More Science PRs. Public Release: 9-Apr-2013
Post# of 63699
More Science PRs.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Google searches about mental illness follow seasonal patterns
A new study published in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that Google searches for information across all major mental illnesses and problems followed seasonal patterns, suggesting mental illness may be more strongly linked with seasonal patterns than previously thought.
Contact: Brianna Lee
eAJPM@ucsd.edu
858-534-9407
Elsevier Health Sciences
mBio
New mouse viruses could aid hepatitis research
Newly discovered mouse viruses could pave the way for future progress in hepatitis research, enabling scientists to study human disease and vaccines in the ultimate lab animal.
Contact: Jim Sliwa
jsliwa@asmusa.org
202-942-9297
American Society for Microbiology
Journal of Adolescent Health
Short daily walk might help teen smokers cut down or quit, new study says
Teenagers who increased the days on which they got just 20 minutes of exercise were able to cut down on their smoking habit. And teenage smokers were more likely to quit altogether if they participated in a smoking cessation/fitness program -- and they ramped up the days on which they got at least 30 minutes of physical activity, according to a study published online April 9.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Contact: Kathy Fackelmann
kfackelmann@gwu.edu
202-994-8354
George Washington University
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
New genetic link found between normal fetal growth and cancer
NIH researchers discovered a genetic switch that appears to activate the rapid growth of healthy fetuses and the uncontrolled cell division in cancer. The scientists focused on a growth-promoting gene called IGF2. They found evidence that a protein known as E2F3 activates the IGF2 gene in normal development and in cancer -- in particular, in bladder and metastatic prostate cancers.
NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Contact: Alisa Machalek
alisa.machalek@nih.gov
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
UC Santa Barbara researchers uncover new pathways in bacterial intercellular competition
There's an epic battle taking place that's not on the national radar: intercellular competition. While it's not an Olympic event, new research from UC Santa Barbara demonstrates that this microscopic rivalry can be just as fierce as humans going for the gold.
Contact: Julie Cohen
julia@juliecohen.com
805-455-5021
University of California - Santa Barbara
Circulation
Cleveland Clinic research: Prior chest radiation grows risk of death after heart surgery
Patients who have open heart surgery for heart disease caused by radiation cancer treatment are nearly twice as likely to die in the years following their surgery compared to similar patients who did not undergo radiation treatment, according to new research from Cleveland Clinic published today in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.
Contact: Wyatt DuBois
duboisw@ccf.org
216-445-9946
Cleveland Clinic
American Journal of Physiology
Couch potatoes may be genetically predisposed to being lazy, MU study finds
Researchers from the University of Missouri were able to selectively breed rats that exhibited traits of either extreme activity or extreme laziness. They say these rats indicate that genetics could play a role in exercise motivation, even in humans.
Contact: Nathan Hurst
hurstn@missouri.edu
573-882-6217
University of Missouri-Columbia
Journal of Gerontology Series A: Biological and Medical Sciences
Posture provides clue for future disability
The shape of an individual's spinal column may predict his or her risk for nursing home admission or need of home assistance in old age, according to a new article published online in the Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences.
Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare
Contact: Todd Kluss
202-587-2839
The Gerontological Society of America
JAMA Internal Medicine
Increased rates of hospitalization linked to elder abuse, Rush researchers find
Older adults who are subject to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation face a greater risk of being hospitalized than other seniors, according to the results of a study published in the April 8 issue of JAMA Internal Medicine.
NIH/National Institute on Aging
Contact: Deb Song
deb_song@rush.edu
312-942-0588
Rush University Medical Center
Social Work
How stepdads can avoid missteps
A new study found three factors that contribute to feelings of closeness in stepfamilies: the couple keeps arguments to a minimum; mothers help children feel comfortable sharing their frustrations; and the stepfather and mother agree on how to parent.
Contact: Joe Hadfield
joe_hadfield@byu.edu
801-422-9206
Brigham Young University
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Research advances therapy to protect against dengue virus
Now a therapy to protect people from the dengue virus could finally be a step closer, thanks to a team at MIT.
National Institutes of Health, National Research Foundation Singapore
Contact: Sarah McDonnell
s_mcd@mit.edu
617-253-8923
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
AACR Annual Meeting 2013
Guillermina 'Gigi' Lozano, Ph.D., awarded AACR Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship
Guillermina "Gigi" Lozano, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Department of Genetics at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, is the recipient of the 16th annual Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship awarded by the American Association for Cancer Research, recognizing her contributions to the field of cancer research and the advancement of women in science.
Contact: Scott Merville
smerville@mdanderson.org
713-516-4855
University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Astrophysical Journal Letters
Suzaku 'post-mortem' yields insight into Kepler's supernova
An exploding star observed in 1604 by the German astronomer Johannes Kepler held a greater fraction of heavy elements than the sun, according to an analysis of X-ray observations from the Japan-led Suzaku satellite. The findings will help astronomers better understand the diversity of type Ia supernovae, an important class of stellar explosion used in probing the distant universe.
NASA, University of Texas at Arlington, University of Pittsburgh, University of Miyazaki
Contact: Francis Reddy
francis.j.reddy@nasa.gov
301-286-4453
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
Neuron
UNC study finds that hot and cold senses interact
A study from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine offers new insights into how the nervous system processes hot and cold temperatures.
