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Released: 20-Apr-2009 3:10 PM EDT
Study Suggests Link Between Health Literacy, Happiness
University of Alabama at Birmingham

A new University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) study published in the advanced online edition of the journal Social Indicators Research suggests a link between the ease with which older adults can access and understand health information and their happiness.

Released: 20-Apr-2009 2:45 PM EDT
Researchers Use Brain Interface to Post to Twitter
University of Wisconsin–Madison

In early April, Adam Wilson posted a status update on the social networking Web site Twitter "” just by thinking about it.

Released: 17-Apr-2009 1:45 PM EDT
University of Maryland Opens its Doors April 25
University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland is celebrating its 11th annual Maryland Day Open House on Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. The increasingly popular festival is now the second largest annual event in Maryland.

Released: 16-Apr-2009 1:25 PM EDT
AHRQ and Ad Council Encourage Health Consumers to Ask Questions
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

A new series of national public service announcements designed to encourage consumers to get involved in their health care by knowing and asking appropriate questions when visiting their doctor or other clinicians was launched today by AHRQ with The Advertising Council and actress and health advocate Fran Drescher.

Released: 14-Apr-2009 2:40 PM EDT
Transforming Government: Change or Risk Failure
University of Maryland, College Park

Governments at all levels must make major changes or risk failure in the face of unprecedented challenges, says the new dean of the University of Maryland School of Public Policy, Don Kettl. An expert in transforming government, he says the US must get "real smart, real fast." Despite the stimulus, state governments face a "fiscal time bomb."

Released: 14-Apr-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Hubble Witnesses Spectacular Flaring in Extragalactic Jet from M87's Black Hole
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

A flare-up in a jet of matter blasting from a monster black hole in the giant elliptical galaxy M87 is giving astronomers an incredible light show. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has been following the surprising activity for seven years, providing the most detailed ultraviolet-light view of the event.

9-Apr-2009 3:00 PM EDT
For Cancer Cells, Genetics Alone Is Poor Predictor for Drug Response
Harvard Medical School

Researchers have discovered that the genetic identity of a tumor cell is an incomplete predictor for how it will respond to certain treatments. In the case of one particular new and highly touted cancer treatment, genetically identical cancer cells responded differently. These variations resulted from random cell-to-cell differences, such as how many protein copies each cell had at the time of treatment. What's more, these non-genetic characteristics were passed on to subsequent generations of cells, establishing a transient heritability.

Released: 7-Apr-2009 4:55 PM EDT
Students with Experience Corps Tutors Make 60% More Progress in Critical Reading Skills than Students without Tutors
Washington University in St. Louis

Tutoring children in and after school isn't new, but how much does it really help in critical areas like reading? Rigorous new research from Washington University in St. Louis shows significant gains from a national service program that trains experienced Americans to help low-income children one-on-one in urban public schools. The central finding: Over a single school year, students with Experience Corps tutors made over 60 percent more progress in learning two critical reading skills "” sounding out new words and reading comprehension "” than similar students not served by the program.

6-Apr-2009 3:35 PM EDT
Vaccine for the Infected? New TB Vaccine Clears Important Hurdle
American Thoracic Society (ATS)

An urgently needed new tuberculosis vaccine cleared a vital step in testing, an important advance at time when a third of the world's population is believed to be have latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), which, when re-activated, can cause full-blown disease.

Released: 6-Apr-2009 4:40 PM EDT
Mood Overcomes Consumers' Suspicions of Sales Pitches
University of Alabama at Birmingham

A new UAB study shows that happy consumers are likely to overlook their suspicions or concerns related to sales people's product pitches. Thomas DeCarlo, Ph.D., the Ben S. Weil Chair of Industrial Distribution at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Business, conducted the study with Michael Barone, Ph.D., from the University of Louisville.

   
Released: 6-Apr-2009 4:20 PM EDT
Spark Workplace Productivity and Fight Obesity with "Meetings on the Move"
Washington University in St. Louis

"'Meetings on the Move' is an inexpensive, easy way to improve health and productivity," says Tim McBride, Ph.D., associate dean for public health at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis. Meetings on the Move (MOTM) get employees on their feet and out of the office environment. Researchers offer tips and benefits to holding a MOTM.

2-Apr-2009 11:50 AM EDT
Gene Helps Protect Tumor Suppressor in Breast Cancer
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have discovered a gene that protects PTEN, a major tumor-suppressor that is reduced but rarely mutated in about half of all breast cancers.

Released: 6-Apr-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Public Links 'Alcopops' to Underage Drinking
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

According to a report released today, 52 percent of adults believe definitely or probably that alcopops encourage underage drinking. The report also finds that because these often fruity, fizzy, pop-like drinks can be easily confused with non-alcoholic beverages, 92 percent of adults strongly support the use of warning labels on alcopops.

