic interaction in neurons that leads to dementia and ALS discovered
• Blood levels of immune protein predict risk in Hodgkin disease
• Airborne scientists search distant stars for complex organic molecules
• BPA in dog training aids: High estrogen-mimicking chemical concentrations found in dog training batons
• Quantifying corn rootworm damage
• Most popular weight-loss drug strongly alters other drug therapies, study suggests
• Gender differences found in seasonal auditory changes
• Citizen science more than a century later: Ordinary people go online to track Gulf oil spill
• Glaucoma study could inspire e-reader apps: New findings show silent reading difficulties in glaucoma patients
• Teen dating violence linked to long-term harmful effects
• Drug helps women who stop smoking keep off weight
• Novel drug therapy targets aggressive form of non-hodgkin's lymphoma
• Cancer scientists identify liposarcoma tumors that respond to chemotherapy
• 'Commitment-phobic' adults could have mom and dad to blame
• Wind and solar power paired with storage could power grid 99.9 percent of the time
• Mining ancient ores for clues to early life
• Caffeinated coffee may reduce the risk of oral cancers
• Infants with severe RSV disease may be immunosuppressed
• New pathway for drug development? Targeting alpha arrestins could increase therapeutic benefits of drugs and negate adverse results
• Prostate cancer now detectable by imaging-guided biopsy
• Do we live in a computer simulation run by our descendants? Researchers say idea can be tested
• Structure of carbon's 'Hoyle state' revealed
• Space-age ceramics get their toughest test
• Digested formula, but not breast milk, is toxic to cells, in vitro study finds
• Stem cell research provides hope for infertile cancer survivors: Transplanted stem cells could preserve male fertility
• To fight incurable metastatic breast cancer, resistance must be broken
• From fish to man: Research reveals how fins became legs
• Targeted molecular therapy for untreatable neurofibroma tumors
• Smuggler's tunnels: Detecting tunnels using seismic waves not as simple as it sounds
• New biomaterial gets 'sticky' with stem cells
• New multiple myeloma drug shows promise in treating people with advanced disease
• Brown adipose tissue has beneficial effects on metabolism and glucose tolerance
• Can your smartphone see through walls? Engineers make tiny, low-cost, terahertz imager chip
• Tiny compound semiconductor transistor could challenge silicon's dominance
• Carbon nanotubes lower nerve-damaging chloride in cells
• Tracking gene flow in marine plant evolution
• Ultrasound can now monitor the health of your car engine
• Onion soaks up heavy metal: Bioremediation with waste food
• Experiment finds Achilles' heel of ulcer bug, H. pylori
• Composites for large-scale manufacturing
• Mother’s vitamin D level linked to birth weight
• Functional magnetic resonance imaging offers insights into mental fatigue
• Elk bones tell stories of life, death, and habitat use at Yellowstone National Park

Brain displays an intrinsic mechanism for fighting infection Posted: 10 Dec 2012 07:12 PM PST White blood cells have long reigned as the heroes of the immune system. When an infection strikes, the cells, produced in bone marrow, race through the blood to fight off the pathogen. But new research is emerging that individual organs can also play a role in immune system defense, essentially being their own hero. In a study examining a rare and deadly brain infection, scientists have found that the brain cells of healthy people likely produce their own immune system molecules, demonstrating an "intrinsic immunity" that is crucial for stopping an infection.

Potent antibodies neutralize HIV and could offer new therapy, study finds Posted: 10 Dec 2012 07:09 PM PST Having HIV/AIDS is no longer a death sentence, but it's still a lifelong illness that requires an expensive daily cocktail of drugs -- and it means tolerating those drugs' side effects and running the risk of resistance. Researchers may have found something better: they've shown that a therapeutic approach harnessing proteins from the human immune system can suppress the virus in mice without the need for daily application and could one day be used in humans to treat the disease.

Intensified chemotherapy shows promise for children with very high risk form of leukemia Posted: 10 Dec 2012 05:04 PM PST Pediatric patients with B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia who are likely to relapse after chemotherapy treatment can reduce those odds by receiving additional courses of chemotherapy, according to new research.

