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• Researchers explore treatments for breast and colon cancers
• Heart attack patients winning the race to angioplasty treatment, U.S. study finds
• Researchers find increase in infection rates in patients with cardiac electrophysiological devices
• Toxicity of aromatase inhibitors may explain lack of overall survival improvement
• Most U.S. heart attack patients needing angioplasty treated within recommended time, study finds
• Food security helps wildlife
• New target for treatment of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes identified
• Not so fast: Lasting evolutionary change takes about one million years, researchers find
• Ancient whale skulls and directional hearing: A twisted tale
• Chemists discover most naturally variable protein in dental plaque bacterium
• Poverty and national parks: Decade-long study finds surprising relationship
• Experience puts the personal stamp on a place in memory: Seeing helps map a place in the mind, but exploration and experience are vital
• Nano bundles pack a powerful punch: Solid-state energy storage takes a leap forward
• Cause of stress-related DNA damage pinpointed: Findings suggest new model for developing novel therapeutic approaches
• Males believe discussing problems is a waste of time, study shows
• Yeast's epic journey 500 years ago gave rise to lager beer
• Low oxygen triggers moth molt: Caterpillars have a respiratory system that is fixed in size
• Beams to order from table-top accelerators
• Southern South American wildfires expected to increase
• Sketching with superconductors: Breakthrough in controlling defects could lead to new generation of electronic devices
• Genetic markers show something fishy with certified Chilean sea bass sales
• Hyenas' ability to count helps them decide to fight or flee
• Only one In five Medicaid-covered kids in Ohio finish antidepressant treatment
• Neuroscientists identify brain activity that predicts how well you will remember images
• Astronomers find ice and possibly methane on Snow White, a distant dwarf planet
• Small molecules shed light on cancer therapies
• Incisionless surgery now available as an investigational treatment for esophageal disorder
• Tuning natural antimicrobials to improve their effectiveness at battling superbugs
• In the early life of an embryo, a monster lurks
• Helping eye care providers better assess driving in older adults
• New research explores military organization and child mortality rates
• Extreme negative anti-smoking ads can backfire, experts find
• Measurement tools for traffic crash injury severity improving
• Alternative health-care funding in Canada will not lower costs, experts say
• Hospital readmission rates not accurate measure of care quality, experts say
• Tunable nano-suspensions for light harvesting; Discovery may be key to solar energy and smart glass technologies
• Breeding ozone-tolerant crops
• Simple security for wireless
• Seventeen percent of cancer nurses unintentionally exposed to chemotherapy, study finds
• Possible trigger point of epileptic seizures identified
• Antennas in your clothes? New design could pave the way
• Effects of prenatal smoking on infant neurodevelopment may be worse than feared
• Older adults with too much salt in diet and too little exercise at greater risk of cognitive decline, study finds
• U.S. Naval Research Laboratory set to launch experimental TacSat-4 spacecraft
• Traumatic brain injury increases risk of Parkinson's disease, researchers say; Threat doubles with exposure to the pesticide paraquat
• Ancient clams yield new information about greenhouse effect on climate
• Galaxies are running out of gas: Why the lights are going out in the Universe
• Better 'photon loops' may be key to computer and physics advances
• Quick and cheap data storage? New multiferroic material is both electrically charged and magnetic
• Ignored virus can cause liver cancer, study suggests; Should we be screening blood for hepatitis G?
• Are stellar explosions created equal? Scientists recheck a standard model for supernovae on which cosmic distance measurement is based
• Nanowires get into the groove
• Window fall-related injuries among youth examined
• Road block as a new strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's
• Good ruminations or bad ruminations in the depressed brain?
• Time to begin anticipating and adapting to climate change
• Secret life of millipedes
• Radical overhaul of farming could be 'game-changer' for global food security
• Scale models: How patterns stay in sync with size as an embryo grows and develops
• Painting a 'bullseye' on cancer cells

Researchers explore treatments for breast and colon cancers Posted: 22 Aug 2011 03:29 PM PDT Researchers are working to develop possible new treatments for breast and colon cancer. They are now exploring the role of estrogen hormones. More specifically, they have examined regulatory molecules called estrogen receptors, which are the tools that allow estrogen and related molecules to act in the cell.

