New technique improves outcome for living donor liver transplants
The University of Alberta Hospital (UAH) is one of only a few centers in Canada that perform living donor liver transplantation, a surgical procedure developed in the late 1980s that expands the organ donor pool. About 80 liver transplants are done a year in Alberta, 10 of those being living-donor.

Does stress damage the brain?
Individuals who experience military combat obviously endure extreme stress, and this exposure leaves many diagnosed with the psychiatric condition of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. PTSD is associated with several abnormalities in brain structure and function.

Killer stairs? Taking the elevator could be worse for your body
For years, scientists have been proclaiming the benefits of exercise. Studies showing that regular exercise benefits human health have exploded in number, examining many health problems ranging from cancer and diabetes to arthritis and pre-mature death.

Grape skin compound fights the complications of diabetes
Research carried out by scientists at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England has found that resveratrol, a compound present naturally in grape skin, can protect against the cellular damage to blood vessels caused by high production of glucose in diabetes, according to a paper published in the science journal "Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism" this week.

Arctic pollution's surprising history
Scientists know that air pollution particles from mid-latitude cities migrate to the Arctic and form an ugly haze, but a new University of Utah study finds surprising evidence that polar explorers saw the same phenomenon as early as 1870.

The regulation of negative emotions: Impact on brain activity
Emotions play an important role in the lives of humans, and influence our behavior, thoughts, decisions, and interactions. The ability to regulate emotions is essential to both mental and physical well-being.

Satellites can help Arctic grazers survive killer winter storms
Rain falling on snow sounds like a relatively harmless weather event, but when it happens in the far north it can mean lingering death for reindeer, musk oxen and other animals that normally graze on the Arctic tundra.

Rabbits to the rescue of the reef
While rabbits continue to ravage Australia's native landscapes, rabbit fish may help save large areas of the Great Barrier Reef from destruction.

Stopping a receptor called 'nogo' boosts the synapses
New findings about a protein called the nogo receptor are offering fresh ways to think about keeping the brain sharp.

Scientists successfully awaken sleeping stem cells
Scientists at Schepens Eye Research Institute have discovered what chemical in the eye triggers the dormant capacity of certain non-neuronal cells to transform into progenitor cells, a stem-like cell that can generate new retinal cells.

Gene's 'selective signature' aids detection of natural selection in microbial evolution
Scientists at MIT have come up with a mathematical approach for analyzing a protein simultaneously in a set of ecologically distinct species to identify occurrences of natural selection in an organism's evolution.

IUPUI scientists report first 3-D view of anti-cancer agent
Researchers from the Indiana University School of Medicine and the Purdue School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis have created the first three-dimensional image of how a well-established chemotherapy agent targets and binds to DNA.

Lithium chloride slows onset of skeletal muscle disorder
A new UC Irvine study finds that lithium chloride, a drug used to treat bipolar disorder, can slow the development of inclusion body myositis, a skeletal muscle disease that affects the elderly.

UC San Diego Scientists Develop Sensor for Homemade Bombs
A team of chemists and physicists at the University of California, San Diego has developed a tiny, inexpensive sensor chip capable of detecting trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide, a chemical used in the most common form of homemade explosives.

Loopy photons clarify 'spookiness' of quantum physics
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Joint Quantum Institute (NIST/University of Maryland) have developed a new method for creating pairs of entangled photons, particles of light whose properties are interlinked in a very unusual way dictated by the rules of quantum physics.

Scans spot hidden tumors in rare cancer syndrome
Researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report that full-body PET/CT scanning detected unsuspected, treatable tumors in 3 of 15 patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS), a rare genetic cancer syndrome for which no screening tests have been recommended.

New study changes conditions for Spanish brown bears
Brown bears from the Iberian Peninsula are not as genetically different from other brown bears in Europe as was previously thought.

