ScienceDaily: Top News

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• Two-step immunotherapy attacks advanced ovarian cancer
• Diabetes distresses bone marrow stem cells by damaging their microenvironment
• People having stroke should get therapy within 60 minutes of hospital arrival
• New device traps particulates, kills airborne pathogens
• Men taking long-acting chronic pain meds five times more likely to have low testosterone levels
• Active duty military personnel prone to sleep disorders and short sleep duration
• NASA's Cassini watches Saturn storm choke on its own tail
• Sequencing hundreds of chloroplast genomes now possible
• Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons show age-related patterns of spine injury in ATV injuries
• Hormones can change the breast's genetic material, study finds
• How cancer cells rewire their metabolism to survive
• Scientists identify culprit in obesity-associated high blood pressure
• Longevity Gene: Discovery opens the door to a potential 'molecular fountain of youth'
• Identifying all factors modulating gene expression is actually possible
• This is what a fish thought looks like
• Genome-wide atlas of gene enhancers in the brain online
• Ozone depletion trumps greenhouse gas increase in jet-stream shift
• Nanoparticles that look and act like cells
• Ozone thinning has changed ocean circulation
• Physicists shine a light on particle assembly
• Owl mystery unravelled: Scientists explain how bird can rotate its head without cutting off blood supply to brain
• Genome shows mutant gene gives pigeons fancy hairdos
• Zebrafish may hold the answer to repairing damaged retinas and returning eyesight to people
• Vegetation changes in cradle of humanity: Study raises questions about impact on human evolution
• A positive family climate in adolescence is linked to marriage quality in adulthood
• Gene finding may lead to treatments effective against all MRSA strains
• Mystery surrounding the harnessing of fusion energy unlocked
• Study rebuts hypothesis that comet attacks ended 9,000-year-old Clovis culture
• Virtual superpowers encourage real-world empathy
• Disease not a factor in Tasmanian Tiger extinction; Humans to blame for demise of extinct Australian predator
• Aztec conquest altered genetics among early Mexico inhabitants, new DNA study shows
• 'Petri dish lens' gives hope for new eye treatments
• Novel materials shake ship scum
• 'Hungry twin' stars gobble their first meals
• Biologistics: How fast do chemical trains move in living cells?
• Cyclone did not cause 2012 record low for Arctic sea ice
• Jocks beat bookworms on brain test
• Giant carbon molecules for sustainable technologies
• Potential of psilocybin to alleviate psychological and spiritual distress in cancer patients is revealed
• 'Neurosteroid' found to prevent brain injury caused by HIV/AIDS
• Exposure to antiepileptic drug in womb linked to autism risk
• Brain activity study lends insight into schizophrenia
• Patients can emit small, influenza-containing particles into the air during routine care
• Marriage reduces the risk of heart attack in both men and women and at all ages
• Protein origami: Quick folders are the best
• 24 new species of flower fly have been found in Central and Southern America

Two-step immunotherapy attacks advanced ovarian cancer Posted: 31 Jan 2013 01:30 PM PST Most ovarian cancer patients are diagnosed with late stage disease that is unresponsive to existing therapies. In a new study, researchers show that a two-step personalized immunotherapy treatment -- a dendritic cell vaccine using patients' own tumor followed by adoptive T cell therapy -- triggers anti-tumor immune responses in these type of patients.

Diabetes distresses bone marrow stem cells by damaging their microenvironment Posted: 31 Jan 2013 01:30 PM PST New research has shown the presence of a disease affecting small blood vessels, known as microangiopathy, in the bone marrow of diabetic patients.

People having stroke should get therapy within 60 minutes of hospital arrival Posted: 31 Jan 2013 01:30 PM PST People having an ischemic stroke should receive clot-dissolving therapy -- if appropriate -- within 60 minutes of arriving at the hospital, according to new American Stroke Association guidelines.

New device traps particulates, kills airborne pathogens Posted: 31 Jan 2013 12:44 PM PST A new device called a soft X-ray electrostatic precipitator protected immunocompromised mice from airborne pathogenic bacteria, viruses, ultrafine particles, and allergens, according to a new article.

Men taking long-acting chronic pain meds five times more likely to have low testosterone levels Posted: 31 Jan 2013 12:44 PM PST Low testosterone levels occur five times more often among men who take long-acting instead of short-acting opioids for chronic pain, according to a new study.