Experimental graft-versus-host disease treatment equivalent to standard care in phase 3 trial Posted: 10 Dec 2012 02:41 PM PST Researchers found an experimental drug combination for preventing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was not significantly better than the standard regimen of care, but that the new combination could provide an alternative that could be preferable in certain scenarios.

More than 3,000 epigenetic switches control daily liver cycles Posted: 10 Dec 2012 02:41 PM PST When it's dark, and we start to fall asleep, most of us think we're tired because our bodies need rest. Yet circadian rhythms affect our bodies not just on a global scale, but at the level of individual organs, and even genes.

Conservatives can be persuaded to care more about environmental issues when couched in terms of fending off threats to 'purity' Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:37 PM PST When it comes to climate change, deforestation and toxic waste, the assumption has been that conservative views on these topics are intractable. But new research suggests that such viewpoints can be changed after all, when the messages about the need to be better stewards of the land are couched in terms of fending off threats to the "purity" and "sanctity" of Earth and our bodies.

Pre-diabetic patients respond to self-directed lifestyle interventions, researcher says Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:37 PM PST Efforts to help overweight patients avoid diabetes through lifestyle changes need not rely on intensive, one-on-one focused programs, a new clinical study has found.

Binge eating, overeating may be associated with initiating use of marijuana, other drugs Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:36 PM PST Overeating and binge eating may be associated with initiating use of marijuana and other drugs in a study of adolescents and young adults.

Mobile app boosts weight loss by 15 pounds Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:36 PM PST Using a mobile app that tracks eating and activity helped people lose an average of 15 pounds and keep it off for at least a year, reports a new study. But the technology only aided weight loss when its users also attended regular classes on nutrition and exercise. The app was a critical tool when part of a larger program.

Can going hungry as a child slow down cognitive decline in later years? Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:36 PM PST People who sometimes went hungry as children had slower cognitive decline once they were elderly than people who always had enough food to eat, according to a new study.

Drug combination acts against aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:34 PM PST A two-prong approach combining ibrutinib and rituximab (Rituxin®) to treat aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) produced profound responses with minor side effects in a Phase 2 clinical trial.

As Amazon urbanizes, rural fires burn unchecked Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST Many Amazonians are moving out of the countryside, in search of economic opportunities in newly booming Amazonian cities. The resulting depopulation of rural areas, along with spreading road networks and increased drought, are causing more and bigger fires to ravage vast stretches, say researchers in a new study.

Possible clue to children's early antisocial behavior Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST Both nature and nurture appear to be significant factors in early antisocial behaviors of adopted children, researchers believe. Scientists recently examined data from 361 linked triads (birth mother, adoptive parents, adopted child) in order to assess externalizing behavioral problems such as aggression and defiance when children were 18, 27 and 54 months of age.

Inspiration from a porcupine's quills Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST Researchers hope to exploit the porcupine quill's unique properties to develop new types of adhesives, needles and other medical devices.

Biologists engineer algae to make complex anti-cancer 'designer' drug Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST Biologists have succeeded in genetically engineering algae to produce a complex and expensive human therapeutic drug used to treat cancer. Their achievement opens the door for making these and other "designer" proteins in larger quantities and much more cheaply than can now be made from mammalian cells.

How our nerves regulate insulin secretion Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST Researchers have managed to graft beta cells into the eyes of mice in order to study them in a living organism over a prolonged period of time. As a result, the group have gained detailed knowledge of how the autonomic nervous system regulates beta-cell insulin secretion.

Asteroid that killed the dinosaurs also wiped out the 'Obamadon' Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST The asteroid collision widely thought to have killed the dinosaurs also led to extreme devastation among snake and lizard species, according to new research -- including the extinction of a newly identified lizard named Obamadon gracilis.

Toxic interaction in neurons that leads to dementia and ALS discovered Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:08 PM PST Researchers have uncovered a toxic cellular process by which a protein that maintains the health of neurons becomes deficient and can lead to dementia. The findings shed new light on the link between culprits implicated in two devastating neurological diseases: frontotemporal dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Blood levels of immune protein predict risk in Hodgkin disease Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:07 PM PST Researchers found levels galectin-1, an immunity-related protein, could be the basis of a test and potentially a targeted treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma.

