Body

WHO: Orthopaedic surgeons Geoffrey S. Marecek, MD, and Michael F. Schafer, MD, co-authors of a new literature review outlining the potential limitations and necessary precautions for driving after orthopaedic surgery and procedures.

A new way to build membrane-crossing pores, using Lego-like DNA building blocks, has been developed by scientists at UCL, in collaboration with colleagues at the University of Cambridge and the University of Southampton.

The approach provides a simple and low cost tool for synthetic biology and the technique has potential applications in diagnostic devices and drug discovery. The research is featured in the current issue of the journal Angewandte Chemie.

WASHINGTON – The United Nations (UN) is working to ensure that the benefits of genetic resources are shared in a fair and equitable way via the Nagoya Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity, though questions remain about how this treaty will impact research in synthetic biology.

A new report from the Synthetic Biology Project at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars looks at how the protocol may affect U.S. researchers working in the field of synthetic biology.

Toronto - Applying for a job can be stressful at the best of times and even more so in today's very competitive job market. For some it is especially daunting when standardized tests—a proven tool in the selection process—are required. A new study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology shows that candidates' reactions impact their performance on the test and on the job, but don't change the ability of the tests to reliably predict job performance.

Women who underwent bariatric surgery experienced better sexual functioning, improvement in reproductive hormones, and better health-related and weight-related quality of life, according to a report published Online First by JAMA Surgery, a JAMA Network publication.

Patients who are obese frequently report changes in sexual functioning and decreased sexual satisfaction, although few studies have investigated changes in sexual functioning and sex hormone levels in women who have lost weight, according to the study background.

PHILADELPHIA - The first study to look extensively at sexual function in women who underwent bariatric surgery found that significant improvements in overall sexual function, most reproductive hormones and in psychological status were maintained over two years following surgery. Women reporting the poorest quality of sexual function prior to surgery saw the most dramatic improvements one year after surgery, on par with women who reported the highest quality of sexual function prior to surgery.

In 3-year follow-up after bariatric surgery, substantial weight loss was observed among individuals who were severely obese, with most of the change occurring during the first year; however, there was variability in the amount of weight loss, as well as in diabetes, blood pressure, and lipid outcomes, according to a study published online by JAMA.

In an analysis that included nearly 1,000 patients, self-reported weights following bariatric surgery were close to measured weights, suggesting that self-reported weights used in studies are accurate enough to be used when measured weights are not available, according to a Research Letter published online by JAMA.

"Obtaining standardized weights in long-term studies can be difficult. Self-reported weights are more easily obtained, but less accurate than those from a calibrated scale and may be inaccurately reported," according to background information in the article.

Questions have been raised about the advice given to patients with a cold and sore throat, in research published in the British Medical Journal.

A study carried out by the University of Southampton showed that compared with paracetamol, ibuprofen or a combination of both ibuprofen and paracetamol provide no advantage for patients overall with respiratory tract infections (otherwise known as colds or sore throats).

GOODYEAR, AZ – October 30th 2013 – Glen J. Weiss, MD, Director of Clinical Research, Cancer Treatment Centers of America® (CTCA) is presenting two key studies, including one today at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) 15th World Conference on Lung Cancer being held in Sydney, Australia.

The first study, presented on October 28, involved recent results of the investigational drug, TSR-011, a potent, orally available ALK and TRK inhibitor being developed for the treatment of solid tumors including lung cancer.

A team of British researchers, led by the University of York, is warning governments and healthcare decision makers across the globe to be wary of the myths and hype surrounding medical tourism.

In an article, to be published in the journal Policy & Politics by Policy Press, the researchers challenge the idea that ever greater numbers of patients are prepared to travel across national borders to receive medical treatment.

NEW YORK (4 November 2013) – The Population Council, an international organization that conducts research to address critical health and development issues, will present findings from more than 40 studies at the International Conference on Family Planning in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (November 12-15, 2013).

Just think of the warty comb jelly or sea walnut, as it is also known. It has caused tremendous damage to fisheries in the Black Sea after arriving in ballast water from its original habitat along the East coast of North America. This example should serve as a warning to everyone to take care and not to introduce new species into our waters.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a type of mutation that develops after breast cancer patients take anti-estrogen therapies. The mutations explain one reason why patients often become resistant to this therapy.

The study appears online in Nature Genetics.

A rudimentary form of life that is found in some of the harshest environments on earth is able to sidestep normal replication processes and reproduce by the back door, researchers at The University of Nottingham have found.

The study, published in the journal Nature, centres on Haloferax volcanii — part of a family of single-celled organisms called archaea that until recently were thought to be a type of bacteria.