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Scientists are reporting for the first time that nicotine is the main culprit in diabetes complications among smokers. The tobacco chemical appears to cause elevated levels of a blood protein that increases the risk of diabetes complications, including heart attack, stroke, and blindness, the scientists say. Scientists will describe the finding at the 241st National Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Anaheim.

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Organizers of the technical program at the American Chemical Society’s 241st National Meeting & Exposition have identified these highlights from their own division or committee’s presentations. The technical program is a journalistic treasure trove for spot news, features, story ideas, background, and sources for future coverage. It includes almost 9,400 papers that span scientific topics from astronomy to zoology. Journalists can access abstracts of all the presentations, with time and location, via the searchable online program or on a disc available from the ACS Office of Public Affairs contacts.

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Five major scientific societies cautioned today that global production of phosphorus fertilizer could peak and decline later this century, causing shortages and price spikes that jeopardizing world food production. The white paper, Chemistry for a Sustainable Global Society, also cautioned about the supply of other natural resources where monopolies or political instability affect supplies or inflate prices.

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Researchers excavating a creek bed in central Texas have found evidence suggesting humans settled in North America some two thousand years earlier than previously estimated. The findings are reported March 25 in Science.

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Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered a hormone pathway that potentially could lead to new ways of treating type 1 diabetes independent of insulin, long thought to be the sole regulator of carbohydrates in the liver.

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A new study of coronary artery calcium scanning – a simple, noninvasive test that gives patients baseline information about plaque in their coronary arteries—has shown that the scan helps them make heart-healthy lifestyle changes and lower their heart disease risk factors.

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Individuals who smoke mentholated cigarettes are no more likely to develop lung cancer or to die from the disease than smokers of non-mentholated cigarettes, according to a new study led by William Blot, Ph.D., professor of Medicine, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), Nashville, Tenn., and colleagues at VICC, Meharry Medical College (MMC), Nashville, and the International Epidemiology Institute (IEI), Rockville, Md.

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People with type 1 diabetes, whose insulin-producing cells have been destroyed by the body’s own immune system, are particularly vulnerable to a form of inflammatory heart disease caused by a different autoimmune reaction. Scientists at Joslin Diabetes Center now have revealed the exact target of this other onslaught.

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By sequencing the genome of a mouse with cancer, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have uncovered mutations that also drive cancer in humans. The investigators are the first to sequence a mouse cancer genome, and their research is reported online March 23 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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Although recent evidence suggests that the clinical benefit may be uncertain for fibrates, a class of drugs used for the treatment of high lipid levels, use of these drugs is common in the U.S. and Canada, with usage increasing steadily in the last decade in the U.S., especially for a brand-name fibrate product, according to a study in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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Patients admitted to a hospital with major trauma and treated with the steroid hydrocortisone were less likely to be diagnosed with hospital-acquired pneumonia than patients who received placebo, according to a study in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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An analysis of previous studies that examined whether episodic physical activity and sexual activity can act as a trigger for cardiac events found an association between these activities and a short-term increased risk of heart attack and sudden cardiac death, although the absolute risk was small and lessened among persons with high levels of regular physical activity, according to an article in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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In patients with a suspected acute coronary syndrome (ACS; such as heart attack or unstable angina), use of a more sensitive test to detect the protein troponin in blood was associated with increased diagnosis of a heart attack and improved identification of patients at high risk of another heart attack and death in the following year, according to a study in the March 23/30 issue of JAMA.

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in a commentary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association March 23, two U-M physicians call for changes throughout the research process to minimize fraud, deception.

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Poor communications continue to undermine efforts to prevent avoidable medical errors. The "Silent Treatment" study by AACN, AORN and VitalSmarts focuses on known risks that are left undiscussed -- dangerous shortcuts, incompetence and disrespect.

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A long term study reports about the effectiveness of replacing bone marrow, purposely destroyed by chemotherapy, with autologous (self) stem cell rescue for people with aggressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study is published in the March 22, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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On the small island of Minorca researchers have unearthed an enormous fossil rabbit skeleton. This massive rabbit, aptly named the Minorcan King of the Rabbits (Nuralagus rex), weighed in at 12 kg (26.4 lbs)! — approximately ten times the size of its extinct mainland cousin (Alilepus sp.) and six times the size of the living European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus.

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A "templated growth” technique for fabricating nanoribbons of epitaxial graphene has produced structures just 15 to 40 nanometers wide that conduct current with almost no resistance. These structures could address the challenge of connecting graphene devices made with conventional architectures.

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Women have always been willing to do what it takes to look good. Now, the latest quantitative research from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, shows that more MEN are now going under the knife. The new statistics, which include plastic surgery trends in various demographics, will be released on Monday, March 21, 2011 by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS). Overall cosmetic plastic surgery procedures in men were up 2 percent in 2010 compared to 2009. However, the new stats show that many male surgical procedures increased significantly. Facelifts for men rose 14 percent in 2010 while male liposuction increased 7 percent.

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Mice with a particular gene mutation avoid interacting with other mice and show compulsive, repetitive behavior.

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A team of scientists from Princess Margaret Hospital have created an organic nanoparticle that is completely non-toxic, biodegradable and nimble in the way it uses light and heat to treat cancer and deliver drugs. (A nanoparticle is a minute molecule with novel properties).

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A new study by The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, that will be published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, suggests men who take the drug finasteride, commonly marketed under the trademark names Propecia and Proscar, may report an on-going reduction in sex drive, and in some cases, prolonged periods of erectile dysfunction even after they stop using the medications.

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For dialysis patients, performing daily dialysis at home can help alleviate sleep problems related to restless legs syndrome (RLS), according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (CJASN). RLS, a common and troublesome problem for dialysis patients, affects hemodialysis patients about four times as often as people in the general population.

