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Scientists may have made a discovery that could lead to higher corn yields in the United States. In research published in the March 2010 issue of the journal GENETICS, scientists used tropical maize from Mexico and Thailand to discover chromosome regions responsible for detecting seasonal changes in flowering time. This discovery may lead to higher crop yields, improved disease resistance, and heartier plants able to withstand severe weather.

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American Academy of Dermatology Association (AADA) President and dermatologist William D. James, MD, FAAD, along with other dermatologists and leading researchers today testified before a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) panel considering changes to the current classification of indoor tanning devices. Currently, the FDA classifies indoor tanning devices as Class 1, the category for items that have minimal potential to cause harm to individuals. Items in Class 1 include adhesive bandages and tongue depressors.

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American University students will hear speeches from the first female president of Chile, Michele Bachelet; three dedicated public servants, Janet Napolitano, Eric Holder and Donna E. Shalala; entrepreneur Seth Goldman; and Academy–Award winning filmmaker Barbara Kopple, at AU’s 124th main commencement.

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More than a quarter of youth aged 12-20 (27.6 percent) drank alcohol in the past month, according to a survey by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The study shows that the underage drinking rates were as high as 40 percent in some states such as North Dakota and Vermont.

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Governments around the world have been pressuring the food industry to offer healthier fare. The latest headlines indicate the industry is listening. But to whom are they listening?

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Landmark regulations designed to detect and deter financial fraud via anonymous whistle-blowers can be dysfunctional and ineffective, according to new research from the University of Hampshire.

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A new study carried out by Prof. Rachel Lev-Wiesel and Dr. Tzachi Ben Zion has found that women who were victims of sexual abuse in childhood reported higher levels of depression and symptoms of post-trauma during pregnancy.

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Children with brain injuries may use gesture to signal they need help in developing language, research at the University of Chicago shows. The children who make the fewest gestures early in development also develop spoken vocabulary more slowly.

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Physician-scientists at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute have found that a genetic variation is associated with lower risk of sudden cardiac arrest, a disorder that gives little warning and is fatal in about 95 percent of cases. Findings will be published tomorrow by the Public Library of Science (PloS One).

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Like all institutions in the University of California system, UC San Diego values diversity and champions an environment that encourages academic success of its students.

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A newly described bird from the Jehol Biota of northeast China suggests that scientists have only tapped a small proportion of the birds and dinosaurs that were living at that time, and that the rocks still have many secrets to reveal.

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Suspecting that a particular protein in tuberculosis was likely to be vital to the bacteria’s survival, Johns Hopkins scientists screened 175,000 small chemical compounds and identified a potent class of compounds that selectively slows down this protein’s activity and, in a test tube, blocks TB growth, demonstrating that the protein is indeed a vulnerable target.

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A new study by James K. Boyce and Matthew E. Riddle of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, assesses the impacts of the CLEAR Act on families.

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By enhancing the activity of immune cells that protect against runaway inflammation, researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center may have found a novel therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases. In a new study published in the March 25, 2010 online edition of Science, the researchers reveal how treating these immune cells with an investigational drug wards off inflammation by holding a particular enzyme at bay.

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Brandt’s continual advocacy, as well as her clinical experiences were instrumental in the State of Maryland passing legislation in December 2008 mandating every assisted living facility in the state to have a pharmacist review medication use for each resident.

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Researcher exploring link between gastric bypass surgery and rapid, profound positive effect on Type II diabetes.

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The Internet has had a profound effect on clinical practice by providing both physicians and patients with a wealth of information. But with those rewards come risks of incorrect or poorly interpreted information that require that a doctor “never be optional.”

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A team of cardiologists, materials scientists, and bioengineers have created and tested a new type of implantable device for measuring the heart’s electrical output that they say is a vast improvement over current devices. The new device represents the first use of flexible silicon technology for a medical application. The technology may herald the next generation of active, flexible, implantable devices for applications in cardiology and neurology.

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Using the latest in aberration-corrected electron microscopy, researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory and their colleagues have obtained the first images that distinguish individual light atoms such as boron, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen.

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Mount Holyoke College announces a $5 million gift to name and support the Leslie Miller and Richard Worley Center for the Environment.

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Officials from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Ad Council will unveil a national public service campaign designed to urge parents to speak with their children about underage drinking in order to delay the onset of and ultimately reduce underage drinking. SAMHSA will also discuss findings of new report on underage alcohol use among youth.

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Fewer than half of all substance abuse treatment facilities surveyed nationwide reported that they conduct on-site infectious disease screening, according to a new study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

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A cadre of entrepreneurs has built stable, even thriving firms often overlooked by outsiders who can’t see past the general sluggishness of the communities these firms call home. That’s about to change.

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Weeds often thrive in noncrop areas such as levees, roadsides, and field borders, but they can be suppressed by planting native grasses and treating the area with herbicides, according to an article in the January–March 2010 issue of Invasive Plant Science and Management.

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Plant study in Nature shows value of using genome-wide method to locate genes behind physical traits. Authors see applications for agriculture and biofuels.