Active duty military personnel prone to sleep disorders and short sleep duration Posted: 31 Jan 2013 12:44 PM PST A new study found a high prevalence of sleep disorders and a startlingly high rate of short sleep duration among active duty military personnel. The study suggests the need for a cultural change toward appropriate sleep practices throughout the military.

NASA's Cassini watches Saturn storm choke on its own tail Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:54 AM PST Call it a Saturnian version of the Ouroboros, the mythical serpent that bites its own tail. In a new paper that provides the most detail yet about the life and death of a monstrous thunder-and-lightning storm on Saturn, scientists from NASA's Cassini mission describe how the massive storm churned around the planet until it encountered its own tail and sputtered out. It is the first time scientists have observed a storm consume itself in this way anywhere in the solar system.

Sequencing hundreds of chloroplast genomes now possible Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST Researchers have developed a sequencing method that allows potentially hundreds of plant chloroplast genomes to be sequenced at once, facilitating studies of molecular biology and evolution in plants. This method relies on efficient separation of chloroplast DNA using short DNA "baits" designed from already-sequenced chloroplast genomes. These molecular baits concentrate the chloroplast DNA before sequencing, dramatically increasing the number of samples that can be sequenced.

Pediatric orthopaedic surgeons show age-related patterns of spine injury in ATV injuries Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST Children continue to account for a disproportionate percentage of morbidity and mortality from ATV-related accidents -- up 240 percent since 1997, according to a new report.

Hormones can change the breast's genetic material, study finds Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST Scientists in Australia have discovered how female steroid hormones can make dramatic changes to the genetic material in breast cells, changes that could potentially lead to breast cancer. Researchers have identified how pregnancy hormones send signals to critical molecules on the DNA to make changes in the epigenome. The epigenome is a series of chemical tags that modify DNA, controlling which genes are switched on and off.

How cancer cells rewire their metabolism to survive Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST Many scientists have tried killing tumors by taking away their favorite food, a sugar called glucose. Unfortunately, this treatment approach not only fails to work, it backfires--glucose-starved tumors get more aggressive. In a new study, researchers discovered that the protein PKCz is responsible for this paradox. The research suggests that glucose depletion therapies might work, as long as the cancer cells produce PKCz.

Scientists identify culprit in obesity-associated high blood pressure Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST Obesity and its related conditions such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and stroke are among the most challenging of today's healthcare concerns. Together, they constitute the biggest killer in western society. New findings have identified a target that could hold the key to developing safe therapies to treat obesity and its associated conditions.

Longevity Gene: Discovery opens the door to a potential 'molecular fountain of youth' Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST Researchers were able to turn back the molecular clock of blood stem cells of old mice by infusing them with a longevity gene. The experiment rejuvenated the aged stem cells' regenerative potential, providing new hope for the development of targeted treatments for age-related degenerative diseases.

Identifying all factors modulating gene expression is actually possible Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST It was in trying to answer a question related to the functioning of our biological clock that a team in Switzerland has developed a method whose applications are proving to be countless. The researchers wanted to understand how 'timed' signals, present in the blood and controlled by our central clock, located in the brain, act on peripheral organs.

This is what a fish thought looks like Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST For the first time, researchers have been able to see a thought "swim" through the brain of a living fish. The new technology is a useful tool for studies of perception. It might even find use in psychiatric drug discovery, according to authors of a new study.

Genome-wide atlas of gene enhancers in the brain online Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:44 AM PST Researchers have unveiled a first-of-its-kind atlas of gene-enhancers in the brain that should greatly benefit future research into the underlying causes of neurological disorders such as autism, epilepsy and schizophrenia.

Ozone depletion trumps greenhouse gas increase in jet-stream shift Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:43 AM PST Depletion of Antarctic ozone is a more important factor than increasing greenhouse gases in shifting the Southern Hemisphere jet stream in a southward direction, according to researchers.

Nanoparticles that look and act like cells Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:41 AM PST By cloaking nanoparticles in the membranes of white blood cells, scientists may have found a way to prevent the body from recognizing and destroying them before they deliver their drug payloads.

