examines in Biological News

Computational model examines the pathways of Alzheimer's that strikes at the young

NEW ORLEANSAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a tragic disease that robs an individual of their memory and mental capacity. One in eight people over the age of 65 now suffer from the disease and one in two people over 85 are diagnosed with the disease. Contrary to popular belief, Alzheimer's does not onl...

Computational model examines the pathways of Alzheimer's that strikes at the young

NEW ORLEANSAlzheimer's disease (AD) is a tragic disease that robs an individual of their memory and mental capacity. One in eight people over the age of 65 now suffer from the disease and one in two people over 85 are diagnosed with the disease. Contrary to popular belief, Alzheimer's does not onl...

'Experiment of nature' examines how mother's diet may impact on child's health

Could our mother's diet at the time we are conceived set the course for our future health? This intriguing question is at the heart of a new study based on an "experiment of nature" being conducted by Wellcome Trust-funded researchers. We inherit our DNA the genetic blueprint that determines o...

Rhode Island Hospital simulation center examines benefits and applications of medical simulation

PROVIDENCE, RI Emergency medicine physicians and simulation experts from Rhode Island Hospital discuss the benefits of advanced medical simulation in five manuscripts appearing in the November 2008 issue of Academic Emergency Medicine (now available online). The articles describe how simulation...

Sweat it out: UH study examines ability of sweat patches to monitor bone loss

Some health assessments that are routinely carried out on Earth are not practical when the "patients" are free-floating astronauts on long space flights, such as missions to Mars or the Moon. A new, NASA-funded study from the University of Houston department of health and human performance will e...

Research examines factors in delaying or declining total knee replacement surgery

A study led by Dr. Ann F. Jacobson, associate professor in Kent States College of Nursing, unveils the reasons why people may initially choose to postpone but ultimately undergo total knee replacement surgery and emphasizes the need for better patient education before and after the procedure. ...

Book examines clash of capitalism and the environment

New Haven, Conn.The environment will continue to deteriorate so long as capitalism continues to be the modern worlds economic engine, argues Gus Speth, dean of the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, in his new book, The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environmen...

Study examines genetic defects linked to body abnormalities in patients with childhood cancer

Children with cancer have a higher prevalence of body abnormalities, such as asymmetric lower limbs and curvature of the spine, suggesting that the genetic defect responsible for the abnormality may play a role in the development of cancer, according to a study in the January 2 issue of JAMA. ...

New paper examines dams' effects on California salmon

DURHAM, N.C. -- Spring-run Chinook salmon and other fish in the rivers of Californias Central Valley could be harmed by more water-storage dams, according to researchers at Duke University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The findings of a recent paper may serve as a cau...

Iowa State University conference examines developing bioeconomy

AMES, Iowa Venture capitalist Vinod Khosla told last years Biobased Industry Outlook Conference at Iowa State University why he believes fuel blends containing 85 percent ethanol can replace the countrys gasoline supply. Khosla who last year told The New York Times hes invested tens of milli...

New study examines how rearing environment can alter navigation

Many animals, including humans, frequently face the task of getting from one place to another. Although many navigational strategies exist, all vertebrate species readily use geometric cues; things such as walls and corners to determine direction within an enclosed space. Moreover, some species su...

New study examines 'brain's own marijuana'

A researcher at the University at Buffalo’s Research Institute on Addictions (RIA) is investigating the “brain’s own marijuana?-- called endocannabinoid -- in the regulation of stress, stress-related behavior and anxiety. A five-year, $1.7 million grant from the National Institute of Mental Healt...

Study examines genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's disease

Cardiff University researchers have found evidence for new genes involved in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. The study, to be published in the next issue of the journal Human Molecular Genetics, tested more than 17,000 gene variants in 4,000 volunteers. Several genes were found to...

Study examines risk of soft tissue sarcomas in hereditary retinoblastoma survivors

A study in the January 3 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute quantifies the risk of hereditary retinoblastoma survivors developing specific subtypes of soft tissue sarcomas and finds that this risk persists for decades after the original retinoblastoma diagnosis. The findings em...

Researcher examines polymers created with poultry feathers

Biodegradable polymers created from poultry feathers may add value to the poultry industry and help solve the growing environmental problem of plastic waste. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, more than 29 million tons of non-biodegradable plastic waste ends up in landfills ea...

Pooled data examines if SNPs add to breast cancer risk

Pooling data from numerous studies has helped scientists examine specific genetic variants related to breast cancer incidence, according to a study in the October 4 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. The Breast Cancer Association Consortium brought together data from more ...

New research examines genetics of successful aging

Scientists have identified genes related to reaching age 90 with preserved cognition, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. The study, which was conducted at the University of Pittsburgh is among the first to identify genetic links to...

U of M study examines kidney stone prevention in astronauts

As the space shuttle Discovery prepares to launch on July 1, researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a way for astronauts to reduce their risk of developing kidney stones while in space. Astronauts lose calcium in their bones and strength in their muscles while in space because...

UCLA paper examines how one disease may prevent another

The knowledge that one disease may prevent the onset of another is not new. For example, the discovery that cowpox vaccines can prevent smallpox dates back to 1798. Dr. E. Richard Stiehm, a professor of pediatrics at the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, researched examples throughout medical h...

New research examines genetics of successful aging

A study released today at the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology's Annual Meeting revealed that scientists have identified genes related to reaching age 90 with preserved cognition. The study, which was funded by the National Institutes of Health and conducted at the University of Pittsbu...

New study examines how sense of smell affects mating and aggression in mice

New research by scientists at UCSF sheds light on how the odor detecting system in mice sends signals that affect their social behavior. "Understanding how mice process cues from the olfactory system--which regulates the sense of smell--should provide insight into the fundamental principles that...

