Culture

WASHINGTON -- April 19, 2012 – Research!America Chair John Edward Porter says federal budget negotiations heighten urgency to protect research funding in tight fiscal environment.

People with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NALFD) who consume alcohol in modest amounts – no more than one or two servings per day – are half as likely to develop hepatitis as non-drinkers with the same condition, reports a national team of scientists led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine.

The findings are published in the April 19, 2012 online issue of The Journal of Hepatology.

(CHICAGO) – In the 19th century, Jean-Martin Charcot, the celebrated neurologist, developed a "vibration chair," to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Charcot reported improvements in his patients, but he died shortly thereafter and a more complete evaluation of the therapy was never conducted. Now, a group of neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center have replicated his work in a study to see if Charcot's observation holds true against modern scientific testing.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- In a study appearing this month in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, MIT researchers report that emissions from cars, trucks, planes and powerplants cause 13,000 premature deaths in the United Kingdom each year.

Amsterdam, NL, 19 April 2012 – In the 19th century, the celebrated neurologist, Jean-Martin Charcot, developed a "vibration chair" to relieve symptoms of Parkinson's disease. He reported improvements in his patients, but he died shortly thereafter and a more complete evaluation of the therapy was never conducted. Now a group of scientists at Rush University Medical Center have replicated his work, and they report that while vibration therapy does significantly improve some symptoms of Parkinson's disease, the effect is due to placebo or other nonspecific factors, and not the vibration.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Every year, more than a million Americans receive an artificial hip or knee prosthesis. Such implants are designed to last many years, but in about 17 percent of patients who receive a total joint replacement, the implant eventually loosens and has to be replaced early, which can cause dangerous complications for elderly patients.

To help minimize these burdensome operations, a team of MIT chemical engineers has developed a new coating for implants that could help them better adhere to the patient's bone, preventing premature failure.

A University of Leicester study has provided clear evidence that allowing a patient to see a particular doctor in the GP surgery has an important impact on reducing hospital admissions.

Between 1999-2000 and 2009-2010 elective (non-emergency) hospital admissions in England increased by 28% to 9.4 million. Over the same period, there was an increase of 35% in emergency admissions.

Washington, DC (April 17, 2012) Children from the age of 8 months to 8 years are exposed to nearly 4 hours of background TV per day, according to a top paper to be presented at the International Communication Association's annual conference (Phoenix, AZ, May 24-28).

Barcelona, Spain, Thursday 19 April 2012: New data presented at the International Liver Congress™ 2012 shows consolidation of the interferon-free (IFN) revolution in HCV treatment. The much anticipated data from a number of clinical trials confirm that combinations of antivirals offer the hope of shorter, more effective treatment with fewer side effects.(1,2,3,4,5,6)

Barcelona, Spain, Thursday 19 April 2012: New data from a number of clinical trials presented for the first time at the International Liver Congress™ 2012 provides hope for previously difficult to treat hepatitis C (HCV) patient populations.

Barcelona, Spain, Thursday 19 April 2012: EASL today announced the publication of a new clinical practice guideline (CPG) in the area of Alcoholic Liver Disease (ALD), bringing the number of CPGs published to date to eight.

A US study presented today at The International Liver CongressTM 2012 demonstrates that the entire HCV lifecycle can be recapitulated in murine cells, implying that HCV permissive mouse models could soon be developed.(1)

The data suggests that HCV replication in the murine environment is limited by innate immune responses. Inactivating these pathways and the expression of the appropriate entry factors and miR-122 creates murine fibroblasts that can be infected and support replication.

Dubai (19 April 2012): Left-ventricular hyper-trabeculation (LVHT) – a feature of certain cardiomyopathies (chronic disease of the heart muscle) – has been found to be more common in black, male athletes according to a new study presented today at the World Congress of Cardiology.

DETROIT – For the more than 36 million people plagued by tinnitus, insomnia can have a negative effect on the condition, worsening the functional and emotional toll of chronic ringing, buzzing, hissing or clicking in the head and ears, according to a new study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit.

The study shows a significant association between insomnia and the severity of perceived tinnitus symptoms, with patients with insomnia reporting greater emotional distress from tinnitus.

Online dating scammers groom their victims by developing 'hyper-personal' relationships which can leave victims feeling doubly traumatised.

This is one of the findings of a study by Professor Monica Whitty, of the University of Leicester, who presents her research at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference today (19 April), held at the Grand Connaught Rooms, London (18-20 April).