June 18, 2008 Science Current Events

UT Southwestern urologists identify seven biomarkers that may help pinpoint prostate cancer recurrence
A simple blood test may help doctors better predict whether prostate cancer will recur or spread in patients who have undergone surgery for the disease, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found.

The Mystery of Mass Extinctions Is No Longer Murky
If you are curious about Earth's periodic mass extinction events such as the sudden demise of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago, you might consider crashing asteroids and sky-darkening super volcanoes as culprits.

Infant play drives chimpanzee respiratory disease cycles
The signature boom-bust cycling of childhood respiratory diseases was long attributed to environmental cycling.

Study shows male homosexuality can be explained through a specific model of Darwinian evolution
Reporting in this week's PLoS ONE, an Italian research team, consisting of Andrea Camperio Ciani and Giovanni Zanzotto at the University of Padova and Paolo Cermelli at the University of Torino, found that the evolutionary origin and maintenance of male homosexuality in human populations could be explained by a model based around the idea of sexually antagonistic selection, in which genetic factors spread in the population by giving a reproductive advantage to one sex while disadvantaging the other.

Fair and adequate reimbursement is vital to developing life-saving medical treatments
Reimbursement of molecular imaging and therapies-leading to the early detection and diagnosis of many life-threatening diseases-remains an urgent and critical need as consumers face ever-increasing healthcare costs.

Unlocking genome of world's worst insect pest
Scientists from CSIRO and the University of Melbourne in Australia, and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, are on the brink of a discovery which will facilitate the development of new, safe, more sustainable ways of controlling the world's worst agricultural insect pest - the moth, Helicoverpa armigera.

Study indicates grape seed extract may reduce cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer's disease
A compound found in grape seed extract reduces plaque formation and resulting cognitive impairment in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease, new research shows. The study appears in the June 18 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience.

Obese women in Canada are less likely to be screened for cervical cancer
Research in the United States has shown that obese people are less likely than their normal-weight peers to undergo screening for breast, colon and cervical cancer. Raj Padwal, Rebecca Mitchell and Scott Klarenbach, from the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, have undertaken a study to see if this trend is also true in Canada.

Inherited melanoma risk: What you do know does help you
When people know the results of genetic tests confirming they have inherited an increased risk of developing melanoma, they follow skin cancer screening recommendations more proactively-much like those who have already been diagnosed with the potentially deadly disease.

Gene variants linked to metabolic syndrome and HDL cholesterol levels
Nutrition researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified five common genetic variations that increase the risk of metabolic syndrome, a group of factors linked to heart disease and diabetes. Another variant they found appeared to protect against the condition.

Laparoscopic weight-loss surgery improves health of morbidly obese teens
Teenagers' obesity-related medical complications improve just 6 months after laparoscopic gastric banding surgery, a new study found. The preliminary results will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Advance towards early Alzheimer's diagnosis
An Australian research project has found a way to bring forward the detection of early stage Alzheimer's disease by up to 18 months.

Weight loss after gastric bypass surgery may protect against infection and cancer
Another health benefit of bariatric weight-loss surgery may be a heightened immune defense against cancer and infections, a new study suggests. The results will be presented at The Endocrine Society's 90th Annual Meeting in San Francisco.

Experimental anti-cancer synthetic molecule targets tumor cell growth and angiogenesis
A recent study conducted by three French CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) laboratories describes a new candidate anti-cancer drug, named HB-19.

Scientists find potential protein biomarkers for growth hormone
Ohio University scientists have identified several proteins in mice that might act as biomarkers for growth hormone. The research could be the first step to finding a more reliable way to detect recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), which some athletes and teenagers use illegally to boost muscle and reduce fat.

Penn researchers find key developmental pathway activates lung stem cells
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that the activation of a molecular pathway important in stem cell and developmental biology leads to an increase in lung stem cells. Harnessing this knowledge could help develop therapies for lung-tissue repair after injury or disease.

MIT researchers see alternative to common colorectal cancer drug
A compound that accumulates in cells more readily than a commonly used colorectal cancer drug may be just as useful in treating colorectal tumors, but with fewer side effects, MIT researchers have found.

Gene mutation improves leukemia drug's effect
Gene mutations that make cells cancerous can sometimes also make them more sensitive to chemotherapy. A new study led by cancer researchers at Ohio State University shows that a mutation present in some cases of acute leukemia makes the disease more susceptible to high doses of a particular anticancer drug.

Radiation therapy prolongs life in men with recurrent prostate cancer
Men whose tumors recur after prostate cancer surgery are three times more likely to survive their disease long term if they undergo radiotherapy within two years of the recurrence.

UNH Researchers Test Sediment-Scrubbing Technology In Cocheco River
In a mud flat at the edge of the Cocheco River, just outside downtown Dover, scientists from the University of New Hampshire's Contaminated Sediments Center are testing an innovative way to treat polluted sediment in coastal waterways.

New technology may prevent vitamin B12 deficient seniors and vegetarians from needing injections
For those patients who receive the nearly 40 million intramuscular injections per year to treat their B12 deficiency, a new oral option may soon exist.

People with lower incomes, lower education levels have higher death rates
Researchers have long suspected that socioeconomic factors like education level and income also might affect survival rates following heart attack.

Birds communicate reproductive success in song
Some migratory songbirds figure out the best place to live by eavesdropping on the singing of others that successfully have had baby birds - a communication and behavioral trait so strong that researchers playing recorded songs induced them to nest in places they otherwise would have avoided.

Effective treatment for sickle cell underused by doctors
Uncertainties about proper use and possible long-term effects of hydroxyurea in the treatment of sickle cell anemia may be wrongly influencing doctors to avoid prescribing it to those in serious need, according to results of a literature review by specialists at Johns Hopkins.

Effective health messages may yield vaccine compliance among ER workers
Emergency room workers will be the first line of defense in the event of a disease pandemic and will be forced to deal with the chaos that inevitably comes with treating thousands of sick and dying. In order to protect themselves and allow them to care for the public, these first responders need to be fully prepared by getting available vaccines now.

First successful reverse vasectomy on endangered species performed at the National Zoo
Veterinarians at the Smithsonian's National Zoo have performed the first successful reverse vasectomy on a Przewalski's horse (E. ferus przewalskii; E. caballus przewalskii -classification debated), pronounced zshah-VAL-skeez.

Shilatifard Lab Identifies New Role for Factor Critical to Transcription
The Stowers Institute's Shilatifard Lab has identified a new role for the elongation factor ELL in gene transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) - the enzyme that synthesizes messenger RNA to carry genetic information from DNA to the protein-synthesizing machinery of the cell.

Bowel prep oral sodium phosphate equal to fasting before capsule endoscopy for obscure GI bleeding
According to a new study from researchers in France, bowel preparation with oral sodium phosphate for capsule endoscopy in patients with obscure gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding is no better at cleansing the small bowel than the standard method of preparation, which is an eight-hour fast before the procedure.

Study finds quality of California preschools falls short
More than half of California's preschoolers attend center-based early care and education programs, but the children who have the most to gain from preschool frequently are those least likely to participate in the programs, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

Falls, depression and antidepressants in later life
Older people are at high risk for falls and subsequent injuries. Those who have depression have an increased risk of falls and the medications they take for depression increase their risk even more, New Zealand and Australian researchers reported in the open-access journal PLoS ONE.