A new study examines how shared pathogens affect host populations

Many pathogens are able to infect multiple species within a community and are commonly transmitted across species. Cross-species transmission is often associated with pathogen emergence and therefore has been considered as a negative factor for humans, wildlife, and species of agricultural importan...

U of M researcher examines newly emerging deadly disease

Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a newly emerging illness, named staphylococcal purpura fulminans. The disease begins as a respiratory tract infection, which then is infected by Staphylococcus aureus. The infection then moves to the lungs, making superantigens (bacterial t...

NIH stimulus funding supports Emory biomedical scientists

...rowth in tumors: The creation of new blood vessels can be good a response to exercise or injury or bad, enabling the growth of a tumor. This project examines Syk, a molecule that appears to push blood vessels to grow in response to low oxygen. Finding ways to block such growth signals could generate new too...

1 in 6 health workers won't report in flu pandemic -- study by Ben-Gurion U. researchers

...survey analysis was based on Witte's Extended Parallel Process Model (EPPM), used for understanding adaptive behavior in the face of unknown risk. It examines the relative influences of perceived threat and efficacy on public health workers' response willingness to pandemic influenza. Willingness of healt...

Bioterrorism and disaster preparedness explored in special issue of Medical Decision Making

...redicting Hospital Surge after a Large-Scale Anthrax Attack: A Model-Based Analysis of CDC's Cities Readiness Initiative Prophylaxis Recommendations," examines one of the CDC's principal bioterrorism-response programs, the Cities Readiness Initiative (CRI), a program that recommends the medical countermeasure...

Our brain looks at eyes first to identify a face

... A study by the University of Barcelona (UB) has analysed which facial features our brain examines to identify faces. Our brain adapts in order to obtain the maximum amount of information possible from each face and according to the study the key da...

Research explores interactions between nanomaterials, biological systems

...fects on cells after cellular uptake without any detailed understanding of what these interactions may lead to, good or bad. The review article examines the variety of ways in which nanomaterials interface with biological systems and presents a roadmap of the physical and chemical properties of the mat...

Mate selection: How does she know he'll take care of the kids?

...ting skills and still have high reproductive success. This new model, now appearing in the online version of the Proceedings of the Royal Society B , examines the reliability of males' mating signals when they must care for offspring an aspect that was missing in earlier studies. There are many species ...

'Shortcuts' of the mind lead to miscalculations of weight and caloric intake, says Penn study

...e at the correct answer. The study suggests that there are situations where critical dimensions to understanding are devalued or ignored. The paper examines different circumstances discovered by researchers where single dimensions dominate multidimensional judgments. In these studies specifically, particip...

Women faring well in hiring process for science faculty jobs at research universities

...those considered for tenure, but those who are considered receive tenure at the same or higher rates than men. The congressionally mandated report examines how women at research-intensive universities fare compared with men at key transition points in their careers. Two national surveys were commissioned...

Scholar unconvinced new lie-detection methods better than old ones

... Forensic Sciences." Its focus is on "metadisciplinarity." The book is based, in part, on Littlefield's own interdisciplinary life and career, and examines how a number of disciplines have come together over the past 50 years to become known as the forensic sciences "whatever that is," she said. The book...

UCSB scientists document fate of huge oil slicks from seeps at coal oil point

...r paper published in 2008, Valentine and Reddy documented how microbes devour many of the compounds in the oil emanating from the seeps. The new study examines the final step in the life cycle of the oil. "One of the natural questions is: What happens to all of this oil?" Valentine said. "So much oil seeps...

Tree survival skills

...m the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Daniel K. Struve from The Ohio State University recently published a study in HortScience that examines the impact of stress on balled-and-burlapped trees. "We hypothesized that stresses associated with handling and transporting nursery stock during tran...

Premier issue of Ecopsychology launched by Mary Ann Liebert Inc. publishers

... Ecopsychology is a peer-reviewed journal that explores the relationship between environmental issues and mental health and well-being. The Journal examines the psychological, spiritual, and therapeutic aspects of human-nature relationships, concern about environmental issues, and responsibility for protec...

American Chemical Society Weekly PressPac -- April 15, 2009

...ronmental Science & Technology , a semi-monthly journal. In the study, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Daniel M. Murphy examines a proposal to minimize climate change by enhancing the stratospheric aerosol layer, which reduces sunlight to Earth by scattering it to outer space. B...

Early isolation linked to enhanced response to cocaine

... or peer pressure, but in some animals, such as rats, it can also be the result of a stressful early life event, such as social isolation. A new study examines the impact of social isolation on the animal's response to cocaine. The study, Social Isolation During Perinatal Development Alters the Behavioral...

Early isolation linked to enhanced response to cocaine

... or peer pressure, but in some animals, such as rats, it can also be the result of a stressful early life event, such as social isolation. A new study examines the impact of social isolation on the animal's response to cocaine. The study, Social Isolation During Perinatal Development Alters the Behavioral...

AIBS names 2009 emerging public policy leaders

...y. "A strong interface between scientists and politicians fosters the development of sound policies." Roddy's Ph.D. research in integrative biology examines flower physiology and phenology or the timing of development in relation to climate. Roddy is working to understand how flower water requirements ma...

Inhaling a heart attack: How air pollution can cause heart disease

...is associated with an increase in heart attacks and deaths. Research has begun in the relatively new field of environmental cardiology -- a field that examines the relationship between air pollution and heart disease. Aruni Bhatnagar of the University of Louisville and Robert Brook of the University of Mic...