ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria hinders treatment of kidney infections
• Finding things in complex environments
• Fish lose their unique personality when they go to 'school'
• For ants, 'elite' individuals are not always so effective
• Rise of the internet has reduced voter turnout
• What dinosaurs' color patterns say about their habitat
• Advancing ‘transposon theory of aging’
• High-calcium, low-lactose diet may reduce risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women
• New discoverymay lead to better understanding, treatment for common autoinflammatory disease
• Mystery of colorful giant plants of the subantarctic solved
• Researchers say to conquer cancer you need to stop it before it becomes cancer
• Largest-ever study to compare medications to prevent life-threatening clots in orthopaedic trauma patients
• Big data gives insight into appeal of services like uber
• Researchers seek better patient adherence recommendations for diabetic retinopathy
• Turning ubiquitous lignin into high-value chemicals
• Brain benefits of aerobic exercise lost to mercury exposure
• HHS takes steps to provide more information about clinical trials to the public
• NIST releases new 'family' of standardized genomes
• Gut pathogens thrive on body's tissue-repair mechanism
• Incisionless robotic surgery offers promising outcomes for oropharyngeal cancer patients
• Solar system could have evolved from poorly mixed elemental soup
• Genes essential to life found in mouse mutants are related to many human disease genes
• Essential mouse genes could guide human precision medicine
• Linking terrorism with mental illness fuels stigma and impedes prevention efforts
• Tasty letters? Sensory connections spill over in synesthesia
• No clear threshold to diagnose and treat diabetes during pregnancy
• Surveillance unlikely to detect European changes in birth defect linked to Zika virus
• E-cigarette use linked to successful attempts to quit smoking
• Frogs and grasshoppers: Why do legendary leapers have different ‘spring’ stiffness?
• Making better sense of incoherent light
• Antibiotic gel squirted into the ear could provide a one dose cure for ear infections
• Engineering polymer brush patterns: Quicker and more versatile methods
• Treatments for prostate cancer: Active monitoring as effective as surgery over 10 years
• Freshwater stingrays chew their food just like a goat
• How rattlesnakes got, and lost, their venom
• Researchers map links between salmonella, sepsis
• Nuclear threat to heart patients? Experts show impact from shortage of radioactive stress test tracer
• A talk with a nurse can persuade hospital patients to quit smoking
• Repurposed deworming drugs could combat c. Difficile epidemic, study suggests
• Retinoic acid may significantly prevent lymphedema development, experimental model suggests
• Language barriers impede treatment of children with special health care needs
• Deep insight into interfaces
• Memory of a heart attack is stored in our genes
• Size is everything when it comes to high blood pressure
• Meet AISOY1 the Robot, autism therapy assistant
• Simple saliva test to diagnose asthma
• Acts of altruism? New study to explore actions of solidarity with asylum seekers and refugees
• Healthy fat stem cells can protect against obesity-associated type 2 diabetes
• Light causes drosophila to take longer midday nap
• How and why are measurements of ozone taken from space?
• When hackers turn out the lights
• New software helps to find out why 'jumping genes' are activated
• Origin of minor planets' rings revealed
• Disordered protein ‘shape shifts’ to avoid crowding, study suggests
• Study uncovers new molecular signaling mechanism for correcting childhood visual disorders
• Experts encourage prostate cancer patients to weigh long-term impact of treatment options with their doctors
• Microcephaly case-control study confirms Zika virus causality

Increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria hinders treatment of kidney infections Posted: 16 Sep 2016 11:39 AM PDT Researchers use hospital emergency room data from around the country to document emergence of E. coli strain that fights medication. They recommend development of new antibiotics and treatment guidelines.

Finding things in complex environments Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:50 AM PDT Everyday experience shows us that when the background is cluttered, it's harder to find an object. But how should we define "complexity" and can we apply the same concepts to other animals?

Fish lose their unique personality when they go to 'school' Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:50 AM PDT Despite individual animals having their own personality, this gets suppressed when they make decisions together in a group, new research has found.

For ants, 'elite' individuals are not always so effective Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:49 AM PDT We all know that social insects, such as ants, often work together to achieve effective responses to environmental challenges. However, new research has now uncovered that the contributions of different individuals within such groups vary.

Rise of the internet has reduced voter turnout Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:48 AM PDT During the initial phase of the internet, a "crowding-out" of political information occurred, which has affected voter turnout, new research shows.

What dinosaurs' color patterns say about their habitat Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:42 AM PDT After reconstructing the color patterns of a well-preserved dinosaur from China, researchers have found that the long-lost species Psittacosaurus (meaning "parrot lizard," a reference to its parrot-like beak) was light on its underside and darker on top.

Advancing ‘transposon theory of aging’ Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:31 AM PDT A new study provides substantial new evidence that health becomes endangered when aging cells lose control of rogue elements of DNA called transposons.

