EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 7-May-2013

Journal of Neuroscience
Theta brainwaves reflect ability to beat built-in bias
Many animals, including humans, harbor ingrained biases to actively obtain rewards and to remain inactive to avoid punishment. Sometimes, however those biases can steer us wrong. A new study finds that theta brainwave activity in the prefrontal cortex predicts how well people can overcome these biases when they are unwanted.

National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 6-May-2013

JAMA Internal Medicine
Millions pass up free health subsidy
Low-income Medicare beneficiaries with poorer cognitive abilities are less likely to enroll in the Low Income Subsidy program, which provides nearly free prescription drug coverage for low-income adults. The findings suggest that even when presented with a single dominant option in the form of free additional drug coverage, many seniors fail to act in their own economic interests.

Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Beeson Career Development Award Program, NIH/National Institute on Aging

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Journal of Neuroscience
Monell scientists identify critical link in mammalian odor detection
Researchers at the Monell Center have identified a protein that is critical to the ability of mammals to smell. Mice engineered to be lacking the Ggamma13 protein in their olfactory receptors were functionally anosmic -- unable to smell. The findings may lend insight into the underlying causes of certain smell disorders in humans.

NIH/National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Biomaterials
Duke scientists build a living patch for damaged hearts
Duke University biomedical engineers have grown three-dimensional human heart muscle that acts just like natural tissue. This advancement could be important in treating heart attack patients or in serving as a platform for testing new heart disease medicines.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Psychological Science
Weight gain linked with personality trait changes
People who gain weight are more likely to give in to temptations but also are more thoughtful about their actions, according to a new study published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

NIH/National Institute on Aging, NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Environmental Health Perspectives
Ubiquitous engineered nanomaterials cause lung inflammation, study finds
A consortium of scientists from across the country has found that breathing ultrafine particles from a large family of materials that increasingly are found in a host of household and commercial products, from sunscreens to the ink in copy machines to super-strong but lightweight sporting equipment, can cause lung inflammation and damage.

NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Health Affairs
Curbing Medicare costs could drive some seniors out of program, study finds
With Medicare spending projected to account for one-fourth of all federal spending by 2037, discussion has intensified about how to find ways to lower the program's costs. A new study finds that strategies such as increasing premiums and raising the eligibility age can slow Medicare spending. But such approaches also could drive many elderly Americans from the program, leaving them with limited access to health services.

NIH/National Institute on Aging, MacArthur Foundation Research Network on an Aging Society

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Breast milk ingredient could prevent deadly intestinal problem in preemies
An ingredient that naturally occurs in breast milk might be used to prevent premature babies from developing a deadly intestinal condition that currently is largely incurable, according to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC in this week's online early edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

National Institutes of Health, Hartwell Foundation, Institute for Transfusion Medicine, Hemophilia Center of Western PA

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Competing antibodies may have limited the protection achieved in HIV vaccine trial in Thailand
Continuing analysis of an HIV vaccine trial undertaken in Thailand is yielding additional information about how immune responses were triggered and why the vaccine did not protect more people.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, US Army Medical Research and Material Command

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Preclinical study shows heroin vaccine blocks relapse
Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have reported successful preclinical tests of a new vaccine against heroin. The vaccine targets heroin and its psychoactive breakdown products in the bloodstream, preventing them from reaching the brain.

The Scripps Research Institute/Pearson Center for Alcoholism and Addiction Research, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Environmental Health Perspectives
National study of nanomaterial toxicity sets stage for policies to address health risks
For the first time, researchers from institutions around the country have conducted an identical series of toxicology tests evaluating lung-related health impacts associated with widely used engineered nanomaterials (ENMs). The study provides comparable health risk data from multiple labs, which should help regulators develop policies to protect workers and consumers who come into contact with ENMs.

NIH/National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
Nearly 20 percent of suicidal youths have guns in their home
Nearly one in five children and teens found to be at risk for suicide report that there are guns in their homes, and 15 percent of those at risk for suicide with guns in the home know how to access both the guns and the bullets, according to a study to be presented Monday, May 6, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC.

NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
Foster care a sound choice for some maltreated children
Newspaper articles, TV shows and books are filled with horror stories of children placed in foster care. A new study bucks that trend by showing out-of-home placements can improve the emotional health of some youths who have been maltreated by a parent.

National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
Many parents multi-task while driving kids
Many parents are putting their precious cargo at risk while driving, according to survey results that will be presented May 5 and 6 at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC.

Michigan Center for Advancing Safe Transportation Across the Lifespan, NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

Public Release: 6-May-2013

Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
Research supports laws that require bicyclists to wear helmets
Bicycle helmets save lives and their use should be required by law. That's the conclusion of a study to be presented Monday, May 6, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC.

The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 5-May-2013

Nature Medicine
Discovery may help prevent chemotherapy-induced anemia
Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have discovered that chemotherapy induces an insidious type of nerve damage inside bone marrow that can cause delays in recovery after bone marrow transplantation. The findings, made in mice and published online today in Nature Medicine, suggest that combining chemotherapy with nerve-protecting agents may prevent long-term bone marrow injury that causes anemia and may improve the success of bone marrow transplants.

NIH/National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Public Release: 5-May-2013

Nature Neuroscience
Epilepsy cured in mice using brain cells
Epilepsy that does not respond to drugs can be halted in adult mice by transplanting a specific type of cell into the brain, UC San Francisco researchers have discovered, raising hope that a similar treatment might work in severe forms of human epilepsy.

National Institutes of Health, California Institute of Regenerative Medicine

Public Release: 5-May-2013

Nature Cell Biology
Discovery helps show how breast cancer spreads
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have discovered why breast cancer patients with dense breasts are more likely than others to develop aggressive tumors that spread. The finding opens the door to drug treatments that prevent metastasis.

National Institutes of Health, Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Public Release: 5-May-2013

Nature Nanotechnology
Portable device provides rapid, accurate diagnosis of tuberculosis, other bacterial infections
A handheld diagnostic device that Massachusetts General Hospital investigators first developed to diagnose cancer has been adapted to rapidly diagnose tuberculosis and other important infectious bacteria. Two versions of the portable device combine microfluidic technology with nuclear magnetic resonance to not only diagnose these important infections but also determine the presence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial strains.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 5-May-2013

Nature
Divide and define: Clues to understanding how stem cells produce different kinds of cells
The human body contains trillions of cells, all derived from a single cell, or zygote, made by the fusion of an egg and a sperm. That single cell contains all the genetic information needed to develop into a human, and passes identical copies of that information to each new cell as it divides into the many diverse types of cells that make up a complex organism like a human being.

National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, MacArthur Foundation

Public Release: 5-May-2013

Nature Genetics
Genome sequencing provides unprecedented insight into causes of pneumococcal disease
A new study led by researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK has, for the first time, used genome sequencing technology to track the changes in a bacterial population following the introduction of a vaccine.

National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust

Public Release: 5-May-2013

Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
Study adds to evidence that cigarettes are gateway to marijuana
Teen smokers who rationalize their use of cigarettes by saying, "At least, I'm not doing drugs," may not always be able to use that line. New research to be presented Sunday, May 5, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC, supports the theory that cigarettes are a gateway drug to marijuana.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 4-May-2013

Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
Vitamin C may head off lung problems in babies born to pregnant smokers
Pregnant women are advised not to smoke during pregnancy because it can harm the baby's lungs and lead to wheezing and asthma, among other problems. If a woman absolutely can't kick the habit, taking vitamin C during pregnancy may improve her newborn's lung function and prevent wheezing in the first year of life, according to a study to be presented Saturday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, DC.

NIH/National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Medical Research Foundation of Oregon

Public Release: 2-May-2013

PLOS ONE
Tick-borne Lone Star virus identified through new super-fast gene sequencing
The tick-borne Lone Star virus has been conclusively identified as part of a family of other tick-borne viruses called bunyaviruses, which often cause fever, respiratory problems and bleeding, according to new research led by scientists at UC San Francisco.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 2-May-2013

Cell Stem Cell
U of M researchers discover link between heart, blood, and skeletal muscle
New research out of the Lillehei Heart Institute at the University of Minnesota shows that by turning on just a single gene, Mesp1, different cell types including the heart, blood and muscle can be created from stem cells.

National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association