Released: 6-Apr-2009 8:10 AM EDT
Alternative Therapies Can be Safe, Effective for Children
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Complementary and alternative therapies are becoming more and more popular in the "˜pint-size' set. A University of Michigan pediatrician discusses the use of complementary and alternative therapies in children and offers advice on what may be safe and effective and what should be avoided.

Released: 6-Apr-2009 7:00 AM EDT
Sun Dial Uses Mobile Phones to Alert Muslims to Prayer
Georgia Institute of Technology

Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology have developed a mobile application known as Sun Dial, which alerts Muslim users when it's time to perform the five daily prayers known as salat. The device is being discussed this week at the human-computer interaction conference, CHI, in Boston.

Released: 3-Apr-2009 4:30 PM EDT
A Young Pulsar Shows Its Hand
Chandra X-ray Observatory

A small, dense object only twelve miles in diameter is responsible for this beautiful X-ray nebula that spans 150 light years. At the center of this image made by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory is a very young and powerful pulsar, known as PSR B1509-58, or B1509 for short. This image is being unveiled for the first time as part of the "Around the World in 80 Telescopes" webcast, a program of the International Year of Astronomy 2009.

Released: 3-Apr-2009 1:15 PM EDT
Hubble Celebrates the International Year of Astronomy with the Galaxy Triplet Arp 274
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

On April 1-2, the Hubble Space Telescope photographed the winning target in the Space Telescope Science Institute's "You Decide" competition in celebration of the International Year of Astronomy (IYA). The winner is a group of galaxies called Arp 274. The striking object received 67,021 votes out of the nearly 140,000 votes cast for the six candidate targets.

Released: 3-Apr-2009 1:00 PM EDT
Making Cancer Research Dollars Count By Resurrecting Dormant Compounds
Champions Biotechnology

Champions Biotechnology is advancing oncology drug development with its Biomerk Tumorgraftâ„¢ preclinical platform.

Released: 3-Apr-2009 1:00 PM EDT
Combination of Chemo and Common Virus Continues to Show Remarkable Results in Advanced Cancer Patients
Oncolytics Biotech

Chemotherapy is now often used in combination with other treatments that have different mechanisms for attacking and killing cancer cells. One such complimentary drug may be REOLYSIN, now being developed from the naturally occurring reovirus.

Released: 2-Apr-2009 12:00 PM EDT
Astronauts May Need More Intense Workouts to Maintain Muscle Fitness in Space
American Physiological Society (APS)

Research at Ball State University's Human Performance Laboratory suggests astronauts' fitness program during extended stays in space should be modified to avoid extensive muscle loss.

   
Released: 1-Apr-2009 8:00 PM EDT
Celebration of Football Coach Brings Music to Kids' Ears
University of Kentucky

Building on the past success of the Maker's Mark/Keeneland charitable bottle series that supports projects at the University of Kentucky, Maker's Mark and Keeneland are continuing the program with the celebration of UK football coach Rich Brooks, whose likeness will be featured on the bottle label. This year, the coach joins forces with UK Symphony Orchestra, Maker's Mark and Keeneland to raise money for a unique extension program highlighting the performing arts for elementary schoolchildren.

Released: 1-Apr-2009 7:15 PM EDT
Ovarian Cancer Screening Not Catching Early Disease
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Screening regimens that combine ultrasound and a blood test for ovarian cancer fail to detect the disease early enough to make important progress, the authors of a new study reported. The combo screening also led to unnecessary surgery, which reinforces the need for a more sensitive and more specific test, said the director of UAB's Comprehensive Cancer Center, who led the research.

Released: 1-Apr-2009 12:35 PM EDT
Top Prize for Book on American Music Goes to FSU Professors
Florida State University

The Irving Lowens Memorial Book Award is the most distinguished honor bestowed by the Society for American Music, and this year it goes to a scholarly tour de force coauthored by noted musicologists Denise Von Glahn and Michael Broyles of The Florida State University College of Music.

30-Mar-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Rigorous Visual Training Teaches the Brain to See Again After Stroke
University of Rochester Medical Center

By doing a set of vigorous visual exercises on a computer every day for several months, patients who had gone partially blind as a result of suffering a stroke were able to regain some vision.

Released: 30-Mar-2009 4:00 AM EDT
UCLA Acquires New Cancer Fighting Tool that Delivers Higher Doses of Radiation in Less Time
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences

UCLA has added a new tool to its cancer-fighting arsenal, a state-of-the-art image-guided device that provides more accurate, concentrated doses of radiation, allowing patients to be treated in fewer visits and suffer from fewer side effects.