Ozone thinning has changed ocean circulation Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:41 AM PST A hole in the Antarctic ozone layer has changed the way that waters in the southern oceans mix, a situation that has the potential to alter the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and eventually could have an impact on global climate change.

Physicists shine a light on particle assembly Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:41 AM PST Physicists have developed a method for moving microscopic particles with the flick of a light switch. Their work relies on a blue light to prompt colloids to move and then assemble—much like birds flock and move together in flight.

Owl mystery unravelled: Scientists explain how bird can rotate its head without cutting off blood supply to brain Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:41 AM PST Medical illustrators and neurological imaging experts have figured out how night-hunting owls can almost fully rotate their heads -- by as much as 270 degrees in either direction -- without damaging the delicate blood vessels in their necks and heads, and without cutting off blood supply to their brains.

Genome shows mutant gene gives pigeons fancy hairdos Posted: 31 Jan 2013 11:40 AM PST Researchers have decoded the genetic blueprint of the rock pigeon, unlocking secrets about pigeons' Middle East origins, feral pigeons' kinship with escaped racing birds, and how mutations give pigeons traits like a fancy feather hairdo known as a head crest.

Zebrafish may hold the answer to repairing damaged retinas and returning eyesight to people Posted: 31 Jan 2013 09:13 AM PST Zebrafish, the staple of genetic research, may hold the answer to repairing damaged retinas and returning eyesight to people. Researchers have discovered that a zebrafish's stem cells can selectively regenerate damaged photoreceptor cells.

Vegetation changes in cradle of humanity: Study raises questions about impact on human evolution Posted: 31 Jan 2013 09:13 AM PST What came first: the bipedal human ancestor or the grassland encroaching on the forest? A new analysis of the past 12 million years' of vegetation change in the cradle of humanity is challenging long-held beliefs about the world in which our ancestors took shape -- and, by extension, the impact it had on them.

A positive family climate in adolescence is linked to marriage quality in adulthood Posted: 31 Jan 2013 09:09 AM PST Experiencing a positive family climate as a teenager may be connected to your relationships later in life, according to new research.

Gene finding may lead to treatments effective against all MRSA strains Posted: 31 Jan 2013 09:06 AM PST New research has pinpointed a gene that causes the dominant strain of MRSA infection to linger on the skin longer than other strains, allowing it to be passed more readily from one person to the next. In uncovering this property, researchers have identified a novel target for developing new treatments against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Mystery surrounding the harnessing of fusion energy unlocked Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:53 AM PST Scientists have answered the question of how the behavior of plasma -- the extremely hot gases of nuclear fusion -- can be controlled with ultra-thin lithium films on graphite walls lining thermonuclear magnetic fusion devices.

Study rebuts hypothesis that comet attacks ended 9,000-year-old Clovis culture Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:53 AM PST Comet explosions and asteroid impacts could not have ended 9,000-year-old Clovis culture, a new study contends.

Virtual superpowers encourage real-world empathy Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:53 AM PST Giving test subjects Superman-like flight in a virtual reality simulator makes them more likely to exhibit altruistic behavior in real life, researchers find.

Disease not a factor in Tasmanian Tiger extinction; Humans to blame for demise of extinct Australian predator Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:53 AM PST Humans alone were responsible for the demise of Australia's iconic extinct native predator, the Tasmanian Tiger or thylacine, a new study has concluded.

Aztec conquest altered genetics among early Mexico inhabitants, new DNA study shows Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:52 AM PST For centuries, the fate of the original Otomi inhabitants of Xaltocan, the capital of a pre-Aztec Mexican city-state, has remained unknown. Researchers have long wondered whether they assimilated with the Aztecs or abandoned the town altogether. According to new anthropological research, the answers may lie in DNA.

'Petri dish lens' gives hope for new eye treatments Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:52 AM PST A cure for congenital sight impairment caused by lens damage is closer following new research. Scientists in Australia are closer to growing parts of the human eye in the lab. They have, for the first time, derived and purified lens epithelium -- the embryonic tissue from which the lens of the eye develops. The purity of the cells paves the way for future applications in regenerative medicine.

Novel materials shake ship scum Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:52 AM PST Just as horses shake off pesky flies by twitching their skin, ships may soon be able to shed the unwanted accumulation of bacteria and other marine growth with the flick of a switch.

