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2009 pandemic flu death toll much higher than official worldwide estimates

A research team consisting of more than 60 collaborators in 26 countries has estimated the global death toll from the 2009 outbreak of the H1N1 virus to be 10 times higher than the World Health Organization's count, which was based on laboratory-confirmed cases of this flu. The study suggests that the pandemic virus caused up to 203,000 respiratory deaths around the world.

Delivery rates unaffected by transferring fewer embryos, reimbursing six cycles of fertility treatment

Research from Belgium has shown that if governments legislate to restrict the numbers of embryos transferred during fertility treatment, but combine it with a policy of reimbursing six cycles of assisted reproduction technology (ART), there is no detrimental impact on pregnancy and delivery rates. However, there is a greatly reduced risk of multiple births, which have associated health risks for mother and babies and are an increased cost to the state.

Treating C. difficile with transplant of healthy fecal matter

Scientists have found that restoring the normal, helpful bacteria of the gut and intestines may treat patients suffering from recurrent Clostridium difficile infections.

Scientists work to engineer injectable therapy for rotator cuff injuries

A research team is attempting to engineer an injectable therapy for the shoulder's supraspinatus tendon, a rotator cuff tendon that is commonly torn in sports. When the tendon is damaged, the body makes things worse by activating enzymes that further break down the tendon. The scientists hope to develop an injectable compound that would deliver an inhibitor capable of blocking these enzymes, thereby reducing the severity of the injury or even healing the tissue.

High salt levels in medicines increase risk of cardiovascular events

Millions of patients taking effervescent, dispersible and soluble medicines containing sodium are at greater risk of cardiovascular events compared with patients taking non-effervescent, dispersible and soluble versions of the same drugs, finds a study published.

Scientists identify potential target for malaria drugs

Researchers have identified the protein in malaria-causing Plasmodium parasites that is inhibited by a newly discovered class of anti-malarial compounds known as imidazopyrazines. The protein, phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase, is the first potential malaria drug target shown to be essential to all stages of the Plasmodium life cycle; imidazopyrazines impede its activity throughout this process.

Researchers show how modified pacemaker strengthens failing hearts

Heart researchers are unraveling the mystery of how a modified pacemaker used to treat many patients with heart failure, known as cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT), is able to strengthen the heart muscle while making it beat in a coordinated fashion. In a new study conducted on animal heart cells, the scientists show that CRT changes these cells so they can contract more forcefully. The researchers also identified an enzyme that mimics this effect of CRT without use of the device.

New clues to memory formation may help better treat dementia

Do fruit flies hold the key to treating dementia? Biologists have taken a significant step forward in unraveling the mechanisms of Pavlovian conditioning. Their work will help them understand how memories form and, ultimately, provide better treatments to improve memory in all ages.

Automated prediction alert helps identify patients at risk for 30-day readmission

An automated prediction tool which identifies newly admitted patients who are at risk for readmission within 30 days of discharge has been successfully incorporated into the electronic health record of an American hospital.

Negative BRCA testing may not always imply lowered breast cancer risk

Women who are members of families with BRCA2 mutations but who test negative for the family-specific BRCA2 mutations are still at greater risk for developing breast cancer compared with women in the general population, according to a study.

Scientists design, test new approach for corneal stem cell treatments

Researchers have designed and tested a novel, minute-long procedure to prepare human amniotic membrane for use as a scaffold for specialized stem cells that may be used to treat some corneal diseases. This membrane serves as a foundation that supports the growth of stem cells in order to graft them onto the cornea. This new method may accelerate research and clinical applications for stem cell corneal transplantation.

Key protein responsible for controlling communication between brain cells identified

Scientists are a step closer to understanding how some of the brain's 100 billion nerve cells co-ordinate their communication.

Polymer foam expands potential to treat aneurysms

Researchers are using the unique contraction and expansion properties of shape memory polymer foam to design a much improved treatment for brain aneurysms, which cause severe neurological damage or death for 30,000 Americans each year.

SOHO shows new images of Comet ISON

As Comet ISON heads toward its closest approach to the sun -- known as perihelion -- on Nov. 28, 2013, scientists have been watching through many observatories to see if the comet has already broken up under the intense heat and gravitational forces of the sun.

Tongue-controlled wheelchair outperforms popular wheelchair navigation system

Individuals with paralysis in a new clinical trial were able to use a tongue-controlled technology to access computers and execute commands for their wheelchairs at speeds that were significantly faster than those recorded in sip-and-puff wheelchairs, but with equal accuracy. The new study is the first to show that the wireless and wearable Tongue Drive System outperforms sip-and-puff in controlling wheelchairs. Sip-and-puff is the most popular assistive technology for controlling a wheelchair.

Fast, furious, refined: Smaller black holes can eat plenty

Gemini observations support an unexpected discovery in the galaxy Messier 101. A relatively small black hole (20-30 times the mass of our sun) can sustain a hugely voracious appetite while consuming material in an efficient and tidy manner -- something previously thought impossible. The research also affects the long quest for elusive intermediate-mass black holes.

Pills of the future: Nanoparticles

Researchers design drug-carrying nanoparticles that can be taken orally instead of being injected.

What's the sound of a hundred thousand soccer fans?

Brazilian researchers study acoustics of the caxirola, official World Cup instrument.

