ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Neonatal HBV vaccine reduces liver cancer risk
• Nanotechnology used to engineer ACL replacements
• Children with autism who live with pets are more assertive
• Lung cancer metastases may travel through airways to adjacent or distant lung tissue
• A repulsive material: New hydrogel dominated by electrostatic repulsion
• Heart drugs offer new hope to slow cardiac damage in muscular dystrophy
• New study links neurological disorders in captive felids to improper diet
• Bats are a possible source of Ebola epidemic in West Africa
• Molecular network identified underlying autism spectrum disorders
• Tracing evolution of chicken flu virus yields insight into origins of deadly H7N9 strain
• Detecting extraterrestrial life through motion
• Report on remission in patients with MS three years after stem cell transplant
• How economic insecurity impacts diabetes control among patients
• Year of birth significantly changes impact of obesity-associated gene variant
• Lyme disease enhances spread of emerging tick infection
• Sugar molecule links red meat consumption and elevated cancer risk in mice
• Microscopy reveals how atom-high steps impede oxidation of metal surfaces
• Fingertip blood sensor may save valuable time for trauma patients
• Breast reconstruction using patient's own tissues yield higher satisfaction rates
• Mechanism of toxin's inflammatory effect on lungs found
• Cancer-causing mutation discovered in 1982 finally target of clinical trials
• Complications after thigh lift surgery common, but usually minor

Neonatal HBV vaccine reduces liver cancer risk Posted: 30 Dec 2014 11:51 AM PST Neonatal HBV vaccination reduces the risk of liver cancer and other liver diseases in young adults in China, according to a study. By collecting data on new cases of liver diseases over 30 years from a population-based tumor registry, the researchers estimated that the protective efficacy of vaccination was 84% for primary liver cancer (vaccination reduced the incidence of liver cancer by 84%), 70% for death from liver diseases, and 69% for the incidence of infant fulminant hepatitis.

Nanotechnology used to engineer ACL replacements Posted: 30 Dec 2014 10:28 AM PST A synthetic graft for ACL reconstruction has been developed that integrates with the native bone, promotes growth of new ligament tissue, and stabilizes the knee. Connecting the femur to the tibia, the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture is one of the most devastating injuries in sports. No other injury has sidelined more athletes for a season or even the rest of a career. And ACL sprains and tears affect more people than just the pros.

Children with autism who live with pets are more assertive Posted: 30 Dec 2014 10:28 AM PST Dogs and other pets play an important role in individuals' social lives, and they can act as catalysts for social interaction, previous research has shown. Although much media attention has focused on how dogs can improve the social skills of children with autism, a researcher recently found that children with autism have stronger social skills when any kind of pet lived in the home.

Lung cancer metastases may travel through airways to adjacent or distant lung tissue Posted: 30 Dec 2014 07:19 AM PST A new study supports the hypothesis that lung cancer, particularly adenocarcinoma, may spread through the airways. The putative occurrence of intrapulmonary aerogenous metastasis of lung cancer has staging, management, and prognostic implications.

A repulsive material: New hydrogel dominated by electrostatic repulsion Posted: 30 Dec 2014 07:19 AM PST In a world-first achievement, scientists have developed a new hydrogel whose properties are dominated by electrostatic repulsion, rather than attractive interactions.

Heart drugs offer new hope to slow cardiac damage in muscular dystrophy Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:58 AM PST Early use of available heart failure drugs slows the progressive decline in heart function before symptoms are apparent in boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), according to a new study.

New study links neurological disorders in captive felids to improper diet Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:57 AM PST A new research study confirms the connection between high incidence of spinal cord issues in cheetahs and lions kept as exotic pets in the United Arab Emirates with dietary deficiencies. The study compared blood and tissue samples among captive felids, including cheetahs, lions and snow leopards, that were fed different diets. Thirty percent of the animals that did not receive supplements and existed primarily on a poultry muscle meat diet displayed clinical neurological signs such as ataxia, lack of coordination, swaying gait and moderate to severe hind limb weakness. Despite having normal appetites, these animals developed hind limb paresis and were eventually unable to stand. They either died or were euthanized, as damage is permanent and there is no treatment.

Bats are a possible source of Ebola epidemic in West Africa Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:57 AM PST The outbreak of the Ebola virus disease occurring in West Africa may have originated from contact between humans and virus-infected bats, suggests a study. The report identifies insectivorous free-tailed bats as plausible reservoirs and expands the range of possible Ebola virus sources to this type of bats. The results also reveal that larger wildlife are not the source of infection.

