
Science News.

Using nitrous oxide for anesthesia doesn't increase -- and may decrease -- complications and death
Giving nitrous oxide as part of general anesthesia for noncardiac surgery doesn't increase the rate of complications and death -- and might even decrease the risk of such events, according to a pair of studies in the May issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.
Contact: Lisa Webb
lisa.webb@wolterskluwer.com
215-521-8319
Wolters Kluwer Health
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New research constructs ant family tree
Several hypotheses have been proposed to explain the higher species numbers in the tropics, but these hypotheses have never been tested for the ants, which are one of the most ecologically and numerically dominant groups of animals on the planet. New research by evolutionary biologists Dr. Corrie Moreau of Chicago's Field Museum and Dr. Charles Bell of the University of New Orleans is helping answer these questions.
Contact: Nancy O'Shea
media@fieldmuseum.org
312-665-7100
Field Museum
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Positive effect of white button mushrooms when substituted for meat on body weight and composition changes during weight loss and weight maintenance
New research published as an abstract in the FASEB Journal and presented at Experimental Biology 2013 on Monday, April 22, ties mushrooms to positive health outcomes in the area of weight management. A one-year, randomized clinical trial conducted by researchers at the Weight Management Center at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and funded by the Mushroom Council found that substituting white button mushrooms for red meat can be a useful strategy for enhancing and maintaining weight loss.

Contact: Abagayle Marx
abagayle.marx@edelman.com
312-240-2885
Edelman Public Relations
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Rise in sodium intake in US over last decade despite health officials' call for reduction
Research presented today at the American Society for Nutrition Experimental Biology conference in Boston indicates US sodium intake has been on an upward trend -- increasing by 63 mg/day every two years from 2001 until 2010. Innovative solutions for reducing sodium content in the food supply -- like SODA-LO Salt Microspheres (a salt reduction ingredient offered by Tate & Lyle) -- may help meet public health goals.

Contact: Allison Parker
aparker@foodminds.com
312-258-9500
FoodMinds LLC
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3 new studies reveal added fiber's impact on various health indices
Three new studies contribute to the growing body of evidence for the health benefits of added fibers in the diet. These types of fiber can be added to a wide range of foods and contribute similar health benefits as "intact" fibers, providing a viable option to help people increase their fiber intake to achieve daily recommendations.

Contact: Allison Parker
aparker@foodminds.com
312-258-9500
FoodMinds LLC
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Germanium made laser compatible
Good news for the computer industry: a team of researchers has managed to make germanium suitable for lasers. This could enable microprocessor components to communicate using light in future, which will make the computers of the future faster and more efficient.

Contact: Martin Sueess
mmartin.sueess@emez.ethz.ch
41-446-336-408
ETH Zurich
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Cocktail of multiple pressures combine to threaten the world's pollinating insects
A new review of insect pollinators of crops and wild plants has concluded they are under threat globally from a cocktail of multiple pressures, and their decline or loss could have profound environmental, human health and economic consequences. The review, published today (22 April 2013) in 'Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment', was carried out by an international team of 40 scientists from 27 institutions involved in the UK's Insect Pollinators Initiative.

Contact: Barnaby Smith
bpgs@ceh.ac.uk
44-079-202-95384
Centre for Ecology & Hydrology
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After age 18, asthma care deteriorates
Asthma care for young adults deteriorates after age 18, due primarily to a loss of health insurance coverage, as well as to a series of socially-mediated changes.

Contact: David Cameron
david_cameron@hms.harvard.edu
617-432-0441
Harvard Medical School
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Particular DNA changes linked with prostate cancer development and lethality
A new analysis has found that the loss or amplification of particular DNA regions contributes to the development of prostate cancer, and that patients with two of these DNA changes have a high likelihood of dying from the disease. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study provides valuable information on the genetics of prostate cancer and offers insights into which patients should be treated aggressively.
Contact: Amy Molnar
sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Wiley
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A check on tension
Abnormal numbers of chromosomes are found in the cells of about 90 percent of cancers, so understanding how healthy dividing cells ensure that each of their daughters receive an equal number of chromosomes is important to cancer biology. Until recently, scientists thought they had this figured out. Now, a paper published in Nature by Ludwig scientists shows a different paradigm -- by targeting Aurora B kinase, their discovery has overturned the prevailing model of advanced cell division.

Contact: Rachel Steinhardt
rsteinhardt@licr.org
212-450-1582
Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
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Genetics defines a distinct liver disease
For the first time, scientists show that a leading cause of liver transplant, primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), is a distinct disease from inflammatory bowel disease, opening up new avenues for specific PSC treatments.
Contact: Aileen Sheehy
press.office@sanger.ac.uk
44-012-234-96928
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute
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Even a few cigarettes a day increases risk of rheumatoid arthritis
Number of cigarettes smoked a day and the number of years a person has smoked both increase the risk of rheumatoid arthritis, finds research in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research & Therapy. The risk decreases after giving up smoking but, compared to people who have never smoked, this risk is still elevated 15 years after giving up.
Contact: Hilary Glover
hilary.glover@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22370
BioMed Central
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Commonly used drug can limit radiation damage to lungs and heart for cancer patients
Unavoidable damage caused to the heart and lungs by radiotherapy treatment of tumors in the chest region can be limited by the administration of a drug commonly used in the treatment of cardiovascular disease, an ACE inhibitor, a group of Dutch researchers have found.

