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Science News for February 29, 2008


Of mice and men ... and kidney stones

Researchers discovered that mice are more efficient at removing oxalate from the body, a crucial step in preventing kidney stones. This finding holds promise for developing improved treatments and paving the way for a mouse model of the disease.

SourceWiley·JournalThe Journal of Physiology·DateFeb 29, 2008

Simple screening questionnaire for kidney disease outperforms current clinical practice guidelines

A new screening questionnaire, SCORED, has been shown to be more accurate and efficient in identifying individuals with silent chronic kidney disease than current clinical practice guidelines. The test correctly identifies patients at risk for CKD 88-95% of the time and defines high-risk individuals 25% fewer times.

SourceNewYork-Presbyterian·JournalArchives of Internal Medicine·DateFeb 29, 2008

Popular alternative therapy for psoriasis performs no better than placebo

A recent study by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine found that curcumin, an active ingredient in turmeric, had a low response rate in patients with psoriasis. Despite laboratory evidence showing its potential, the study suggests that the placebo effect or natural remission may be responsible for the limited results.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania School of Medicine·JournalJournal of the American Academy of Dermatology·DateFeb 29, 2008

Children with autism may learn from 'virtual peers'

Researchers at Northwestern University have found that children with high-functioning autism produce more contingent sentences when interacting with virtual peers. This suggests that virtual peers can be a useful tool in helping children with autism develop communication and social skills. The study aims to generalize these skills to m...

Genetic factors in smoking also increase risk of chronic bronchitis

Researchers found that genetic factors account for 40% of the risk for chronic bronchitis, but also identified a link between genetic predisposition to smoking and the development of the disease. The study suggests that smoking remains a primary risk factor for chronic bronchitis, regardless of genetic background.

SourceAmerican Thoracic Society·JournalAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine·DateFeb 29, 2008

Certain vitamin supplements may increase lung cancer risk, especially in smokers

A study published by the American Thoracic Society found that certain vitamin supplements, including multivitits, vitamin C, and folate, did not protect against lung cancer and may even increase the risk. The risk was highest among current smokers, with a seven percent rise in risk for every 100mg/day of supplemental vitamin E.

SourceAmerican Thoracic Society·JournalAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine·DateFeb 29, 2008

Liquid water found flowing on Mars? Not yet

Researchers used topographic data from NASA's HiRISE camera to determine how a flow of pure liquid water would look on the images versus an avalanche of dry granular debris. The study found that the dry granular case was the winner, suggesting that liquid water has not been found on the Martian surface within the last decade.

SourceUniversity of Arizona·JournalGeology·DateFeb 29, 2008

When the rules of the game are broken: Research studies sports injuries related to illegal activity

A study by Nationwide Children's Hospital found that more than 98,000 high school sports-related injuries were directly linked to illegal activities, with the highest rates in girls' soccer and volleyball. The research suggests that reducing illegal activity through rule enforcement and education may reduce sports-related injuries.

SourceNationwide Children's Hospital·JournalInjury Prevention·DateFeb 29, 2008

Study shows Darwin was wrong about the origins of chickens

A new study found that chickens have a different version of a gene that codes for white skin, but the yellow-skin variant is present in a completely different wild species, grey junglefowl. This discovery contradicts Charles Darwin's theory that all chickens came from a wild red junglefowl species.

SourcePLOS·JournalPLOS Genetics·DateFeb 29, 2008