ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Cortisone can increase risk of acute pancreatitis
• Pregnant mother's blood pressure may affect future health of children
• Small molecules in the blood might gauge radiation effects after exposure
• Wasp transcriptome creates a buzz
• Cell scaffolding protein fascin-1 is hijacked by cancer
• New clot removal devices show promise for treating stroke patients
• Lab instruments inside Curiosity eat Mars rock powder
• Mediterranean diet helps cut risk of heart attack, stroke: Results of PREDIMED study presented
• Higher levels of several toxic metals found in children with autism
• Doing good is good for you: Volunteer adolescents enjoy healthier hearts
• Virus shows promise as prostate cancer treatment
• Hummingbird flight: Two vortex trails with one stroke
• Liver stem cells grown in culture, transplanted with demonstrated therapeutic benefit
• Weather extremes provoked by trapping of giant waves in the atmosphere
• Clues to climate cycles dug from South Pole snow pit
• Maize in diets of people in coastal Peru dates to 5,000 years ago
• BPA may affect the developing brain by disrupting gene regulation
• Much needed test for river blindness infection developed
• Targeting CPR education in high-risk neighborhoods could save more lives
• Tweaking gene expression to repair lungs
• Extremely high estrogen levels may underlie complications of single-birth IVF pregnancies
• Macroweather is what you expect: Should there be a distinct category between weather and climate?
• Future evidence for extraterrestrial life might come from dying stars
• Boys' lack of effort in school tied to college gender gap
• Global surveys show environment ranks low among public concerns
• Prenatal DHA reduces early preterm birth and low birth weight
• Exurban residences impact bird communities up to 200 meters away, study finds
• Moments of spirituality can induce liberal attitudes, researchers find
• Memory strategy may help depressed people remember the good times
• New maps depict potential worldwide coral bleaching by 2056
• Giving a voice to kids with Down syndrome
• Intense acupuncture can improve muscle recovery in patients with Bell palsy, study suggests
• Rethinking wind power
• Ultrasound reveals autism risk at birth, study finds
• March of the pathogens: Parasite metabolism can foretell disease ranges under climate change
• Scientists produce densest artificial ionospheric plasma clouds using HAARP
• Cleaning oil spills with paper mill sludge?
• Childhood blood lead levels rise and fall with exposure to airborne dust in urban areas
• New look at high-temperature superconductors
• Research to probe deep within a solar cell
• Four new species of water-gliding rove beetles discovered in Ningxia, China
• Antioxidant improves donated liver survival rate to more than 90%
• Mouse mothers induce parenting behaviors in fathers with ultra-sonic noises
• Non-volatile bistable memory circuits for highly energy-efficient CMOS logic systems
• 'NanoVelcro' device to grab single cancer cells from blood: Improvement enables 'liquid biopsies' for metastatic melanoma
• Pain from the brain: Diseases formerly known as 'hysterical' illnesses
• Most babies slow to grow catch up by early teens
• The cradle of the nanoparticle
• Spiderman's webbing would be strong enough to stop a moving train, say physics students
• Preventing chronic pain with stress management
• Scientists find way to image brain waste removal process which may lead to Alzheimer's diagnostic
• Babies born by C-section at risk of developing allergies
• Scientists develop a whole new way of harvesting energy from the sun

Cortisone can increase risk of acute pancreatitis Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:03 PM PST A new study shows that cortisone -- a hormone used in certain medicines -- increases the risk of acute pancreatitis. According to the researchers, they suggest that patients treated with cortisone in some forms should be informed of the risks and advised to refrain from alcohol and smoking.

Pregnant mother's blood pressure may affect future health of children Posted: 25 Feb 2013 05:19 PM PST Up to 10 percent of all women experience some form of elevated blood pressure during pregnancy. Researchers now show that mild maternal hypertension early in pregnancy actually benefits the fetus, but that late pregnancy hypertension has negative health consequences for the child.

