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Ecologists start new Antarctic season with paper comparing animals' handling of adversity

BOZEMAN, MONT. – Montana State University ecologists who are about to return to Antarctica for another season had to adapt to dramatic changes in the sea ice last year.

Now they have published a paper that says the Weddell seals they monitor had to deal with some dramatic changes in ice in recent years, too. In fact, the seals handled the adverse conditions well and suffered less than the Emperor penguins in that region.

Mayo Clinic: Melanoma up to 2.5 times likelier to strike transplant, lymphoma patients

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Melanoma is on the rise nationally, and transplant recipients and lymphoma patients are far likelier than the average person to get that form of skin cancer and to die from it, a Mayo Clinic review has found. That is because their immune systems tend to be significantly depressed, making early detection of melanoma even more important, says co-author Jerry Brewer, M.D., a Mayo dermatologist.

New fanged dwarf dinosaur from southern Africa ate plants

Self-defense and competitive sparring for mates is more likely their role, argues Sereno in the study, based on microscopic examination of the teeth of Pegomastax and kin. Wear facets and chipped enamel suggest that the fangs of Pegomastax and other heterodontosaurs were used like those of living fanged deer for nipping or even digging rather than slicing flesh.

Study suggests stem cell transplant survivors at increased risk of developing heart disease

(WASHINGTON, October 3, 2012) – New research appearing online today in Blood, the Journal of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), suggests that long-term survivors of hematopoietic cell transplants (HCT) are at an increased risk of developing heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and

Got dry eyes? Measuring eyelid sensitivity may reflect the causes

Philadelphia, Pa. (October 3, 2012) - A simple test of eyelid sensitivity may help vision professionals in evaluating one of the most common eye-related symptoms: dry eyes.

The association of alcohol and tobacco with age at diagnosis among subjects with pancreatic cancer

Background: Pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PancCa) is a deadly disease, with essentially 100% mortality. Screening for the early detection of such cancer has not been shown to be feasible, and is currently not advised for asymptomatic people. Except for a genetic link for a small percentage of patients who have familial disease, the causes of PancCa are not known.

Rutgers study finds economic abuse affects maternal mental health, parenting

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. – Mothers who experience economic and psychological abuse during the first year of a relationship with their child's father are more likely to become depressed and spank the child in year five, researchers from the Rutgers School of Social Work have found.

Survey: Clinicians believe EHRs will have positive impact on health care

October 3, 2012 -- Survey results released today reveal that an overwhelming majority of clinicians believe that the electronic exchange of health information will have a positive impact on improving the quality of patient care, coordinating care, meeting the demands of new care models, and participating in third-party reporting and incentive programs.

New fanged dwarf dinosaur from southern Africa, ate plants

Self-defense and competitive sparring for mates is more likely their role, argues Sereno in the study, based on microscopic examination of the teeth of Pegomastax and kin. Wear facets and chipped enamel suggest that the fangs of Pegomastax and other heterodontosaurs were used like those of living fanged deer for nipping or even digging rather than slicing flesh.

For some women, genes may influence pressure to be thin

Genetics may make some women more vulnerable to the pressure of being thin, a study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders has found. From size-zero models to airbrushed film stars, thinness is portrayed as equaling beauty across Western culture, and it's an ideal often cited as a cause of eating disorder symptoms in young women.

New gender benchmarking study finds numbers of women in science and technology fields alarmingly low

New York, October 3, 2012 – In the first study of its kind, researchers have found that numbers of women in the science, technology and innovation fields are alarmingly low in the world's leading economies, and are actually on the decline in others, including the United States. The study maps the opportunities and obstacles faced by women in science across the US, EU, Brazil, South Africa, India, Korea and Indonesia.

Who was TV's first anchorman? IU professor's research finds it wasn't Walter Cronkite

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No kidding: The history of the first anchorman may have more to do with Will Ferrell than people might think, according to new research by a journalism historian at Indiana University.

While Ferrell is best known for playing Ron Burgundy in the 2004 comedy "Anchorman," he also famously parodied "Jeopardy" game show host Alex Trebek. Research by Mike Conway, an associate professor of journalism at IU, has found that the first "anchor man" was John Cameron Swayze, then a regular on the 1948 quiz show, "Who Said That?"

Discrimination from one's manager really bites

Mental health workers are more likely to be depressed or anxious when they experience discrimination from their managers than when it comes from patients, a study has found.

Discrimination from the patients' visitors also causes more distress than discrimination from the patients.

A research team led by Professor Stephen Wood at the University of Leicester's School of Management looked at the effects of prejudice, including sex, racial and age discrimination, from different groups of people on mental health workers.

Memory and thought-process training show promise in managing breast cancer symptoms

INDIANAPOLIS -- A new Indiana University study is the first of its kind to show it may be possible to improve memory and thought process speed among breast cancer survivors.

Sea urchin's spiny strength revealed

Sydney, Australia - For the first time, a team of Australian engineers has modelled the microscopic mechanics of a sea urchin's spine, gaining insight into how these unusual creatures withstand impacts in their aquatic environment.

The skeleton of the purple-spined sea urchin (Centrostephanus rodgersii), found in tidal waters along the coast of New South Wales, has many long spines extending from its core. These spiky features are used for walking, sensing their environment, and for protection against predators and rough surf.