Heart attack patients winning the race to angioplasty treatment, U.S. study finds Posted: 22 Aug 2011 01:13 PM PDT Almost all heart attack patients who need the emergency artery-opening procedure known as angioplasty are receiving it within 90 minutes of being admitted to the hospital, a marked improvement from five years ago when most patients waited longer for the life-saving procedure, according to a report by U.S. researchers.

Researchers find increase in infection rates in patients with cardiac electrophysiological devices Posted: 22 Aug 2011 01:13 PM PDT New research shows that patients in the United States who receive cardiac electrophysiological devices (CIEDs), including permanent pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) are now at greater risk of contracting an infection over the life span of the device.

Toxicity of aromatase inhibitors may explain lack of overall survival improvement Posted: 22 Aug 2011 01:13 PM PDT The toxicities associated with aromatase inhibitors (AIs) may explain the lack of overall survival improvement compared with tamoxifen, according to a new study.

Most U.S. heart attack patients needing angioplasty treated within recommended time, study finds Posted: 22 Aug 2011 01:13 PM PDT More than 90 percent of U.S. heart attack patients who require an emergency artery-opening procedure known as angioplasty, are treated within the recommended 90 minutes, compared to less than half five years before, according to a new study. From 2005-2010, the average time from hospital admission to angioplasty decreased from 96 to 64 minutes. This significant improvement resulted from a concerted nationwide effort to improve care.

Food security helps wildlife Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:47 PM PDT A new study documents the success of a Wildlife Conservation Society program that uses an innovative business model to improve rural livelihoods while restoring local wildlife populations.

New target for treatment of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes identified Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:47 PM PDT Researchers have shown that an enzyme found in the mitochondria of cells is decreased in the skeletal muscle of those with type 2 diabetes and prediabetes, a finding that could lead to the development of drugs to boost the activity of this enzyme in an effort to fight both conditions.

Not so fast: Lasting evolutionary change takes about one million years, researchers find Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:47 PM PDT In research that will help address a long-running debate and apparent contradiction between short- and long-term evolutionary change, scientists have discovered that although evolution is a constant and sometimes rapid process, the changes that hit and stick tend to take a long time. Give or take a little, one million years seems to be the magic number.

Ancient whale skulls and directional hearing: A twisted tale Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:47 PM PDT Skewed skulls may have helped early whales discriminate the direction of sounds in water and are not solely, as previously thought, a later adaptation related to echolocation.

Chemists discover most naturally variable protein in dental plaque bacterium Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:47 PM PDT Chemists have discovered the most naturally variable protein known to date in a bacterium that is a key player in the formation of dental plaque.

Poverty and national parks: Decade-long study finds surprising relationship Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:47 PM PDT If so many poor people live around national parks in developing countries, does that mean that these parks are contributing to their poverty? Yes, according to the conventional wisdom, but no, according to a 10-year study of people living around Kibale National Park in Uganda.

Experience puts the personal stamp on a place in memory: Seeing helps map a place in the mind, but exploration and experience are vital Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:25 PM PDT Seeing and exploring both are necessary for stability in a person's episodic memory when taking in a new experience, say researchers.

Nano bundles pack a powerful punch: Solid-state energy storage takes a leap forward Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:25 PM PDT Researchers have created a solid-state, nanotube-based supercapacitor that promises to combine the best qualities of high-energy batteries and fast-charging capacitors in a device suitable for extreme environments.

Cause of stress-related DNA damage pinpointed: Findings suggest new model for developing novel therapeutic approaches Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:10 PM PDT Sscientists have helped identify a molecular pathway that plays a key role in stress-related damage to the genome, the entirety of an organism's hereditary information.

Males believe discussing problems is a waste of time, study shows Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:10 PM PDT A new study finds that boys feel that discussing problems is a waste of time.