Small molecules in the blood might gauge radiation effects after exposure Posted: 25 Feb 2013 05:19 PM PST Researchers have identified molecules in the blood that might gauge the likelihood of radiation illness after exposure to ionizing radiation. The animal study shows that radiation predictably alters levels of certain molecules in the blood. If verified in human subjects, the findings could lead to new methods for rapidly identifying people at risk for acute radiation syndrome after occupational exposures or nuclear reactor accidents, and they might help doctors plan radiation therapy for patients.

Wasp transcriptome creates a buzz Posted: 25 Feb 2013 05:18 PM PST New research delivers a sting in the tail for queen wasps.  Scientists have sequenced the active parts of the genome – or transcriptome – of primitively eusocial wasps to identify the part of the genome that makes you a queen or a worker. Their work shows that workers have a more active transcriptome than queens. This suggests that in these simple societies, workers may be the 'jack-of-all-trades' in the colony - transcriptionally speaking - leaving the queen with a somewhat restricted repertoire.

Cell scaffolding protein fascin-1 is hijacked by cancer Posted: 25 Feb 2013 05:18 PM PST A protein involved in the internal cell scaffold is associated with increased risk of metastasis and mortality in a range of common cancers finds a meta-analysis. The protein, fascin-1, is involved in bundling together the actin filaments which form the internal scaffolding of a cell and are involved in cell movement.

New clot removal devices show promise for treating stroke patients Posted: 25 Feb 2013 05:18 PM PST Specialists are treating patients with a new generation of blood clot removal devices that show promise in successfully revascularizing stroke patients, including those with large vessel blockages. The Solitaire Flow Restoration Device and the Trevo device, approved by Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2012 to treat stroke caused by the sudden obstruction of a brain blood vessel (acute ischemic stroke) showed improved results over a previous standard and first generation clot-removal device in clinical trials.

Lab instruments inside Curiosity eat Mars rock powder Posted: 25 Feb 2013 03:56 PM PST Two compact laboratories inside NASA's Mars rover Curiosity have ingested portions of the first sample of rock powder ever collected from the interior of a rock on Mars. Curiosity science team members will use the laboratories to analyze the rock powder in the coming days and weeks.

Mediterranean diet helps cut risk of heart attack, stroke: Results of PREDIMED study presented Posted: 25 Feb 2013 03:15 PM PST Results of a major study aimed at assessing the efficacy of the Mediterranean diet in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases show that such a diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or tree nuts reduces by 30 percent the risk of suffering a cardiovascular death, a myocardial infarction or a stroke.

Higher levels of several toxic metals found in children with autism Posted: 25 Feb 2013 01:22 PM PST Researchers have found significantly higher levels of toxic metals in children with autism, compared to typical children. They hypothesize that reducing early exposure to toxic metals may help lessen symptoms of autism, though they say this hypotheses needs further examination.

Doing good is good for you: Volunteer adolescents enjoy healthier hearts Posted: 25 Feb 2013 01:22 PM PST Giving back through volunteering is good for your heart, even at a young age, according to researchers.

Virus shows promise as prostate cancer treatment Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST A recombinant Newcastle disease virus kills all kinds of prostate cancer cells, including hormone resistant cells, but leaves normal cells unscathed, according to a new article. A treatment for prostate cancer based on this virus would avoid the adverse side effects typically associated with hormonal treatment for prostate cancer, as well as those associated with cancer chemotherapies generally.

Hummingbird flight: Two vortex trails with one stroke Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST As of today, the Wikipedia entry for the hummingbird explains that the bird's flight generates in its wake a single trail of vortices that helps the bird hover. But after conducting experiments with hummingbirds in the lab, researchers propose that the hummingbird produces two trails of vortices -- one under each wing per stroke -- that help generate the aerodynamic forces required for the bird to power and control its flight.

Liver stem cells grown in culture, transplanted with demonstrated therapeutic benefit Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST For decades scientists around the world have attempted to regenerate primary liver cells known as hepatocytes because of their numerous biomedical applications, including hepatitis research, drug metabolism and toxicity studies, as well as transplantation for cirrhosis and other chronic liver conditions. But no lab in the world has been successful in identifying and growing liver stem cells in culture -- using any available technique -- until now.