Airborne scientists search distant stars for complex organic molecules Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:07 PM PST A team of astrobiology researchers – including two from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute – will use a series of nighttime flights on an airborne observatory to search newly born stars for the presence of precursors to life.

BPA in dog training aids: High estrogen-mimicking chemical concentrations found in dog training batons Posted: 10 Dec 2012 01:07 PM PST Sometimes orange, sometimes white, dog trainers often use plastic fetching batons called bumpers to teach dogs how to retrieve. But researchers have discovered that the dogs also may fetch a mouthful of potentially dangerous chemicals at the same time.

Quantifying corn rootworm damage Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:52 AM PST Every year farmers spend a lot of money trying to control corn rootworm larvae, which are a significant threat to maize production in the United States and, more recently, in Europe. Researchers have been working on validating a model for estimating damage functions.

Most popular weight-loss drug strongly alters other drug therapies, study suggests Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:52 AM PST A researcher has discovered that the weight-loss drug orlistat, known by the brand names Xenical and Alli, inhibits a key enzyme that may lead to "severe toxicity of internal organs such as the liver and kidney." The inhibition is irreversible and can be caused by a low level of the drug.

Gender differences found in seasonal auditory changes Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:52 AM PST Auditory systems differ between sexes in sparrows depending on the season, a neuroscientist has found. The work adds to our knowledge of how the parts of the nervous system, including that of humans, are able to change.

Citizen science more than a century later: Ordinary people go online to track Gulf oil spill Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:52 AM PST Researchers report on a new form of "citizen science," concluding that it can help assess health and environmental threats, such as those posed by the 2010 Gulf oil disaster. The researcher studied reports to an online Oil Spill Map and discovered that citizen science can red-flag potential hazards quickly and offers specific local information that often fails to make it into official scientific reports.

Glaucoma study could inspire e-reader apps: New findings show silent reading difficulties in glaucoma patients Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Better strategies are needed to help glaucoma patients cope with difficulty reading. According to a new scientific study, adults with glaucoma read slower when reading silently for long periods of time and are more likely to have their reading speed decrease over time, possibly a result of reading fatigue.

Teen dating violence linked to long-term harmful effects Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Teenagers in physically or psychologically aggressive dating relationships are more than twice as likely to repeat such damaging relationships as adults and report increased substance use and suicidal feelings years later, compared with teens with healthy dating experiences, reports a new study.

Drug helps women who stop smoking keep off weight Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST A medication being tested to help smokers kick the habit also may help avoid the weight gain that is common after quitting -- but only in women. This is the first medication shown to reduce weight gain for up to one year in women smokers who quit.

Novel drug therapy targets aggressive form of non-hodgkin's lymphoma Posted: 10 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and the seventh most frequently diagnosed cancer. The most chemotherapy resistant form of DLBCL, called activated B-cell – DLBCL (ABC-DLBCL), remains a major therapeutic challenge. Researchers have now developed a new experimental drug therapy to target this aggressive form of lymphoma.

Cancer scientists identify liposarcoma tumors that respond to chemotherapy Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:35 AM PST Using a strategy that tracks cancer cells' consumption of nucleosides, a team of researchers has identified a group of liposarcoma tumors that can be imaged by PET scanning using a tracer substance known as FAC. Furthermore, they have found that these tumors are sensitive to chemotherapy.

'Commitment-phobic' adults could have mom and dad to blame Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:35 AM PST A study of the romantic history of 58 adults aged 22-28 found that those who avoid committed romantic relationships are likely a product of unresponsive or over-intrusive parenting, says a psychologist.

Wind and solar power paired with storage could power grid 99.9 percent of the time Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:35 AM PST Renewable energy could fully power a large electric grid 99.9 percent of the time by 2030 at costs comparable to today's electricity expenses, according to new research. A well-designed combination of wind power, solar power and storage in batteries and fuel cells would nearly always exceed electricity demands while keeping costs low, scientists found.

