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Science News Archive October 2010 - Page 19


Page 19 of 25

Large variations exist in end-of-life care in the intensive care unit; doctors must guard against subtle institutional pressures to withdraw life support

The article discusses the variations in end-of-life care in intensive care units (ICUs) and the need for clinicians to be aware of subtle institutional pressures and adapt their approach to individual patients. Key findings include differences in family involvement, communication styles, and attitudes toward withdrawing life support ac...

SourceThe Lancet_DELETED·JournalThe Lancet·DateOct 8, 2010

Obese workers cost workplace more than insurance, absenteeism

A new study by Duke University researchers estimates the total value of lost job productivity due to health problems among U.S. full-time employees with obesity, which exceeds medical expenditures. The per capita cost of obesity is as high as $16,900 for obese women and $15,500 for obese men.

SourceDuke University·JournalJournal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine·DateOct 8, 2010

Critical/intensive care: Huge investments needed for increasing demand in rich and poor countries; UK has one of lowest numbers of intensive care beds per head in developed world

The UK faces a critical care crisis with one of the lowest numbers of intensive care unit beds, leading to concerns about its ability to cope with large-scale disasters. Increasing demand driven by ageing populations and lack of effective interventions will require huge investments for high-income and poor countries.

SourceThe Lancet_DELETED·JournalThe Lancet·DateOct 8, 2010

Crop failures set to increase under climate change

A new study by the University of Leeds predicts that climate change will lead to more frequent and severe crop failures globally. However, the researchers suggest that adopting new crops that are more resilient to heat and water stress, combined with improved farming practices, can help mitigate these effects.

SourceUniversity of Leeds·JournalEnvironmental Research Letters·DateOct 7, 2010

New tool in the fight against tuberculosis

A new tool has been developed to tackle tuberculosis by integrating genomic and metabolic data, enabling cell-scale simulations and biological strain design. The probabilistic regulation of metabolism (PROM) algorithm accurately predicts knockout phenotypes 95% of the time, paving the way for targeted research during dormancy.

SourceCarl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateOct 7, 2010

Colorado researcher discovers mechanism for changing adult cells into stem-like cells

University of Colorado Cancer Center researcher Chuan-Yuan Li and his team have discovered that caspase genes, known as 'grim-reaper' genes, are the gatekeepers that allow differentiated adult cells to regress to undifferentiated stem-like cells. This breakthrough discovery could lead to more efficient use of induced pluripotent stem c...

Neural responses indicate our willingness to help

Researchers at the University of Zurich studied soccer fans' neural responses to ingroup and outgroup suffering, finding that brain regions associated with empathy for others' pain are activated when witnessing an ingroup suffer. This correlates with a greater willingness to help, whereas watching an outgroup suffer leads to decreased ...

SourceUniversity of Zurich·JournalNeuron·DateOct 7, 2010

Melanoma uses body's immune system to spread to lungs

A study published in Cancer Research found that melanoma cells can use the body's immune system, specifically neutrophils, to control lung metastasis development. By disrupting the interaction between cancer cells and neutrophils, a therapy could decrease lung metastases by about 50 percent.

SourcePenn State·JournalCancer Research·DateOct 7, 2010

Genetically modified crop resistance to pests benefits non-modified crop, U of Minnesota study finds

A new study from the University of Minnesota found that genetically modified Bt corn reduces pest losses in both transgenic and non-transgenic corn. The study found that areawide suppression of European corn borer populations resulted in estimated annual losses of $1 billion, but also benefited non-Bt corn by 28-73% in neighboring states.

SourceUniversity of Minnesota·JournalScience·DateOct 7, 2010

Half-time gamblers give stock market insight

Researchers analyzed data from online football gamblers and found distinct changes in market odds reflecting match events. Gamblers exhibited long-range volatility correlations and traded more on outcomes with small odds, suggesting a preference for favored teams.

SourceIOP Publishing·JournalNew Journal of Physics·DateOct 7, 2010

Grant advances quark-gluon plasma studies

The grant supports the lab's transition to analyzing data from a new detector, enabling researchers to identify 96% of subatomic particles in collisions. The project aims to study hot and dense matter, including its critical point, and understand the early state of the universe.

Deceitful lily fools flies

The Solomon's lily plant attracts drosophilid flies by mimicking the yeasty odor of fermentation using six chemicals. This deception is rooted in a deeply conserved neuronal pathway specifically tuned to yeast odors, exploiting an ancient instinct in flies for pollination and food.

SourceMax Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology·JournalCurrent Biology·DateOct 7, 2010