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The tuberculosis vaccine known as BCG has been given to more people worldwide than any other vaccine, yet its effectiveness remains controversial. A new analysis by researchers at Stanford School of Medicine suggests that the bacterial strains used in current BCG vaccines have evolved in the laboratory and are now considerably weaker -- and less likely to provide protection from tuberculosis -- than the original vaccine developed about 75 years ago in France.

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Some expectant parents fear that intercourse during pregnancy may cause premature labor. But a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine found that there is no direct and clear link between sexual intercourse and spontaneous labor.

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The more newborn rat pups are licked and groomed by their mothers, the better equipped they are to handle acute stress in adulthood, report Emory University's Paul M. Plotsky, PhD, and his McGill University colleagues in the week's issue of Science.

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Press release of issue dated 13 September for New Scientist, the international science and technology weekly news magazine.

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Researchers at the University of Kansas have found new evidence confirming that a compound in a green tea supplement provides stronger damage protection of cells and their genetic material (DNA) than the well-known antioxidants vitamins E and C and the antioxidant compound in red wine. Announced today at the American Chemical Society annual meeting, the first side-by-side comparative antioxidant study led to an investigation of the protective power of epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) against that of vitamins E and C, in addition to red wine and other teas.

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Ten individuals and nine institutions will receive the second annual Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) at a ceremony Sept. 11. The awards are administered and funded by the National Science Foundation, an independent federal agency responsible for supporting scientific research and education programs in science, mathematics, engineering and technology.

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Women with established osteoporosis who have already experienced a vertebral fracture may be able to reduce their risk of additional fractures in the spine by taking calcitonin-salmon, a currently available medication delivered via nasal spray, according to a new study presented this week at the annual scientific meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

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The first detailed measurements in Mexico City of pollutants such as peroxyacetal nitrate show concentrations similar to those that burned eyes and lungs in Los Angeles in the early 1970s, according to preliminary results of a field study conducted earlier this year. Peroxyacetal nitrate also is implicated in the production of ozone, another irritant that makes breathing difficult. The international study has implications for U.S. cities

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Technologies that promise faster, cheaper and more effective cleanup of certain contaminated soils now are available commercially through a new company formed jointly by Battelle and Terra Vac Corporation of Irvine, Calif.

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1) How to control heartburn; 2) Many solutions are available for stress urinary incontinence; 3) Later-age pregnancy means greater risks and greater benefits.

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An antioxidant found in green tea is at least 100 times more effective than vitamin C and 25 times better than vitamin E at protecting cells and their genetic material, DNA, from damage believed to be linked to cancer, heart disease and other potentially life-threatening illnesses, University of Kansas research shows.The antioxidant, known as epigallocatechin gallate, or EGCG, carries twice the antioxidant punch of resveratrol, found in red wine, according to the study.

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Extinct sea creatures have provided evidence that about 80 million years ago the west began to wander. University of Washington paleontologist Peter Ward and his collaborators report in Science that the discovery of pearly fossil shells of ammonites on two islands off the coast of Vancouver Island indicate that British Columbia and southern Alaska were once where Baja California is today.

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1) Scientists will meet next week in California to plan an international experiment they hope will answer a pivotal question in climate change, 2)The National Science Board (NSB) continues this year to examine how the agency manages its proposal review process, 3) The National Science Foundation-supported ocean drilling vessel JOIDES Resolution has been roaming the African coastline so that scientists may better understand the climate of southern Africa.

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Winter has already begun for a crew of four who will spend the entire season atop the Greenland ice sheet studying the weather at a remote outpost called Summit. The camp at the apex of the ice sheet, where the sun will set in November and not reappear until late January, is the first attempt supported by the National Science Foundation to over-winter in Greenland.

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Studies covering topics ranging from the quality of life after permanent prostate implants to using radiation therapy to treat soft tissue sarcomas in children will be presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. The meeting will be held in Orlando, FL October 19-23 at the Orange County Convention Center.

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The University of Evansville in Indiana as being cited as a case study of how a university on the brink of disaster 10 years ago has turned itself into an academically and financially sound institution. Educational Securities, Inc., is using the University of Evansville's successful 10-year turnaround as the first document in its just-released Best Practices briefing series, designed to help other educational institutions overcome similar problems.

