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Gossip in the workplace: A weapon or gift, new research from IU

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Gossip in the workplace can be a weapon in reputational warfare or a gift and can offer clues to power and influence not found on organizational charts. New research from Indiana University details how the weapon is wielded -- and its influence muted -- in a rare study that catches this national pastime on video.

Dining out in an ocean of plastic: How foraging albatrosses put plastic on the menu

The North Pacific Ocean is now commonly referred to as the world's largest garbage dump with an area the size of the continental United States covered in plastic debris. The highly mobile Laysan albatross (Phoebastria immutabilis), which forages throughout the North Pacific, is quickly becoming the poster child for the effects of plastic ingestion on marine animals due to their tendency to ingest large amounts of plastic.

Global warming cycles threaten endangered primate species

Two Penn State University researchers have carried out one of the first-ever analyses of the effects of global warming on endangered primates. This innovative work by Graduate Student Ruscena Wiederholt and Associate Professor of Biology Eric Post examined how El Niño warming affected the abundance of four New World monkeys over decades. The research will be published on 28 October 2009 in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters, a fast-track journal of the Royal Society of London.

French male bears in immediate need of more females

The population of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in France is now so small that the species might become extinct in the near future. However, there is new hope in the form of new research published October 28 in the open-access, peer-reviewed journal PLoS ONE, which suggests that relocating new bears doesn't just boost the population size but can also reverse some of the causes of the population decline.

When ants attack: Researchers recreate chemicals that trigger aggression in Argentine ants

Berkeley – Experiments led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have demonstrated that normally friendly ants can turn against each other by exploiting the chemical cues they use to distinguish colony-mates from rivals.

The new study, to be published Wednesday, Oct. 28, in the open-access journal BMC Biology, sheds light on the factors influencing the social behavior of the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, and provides hope for a new tactic in controlling the spread of this invasive species.

Research: Migraine and cardiovascular disease: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Migraine with aura (temporary visual or sensory disturbances before or during a migraine headache) is associated with a twofold increased risk of stroke, finds a study published on bmj.com today. Further risk factors for stroke among patients with migraine are being a woman, being young, being a smoker, and using oestrogen containing contraceptives.

The risk was highest among young women with migraine with aura who smoke and use oestrogen containing contraceptives.

BMJ raises concerns over 'outlawed' gagging clauses in NHS contracts

Despite government outlawing of gagging clauses in NHS contracts, new evidence published on bmj.com today reveals how some trusts have continued to use them.

The first case relates to a dispute between Liverpool Women's NHS Foundation Trust and Peter Bousfield, a long serving consultant, who was offered early retirement and a termination payment after he had raised a series of concerns about patient safety.

Swine flu vaccine must be free and safe for high uptake

Almost half of adults surveyed in Summer 2009 in Hong Kong (45%) say they would take up free swine flu vaccination. However, this figure drops to around 1 in 7 (15%) if the price they have to pay for the vaccine reaches $HK200 (£16; €17; $26). In the absence of proved efficacy and safety, the figure decreases to less than 1 in 20 (5%), according to one of the first studies on behavioural intentions and A/H1N1 vaccination, published on bmj.com today.

UAB research could boost coastal economics with crustacean molting on demand

UAB biologist and researcher Doug Watson, Ph.D., and his research team believe they have identified the blue crab molt-inhibiting hormone (MIH) receptor, a key protein in the cellular pathway that controls molting. They are testing a compound designed to block the MIH receptor in the hopes of inducing molting.

Alternative to pap test does not appear to be better for detecting cervical cancer

A Dutch study that included nearly 90,000 women finds that liquid-based cytology, a commonly used alternative to conventional Pap tests, is not superior to Pap tests for the detection of cervical cancer precursors or cancer, according to a study in the October 28 issue of JAMA.

Quality improvement program increases hospitals' adherence to evidenced-based care

Participation in the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® quality improvement program significantly improves hospitals' adherence to evidence-based therapies and reduces gender- and age-related disparities in the care of coronary artery disease patients, according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality & Outcomes, a journal of the American Heart Association.

A healthy dose of exercise is good medicine for lymphoma patients

A healthy dose of exercise is good medicine, even for lymphoma patients receiving chemotherapy, University of Alberta researchers have found.

The Healthy Exercise for Lymphoma Patients (HELP) trial, a three-year study led by Kerry Courneya, Canada Research Chair in physical activity and cancer in the Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation, found that a regimen of aerobic exercise training produced significant improvements in physical functioning and overall quality of life benefits in patients with lymphoma.

Scientists use world's fastest supercomputer to create the largest HIV evolutionary tree

LOS ALAMOS, New Mexico, October 27, 2009— Supporting Los Alamos National Laboratory's role in the international Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI) consortium, researchers are using the Roadrunner supercomputer to analyze vast quantities of genetic sequences from HIV infected people in the hope of zeroing in on possible vaccine target areas.

Stanford study recommends change in treating pulmonary embolisms

STANFORD, Calif. — William Kuo, MD, was the on-call interventional radiologist one Friday night three years ago when he received a call from the intensive care unit at Stanford Hospital & Clinics. He was asked to attend to a 62-year-old woman who had collapsed at home and was rushed to the emergency room with massive blood clots in her lungs.

Alkaline exposure can damage teeth, study finds

It has long been known that acids can erode tooth enamel but a new Swedish study from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, shows that strong alkaline substances can damage teeth too - substances with high pH values can destroy parts of the organic content of the tooth, leaving the enamel more vulnerable.

The study was carried out at the Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine at the Sahlgrenska Academy and published in the Journal of Dentistry.