Body

With its narrow connection to the North Sea, strong currents, a large number of river estuaries and a bottom profile marked by ridges, basins and troughs, the Baltic represents an inland sea with highly different water qualities. The fact that these morphological and hydrographic conditions can also influence the fate of fish stocks has now been shown by a team of fisheries biologists from GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel and the National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua) at the Technical University of Denmark.

Scientists at the University of Bristol have discovered that a mechanism for preventing mutation within important genes involves long distance scanning of DNA by a molecular motor protein.

The results, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), show that the method for detecting DNA damage within active genes is more sophisticated than previously thought.

It has become increasingly clear in recent years that asthma comes in several variations, with different causes, different pathologies and different responses to therapy. These subtypes of asthma can be identified by knowing which genes are expressed at higher and lower levels in patients' airways. That information can, in turn, help guide personalized treatment to more effectively manage asthma and inspire research to better understand, manage, and possibly prevent asthma.

Researchers in Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal, have conducted a study – published online in the International Journal of Epidemiology today – that shows assisted suicide is more common in women, the divorced, those living alone, the more educated, those with no religious affiliation, and those from wealthier areas.

Scientists are testing vaginal pessaries containing 'good' probiotic bacteria for the treatment of vaginal thrush. Research published today (19 February) in the Society for Applied Microbiology's Journal of Applied Microbiology shows that this approach is likely to be a viable alternative to using precious antimicrobial drugs.

(TORONTO, Canada – Feb. 19, 2014) – Results of the first clinical study to assess the impact of providing early outpatient palliative care versus standard oncology care in a wide range of advanced cancers show that earlier care improved quality of life and patient satisfaction.

The four-year study involved 461 patients at 24 medical oncology clinics at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, University Health Network (UHN) with advanced lung, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, breast and gynecologic cancers.

China is home to about one third of the world's smokers and reducing smoking in China could have an enormous public health impact, even on a global scale.

Even though China raised the tax on tobacco products in 2009, this did not translate to higher retail prices for consumers and the only ban that has been enforced is on public transport. WHO went on to publish a report in 2011 which stated that there were multiple opportunities to improve tobacco control.

STANFORD, Calif. — Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital Stanford have developed a way to scan young cancer patients' bodies for tumors without exposing them to radiation. The technique could reduce patients' risk of developing secondary cancers later in life.

WASHINGTON – Almost 13 million lives could be saved by 2050 in China if the country implements comprehensive tobacco control recommendations set forth by the World Health Organization (WHO).

That is the conclusion of a study led by Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) researchers published online today in the British Medical Journal.

In a striking case of pathogen transfer involving the bacterium responsible for human acne, P. acnes, authors Campisano, et. al., report in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution on a new type of P. acnes which exploits grapevines, dubbing it P. acnes type Zappae. They named the bacterium after the Italian term "zappa," meaning, hoe, as well as a tribute to eclectic composer Frank Zappa, who once wrote of "sand-blasted zits" in one of his most famous satirical songs, "Jewish Princess," from his controversial '79 "Sheik Yerbouti "album.

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) Feb. 18, 2014 – New research suggests scientific institutions and organizations can improve their communication and outreach with the public by addressing people's strongly held beliefs about science and its role in society. These beliefs play a key role in shaping people's opinions, and ultimately, their support for scientific advances, according to the study "Understanding Public Opinion in Debates Over Biomedical Research: Looking Beyond Partisanship to Focus on Beliefs about Science and Society," by American University professor Matthew C.

Cold Spring Harbor, NY – Big Data is everywhere, and we are constantly told that it holds the answers to almost any problem we want to solve. Companies collect information on how we shop, doctors and insurance companies gather our medical test results, and governments compile logs of our phone calls and emails. In each instance, the hope is that critical insights are hidden deep within massive amounts of information, just waiting to be discovered.

WASHINGTON D.C. Feb. 18, 2014 -- For the more than one million people with HIV/AIDS in the United States (and the over 34 million people living with HIV/AIDS around the world), antiretroviral drugs such as efavirenz and other so-called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs) in combination with other antiretrovirals can be a lifeline, because they slow the progress of viral infection, prolonging life.

Stanford, CA— As every gardner knows, nitrogen is crucial for a plant's growth. But nitrogen absorption is inefficient. This means that on the scale of food crops, adding significant levels of nitrogen to the soil through fertilizer presents a number of problems, particularly river and groundwater pollution. As a result, finding a way to improve nitrogen uptake in agricultural products could improve yields and decrease risks to environmental and human health.

In an analysis that included nearly 300,000 patients from eight states who underwent ambulatory surgery (surgery performed on a person who is admitted to and discharged from a hospital on the same day), researchers found that the rates of surgical site infections were relatively low; however, the absolute number of patients with these complications is substantial, according to a study in the February 19 issue of JAMA.