|  Women suffer most from urinary tract infections, men more likely to be hospitalized  | While women are far more likely to suffer urinary tract infections, men are more prone to be hospitalized for treatment. The first-of-its-kind research for the most common bacterial infection in the US is important in providing predictors of hospital admission at a time when the health care industry is searching for ways to reduce costs. | Read More » How viral proteins are produced: New clues  | Understanding how viral proteins are produced can provide important clues on how we might interfere with the process. Scientists have discovered that a key protease of a particular virus breaks itself down into two different functional molecules. The findings may have important implications for the development of defense strategies against diseases caused by flaviviruses. | Read More » New more effective antimicrobials might rise from old  | By tinkering with their chemical structures, researchers have essentially re-invented a class of popular antimicrobial drugs, restoring and in some cases, expanding or improving, their effectiveness against drug-resistant pathogens in animal models. | Read More » From slowdown to shutdown: US leadership in biomedical research takes a blow, experts say  | The American Society for Cell Biology warns that temporary shutdown is inflicting long-term damage on American biomedicine. | Read More » Diamond 'super-Earth' may not be quite so precious  | An alien world believed to be the first-known planet to consist largely of diamond now appears less likely to be of such precious nature, according to a new analysis. | Read More » Young credit card users are more responsible than older borrowers  | If you think young people don't know how to manage money and pay down their credit cards, then you should think again. A new study shows young borrowers –- 18 to 25 years old -- are among the least likely credit card users to have a serious default on their cards. Not only that, they're also more likely to be good credit risks later in life. | Read More » Empathy helps children to understand sarcasm  | The greater the empathy skills of children, the easier it is for them to recognize sarcasm, according to a new study. | Read More » 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Multiscale models for complex chemical systems  | The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2013 to Martin Karplus, Michael Levitt and Arieh Warshel "for the development of multiscale models for complex chemical systems." | Read More » Aircraft noise linked to heart disease, study suggests  | Exposure to high levels of aircraft noise is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, find two studies published on bmj.com today. | Read More » A close look at the Toby Jug Nebula  | Located about 1200 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Carina (The Ship's Keel), the Toby Jug Nebula, more formally known as IC 2220, is an example of a reflection nebula. It is a cloud of gas and dust illuminated from within by a star called HD 65750. This star, a type known as a red giant, has five times the mass of our Sun but it is in a much more advanced stage of its life, despite its comparatively young age of around 50 million years. | Read More » 'Chimpanzees of a feather sit together': Friendships are based on similar personalities  | Like humans, many animals have close and stable friendships. However, until now, it has been unclear what makes particular individuals bond. Cognitive biologists have now found that chimpanzees choose for friends those who are similar to them in personality. | Read More » New type of impact crater discovered on Mars  | Lessons from underground nuclear tests and explosive volcanoes may hold the answer to how a category of unusual impact craters formed on Mars. | Read More » Scientists use blur to sharpen DNA mapping  | Researchers have found a simple way to pinpoint the location of specific sequences along single strands of DNA, a technique that could someday help diagnose genetic diseases. | Read More » Peer pressure's influence calculated by mathematician  | A mathematician has calculated how peer pressure influences society. | Read More » Crystal mysteries spiral deeper, chemists find  | Chemists have discovered crystal growth complexities, which at first glance appeared to confound 50 years of theory and deepened the mystery of how organic crystals form. But, appearances can be deceiving. | Read More » Experts discover the mother of Roman perfumes on the Mediterranean coast  | Researchers have described a new plant in the eastern Mediterranean, growing mainly near the coast. The importance of this discovery is that the plant is the maternal ancestor of a species of hybrid origin, Reseda odorata, used since Roman times due to the fragrance of its flowers, and whose essence was used in the ancient cosmetics industry. | Read More » Discovery of a 2,700-year-old portico in Greece  | A 2,700-year-old portico was discovered this summer on the site of the ancient city of Argilos in northern Greece, following an archaeological excavation. | Read More » Bat vision system could help protect buildings they roost in  | Vital data on bat behavior is being analyzed by a computer vision system. | Read More » Blood vessel cells can repair, regenerate organs  | Damaged or diseased organs may someday be healed with an injection of blood vessel cells, eliminating the need for donated organs and transplants. | Read More » Growing bacteria keep time, know their place  | Working with a synthetic gene circuit designed to coax bacteria to grow in a predictable ring pattern, scientists have revealed an under-appreciated contributor to natural pattern formation: Time. | Read More » High dietary intake of polyphenols are associated with longevity  | A scientific study has, for the first time, associated high polyphenols intake with a 30% reduction in mortality in older adults. The research evaluated the total dietary polyphenol intake by using a nutritional biomarker. | Read More » Does good cholesterol increase breast cancer risk?  | A team of researchers has shown that an HDL receptor found on breast cancer cells may be responsible for making this cancer more aggressive, proposing a new molecular target that could help treat the disease. | Read More » Visits to multiple HIV clinics linked to poorer outcomes  | Patients who received care at multiple HIV clinics — as opposed to only one — were less likely to take their medication and had higher HIV viral loads, a new study found. The findings reinforce the notion that continuous care with one provider/clinic is optimal for outcomes and even reducing transmissions, and can help cut down on duplicative HIV services that contribute to higher health care costs. | Read More » Multivitamins with minerals may protect older women with invasive breast cancer  | Findings from a study involving thousands of postmenopausal women suggest that women who develop invasive breast cancer may benefit from taking supplements containing both multivitamins and minerals. The new research found that the risk of dying from invasive breast cancer was 30 percent lower among multivitamin/mineral users compared with nonusers. | Read More » 'Mobility shoes' take a load off for knee osteoarthritis sufferers  | The results of a new study by bone and joint experts suggest that patients with knee osteoarthritis who wear flat, flexible footwear, which allows natural foot mobility and provides sufficient support for the foot, had significant reduction in knee loading -- the force placed upon the joint during daily activities. | Read More » Cellular signals between pancreatic cancer tumors, saliva  | Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Most of those with the disease will die within the first year of diagnosis, and just 6 percent will survive five years. The disease is typically diagnosed through an invasive and complicated biopsy. But a discovery by researchers may be one major step toward creating a noninvasive tool that would enable clinicians and oncologists to detect pancreatic cancer through a simple risk assessment test using saliva. | Read More » Longer life for humans linked to further loss of endangered species  | As human life expectancy increases, so does the percentage of invasive and endangered birds and mammals, according to a new study. | Read More » Barriers to implementing complimentary medicine into MD residency  | Investigators have identified that lack of time and a paucity of trained faculty are perceived as the most significant barriers to incorporating complementary and alternative medicine and integrative medicine training into family medicine residency curricula and training programs. | Read More » Readmission rates impacted by patients' knowledge, skills  | A study by physicians has found that patients with a high degree of activation (possessing the knowledge, skills, confidence and inclination to assume responsibility for managing one's health and health-care needs) were less likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge than those with a low level of activation. | Read More » New research refutes claim that mummified head belonged to King Henry IV of France  | New research exposes erroneous conclusions in forensic studies. They incorrectly ascribed a mummified head to Henry IV and a bloody handkerchief to Louis XVI. | Read More » Screening tool for detecting intimate partner violence among women veterans  | Researchers have identified a promising screening tool to detect intimate partner violence in females in the VA Boston Healthcare System. The findings accurately detected 78 percent of women identified as abused within the past year by a more comprehensive and behaviorally specific scale. | Read More » Urgent new time frame for climate change revealed by massive analysis  | The seesaw variability of global temperatures often engenders debate over how seriously we should take climate change. But within 35 years, even the lowest monthly dips in temperatures will be hotter than we've experienced in the past 150 years, according to a new and massive analysis of all climate models. The tropics will be the first to exceed the limits of historical extremes and experience an unabated heat wave that threatens biodiversity and heavily populated countries with the fewest resources to adapt. | Read More » I'm OK, you're not OK: Right supramarginal gyrus plays an important role in empathy  | Egoism and narcissism appear to be on the rise in our society, while empathy is on the decline. And yet, the ability to put ourselves in other people's shoes is extremely important for our coexistence. Scientists have discovered that our own feelings can distort our capacity for empathy. This emotionally driven egocentricity is recognized and corrected by the brain. When, however, the right supramarginal gyrus doesn't function properly or when we have to make particularly quick decisions, our empathy is severely limited. | Read More » Chemistry: Evidence for a new nuclear 'magic number'  | Researchers have come one step closer to understanding unstable atomic nuclei. Scientists have now provided evidence for a new nuclear magic number in the unstable, radioactive calcium isotope 54Ca. They show that 54Ca is the first known nucleus with 34 neutrons (N) where N = 34 is a magic number. | Read More » Novel way discovered to 'switch on' tumor suppressors that have been silenced  | Scientists have found that a novel noncoding ribonucleic acid (RNA) offers the potential for "switching on" of tumor suppressors that have been shut off. | Read More » Self-healing materials could arise from finding that tension can fuse metal  | An unexpected result shows that in some cases, pulling apart makes cracks in metal fuse together. | Read More » Likely causes and treatment strategies for systemic scleroderma identified  | Using mice, lab-grown cells and clues from a related disorder, researchers have greatly increased understanding of the causes of systemic sclerosis, showing that a critical culprit is a defect in the way certain cells communicate with their structural scaffolding. They say the new insights point the way toward potentially developing drugs for the disease, which affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States. | Read More » Gene and stem cell therapy combination could aid wound healing  | Researchers, working with elderly mice, have determined that combining gene therapy with an extra boost of the same stem cells the body already uses to repair itself leads to faster healing of burns and greater blood flow to the site of the wound. | Read More » Running a marathon hard on heart, especially in less prepared runners  | Investigators who studied a group of recreational marathon runners have established that strenuous exercise, such as running a marathon, can damage the heart muscle. Although they found the effect is temporary and reversible, they warn that these effects are more widespread in less fit distance runners and that recreational distance runners should prepare properly before marathons. | Read More » An experiment puts auditing under scrutiny  | Researchers conducted a two-year study that finds randomly assigning auditors to plants, paying auditors from central funds, double-checking their work, and rewarding the auditors for accuracy had large effects. | Read More » Water and lava, but curiously, no explosion  | A study finds that hollow, land-based lava pillars in Iceland likely formed in a surprising reaction where lava met water without an explosion. Such formations are common deep under the ocean, but have not been described on land, the lead researcher says. | Read More » | |