Searle Scholars Program, Klingenstein Foundation, Rita Allen Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
Contact: Les Lang
llang@med.unc.edu
919-966-9366
University of North Carolina Health Care
Pediatrics
Smoking may negatively impact kidney function among adolescents
New research finds the effects of tobacco smoke on kidney function begin in childhood.
Flight Attendant Medical Research Institute, Bloomberg Initiative to Reduce Tobacco Use, NIH/National Cancer Institute
Contact: Natalie Wood-Wright
nwoodwri@jhsph.edu
410-614-6029
Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
New study finds plant proteins control chronic disease in Toxoplasma infections
A new discovery about the malaria-related parasite Toxoplasma gondii -- which can threaten babies, AIDS patients, the elderly and others with weakened immune systems -- may help solve the mystery of how this single-celled parasite establishes life-long infections in people. The University of South Florida-led study places the blame squarely on a family of plant proteins, known as AP2 factors.
National Institutes of Health
Contact: Anne DeLotto Baier
abaier@health.usf.edu
813-974-3303
University of South Florida (USF Health)
Chemical Biology
'Pharmaceutical' approach boosts oil production from algae
Taking an approach similar to that used for discovering new therapeutic drugs, chemists at UC Davis have found several compounds that can boost oil production by green microscopic algae, a potential source of biodiesel and other "green" fuels.
Chevron Technology Ventures
Contact: Andy Fell
ahfell@ucdavis.edu
530-752-4533
University of California - Davis
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Carbon's role in planetary atmosphere formation
A new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that the way carbon moves from within a planet to the surface plays a big role in the evolution of a planet's atmosphere. Mars, which likely released much of its carbon as methane, might have been warm enough to support liquid water.
NASA, National Science Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Deep Carbon Observatory
Contact: Kevin Stacey
Kevin_stacey@brown.edu
401-863-3766
Brown University
Environmental Science & Technology
Global solar photovoltaic industry is likely now a net energy producer
The construction of the photovoltaic power industry since 2000 has required an enormous amount of energy, mostly from fossil fuels. The good news is that the clean electricity from all the installed solar panels has likely just surpassed the energy going into the industry's continued growth, Stanford researchers find.
Global Climate and Energy Project, Stanford University
Contact: Mark Golden
mark.golden@stanford.edu
650-724-1629
Stanford University
Journal of Virology
Researchers find avian virus may be harmful to cancer cells
Researchers have discovered that a genetically engineered Newcastle disease virus, which harms chickens but not humans, kills prostate cancer cells of all kinds, including hormone-resistant cancer cells.
US Department of Defense
Contact: Sherrie Whaley
srwhaley@vt.edu
540-231-7911
Virginia Tech
Polar Record
Byrd came oh-so-close, but probably didn't reach North Pole
When renowned explorer Richard E. Byrd returned from the first-ever flight to the North Pole in 1926, he sparked a controversy that remains today. Studying supercomputer simulations of atmospheric conditions on the day of the flight and double-checking Byrd's navigation techniques, a researcher at the Ohio State University has determined that Byrd indeed neared the Pole, but likely only flew within 80 miles of it before turning back.
Contact: Pam Frost Gorder
gorder.1@osu.edu
614-292-9475
Ohio State University
Nature Reviews Cardiology
Roadmap to 25 percent reduction in premature deaths From RHD in the under 25s by 2025 published
The World Heart Federation has published a new position statement outlining the five key strategic targets required to meet its strategic goal for rheumatic heart disease (RHD) -- a 25 percent reduction in premature deaths from rheumatic fever and RHD among individuals aged under 25 years by the year 2025.
Contact: Charanjit Jagait
charanjit.jagait@worldheart.org
41-228-070-334
World Heart Federation
SIGCSE 2013
Computer scientists develop video game that teaches how to program in Java
Computer scientists at the University of California, San Diego, have developed an immersive, first-person player video game designed to teach students in elementary to high school how to program in Java, one of the most common programming languages in use today. The researchers tested the game on a group of girls who had never been exposed to programming before. They detailed findings in a paper they presented at the SIGCSE conference in March in Denver.
Contact: Ioana Patringenaru
ipatrin@ucsd.edu
858-822-0899
University of California - San Diego
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Fewer unnecessary early deliveries seen in multistate, hospital-based study
A hospital-based quality improvement program showed an 83 percent decline in the rate of elective early term deliveries (inductions of labor and cesarean sections without a medical reason) among of 25 hospitals that implemented of a toolkit called "Elimination of Non-medically Indicated (Elective) Deliveries before 39 Weeks Gestational Age." The rate fell significantly from 27.8 percent to 4.8 percent during the one-year project period. The study is being published today in Obstetrics & Gynecology.
March of Dimes
Contact: Elizabeth Lynch
elynch@marchofdimes.com
914-997-4286
March of Dimes Foundation
Journal of Family Issues
Marriages benefit when fathers share household, parenting responsibilities, MU researcher says
Although no exact formula for marital bliss exists, a University of Missouri researcher has found that husbands and wives are happier when they share household and child-rearing responsibilities. However, sharing responsibilities doesn't necessarily mean couples divide chores equally.
Contact: Jesslyn Chew
ChewJ@missouri.edu
573-882-8353
University of Missouri-Columbia
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