Body

A new genomic test for prostate cancer can help predict whether men are more likely to harbor an aggressive form of the disease, according to a new UC San Francisco study. The test, which improves risk assessment when patients are first diagnosed, can also aid in determining which men are suitable for active surveillance – a way of managing the disease without direct treatment.

Swedish and Spanish engineers have created a system of sensors that detects fruit odours more effectively than the human sense of smell. For now, the device can distinguish between the odorous compounds emitted by pears and apples.

Researchers from the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV, Spain) and the University of Gävle (Sweden) have created an electronic nose with 32 sensors that can identify the odours given off by chopped pears and apples.

A gene associated with both protection against bacterial infection and excessive blood clotting could offer new insights into treatment strategies for deep-vein thrombosis -- the formation of a harmful clot in a deep vein. The gene produces an enzyme that, if inhibited via a specific drug therapy, could offer hope to patients prone to deep-vein clots, such as those that sometimes form in the legs during lengthy airplane flights or during recuperation after major surgery.

Minneapolis, MN, May 8, 2013 – Tumors have the potential to grow locally and invade neighboring organs. Some chest tumors may invade one of the great vessels of the body, the aorta. Surgical removal of these tumors is very challenging and necessitates the support of a heart-lung machine. Therefore there is an increased risk of complication and death. In a small series of patients, placing a stent within the aorta facilitated the subsequent removal of tumor and eliminated the need for heart-lung bypass.

AURORA, Colo. (May 8, 2013) – Scientists have discovered that fat cells in the knee secrete a protein linked to arthritis, a finding that paves the way for new gene therapies that could offer relief and mobility to millions worldwide.

CHESTNUT HILL, MA (May 8, 2013) Can you imagine a world where a subway ride becomes the highlight of your day? Where going to the laundromat isn't such a dreary duty? A recent study published in the Journal of Service Research found that our perception of certain services can drastically change with the right adjustments, and not everyone needs Mickey Mouse and daily parades to make their experience magical.

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center say identifying and selecting participants for phase II cancer clinical trials from a centralized warehouse of patient-donated biological data expedites participant accrual, reduces trial size, saves money, and may speed test drugs through the drug development pipeline.

Their study, which analyzed datasets from recent clinical trials conducted at Moffitt, was published online March 15 in Statistical Methods in Medical Research.

The war on sunshine may finally be over. A new study found that exposing skin to sunlight may help to reduce blood pressure, cut the risk of heart attack and stroke – and even prolong life.

Researchers have shown that when our skin is exposed to the sun's rays, a compound is released in our blood vessels that helps lower blood pressure.

The findings suggest that exposure to sunlight improves health overall, because the benefits of reducing blood pressure far outweigh the risk of developing skin cancer.

SAN DIEGO – Robot-assisted surgery to remove kidney cancers has seen a rapid increase in use, and has both replaced and proven safer than laparoscopic procedures for the same purpose, according to a study by the Vattikuti Urology Institute at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

However, the study also shows that robotic partial nephrectomy (RPN) – while resulting in fewer complications than both open (OPN) and laparoscopic (LPN) removal of cancerous kidney tissue – also involves more "excessive" hospital charges.

DETROIT – While the number of people – especially women – who have a minimally invasive procedure to remove kidney stones has risen in recent years, so has the rate of complications related to the surgery, according to a published study by Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

The research, from Khurshid R. Ghani, M.D., of Henry Ford Hospital's Vattikuti Urology Institute, is in press in the Journal of Urology. Those findings will be presented May 7 at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association in San Diego.

From Ireland to the Balkans, Europeans are basically one big family, closely related to one another for the past thousand years, according to a new study of the DNA of people from across the continent.

The study co-authored by Graham Coop, a professor of evolution and ecology at the University of California, Davis, is in PLoS Biology. "What's remarkable about this is how closely everyone is related to each other. On a genealogical level, everyone in Europe traces back to nearly the same set of ancestors only a thousand years ago," Coop said.

From Ireland to the Balkans, Europeans are all closely related according to a new study of the DNA of people from across the continent. The study, conducted by Graham Coop at the University of California, Davis, and Peter Ralph of the University of Southern California, examined relatedness among Europeans up to about 3,000 years ago, comparing genetic sequences from over 2,000 individuals. Their results are published 7 May in the open access journal PLOS Biology.

Many adults 45 years and older in Africa have limited functional ability

The number of adults living into older age in sub-Saharan Africa is rapidly growing yet many older men and women will have an illness or disability that limits their ability to function, according to a study by researchers from the US and Malawi published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

Not only are women who have experienced violence from their partner (intimate partner violence) at higher risk of becoming depressed, but women who are depressed may also be at increased risk of experiencing intimate partner violence, according to a study by international researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine.

Furthermore, there may also be a link between intimate partner violence and subsequent suicide among women, but little evidence to support a similar finding in men.

Heiman Wertheim and Arjun Chandna from Oxford University and colleagues describe the launch and impact of VINARES, an initiative to strengthen antimicrobial stewardship in Viet Nam, which may be instructive for other countries struggling to address the threat of antimicrobial resistance.