Adding spirulina to cultured immune system cells significantly increases the production of infection fighting cytokines, say immunologists at UC Davis School of Medicine and Medical Center. (Journal of Medicinal Foods)
Proponents of consumer drug ads say the promotions do more than sell pills, they also help educate people about medical conditions and treatments. But the controversial ads actually teach very little, according to a new analysis by researchers at UC Davis and UCLA. (The Journal of Family Practice, 12-00)
On-the-job stress doesn't just strain the nerves -- it can strain the back, too. That's the implication of a study at Ohio State University that provides the first-ever link between stress and back pain. (Spine, 12-1-00)
Autophagy, the process of self-digestion of cell components through the action of enzymes within a cell, plays a vital role in cell maintenance and development, but in recent years has also been linked to a growing number of human diseases, including neurodegenerative conditions, cardiovascular disease and breast cancer. (Science, 12-1-00)
A 7-year-old patient with autism was found to have a chromosome with deleted segments of DNA. The segments are likely to contain genes that help determine susceptibility to the disorder, according to a study by a UC Irvine College of Medicine research team. (American Journal of Medical Genetics, 12-4-00)
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have developed a gene therapy that, within a week, quells abnormal rhythms in pig hearts, the animal hearts most similar to human. It's believed to be the first use of gene therapy for cardiac arrhythmias, the researchers say, and one with "a strong possibility" of transfer to human heart disease. (Nature Medicine, 12-00)
Living in a city is risky, especially for men, according to a University of Michigan study of 3,617 adults. (American Journal of Public Health, 12-00)
Researchers may have identified a new marker to spot individuals at risk of a first stroke. (Stroke, 12-00)
Researchers say bone marrow cells transplanted into the brain could be a source of neurons to replace those damaged or lost in neurological disorders. (Science, 12-1-00)
Probing the microscopic life found in the submerged recesses of an abandoned Wisconsin lead and zinc mine, scientists have found compelling evidence that microorganisms play a key role in the formation of mineral deposits. The finding not only sheds light on biology's role in the formation of some metal ores, but could help jump-start new remediation efforts for contaminated mining sites. (Science, 12-1-00)
Lunar meteorite ages present new, strong evidence for the "lunar cataclysm," a 20-to-2000 million-year episode of intense bombardment of the moon and the Earth at 3.9 billion years ago-when the first evidence of life appeared on Earth. (Science, 12-1-00)
Stanford researchers have shown for the first time that adult bone marrow cells can migrate to the brain, express neuronal-specific proteins and begin to look like their neuronal neighbors. (Science, 12-1-00)
A Cornell Law School professor and an attorney suggest that abstinence-only sex education promotes a religious agenda and violates the First Amendment's "establishment of religion" clause. (The Southern California Review of Law)
Nearly half of the school nurses surveyed for a recent University of Iowa study reported medication errors in their schools in the past year. The most common error was a missed dose. The findings are contained in a study led by associate professor of nursing at the UI. (Journal of School Health, 11-00)
A wireless communication technology capable of tracking items ranging from honeybees to soldiers will be the foundation of a new company. The startup company, called Wave ID, will license proprietary technology developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and will be financed partially by Battelle, which operates the laboratory for the Department of Energy.
Records released about traffic stops by state troopers in New Jersey indicate the extent of the racial profiling problem there, says an NC State University criminologist. But, he adds, profiling does not appear to be a policy among most law enforcement agencies nationwide.
Senior citizens might be a lot happier -- not to say healthier and maybe even a little wealthier -- if health-care providers and insurers stopped focusing exclusively on costs of prescriptions and instead looked closely at why patients take so many medications in the first place.
"Noise traders" - investors who act on feelings rather than facts - fuel stock market volatility but increase profit potential for more informed knowledge traders, according to a University of Arkansas researcher.
Ever wished for a brand new you? An Arkansas psychologist says that for a third of all people, becoming a new person is more than a wish -- it's a reality.
Human clinical trials are under way on an innovative peptide-based therapy developed at The University of Arizona College of Medicine that researchers hope will allow people infected with HIV to maintain good health without ever developing the symptoms associated with AIDS.
Water turns to two-dimensional glass and shrinks under extreme pressure, temperature and confinement, researchers discover. (Nature, 11-30-00)
A new laser eye treatment at the University of Mississippi Medical Center benefits people who are farsighted with astigmatism. That's one-fourth of the visually impaired public. One of the first physicians in the nation to perform LASIK - began performing the corrective surgery Nov. 21.
Thanks to the lowly fruit fly and a team of scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and at Washington University in St. Louis, one genetic circuit that governs sexual dimorphism - the diagnostic differences between the sexes - has been found and characterized. (Nature, 11-30-00)
The Cancer Information Service of New York was recently awarded one of four grants totaling $932,000 from the National Cancer Institute to improve awareness of and access to Internet-based cancer information in minority communities throughout the country.