Mining ancient ores for clues to early life Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:35 AM PST An analysis of sulfide ore deposits from one of the world's richest base-metal mines confirms oxygen levels were extremely low on Earth 2.7 billion years ago, but also shows that microbes were actively feeding on sulfate in the ocean and influencing seawater chemistry during that geological period. The research provides new insight into how ancient metal-ore deposits can be used to better understand the chemistry of the ancient oceans -- and the early evolution of life.

Caffeinated coffee may reduce the risk of oral cancers Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:34 AM PST A new study finds a strong inverse association between caffeinated coffee intake and oral/pharyngeal cancer mortality. The authors say people who drank more than four cups of caffeinated coffee per day were at about half the risk of death of these often fatal cancers compared to those who only occasionally or who never drank coffee.

Infants with severe RSV disease may be immunosuppressed Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:34 AM PST Infants with severe lower respiratory tract infection caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) may have a dysfunctional innate immune response that relates to the severity of their disease.

New pathway for drug development? Targeting alpha arrestins could increase therapeutic benefits of drugs and negate adverse results Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:34 AM PST A newly found understanding of receptor signaling may have revealed a better way to design drugs. A study from Nationwide Children's Hospital suggests that a newly identified group of proteins, alpha arrestins, may play a role in cell signaling that is crucial to new drug development. The study appears in PLOS ONE.

Prostate cancer now detectable by imaging-guided biopsy Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:27 AM PST Ground-breaking research by physicians and engineers demonstrates that prostate cancer can be diagnosed using image-guided targeted biopsy.

Do we live in a computer simulation run by our descendants? Researchers say idea can be tested Posted: 10 Dec 2012 10:27 AM PST A decade ago, a British philosopher put forth the possibility that our universe might be a computer simulation run by our descendants. Now, physicists have come up with a potential test to see if the idea holds water.

Structure of carbon's 'Hoyle state' revealed Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:47 AM PST A researcher has taken a "snapshot" of the way particles combine to form carbon-12, the element that makes all life on Earth possible. And the picture looks like a bent arm.

Space-age ceramics get their toughest test Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:47 AM PST Space-age ceramics at their best promise advanced jet and gas turbine engines that burn with greater fuel efficiencies and less pollution. Scientists have developed the first mechanical test rig for obtaining real-time X-ray computed microtomography images at ultrahigh temperatures for improving the composition and architecture of advanced ceramic composites.

Digested formula, but not breast milk, is toxic to cells, in vitro study finds Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:46 AM PST Free fatty acids created during the digestion of infant formula cause cellular death that may contribute to necrotizing enterocolitis, a severe intestinal condition that is often fatal and occurs most commonly in premature infants, according to a new study. Bioengineers based their report on in vitro tests comparing the digestion of fresh human breast milk and nine different infant formulas.

Stem cell research provides hope for infertile cancer survivors: Transplanted stem cells could preserve male fertility Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:46 AM PST A professor has demonstrated in rhesus monkeys that it is possible to remove testicular stem cells prior to chemotherapy, freeze them and later, after cancer treatments, transplant the cells where they can restart sperm production and restore fertility.

To fight incurable metastatic breast cancer, resistance must be broken Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:45 AM PST One of the most frustrating truths about cancer is that even when a treatment works, it often doesn't work for long because cancer cells find ways to resist. However, researchers may have a way to stay one step ahead in the case of aggressive metastatic breast cancer.

From fish to man: Research reveals how fins became legs Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:45 AM PST Vertebrates' transition to living on land, instead of only in water, represented a major event in the history of life. Now, researchers provide new evidence that the development of hands and feet occurred through the gain of new DNA elements that activate particular genes.

Targeted molecular therapy for untreatable neurofibroma tumors Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:45 AM PST Researchers conducting a preclinical study in mice successfully used targeted molecular therapy to block mostly untreatable nerve tumors that develop in people with the genetic disorder Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). Scientists say the data provide strong rationale for testing the therapy in clinical trials for NF1.

