ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Breast cancer gene could play critical role in obesity, diabetes

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:48 AM PDT

The gene known to be associated with breast cancer susceptibility, BRCA 1, plays a critical role in the normal metabolic function of skeletal muscle, according to a new study. Mutations in the BRCA1 gene may also put people at increased risk for metabolic diseases like obesity and type 2 diabetes, this research indicates.

Two definitions for chronic multisymptom illness afflicting Gulf War vets should guide treatment

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:48 AM PDT

Two existing definitions of chronic multisymptom illness -- one by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and another from a study of Kansas Gulf War veterans -- should be used by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to guide research and treatment of Gulf War veterans, says a new report.

Skating to the puck or avoiding the penalty box in health care? Are financial penalties working for changing hospital behavior?

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:48 AM PDT

A new article questions whether the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' use of financial penalties is the right tack for changing the behavior of hospitals. In the article, the researchers examine the pros and cons of the hospital readmissions reduction policy in the Affordable Care Act as an example of similar CMS initiatives.

Texting program good option for teen girls' health, study shows

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:48 AM PDT

An emergency medicine physician recently led a study that found a text-message program may be an effective violence prevention tool for at-risk teen girls. The team interviewed girls between the ages of 13 and 17 who reported past-year peer violence and depressive symptoms during emergency department visits for any medical issue. Overwhelmingly, the interviews showed that at-risk teen girls coming to the ED for care are very interested in receiving a text-message violence prevention intervention. The teens felt that a text-message program would enhance their existing coping strategies, and that they would not only use it themselves, but also refer their friends to it.

Bighead Carp: From 5 to 150 centimeters in 37 million years

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:47 AM PDT

During excavations in the open lignite-mining pit Na Duong in Vietnam, scientists discovered the world's oldest bighead carp. With a length of only 5 centimeters, Planktophaga minuta is also the smallest known fossil representative of this East Asian group. Modern bighead carp are among the largest members of the carp family, reaching a length of up to 1.5 meters and a weight of 50 kilograms.

Large waist linked to poor health, even among those in healthy body mass index ranges

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 08:45 AM PDT

Having a big belly has consequences beyond trouble squeezing into your pants. It's detrimental to your health, even if you have a healthy body mass index (BMI), a new international collaborative study has found. Men and women with large waist circumferences were more likely to die younger, and were more likely to die from illnesses such as heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancer after accounting for body mass index, smoking, alcohol use and physical activity.

Pancreatic cancer growth slowed by blocking key enzyme

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 07:34 AM PDT

Blocking the function of an enzyme known as Hhat slows the growth and spread of pancreatic cancer by preventing a protein called Hedgehog from stimulating nearby normal cells to help the cancer, reserach shows. The study examined the role of Hedgehog, whose usual job is to send signals to cells in embryos to divide and grow into the correct body parts. But while Hedgehog usually switches off when the embryo is formed, in many cancers, including pancreatic, it becomes abnormally reactivated.

Superior visual thinking may be key to independence for high schoolers with autism

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 07:34 AM PDT

Teaching independence to adolescents with autism can provide a crucial boost to their chances for success after high school, researchers has demonstrated. According to the researchers, independence is the biggest indicator of which students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are likely to live on their own, have a job, and participate in their communities after high school.

Immune system's redesigned role in fighting cancerous tumors

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 07:31 AM PDT

Solid tumors were eradicated in laboratory mice by researchers using a novel combination of two targeted agents. These two synergistic therapies stimulate an immune response, ultimately allowing solid tumors to act as their own cancer-fighting vaccine. "Instead of administering a cancer vaccine to destroy tumors, we hope to modify the immune system to allow the patient's own tumor to act as a cancer vaccine," explained the lead author

Chronic pain research delves into brain: New insight into how brain responds to pain

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 07:31 AM PDT

New insights into how the human brain responds to chronic pain could eventually lead to improved treatments for patients, researchers say. Chronic pain is common throughout the world. More than 100 million Americans are believed to be affected by chronic pain. "People living with chronic headache and other forms of chronic pain may experience reduced quality of life, as the pain often prevents them from working, amongst other things. It is therefore imperative that we understand the causes of chronic pain, not just attempt to treat the symptoms with medication," the lead author said.