There is a strong push to find methods that may improve survival of Lung cancer by diagnosing the disease at an earlier, presumably more curable, stage. However, whether early detection results in a higher number of cured patients remains unclear. (NEJM, 11-30-00)
In a study that compares the chemical contents of aquatic plants and the nutritional needs of terrestrial and aquatic herbivores, researchers found that terrestrial plants are the natural equivalent of junk food -- plant-feeding insects are provided with a diet so poor in nutrients that it impairs growth. (Nature, 11-30-00)
Intense physical exercise may boost the bone density of certain fracture-prone bones in older women to the point where it equals that in men, according to a new study being presented this week at the 86th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).
Argentine penguins are turning up off the coast of Brazil in record numbers, and a University of Washington scientist believes it is because unusually prolonged cold water has kept their food supply - primarily sardines, anchovies and squid - farther north much longer than usual.
Scientists from the fields of psychiatry, genetics and neurobiology will join in an information-exchange forum to address Alzheimer's disease research as it relates to genetic markers, medications (cognitive enhancers), minority populations, and clinical trial participation.
A large nationwide study concludes that a drug called etanercept dramatically slows or even stops the progress of rheumatoid arthritis at the earliest stages of the disease, helping nearly three-quarters of those taking it. Etanercept also shows fewer side effects than the current best medicine. (NEJM)
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute has opened its new Zakim Center for Integrated Therapies. In addition to conducting clinical trials to study the safety and effectiveness of complementary therapies, physicians and researchers will create an array of research programs to increase patient and medical staff knowledge of these therapies.
A drug that helps to slow the progression of HIV - the virus that causes AIDS - does not seem to prevent virus-related damage to an organ critical to the development of the immune system, according to an Ohio State study. (Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy)
In his new book, "The Anguish of Leadership," a University of Alabama at Birmingham associate professor profiles 14 veteran school superintendents around the nation and the problems and challenges they face as school leaders.
A new booklet designed as a primer for "frontline" professionals who interact with trauma survivors and people suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is now available from the PTSD Alliance.
The next time a distant supernova glitters in the night sky, scientists may be able to solve a mystery about subatomic particles. Researchers have devised a way to use the speed of material streaming outward from a supernova to measure the mass of the neutrino. (Physical Review Letters)
No escaping the excitement and anticipation of December 25th--but for those who don't celebrate Christmas, the day often can't be over soon enough.
Phase II clinical trial results on a compound under investigation by Bayer Corporation for its effect on erectile function were presented today (11-28-00) at the International Society for the Study of Impotence Research (ISIR) meeting in Perth, Australia.
Australian winemakers are known worldwide for the high quality of their wines and the lack of contaminants in them. Adelaide University researchers are ensuring that the reputation of Australian wines remains high with a project to develop techniques of vineyard weeding that dispense with herbicides and pesticides.
Nearly half of all police nationwide have clinical sleep pathologies, and as many as six percent of the officers on duty at any time may be as highly impaired by fatigue as if they were legally drunk.
Americans have not altered their food consumption habits in the face of recent, highly publicized reports that taco shells were found to contain unapproved bioengineered corn, according to a new survey by North Carolina State University sociologist Dr. Tom Hoban.
A synthetic chemical may be what it takes to put cats at ease in unfamiliar territory. Researchers at Ohio State found that when hospitalized, stressed cats were exposed to a synthetic form of a feline facial pheromone, they ate more and seemed more comfortable. (J. of the American Veterinary Medical Association)
The poverty rate for African Americans in 1999 was at a record low of 27 percent. And the Black-white gap in high school graduation is lower than it has ever been.
University of Michigan psychologist James S. Jackson has been awarded more than $8 million to conduct a landmark study of African American life at the start of the 21st century.
Two grants, totaling more than $6M, will allow University of Georgia child and family development professors to draw on years of research findings in developing prevention programs for African-American adolescents.
Doctor, heal thyself? That seems the motto among a group of physicians surveyed by Johns Hopkins researchers: More than a third said they were unlikely to see a doctor on a regular basis. (Archives of Internal Medicine, 11-27-00)
Average total compensation for outside (non-employee) directors is substantially higher now than in 1999, while basic pay for board service is practically unchanged, according to The Conference Board's annual report on outside director compensation.
International controversy over genetically modified crops threatens future advancements in biotechnology, said Washington State University plant pathologist R. James Cook.
Wherever humans go microbes will surely follow, and the Space Station is no exception. In this article, NASA scientists discuss how astronauts on the ISS will keep potentially bothersome microorganisms under control.
An implanted 'pacemaker' that helps control seizures in people with a hard-to-treat form of epilepsy may also affect some patients' breathing during sleep, according to results of a small pilot study. So far, the unexpected effect appears small, and not harmful. (Neurology, 11-28-00)
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