Molecular network identified underlying autism spectrum disorders Posted: 30 Dec 2014 04:57 AM PST A molecular network that comprises many of the genes previously shown to contribute to autism spectrum disorders has been identified by researchers. The findings provide a map of some of the crucial protein interactions that contribute to autism and will help uncover novel candidate genes for the disease.

Tracing evolution of chicken flu virus yields insight into origins of deadly H7N9 strain Posted: 29 Dec 2014 01:49 PM PST An international research team has shown how changes in a flu virus that has plagued Chinese poultry farms for decades helped create the novel avian H7N9 influenza A virus that has sickened more than 375 people since 2013.

Detecting extraterrestrial life through motion Posted: 29 Dec 2014 01:48 PM PST An extremely sensitive device that can detect life forms by sensing the slightest motion has been developed by scientists. The chemistry-free system can be used to rapidly test antibiotics or even to search for life on other planets, the researchers say.

Report on remission in patients with MS three years after stem cell transplant Posted: 29 Dec 2014 01:48 PM PST Three years after a small number of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were treated with high-dose immunosuppressive therapy and then transplanted with their own hematopoietic stem cells, most of the patients sustained remission of active relapsing-remitting MS and had improvements in neurological function, according to a study.

How economic insecurity impacts diabetes control among patients Posted: 29 Dec 2014 01:48 PM PST Difficulty paying for food and medications appears to be associated with poor diabetes control among patients in a study that examined the impact of economic insecurity on managing the disease and the use of health care resources, according to a report.

Year of birth significantly changes impact of obesity-associated gene variant Posted: 29 Dec 2014 01:48 PM PST Investigators working to unravel the impact of genetics versus environment on traits such as obesity may also need to consider a new factor: when individuals were born. A multi-institutional research team finds that the impact of a variant in the FTO gene that previous research has linked to obesity risk largely depends on birth year.

Lyme disease enhances spread of emerging tick infection Posted: 29 Dec 2014 01:48 PM PST Mice that are already infected with the pathogen that causes Lyme disease appear to facilitate the spread of a lesser-known but emerging disease, babesiosis, into new areas. The finding provides a possible answer as to why human babesiosis is only emerging in areas where Lyme disease is well established.

Sugar molecule links red meat consumption and elevated cancer risk in mice Posted: 29 Dec 2014 12:22 PM PST While people who eat a lot of red meat are known to be at higher risk for certain cancers, other carnivores are not, prompting researchers to investigate the possible tumor-forming role of a sugar called Neu5Gc, which is naturally found in most mammals but not in humans.

Microscopy reveals how atom-high steps impede oxidation of metal surfaces Posted: 29 Dec 2014 12:22 PM PST Certain features of metal surfaces can stop the process of oxidation in its tracks, new research has found. The findings could be relevant to understanding and perhaps controlling oxidation in a wide range of materials—from catalysts to the superalloys used in jet engine turbines and the oxides in microelectronics.

Fingertip blood sensor may save valuable time for trauma patients Posted: 29 Dec 2014 11:15 AM PST Trauma surgeons evaluated the use of the Spot check Pronto-7® Pulse CO-oximeter in 525 critically injured patients. Their study is believed to be the largest one of such a device, according to study authors. The tool is used for monitoring a patient's blood level in physicians' offices, and the authors say it may also save valuable minutes in medical decision-making for critically injured trauma patients.

Breast reconstruction using patient's own tissues yield higher satisfaction rates Posted: 29 Dec 2014 11:14 AM PST For women who have undergone mastectomy, breast reconstruction using the patient's own tissues -- rather than implants -- provides higher satisfaction scores, reports a study.

Mechanism of toxin's inflammatory effect on lungs found Posted: 29 Dec 2014 11:14 AM PST A never-before-seen mechanism by which a bacterial toxin leads to severe inflammation in asthma and other acute and chronic pulmonary diseases has been discovered by researchers. The discovery could result in development of therapeutic strategies that improve health in individuals who suffer from airway diseases, experts say.

Cancer-causing mutation discovered in 1982 finally target of clinical trials Posted: 29 Dec 2014 11:14 AM PST A recent article describes clinical trials that match drugs to long-overlooked oncogene, TRK, offering targeted treatment options for cancers that harbor these gene abnormalities. The TRK family of genes, including NTRK1, NTRK2 and NTRK3 are important in the developing nervous system. In the womb, these genes and the proteins they encode are essential for the growth and survival of new neurons. After birth, these genes are unneeded in many tissues and so are programmed to go dormant, however, experts have learned that some cancers wake them up.

Complications after thigh lift surgery common, but usually minor Posted: 29 Dec 2014 11:14 AM PST Performed as part of body contouring procedures in patients with massive weight loss, a procedure called medial thigh lift carries a substantial risk of complications, reports a new study.

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