Weather extremes provoked by trapping of giant waves in the atmosphere Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST The world has suffered from severe regional weather extremes in recent years, such as the heat wave in the United States in 2011. Behind these devastating individual events there is a common physical cause, propose scientists in a new study. It suggests that human-made climate change repeatedly disturbs the patterns of atmospheric flow around the globe's Northern hemisphere through a subtle resonance mechanism.

Clues to climate cycles dug from South Pole snow pit Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST Particles from the upper atmosphere trapped in a deep pile of Antarctic snow hold clear chemical traces of global meteorological events, climate scientists from France have found. Anomalies in oxygen found in sulfate particles coincide with several episodes of the world-wide disruption of weather known as El Nino and can be distinguished from similar signals left by the eruption of huge volcanoes, the team reports.

Maize in diets of people in coastal Peru dates to 5,000 years ago Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST Scientists have concluded that during the Late Archaic, maize (corn) was a primary component in the diet of people living in the Norte Chico region of Peru, an area of remarkable cultural florescence in 3rd millennium B.C. Up until now, the prevailing theory was that marine resources, not agriculture and corn, provided the economic engine behind the development of civilization in the Andean region of Peru.

BPA may affect the developing brain by disrupting gene regulation Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:31 PM PST Environmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread chemical found in plastics and resins, may suppress a gene vital to nerve cell function and to the development of the central nervous system, according to a new study.

Much needed test for river blindness infection developed Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:30 PM PST Scientists have found a telltale molecular marker for Onchocerciasis or "river blindness," a parasitic infection that affects tens of millions of people in Africa, Latin America and other tropical regions. The newly discovered biomarker, detectable in patients' urine, is secreted by Onchocerca volvulus worms during an active infection. The biomarker could form the basis of a portable, field-ready test with significant advantages over current diagnostic methods.

Targeting CPR education in high-risk neighborhoods could save more lives Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:30 PM PST Targeting CPR education in high-risk neighborhoods could increase the number of bystanders giving CPR and decrease deaths from cardiac arrest, according to a new statement.

Tweaking gene expression to repair lungs Posted: 25 Feb 2013 12:30 PM PST A healthy lung has some capacity to regenerate itself like the liver. In COPD, these reparative mechanisms fail. HDAC therapies may be useful for COPD, as well as other airway diseases. The levels of HDAC2 expression and its activity are greatly reduced in COPD patients. Decreased HDAC activity may impair the ability of the lung epithelium to regenerate.

Extremely high estrogen levels may underlie complications of single-birth IVF pregnancies Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:16 AM PST Researchers have identified what may be a major factor behind the increased risk of two adverse outcomes in pregnancies conceived through IVF. Their findings support the hypothesis that extremely high estrogen levels at the time of embryo transfer increase the risk of infants born small for their gestational age and the risk of preeclampsia. They also outline a protocol that reduced those risks in a small group of patients.

Macroweather is what you expect: Should there be a distinct category between weather and climate? Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:16 AM PST While short-term weather is notoriously volatile, climate is thought to represent a kind of average weather pattern over a long period. This dichotomy provides the analytical framework for scientific thinking about atmospheric variability, including climate change. But the weather-climate dichotomy paints an incomplete picture, according to a physics professor. He argues that statistical analysis shows there is a period between short-term weather and long-term climate that should be recognized as distinct.

Future evidence for extraterrestrial life might come from dying stars Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:16 AM PST Even dying stars could host planets with life -- and if such life exists, we might be able to detect it within the next decade. This encouraging result comes from a new theoretical study of Earth-like planets orbiting white dwarf stars. Researchers found that we could detect oxygen in the atmosphere of a white dwarf's planet much more easily than for an Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star.

Boys' lack of effort in school tied to college gender gap Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:15 AM PST When it comes to college education, men are falling behind by standing still. The proportion of men receiving college degrees has stagnated, while women have thrived under the new economic and social realities in the United States.

Global surveys show environment ranks low among public concerns Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:15 AM PST A newly released international study reveals that the issue of climate change is not a priority for people in the United States and around the world. The surveys showed that when asked to rank priority worries, people were five times more likely to point to the economy over the environment.