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Whether you perm, straighten, style or just brush your hair, you're eroding its protective cuticle layer and, eventually, breaking hair strands. Now scientists have, for the first time, figured out the step-by-step chemical effect of hair relaxers on curly hair, leading to new uses for polymers to protect your hair. The new research was presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-9-97, 7:00 PM EDT

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People are always amazed at what they find in their attics, but the latest discovery is that dust in the attics of some older homes in Nevada and Utah contain trace amounts of radioactivity left over from above-ground nuclear testing northwest of Las Vegas in the 1940s and 1950s. The researchers stressed that the radioactivity is low enough that the dust poses no direct danger to area residents. Embargoed for 9-10-97, 1:00 PM EDT

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Many patients with heart ailments do not recognize smoking, high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels as risk factors for their own condition, according to a study by researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and two other institutions.

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Johns Hopkins sociologist John Holland has been working since the 1950s on the theory of career choices, why people choose the jobs they choose.

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As the University of Illinois at Chicago's Institute for Tuberculosis Research celebrates its 50th anniversary, researchers here are moving forward to identify components of the tuberculosis vaccine, BCG, that are effective in the treatment of cancers when taken orally.

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African-American children with obstructive sleep apnea have significantly lower blood-oxygen levels compared to other groups, according to a study by sleep disorder researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine.

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If there is life on Mars, it won't include those insensitive men popularized in best-selling books and on talk shows, a Purdue University communication expert says. "The popular notion that men and women are from different planets so to speak ó and thus they have trouble communicating with each other ó is a fallacy," says Brant Burleson, professor of communication.

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New research shows, for the first time under real-life conditions, evidence of a cancer-causing substance in non-smokers who work in smoke-filled rooms. That substance, called NNK, was biologically processed and its metabolite detected in their urine. The study is being presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-9-97, 4:30 PM EDT

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Honey has been used to cure meat for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. In modern times, food chemist Paul Dawson and his group at Clemson University in South Carolina are discovering this natural preservative also confers excellent protection against oxidation and boosts shelf life in popular processed meats. Their research was presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-8-97, 11:00 PM EDT

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African-Americans may need to become even stricter in controlling blood pressure if they hope to fight kidney disease, warn researchers today in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension.

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Paracel Inc. today announced a new class of scientific computing for drug discovery that accelerates the analysis of genes that cause disease by as much as 1,000 times over traditional computing alternatives. The GeneMatcherô computer system will be introduced at the Ninth Genome Sequencing and Analysis Conference, Hilton Head, S.C., Sept. 13-16. Embargoed: Sept. 13

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The pain-relieving drug codeine is totally ineffective in some ethnic groups -- including one in ten whites -- according to new findings presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. The report shows a variety of differences in the drug's effectiveness and side effects, based on a person's ethnicity. Embargoed for 9-8-97, 7:00 PM EDT

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You've heard that small doses of red wine may be good for your health. Now, United States Department of Agriculture scientists say that peanuts may contain the heart- healthy chemical compound --resveratrol -- important in red wine. The latest findings that edible peanuts also contain resveratrol were presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-8-97, 11PM EDT

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Dental infections and other chronic infections such as bronchitis more than double the risk of having a stroke or "brain attack," according to a study by German researchers reported in today's American Heart Association journal Stroke.

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Chemist and former U.S. Department of Commerce Undersecretary Mary L. Good, Ph.D., will address a historic gathering of women chemists at the national meeting of the world's largest scientific society, the American Chemical Society, in Las Vegas Sept. 9. To honor 70 years of actions by the Society's Women Chemists Committee, Dr. Good, a past president of the Society, will speak on the historic and future challenges faced by women chemists as they enter the 21st century.

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A new application of a chemical process called sol-gel technology shows promise for making automobile catalytic converters dramatically more efficient in reducing harmful air pollution emissions, by targeting the first minute-and-a-half in which your car is running after a cold start, according to research presented here today at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Embargoed for 9-9-97, 1 PM EDT

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Emerging chemistry challenges -- from new, incurable diseases to global climate change -- may have few solutions today. But they're just what tomorrow's chemists will face in the year 2020. What will the young chemists of today need to learn to be prepared for the chemistry challenges of tomorrow? That's the subject of a special Presidential symposium to be held Sept. 8 at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific society, in Las Vegas.

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Border and customs agents from Hungary, Slovakia and the former Soviet Union will be coming to Washington state this fall to participate in a new training program designed to prevent smuggling of items ranging from blue jeans to nuclear eactor components.