Smuggler's tunnels: Detecting tunnels using seismic waves not as simple as it sounds Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:42 AM PST You'd think it would be easy to use seismic waves to find tunnels dug by smugglers of drugs, weapons or people. You'd be wrong. Scientists are now working to improve the detection of shallow tunnels, with the ultimate goal of helping detect tunnels for areas where they could pose a threat.

New biomaterial gets 'sticky' with stem cells Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:42 AM PST Just like the bones that hold up your body, your cells have their own scaffolding that holds them up. This scaffolding, known as the extracellular matrix, or ECM, not only props up cells but also provides attachment sites, or "sticky spots," to which cells can bind, just as bones hold muscles in place.

New multiple myeloma drug shows promise in treating people with advanced disease Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:42 AM PST A new oral agent is safe and effective in treating relapsed and treatment-resistant multiple myeloma, according to a multicenter, Phase II study.

Brown adipose tissue has beneficial effects on metabolism and glucose tolerance Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:42 AM PST Joslin Diabetes Center scientists have demonstrated that brown adipose tissue (BAT) has beneficial effects on glucose tolerance, body weight and metabolism.

Can your smartphone see through walls? Engineers make tiny, low-cost, terahertz imager chip Posted: 10 Dec 2012 09:04 AM PST Researchers have created tiny silicon microchips that could help people see through walls, luggage, sealed boxes and containers, and other objects. The new chips generate terahertz waves that have the ability to penetrate materials with none of the harmful affects of X-rays.

Tiny compound semiconductor transistor could challenge silicon's dominance Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:24 AM PST Silicon's crown is under threat: The semiconductor's days as the king of microchips for computers and smart devices could be numbered, thanks to the development of the smallest transistor ever to be built from a rival material, indium gallium arsenide. Researchers have developed the smallest indium gallium arsenide transistor ever built.

Carbon nanotubes lower nerve-damaging chloride in cells Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:24 AM PST A nanomaterial can help regulate chloride levels in nerve cells that contribute to chronic pain, epilepsy, and traumatic brain injury.

Tracking gene flow in marine plant evolution Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:24 AM PST A new method that could give a deeper insight into evolutionary biology. Biologists identified the segregation of genes that a marine plant underwent during its evolution. They found that the exchange of genes, or gene flow, between populations of a marine plant went westward from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.

Ultrasound can now monitor the health of your car engine Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:23 AM PST A system that uses ultrasound technology to look inside car engines could lead to more efficient engines -- and huge fuel savings for motorists.

Onion soaks up heavy metal: Bioremediation with waste food Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:23 AM PST Onion and garlic waste from the food industry could be used to mop up hazardous heavy metals, including arsenic, cadmium, iron, lead, mercury and tin in contaminated materials, according to a new research.

Experiment finds Achilles' heel of ulcer bug, H. pylori Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:23 AM PST Experiments have revealed a potential new way to attack common stomach bacteria that cause ulcers and significantly increase the odds of developing stomach cancer.

Composites for large-scale manufacturing Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:22 AM PST Continuous fiber-reinforced composites with thermoplastic matrix resins are very well suited for use in automotive manufacturing. However, to manufacture them is complicated. A new approach now makes it possible to use the injection molding process.

Mother’s vitamin D level linked to birth weight Posted: 10 Dec 2012 08:21 AM PST Mothers' vitamin D levels at a gestation of 26 weeks or less were positively related to birth weight and head circumference, and, in the first trimester were negatively associated with risk of a baby being born small for gestational age, according to a recent study'

Functional magnetic resonance imaging offers insights into mental fatigue Posted: 10 Dec 2012 07:16 AM PST Brain scans could help scientists uncover the neurobiological mechanisms underlying mental fatigue.

Elk bones tell stories of life, death, and habitat use at Yellowstone National Park Posted: 10 Dec 2012 07:16 AM PST Concentrations of elk bones and antlers provide baseline ecological data complementary to aerial counts Yellowstone National Park, adding a historical component to live observation. Because bones can last decades to centuries in the Yellowstone environment they can put relatively recent data from direct observation into broader context for managers looking at long-range planning, helping to sort out important changes from the noise of cyclical booms, busts and shifts in landscape use.

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