Prenatal DHA reduces early preterm birth and low birth weight Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:15 AM PST Infants of mothers who were given 600 milligrams of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA during pregnancy weighed more at birth and were less likely to be very low birth weight and born before 34 weeks gestation than infants of mothers who were given a placebo.

Exurban residences impact bird communities up to 200 meters away, study finds Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:15 AM PST According to a new study impacts to bird communities from a single rural, "exurban" residence can extend up to 200 meters into the surrounding forest. The study also determined that sensitive bird species such as the hermit thrush and scarlet tanager prefer unbroken forests with no houses. Others, like the blue jay and black-capped chickadee, seem to like having, and often thrive with, human neighbors.

Moments of spirituality can induce liberal attitudes, researchers find Posted: 25 Feb 2013 10:15 AM PST People become more politically liberal immediately after practising a spiritual exercise such as meditation, researchers have found.

Memory strategy may help depressed people remember the good times Posted: 25 Feb 2013 09:20 AM PST New research highlights a memory strategy that may help people who suffer from depression in recalling positive day-to-day experiences.

New maps depict potential worldwide coral bleaching by 2056 Posted: 25 Feb 2013 09:20 AM PST New maps by scientists show how rising sea temperatures are likely to affect all coral reefs in the form of annual coral bleaching events under different emission scenarios. If carbon emissions stay on the current path most of the world's coral reefs (74 percent) are projected to experience coral bleaching conditions annually by 2045, results of the study show.

Giving a voice to kids with Down syndrome Posted: 25 Feb 2013 09:20 AM PST A new case study shows children with Down syndrome can benefit from conventional stuttering treatment.

Intense acupuncture can improve muscle recovery in patients with Bell palsy, study suggests Posted: 25 Feb 2013 09:20 AM PST Patients with Bell palsy who received acupuncture that achieves de qi, a type of intense stimulation, had improved facial muscle recovery, reduced disability and better quality of life, according to a randomized controlled trial.

Rethinking wind power Posted: 25 Feb 2013 09:19 AM PST "People have often thought there's no upper bound for wind power—that it's one of the most scalable power sources," says an applied physicist. After all, gusts and breezes don't seem likely to "run out" on a global scale in the way oil wells might run dry.

Ultrasound reveals autism risk at birth, study finds Posted: 25 Feb 2013 08:25 AM PST Low-birth-weight babies with a particular brain abnormality are at greater risk for autism, according to a new study that could provide doctors a signpost for early detection of the still poorly understood disorder.

March of the pathogens: Parasite metabolism can foretell disease ranges under climate change Posted: 25 Feb 2013 08:25 AM PST Researchers developed a model that can help determine the future range of nearly any disease-causing parasite under climate change, even if little is known about the organism. Their method calculates how the projected temperature change for an area would alter the creature's metabolism and life cycle.

Scientists produce densest artificial ionospheric plasma clouds using HAARP Posted: 25 Feb 2013 08:25 AM PST Glow discharges in the upper atmosphere were generated to explore ionospheric phenomena and its impact on communications and space weather.

Cleaning oil spills with paper mill sludge? Posted: 25 Feb 2013 08:23 AM PST Eco-innovation is at its best when the waste of one industry becomes the raw material of another. This is precisely what a new research project CAPS, is attempting to do with waste sludge from the paper industry. Its objective is to convert it into a highly absorbent material capable of cleaning up oil and chemical spills.

Childhood blood lead levels rise and fall with exposure to airborne dust in urban areas Posted: 25 Feb 2013 07:25 AM PST A new nine-year study of more than 367,000 children in Detroit supports the idea that a mysterious seasonal fluctuation in blood lead levels -- observed in urban areas throughout the United States and elsewhere in the northern hemisphere -- results from resuspended dust contaminated with lead.

New look at high-temperature superconductors Posted: 25 Feb 2013 07:25 AM PST A new method allows direct detection of rapid fluctuations that may help to explain how high-temperature superconducting materials work.

