Curated News: Top Hit Stories

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For the first time in history, the next generation of Americans will not live as long or longer than their parents due to complications from obesity.

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The newly discovered crocodile ancestor came on the scene about the same time as dinosaurs began evolving.

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An international team of astronomers has detected one of the earliest “protoclusters” of galaxies ever, about 12.5 billion light years from Earth. In the current issue of Nature, they report catching the cluster in the act of formation when the Universe was only 1 billion years old.

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According to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), exposure to electrical light between dusk and bedtime strongly suppresses melatonin levels and may impact physiologic processes regulated by melatonin signaling, such as sleepiness, thermoregulation, blood pressure and glucose homeostasis.

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Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have launched a new clinical trial to determine if estrogen replacement therapy may help prevent depression and cardiovascular illness in women between the ages of 45 and 55.

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Behavioral therapies such as pelvic-floor-muscle training and bladder-control strategies can reduce incontinence episodes by more than 50 percent in men following prostate-cancer surgery, according to new research from UAB Center. The findings, published in JAMA on Jan. 12, 2011, indicate that these therapies can improve bladder control and enhance quality of life.

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A mysterious, glowing, green blob of gas is floating in space near a spiral galaxy. Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope uncovered delicate filaments of gas and a pocket of young star clusters in the giant object called Hanny's Voorwerp, which is the size of our Milky Way galaxy. These results will be presented at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Jan. 10, 2011.

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Although the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic infected an estimated 60 million people and hospitalized more than 250,000 in the United States, it also brought one significant benefit—clues about how to make a vaccine that could protect against multiple strains of influenza.

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Health care reform as presented will be good for Americans, according to Dr. Joel Rudin, a professor in the Management and Entrepreneurship Department in the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J.

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Animal experiments suggest that taking the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexanoic acid (DHA) might offer a new way of protecting against traumatic brain injury (TBI), reports the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

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University of Maryland's homeland security professor Michael Greenberger to comment on bomb explostions today in two state government buildings in Maryland, including in Annapolis.

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Animal study suggests the control of cholesterol may be useful in the reduction of breast cancer development and aggressiveness

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On Wednesday, January 26, as part of Perimeter Institute’s Public Lecture Series presented by Sun Life Financial, Sara Seager will share her unique insights into recent Kepler announcements, and detail pioneering technology developments that will fuel the search for life on other worlds.

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Mount Sinai researchers coordinating the largest clinical study to date of ”Sarcoid Like” Granulomatous Pulmonary Disease in World Trade Center (WTC) responders have found that the rate of the condition was increased in this group as compared to the records of pre-9/11 FDNY personnel.

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Women who have multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have a gene associated with multiple sclerosis than men with the disease and it is this gene region where environment interacts with the genetics, according to a study published in the January 5, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Tweets from popular news organizations have a major influence on hot Twitter topics, but a Northwestern University analysis of the Top Twitter Trends in 2010 shows that celebrities, such as Adam Lambert and Conan O’Brian, sometimes beat out news organizations and reigned as Twitter’s top influencers on big news stories.

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Men are more willing to receive human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine when they learn the vaccine can prevent cancer, according to a recent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study.

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An epidemiological study conducted by researchers at Tufts University and the Corporacion Ecuatoriana de Biotecnologia showed that the metabolic syndrome was prevalent in a small population of older adults living in Ecuador and that a poor diet appeared to contribute.

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The January issue of the journal Anesthesiology examines the issue of burnout among anesthesiologists. Two studies provide significant burnout statistics among these highly trained medical specialists...

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An entirely new type of nanomaterial developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could enable the next generation of high-power rechargeable lithium (Li)-ion batteries for electric automobiles, as well as batteries for laptop computers, mobile phones, and other portable devices.

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The National Center for Family Literacy and Toyota announced are accepting applications for the 2011 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year. The winner will receive $10,000 for his or her family literacy program as well as a free trip to the 2011 National Conference on Family Literacy.

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University of Michigan researchers have found new evidence that our genes help determine our susceptibility to depression. Their findings, published online today in the Archives of General Psychiatry, challenge a 2009 study that called the genetic link into question and add new support to earlier research hailed as a medical breakthrough.

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A new meta-analysis of data from more than 100,000 people has identified novel variants in over two dozen genes associated with adult height. The study team's technique may be useful in discovering genes in complex diseases.

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The Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables, fish and olive oil and moderate in wine and alcohol, is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in older adults, according to researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

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Addiction researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a risk for alcoholism also may put individuals at risk for obesity, and the association between a family history of alcoholism and obesity risk has become more pronounced in recent years.

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Consistent exercise is associated with a lower risk of dying from colon cancer, according to a new study led by Siteman Cancer Center researchers at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. The study is among the first to show that physical activity can make the disease less deadly.

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Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking increased more than 250 percent on New Year’s Day according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The brief study shows that on New Year’s Day 2009, there were an estimated 1,980 emergency department visits involving underage drinking, compared to 546 such visits on an average day that year - a 263 percent increase.