Yeast's epic journey 500 years ago gave rise to lager beer Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:10 PM PDT An international team of researchers believes it has identified the wild yeast that, in the age of sail, apparently traveled more than 7,000 miles to make a fortuitous microbial match that today underpins the $250 billion a year lager beer industry.

Low oxygen triggers moth molt: Caterpillars have a respiratory system that is fixed in size Posted: 22 Aug 2011 12:10 PM PDT A new explanation for one of nature's most mysterious processes, the transformation of caterpillars into moths or butterflies, might best be described as breathless. The research shows that a baby moth's respiratory system is fixed in size at each stage of development, which limits its oxygen intake.

Beams to order from table-top accelerators Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:50 AM PDT Laser plasma accelerators could create powerful electron beams within a fraction of the space required by conventional accelerators and light sources -- and at a fraction of the cost. But fulfilling the promise of "table-top accelerators" requires the ability to tune stable, high-quality beams through a range of energies. Scientists have now demonstrated a two-stage, tunable laser plasma accelerator that meets the goal.

Southern South American wildfires expected to increase Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:50 AM PDT A new study indicates a major climate oscillation in the Southern Hemisphere that is expected to intensify in the coming decades will likely cause increased wildfire activity in the southern half of South America.

Sketching with superconductors: Breakthrough in controlling defects could lead to new generation of electronic devices Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:18 AM PDT Researchers in the UK and Italy have discovered a technique to "draw" superconducting shapes using an X-ray beam. This ability to create and control tiny superconducting structures has implications for a completely new generation of electronic devices.

Genetic markers show something fishy with certified Chilean sea bass sales Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:18 AM PDT A population biologist has found that not all certified Chilean sea bass are what they are claimed to be. Some fish sold in stores are not from the fishing grounds certified as sustainable, and some are not Chilean sea bass at all.

Hyenas' ability to count helps them decide to fight or flee Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:18 AM PDT Being able to count helps spotted hyenas decide to fight or flee, according to new research. When animals fight, the larger group tends to win. Researchers have now shown that hyenas listen to the sound of intruders' voices to determine who has the advantage.

Only one In five Medicaid-covered kids in Ohio finish antidepressant treatment Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:18 AM PDT About half of Medicaid-covered children and adolescents in Ohio who are in treatment for depression complete their first three months of prescribed antidepressants, and only one-fifth complete the recommended minimum six-month course of drugs to treat depression, new research suggests. Among those at the highest risk for not completing treatment are adolescents -- as opposed to younger children -- and minority youths, particularly African Americans, according to the analysis of Medicaid prescription data over a three-year period.

Neuroscientists identify brain activity that predicts how well you will remember images Posted: 22 Aug 2011 10:08 AM PDT Our memories work better when our brains are prepared to absorb new information, according to a new study. Scientists have now shown that activity in a specific part of the brain, known as the parahippocampal cortex, predicts how well people will remember a visual scene.

Astronomers find ice and possibly methane on Snow White, a distant dwarf planet Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:49 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered that the dwarf planet 2007 OR10 -- nicknamed Snow White -- is an icy world, with about half its surface covered in water ice that once flowed from ancient, slush-spewing volcanoes. The new findings also suggest that the red-tinged dwarf planet may be covered in a thin layer of methane, the remnants of an atmosphere that's slowly being lost into space.

Small molecules shed light on cancer therapies Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:49 AM PDT Patients suffering from an aggressive brain cancer will benefit from the results of a new study that could advance the development of targeted gene therapies and improve prognosis.

Incisionless surgery now available as an investigational treatment for esophageal disorder Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT POEM is one of a growing number of surgeries to use the body's natural orifices for entry, thus eliminating the need for traditional incisions.

Tuning natural antimicrobials to improve their effectiveness at battling superbugs Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT Ongoing research is exploring the use of virus-produced proteins that destroy bacterial cells to combat potentially dangerous microbial infections. Bacteriophages produce endolysin proteins that specifically target certain bacteria, and one team of scientists has been studying one that destroys Clostridium difficile, a common source of hospital-acquired infections. New research is showing that it is possible to "tune" these endolysin properties to increase their effectiveness and effectiveness as antimicrobial agents.

