ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Patient expectations of acute bronchitis not consistent with the best evidence
• New sunspots producing space weather
• Supplements and cow's milk play biggest roles in determining vitamin D levels in children
• Pine beetle outbreak buffers watersheds from nitrate pollution
• Scientists discover structure of protein essential for quality control, nerve function
• Graphic warnings on cigarettes effective across demographic groups
• Generic HIV treatment strategy could save nearly $1 billion annually but may be less effective
• New autism-related gene variants discovered
• Diet may not impact certain health outcomes in older persons
• Surprising twist to protein misfolding discovered
• Scientists identify protective role for antibodies in ebola vaccine study
• Parkinson's can lead to anxiety and other non-motor symptoms, even early on
• Early surgical menopause linked to declines in memory and thinking skills
• 4,000-year-old shaman's stones discovered near Boquete, Panama
• Salmon runs boom, go bust over centuries
• 'Bipolar' marine bacteria discovered: Refutes 'everything is everywhere' idea
• Impaired coordination of brain activity in autism involves local, as well as long-range, signaling
• Potential harvest of most fish stocks largely unrelated to abundance
• Chimpanzees successfully play the Ultimatum Game: Apes' sense of fairness confirmed
• Strawberries, blueberries may cut heart attack risk in women
• Gene flow from India to Australia about 4,000 years ago
• Eastern Europe: Tree rings reveal climate variability and human history
• Tissue engineers report knee cartilage repair success with new biomaterial
• Lack of protein Sp2 disrupts neuron creation in brain
• New way found to boost common cancer drugs
• Social networks may inflate self-esteem, reduce self-control
• Stem-cell approach shows promise for Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• Physio for the home
• Noise protection: Multifunctional and aesthetical
• Gene promotes drug resistance in cancer
• Aggressive breast cancer's metastatic path revealed
• Building electronics from the ground up
• Parkinson's treatment can trigger creativity: Patients treated with dopamine-enhancing drugs are developing artistic talents, doctor says
• Multi-junction solar cell to break efficiency barrier?
• Climate change may benefit most mammals that live in northern Europe’s Arctic and Sub-Arctic land areas in short run
• Liver controls wasting in cancer
• Global warming has increased monthly heat records worldwide by a factor of five, study finds
• Protein identified that can disrupt embryonic brain development and neuron migration
• Medicinal 'toothbrush tree' yields antibiotic to treat TB in new way
• Two new studies show why biodiversity is important for pollination services in California almond
• Alternative medicine use high among children with chronic conditions
• Understanding brain tumor growth opens door for non-surgical treatment
• Less reaction to DTaP vaccine given in kids' thighs than arms
• Smoking intensity and cancer markers predict seriousness of bladder cancer
• New insights into cell division from simplified model: Artificial minimal actin cortex developed
• New clean nuclear fusion reactor designed
• Star Wars: What would hyperspace travel really look like?
• How do happiness and sadness circuits contribute to bipolar disorder?
• Environmental impact of insecticides on water resources: Current methods of measurement and evaluation show shortcomings
• Depression after heart attack: Threat perception has to be addressed, experts urge
• New implant replaces impaired middle ear
• Twitter helps people lose weight, study suggests
• New discovery in autism-related disorder reveals key mechanism in brain development and disease
• Childhood obesity linked to more immediate health problems than previously thought

Patient expectations of acute bronchitis not consistent with the best evidence Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:21 PM PST New research exposes a large discrepancy in the length of time patients expect an acute cough illness, also called acute bronchitis, to last and the reality of the illness. This mismatch may be a factor in the over-prescription of antibiotics.

New sunspots producing space weather Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:21 PM PST On Jan. 13, 2013, at 2:24 a.m. EST, the sun erupted with an Earth-directed coronal mass ejection or CME. Not to be confused with a solar flare, a CME is a solar phenomenon that can send solar particles into space and reach Earth one to three days later.