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Loyola chair of OB/GYN candidly and humorously discusses the medical community's race for the first baby of the new year and defines the terms and ways to win.

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Exercise and B vitamins can help cure a hangover, but coffee won't help.

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Need help choosing a New Year’s resolution? Research from the University at Buffalo can provide some direction. Below is a summary of useful health and wellness tips assembled from studies published by UB researchers in 2010.

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Plan your exit before you enter a new business market may sound like strange advice, but it comes from an expert in entrepreneurship with experience to prove it. Olin Business School professor Clifford Holekamp shares his expertise in the December issue of Octane, the award winning magazine of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

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With “green” on the mind from holiday trees, wreaths, and garlands, here’s a package of ideas for keeping “green” — as in sustainable, eco-friendly — in your life throughout 2011 and beyond. They are gems on sustainability hand-picked from almost 38,000 scientific reports published in 2010 in the American Chemical Society’s 38 peer-reviewed scientific journals and its weekly newsmagazine, Chemical & Engineering News.

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A new study finds that microscopic particles of dust, emitted into the atmosphere when dirt breaks apart, follow similar fragment patterns as broken glass and other brittle objects. The research suggests there are several times more dust particles in the atmosphere than previously believed, since shattered dirt appears to produce an unexpectedly high number of large dust fragments. The finding has implications for understanding future climate change because dust plays a significant role in controlling the amount of solar energy in the atmosphere.

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Starch granules from plant food were discovered trapped in the dental calculus on 40-thousand-year-old Neandertal teeth, leading scientists to believe that Neandertals ate a wide variety of plants and included cooked grains as part of a more sophisticated, diverse diet similar to early modern humans.

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Tips from allergists on avoiding common winter indoor allergy and asthma triggers.

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A look into 2011: From tackling the growing problem of orbital space debris, enhancing Earth security via satellite data, protecting our planet from Near Earth Objects, and assuring a sustainable space environment for all nations to improve their well-being. There are outstanding issues in the coming year that deserve increased attention in terms of global outer space activities.

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New findings from the Monell Center reveal that weight gain of formula-fed infants is influenced by the type of formula the infant is consuming. The findings highlight the need to understand the long-term influences of infant formula composition on feeding behavior, growth, and metabolic health.

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New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers may solve a 17-year-old mystery about how the so-called “starvation hormone” affects multiple biological systems, including preventing insulin sensitivity and promoting cell survival.

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Georgia Tech Regents professor Mark Borodovsky led efforts in identifying protein-coding genes in the newly sequenced woodland strawberry genome. The development is expected to yield tastier, hardier varieties of the berry and other crops in its family.

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Researchers have developed a microfluidic device that automatically orients hundreds of fruit fly embryos to prepare them for research. The device could facilitate the study of such issues as how organisms develop their complex structures from single cells.

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With about 400,000 apps available for Smartphones and news ones added daily, there is an app for almost everything, from losing weight to finding a job. Can any of them help us keep our New Year’s resolutions? Yes and no, says Ananda Mitra, professor of communication at Wake Forest and the author of several books on digital media. He says an app can make things simpler, but it is not going to change habits.

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Eating a Southern staple, fried fish, could be one reason people in Alabama and across the “stroke belt” states are more likely than other Americans to die of a stroke, according to a study published in the December 22, 2010, online issue of Neurology.

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People living in the “stroke belt” states eat more fried fish than people living in the rest of the country, which may contribute to the high rate of death from stroke in those states, according to a study published in the December 22, 2010, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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With so many Americans focusing on controlling and losing weight, what trends will emerge in 2011? The Calorie Control Council is making these predictions when it comes to weight loss and obesity prevention for the coming year.

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In the 30th edition of “Educated Guesses,” The University of Alabama’s Office of Media Relations offers predictions from faculty experts for the coming year. This year, our faculty experts predict that Iran will cut a deal to stop developing nuclear weapons, health threats to Americans could include dengue and chikungunya fever, Baby Boomers will fight for Social Security as they turn 65 and much more.

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Michael Honey, a history professor at University of Washington Tacoma, collected, edited and wrote introductions for 16 of King's speeches on economic justice.

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January 2011 marks a significant milestone for the “Baby Boomers” generation when its first members - born in 1946 - begin the year in which they will celebrate their 65th birthdays. Who will care for this population?

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Six research-based tips from investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center that may help jump start one’s weight loss progress in the coming year.

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Culminating a decade of planning, innovation and testing, construction of the world's largest neutrino observatory was successfully completed Dec. 17.

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The North Shore-LIJ Health System and ProHealth Care Associates LLP today announced the opening of “Vivo Health Fitness at ProHealth,” a 15,000-square-foot health club located at 3 Delaware Drive in the Lake Success Quadrangle. The center, part of North Shore-LIJ’s new push into the wellness business to meet the anticipated demands of federal health reform, features exercise equipment, aerobics and spin classes, a wellness spa and programs like yoga, stress management and nutrition seminars taught by clinicians from North Shore-LIJ.