Body | Page 2325 | Science Codex

Young job seekers, check your privacy settings!

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Social media websites can be a boon for employers scoping out job applicants, and that's bad news for certain groups of young people, according to a new Northwestern University study.

Researchers found that -- among young adults -- men, Hispanics and those with lower Internet skills are the least likely to keep employment-related audiences in mind when it comes to their online profiles. Women, whites and those with higher Internet skills are more likely to actively manage their social media privacy settings as they seek a job or maintain employment.

Exploring gender dimensions of treatment programs for neglected tropical diseases in Uganda

TORONTO, ON – Males and females face different challenges in accessing treatment for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), according to a new study from researchers at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Uganda Ministry of Health and Imperial College London. The study, published by PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases on July 11, explores the role of gender in access to treatment in the Uganda National Neglected Tropical Disease Control Program.

Alarmingly high substance abuse rates found among street children in low-income countries

INDIANAPOLIS -- Millions of children worldwide live on the streets. A review and analysis of 50 studies on substance abuse by street children in 22 resource-constrained countries has found lifetime substance use to be both common and high, posing serious threats to their health as well as for their chances for reintegration into society.

Interspecies transplant works in first step for new diabetes therapy

CHICAGO --- In the first step toward animal-to-human transplants of insulin-producing cells for people with type 1 diabetes, Northwestern Medicine® scientists have successfully transplanted islets, the cells that produce insulin, from one species to another. And the islets survived without immunosuppressive drugs.

Northwestern scientists developed a new method that prevented rejection of the islets, a huge problem in transplants between species, called xenotransplantation.

Study finds surprising benefits about dairy cow inflammation

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Inflammation. The word typically has a negative connotation. Arthritis … infection … numerous maladies come to mind.

But a Kansas State University researcher found that inflammation that occurs naturally in dairy cows the first few days after giving birth may play a surprisingly beneficial role in the complex process of going from late pregnancy to lactation.

On the trail of bacteria

The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is commonly found in nature and frequently colonizes the skin and the upper respiratory tract of humans. A healthy immune system can fight the microorganism but once the immune system is weakened the pathogen can spread and lead to life-threatening diseases of the lungs, the heart and other organs. Moreover, S. aureus produces toxins in foods and can cause serious food poisoning. Its effects are not confined to humans: in cattle, S.

High folate gestational and post-weaning diets in Wistar rat offspring

During pregnancy, women are normally advised to take high amounts of multivitamin supplements. In particular, folate is recommended to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in newborns. The problem is that, although vitamins are critical in fetal development, high vitamin doses during pregnancy may cause undesired effects on the offspring later in life (in rats, an obesogenic phenotype is typically observed).

Exploring gender dimensions of treatment programmes for neglected tropical diseases in Uganda

TORONTO, ON – Males and females face different challenges in accessing treatment for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), according to a new study from researchers at the University of Toronto Dalla Lana School of Public Health, Uganda Ministry of Health and Imperial College London. The study, published by PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases on July 11, explores the role of gender in access to treatment in the Uganda National Neglected Tropical Disease Control Program.

U of T-led study cracks universal RNA code, suggests a new cause for autism

The discovery cracks the "RNA control code," which dictates how RNA — a family of molecules that mediates DNA expression — moves genetic information from DNA to create proteins.

"For the first time, we understand the language of a code that is essential to gene processing," said Quaid Morris, a Professor in U of T's Donnelly Centre for Cellular and Biomolecular Research and the Banting and Best Department of Medical Research. "Many human diseases are due to defects in this code, so figuring out what it means is crucial to creating new treatments for many conditions."

Study reveals early financial arguments are a predictor of divorce

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Even the healthiest relationships include arguments, but the topic of the argument could predict risk of divorce, according to a Kansas State University researcher.

"Arguments about money is by far the top predictor of divorce," said Sonya Britt, assistant professor of family studies and human services and program director of personal financial planning. "It's not children, sex, in-laws or anything else. It's money -- for both men and women."

New theory uncovers cancer's deep evolutionary roots

TEMPE, Ariz. -- A new way to look at cancer -- by tracing its deep evolutionary roots to the dawn of multicellularity more than a billion years ago -- has been proposed by Paul Davies of Arizona State University's Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science in collaboration with Charles Lineweaver of the Australian National University. If their theory is correct, it promises to transform the approach to cancer therapy, and to link the origin of cancer to the origin of life and the developmental processes of embryos.

Marital status reduces risk of death from HIV/AIDS for men

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- At the height of the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s men who were married were significantly less likely to die of HIV/AIDS than their divorced or otherwise single counterparts, according to a University of California, Riverside analysis of new mortality data for that era.

Study finds surprising benefits about diary cow inflammation

MANHATTAN, Kan. -- Inflammation. The word typically has a negative connotation. Arthritis … infection … numerous maladies come to mind.

But a Kansas State University researcher found that inflammation that occurs naturally in dairy cows the first few days after giving birth may play a surprisingly beneficial role in the complex process of going from late pregnancy to lactation.

Shoulder surgery may make sense for young patients

Arthroscopic bankart repair surgery is a cost-effective approach for patients suffering their first shoulder dislocation, according to research presented today at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's (AOSSM) Annual Meeting in Chicago, IL.

Grazing slugs hinder grassland restoration

Selective grazing by slugs may prevent key grassland species from taking hold and hampers efforts to restore our hay meadows, new research has shown.

Work by scientists at Newcastle University, UK, has looked at the impact slugs have on grassland biodiversity and how this might inform future restoration work.

Although renowned for their ability to chew through a gardener's prize petunias or strawberry patch, still relatively little is known about the effect these munching molluscs have on large scale grassland conservation projects.