High-calcium, low-lactose diet may reduce risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:23 AM PDT A diet high in calcium and low in lactose may reduce the risk of ovarian cancer in African-American women, research indicates. The work also found sun exposure in the summer months may reduce the risk of developing the disease in this population.

New discoverymay lead to better understanding, treatment for common autoinflammatory disease Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:23 AM PDT A new mechanism for a bacterial toxin to inhibit inflammation has now been discovered, report scientists. The research shows that a toxin in Yersinia pestis, the bacterial agent of plague, targets and inhibits the protein pyrin. The inherited autoinflammatory disease Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is caused by mutations that lead to continuous activation of pyrin.

Mystery of colorful giant plants of the subantarctic solved Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:21 AM PDT The mystery of why so many plants on New Zealand's otherwise bleak subantarctic islands have very large deeply colored flowers and giant leaves has been solved by new research.

Researchers say to conquer cancer you need to stop it before it becomes cancer Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:21 AM PDT A greater emphasis on immune-based prevention should be central to new efforts like the federal Cancer Moonshot program, headed by Vice President Joe Biden, cancer researchers from across the United States write.

Largest-ever study to compare medications to prevent life-threatening clots in orthopaedic trauma patients Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:21 AM PDT Every year in the United States, thousands of high-risk fracture patients who have been admitted to trauma centers will suffer life-threatening blood clots related to the fracture. To reduce this risk, doctors have prescribed low molecular weight heparin. But some researchers argue that aspirin may be just as effective. A comprehensive new study will try to resolve this question.

Big data gives insight into appeal of services like uber Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:20 AM PDT In a novel test of the benefit a company can generate for consumers, a new study estimates just how much consumers are gaining from the technology company Uber, helping to explain the service's popularity.

Researchers seek better patient adherence recommendations for diabetic retinopathy Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:20 AM PDT Complications of diabetes can lead to blindness, yet only 29.9 percent of diabetic patients studied adhered to recommendations to have an eye examination, say researchers.

Turning ubiquitous lignin into high-value chemicals Posted: 16 Sep 2016 10:20 AM PDT Abundant, chock full of energy and bound so tightly that the only way to release its energy is through combustion — lignin has frustrated scientists for years. With the help of an unusual soil bacteria, researchers believe they now know how to crack open lignin, a breakthrough that could transform the economics of biofuel production.

Brain benefits of aerobic exercise lost to mercury exposure Posted: 16 Sep 2016 09:06 AM PDT Cognitive function improves with aerobic exercise, but not for people exposed to high levels of mercury before birth, according to new research.

HHS takes steps to provide more information about clinical trials to the public Posted: 16 Sep 2016 09:01 AM PDT In an effort to make information about clinical trials widely available to the public, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services today issued a final rule that specifies requirements for registering certain clinical trials and submitting summary results information to ClinicalTrials.gov.

NIST releases new 'family' of standardized genomes Posted: 16 Sep 2016 08:52 AM PDT With the addition of four new reference materials (RMs) to a growing collection of 'measuring sticks' for gene sequencing, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) can now provide laboratories with even more capability to accurately "map" DNA for genetic testing, medical diagnoses and future customized drug therapies.

Gut pathogens thrive on body's tissue-repair mechanism Posted: 16 Sep 2016 08:46 AM PDT Why do some foodborne bacteria make us sick? A new study has found that pathogens in the intestinal tract cause harm because they benefit from immune system responses designed to repair the very damage to the intestinal lining caused by the bacteria in the first place.

Incisionless robotic surgery offers promising outcomes for oropharyngeal cancer patients Posted: 16 Sep 2016 08:06 AM PDT An incisionless robotic surgery – done alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy or radiation – may offer oropharyngeal cancer patients good outcomes and survival, without significant pain and disfigurement, research finds.

Solar system could have evolved from poorly mixed elemental soup Posted: 16 Sep 2016 08:06 AM PDT Chondrite meteorites contain a puzzling mismatch in isotopic composition with Earth's crust. The mismatch puzzles scientists because they long believed that Earth formed from planetary objects similar to meteorites. A new paper explains how this mismatch could have come about.

Genes essential to life found in mouse mutants are related to many human disease genes Posted: 16 Sep 2016 08:06 AM PDT Mutant traits have, for the first time, been identified in the mouse for 52 human disease genes. This significantly contributes to the understanding of the genetic bases for some human diseases.

Essential mouse genes could guide human precision medicine Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:53 AM PDT About one-third of 1751 genes studied in the first comprehensive survey of the mouse genome are essential to life, according to new research. Mutations of these genes cause death at the embryo stage. Many of them have counterparts in the human genome, so understanding why these genes are so vital could help prioritize human genes for study.

