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Action needed to help tobacco users quit across the globe

More than half of the countries who signed the WHO 2005 Framework Convention on Tobacco Control have not formed plans to help tobacco users quit.

The World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) is a treaty developed to tackle the global tobacco epidemic that is killing 5 million people each year. It came into force in 2005 and is legally binding in 175 countries. The FCTC requires each country to develop plans to help tobacco users in their population to stop -- plans that should be based on strong scientific evidence for what works.

Targeted viral therapy destroys breast cancer stem cells in preclinical experiments

A promising new treatment for breast cancer being developed at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine (VIMM) has been shown in cell culture and in animal models to selectively kill cancer stem cells at the original tumor site and in distant metastases with no toxic effects on healthy cells, including normal stem cells.

Rates of infection in intensive care units in England show impressive fall

Hospitals across England reduced the rate of serious bloodstream infections in intensive care units (ICUs) during a two-year programme, research has shown.

More than 200 ICUs in England participated in the National Patient Safety Agency's Matching Michigan programme, which aimed to bring down infections linked to central venous catheters to the rate seen in a landmark programme in the US state of Michigan. Reducing the number of infections by more than 60%, the English ICUs were able to equal the low rates seen in the US.

Surprise species at risk from climate change

Most species at greatest risk from climate change are not currently conservation priorities, according to an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) study that has introduced a pioneering method to assess the vulnerability of species to climate change.

The paper, published in the journal PLOS ONE, is one of the biggest studies of its kind, assessing all of the world's birds, amphibians and corals. It draws on the work of more than 100 scientists over a period of five years, including Wits PhD student and leader of the study, Wendy Foden.

Published research shows promise of new device to detect disease with drop of blood

An NJIT research professor known for his cutting-edge work with carbon nanotubes is overseeing the manufacture of a prototype lab-on-a-chip that would someday enable a physician to detect disease or virus from just one drop of liquid, including blood. "Scalable nano-bioprobes with sub-cellular resolution for cell detection," Biosensors and Bioelectronics, (Elsevier, Vol.

New understanding of why anti-cancer therapy stops working at a specific stage

Jerusalem, June 23, 2013 –Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and in California have achieved a breakthrough in understanding how and why a promising anti-cancer therapy has failed to achieve hoped-for success in killing tumor cells. Their work could lead to new insights into overcoming this impasse.

Finding Murray's magic

Research suggests that it is Andy Murray's ability to manage his goals, as well as his skill, determination and motivation that makes him such a successful athlete. Murray dropped out of the French Open after a back injury this year, missing out on his goal of playing in four grand slam finals in a row. But this decision has allowed him to recuperate in time for Wimbledon this month.

CalPERS program helps lower costs of member hip and knee replacement surgeries

BALTIMORE—June 23, 2013—A pilot program for CalPERS, a large public California employer — aimed at reducing costs for hip and knee replacements — was able to influence price drops for these procedures at facilities not originally part of the program.

The genome's 3-D structure shapes how genes are expressed

Scientists from Australia and the United States bring new insights to our understanding of the three-dimensional structure of the genome, one of the biggest challenges currently facing the fields of genomics and genetics. Their findings are published in Nature Genetics, online today.

Roughly 3 metres of DNA is tightly folded into the nucleus of every cell in our body. This folding allows some genes to be 'expressed', or activated, while excluding others.

Unexpected discovery of the ways cells move could boost understanding of complex diseases

Boston, MA – A new discovery about how cells move inside the body may provide scientists with crucial information about disease mechanisms such as the spread of cancer or the constriction of airways caused by asthma. Led by researchers at Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), investigators found that epithelial cells—the type that form a barrier between the inside and the outside of the body, such as skin cells—move in a group, propelled by forces both from within and from nearby cells—to fill any unfilled spaces they encounter.

Powerful gene-editing tool appears to cause off-target mutations in human cells

In the past year a group of synthetic proteins called CRISPR-Cas RNA-guided nucleases (RGNs) have generated great excitement in the scientific community as gene-editing tools. Exploiting a method that some bacteria use to combat viruses and other pathogens, CRISPR-Cas RGNs can cut through DNA strands at specific sites, allowing the insertion of new genetic material. However, a team of Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers has found a significant limitation to the use of CRISPR-Cas RGNs, production of unwanted DNA mutations at sites other than the desired target.

La Jolla Institute discovers new player critical to unleashing T cells against disease

SAN DIEGO – (June 23, 2013) A major study from researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology provides new revelations about the intricate pathways involved in turning on T cells, the body's most important disease-fighting cells, and was published today in the prestigious scientific journal Nature.

Aspirin as Good as Dalteparin for Preventing Venous Thromboembolism After Hip Replacement

Extended use of aspirin may be an effective, safe, convenient, and inexpensive alternative to low-molecular-weight heparin for preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE), a common complication after total hip replacement.

Using low-molecular-weight heparin for 30 days after hip replacement has been shown to reduce the rate of VTE, but it is expensive and is associated with bleeding after surgery.

Risk factors affect the incidence of childhood pneumonia in modern urban apartment?

Childhood pneumonia is the leading causes of death among children in China and worldwide. Using coal or wood as cooking fuel in rural area was considered as major cause of Pneumonia. However, the incidence of childhood pneumonia is still high in urban modern cities. Which home risk factors affect the incidence of childhood pneumonia in modern urban apartment? Professor Hua QIAN and his group from School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University set out to research this problem.

Oddest couple ever found

Synchrotron imaging reveals odd couple - 250 million years ago, a mammal forerunner and an amphibian shared a burrow.

Scientists from South Africa, Australia and France have discovered a world first association while scanning a 250 million year old fossilized burrow from the Karoo Basin of South Africa.