In the early life of an embryo, a monster lurks Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT Research has revealed that newly fertilized cells only narrowly avoid degenerating into fatal chaos. At the same time, scientists have discovered that embryos have acquired a mechanism to contain this dangerous instability, a finding that could help biologists unravel other mysteries about the first hours of life.

Helping eye care providers better assess driving in older adults Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT Drivers over age 65 are the fastest-growing segment of the driving population, and their eye care providers -- ophthalmologists and optometrists -- are playing an increasingly important role in assessing their ability to drive safely.

New research explores military organization and child mortality rates Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT Newly published research examines the impact of armed conflict and military organization on child-morality rates.

Extreme negative anti-smoking ads can backfire, experts find Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT Researchers have found that using a combination of disturbing images and threatening messages to prevent smoking is not effective and could potentially cause an unexpected reaction.

Measurement tools for traffic crash injury severity improving Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT Efforts to improve traffic safety have been aided by mathematical models that allow researchers to better assess those factors that impact the degree of injury suffered as a result of traffic crashes, researchers say.

Alternative health-care funding in Canada will not lower costs, experts say Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT Alternative funding for health care in Canada will not result in lower costs nor contribute to financial sustainability, states a new commentary.

Hospital readmission rates not accurate measure of care quality, experts say Posted: 22 Aug 2011 09:17 AM PDT Avoidable readmissions after discharge from hospital are fairly uncommon and are not an accurate measure of quality of care, found a new study.

Tunable nano-suspensions for light harvesting; Discovery may be key to solar energy and smart glass technologies Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:21 AM PDT A researcher has developed a patent-pending robust process to manufacture stable suspensions of metal nanoparticles capable of capturing sunlight.

Breeding ozone-tolerant crops Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT Scientists have found that future levels of ground-level ozone could reduce soybean yields by an average 23 percent.

Simple security for wireless Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT Researchers have demonstrated the first wireless security scheme that can protect against "man-in-the-middle" attacks -- but doesn't require a password.

Seventeen percent of cancer nurses unintentionally exposed to chemotherapy, study finds Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT Nearly 17 percent of nurses who work in outpatient chemotherapy infusion centers reported being exposed on their skin or eyes to the toxic drugs they deliver, according to a new study.

Possible trigger point of epileptic seizures identified Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT Researchers have identified a brain-circuit defect that triggers absence seizures, the most common form of childhood epilepsy.

Antennas in your clothes? New design could pave the way Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT The next generation of communications systems could be built with a sewing machine. To make communications devices more reliable, researchers are finding ways to incorporate radio antennas directly into clothing, using plastic film and metallic thread.

Effects of prenatal smoking on infant neurodevelopment may be worse than feared Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT In one of the largest studies of its kind to date, researchers have found that babies born to mothers who smoke while pregnant face substantial delays in early neurological development, and the effects may be stronger than researchers had previously thought.

Older adults with too much salt in diet and too little exercise at greater risk of cognitive decline, study finds Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT Older adults who lead sedentary lifestyles and consume a lot of sodium in their diet may be putting themselves at risk for more than just heart disease. A new study has found evidence that high-salt diets coupled with low physical activity can be detrimental to cognitive health in older adults.

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory set to launch experimental TacSat-4 spacecraft Posted: 22 Aug 2011 08:17 AM PDT The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory TacSat-4 spacecraft is scheduled to launch, Tuesday, September 27 from the Alaska Aerospace Corporation's Kodiak Launch Complex. TacSat-4 is a Navy-led joint mission which provides 10 Ultra High Frequency (UHF) channels and allows troops using existing radios to communicate on-the-move (COTM) from obscured regions without the need for dangerous antenna positioning and pointing.

Traumatic brain injury increases risk of Parkinson's disease, researchers say; Threat doubles with exposure to the pesticide paraquat Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:21 AM PDT While traumatic brain injury was known to be a risk factor for Parkinson's disease (PD), no one knew why. Now scientists have found the mechanism for this elevated, long-term risk that is caused by TBI -- the loss of a specific type of neuron that is known to cause PD.

Ancient clams yield new information about greenhouse effect on climate Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:20 AM PDT Ancient fossilized clams that lived off the coast of Antarctica some 50 million years ago have a story to tell about El Niño, according to new research.

Galaxies are running out of gas: Why the lights are going out in the Universe Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:20 AM PDT The universe forms fewer stars than it used to, and a new study has now shown why: compared to the past, galaxies today have less gas from which to make stars.

Better 'photon loops' may be key to computer and physics advances Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:19 AM PDT Scientists have designed a fault-tolerant way to make "photon delay" devices, a key component for future photon-based computer chips.

Quick and cheap data storage? New multiferroic material is both electrically charged and magnetic Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:19 AM PDT Researchers have engineered a material that exhibits a rare and versatile trait in magnetism at room temperature. It's called a "multiferroic," and it means that the material has properties allowing it to be both electrically charged (ferroelectric) and also the ability to be magnetic (ferromagnetic), with its magnetization controlled by electricity.

Ignored virus can cause liver cancer, study suggests; Should we be screening blood for hepatitis G? Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:19 AM PDT The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declared hepatitis G non-harmful in 1997, but researchers in Saudi Arabia present evidence to suggest that it causes liver disease and cancer.

Are stellar explosions created equal? Scientists recheck a standard model for supernovae on which cosmic distance measurement is based Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:19 AM PDT A new analysis of Type Ia supernova, used to measure cosmic distance, suggests many of them develop from similar initial conditions.

Nanowires get into the groove Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:19 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that growing nanowires out, not up, can keep them in line.

Window fall-related injuries among youth examined Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:19 AM PDT Approximately 5,200 children and adolescents 17 years of age and younger were treated in US emergency departments each year from 1990 through 2008 for injuries sustained due to falls from windows. This translates to approximately 14 children being injured as the result of a window fall every day in the US.

Road block as a new strategy for the treatment of Alzheimer's Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:10 AM PDT Two main agents involved in the inception of Alzheimer's disease (APP and beta secretase) follow a different path through the brain cells to meet up.

Good ruminations or bad ruminations in the depressed brain? Posted: 22 Aug 2011 07:10 AM PDT All of us, at times, ruminate or brood on a problem in order to make the best possible decision in a complex situation. This ruminative thinking can be either passive and maladaptive (i.e., worrying) or active and solution-focused (i.e., coping). New research provides insights into how these types of rumination are represented in the brains of depressed persons.

Time to begin anticipating and adapting to climate change Posted: 22 Aug 2011 06:23 AM PDT Despite the uncertainties surrounding climate change, leaders in the transportation sector agree it is time to start developing effective strategies that will keep the nation's transportation systems and other critical infrastructure running in the face of the adverse impacts that seem increasingly likely to occur.

Secret life of millipedes Posted: 22 Aug 2011 06:23 AM PDT Male adult helminthomorph millipedes usually have one or two pairs of legs from their seventh segment modified into sexual appendages. These specialized gonopods are used as claspers to hold the female during mating or to transfer sperm. New research has looked in detail at millipede development and the internal reorganization needed to produce functional gonopods.

Radical overhaul of farming could be 'game-changer' for global food security Posted: 22 Aug 2011 06:23 AM PDT According to new research, a radical transformation in the way farming and natural systems interact could simultaneously boost food production and protect the environment. The authors warn, however, that the world must act quickly if the goal is to save Earth's main breadbasket areas -- where resources are so depleted the situation threatens to decimate global supplies of fresh water and cripple agricultural systems worldwide.

Scale models: How patterns stay in sync with size as an embryo grows and develops Posted: 22 Aug 2011 06:23 AM PDT Scientists have added a significant piece to the puzzle of scaling -- how patterns stay in sync with size as an embryo or organism grows and develops.

Painting a 'bullseye' on cancer cells Posted: 22 Aug 2011 06:23 AM PDT Scientists have successfully created the first genome-scale model of cancer cell metabolism, which can be used to predict which drugs are lethal to cell function. They've demonstrated the efficacy of this method in both computer and laboratory models for kidney cancer, and it holds the promise of effective drug therapies for other kinds of cancer as well.

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