Study connects dots between genes, human behavior

Establishing links between genes, the brain and human behavior is a central issue in cognitive neuroscience research, but studying how genes influence cognitive abilities and behavior as the brain develops from childhood to adulthood has proven difficult. Now, an international team of scientists has made inroads to understanding how genes influence brain structure and cognitive abilities and how neural circuits produce language.

Glaciers sizzle as they disappear into warmer water

The sounds of bubbles escaping from melting ice make underwater glacial fjords one of the loudest natural marine environments on earth, according to research.

Cancer increasing as babyboomers age

As 10,000 baby boomers reach 65 each day, the incidence of cancer is increasing, estimated to increase by 67% between 2010 and 2030, bringing attention to the nation's response to cancer care. Cancer is diagnosed at a higher rate, accounts for more survivors, and results in more deaths than in younger patients.

Promising new treatment helps people with spine injuries walk better

Scientists may have found a new treatment that can help people with spinal cord injuries walk better.

Geriatric care may help older patients find independence after trauma

A year after a trauma injury, seniors had difficulty with daily tasks such as simple shopping trips.

Genetic mutation increases risk of Parkinson's disease from pesticides

Study uses patient-derived stem cells to show that a mutation in the α-synuclein gene causes increased vulnerability to pesticides, leading to Parkinson's disease.

Modafinil reduces depression's severity when taken with antidepressants

A new study has concluded that taking the drug modafinil, typically used to treat sleep disorders, in combination with antidepressants reduces the severity of depression more effectively than taking antidepressants alone.

Hysterectomized women may benefit from testosterone

New research has found that testosterone administration in women with low testosterone levels, whom previously had undergone hysterectomy with or without oophorectomy, was associated with improvements in sexual function, muscle mass and physical function.

Ocean rip currents claim more lives than other natural hazards

Rip currents claim more lives in Australia on average each year than bushfires, floods, cyclones and sharks combined, research shows. Yet rips do not get as much attention as the other natural hazards. The study could be applied in other countries to more appropriately put this global problem into perspective.

A brooding marine worm found in Antarctica

Brooding is a usual behavior in animals. However, to observe it in a marine worm is exceptional and, more surprisingly, it guards eggs from external threats.

Mental health conditions cause greater stigma in families than physical problems

Mental and physical illnesses necessarily impact upon the lives of the relatives of those afflicted by them, all the more so in families where a member has a mental illness, because they suffer more discrimination. The results are based on a study carried out in 28 countries.

Micronutrient supplements reduce risk of HIV disease progression, illness

Long-term (24-month) supplementation with multivitamins plus selenium for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients in Botswana in the early stages of disease who had not received antiretroviral therapy delayed time to HIV disease progression, was safe and reduced the risk of immune decline and illness, according to a study.

Destroying greenhouse gases in environmentally-friendly way

Researchers have developed a new catalyst for the "activation" of carbon-fluorine bonds. This process has many industrial applications, among which stands out the possibility to be used to reduce existing stocks of CFCs (chloro-fluoro-carbonated compounds), known as "greenhouse gases". CFCs experienced a huge boom in the 80s, but later they were found to destroy the ozone layer because of their photochemical decomposition when they reached the upper layers of the atmosphere.

New aggressive HIV strain leads to faster AIDS development

A recently discovered HIV strain leads to significantly faster development of AIDS than currently prevalent forms, according to new research.

Drug improves remission of Crohn disease among children, adolescents

Among children and adolescents with Crohn disease not responding to treatment, use of the drug thalidomide resulted in improved clinical remission after eight weeks of treatment compared with placebo, according to a study.

Public health data to help fight deadly contagious diseases

In an unprecedented windfall for public access to health data, researchers have digitized all weekly surveillance reports for reportable diseases in the US going back 125 years. Supported by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health, the project's goal is to aid in the eradication of devastating diseases.

Good news on the alzheimer's epidemic: Risk for older adults declining

Improvements in education levels, health care and lifestyle credited for decline in dementia risk.

Simulating new treatment for retinal degeneration

For a few years, optogenetics has been seen as a very promising therapy for progressive blindness, for example when it is a result of retinal degeneration. In order to further develop this therapeutic approach, researchers have developed a computer model that simulates optogenetic vision.

Are teens under pressure to be sexting?

New research studying the pressures of sexting on adolescents has found that friends and romantic partners are the main source of social pressure, outweighing adolescents' own attitudes. This research examines the principal drivers of sexting, and suggests areas for educators to focus upon in order to highlight the potential risks involved in sexting.

Untreated cancer pain a 'scandal of global proportions,' survey shows

A new global study reveals a pandemic of intolerable pain affecting billions, caused by over-regulation of pain medicines.

Are you carrying Adrenal Cushing's Syndrome without knowing it?

Genetic research suggests that clinicians' understanding and treatment of a form of Cushing's syndrome affecting both adrenal glands will be fundamentally changed, and that moreover, it might be appropriate to begin screening for the genetic mutations that cause this form of the disease.

Economic development can only buy happiness up to a 'sweet spot' of $36,000 GDP per person

Economists have shed light on the vexed question of whether economic development can buy happiness -- and it seems that life satisfaction actually dips among people living in the wealthiest countries.

Physicists study coldest objects in universe

In a new study, a group of researchers has come up with a new way of measuring BECs by using a filter to cancel out the damage caused by the streams of light that are typically used to measure them. Some of these BECs are the coldest objects in the universe, and are so fragile that even a single photon can heat and destroy them.

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Thursday, November 28, 2013

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