Body

Biologist discovers pink-winged moth in Chiracahua Mountains

University of Arizona biologist Bruce Walsh has identified a new species of moth in southern Arizona. Normally, this is not a big deal. The region is one of the most biologically rich areas in the country and collectors have been finding hundreds of new species for decades. This one, however, is different.

Walsh is a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and a member of the UA's BIO5 Institute. He is best known in the science community as an authority on plant and animal breeding, having written one of the leading textbooks on the subject.

NIAID leaders outline research agenda for universal, voluntary HIV testing and treatment

Could a global program of universal, voluntary, annual HIV testing and immediate treatment for those who test positive effectively extinguish the HIV pandemic? Is such a program feasible? In the June 10 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, top HIV/AIDS research leaders at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, set forth a research agenda to answer these and other provocative questions that may help shape the future of HIV prevention.

Techniques appear to lower radiation exposure from cardiac scans without impairing image quality

An intervention that includes techniques to reduce the amount of radiation from cardiac computed tomography angiography (scanning used to diagnose coronary artery disease) was associated with decreasing patient exposure to radiation without significantly changing the quality of the images, according to a study in the June 10 issue of JAMA.

Donor stem cell transplantation associated with survival benefit for patients with leukemia

An analysis of previous studies indicates that allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) (stem cells from a compatible donor) is associated with significant overall and relapse-free survival benefit among adult patients with intermediate- and poor-risk but not good-risk acute myeloid leukemia in first complete remission, compared with nonallogeneic SCT therapies, according to an article in the June 10 issue of JAMA.

Study IDs benefit of donor SCT for adults with acute myeloid leukemia

BOSTON--A stem cell transplant (SCT) from a compatible donor early in the course of disease is the best approach for the majority of young and middle-aged adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), according to a new analysis of two dozen clinical studies.

UCLA study details quality of life for prostate cancer patients 4 years out from treatment

A long-term study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that the three most common treatments for localized prostate cancer had significant impacts on patients' quality of life, a finding that could help guide doctors and patients in making treatment decisions.

Wildlife Conservation Society supports world's first study of egg-laying mammal

A Wildlife Conservation Society research intern working in the wilds of Papua New Guinea has successfully completed what many other field biologists considered "mission impossible"—the first study of a rare egg-laying mammal called the long-beaked echidna.

Management strategies for high-risk stroke patients poor in a majority of cases: study

TORONTO, Ont., June 8, 2009 — A majority of high-risk stroke patients are less likely to meet clinical treatment targets to prevent repeat stroke or heart attacks compared to those with heart disease, suggesting the need to examine new therapeutic strategies, according to a study led by St. Michael's Hospital neurologist Dr. Gustavo Saposnik. What's more, medical procedures or ongoing specialty care may improve patients' awareness and consequent treatment success.

VBI researchers develop new method for breast cancer biomarker discovery

Blacksburg, Va. -- Three researchers from the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) at Virginia Tech have developed and evaluated a new one-step bioanalytical approach that allows them to profile in detail complex cellular extracts of proteins. The method has allowed the scientists to look at how the levels of proteins change in breast cancer cells when they are treated with hormones or cancer drugs like tamoxifen.

Researchers identify new risk factor gene for rheumatoid arthritis

Scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research and a team of collaborators from across the country have identified a new risk factor gene for rheumatoid arthritis. The paper will be published in Nature Genetics and the finding brings light to the nature of the disease. The gene, dubbed REL, is a member of the NF-B family, important transcription factors that have many roles in the body. The NF-B family seems to have a big hand in regulating the body's immune response as well.

Hypertension among lower-status employees lingers well into retirement

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — Retirement from some occupations may not provide relief from the potentially devastating health effects of work-related hypertension, according to a new study from UC Davis.

Published in the June issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the study is the first to show that retirement-aged Americans who held higher-status jobs — such as chief executives, financial managers and management analysts — tend to have the lowest rates of hypertension, while those who had lower-status jobs tend to have the highest rates.

Are socialists happier than capitalists?

Driven by a decline in satisfaction with work life and family life, overall well-being initially plummeted in countries directly affected by the fall of the Iron Curtain, reveals an important new study.

The research, forthcoming in the August 2009 issue of the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, expands our understanding of the correlation between happiness and democracy — and whether economic concerns outweigh political reforms in their impact on subjective well-being.

Study finds colorectal cancer rates increasing worldwide

ATLANTA—June 9, 2009—A new study finds colorectal cancer incidence rates for both males and females increased in 27 of 51 countries worldwide between 1983 and 2002, and points to increasing Westernization as being a likely culprit. The rise was seen primarily in economically transitioning countries including Eastern European countries, most parts of Asia, and some countries of South America. The study is the first in a peer-reviewed journal to present colorectal cancer incidence trends across all five continents.

Stopping diabetes damage with vitamin C

Researchers at the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center have found a way to stop the damage caused by Type 1 diabetes with the combination of insulin and a common vitamin found in most medicine cabinets.

While neither therapy produced desired results when used alone, the combination of insulin to control blood sugar together with the use of Vitamin C, stopped blood vessel damage caused by the disease in patients with poor glucose control. The findings appear this week in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Antibiotics, antimicrobials and antifungals in waterways

Montreal, June 9, 2009 – Antibiotics, antimicrobials and antifungals are seeping into the waterways of North America, Europe and East Asia, according to an investigation published in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). Authored by Université de Montréal and Environment Canada researchers, the review found that consumption of anti-infectives for human and agriculture use contributes to their release into the environment and even into drinking water.