Uric acid may provide early clues to diabetic kidney disease
For patients with type 1 diabetes, increased levels of uric acid in the blood may be an early sign of diabetic kidney disease-appearing before any significant change in urine albumin level, the standard screening test, reports a study in the May 2008 issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Researchers find 1 in 6 women, 1 in 10 men at risk for Alzheimer's disease in their lifetime
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have estimated that one in six women are at risk for developing Alzheimer's disease (AD) in their lifetime, while the risk for men is one in ten.

Research promising for cystic fibrosis
New U of T research holds promise for developing innovative therapies against cystic fibrosis and may also serve as a model for future therapies against the HIV virus.

Vegan diet promotes atheroprotective antibodies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with an increased risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and cardiovascular diseases. The underlying causes are unknown, but researchers suspect that the disturbed balance of blood fats seen in patients with rheumatoid arthritis may be part of the explanation.

The song doesn't remain the same in fragmented bird populations
The song of passerine birds is a conspicuous and exaggerated display shaped by sexual selection in the context of male-male competition or mate attraction. At the level of the individual, song is considered an indicator of male 'quality'.

Researchers say Arctic sea ice still at risk despite cold winter
Using the latest satellite observations, NASA researchers and others report that the Arctic is still on "thin ice" when it comes to the condition of sea ice cover in the region. A colder-than-average winter in some regions of the Arctic this year has yielded an increase in the area of new sea ice, while the older sea ice that lasts for several years has continued to decline.

Increased hepcidin expression: A novel oncogenic signalling mechanism
Historically anaemia, which is associated with colorectal cancer, has been attributed to blood loss. Previous studies have elegantly shown that the anti-microbial peptide hepcidin can also induce anaemia as a consequence of infection and or inflammation.

How is H pylori adhesion to gastric cells associated with MUC1 mucin VNTR size?
The Gram negative bacterium H pylori is involved in the pathogenesis of several gastrointestinal diseases, ultimately leading to gastric carcinoma. Adhesion of the bacteria to the gastric mucosa is an essential step for colonization and infection.

What should we do when esophageal perforation occurs?
Management of ingested foreign bodies is a common clinical encounter. Complications of this pathology are dependent on a patient's age, the nature and localization of the foreign body, the presence of a perforation, and initial management procedures.

Unmanned aerial vehicles mark robotic first for British Antarctic Survey
Scientists at British Antarctic Survey (BAS) in collaboration with the Technical University of Braunschweig (TUBS), Germany have completed the first ever series of flights by autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Antarctica.

Data study suggests cortisol could alleviate for chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are two serious and debilitating diseases with no confirmed cause and limited treatment options. However, results of a new comprehensive literature study propose a simplified treatment process that could help alleviate symptoms for patients suffering from these diseases.

Tiny Torrents
Engineers harnessing the same physical property that drives silent household air purifiers have created a miniaturized device that is now ready for testing as a silent, ultra-thin, low-power and low maintenance cooling system for laptop computers and other electronic devices.

Spring training for parents?
As cries of "play ball" ring out this spring, they undoubtedly will be followed by complaints of anxiety and stress from young athletes wanting to quit sports.

Only two per cent of child drug trials have independent safety checks
Only two per cent of paediatric drug trials reported using independent safety monitoring committees that can help lead to the early detection of adverse drug reactions, according to a major review published in the journal Acta Paediatrica.

Firearms industry should bear financial liability for homicides involving handguns
George Nation, professor of law and business at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa., argues in the April issue of the Baylor Law Review that manufacturers of guns should be required to bear vicarious financial liability for the harm suffered by innocent bystanders who have been injured by the criminal use of their products.

NIST team proves bridge from conventional to molecular electronics possible
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have set the stage for building the "evolutionary link" between the microelectronics of today built from semiconductor compounds and future generations of devices made largely from complex organic molecules.

NIST evaluates firefighting tactics in NYC high-rise test
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) fire protection engineers turned an abandoned New York City (NYC) brick high-rise into a seven-story fire laboratory last month to better understand the fast-moving spread of wind-driven flames, smoke and toxic gases through corridors and stairways of burning buildings.