Supplements and cow's milk play biggest roles in determining vitamin D levels in children Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:21 PM PST Taking a vitamin D supplement and drinking cow's milk are the two most important factors that determine how much vitamin D is in a child's body, new research has found.

Pine beetle outbreak buffers watersheds from nitrate pollution Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:21 PM PST Scientists have found an unexpected silver lining in the devastating pine beetle outbreaks ravaging the West: Such events do not harm water quality in adjacent streams as scientists had previously believed.

Scientists discover structure of protein essential for quality control, nerve function Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:21 PM PST Using an innovative approach, scientists have determined the structure of Ltn1, a recently discovered "quality-control" protein that is found in the cells of all plants, fungi and animals.

Graphic warnings on cigarettes effective across demographic groups Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:20 PM PST New research suggests hard-hitting graphic tobacco warnings may help smokers of diverse backgrounds who are struggling to quit smoking. A new study provides further evidence that bold pictorial cigarette warning labels that visually depict the health consequences of smoking -- such as those required under the 2009 Family Smoking and Prevention Tobacco Control Act -- play a life-saving role in highlighting the dangers of smoking and encouraging smokers to quit.

Generic HIV treatment strategy could save nearly $1 billion annually but may be less effective Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:20 PM PST Replacing the combination of brand-name, antiretroviral drugs currently recommended for control of HIV infection with soon-to-be-available generic medications could save the US health care system almost $1 billion a year but may diminish the effectiveness of HIV treatment.

New autism-related gene variants discovered Posted: 14 Jan 2013 02:20 PM PST Genetics researchers have identified 25 copy number variations (CNVs) that occur in some patients with autism. While individually rare, these CNVs are "high impact," strongly increasing a person's autism risk.

Diet may not impact certain health outcomes in older persons Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:15 PM PST Eating diets high in sugar and fat may not affect the health outcomes of older adults ages 75 and up, suggesting that placing people of such advanced age on overly restrictive diets to treat their excess weight or other conditions may have little benefit, according to researchers.

Surprising twist to protein misfolding discovered Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:15 PM PST An effort to develop software that unravels the complexities of how proteins fold is paying dividends in new findings on how they misfold, according to researchers.

Scientists identify protective role for antibodies in ebola vaccine study Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:15 PM PST Researchers have found that an experimental vaccine elicits antibodies that can protect nonhuman primates from Ebola virus infection. Ebola virus causes severe hemorrhagic fever in humans and nonhuman primates, meaning that infection may lead to shock, bleeding and multi-organ failure. According to the World Health Organization, Ebola hemorrhagic fever has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent. There is no licensed treatment or vaccine for Ebola virus infection.

Parkinson's can lead to anxiety and other non-motor symptoms, even early on Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:13 PM PST While movement problems are the main symptom of Parkinson's disease, a new study shows that even early in the course of disease people frequently experience many non-motor symptoms such as drooling, anxiety and constipation.

Early surgical menopause linked to declines in memory and thinking skills Posted: 14 Jan 2013 01:13 PM PST Women who undergo surgical menopause at an earlier age may have an increased risk of decline in memory and thinking skills, according to a new study. Early surgical menopause is the removal of both ovaries before natural menopause and often accompanies a hysterectomy.

4,000-year-old shaman's stones discovered near Boquete, Panama Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:35 PM PST Archaeologists have discovered a cluster of 12 unusual stones in the back of a small, prehistoric rock-shelter near the town of Boquete in Panama. The cache represents the earliest material evidence of shamanistic practice in lower Central America.

Salmon runs boom, go bust over centuries Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:34 PM PST Salmon runs are notoriously variable: strong one year, and weak the next. New research shows that the same may be true from one century to the next.

'Bipolar' marine bacteria discovered: Refutes 'everything is everywhere' idea Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:34 PM PST In another blow to the "Everything is Everywhere" tenet of bacterial distribution in the ocean, scientists have found "bipolar" species of bacteria that occur in the Arctic and Antarctic, but nowhere else.

