Peer victimization in middle and high school predicts sexual behavior among adolescents

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BINGHAMTON, NY – Peer victimization during middle and high school may be an important indicator of an individual's sexual behavior later in life. These are the findings of Binghamton University researchers Andrew C. Gallup, Daniel T. O'Brien and David Sloan Wilson, and University at Albany researcher Daniel D. White. The study will be published in an upcoming issue of Personality and Individual Differences, the official journal of the International Society for the Study of Individual Differences (ISSID).

Ethanol plants no panacea for local economies, study finds

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Just over a year ago, the U.S. ethanol industry was still in overdrive, fueling a wave of new factories to keep pace with surging demand for the corn-based gasoline additive.

But the boom has since stalled amid a deep economic downturn that has stifled demand, one of many threats to the fledgling industry that were forecast in a 2007 study by two University of Illinois researchers.

Hormone linked to high blood pressure and blood vessel disease in African-Americans

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Researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee have linked higher levels of the hormone aldosterone to high blood pressure and blood vessel disease in African Americans. Aldosterone is secreted by the adrenal glands and causes salt retention by the kidneys.

Weight loss improves fatty liver disease, researchers find

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ST. LOUIS – In a recent study, Saint Louis University researchers found that weight loss of at least 9 percent helped patients reverse a type of liver disease known as nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a finding that will allow doctors to give patients specific weight-loss goals that are likely to improve their livers. The finding comes from a study of the diet drug orlistat (also known as Xenical and Alli), which did not itself improve liver disease.

Estrogen found to increase growth of the most common childhood brain tumor

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CINCINNATI—University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have discovered that estrogen receptors are present in medulloblastoma—the most common type of pediatric brain tumor—leading them to believe that anti-estrogen drug treatments may be beneficial in limiting tumor progression and improving patients' overall outcome.

This research is being published in the March 2009 edition of Endocrinology.

Will large amounts of soil carbon be released if grasslands are converted to energy crops?

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Identifying mega-targets for high-yield plant breeding

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Madison, WI , February 2, 2009 -- Promoting genetic diversity in crops is traditional practice for agriculture professionals, and with today's technology, scientists are able to develop breeding programs with great care for the security of crops. This is particularly important due to the numerous risks the world's food supplies face with the changing climate. Genetic diversity in a breeding program is essential as an insurance against unforeseeable changes in the environment and to maintain genetic progress.

Blocking protein leads to fewer, smaller skin cancer tumors

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COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research suggests that blocking the activity of a protein in the blood could offer powerful protection against some skin cancers.

In the study, normal mice and mice that had a genetically engineered protein deficiency were exposed to almost a year of ultraviolet light that mimics chronic sun exposure. The mice that lacked the protein developed fewer, smaller, less aggressive and less vascular skin cancer tumors than did the normal mice.

Asian elephants under increasing threat as illegal ivory prices soar

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WASHINGTON, DC, February 16, 2009 – Southeast Asia's few surviving elephants are under increasing threat from booming illegal ivory prices in Vietnam, according to a new market analysis released by TRAFFIC – the world's largest wildlife trade monitoring network and a joint program of World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and IUCN.

The survey reports that Vietnamese illegal ivory prices could be the highest in the world, with tusks selling for up to $1,500 per kilogram (1 kilogram = 2.2 pounds) and small, cut pieces selling for up to $1,863 per kilogram.

Hospitals apply lessons learned in the airline industry to improve operating room safety

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