Linking terrorism with mental illness fuels stigma and impedes prevention efforts Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:48 AM PDT An 'automatic assumption' to link terrorist acts with mental illness unfairly stigmatizes the millions of people with mental health problems and impedes prevention efforts, warn psychiatry experts.

Tasty letters? Sensory connections spill over in synesthesia Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:46 AM PDT Neuroscientists have found that people who experience a mixing of the senses, known as synesthesia, are more sensitive to associations everyone has between the sounds of words and visual shapes.

No clear threshold to diagnose and treat diabetes during pregnancy Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:44 AM PDT A new study finds a consistent association between higher blood glucose (sugar) levels during pregnancy and increased risk of complications around the time of birth, but there is no clear evidence of a threshold effect.

Surveillance unlikely to detect European changes in birth defect linked to Zika virus Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:39 AM PDT A new study finds that surveillance systems in Europe could detect increases in microcephaly (babies born with an abnormally small head) due to the Zika virus of a similar magnitude to those observed in Brazil. However, the smaller increases expected in Europe (due to the Aedes mosquitos not being indigenous in Europe) would be unlikely to be detected.

E-cigarette use linked to successful attempts to quit smoking Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:34 AM PDT Growth in the use of e-cigarettes in England has been associated with a higher rate of successful attempts to quit smoking, a new study reveals.

Frogs and grasshoppers: Why do legendary leapers have different ‘spring’ stiffness? Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:32 AM PDT New research on grasshoppers and bullfrogs offers a conclusion about jumping: When an animal has less time to store energy for a jump, it needs a less stiff tendon than one that can take its time.

Making better sense of incoherent light Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:29 AM PDT A technique called plasmonic interferometry helps to detect spatial coherence in 'incoherent' light.

Antibiotic gel squirted into the ear could provide a one dose cure for ear infections Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:28 AM PDT A single-application bioengineered gel, squirted in the ear canal, could deliver a full course of antibiotic therapy for middle ear infections, making treatment of this common childhood illness much easier and potentially safer, a preclinical study finds.

Engineering polymer brush patterns: Quicker and more versatile methods Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:22 AM PDT Antimicrobial cutting boards. Flame-retardant carpets. Friction-resistant bearings. Engineered surfaces add value to the things we use, providing extra layers of safety, easing their operation, preserving their quality or adding utility.

Treatments for prostate cancer: Active monitoring as effective as surgery over 10 years Posted: 16 Sep 2016 07:11 AM PDT Active monitoring is as effective as surgery and radiotherapy, in terms of survival at 10 years, reports the largest study of its kind.

Freshwater stingrays chew their food just like a goat Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:58 AM PDT A new study has found that some freshwater stingrays from the Amazon chew their food in a similar fashion as mammals.

How rattlesnakes got, and lost, their venom Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:44 AM PDT Millions of years ago, the ancestor of modern rattlesnakes was endowed with a genetic arsenal of toxic weaponry. But in a relatively short period of evolutionary time, different types of snakes kept different types of toxin genes, and shed others.

Researchers map links between salmonella, sepsis Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:36 AM PDT Research by industrial engineering and biology researchers marks a significant milestone in the battle against sepsis, the second highest cause of death in intensive care units in the U.S.

Nuclear threat to heart patients? Experts show impact from shortage of radioactive stress test tracer Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:36 AM PDT Nearly 15 million times a year, heart patients climb onto a treadmill to take a stress test that can reveal blockages in their heart's blood vessels. But a looming shortage of a crucial short-lived radioactive element means many heart patients could end up getting less-precise stress tests, or more invasive, riskier heart imaging procedures.

A talk with a nurse can persuade hospital patients to quit smoking Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:36 AM PDT Self-reported quit rates among hospital patients more than doubled when nurses and other staff were trained to coach patients on how to stop smoking and to make sure they got the help they needed to make it happen, whether that meant counseling, patches, gum or prescription medication, a study concludes.

Repurposed deworming drugs could combat c. Difficile epidemic, study suggests Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:36 AM PDT Scientists have discovered a potential new weapon against Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that causes hundreds of thousands of severe intestinal infections in the U.S. every year and is frequently fatal.

Retinoic acid may significantly prevent lymphedema development, experimental model suggests Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:36 AM PDT Using newly updated mouse models, researchers demonstrated the impactful preventive properties of 9-cis retinoic acid against lymphedema. Currently, there is no cure for lymphedema, a swelling of the extremities that most commonly occurs after treatment for cancer.

Language barriers impede treatment of children with special health care needs Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:36 AM PDT Language barriers can have dangerous consequences for children with special health care needs, according to a new paper. Children with special health care needs account for two-thirds of pediatric hospital admissions and 90 percent of all children's medical deaths. Of those nearly 18 million children with special health care needs, 13 percent -- 2.3 million -- reside in a home where a language other than English is spoken.

