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Science News for March 13, 2013


Lower incidence of genital warts in young girls

A Swedish national registry study found that HPV vaccination before age 14 significantly reduced the incidence of genital warts in girls. The study also revealed socioeconomic disparities in vaccination rates, with higher educated parents more likely to vaccinate their daughters.

SourceKarolinska Institutet·JournalJNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute·DateMar 13, 2013

Breakthrough in battle against leukemia

Researchers have identified a carbohydrate modification on leukaemic cells that can be targeted to eradicate cancer. The study, published in Journal of Experimental Medicine, offers hope for new treatment options against drug-resistant forms of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

SourceGriffith University·JournalJournal of Experimental Medicine·DateMar 13, 2013

Polycystic ovary syndrome puts glucose control in double jeopardy

Research shows PCOS affects both insulin and non-insulin approaches to glucose control, with declines in non-insulin activity seen in women with high insulin resistance. The study found visceral fat predicted difficulty controlling glucose via insulin, while subcutaneous fat was linked to regulation by non-insulin means.

SourceMedical College of Georgia at Augusta University·JournalThe Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism·DateMar 13, 2013

Chicken pox vaccine saving children's lives

A national study of chicken pox admissions found a 68% drop in hospitalizations since the introduction of the vaccine in 2006. The results show that unvaccinated children were more likely to require intensive care treatment, highlighting the importance of herd immunity.

SourceUniversity of Adelaide·JournalThe Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal·DateMar 13, 2013

Symbols, such as traffic lights, on menus effective in educating diners

Research suggests that combining numeric calorie labels with symbolic labels, such as traffic lights, is a more effective way to influence patrons to select healthier options. The study found that the combination label reduced total calories ordered by about 69 calories on average, while numeric labels alone had less impact.

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalInternational Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity·DateMar 13, 2013

Sex at zero gravity

Researchers from the University of Montreal studied how hypergravity and microgravity affect plant reproduction, brain diseases, and cancer. They found that changes in gravity impact cellular traffic flow and construction of the cellular envelope, leading to compromised cell functioning and potential implications for human health.

SourceUniversity of Montreal·JournalPLOS ONE·DateMar 13, 2013

Bradley Hospital researchers find age-related changes in how autism affects the brain

A new study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry has found that autism spectrum disorders affect brain activity differently in children and adults. The research suggests that brain changes associated with autism continue to develop into adulthood, highlighting the need for targeted treatments.

SourceLifespan·JournalJournal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry·DateMar 13, 2013

Feynman's double-slit experiment brought to life

Researchers have successfully replicated Feynman's famous double-slit thought-experiment using a gold-coated silicon membrane and a moveable mask. This achievement demonstrates the mysterious properties of electrons, including their ability to produce an interference pattern when fired at the wall one at a time.

SourceIOP Publishing·JournalNew Journal of Physics·DateMar 13, 2013

Implementing HPV vaccinations at a young age is significant for vaccine effectiveness

A Swedish study found that females with university-educated parents were 15 times more likely to receive an HPV vaccine before age 20. The researchers also noted a decrease in genital warts incidence among unvaccinated women over 20 years old, suggesting a self-selection bias where high-risk women preferentially sought vaccination.

SourceJournal of the National Cancer Institute·JournalJNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute·DateMar 13, 2013

Polo takes the bait

Researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research have made a groundbreaking discovery about a protein called Matrimony (Mtrm), which traps and inactivates the powerful Polo kinase. This finding has significant implications for cancer treatment, as Polo kinase is widely considered to be misregulated in many types of cancer.

SourceStowers Institute for Medical Research·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 13, 2013

Younger doctors more likely to train and work closer to home

New research shows that 36% of UK-trained doctors attend medical school in their hometown, while 34% settle in the same region for their first career post. This trend may be linked to increasing emphasis on 'work-life balance' and shorter training periods.

SourceSAGE·JournalJournal of the Royal Society of Medicine·DateMar 13, 2013

High-performance, NW-OPTs open the way for optoelectronic device miniaturization

Research team at UNIST developed high-performance NW-OPTs, showing enhanced charge-carrier mobility and higher external quantum efficiencies compared to thin-film OPTs. This breakthrough enables bottom-up fabrication of optoelectronic nanodevices with high operational stability and easy control of photoswitching voltages.

SourceUlsan National Institute of Science and Technology(UNIST)·JournalAdvanced Functional Materials·DateMar 13, 2013

Canadians support interventions to reduce dietary salt

A national survey found that 80% of Canadians agree the food industry should reduce salt content in food. The majority supported public health interventions, such as lowering sodium in grocery foods and educating consumers about healthy eating habits. However, there was little support for taxation or subsidies related to sodium reduction.

SourceElsevier Health Sciences·JournalCanadian Journal of Cardiology·DateMar 13, 2013

It's all in the way we move

A team of researchers from the University of the Witwatersrand analyzed the movement patterns of bipedal kangaroos and wallabies, comparing them to quadrupedal marsupials. They found that bipedal marsupials experience greater joint forces in their hind limbs, which provides insight into the structural uniqueness of these joints.

SourceUniversity of the Witwatersrand·JournalPLOS ONE·DateMar 13, 2013

Extreme water

A team of researchers studied water under extreme conditions, discovering its structure transforms from ordered to disordered at supercritical temperatures. This knowledge provides an improved estimate of water's behavior during geochemical and geological processes.

SourceHelmholtz Association·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateMar 13, 2013

Doing business with a parrot

A new study at the University of Vienna found that Goffin cockatoos wait up to 80 seconds for higher-quality food rewards, showing impressive self-control. The birds traded their initial items more often for their most preferred food and adjusted to differences in trade value, mirroring human economic decision-making.

SourceUniversity of Vienna·JournalBiology Letters·DateMar 13, 2013