PET, or positron emission tomography, is a technology previously considered experimental in the United States. However, new studies show it is significantly more accurate than other imaging methods used to detect cancer and can also find areas of infection in the body far quicker than conventional means.
It sounded like a neat idea. Introduce sun ovens to poor villages in Haiti and help the people there become less dependent on charcoal, an expensive form of energy that is stripping the island of its tropical rain forest and destroying the enviroment. But business and environmental students at Fairfield University are finding out that theory is easier than practice.
Researchers from the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) at the University of Minnesota Duluth are developing a computer model to simulate animal foraging. Currently, the model is being used to study the effects of moose eating habits on plant growth in an effort to better manage moose populations. EASE, which stands for Energy Activity and Simulation Environment, uniquely combines four submodels into one and was designed specifically for ruminantsóanimals that initially eat great quantities of food and later regurgitate it from their ìfermenterî stomachs to completely digest the food.
National Science Foundation Tips: 1) Children's Author on A South Pole Adventure, 2) Team in Himalayas Retrieves Ice Core from Highest-Ever Altitude, 3) U. Vermont Wires "Smartest Bridge in the World"
Faced with medical tests, patients and their families generally have questions. Why is test being given? What does it involve? How does it help? These questions and many others are answered in a new book, The Yale University School of Medicine Patient's Guide to Medical Tests, just published by Houghton Mifflin Co.
Researchers at Yale University School of Medicine have launched a study to determine how commonly used chemicals in autobody paint shops may cause or aggravate asthma. The study, Survey of Painters and Repairers in Autobodies by Yale (SPRAY), is also aimed at finding better ways to protect workers' health
Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI, has just established an insurance agency to generate profits while will fund student scholarships.
A new book by Purdue University Professor Greg Frederickson may reshape the way you think about mathematical puzzles. In the book, Frederickson explores the challenges of geometric dissections, the mathematical art of cutting figures into the fewest number of pieces that can be rearranged to form other figures.
Johns Hopkins researchers have confirmed that a gene related to bipolar disorder in families is located in the "long arm" of human chromosome 18.
After studying more than 9,500 images taken during the acclaimed Mars Pathfinder mission, scientists report in Science (Dec. 5) that surface photographs provide strong geological and geochemical evidence that fluid water was once present on the red planet.
Celebrating 25 years of emergency medicine research, the December issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine publishes articles from prominent emergency physicians and medical commentators on topics that describe the history of emergency medicine, examine the specialty's challenges and role in the health care system, and chart its course for the future.
The National Science Board (NSB), concerned about the future state of scientific research in the U.S., is calling for further study on how to set priorities. In a working paper titled Government Funding of Scientific Research, the Board calls for "high-level coordination" of federally financed scientific research, leading toward "systematic ways to reach and prioritize decisions."
Research briefs from the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: 1) More prevalent severe obesity may explain black/white difference in stage at diagnosis of breast cancer, 2) People over 45 with pneumonia report fewer symptoms than younger people but may be at higher risk of death or complications, 3) Carotid endarterectomy outcomes may not be as favorable outside of ideal clinical trial conditions, 4) HMO primary care physicians refer as many women as men to specialists 5) Routine use of antibiotics for acute middle ear infections not recommended
People who have total knee replacements and later undergo extensive dental work may be susceptible to knee infections years after their initial surgery, according to a study by Johns Hopkins physicians.
A Harvard Medical School Division on Addictions study has found that the prevalence of gambling disorders among adults in the United States and Canada has increased during the past two decades.
A team of scientists at Iowa State University and Brookhaven National Lab has made progress in determining how hypericin, a chemical found naturally in the herbal remedy plant St. John's wort, becomes super- toxic to viruses and cancer cells when exposed to light.
New Scientist Tip Sheet for 12-3-97
Simple and inexpensive home blood pressure monitoring helps predict which borderline hypertensive patients will develop persistent high blood pressure and those whose blood pressure will revert to normal ranges.
As millions of students are about to rate the teaching abilities of their professor, researchers say such evaluations are flawed and often misused. Science, math and engineering instructors, who teach demanding classes, are often penalized with undeservedly low ratings, while teachers of easier courses are often rewarded with unfairly high ratings.
LSU researchers have developed a method of continuously producing microalgae. Commercial production of their system should slash costs in commercial aquaculture, especially for shellfish.
LSU researchers are part of a team examining how global climate change might affect economically important fisheries.
Starlight, an advanced three-dimensional visualization technology, has been developed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Wash., to help solve the problem of information overload. Already in use by the U.S. intelligence community, Starlight can be applied to a variety of other fields, such as medical data analysis, environmental security and current events monitoring.
Here are 10 tips which can help you save money on your 1997 income returns from Richard Davis, assistant professor of accounting at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove, PA.
A pediatric cure rate of 90 percent should be possible early next century according to the world's top treatment and research specialists associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) meeting at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
Working with communities of microbes, University of Minnesota ecologists have shown that having more species at each level- -such as green plants, decomposers, herbivores and predators--improves the reliability of ecosystem functioning. The research supports the idea that preservation of a diversity of species is important, even if certain species appear to have no direct benefit to humans.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DoE) have joined forces in an unprecedented program to make accessible DoE's extensive complex of 15 national labs and science facilities to train K-12 math and science teachers.
Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have discovered a new type of sodium channel, a previously unknown step in the electrical process that controls heart beat. The discovery could pave the way to effective drug therapy for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias.