Impaired coordination of brain activity in autism involves local, as well as long-range, signaling Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:34 PM PST A new autism study has found that local functional connectivity of the brain -- the extent to which activity within a small region is coordinated -- is reduced in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Although it has been recognized functional connectivity between separate areas of the brain was reduced in autistic individuals, it was assumed that local functional connectivity was actually increased.

Potential harvest of most fish stocks largely unrelated to abundance Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:34 PM PST Environmental mood swings determine the sustainable yield of most fish populations.

Chimpanzees successfully play the Ultimatum Game: Apes' sense of fairness confirmed Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:34 PM PST Researchers have shown that chimpanzees possess a sense of fairness that has previously been attributed as uniquely human. Biologists played the Ultimatum Game with the chimpanzees to determine how sensitive the animals are to the reward distribution between two individuals if both need to agree on the outcome.

Strawberries, blueberries may cut heart attack risk in women Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:29 PM PST Women who ate at least three servings of blueberries and strawberries per week had fewer heart attacks. Blueberries and strawberries contain high levels of compounds that have cardiovascular benefits.

Gene flow from India to Australia about 4,000 years ago Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:29 PM PST Australia is thought to have remained largely isolated between its initial colonization around 40,000 years ago and the arrival of Europeans in the late 1800s. A new study has found evidence of substantial gene flow between Indian populations and Australia about 4,000 years ago.

Eastern Europe: Tree rings reveal climate variability and human history Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:29 PM PST A total of 545 precisely dated tree-ring width samples, both from living trees and from larch wood taken from historical buildings in the northern Carpathian arc of Slovakia, were used to reconstruct May-June temperatures yearly back to 1040 AD. The tree-ring data from the Tatra Mountains best reflects the climate history of Eastern Europe, with a geographical focus on the Baltic.

Tissue engineers report knee cartilage repair success with new biomaterial Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:29 PM PST In a small study, researchers reported increased healthy tissue growth after surgical repair of damaged cartilage if they put a "hydrogel" scaffolding into the wound to support and nourish the healing process. The squishy hydrogel material was implanted in 15 patients during standard microfracture surgery, in which tiny holes are punched in a bone near the injured cartilage. The holes stimulate patients' own specialized stem cells to emerge from bone marrow and grow new cartilage atop the bone.

Lack of protein Sp2 disrupts neuron creation in brain Posted: 14 Jan 2013 12:29 PM PST A protein known as Sp2 is key to the proper creation of neurons from stem cells, according to new research.

New way found to boost common cancer drugs Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:33 AM PST Shutting down a specific pathway in cancer cells appears to improve the ability of common drugs to wipe those cells out, according to new research.

Social networks may inflate self-esteem, reduce self-control Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:33 AM PST Researchers have obtained evidence on Facebook behavior and how it relates to users' self-control, body-mass indexes, and credit-card debt.

Stem-cell approach shows promise for Duchenne muscular dystrophy Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:33 AM PST Researchers have shown that transplanting stem cells derived from normal mouse blood vessels into the hearts of mice that model the pathology associated with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) prevents the decrease in heart function associated with DMD.

Physio for the home Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:33 AM PST Accidents or operations are often followed by long periods of rehabilitation treatment. In future, a new technology will allow patients to do physiotherapy exercises at home, while still making sure that they are performing movements correctly.

Noise protection: Multifunctional and aesthetical Posted: 14 Jan 2013 10:33 AM PST Noise abatement is growing in importance, thus, the demand for better acoustic building components raises. Scientists are developing new solutions: aesthetically good looking and flexibly applicable microperforated sound absorbers.

Gene promotes drug resistance in cancer Posted: 14 Jan 2013 09:49 AM PST Scientists have identified a gene that may be a target for overcoming drug resistance in cancer. The finding could improve prognostic and diagnostic tools for evaluating cancer and monitoring patient response to treatment. It also could lead to new therapies for eradicating drug-resistant cancer cells.