Released: 26-Mar-2009 1:35 PM EDT
Healthcare 411 Podcast Tip Sheet for March 25, 2009
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

This week's Healthcare 411 podcasts from AHRQ: Spending on Outpatient Prescription Painkillers; New Research Project to Reduce Central Line-Association Bloodstream Infections; How To Speak Up About Your Health Care.

Released: 25-Mar-2009 3:05 PM EDT
Erratic Black Hole Regulates Itself
Chandra X-ray Observatory

New results from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have made a major advance in explaining how a special class of black holes may shut off the high-speed jets they produce.  These results suggest that these black holes have a mechanism for regulating the rate at which they grow.

Released: 24-Mar-2009 8:50 PM EDT
Cracking the Crusts of Neutron Stars
National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory at Michigan State University

Research by Michigan State University scientists is helping shed light on neutron stars, city-sized globs of ultra-dense matter that occasionally collapse into black holes. A team led by Betty Tsang, a professor at MSU's National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory, has had some success in measuring a key nuclear quality that may make it easier to describe the outer crusts of such stars.

Released: 24-Mar-2009 12:00 PM EDT
Mutated Gene in Zebrafish Sheds Light on Blindness in Humans
Florida State University

Among zebrafish, the eyes have it. Inside them is a mosaic of light-sensitive cells whose structure and functions are nearly identical to those of humans. There, biologists at The Florida State University discovered a gene mutation that determines if the cells develop as rods (the photoreceptors responsible for dim-light vision) or as cones (the photoreceptors needed for color vision).

   
Released: 24-Mar-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Researchers Develop Flow Sensors That Mimic Blind Fish
Georgia Institute of Technology, Research Communications

The fish species Astyanax fasciatus cannot see, but their unique technique for sensing their environment and the movement of water around them with gel-covered hairs that extend from their bodies may inspire a new generation of sensors that perform better than current active sonar.

Released: 23-Mar-2009 12:45 PM EDT
Insurance Coverage No Peace of Mind for Parents
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Trouble paying health plan premiums and difficulty affording out-of-pocket expenses for medications aren't just problems of the uninsured anymore. They're also concerns for families with private insurance, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health.

Released: 23-Mar-2009 12:05 AM EDT
Inhaling a Heart Attack: How Air Pollution Can Cause Heart Disease
American Physiological Society (APS)

Accumulating evidence indicates that an increase in particulate air pollution is associated with an increase in heart attacks and deaths. The relatively new field of environmental cardiology examines the relationship between air pollution and heart disease. A symposium in the Environmental Factors in Heart Disease will take place April 21 at the Experimental Biology conference in New Orleans.

Released: 18-Mar-2009 12:05 AM EDT
Symposium to Look at Genetic Basis of Exercise
American Physiological Society (APS)

How many genes play a role in the body's ability to adapt to exercise? Mark Olfert of the University of California and Claude Bouchard of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center will answer that question and provide insight into why some people adapt to exercise more easily than others at a symposium at the Experimental Biology Conference in New Orleans on April 20.

Released: 17-Mar-2009 5:00 PM EDT
Researcher Wins $2.6 Million Grant for Depression Care Study
Florida State University

With the nation's economic crisis contributing to greater workplace stress, providing effective mental health care for employees may be more important than ever.

Released: 17-Mar-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Quadruple Saturn Moon Transit Snapped by Hubble
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Hubble photographed four moons of Saturn passing in front of their parent planet on February 24, 2009.

12-Mar-2009 11:10 AM EDT
Young Dinosaurs Roamed Together, Died Together
University of Chicago

A herd of young birdlike dinosaurs met their death on the muddy margins of a lake some 90 million years ago, according to a team of Chinese and American paleontologists that excavated the site in the Gobi Desert in western Inner Mongolia.

13-Mar-2009 4:30 PM EDT
Sea Level Rise Due to Global Warming Poses Threat to New York City
Florida State University

Global warming is expected to cause the sea level along the northeastern U.S. coast to rise almost twice as fast as global sea levels during this century, putting New York City at greater risk for damage from hurricanes and winter storm surge, according to a new study led by a Florida State University researcher.

Released: 13-Mar-2009 4:55 PM EDT
Researchers Find Sustained Improvement in Health in Experience Corps Tutors Over 55
Washington University in St. Louis

Tutors over 55 who help young students on a regular basis experience positive physical and mental health outcomes, according to studies released by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The tutors studied were members of Experience Corps, an award-winning organization that trains thousands of people over 55 to tutor children in urban public schools across the country. Video Available.

   
Released: 12-Mar-2009 9:00 AM EDT
Families Are Feeling the Stress of Economic Crisis
Florida State University

There is no question that the recent economic crisis has wreaked havoc on companies and on families across the country. Now, a recent study of 300 married, working couples conducted by Wayne Hochwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Management at Florida State University's College of Business, is revealing just how deeply the crunch is being felt.