Deep insight into interfaces Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:31 AM PDT Interfaces between different materials and their properties are of key importance for modern technology. Physicists have developed a new method, which allows them to have an extremely precise glance at these interfaces and to model their properties.

Memory of a heart attack is stored in our genes Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:31 AM PDT Both heredity and environmental factors influence our risk of cardiovascular disease. A new study shows now that the memory of a heart attack can be stored in our genes through epigenetic changes.

Size is everything when it comes to high blood pressure Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:31 AM PDT The body's smallest organ dictates your blood pressure. The size of a grain of rice, the carotid body, located between two major arteries that feed the brain with blood, has been found to control your blood pressure. New research indicates that the carotid bodies appear to be a cause of high blood pressure, and as such now offer a new target for treatment.

Meet AISOY1 the Robot, autism therapy assistant Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:31 AM PDT Researchers are collaborating to expand the potential of their robot assistant for the treatment of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, the goal is to explore the ways in which the AISOY robot can enhance therapy sessions at the UMH University Clinic.

Simple saliva test to diagnose asthma Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT A new test that can diagnose asthma from a patient's saliva has now been developed by researchers. To diagnose the condition doctors usually measure a person's airflow lung capacity, however lung function tests can be inaccurate and do not reflect underlying changes associated with asthma. Other tests, such as blood, urine or sputum analysis can be distressing, particularly for younger patients.

Acts of altruism? New study to explore actions of solidarity with asylum seekers and refugees Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT A new study into collective actions in support of vulnerable groups – including asylum seekers and refugees - is being led by English researchers.

Healthy fat stem cells can protect against obesity-associated type 2 diabetes Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT Obesity is responsible for the deaths of over three million people a year worldwide due to its associated diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, a subset of obese individuals seems to be protected from such diseases. Understanding the underlying protective mechanisms in the lower risk individuals could help design novel therapeutic strategies targeting those at higher risk of disease, say researchers.

Light causes drosophila to take longer midday nap Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT Fruit flies' activity peaks especially in the morning and late afternoon. The insects extend their midday siesta on long summer days. Researchers have now found out what triggers this behavior. A miniature pair of eyelets discovered in the late 80s plays a crucial role in this context.

How and why are measurements of ozone taken from space? Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT The hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica became an international cause for concern in the latter half of the 20th Century, but researchers point out that the issues relating to ozone levels are complex and wide-reaching.

When hackers turn out the lights Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT The development of the smart power grid and the smart meter in our homes to accompany it brings several benefits, such as improved delivery and more efficient billing. Conversely, any digital, connected technology also represents a security risk. Researchers now explain how a malicious third party that hacked into the metering system could manipulate en masse the data being sent back to the smart grid and perhaps trigger a power generation shortfall.

New software helps to find out why 'jumping genes' are activated Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT The genome is not a fixed code but flexible. It allows changes in the genes. Transposons, however, so-called jumping genes, interpret this flexibility in a much freer way than "normal" genes. They reproduce in the genome and chose their position themselves. Transposons can also jump into a gene and render it inoperative. Thus, they are an important distinguishing mark for the development of different organisms, report scientists.

Origin of minor planets' rings revealed Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT A team of researchers has clarified the origin of the rings recently discovered around two minor planets known as centaurs, and their results suggest the existence of rings around other centaurs.

Disordered protein ‘shape shifts’ to avoid crowding, study suggests Posted: 16 Sep 2016 06:30 AM PDT Scientists have brought physics and biology together to further understand how cells' crowded surfaces induce complex protein behavior. Their findings suggest that a disordered protein, called alpha-synuclein, partially escapes from the cell membrane when it runs out of space.

Study uncovers new molecular signaling mechanism for correcting childhood visual disorders Posted: 15 Sep 2016 04:47 PM PDT Neuroscientists have discovered a molecular signaling mechanism that translates visual impairments into functional changes in brain circuit connections. The discovery may help to develop novel therapeutic drugs to treat the childhood visual disorder amblyopia and other neurodevelopment disorders.

Experts encourage prostate cancer patients to weigh long-term impact of treatment options with their doctors Posted: 15 Sep 2016 04:47 PM PDT For men with early stage prostate cancer, there is no difference in mortality rates following active monitoring, surgery or RT, ten-year findings from a trial indicate. Moreover, cancer-specific deaths at ten years following diagnosis averaged only one percent for all men enrolled in the trial.

Microcephaly case-control study confirms Zika virus causality Posted: 15 Sep 2016 04:47 PM PDT The relation between Zika virus and microcephaly is widely assumed to be causal because of strong evidence of an association. However, evidence so far comes from case reports, case series, modelling studies, and preliminary reports from cohort studies - none of which have included appropriate control groups. Preliminary findings from 32 cases now confirm causality, but the true size of the effect will only be available following the full analysis of all 200 cases and 400 controls, say scientists.

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