Aggressive breast cancer's metastatic path revealed Posted: 14 Jan 2013 09:49 AM PST Scientists have discovered the molecular switch that allows aggressive triple negative breast cancer cells to grow the amoeba-like protrusions they need to crawl away from a primary tumor and metastasize throughout the body. Their findings suggest a novel approach for developing agents to treat cancer once it has spread.

Building electronics from the ground up Posted: 14 Jan 2013 09:48 AM PST There's hardly a moment in modern life that doesn't involve electronic devices, whether they're guiding you to a destination by GPS or deciding which incoming messages merit a beep, ring or vibration. But our expectation that the next shopping season will inevitably offer an upgrade to more-powerful gadgets largely depends on size -- namely, the ability of the industry to shrink transistors so that more can fit on ever-tinier chip surfaces.

Parkinson's treatment can trigger creativity: Patients treated with dopamine-enhancing drugs are developing artistic talents, doctor says Posted: 14 Jan 2013 08:16 AM PST In treating Parkinson's disease patients one medical researcher found that patients were exhibiting new bursts of artistic activity. Now she has begun to understand why.

Multi-junction solar cell to break efficiency barrier? Posted: 14 Jan 2013 08:16 AM PST A novel, realistically achievable, lattice-matched multi-junction solar cell design has the potential to break the 50 percent power conversion efficiency.

Climate change may benefit most mammals that live in northern Europe’s Arctic and Sub-Arctic land areas in short run Posted: 14 Jan 2013 08:15 AM PST The climate changes depicted by climatologists up to the year 2080 will benefit most mammals that live in northern Europe's Arctic and Sub-Arctic land areas today if they are able to reach their new climatic ranges.

Liver controls wasting in cancer Posted: 14 Jan 2013 07:17 AM PST Many cancer patients suffer from a dramatic loss of fat and muscle mass. This extreme wasting, or cachexia, is often the actual cause of death in cancer patients. Scientists have now discovered in mice that tumors stimulate the production of a key gene switch in the liver. Activity of this switch lowers blood fat levels so that the animals lose weight. This finding may lead to approaches to slow down this fatal loss of body mass.

Global warming has increased monthly heat records worldwide by a factor of five, study finds Posted: 14 Jan 2013 07:17 AM PST Monthly temperature extremes have become much more frequent, as measurements from around the world indicate. On average, there are now five times as many record-breaking hot months worldwide than could be expected without long-term global warming, shows a new study. In parts of Europe, Africa and southern Asia the number of monthly records has increased even by a factor of ten. 80 percent of observed monthly records would not have occurred without human influence on climate, the authors conclude.

Protein identified that can disrupt embryonic brain development and neuron migration Posted: 14 Jan 2013 07:16 AM PST Interneurons – nerve cells that function as 'dimmers' – play an important role in the brain. Their formation and migration to the cerebral cortex during the embryonic stage of development is crucial to normal brain functioning. Abnormal interneuron development and migration can eventually lead to a range of disorders and diseases, from epilepsy to Alzheimer's. New research has identified two proteins, Sip1 and Unc5b, that play an important role in the development and migration of interneurons to the cerebral cortex – a breakthrough in our understanding of early brain development.

Medicinal 'toothbrush tree' yields antibiotic to treat TB in new way Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:27 AM PST There are potentially new TB drugs in the pipeline from unusual sources. A newly discovered compound has been found to be effective against resistant strains of TB.

Two new studies show why biodiversity is important for pollination services in California almond Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:27 AM PST Scientist show why biodiversity benefits California almond pollination. The presence of wild bees was found to alter the behavior of honey bees and improve their pollination effectiveness. Furthermore, wild bees buffered pollination under high winds and wild pollinators visited the parts of the almond trees that were less favored by honey bees. These findings help explain why orchards where wild bees are present have greater fruit set.

Alternative medicine use high among children with chronic conditions Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:26 AM PST Children who regularly see specialists for chronic medical conditions are also using complementary medicine at a high rate, demonstrates recently published research.

