EurekAlert! Public News List

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Advanced Functional Materials
Light that moves and molds gels
Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have demonstrated a biomimetic response using hydrogels -- a material that constitutes most contact lenses and microfluidic or fluid-controlled technologies. Their study, published in Advanced Functional Materials, is the first to show that these gels can be both reconfigured and controlled by light, undergoing self-sustained motion -- a uniquely biomimetic behavior.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Environmental Research Letters
Existing cropland could feed 4 billion more
The world's croplands could feed 4 billion more people than they do now just by shifting from producing animal feed and biofuels to producing exclusively food for human consumption, according to new research from the Institute on the Environment at the University of Minnesota.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Science
Cool heads likely won't prevail in a hotter, wetter world
Researchers from Princeton University and the University of California-Berkeley report that even slight spikes in temperature and precipitation greatly increase the risk of personal and civil violence, and suggest that more human conflict is a likely outcome of climate change.

Princeton University Program in Science, Technology and Environmental Policy, National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships Program, University of California Berkeley Oxfam Faculty Chair in Environmental and Resource Economics

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy
When prescribing antibiotics, doctors most often choose strongest types of drugs
When US physicians prescribe antibiotics, more than 60 percent of the time they choose some of the strongest types of antibiotics, referred to as "broad spectrum," which are capable of killing multiple kinds of bacteria, University of Utah researchers show in a new study.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Science Translational Medicine
A roadblock to personalized cancer care?
Leading experts in cancer treatment and research, including university researchers, industry and insurance providers, have published a paper urging more focus and attention on the field of research that involves identifying genetic and molecular markers that help guide cancer treatment. The current attitude toward biomarker research has led to a vicious cycle that undervalues the crucial role these kinds of tests play in developing personalized cancer treatments.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Biomicrofluidics
Catching cancer early by chasing it
Reaching a clinic in time to receive an early diagnosis for cancer -- when the disease is most treatable -- is a global problem. And now a team of Chinese researchers proposes a global solution: have a user-friendly diagnostic device travel to the patient, anywhere in the world.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cell Host & Microbe
Vanderbilt studies outline new model for staph bone infections
Vanderbilt microbiologist Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, and colleagues have identified a staph-killing compound that may be an effective treatment for osteomyelitis.

Searle Scholars Program, National Institutes of Health, Southeastern Regional Center of Excellence for Emerging Infections

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Geoscientists unearth mineral-making secrets potentially useful for new technologies
Proteins have gotten most of the attention in studies of how organic materials control the initial step of making the first tiny crystals that organisms use to build structures that help them move and protect themselves. Virginia Tech researchers have discovered that certain types of sugars, known as polysaccharides, may also control the timing and placement of minerals that animals use to produce hard structures.

National Science Foundation, US Department of Energy

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
A new tool for brain research
Physicists and neuroscientists from The University of Nottingham and University of Birmingham have unlocked one of the mysteries of the human brain, thanks to new research using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and electroencephalography.

Medical Research Council, Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, University of Nottingham, University of Birmingham

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy
Antibiotic resistance among hospital-acquired infections is much greater than prior CDC estimates
Hospital-acquired infections' antibiotic resistance is higher than prior CDC reports, and the FDA's reboot of its antibiotic development rules to combat these infections has fallen short.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Cancer Research
UPCI researchers target 'cell sleep' to lower chances of cancer recurrence
By preventing cancer cells from entering a state of cellular sleep, cancer drugs are more effective, and there is a lower chance of cancer recurrence, according to new research from an international research team led by University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute scientists. The discovery is the first to show that it is possible to therapeutically target cancer cells to keep them from entering a cellular state called quiescence, or "cell sleep."

American Cancer Society, GIST Cancer Research Fund, Life Raft Group

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

ZooKeys
The endemic species of remarkable Fulgoromorpha from Iran
Being among the countries with the most miscellaneous wildlife in South West Asia, Iran disposes of a number of endemic species. Among the species demonstrating the great biodiversity of the region is the infraorder Fulgoromorpha, or grass hoppers, with more than 200 species recorded so far. The scholar Fariba Mozaffarian from the Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection conducted a survey in the field and the study was published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

