Body

New treatment proposed to prevent intestinal inflammation in cancer patients

Jerusalem, Feb. 18, 2014 – Experimental work pointing to a therapy for alleviating mucositis -- a common, severe side effect of chemotherapy and irradiation of cancer patients or patients prepared for bone marrow transplantation – has been achieved by an international team of researchers from the US and Israel headed by scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Saving Sochi's slopes: How artificial snow is made

WASHINGTON, Feb. 18, 2014 — In what may be the warmest Winter Olympics on record, Sochi looks more like SoCal by the day. With few real snowflakes around to blanket Sochi's slopes, the latest episode of the American Chemical Society's Reactions YouTube series explains how science keeps the Winter Olympics alive with artificial snow. The video is available at http://youtu.be/ftMFMlk6FlA.

Workers, get up and move

Are you active at your job? If you're like most workers, you probably aren't. And the consequences could be deadly.

A team of researchers at the University of Iowa measured physical activity in police, whose jobs are presumably predicated on movement. Yet the group found that police officers burn as much energy on the job as someone sitting while holding a baby or washing dishes.

Study points out inequalities in prescribing blood pressure meds

Primary care doctors are not quick to prescribe antihypertensive medication to young people even after an average of 20 months of high blood pressure. Young adults who are white, male, not on Medicaid and not frequent clinic visitors are especially less likely to receive medication. These are the results of a study¹ by a research team at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the United States led by Heather Johnson. It appears in the Journal of General Internal Medicine², published by Springer.

Nanodiamond-embedded contact lenses may improve glaucoma treatment

By 2020, nearly 80 million people are expected to have glaucoma, a disorder of the eye that, if left untreated, can damage the optic nerve and eventually lead to blindness.

The disease often causes pressure in the eye due to a buildup of fluid and a breakdown of the tissue that is responsible for regulating fluid drainage. Doctors commonly treat glaucoma using eye drops that can help the eye drain or decrease fluid production.

Ticks may cause double trouble, Stanford scientists find

As winter turns to spring and many Northern Californians plan outdoor adventures, a mysterious, potentially debilitating threat looms.

UCI study finds specific genetic cue for sudden cardiac death syndrome

Irvine, Calif., Feb. 18, 2014 — UC Irvine researchers have found a specific genetic flaw that is connected to sudden death due to heart arrhythmia – a leading cause of mortality for adults around the world.

While a number of genes have been linked with arrhythmias, UC Irvine's Geoffrey Abbott and his colleagues discovered that the functional impairment of a gene called KCNE2 underlies a multisystem syndrome that affects both heart rhythm and blood flow and can activate chemical triggers that can cause sudden cardiac death.

Breakthrough development of flexible 1D-1R memory cell array

With the introduction of curved smartphones, flexible electronic goods are gradually moving to the center stages of various markets. Flexible display technology is the culmination of the latest, cutting-edge electric cell device technology. Developing such products, however, requires not only a curved display, but also operational precision of other parts, including the memory, in a flexible state.

Loyola researchers identify risk factor for life-threatening disease in preemies

MAYWOOD – Many premature infants suffer a life-threatening bowel infection called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

Researchers at Loyola University Health System have identified a marker to identify those at risk for the infection, enabling doctors to employ early preventive strategies. These findings were published in the latest issue of the Journal of Pediatric Surgery.

Metal in the heart is non-hazardous to health

Jena (Germany) A trousers button, a coin or a watch can be dangerous for people with a nickel allergy. Approximately 1 in 10 Germans is allergic to the metal. "This raises the question of the safety of medical implants containing nickel," explains Professor Dr. Markus Rettenmayr of the Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Germany). Nickel-titanium alloys are increasingly used as material for cardiovascular implants in minimal invasive surgery.

Molecular biology mystery unravelled

The nature of the machinery responsible for the entry of proteins into cell membranes has been unravelled by scientists, who hope the breakthrough could ultimately be exploited for the design of new anti-bacterial drugs.Groups of researchers from the University of Bristol and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) used new genetic engineering technologies to reconstruct and isolate the cell's protein trafficking machinery.

Its analysis has shed new light on a process which had previously been a mystery for molecular biologists.

Perception of job insecurity results in lower use of workplace programs

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — With the hangover from the Great Recession still lingering, the specter of job loss continues to loom for most workers.

But even just the perception of job insecurity can present notable problems for organizations and employees, says research co-written by a University of Illinois expert in organizational behavior and human resources management.

Sochi games influenced by Lake Placid winter Olympics of 1932

Eight crashes that sent more than a dozen competitors to the hospital marred bobsled practice runs leading up to the 1932 winter Olympic games in Lake Placid, N.Y., but as dramatic as those incidents were, they also provide insight into more ordinary factors that continue to influence the Olympics, according to a Penn State researcher.

Experimental drug could enhance multiple myeloma and myeloid leukemia therapies

A pre-clinical study led by Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and Department of Internal Medicine researchers suggests that an experimental drug known as dinaciclib could improve the effectiveness of certain multiple myeloma and myeloid leukemia therapies. The study, recently published in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, showed that dinaciclib disrupted a cell survival mechanism known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). Without the UPR, multiple myeloma and myeloid leukemia cells were unable to combat damage caused by some anti-cancer agents.

Ben-Gurion U. researchers reveal that organic agriculture can pollute groundwater

BEER-SHEVA, Israel, February 18, 2014… Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU), using specialized monitoring technology, have determined that intensive organic agriculture in greenhouses in Israel can cause significant pollution from nitrate leaching into groundwater.