'Hungry twin' stars gobble their first meals Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:52 AM PST Years of monitoring its infrared with the Spitzer instrument reveal that it becomes 10 times brighter every 25.34 days, astronomers say. This periodicity suggests that a companion to the central forming star is likely inhibiting the infall of gas and dust until its closest orbital approach, when matter eventually comes crashing down onto the protostellar "twins."

Biologistics: How fast do chemical trains move in living cells? Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:52 AM PST The rate of chemical processes in cells is dictated by the speed of movement (diffusion) of molecules needed for a given reaction. Using a new versatile method, researchers were able to predict for the first time the diffusion coefficients of all proteins in Escherichia coli. The achievement is important not only for biologists and chemists, but also for... transport companies.

Cyclone did not cause 2012 record low for Arctic sea ice Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:52 AM PST It came out of Siberia, swirling winds over an area that covered almost the entire Arctic basin in the normally calm late summer. It came to be known as "The Great Arctic Cyclone of August 2012," and for some observers it suggested that the historic sea ice minimum may have been caused by a freak summer storm, rather than warming temperatures. But new results show that the August cyclone was not responsible for last year's record low for Arctic sea ice.

Jocks beat bookworms on brain test Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:51 AM PST English Premier League soccer players, NHL hockey players, France's Top 14 club rugby players, and even elite amateur athletes have better developed cognitive functions than the average university student, according to a new perception study.

Giant carbon molecules for sustainable technologies Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:51 AM PST Scientists in the joint research project "FUNgraphen" are pinning their hopes for new technologies on a particular form of carbon: They have developed new carbon macromolecules and molecular carbon composite materials with special properties. The molecules are derived from graphene, a substance that consists of individual layers of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb-like pattern. The process previously necessary to make use of this substance was complex and expensive and thus of little value for most plastics applications.

Potential of psilocybin to alleviate psychological and spiritual distress in cancer patients is revealed Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:50 AM PST A recently published book chapter reviews the potential of a novel psychoactive drug, psilocybin, in alleviating the psychological and spiritual distress that often accompanies a life-threatening cancer diagnosis.

'Neurosteroid' found to prevent brain injury caused by HIV/AIDS Posted: 31 Jan 2013 05:59 AM PST Scientists found that DHEA-S may prevent neurocognitive impairment affecting a significant percentage of AIDS patients. A new report describes how a network of steroid molecules in the brain, termed "neurosteroids," is disrupted during HIV infection leading to brain damage.

Exposure to antiepileptic drug in womb linked to autism risk Posted: 31 Jan 2013 05:46 AM PST Children whose mothers take the antiepileptic drug sodium valproate while pregnant are at significantly increased risk of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders, suggests a small study.

Brain activity study lends insight into schizophrenia Posted: 31 Jan 2013 05:46 AM PST Magnetic fields produced by the naturally occurring electrical currents in the brain could potentially be used as an objective test for schizophrenia and help to better understand the disease, according to new research.

Patients can emit small, influenza-containing particles into the air during routine care Posted: 31 Jan 2013 05:46 AM PST A new study suggests that patients with influenza can emit small virus-containing particles into the surrounding air during routine patient care, potentially exposing health care providers to influenza. The findings raise the possibility that current influenza infection control recommendations may not always be adequate to protect providers from influenza during routine patient care in hospitals.

Marriage reduces the risk of heart attack in both men and women and at all ages Posted: 31 Jan 2013 05:45 AM PST A large population-based study from Finland has shown that being unmarried increases the risk of fatal and non-fatal heart attack in both men and women whatever their age. Conversely, say the study investigators, especially among middle-aged couples, being married and cohabiting are associated with "considerably better prognosis of acute cardiac events both before hospitalization and after reaching the hospital alive".

Protein origami: Quick folders are the best Posted: 31 Jan 2013 05:44 AM PST The evolutionary history of proteins shows that protein folding is an important factor. Especially the speed of protein folding plays a key role. This was the result of computer analysis. For almost four billions of years, there has been a trend towards faster folding.

24 new species of flower fly have been found in Central and Southern America Posted: 31 Jan 2013 05:44 AM PST Scientists have described twenty four new species of dipterans belonging to Quichuana genus, of which only a further 24 species were known. The researchers have been studying the forests of Central and Southern America for ten years and they have now published their results.

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