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(1) Parents confusion over enrollment, eligibility leads to underutilization of public health insurance for eligible children (2) Current laws ineffective at preventing adolescents’ use of indoor tanning (3) Antidrug advertising found to be most effective on eighth-grade girls

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A gene therapy called NLX-P101 dramatically reduces movement impairment in Parkinson's patients, according to results of a Phase 2 study published today in the journal Lancet Neurology. The approach introduces a gene into the brain to normalize chemical signaling.

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A first-of-its-kind study of gene therapy in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease determined that half of all patients who received the treatment had “clinically meaningful improvements” of their symptoms within six months of surgery, says study lead author and co-principal investigator Peter LeWitt, M.D.

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A multi-center gene therapy trial for patients with advanced Parkinson’s disease demonstrated reduced symptoms of the progressive movement disorder, according to a new study published in Lancet Neurology.

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A new anti-asthma medication dramatically reduced increases in seasonal asthma attacks in children and young adults with allergic asthma, according to a multi-institutional study involving a UT Southwestern Medical Center physician.

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Earth remote sensing satellites and social networking tools are in use to help respond to the multi-prong tragedy in Japan of earthquake, tsunami, and the crippling of nuclear power plants.

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From 1965 to 2007, the population prevalence of persons who smoked 20 or more cigarettes per day declined significantly, and there was also a decrease in the prevalence of smoking 10 or more cigarettes a day, with these declines greater in California than in the rest of the U.S., according to a study in the March 16 issue of JAMA.

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Modifying a patient’s dosage of the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel for 6 months depending on the patient’s level of platelet reactivity did not result in combined lower rates of nonfatal heart attack, stent thrombosis (clot) and cardiovascular death in patients who had a procedure such as balloon angioplasty and received a drug-releasing coronary stent, according to a study in the March 16 issue of JAMA.

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An examination of data for more than 5 million Medicare beneficiaries finds that hospital regions that have a greater frequency of diagnoses have a lower case-fatality rate for chronic conditions such as coronary artery disease and kidney failure, according to a study in the March 16 issue of JAMA.

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Even though clinical practice guidelines for patients with chronic kidney disease recommend specific treatment target levels for serum phosphorus, parathyroid hormone, and calcium to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, an analysis of data from previous studies did not find a strong association between these biomarkers and the risk of death and cardiovascular events, except for higher serum phosphorus levels, according to an article in the March 16 issue of JAMA.

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An inexpensive type 2 diabetes drug that has been around for more than 15 years works just as well and has fewer side effects than a half-dozen other, mostly newer and more expensive classes of medication used to control the chronic disease, new Johns Hopkins research suggests.

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People who have a stroke are more likely to be dependent if they are depressed, older or have other medical problems, according to a study published in the March 15, 2011, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Heavy alcohol consumption, specifically three or more glasses of liquor a day, is associated with an increased risk of death from pancreatic cancer, according to a report in the March 14 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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A meta-analysis of nine previous studies found that quitting smoking shortly before surgery was not associated with an increased risk of postoperative complications, according to a report published online today that will appear in the July 11 print issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

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New research from the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center (DF/BWCC) shows that newer, more expensive treatment options for prostate cancer were adopted rapidly and widely during 2002 – 2005 without proof of their cost-effectiveness.

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Older people who receive Guided Care, a new form of primary care, use fewer expensive health services compared to older people who receive regular primary care.

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The mystery of biodiversity – how thousands of similar species can co-exist in a single ecosystem – might best be understood as the result of a massive rock-paper-scissors tournament, a new study has revealed.

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A new study in Honduras suggests that climate-related weather disasters may sometimes actually provide opportunities for the rural poor to improve their lives.

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Calling it the “new periodic table for flies,” researchers at North Carolina State University and collaborators across the globe have mapped the evolutionary history of flies, providing a framework for further comparative studies on the insects that comprise more than 10 percent of all life on Earth.

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In an article to appear in the April 2011 issue of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society, John W. Cain, a mathematician at Virginia Commonwealth University, presents a survey of six ongoing Challenge Problems in mathematical cardiology.

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Breast cancer tumors take numerous paths to resist the targeted drug Herceptin, but a single roadblock at a crucial crossroads may restore a tumor's vulnerability to treatment, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report on line at Nature Medicine.

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Four novel biomarkers have been identified which may aid in the diagnosis and management of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study conducted by researchers in Australia, who determined the biomarkers may be used in different combinations to successfully identify patients with either of the airway diseases. In conducting the study, the researchers relied on proteomics, an emerging field of science that focuses on the structure and functions of an organism’s proteins.

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Monitoring blood for tiny particles released by cells lining the lungs may help clinicians diagnose emphysema in its earliest stages, according to researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College. The particles, called endothelial microparticles (EMPs), are shed during the disease process as tiny blood vessels in the lungs, called pulmonary capillaries, are injured and die.

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During a regular annual physical exam, blood is usually drawn to check the health of a person's heart, kidneys and liver. Now, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center say a blood test that detects the early development of emphysema -- well before symptoms occur -- may someday also be offered.

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Depression is associated with an increased risk of developing kidney failure in the future, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN). Approximately 10% of the US population will suffer from depression at some point during their lifetime.

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Five genetic variants in humans – four new – associate with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD), according to a study published March 10 in PLoS Genetics.

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A light-sensing receptor that’s packed inside the eye’s photoreceptor cells has an altogether surprising role in cells elsewhere in the body, Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered. Using fruit flies, they showed that this protein, called rhodopsin, also is critical for sensing temperature.