ScienceDaily Top Science Headlines
for Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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Microbicide gel: Reduced risk of HIV and herpes infections in women, study shows (July 20, 2010) -- Researchers have achieved an important scientific breakthrough in the fight against HIV and genital herpes with a vaginal gel that significantly reduces a woman's risk of being infected with these viruses, according to a ground-breaking safety and effectiveness study of an antiretroviral microbicide gel study. ... > full story
Tuning cocaine addiction (July 20, 2010) -- Reducing the abundance of a set of microRNAs -- small bits of genetic material that influence gene expression -- reduces the urge for a cocaine fix in mice, according to a new study. ... > full story
Breakthrough in thin-film solar cells: New insights into the indium/gallium puzzle (July 20, 2010) -- Scientists have made a major breakthrough in their search for more efficient thin-film solar cells. Computer simulations designed to investigate the so-called indium/gallium puzzle have highlighted a new way of increasing the efficiency of CIGS thin-film solar cells. ... > full story
When climate change becomes a health issue, are people more likely to listen? (July 20, 2010) -- Framing climate change as a public health problem seems to make the issue more relevant, significant and understandable to members of the public -- even some who don't generally believe climate change is happening, according to new research. ... > full story
Stem cells made by reprogramming hold onto their past (July 20, 2010) -- Adult cells that have been reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells) do not completely let go of their past, perhaps limiting their ability to function as a less controversial alternative to embryonic stem cells for basic research and cell replacement therapies, according to researchers at Children's Hospital Boston, John Hopkins University and their colleagues. ... > full story
Breast cancer cells regulate multiple genes in response to estrogen-like compounds (July 20, 2010) -- Cancer researchers have discovered a previously unknown type of gene regulation and DNA behavior in breast cancer cells that may lead to better insight about environmental exposure to estrogen-like compounds. The study provides the first evidence that cells can regulate many genes at once by looping their DNA, and that this can contribute to cancer when it goes awry. ... > full story
Mermaid opens prospect of cleaner seas with pollution early warning system (July 20, 2010) -- Alarm at the massive oil plume in the Gulf of Mexico emphasizes the problem of marine pollution and how difficult it is to evaluate. Thanks to a EUREKA project, another heavily polluted maritime ecosystem, the European North Sea, has been for more than 20 years a test-bed for a highly advanced early-warning system for all types of pollution. This development is now aiding marine authorities around the world to keep seas clean. ... > full story
Discovery suggests possible treatment strategy for aggressive leukemias (July 19, 2010) -- Researchers have identified a mechanism that could explain how patients move into the worst phase of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Their findings implicate a protein called Mushashi that prevents cells from maturing, creating a large population of immature cells, which is one of the hallmarks of CML. ... > full story
Prostate cancer risk variant found to be in a functional DNA sequence linked with disease (July 19, 2010) -- Recent genetic association studies have uncovered a number of DNA variants associated with prostate cancer. However, some of these risk variants lie outside of genes, posing a challenge to researchers working to understand the biology of cancer. In a new study, researchers have characterized a functional DNA element associated with prostate cancer, lending new insight into the molecular mechanisms of the disease. ... > full story
Point-of-sale advertising major cause of teen smoking, study shows (July 19, 2010) -- Researchers report that teens' exposure to cigarette advertising at retail outlets substantially increases the odds they will start smoking. According to the findings, students who visited these stores on a regular basis were at least twice as likely to try smoking as those who visited infrequently. ... > full story
How technology may improve treatment for children with brain cancer (July 19, 2010) -- A new study shows that children with brain tumors who undergo radiation therapy (the application of X-rays to kill cancerous cells and shrink tumors) may benefit from a technique known as "intensity modulated arc therapy" or IMAT. ... > full story