Research to probe deep within a solar cell Posted: 25 Feb 2013 07:25 AM PST Engineers and scientists have pioneered a new technique to analyze PCBM, a material used in polymer photovoltaic cells, obtaining details of the structure of the material which will be vital to improving the cell's efficiency.

Four new species of water-gliding rove beetles discovered in Ningxia, China Posted: 25 Feb 2013 07:25 AM PST Four new species of Steninae were discovered during an expedition in the Liupan Shan Natural Reserve, Ningxia, China. The scientists described a total of 17 species of these intriguing beetles that live in the dead leaf mass of the territory explored, thus marking 11 new province records and a great contribution to assessing the biodiversity of the Ningxia Autonomous Region.

Antioxidant improves donated liver survival rate to more than 90% Posted: 25 Feb 2013 07:25 AM PST Researchers from Italy have found that the antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), when injected prior to harvesting of the liver, significantly improves graft survival following transplantation. Results suggest that the NAC effect on early graft function and survival is higher when suboptimal organs are used.

Mouse mothers induce parenting behaviors in fathers with ultra-sonic noises Posted: 25 Feb 2013 07:21 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated the existence of communicative signalling from female mice that induces male parental behavior.

Non-volatile bistable memory circuits for highly energy-efficient CMOS logic systems Posted: 25 Feb 2013 07:21 AM PST Non-volatile bistable memory circuits pave the way for highly energy-efficient CMOS logic systems.

'NanoVelcro' device to grab single cancer cells from blood: Improvement enables 'liquid biopsies' for metastatic melanoma Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:22 AM PST Researchers have refined a method they previously developed for capturing and analyzing cancer cells that break away from patients' tumors and circulate in the blood. With the improvements to their device, which uses a Velcro-like nanoscale technology, they can now detect and isolate single cancer cells from patient blood samples for analysis.

Pain from the brain: Diseases formerly known as 'hysterical' illnesses Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:22 AM PST Psychogenic diseases, formerly known as "hysterical" illnesses, can have many severe symptoms such as painful cramps or paralysis, but without any physical explanation. However, new research suggests that individuals with psychogenic disease, that is to say physical illness that stems from emotional or mental stresses, do have brains that function differently.

Most babies slow to grow catch up by early teens Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:22 AM PST New research shows that most babies who are slow to put on weight in the first nine months of life have caught up to within the normal range by the age of 13, but remain lighter and shorter than many of their peers. There are significant differences in the pattern of "catchup," depending on the infant's age when the slow weight gain occurs.

The cradle of the nanoparticle Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:20 AM PST A new model facilitates predictions about how nanoparticles form and gives clues about how the process can be controlled.

Spiderman's webbing would be strong enough to stop a moving train, say physics students Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:20 AM PST In Spiderman 2, the superhero uses his webbing to bring a runaway train to a standstill moments before it plummets over the end of the track. But could a material with the strength and toughness of spiders' web really stop four crowded subway cars? According to physics students, the answer is yes.

Preventing chronic pain with stress management Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:20 AM PST For chronic pain sufferers, such as people who develop back pain after a car accident, avoiding the harmful effects of stress may be key to managing their condition. This is particularly important for people with a smaller-than-average hippocampus, as these individuals seem to be particularly vulnerable to stress.

Scientists find way to image brain waste removal process which may lead to Alzheimer's diagnostic Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:19 AM PST A novel way to image the brain's glymphatic pathway may provide the basis for a new strategy to evaluate Alzheimer's disease susceptibility, according to a new research.

Babies born by C-section at risk of developing allergies Posted: 25 Feb 2013 06:19 AM PST For expectant moms who may contemplate the pros and cons of natural child birth or Caesarian section, a new study suggests that C-section babies are susceptible to developing allergies by age two. Researchers found that babies born by C-section are five times more likely to develop allergies than babies born naturally when exposed to high levels of common allergens in the home such as those from dogs, cats and dust mites.

Scientists develop a whole new way of harvesting energy from the sun Posted: 24 Feb 2013 11:29 AM PST A new method of harvesting the sun's energy is emerging. Though still in its infancy, the research promises to convert sunlight into energy using a process based on metals that are more robust than many of the semiconductors used in conventional methods.

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