FASEB Journal
Fetal stress disrupts the way genes are transmitted
Stress might have harmed your health even before you were born. In a new report in The FASEB Journal, Harvard researchers find that epigenetic disruptions associated with chronic disease later in life are already common at birth. These aberrations result from stressors in the intrauterine environment (maternal smoking, diet, or high levels of endocrine-disrupting chemicals). Consequently, the seeds of disease may be sown before birth, increasing the importance of optimal prenatal care.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology
Extreme wildfires likely fueled by climate change
Climate change is likely fueling the larger and more destructive wildfires that are scorching vast areas of the American West, according to new research led by Michigan State University scientists.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Pediatrics
Children with elevated blood pressure don't get recommended follow-up, few at risk for hypertension
Children who have a first elevated blood pressure at the doctor's office are not likely to receive the recommended follow-up blood pressure readings within a month, according to a study published today in Pediatrics. However, when the blood pressure was later repeated, most children's blood pressure returned to normal for their age, sex and height.

NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Pain
Study reveals target for drug development for chronic jaw pain disorder
In a study in mice, researchers at Duke Medicine identified a protein that is critical to temporomandibular joint disorder pain, and could be a promising target for developing treatments for the disorder.

National Institutes of Health, Duke, Keimyung University School of Medicine

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

FASEB Journal
Inflammatory on and off switch identified for allergic asthma and COPD
Japanese researchers have made strides toward understanding runaway inflammation for both COPD and allergic asthma. New research appearing in The FASEB Journal shows how two receptors of the inflammatory molecule, leukotriene B4, plays opposing roles in turning inflammation on and off for allergic asthma and COPD. The first receptor, BLT1, promotes inflammation, while the second receptor, BLT2, may weaken inflammation during an allergic reaction. Until now, BLT2 was believed to increase inflammatory reaction.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Science
The when and where of the Y: Research on Y chromosomes finds new clues about human ancestry
Using advanced analysis of DNA from Y chromosomes from men all over the world, scientists have shed new light on the mystery of when and how a few early human ancestors started to give rise to the incredible diversity of today's population.

National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Leukocyte Biology
Small protein plays big role in asthma severity
A new culprit has been identified that likely plays a big role in the severity of asthma--a small protein chemokine called CCL26. These findings were published in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology and represent the first demonstration that CCL26 is a potent regulator of the migration of asthmatic eosinophils, commonly observed in asthmatic airways. Results from this discovery may lead to new drug targets for the treatment of asthma.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Nuclear Medicine
PET/CT bests gold standard bone marrow biopsy for diagnosis and prognosis of lymphoma patients
A more precise method for determining bone marrow involvement in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma -- a key factor in tailoring patient management plans -- has been identified by researchers in a study published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Imaging with 18F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography, when compared to bone marrow biopsy, was more sensitive, showed a higher negative predictive value and was more accurate.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Journal of Biological Chemistry
Study highlights possible new approach to prostate cancer treatment
A study in the Journal of Biological Chemistry identifies a new therapeutic approach to treat prostate cancer. The research shows that expression of the FoxM1 protein is essential for prostate cancer to develop in mouse models. The study also shows that depletion of FoxM1 in prostate epithelial cells inhibits tumor cell proliferation, the process by which new blood vessels are formed, and metastasis -- the spread of cancer to other organs of the body.

Department of Defense, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

Environment International
New analysis sheds light on the links between chemicals in our body and income
A new study published this week has found that the build-up of harmful chemicals in the body is affecting people of all social standings -- not just those from economically deprived backgrounds as previously thought.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

European Journal of Remote Sensing
Aerial pictures reveal climate change
As a result of climate change, certain undesirable aquatic plants are starting to invade German water bodies. Even popular recreation areas like Lake Starnberg have been affected, leading to a growing need to monitor the spread of these plants. Up to now, regular monitoring has proven to be a costly process. But in a new approach, researchers at Technische Universität München have developed a quicker and less expensive method.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

International Journal of Mobile Learning and Organisation
An app to lead the blind
A smartphone app that keeps track of your location and distance walked from home or hotel and warns you when you are likely to be caught out after dark has been developed by researchers in Pakistan to help sufferers of the debilitating disease night blindness. The app can also help travelers with the disease pinpoint hotels should they find themselves too far from base to get home safely.

Public Release: 1-Aug-2013

JRSM Short Reports
Junior doctor changeover likely to drive August reduction in quality and safety of patient care
New research suggests that failure by junior doctors in their annual changeover period to identify deteriorating patients and poor prioritization skills are likely to drive a reduction in the quality and safety of patient care.


			HOME DISCLAIMER PRIVACY POLICY TERMS & CONDITIONS CONTACT US TOP Copyright ©2013 by AAAS, the science society.