Back surgery offers long-term societal benefits, according to new study

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:27 AM PDT

A new study uncovered that the estimated average annual earnings of working patients who undergo surgery are $47,619, compared to $45,694 for those with non-surgical treatments. Therefore, the annual earnings are increased by $1,925 for those patients receiving surgery. Additionally, patients who undergo surgery miss three fewer days of work each year as compared to patients who elect for nonsurgical treatment.

First thin films of spin ice reveal cold secrets

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:27 AM PDT

Thin films of spin ice have been shown to demonstrate surprising properties which could help in the development of applications of magnetricity, the magnetic equivalent of electricity.

VLT spots largest yellow hypergiant star: Mix of new and old observations reveals exotic binary system

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:27 AM PDT

The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope has revealed the largest yellow star -- and one of the 10 largest stars found so far. This hypergiant has been found to measure more than 1,300 times the diameter of the Sun, and to be part of a double star system, with the second component so close that it is in contact with the main star. Observations spanning over 60 years also indicate that this remarkable object is changing very rapidly.

Laser and radar unveil the secrets of Roman bridges

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:26 AM PDT

Discovering hidden arches, visualizing the sloped outline characteristic of the medieval period, finding a Renaissance engraving on a Roman arch or detecting restorations: these are some of the results that have been obtained in a recent study of more than 80 roman and medieval bridges. The assessment was carried out with the help of a ground-penetrating radar, a laser scanner and mathematical models, technology that benefit conservation.

Racing cars on walls would be possible, according to student paper

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:25 AM PDT

Driving a racing car at an angle of 90 degrees to the ground could be possible with the right track design, new research suggests. Student researchers wanted to investigate this because it has been previously shown that speedway cars actually travel at their fastest around the steep bends of speedway tracks. The group chose to look at two different vehicles -- an open wheeled Penske-Reynard-Honda racing car and an Audi TT road car -- to compare how different car shapes and characteristics would affect their gravity-defying capabilities.

Type 1 diabetes: Gut microbiota networks may influence autoimmune processes

Posted: 12 Mar 2014 05:25 AM PDT

The interactions of the gut microbiota in children with typical diabetes autoantibodies differ from that in healthy children. The fact that these differences already exist before antibodies are detectable in the blood adds to the growing evidence that microbial DNA, the so-called microbiome, may be involved in the development of autoimmune processes.

Giving dangerous employees socialization, close supervision can avoid problems

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:47 PM PDT

Two management professors argue that employers can prevent workplace violence by keeping dangerous employees positively engaged. The team advances the case for "mindfully observing" employees and found that human resources professionals and supervisors can advance health, wellbeing, and performance while averting danger and violence by identifying and managing high-risk employees, anticipating their needs and providing support and resources.

Antibody could be used to target tumor-causing protein, study shows

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:47 PM PDT

Patients with advanced melanoma and kidney cancer who were treated with a certain antibody that targets a tumor-enhancing protein was safe, which could lead to more treatment options for patients, researchers have found in a phase-1 study. This study sheds light on a therapy that could be used alone or in combination to help patients with a number of cancers.

Lignin breakthroughs serve as GPS for plant research

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 03:46 PM PDT

By thoroughly mapping a single specialized tissue involved in wood formation, scientists have developed the equivalent of turn-by-turn directions for future plant scientists to understand how plants adapt to the environment and to improve plants' productivity and biofuel potential. Lignin, an important and complex polymer responsible for plant growth and development, provides mechanical strength and water transport that enables some trees to grow 100 meters tall. However, lignin must be removed for biofuel, pulp and paper production-a process that involves harsh chemicals and expensive treatments.

What's the upside of feeling too sad for chocolate?

Posted: 11 Mar 2014 09:39 AM PDT

The instant gratification and the pleasure derived from consuming excessive chocolate and deep-fried foods can lead way to a double-edged sword of negative consequences ranging from weight gain to feelings of low self-esteem. According to a new study, combating this type of self-destructive behavior may be achieved simply by making a person feel sad.