11-Mar-2009 5:00 PM EDT
Hubble Provides New Evidence for Dark Matter Around Small Galaxies
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

The Hubble Space Telescope has uncovered a strong new line of evidence that galaxies are embedded in halos of dark matter. Peering into the tumultuous heart of the nearby Perseus galaxy cluster, Hubble's sharp view resolved a large population of small galaxies that have remained intact while larger galaxies around them are being ripped apart by the gravitational tug of other galaxies. The dwarf elliptical galaxies' "invisible shield" is a robust halo of dark matter that keeps them intact despite a several-billion-year-long bumper-car game inside the massive galaxy cluster.

Released: 10-Mar-2009 12:25 PM EDT
Synthetic Gene Circuit Allows Precise Dosing of Gene Expression
University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center

Researchers have crafted a gene circuit that permits precise tuning of a gene's expression in a cell, an advance that should allow for more accurate analysis of the gene's role in normal and abnormal cellular function.

   
Released: 9-Mar-2009 8:00 AM EDT
Keep Your Colon Healthy with Exercise, Healthy Foods
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Most of us prefer not to talk about colon health and take those functions for granted. But many conditions can affect colon health, particularly as we age. A University of Michigan Gastroenterologist discusses diverticulosis and its symptoms and complications, and reminds us that regular colon cancer screening should start at age 50.

Released: 9-Mar-2009 8:00 AM EDT
Compulsive Hoarding Poses Safety and Psychological Risks
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

Most of us save things "“ memorabilia, collectibles, items from our childhood or from our children. But for more than an estimated million Americans, the saving may get out of hand and cross over to a psychiatric condition known as compulsive hoarding.

   
Released: 6-Mar-2009 2:55 PM EST
Economists Say Copyright and Patent Laws Are Killing Innovation; Hurting Economy
Washington University in St. Louis

Patent and copyright law are stifling innovation and threatening the global economy according to two economists at Washington University in St. Louis in a new book, Against Intellectual Monopoly. Professors Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine call for abolishing the current patent and copyright system in order to unleash innovations necessary to reverse the current recession and rescue the economy. The professors discuss their stand against intellectual property protections in a video and news release linked here.

Released: 6-Mar-2009 1:00 PM EST
Heavy Lifting: Spinal Fractures No Reason To Sacrifice Height, Says Orthopaedic Medical Device Expert
AOI Medical, Inc.

Over 700,000 patients annually are diagnosed with Vertebral Compression Fractures (VCF), or collapse of a vertebra due to trauma, osteoporosis, or benign and/or malignant lesions. According to an article that appeared in the peer-reviewed journal American Family Physician, VCF affects approximately 25% of all postmenopausal women in the U.S., with prevalence of the condition increasing with age and reaching 40% of women eighty or older.

Released: 5-Mar-2009 2:55 PM EST
Research Promises Range of Health, Defense and Environmental Applications
University of Alabama at Birmingham

The ongoing research conducted by University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) physics professor Sergey Mirov, Ph.D., is a kind of fingerprinting program for the 21st century. But rather than using fingers and ink to identify one person from another, Mirov is using molecules and laser light to identify one substance or material from another.

Released: 4-Mar-2009 2:40 PM EST
Maritime Archaeologist at Helm of Modern Journey to Ancient Egyptian Land
Florida State University

Ancient Egyptians may be best known for building pyramids, but internationally renowned maritime archaeologist Cheryl Ward wants the world to know that they were pretty good sailors, too.

Released: 3-Mar-2009 12:10 PM EST
The Importance of Male Friendships
University of Maryland, Baltimore

How important are male friendships? Geoffrey Greif, DSW, explores the importance of male friendships in his book The Buddy System, Understanding Male Friendships. In the wake of the forthcoming film, I LOVE YOU MAN, Greif can speak to the issues about male friendships or lack thereof.

Released: 3-Mar-2009 10:40 AM EST
Foreign Investments May be Destabilizing Financial Markets
Florida State University

Stabilizing or destabilizing? Good or bad? Many have debated the positives and negatives of sovereign wealth fund investments, which are pools of money that foreign governments, China in particular, have invested for profit in a number of U.S. investment banks. None, however, have shed light on the fundamental question: Do such investments help or hurt?

Released: 3-Mar-2009 6:00 AM EST
Trio of Galaxies Mix It Up
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)

Though they are the largest and most widely scattered objects in the universe, galaxies do go bump in the night. The Hubble Space Telescope has photographed many pairs of galaxies colliding. Like snowflakes, no two examples look exactly alike. This is one of the most arresting galaxy smash-up images to date.



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