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Wintering in the sky: bighorn sheep move higher to cope with migration loss: Formerly migratory bighorn sheep that abandoned their traditional migration routes and winter range in the Teton Range in Wyoming because of human development are now wintering in some of the area's highest-elevation mountains instead of their traditional winter ranges at lower elevations, according to a study conducted by the USGS, University of Wyoming, Wyoming Game & Fish Department, National Park Service and U.S. Forest Service.

The human c-myc gene encodes a transcription factor (MYC) involved in the regulation of a vast number of other genes – it has been estimated that the transcription of about one in six genes is somehow under the control of MYC. Perhaps because of MYC's wide range of targets, mutations of the c-myc gene are frequently associated with a variety of tumours, not only with Burkitt's lymphoma. Mutations that lead to excessive amounts of the MYC protein are particularly threatening.

A list of 235 planthoppers from Iran is recorded along with distribution data. This list is based on previous studies on Iranian Auchenorrhyncha during last 100 years. In addition to the latest species names for any record, new combinations and the transferring one species at family level is proposed. The study was published in the open access journal Zookeys.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A physician team from Rhode Island Hospital led a study to evaluate the accuracy of the commonly used dehydration scales as they apply to children in a low-income country. Based on their experience in Rwanda, the researchers determined that none of the three scales were accurate predictors of severe dehydration in children with diarrhea and/or vomiting. The team calls for further research to develop and validate new clinical scales with greater accuracy for use in low-income countries.

The use of drospirenone-containing oral birth control pills is linked to a significantly higher risk of blood clots, both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, according to an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

CHICAGO -- A 10-year follow-up study examining iron-fortified vs. low-iron infant formula suggests that infants with high hemoglobin levels who received iron fortified infant formula have poorer long-term developmental outcomes.

The study, conducted in Santiago, Chile, was published online today ahead of print in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine and raises questions about the optimal amount of iron in infant formula.

A topically applied microbicide gel containing a potent anti-HIV drug has been found to significantly reduce infection when applied to rectal tissue that was subsequently exposed to HIV in the laboratory, according to a new study by the UCLA AIDS Institute. The gel was also found to be safe and acceptable to users.

The first-ever phase 1 clinical trial of the rectal HIV-prevention drug known as UC781, a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, is described in the current edition of the online journal PLoS ONE.

CINCINNATI -- Unexpected discovery of a new molecular signature for a destructive and often lethal pediatric liver disease may lead to a new therapeutic target for the hard-to-treat condition.

In a study that included human livers and a mouse model of biliary atresia, researchers report in the November Journal of Clinical Investigation that not all children with biliary atresia share the same disease process. Some patients have a second molecular conductor of disease called Th2 (T helper cell 2) immune system.

San Diego, CA, November 8, 2011 – Second hand smoke exposure among nonsmokers has declined over time as clean indoor air laws have been adopted. However, there has been concern that such laws might encourage smokers to smoke more in their homes or other private venues. Children living in a home with an adult smoker are up to twice as likely to take up smoking themselves.

CHICAGO – State policies banning all sugar-sweetened beverages in schools are associated with reduced in-school access and purchase of these beverages, however these policies are not associated with a reduction in overall consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

An international team of researchers has used ancient DNA to shed new light on the realism of horses depicted in prehistoric cave paintings.

The team, which includes researchers from the University of York, has found that all the colour variations seen in Paleolithic cave paintings – including distinctive 'leopard' spotting - existed in pre-domestic horse populations, lending weight to the argument that the artists were reflecting their natural environment.

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A new study shows a person's stroke risk profile, which includes high blood pressure, smoking, and diabetes, may also be helpful in predicting whether a person will develop memory and thinking problems later in the life. The research is published in the Nov. 8, 2011, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

CHICAGO – In a study conducted at 12 university-based research sites, there was wide variation in how best-estimate clinical diagnoses within the autism spectrum were assigned to individual children, according to a study being published Online First by the Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

Boston, Mass. -- The growth charts pediatricians use at well-baby visits can predict a baby's risk for obesity later in life, finds a population-based study from Children's Hospital Boston, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Healthcare.

CHICAGO – Integrating a coach-led neuromuscular warm-up prior to sports practice appeared to reduce the risk of lower extremity injuries in female high school soccer and basketball athletes, according to a report in the November issue of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.