New findings on troubling side effects of Parkinson’s medication (July 19, 2010) -- One in every 100 elderly people suffers from Parkinson’s disease, a disease of the nervous system with symptoms including stiffness and shaking. The standard medication used to treat Parkinson’s is Levodopa, a drug that initially has major benefits but can later also produce serious side effects in the form of involuntary, jerky movements. A research group has now found a way to study what it is in the brain that causes these side effects. ... > full story
Battlefield psychologists investigate stress in combat and after (July 19, 2010) -- People confronted with acute stress -- daily rocket attacks -- tend to dissociate from threats instead of becoming more vigilant, according to a new study. This research overturns accepted convention and may lead to better understanding of the mechanisms underlying acute stress reactions. ... > full story
Melting DNA into a barcode (July 19, 2010) -- A completely new method for producing an image of individual DNA molecules’ genetic make-up has been developed. According to the researchers, the technique could be used to find out more easily whether someone is carrying a genetic predisposition to certain diseases. ... > full story
What protects farm children from hay fever? Protective substance may slumber in cowshed dust (July 19, 2010) -- Researchers in Germany have isolated the substance in cowshed dust that possibly protects farm children from developing allergies and allergic asthma -- namely the plant sugar molecule arabinogalactan. If high concentrations are inhaled during the first year of life, it inhibits the immune system from excessive defense reactions. There are large quantities of this molecule in forage crops such as the Meadow Foxtail (Alopecurus pratensis). Researchers have now demonstrated experimentally that the molecule affects immune system cells. ... > full story
First concrete evidence that women are better multitaskers than men (July 19, 2010) -- Researchers have now shown that women can multitask more effectively than men. ... > full story
New principle discovered for how muscle pain is signaled (July 19, 2010) -- Chronic muscular pain may be linked to a previously unknown principle for how pain signals are transmitted in the human body, according to new research from Sweden. ... > full story
Obesity is associated with reduced sensitivity to fat (July 19, 2010) -- New research found marked differences between obese and lean men in how they respond to the taste of fat. Fat also is less effective in obese men in stimulating certain gut hormones that are released into the bloodstream and normally suppress appetite. ... > full story
Major league pitchers 34 percent more likely to be injured than fielders, new study finds (July 19, 2010) -- Watch out if you are a Major League Baseball pitcher prior to the All-Star break. Pitchers are 34 percent more likely to be injured than fielders, according to new research. The study looked into the epidemiology of MLB players' injuries from 2002-2008. It also found that 77 percent of all injuries to pitchers happen before the All-Star game. ... > full story
Greater obesity in offspring of nursing mothers consuming a high-fat diet (July 19, 2010) -- The future health of offspring is more negatively impacted when their mothers consume a high fat diet while nursing compared with high-fat diet consumption during pregnancy, according to animal research. ... > full story
HIV/AIDS treatment curbs spread of HIV among drug users, study finds (July 19, 2010) -- Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), currently known for its therapeutic benefits against HIV, also reduced the spread of the virus among people with a history of injection drug use, according to new research. ... > full story
Nectar reduction in Petunia: it doesn't pay to cheat (July 19, 2010) -- A researcher in Switzerland has bred a new line of petunia that produces significantly more seeds and less nectar than normal petunia. The downside of these positive changes is that pollinators spend less time visiting petunias that offer less nectar, which results in a lower seed production. The work shows that the cost-benefit ratio for the plant remains neutral. ... > full story
A high-fat diet alters crucial aspects of brain dopamine signaling (July 19, 2010) -- Prolonged exposure to a high fat diet is correlated with changes in the brain chemical dopamine within the striatum, a critical component of the brain's reward system according to new research. ... > full story
No heart benefit from Omega-3 in women with type 1 diabetes (July 19, 2010) -- Consuming higher amounts of omega-3 fatty acids does not appear to lower heart disease risk for women with type 1 diabetes, according to new research. ... > full story
Peer drug use may increase a genetically susceptible individual's tendency to use drugs (July 19, 2010) -- The nature-nurture debate is usually about how much of something is due to our genes and how much is caused by our environment. New research shows that the case is more complicated for young women who smoke, drink, or use drugs, for two related reasons. ... > full story
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