Tech

Advance care planning improves end of life care and reduces stress, anxiety and depression in surviving relatives, according to new research published on bmj.com today.

Advance care planning has the potential to improve end of life care by enabling patients to discuss and document their future health wishes, and appoint a substitute decision maker (surrogate), thus increasing the likelihood of patient wishes being known and respected at the end of life.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2010 — Scientists today described the discovery of a new drug, which is currently in Phase II clinical trials, designed to specifically target the root cause of painful menstrual cramps, not just the symptoms. The condition, called dysmenorrhea, is the leading cause of absenteeism from school and work among women in their teens and 20s. The scientists described the study at the American Chemical Society (ACS) 239th National Meeting, being held here this week.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2010 — Scientists today reported widespread global contamination of sea sand and sea water with the endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA) and said that the BPA probably originated from a surprising source: Hard plastic trash discarded in the oceans and the epoxy plastic paint used to seal the hulls of ships.

"We were quite surprised to find that polycarbonate plastic biodegrades in the environment," said Katsuhiko Saido, Ph.D. He reported on the discovery today at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, being held here.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2010 — Scientists today reported development of the first two-in-one test that can simultaneously detect both the E. coli bacteria responsible for terrible food poisoning outbreaks, and the toxins, or poisons, that the bacteria use to cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and other symptoms in its victims. They described it at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), being held here this week.

As the electronics industry works toward developing smaller and more compact devices, the need to create new types of scaled-down semiconductors that are more efficient and use less power has become essential.

In a study to be published in the April issue of Nature Materials (currently available online), researchers from UCLA's Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science describe the creation of a new material incorporating spintronics that could help usher in the next generation of smaller, more affordable and more power-efficient devices.

Scott & White Healthcare researchers are studying an investigational agent that targets metastatic breast cancer to find if it can stop cancer cells from continuing to grow.

Breast cancer patients, whose disease has spread despite treatment, could be eligible to participate in a Phase II clinical trial to determine the efficacy of an investigational agent used to target the inner workings of cancer cells.

London (March 23, 2010) – In the new issue of Index on Censorship, 'Brave New Words', leading internet experts Ron Deibert and Rafal Rohozinski call for a new approach to tackling censorship online.

Cardiac nuclear imaging and computed tomography angiography (CCTA) still have an important role to play in cardiac disease diagnosis, say experts from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

A British computer hacker equipped with a "Dummies" guide recently tapped into the Pentagon. As hackers get smarter, computers get more powerful and national security is put at risk. The same goes for your own personal and financial information transmitted by phone, on the Internet or through bank machines.

African Americans die from cancer at higher rates than whites, studies have shown. Now, a new study led by Tracy Onega, PhD, MA, of Dartmouth Medical School finds that where patients are treated may partly explain these disparities in mortality.

SAN FRANCISCO, March 23, 2010 — Scientists today described development of a new method to determine the age of ancient mummies, old artwork, and other relics without causing damage to these treasures of global cultural heritage. Reporting at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS), they said it could allow scientific analysis of hundreds of artifacts that until now were off limits because museums and private collectors did not want the objects damaged.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – In 2009, approximately 40 percent of adults were single, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. In a new study, "I'm a Loser, I'm Not Married, Let's Just All Look at Me," a University of Missouri researcher examined the familial and societal messages given to women who are not married by their mid-30's. Although the number of single women has increased, the stigma associated with being single at that age has not diminished, according to the women in this study.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---Tiny generators developed at the University of Michigan could produce enough electricity from random, ambient vibrations to power a wristwatch, pacemaker or wireless sensor.

The energy-harvesting devices, created at U-M's Engineering Research Center for Wireless Integrated Microsystems, are highly efficient at providing renewable electrical power from arbitrary, non-periodic vibrations. This type of vibration is a byproduct of traffic driving on bridges, machinery operating in factories and humans moving their limbs, for example.

Both legitimate brewers and distillers - and authorities on the track of illicit alcohol from home stills - will soon have a helping hand. Measurement experts have unveiled a portable device to determine the strength of alcoholic drinks quickly and easily, almost anywhere. Published in the open access Chemistry Central Journal, the researchers show that their technique is just as accurate, and more sophisticated, than widely used lab-based methods.

NASA and the Japanese Space Agency's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission or TRMM satellite can estimate rainfall from space. TRMM is used to monitor tropical rainfall around the world, and can also calculate flood potential. TRMM data was used to create an animation of Tropical Cyclone Ului's track as it approached and made landfall in Queensland, Australia this weekend.