Contact: Mary Rice
mary.rice@riceconseil.eu
European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO)
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Intensity modulated radiotherapy reduces side effects in patients with early breast cancer
Intensity modulated radiotherapy gives better results than standard radiotherapy in patients with early breast cancer, according to results from a randomised trial presented on Sunday to the 2nd Forum of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology. IMRT is an advanced, high-precision form of radiotherapy that can deliver an even dose of radiation, thus reducing the cosmetic problems that can often occur after breast radiotherapy.

Contact: Mary Rice
mary.rice@riceconseil.eu
European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO)
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Discovery brings hope of new tailor-made anti-cancer agents
Scientists at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute and their collaborators have tailor-made a new chemical compound that blocks a protein that has been linked to poor responses to treatment in cancer patients. The development of the compound, called WEHI-539, is an important step towards the design of a potential new anti-cancer agent.

Contact: Vanessa Solomon
solomon@wehi.edu.au
61-393-452-971
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute
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Lost your keys? Your cat? The brain can rapidly mobilize a search party
A contact lens on the bathroom floor, an escaped hamster in the backyard, a car key in a bed of gravel: How are we able to focus so sharply to find that proverbial needle in a haystack? Scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, have discovered that when we embark on a targeted search, various visual and non-visual regions of the brain mobilize to track down a person, animal or thing.
Contact: Yasmin Anwar
yanwar@berkeley.edu
510-643-7944
University of California - Berkeley
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Structure of cell signaling molecule suggests general on-off switch
A three-dimensional image of one of the proteins that serves as an on-off switch as it binds to receptors on the surface of a cell suggests there may be a sort of main power switch that could be tripped. These surface receptors are responsible for helping cells discern light, set the heart racing, or detect pain.

Contact: Sarah Avery
sarah.avery@duke.edu
919-660-1306
Duke University Medical Center
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Social stress and the inflamed brain
Depression is the leading cause of disability with more than 350 million people globally affected by this disease. In addition to debilitating consequences on mental health, depression predisposes an individual to physiological disease such as heart disease, and conversely heart disease increases the risk of depression.
Contact: Jim Bernstein
jbernstein@aspet.org
301-646-3259
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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Recreational use of HIV antiretroviral drug linked to its psychoactivity
More than 1 in 270 people in the US are living with HIV and every 9.5 minutes someone is else is infected. The economic cost estimates associated with HIV/AIDS exceed 36 billion dollars a year. The development of effective drug treatments have allowed people with HIV to live longer with federal health officials now predicting that by 2015 one-half of the population with HIV in the US will be older than 50.
Contact: Jim Bernstein
jbernstein@aspet.org
301-646-3259
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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Intranasal neuropeptide Y may offer therapeutic potential for post-traumatic stress disorder
Stress triggered neuropsychiatric disorders take an enormous personal, social and economic toll on society. In the US more than half of adults are exposed to at least one traumatic event throughout their lives. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a debilitating anxiety disorder associated with exposure to a traumatic event outside the range of normal human experience.
Contact: Jim Bernstein
jbernstein@aspet.org
301-646-3259
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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Development of novel therapies for endothelial damage may heal atherosclerotic plaques
Heart disease and approximately half of all strokes are the results of advanced atherosclerosis with damaged endothelium, the inner lining of blood vessels. In 2009, the direct and indirect annual cost of heart disease and stroke was approximately $312.6 billion. Projections are for the total cost of heart disease to increase from $523 to $1.126 billion from 2013 to 2030.
Contact: Jim Bernstein
jbernstein@aspet.org
301-646-3259
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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A noninvasive avenue for Parkinson's disease gene therapy
Researchers at Northeastern University in Boston have developed a gene therapy approach that may one day stop Parkinson's disease in it tracks, preventing disease progression and reversing its symptoms. The novelty of the approach lies in the nasal route of administration and nanoparticles containing a gene capable of rescuing dying neurons in the brain.
Contact: Jim Bernstein
jbernstein@aspet.org
301-646-3259
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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More evidence berries have health-promoting properties
Adding more color to your diet in the form of berries is encouraged by many nutrition experts. The protective effect of berries against inflammation has been documented in many studies. Diets supplemented with blueberries and strawberries have also been shown to improve behavior and cognitive functions in stressed young rats.

Contact: Suzanne Price
sprice@nutrition.org
617-954-3976
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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New dietary analysis tool for athletes debuts
A new website application for athletes called Dietary Analysis Tool for Athletes has been validated as accurately recording dietary intake based on the 24-hour recall method. "This tool offers sports dietitians and health professionals a new, quick alternative to analyze athletes' dietary intake," said Lindsay Baker, Ph.D., Principal Scientist, Gatorade Sports Science Institute.

Contact: Suzanne Price
sprice@nutrition.org
617-954-3976
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
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Sniffing out solutions for millions of Americans with smell loss
Snot. It's not something most of us spend a lot of time thinking about, but, for a team of researchers in Washington, D.C., it's front and center.
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