Feature Channels: All Journal News

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Now a special issue of the journal CHAOS, produced by AIP Publishing, explores new experimental and theoretical techniques for unraveling genetic networks.

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Prof. Kathleen Cullen of the Dept of Physiology has been able to identify a distinct and surprisingly small cluster of cells deep within the brain that react within milliseconds to readjust our movements when something unexpected happens. What is astounding is that each individual neuron in this tiny region displays the ability to predict and selectively respond to unexpected motion. This finding both overturns current theories about how we learn to maintain our balance, and also has significant implications for understanding the neural basis of motion sickness.

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Less contact during practice could mean a lot less exposure to head injuries for young football players, according to researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center and Virginia Tech.

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A new study by Berkeley-Haas Associate Professor Don Moore finds employment managers tend to ignore the context of past performance.

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Choking is a leading cause of injury among children, especially for children 4 years of age and younger. A new study by researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and colleagues at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined nonfatal food-related choking among children 14 years of age or younger from 2001through 2009.

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Scientists can study how supercell thunderstorms work by using the data from just one Doppler radar unit and an analysis technique called synthetic dual-Doppler (SDD) that normally requires two.

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Many drugs such as agents for cancer or autoimmune diseases have nasty side effects because while they kill disease-causing cells, they also affect healthy cells. Now a new study has demonstrated a technique for developing more targeted drugs, by using molecular “robots” to hone in on more specific populations of cells.

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Researchers at the University of Washington and Rice University have developed a new method that can look at a specific segment of DNA and pinpoint a single mutation, which could help diagnose and treat diseases such as cancer and tuberculosis.

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The network of arteries supplying blood flow to the brain is more likely to be incomplete in people who suffer migraine, a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania reports.

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The results of a new study by neurological researchers at Rush University Medical Center show that a sudden decrease of testosterone, the male sex hormone, may cause Parkinson’s like symptoms in male mice.

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The digestive tract is home to a vast colony of bacteria, as well as the myriad viruses that prey upon them. Because the bacteria species vary from person to person, so does this viral population, the virome. By closely analyzing the virome of one individual over two-and-a-half years, researchers have uncovered new insights on the virome can change and evolve – and why the virome of one person can vary so greatly from that of another.

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Why women tend to accumulate fat in the stereotypical “pear” shape, with more fat in the buttocks and thighs (a shape that’s thought to be healthier than men’s stereotypical “apple” shape, with more fat around the belly), is still unclear. A new study gathers clues to help understand the role of estrogen’s effects on fat.

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Professor Paulette Clancy, associate director of the Energy Institute at Cornell University, comments on the economic and environmental dilemma presented by the findings of this week’s study in the Nature that warned of a massive methane release as Arctic ice sheets recede.

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A small percentage of people diagnosed with a mysterious neurological condition may only experience psychiatric changes - such as delusional thinking, hallucinations, and aggressive behavior - according to a new study by researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

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Using nanoparticles of gold, researchers at the National University of Singapore have found a way to boost the performance of mineral molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), which is found in light-sensing photodetectors used in a wide range of technologies, such as environmental sensing, process control in factories, and optical communication devices. They describe this improvement in the journal Applied Physics Letters, which is produced by AIP Publishing.

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Duodenal anastomosis (a surgical procedure creating a connection with the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine) appears to be a safe and simple method for reconstruction of the bile duct system that can be successfully performed with low rates of leak, narrowing, infection of the bile duct and bile gastritis, according to a study involving several Virginia Mason Medical Center physicians.

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Researchers at Missouri University of Science and Technology have developed a type of glass implant that could one day be used to repair injured bones in the arms, legs and other areas of the body that are most subject to the stresses of weight.

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• The frequency and duration of patient-doctor contact during dialysis care vary appreciably across countries. • More frequent and longer contact with physicians is linked to fewer deaths and hospitalizations of dialysis patients.

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Women who are frequently encouraged by their significant others to lose weight are more likely to resort to unhealthy measures to do so, according to new research in the American Journal of Health Promotion.

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More than 11,000 Americans suffer spinal cord injuries each year, and since over a quarter of those injuries are due to falls, the number is likely to rise as the population ages. The reason so many of those injuries are permanently disabling is that the human body lacks the capacity to regenerate nerve fibers. The best our bodies can do is route the surviving tissue around the injury site.

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Two University of Iowa researchers and their colleagues have advanced scientists’ knowledge of the Earth’s Van Allen radiation belts by answering a long-standing question about the belts by finding that electron acceleration takes place in the heart of the radiation belts.

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The taller a postmenopausal woman is, the greater her risk for developing cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

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University of Texas anthropologists find ancient Miocene ape was physically incapable of walking on two legs.

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Bipolar disorder evolves differently in patients who also binge eat, a study by Mayo Clinic, the Lindner Center of HOPE and the University of Minnesota found.

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A new stem cell-based approach to studying epilepsy has yielded a surprising discovery about what causes one form of the disease, and may help in the search for better medicines to treat all kinds of seizure disorders.

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Adenoviruses commonly infect humans, causing colds, flu-like symptoms and sometimes even death, but now UC San Francisco researchers have discovered that a new species of adenovirus can spread from primate to primate, and potentially from monkey to human.

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Scientists have identified new genetic mutations that can cause pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), a rare fatal disease characterized by high blood pressure in the lungs. The mutations, found in the gene KCNK3, appear to affect potassium channels in the pulmonary artery, a mechanism not previously linked to the condition. Cell culture studies showed that the mutations’ effects could be reversed with a drug compound known as a phospholipase inhibitor. The study was published today in the online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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“Finding a common cellular response reveals that some order exists in the chaos of these basic energy diseases,” said study leader Marni J. Falk, M.D. “Identifying the central factors regulating manifestations of mitochondrial disease is like troubleshooting a household electrical system: instead of analyzing problems that may occur at each individual light bulb or switch plate, we have located a central problem in the fuse box.”

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UC San Francisco researchers are recommending a combination of six comprehensive measures to prevent the spread of hepatitis C, in an effort to address the more than 31,000 young people they estimate may be newly infected with the virus each year in the United States due to injection-drug use.

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People who stop taking cholesterol drugs may be at an increased risk for developing Parkinson’s disease, according to research that appears in the July 24, 2013, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Previous studies on the relationship between cholesterol drugs called statins and the risk of Parkinson’s disease have had inconsistent results.

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A University of Iowa-led team has found a promising, new way to treat asthma: Target an enzyme in airway lining cells. The finding could lead to the development of drugs that block the enzyme, CaMKII, from excessive oxidation, which can trigger asthma attacks.

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Pediatric cancer patients whose central lines are used to treat them at home develop three times as many dangerous bloodstream infections from their devices than their hospitalized counterparts, according to the results of a new Johns Hopkins Children’s Center study.

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Biologists at The Scripps Research Institute have made a significant discovery that could lead to a new therapeutic strategy for Parkinson’s disease. The findings focus on an enzyme known as parkin, whose absence causes an early-onset form of Parkinson’s disease.

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Newly published research by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center and the Johns Hopkins Institute of Genetic Medicine reveals that a faulty genetic pathway already known for its role in some connective tissue disorders is also a potent player in many types of allergies. Scientists have long understood that allergies are the result of a complex interplay between environment and genes, but now, in what investigators believe is a scientific first, a single genetic pathway has been implicated in an array of allergic disorders.

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Key molecular pathways that lead to late-onset Alzheimer's disease have been identified by neuroscientists at Columbia University Medical Center. Published in Nature, findings present a new approach to Alzheimer’s research and highlight several new potential drug targets.

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The cosmic fireworks that characterize a starburst galaxy can abruptly fizzle out after only a relatively brief period of star formation, and astronomers want to know why.

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Bitterness presents a key obstacle to the acceptance and effectiveness of beneficial drugs by children worldwide. A new review addresses this critical problem by highlighting recent advances in the scientific understanding of bitter taste, with special attention to the sensory world of children.

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Researchers have developed a new screening and tracking tool for diagnosing autism. The method holds promise as a method to introduce interventions.

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To help hospitals put new guidelines for managing pain, agitation and delirium in critically ill patients into practice, the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses will devote the next three sessions of its monthly AACN Critical Care Webinar Series to this high-interest clinical issue.

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A researcher from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and colleagues have identified the genetic mutation in Africans with HIV that puts them at a much higher risk for tuberculosis infections.

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A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Snow Leopard Trust reveals a disturbing link between the cashmere trade and the decay of ecosystems that support some of the planet’s most spectacular yet little-known large mammals.

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Close to half of older adults undergoing surgery with general anesthesia are found to have delirium in the postanesthesia care unit (PACU), according to a study in the August issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

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Research conducted in six bays of Long Island, NY, and led by scientists from the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University (SBU) showed that local populations of winter flounder are inbred, which is a situation that is not usually considered in marine fisheries management.

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An animal study in the August issue of Anesthesiology suggests that higher-frequency electric current stimulation of the spinal cord reduced pain quicker and better reached nerves not affected by traditionally used frequencies.

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Using the right tool to measure patient satisfaction can guide improved health care quality, according to a study in the August issue of Anesthesiology.

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Michigan Tech scientist Jaroslaw Drelich has found a new way to stop dangerous bacteria like E.coli before they attack. He embeds copper nanoparticles into vermiculite, an inexpensive, inert compound. Copper has been known for centuries for its antibiotic properties.

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If your local pond, lake, or watering hole is looking bright green this summer, chances are it has blue-green algae and it may be dangerous to you or your pets. A newly published study has used a novel approach to better understand why these algae form blooms and what makes them toxic.

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Only 11% of drugs that enter clinical trials ultimately receive regulatory approval. One possible reason is flawed preclinical animal research. A new study led by McGill University researchers identifies key procedures believed to address threats to the validity of preclinical findings.

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A new study of attitudes about health care costs reveals that an overwhelming majority of U.S. physicians feel a responsibility to address costs, but prioritize their obligations to patients’ best interests over cost concerns. Results of the random survey of 2,500 U.S. physicians are published in this week’s Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

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In an editorial accompanying the results of the new survey, lead author, Ezekiel J. Emanuel, MD, PhD, emits a call to action, urging physicians to lead what he calls “’an all-hands-on-deck’ moment in the history of health care.” Emanuel is available for comment on the new survey’s findings. Though there is no single policy that will solve the problem of health care costs, Emanuel and co-author Andrew Steinmetz, BA, suggest six ways in which health care must be transformed in order for reform to take effect.