In January 1998 the worldÃs foremost experts in mathematical modelling of chemicals are gathering in India to share their knowledge and experience. With the advent of the computer age, researchers now sit at a desk to predict whether or not harmful chemical compounds are present in our soils and waters.
Serious musicians may do well to consult a radiologist before they purchase their next violin, according to a computed tomography (CT) study of 14 solo-quality stringed instruments, including rare Stradivarius violins and other acknowledged masterpieces.
Cornell astronomers have been awarded a $2.1 million grant from NASA to develop and build an infrared camera called FORCAST, which will be among the main instruments aboard the space agency's newest airborne observatory.
A Boston College sociologist is directing HealthQuest Project, a three-year investigation into an innovative use of technology that could pave the way for consumers to use the World Wide Web in making more informed health and medical care decisions.
To help you make the most of the American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting, a full-service press room will be open for your convenience. Use it to gather information, check daily briefing schedules, interview experts and investigate article leads.
BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 3, 1997) ó Three pioneering scientists who have had a major influence on the direction of epilepsy research and treatment over the past several decades will be honored for their work at a luncheon Monday, Dec. 8, during the 1997 annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES). The meeting will be held at The Westin Copley Place in Boston, Dec. 5ñ10.
BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 8, 1997) ó Systematic research into epilepsy's unique effect on women is a relatively new and developing area of scientific investigation. Yet, pilot studies reported at the 1997 meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) Dec. 5ñ10 at The Westin Copley Place in Boston suggest that even what is already known may not be adequately incorporated into the health care and counseling of women with seizures.
BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 8, 1997) ó One of several key topics at the 1997 annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) Dec. 5ñ10 at The Westin Copley Place in Boston will be the discussion of potential treatments and advances in the study of epilepsy. A report on this, as well as other important topics, will likely capture the attention of the medical community, the 2.5 million people who have the disorder and the nation.
A strange group of fossil mammals, heretofore only known in South America, has been discovered on the island of Madagascar and in India. The unexpected discoveries were announced in this week's issue of the journal Nature by an international team of researchers. The team was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and led by paleontologist David Krause of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
In an effort to expand its work in one of the most critical areas facing social work professionals, the Boston College Graduate School of Social Work has established the National Research and Training Center on Social Work and HIV/AIDS.
Aviron announced today, in collaboration with SmithKline Beecham Biologicals of Rixensart, Belgium, the start of a Phase I clinical trial of a vaccine against Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV). Epstein-Barr virus belongs to the herpes virus family and is the cause of infectious mononucleosis.
Immune system function is decreased in alcoholics and alcohol abusers with liver disease, making them more susceptible to infections and disease. Recent research done at the University of Iowa suggests that alcohol, rather than the liver disease, is largely responsible for the decrease in immune system function -- perhaps by decreasing the number of immune system cells. Sporadic alcohol intake, or binge drinking, may contribute to that cell loss, according to Dr. Robert Cook, professor of pathology at the UI College of Medicine and Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Researchers reported today that a new cancer treatment called proton beam therapy significantly increased the long-term control of some cancers compared to conventional radiation therapy, and that plans for larger trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) are being developed.
New research presented today argues for more widespread use of a technology, studies come on the heels of an announcement by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that it is accelerating its review of uses for this technology, which is known as PET, or positron emission tomography.
A noninvasive radiosurgical technique may ultimately replace surgery for many patients with Parkinson's disease and other movement disorders whose symptoms cannot be controlled by medicine, according to results of a preliminary study presented here today during the 83rd Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Today's larger, lighter television sets can pose a serious risk to young children who may be crushed or otherwise seriously injured when they pull the TVs off their stands, according to two studies presented here today during the 83rd Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
BOSTON, Mass. (Dec. 8, 1997) ó A number of new anti-epileptic drugs introduced in the last several years are providing millions of epilepsy patients with new hope for this often devastating disorder. Which drugs work when ó and for whom ó will be part of the discussion at the 1997 meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) Dec. 5ñ10 at The Westin Copley Place in Boston.
Some injuries are so closely associated with the activities that give rise to them -- from "tennis elbow" to "preacher's knee" and "snowboarder's ankle" -- that their scientific names have been eclipsed by their more common descriptive names, even among medical professionals. Some interesting and unusual eponyms for occupational and sports-related injuries -- and how they are diagnosed -- were presented here today during the 83rd Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
The most common test used to diagnose blocked arteries in the heart -- coronary angiogram -- is being challenged by a safe, painless and less expensive technology that researchers say may soon be widely available.
Mayo Clinic News Briefs: 1) Pacemaker-like Procedure Helps Painful Nerve Problems; 2) Outcome Study Documents the Effectiveness of Breast Reduction; 3) Artificial Sphincter Helps People with Urinary Incontinence; 4) Telemedicine Useful for Speech Disorders
A recent advance in vaccine technology, the DNA vaccination, will offer new safer and chaper vaccines and may revolutionize the practice of human immunization, says a report released by the American Academy of Microbiology.
Calcium channel blockers and certain kinds of diuretics are associated with brain damage and memory loss, according to a report in today's Journal of the American Geriatrics Society -- another in a string of adverse findings about calcium channel blockers. The latest results come from an analysis of participants with high blood pressure in the Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS), the largest study ever of the natural progression of heart disease and stroke in the elderly.
Current controversies in breast cancer are explored in this issue, including: cost-effectiveness of mammography screening; benefits of screening versus risk of death from breast cancer; gender politics role in the screening debate; and the need for screening in women under 40; appropriate treatments for breast cancer in situ and an article debating the need for high-risk women to undergo hormone replacement therapy.
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