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Six new species of Dracula ants from the Malagasy region have been discovered by scientists at the California Academy of Sciences. The discoveries, by postdoctoral fellow Masashi Yoshimura from Japan and curator of entomology Brian L.

(WASHINGTON, March 31, 2014) – New research further illuminates the heart-healthy benefits of the Mediterranean diet, tying the eating plan to lower levels of platelets and white blood cells, two markers of inflammation. Inflammation has an association with greater risk of heart attack and stroke.

A team of scientists from the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) at the National University of Singapore and National University Cancer Institute Singapore (NCIS), and their collaborators from the Cedars-Sinai Medical Centre, UCLA School of Medicine, demonstrated that a number of novel genetic defects are able to induce oesophageal cancer.

Limiting climate change to 2°C means shutting down coal power plants - an unpopular proposition for coal power companies. But a new study shows that delaying climate policies could prove even worse for power plant owners.

Tamiflu is one of the few available treatments for those who come down with the flu. But the virus quickly develops resistance; multiplying at a rate of several generations a day, these tiny pathogens rapidly accumulate genetic mutations. Because of this, they have a good chance of developing counterattacks to the antiviral. How can these infinitesimal variations be identified within the immensity of the virus' genetic code? EPFL researchers have created a computer tool that can shed light on the flu virus' formidable adaptability.

Flowering plants attract pollinating insects with scent from their flowers and bright colours. If they have become infested with herbivores like caterpillars, they attract beneficial insects like parasitic wasps with the help of scent signals from their leaves. The wasps then lay their eggs in the caterpillars and kill the parasites. Floral and foliar scents can, however, mutually reduce their attractiveness.

WASHINGTON (March 30, 2014) — Evolocumab, an injected form of a class of drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors that lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, also known as LDL-C or "bad cholesterol," outperformed ezetimibe with few side effects in patients unable to take statins, according to research from GAUSS-2 presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

WASHINGTON (March 30, 2014) — The novel inflammation inhibitor darapladib showed no primary-endpoint advantage over placebo in patients with chronic coronary heart disease treated with a high level of background care, although it did suggest possible benefits for more specific coronary artery-related endpoints, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. STABILITY is the first study to test this inflammation-prevention mechanism for reducing the likelihood that plaque will become an artery-blocking clot.

WASHINGTON (March 30, 2014) — The monoclonal antibody evolocumab produced highly significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad cholesterol," as an add-on to statins in all treatment groups, according to data from the LAPLACE-2 study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

WASHINGTON (March 30, 2014) — Patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure treated with renal denervation had low rates of adverse events and significant lowering of blood pressure at six months, according to a registry-based study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

Washington, D.C., March 31, 2014 ― Data presented from two meta-analyses using the Atherotech Vertical Auto Profile (VAP®) Lipid Panel showed the impact high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and remnant lipoprotein (RLP) cholesterol have on determining a patient's risk for hard coronary heart disease (CHD) endpoints, such as myocardial infarction or coronary death. Each analysis examined men and women without prevalent CHD enrolled in both the Framingham Offspring and Jackson Heart studies over eight years.

WASHINGTON (March 29, 2014) — Transcatheter aortic valve replacement with a self-expanding valve prosthesis for the first time has demonstrated significantly lower death rates at one year compared with conventional surgical valve replacement in high-risk patients with severe aortic stenosis, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session.

WASHINGTON (March 29, 2014) — Renal denervation fell short of primary and secondary efficacy goals in patients with severe resistant hypertension but did meet the primary safety endpoints, according to keenly awaited data from SYMPLICITY HTN-3 presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. This pivotal trial is the largest study conducted of renal artery denervation as a treatment for resistant hypertension and the most rigorously designed, including blinding and a sham treatment in the control arm.

WASHINGTON (March 31, 2014) — Giving patients steroids at the time of heart surgery does not improve health outcomes and appears to put them at greater risk of having a heart attack in the days following surgery, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 63rd Annual Scientific Session. The finding, which stems from the largest randomized trial in cardiac surgery ever conducted, challenges a practice that many surgeons have used for decades.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — University scholars are largely resisting the use of social media to circulate their scientific findings and engage their tech-savvy students, a Michigan State University researcher argues in a new paper.