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Some good news is out this week for the fast food industry. A comparison of data on fast-food consumption and rising obesity has found a surprising wrinkle: There doesn't appear to be much of a link, at least in terms of large populations.

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A Purdue University researcher has found compounds in the bark of the pawpaw tree that have shown some success in fighting drug-resistant cancers. Details will be presented Thursday, Sept. 11 at the American Chemical Society national meeting in Las Vegas.

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A new study has uncovered the genetic wiring diagram underlying the infectiousness of Candida albicans, a fungus that causes thrush in babies, vaginal infections in women, and life-threatening infections in chemotherapy and AIDS patients. The study, led by Dr. Gerald R. Fink, Director of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, reveals that one key to Candidaís infectiousness lies in its ability to switch from a rounded form to filamentous forms. When the wiring diagram underlying this switch is inactivated, Candida infections are no longer deadly in mice.

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Press release of issue dated 6 September for New Scientist, the international science and technology weekly news magazine.

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Proving that even minor planets can survive cosmic fender-benders, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a large crater - with an estimated diameter at 285 miles and about 8 miles deep - on the asteroid Vesta. The crater is roughly the diameter of Ohio, and may be the source of many meteorites that reach the earth.

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Consumers can expect "unimagined innovation" as electric utility deregulation brings competitive suppliers to local distribution companies, Cornell University economist Richard E. Schuler is predicting. New technologies, materials and the packaging of all telecommunications and energy services in one super cable are possible outcomes of healthy competition among rival utility providers, he says.

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A research team led by investigators from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has identified and cloned the gene responsible for early-onset dystonia, a crippling, inherited neurological disorder that begins in childhood. The discovery, announced in the September issue of Nature Genetics, is the culmination of more than 15 years of work and contains important clues that could lead to better understanding of the disease and possible preventive treatments.

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When it comes to reproductive fitness, it seems that mother knows best -- at least when mother is the common fruit fly. But two scientists have found that the act of mating is far more harmful to females than the act of egg laying. The study may give clues to how females help control their own reproductive fitness, according to a University of Georgia geneticist who is co-author of the research, to be published in the journal Evolution.

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New evidence by scientists from the University of Georgia indicates that victims of a common tropical disease may be receiving inadequate treatment because of a major misunderstanding of how the illness progresses.

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More doctors take antioxidant supplements than take aspirin as a way to prevent heart attacks according to a study published in the June American Journal of Cardiology. While numerous studies have shown aspirin to be highly effective in preventing heart disease, 42 percent of cardiologists interviewed take aspirin and 44 percent take vitamin E, vitamin C, or beta carotene, alone or in combination.

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Results of a new study show that using computer technology to tailor a mass produced program to individual smoker's needs doubles the success of quit smoking attempts with over-the-counter nicotine replacement therapy, reported researchers at the 10th World Conference on Tobacco or Health held in Beijing. The study sponsored by SmithKline Beecham Consumer Healthcare followed 3,800 US consumers who used Nicorette nicotine gum to stop smoking.

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As computers get faster and communication networks expand, two electrical engineers at the University of Maine are helping to develop the next generation of radios, televisions and other communication devices. If they and their colleagues are successful, they may do for broadcasting, the military and other parts of American society what compact disc players have done for the audio entertainment industry.

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Plant scientists from Cornell University and the University of Tasmania, Australia, have successfully cloned one of history's first-studied genes -- the gene found for stem growth in peas, according to a report in the journal The Plant Cell.

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Complex computing problems as different as modeling Earth's climate system or predicting effects of regulatory change in the dairy industry -- which once required massively parallel supercomputers -- will run on a scalable distributed network of powerful desktop computers, thanks in part to a $6 million grant from Intel Corporation to Cornell University. The grant from the Santa Clara, Calif., computing equipment manufacturer is one of 12 to American universities in Intel's three-year, $85 million "Technology for Education 2000" program .

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A new book by Joan Jacobs Brumberg discusses how early menarche and new focus on body parts put young girls in peril. They have become so preoccupied with their bodies that they spend much of their energy managing and maintaining their looks at the expense of their creativity and mental and physical health, she says.

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Cigarette smoking significantly worsens the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, according to University of Iowa College of Medicine researchers who studied the severity of the disease in more than 300 patients.