Body

Teens who participate in sports show lower levels of hazardous drinking

New research in Criminal Behavior and Mental Health aimed to find the relationship between participation in organized sports and an increase in hazardous drinking. Unlike previous research, the study focused on an underrepresented group – young offenders – adolescents who were either excluded from school or involved with the justice system.

Citizen scientists map the flyways of North American birds

Flyways used by migratory birds as they travel across America have long been a topic of fascination for ornithologists. For larger species like waterfowl that are easily visible during their migratory flights, these flyways have been described, but until now the flyways for smaller-bodied birds have been largely based on conjecture.

Is Duloxetine more or less effective than Fluoxetine in children and teens with MDD?

New Rochelle, NY, May 19, 2014—Two studies of the anti-depressive drug duloxetine, a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI), compared its effectiveness and safety to either fluoxetine or placebo in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Having and raising offspring is costly phase of life for baboon moms

Observations made over the past 29 years in Kenya as part of one of the world's longest-running studies of a wild primate show how having offspring influences the health of female baboons. These observations highlight that females are mostly injured on days when they are likely to conceive. In addition, injuries heal the slowest when they are suckling their young. The study, published in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, is led by Elizabeth Archie of the University of Notre Dame in the US and the National Museums of Kenya.

Air pollution exposure in second trimester may increase asthma risk in children

ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO ─ Children who are exposed in utero to high levels of particulate air pollution during the second trimester of pregnancy may be at greater risk of developing asthma in early childhood, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

Dyspnea increases long-term mortality risk

ATS 2014, SAN DIEGO ─ Individuals with dyspnea, or shortness of breath, have an increased long-term mortality risk compared with individuals without dyspnea, according to a new study presented at the 2014 American Thoracic Society International Conference.

Gastroenterology highlights new microbiome research

Bethesda, MD (May 19, 2014) — The editors of Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute, are pleased to announce the publication of this year's highly anticipated special 13th issue on the intestinal microbiome, which is considered one of the hottest areas of science today.

Robot-assisted prostate cancer surgery as safe but more expensive as open surgery in older men

DETROIT – Minimally invasive robot-assisted surgery, which has become the main choice for surgically removing cancerous prostate glands during recent years, is as safe as open surgery for Medicare patients over age 65.

Those are the primary findings of a newly published nationwide patient survey that included participation by researchers at Henry Ford Hospital, a pioneer of robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP).

The spot-tail golden bass: A new fish species from deep reefs of the southern Caribbean

Smithsonian scientists describe a colorful new species of small coral reef sea bass from depths of 182–241 m off Curaçao, southern Caribbean. With predominantly yellow body and fins, the new species, Liopropoma santi, closely resembles the other two "golden basses" found together with it at Curaçao: L. aberrans and L. olneyi.

Neutron beams reveal how antibodies cluster in solution

Scientists have used small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) and neutron spin-echo (NSE) techniques for the first time to understand how monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), a class of targeted biopharmaceuticals used to treat autoimmune disorders and cancer, dynamically cluster and move in high concentration solutions. Certain mAb cluster arrangements can thicken pharmaceutical solutions; they could thus limit the feasible concentration of injectables administered to patients around the world.

The young sperm, poised for greatness

SALT LAKE CITY— In the body, a skin cell will always be skin, and a heart cell will always be heart. But in the first hours of life, cells in the nascent embryo become totipotent: they have the incredible flexibility to mature into skin, heart, gut, or any type of cell.

It was long assumed that the joining of egg and sperm launched a dramatic change in how and which genes were expressed. Instead, new research shows that totipotency is a step-wise process, manifesting as early as in precursors to sperm, called adult germline stem cells (AGSCs), which reside in the testes.

New technique to prevent anal sphincter lesions due to episiotomy during child delivery

Results of a 10-year long multinational research project on Technologies for Anal Sphincter analysis and Incontinence (TASI) are available in:Corrado Cescon, Diego Riva , Vita Začesta, Kristina Drusany-Starič, Konstantinos Martsidis,Olexander Protsepko, Kaven Baessler, Roberto MerlettiEffect of vaginal delivery on the external anal sphincter muscle innervation pattern evaluated by multichannel surface EMG: results of the multicentre study TASI-2International Urogynecology Journal, DOI 10.1007/s00192-014-2375-0.

Studies published in NEJM identify promising drug therapies for fatal lung disease

LOS ANGELES (May 18, 2014) – Researchers in separate clinical trials found two drugs slow the progression of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, a fatal lung disease with no effective treatment or cure, and for which there is currently no therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Chinese scientists crack the genome of another diploid cotton Gossypium arboreum

Shenzhen, May 18, 2014---Chinese scientists from Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and BGI successfully deciphered the genome sequence of another diploid cotton-- Gossypium arboreum (AA) after the completed sequencing of G. raimondii (DD) in 2012. G. arboreum, a cultivated cotton, is a putative contributor for the A subgenome of cotton. Its completed genome will play a vital contribution to the future molecular breeding and genetic improvement of cotton and its close relatives. The latest study today was published online in Nature Genetics.

Painkillers may decrease susceptibility to recurring urinary infections

Women plagued by repeated urinary tract infections may be able to prevent the infections with help from over-the-counter painkillers, new research in mice shows.

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis found that inhibiting COX-2, an immune protein that causes inflammation, eliminated recurrent urinary tract infections in the mice.

COX-2 is one of the proteins blocked by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen.