The search for potential pharmaceuticals derived from indigenous natural medicines -- marred in the bad old days by exploitation of local Third-World populations -- has now been refined to funnel significant benefits to these groups.
Should the U.S. continue to support scientists from the former Soviet Union to keep them from selling their expertise to forces hostile to the U.S.? The cost and utility of this support is explored in an article in the April 7 issue of Chemical & Engineering News
Key nutrients in the diet during infancy and adolescence--especially sodium, calcium, fiber and fat--have an early impact on blood pressure and could influence whether high blood pressure develops later in life, two new reports suggest.
Tipsheet from ARS for April 5, 1997 1- Cloned Gene May Benefit Cattle Feeders, Plastics Manufacturers; 2- New state-of-the art acoustic technology is uncovering the secrets of soil--undisturbed in the field or moving in streams; 3- New "Pineapple" orange coming for Florida growers; 4- Natural chemical found in avocados kills fruit flies; 5- "Plum" of a rootstock may boost a premium almond; 6- WeedCast predictions save farmers money
Low concentrations of the popular skin care ingredients called alpha-hydroxy acids appear to be modestly effective in reducing symptoms of skin aging brought on by sun exposure and other environmental factors.
Sunscreens are being customized to meet a variety of needs. The industry is continually coming out with new products, 'improved' versions of old favorites and product extensions. Significant improvements include less irritation and improved substantivity. Selecting a sunscreen has become a complicated decision.
Botox, is a purified form of one of the most potent toxins known to man. In high doses it can cause the clinical disease botulism. However, in carefully administered low doses, it is very useful for treating hyperkinetic facial lines (wrinkles).
Just as some newborn babies need an incubator before they're strong enough to survive on their own, a professor and an MBA student at the University of California at Berkeley each is setting up an "incubator" for fragile young businesses.
Even in areas where hepatitis A is common, Americans tend to underestimate its risks, according to a Gallup survey. The survey was commissioned by Merck & Co., Inc. The company makes a vaccine indicated for hepatitis A. Prescribing information is available upon request.
Precision research to make perennials bloom on command will revolutionize the way consumers by flowers in the spring, thanks to research at Michigan State University. This story and other ideas on the spring garden tip sheet.
The following stories appear in the American Thoracic Society (ATS) April Journals: 1- Some adults "outgrow" asthma; 2- A leukotriene antagonist effectively controls moderate-to-severe asthma; 3- Female asthma patients on oral contraceptives have less exacerbated asthma during the menstrual cycle. Embargoed: April 17, 1997, 6:00 p.m.
A tree-top study of the common crow by a Cornell ornithologist who climbs more than 100 feet each spring to tag them is explaining an uncommon behavior in the avian world -- crows that forgo breeding for years to help their parent raise more siblings.
Biomedical researchers at Purdue University are using a one-of-a-kind test apparatus to obtain information that will enable developers of Magnetic Resonance Imaging to produce faster, more precise MRI scans. Findings from the study wil be reported April 16 at the annual meeting of the International Society of Magnetic Resonance Medicine in Vancouver, British Columbia. Color photo available
Tip sheet April 1997 Journals of the American Society for Microbiology: April 1997 Donated Organs Should Be Tested for Amebae Which Came First: The Chicken or the Mouse? New Intranasal Vaccine for Influenza A Engineering on the (Cell) Surface
As the launch date nears for the first commercial remote sensing satellite, Resources for the Future is helping the National Aeronautics and Space Administration find a reliable way to measure the economic return from its transfer of formerly-classified space technologies to the public and private sectors. Researchers are using methods that have been developed by RFF for the valuation of hard-to-measure assets, such as clean air or a national park.
Vitamin E supplements are safe, effective in preventing degenerative diseases and should be part of a healthy lifestyle, a leading supplier of natural vitamin E said today in response to confusing media reports on a new, but small laboratory study.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins and Guilford Pharmaceuticals Inc., have successfully modified a group of established drugs to stimulate nerve growth without suppressing the immune system.
The first strain of mouse genetically engineered to model major symptoms of Huntington's disease -- an inherited, degenerative brain disorder that affects an estimated 30,000 Americans -- is now undergoing processing at The Jackson Laboratory for distribution to researchers worldwide.
Physicians from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and the University of Rochester's Cancer Center have created a promising compound that recruits the body's immune system to target and wipe out cancer cells in the liver. In a study with laboratory rats, the majority of animals injected with the vaccine were cancer-free, while similar animals that did not receive the vaccine typically had dozens of tumors. The work was reported in a recent issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Vitamin E, in all forms, is one of the safest of all vitamins. No adverse effects have been demonstrated with alpha-tocopherol at intakes of 1,200 international units (IU) or more.
Three selected story ideas from the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center -- "Reconnecting After Spinal Cord Damage" (Michael E. Selzer, MD, PhD); "Serendipitously, HIV-Related Antibody In Hand" (James A. Hoxie, MD); and "Magnetic Attraction -- Towards a New Era in Treating Rh-Factor Incompatibility" (Donald L. Siegel, MD, PhD).
Insects as entrees will be a featured attraction at Purdue University's annual Bug Bowl, April 18-20. That's where the vendors rattle off a menu that includes chocolate chirpy chip cookies, mealworm chow mein and a trail mix called "caterpillar crunch."
LSU researcher's study says the probability of a catastrophic hurricane striking anywhere along the northern Gulf of Mexico is once in an average of 400 years.
A researcher at Louisiana State University has developed a prototype of a hand-held device that analyzes air to detect the chemicals, including those found in bombs. Edward Overton, director of the LSU Institute for Environmental Studies, developed the environmental detection device that can also be used for explosive and chemical war fare agent detection.
A multi-center partnership led by the University of California, San Diego has been named as one of two awardees for the National Science Foundation's new Parterships for Advanced Computational Infrastructure (PACI) program.
In recent years, one of the most talked about nutrients has been the B-complex vitamin, folic acid, which helps the body build red blood cells and is essential for normal metabolism. Although folic acid has been mostly recognized for its ability to help prevent neural tube birth defects, recent studies now suggest folic acid may have a range of other potential health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and some types of cancer.
Despite efforts by government agencies and public education initiatives to raise awareness about folic acid and its role in helping to prevent certain birth defects, a national survey of American adults finds that 62% of men and women -- and 58% of women of childbearing age (18-39) -- have never seen, read nor heard about this important B-vitamin. The Centrum Center for Nutrition Science (CCNS)Folic Acid Awareness Survey also finds that 3 out of 4 Americans cannot name a single dietary source of folic acid.
Since December, the nation has been inundated by a series of floods unusual in their scope and severity, with more on the way. Here is a list of experts, related Web sites, and background information on U.S. flood risk from a new report by NCAR political scientist Roger Pielke, Jr.
Many "mom and pop" merchants continue to advertise and sell cigarettes to minors in low-income city neighborhoods despite laws and public health campaigns to stop teen-age smoking, a Johns Hopkins study suggests.
A common antifungal drug may buy precious time for people with three chronic kidney diseases, delaying their need for dialysis or transplantation, a Johns Hopkins study shows.
Four automotive researchers from Sandia National Laboratories have received special recognition from Vice President Al Gore for their work in connection with a multi-player initiative aimed at developing a new generation of fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles.
Scientists are becoming increasingly concerned about the mysterious decline of coral reefs throughout the world and are recommending more extensive research into the potentially serious problem. Two Johns Hopkins biologists are publishing an overview of the problem of declining coral reef health in an April issue of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health.
Researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have found a lack of conclusive evidence to support previously published studies confirming the safety of pregnancy following breast-cancer treatment. After conducting a critical review of the literature, investigators found limited information regarding the safety of pregnancy and other childbearing issues of concern to young breast-cancer survivors. Embargoed: April 1, 1997 6:00 a.m.
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center have discovered racial differences in the choice of dialysis method for children with end stage renal disease (ESRD).
What happens when Berkeley faculty in economics, business, engineering, and information systems come together with industry leaders from regional Bell operating companies, long distance phone companies, Internet service providers, computer and cable companies, and the FCC to hash out regulatory issues? A food fight? Far from it. The first conference co-hosted by the Haas School's Center for Telecommunications and Digital Convergence and Berkeley's School of Information Management Systems ended with unexpected areas of accord in an issue that's rife with difficult questions.
Three tips from Los Alamos: 1. Atomic tags give unique signature to industrial processes. 2. High-speed cameras from nuke tests now spotting watermines. 3. New ion beam improves coating, other material processing.
The packaged goods industry's obsession with promotion and competition distracts it from engaging in survival activities and leads to higher prices for consumers, say marketing researchers Dr. Leigh McAlister from the University of Texas at Austin and Barbara E. Kahn from the University of Pennsylvania.
The Year 2000 Problem (or Y2K), as it has been dubbed, is conservatively estimated to cost business and government $600 billion. Failure to solve it will put an estimated one to five percent of organizations out of business. And yet only 35 percent of businesses have begun to address the implications for their organizations.
American Psychiatric Association Publishes First Practice Guideline for the Treatment of Adult Patients With Schizophrenia: Embargoed until 4/1/97. Media opportunities on Friday, 3/28, and Monday, 3/31, to interview the experts on schizophrenia by telephone. EMBARGOED UNTIL APRIL 1, 1997
APA Online Tipsheet for April '97: 1)Medication More Effective than Psychotherapy for Depressed Patients with Sleep Problems; 2)Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Plus Medication Is Bulimia Treatment of Choice; 3)On-Demand Manic Depression Treatment Saves Money; 4)Managed Care of Chronic Mental Illness Can LImit Patient Stabilization; 5)Study Examines Mental and Physical Needs of the More Than 500,000 Children In Fostercare; 6)APA Annual Meeting, May 17-22, 1997, San Diego; 7)May Is Mental Health Month;8)Free Screenings for Anxiety Disorder: Embargoed for April 1, 1997
SAN DIEGO, March 26, 1997 -- A new class of retinoids, acting as insulin sensitizers, could eventually help more than 15 million Americans with diabetes halt progression of the potentially fatal disease, a study in today's issue of the journal.Nature. concludes.
On March 30, Dr. Anne Schiller, NC State University assistant professor of anthropology, will be featured in Ntional Geographic Explorer's "Borneo Beyond the Grave," a documentary about how the Nagju Dayak people, once legendary head-hunters, prepare the remains of deceased family members for the afterlife in the festive and complex ritual call tiwah. Since 1983 Schiller has been traveling to Central Kalimantan Province in Indonesian Borneo to study tiwah. She has published a book on nine years of research, also to be released on March 30.
Information released today in print and on the Internet will help consumers choose a health care insurance plan that best meets their needs and help them get the most from their plan.
Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered a new protein, called Homer, that becomes active in rat brain cells during exposure to cocaine and during a lab model of long-term memory creation.