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The experts who make recommendations for genetic disease screening in newborns face a challenging task: To make conclusions based on the most authoritative available evidence, while considering gaps in the research on such rare conditions, as well as their human impact. An overview of the steps followed by the expert panels tasked with making these recommendations is presented in a special section of the current issue of Genetics in Medicine.

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Healthcare providers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) and other Texas Medical Center institutions helped many earthquake victims during a recent Haitian relief trip.

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To save money on your taxes this year, you’ll need to know the new deductions and tax credits included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

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Darden School of Business Offers Course on Markets in Human Hope

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MDA-Funded Researcher Begins Clinical Trials to Test Efficacy of Cialis (tadalafil) to increase blood flow to muscles of men with Becker muscular dystrophy.

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The ATS has released an official policy statement of pay-for-performance (P4P) in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine. In the statement, the Society encourages clinicians in these fields to participate in P4P programs and views them as an opportunity to partner with healthcare payers, accrediting organizations, governmental oversight groups and others to improve quality, rather than as a threat to autonomy and independence.

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You see pictures of a monkey, scrambled eggs and a brightly dressed group of women laughing. Research scientists at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and the California Institute of Technology see electrical spikes coming from the neurons of your brain.

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A team of scientists from The Scripps Research Institute and other institutions has solved the structure of a key protein from the virus that caused last year’s “swine flu” influenza epidemic. The structure reveals that the virus shares many features with influenza viruses common in the early 20th century, helping to explain why, in general, older individuals have been less severely affected by the recent outbreak than younger ones.

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Bony fish like the tiny zebrafish have a remarkable ability that mammals can only dream of: if you lop off a chunk of their heart they swim sluggishly for a few days but within a month appear perfectly normal. How they accomplish this - or, more importantly, why we can't - is one of the significant questions in regenerative medicine today.

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Interventional cardiologists use an instrument similar to a dental drill to reopen clogged arteries that have turned as hard as bone.

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Loyola University Health System has become the only Chicago-area academic medical center to be accredited as a rehabilitation stroke specialty program by CARF International.

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To comment on the Canadian system, and on what the future might hold for Americans, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Canada’s leading health research agency, has identified two internationally renowned researchers who can speak about the policy and cost components of a universal heath care plan.

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Many moms who start off breastfeeding ponder baby bottle issues, as they have to return to work or need to spend several hours away from the baby.

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Dolphins, whales and porpoises have extraordinarily small balance organs, and scientists have long wondered why. Now a study at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has contradicted a leading theory, which held that the animals moved their heads so vigorously that they had to have smaller, less responsive balance organs to avoid overwhelming their senses.

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As the debate over healthcare insurance reform continues, faculty members of The George Washington University Medical Center are available to comment on topics regarding health insurance reform, including: general policy/political analysis, Medicare, Medicaid, compliance, community health centers, state health reform, affordability, finance and health technology information.

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The best way to help teenagers who are struggling in school is put aside their academic problems and focus on what they’re doing right, according to a family research scientist who has put this theory to practice.

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A study of 100 teen bloggers from around the United States found that the vast majority use blogs to nurture relationships with their peers and build a sense of community -- rather than to admit misbehavior.

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A newly developed test appears highly accurate in identifying newborns with fragile X syndrome—the most common inherited cause of cognitive impairment—as well as identifying couples who are carriers of the causative gene, reports a study in the March issue of Genetics in Medicine.

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Dr. Javaid I. Sheikh, professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, has been named dean at Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (WCMC-Q). Dr. Sheikh has served as interim dean since January 2009, following the retirement of Dr. Daniel R. Alonso, dean of the Medical College in Qatar from its inception in 2001.

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A champion of environmental issues who served Maryland’s 1st district for 9 terms, former U.S. Congressman Wayne Gilchrest is now sharing first-hand experience at Salisbury University. His environmental issues course allows students to explore AND debate Washington politics and policies!

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The Olympic Games are not just for humans anymore. Researchers in Australia put two species of venomous snakes through a competition that included sprint trials in a racetrack and wrapping around, thrashing, tongue flicking, and biting when held—and then scored the snakes’ responses. The results? If you were to come across one of these snakes in the wild, you might prefer it to be the small-eyed snake—it is more likely to flee than fight.

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Flip-flops and sneakers with flexible soles are easier on the knees than clogs or even special walking shoes, a study by Rush University Medical Center has found. And that's important, because loading on the knee joints is a key factor in the development of osteoarthritis.

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African American women are less likely to breastfeed their children, in part due to the preconceived attitudes that women have regarding breastfeeding vs. formula feeding, according to a new study from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center researchers.

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Many egg donation agencies and private couples routinely exceed compensation recommendation limits for potential donors, a new study finds.

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For Hempstead resident Lynette Love, mother of four and grandmother of five, surviving colorectal cancer took courage, diligence and faith. Now a 3-year survivor, Love is giving the love back to the community through her participation in the Sprint for Colorectal Oncology Prevention and Education (SCOPE) run.