Understanding brain tumor growth opens door for non-surgical treatment Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:26 AM PST Researchers have for the first time identified a new group of growth factor receptors for brain tumors. Understanding how these work could mean that existing drugs could be used as alternative therapy to surgery or radiotherapy for patients with multiple brain tumors.

Less reaction to DTaP vaccine given in kids' thighs than arms Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:26 AM PST Children age 12 to 35 months who receive DTaP vaccine in their thigh muscle rather than their arm are around half as likely to be brought in for medical attention for an injection-site reaction. So says a new study of 1.4 million children. These local reactions are the most common side effect of vaccinations.

Smoking intensity and cancer markers predict seriousness of bladder cancer Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:25 AM PST Smoking not only causes bladder cancer -— it also affects its course, in that people who smoke more have greater likelihood of developing more aggressive and deadly disease. A new study also found that a panel of bladder cancer markers can predict which particular cases are at the highest risk for a fatal outcome.

New insights into cell division from simplified model: Artificial minimal actin cortex developed Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:25 AM PST All living organisms consist of cells that have arisen from other living cells by the process of cell division. However, it is not yet fully understood just how this important process takes place. Scientists have now developed a minimal biological system, which brings together key components of the cell division apparatus. With the aid of this minimal model, the researchers were able to take a closer look at the biophysical mechanisms involved.

New clean nuclear fusion reactor designed Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:25 AM PST Researchers have patented a nuclear fusion reactor by inertial confinement that, apart from be used to generate electric power in plants, can be applied to propel ships. This invention helps solve the problem of contamination risk associated with the generation of nuclear fission power.

Star Wars: What would hyperspace travel really look like? Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:25 AM PST The sight of the Millennium Falcon making the "jump to lightspeed" is one of the most iconic images from the Star Wars trilogy.

How do happiness and sadness circuits contribute to bipolar disorder? Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:25 AM PST Bipolar disorder is a severe mood disorder characterized by unpredictable and dramatic mood swings between the highs of mania and lows of depression. These mood episodes occur among periods of 'normal mood', termed euthymia. Prior research has clearly shown that brain emotion circuitry is dysregulated in individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder. It is thought that these disturbances impair one's ability to control emotion and contribute to mood episodes. Investigators have now used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate which areas of the brain showed abnormal activation while patients in different mood phases of bipolar disorder tried to control their response to emotional and non-emotional material.

Environmental impact of insecticides on water resources: Current methods of measurement and evaluation show shortcomings Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:25 AM PST Common practice for the monitoring of insecticides in water resources reveals shortcomings. Until now water samples have mostly been taken on fixed dates, for example once per month. However, insecticides enter water resources very irregularly and, even though their concentrations exceed the threshold levels only for a short time, their harmful effect is present. The consequence: If one bases the evaluation upon the zero values often measured within the scope of regular sampling, the overall evaluation underestimates the actual risks.

Depression after heart attack: Threat perception has to be addressed, experts urge Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:25 AM PST Survivors of heart attacks are three times more likely to develop depression during the first six months after their heart attack, than people with no heart disease, new research suggests. If left untreated this contributes to a worse prognosis, for instance further cardiac events and possibly death, researchers say.

New implant replaces impaired middle ear Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:25 AM PST Functionally deaf patients can gain normal hearing with a new implant that replaces the middle ear. The unique invention has been approved for a clinical study.

Twitter helps people lose weight, study suggests Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:17 AM PST Researchers have found that using Twitter, the popular information network joining people throughout the world, is a valuable support system for helping people lose weight.

New discovery in autism-related disorder reveals key mechanism in brain development and disease Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:17 AM PST A new finding in neuroscience for the first time points to a developmental mechanism linking the disease-causing mutation in an autism-related disorder, Timothy syndrome, and observed defects in brain wiring, according to a new study. These findings may be at the heart of the mechanisms underlying intellectual disability and many other brain disorders.

Childhood obesity linked to more immediate health problems than previously thought Posted: 14 Jan 2013 06:17 AM PST A new study focuses on the immediate consequences of childhood obesity and shows that obese youngsters are at far greater risk than had been supposed.

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