Social Sciences

Women who maintain a healthy weight and who have lower perceived stress may be less likely to have chromosome changes associated with aging than obese and stressed women, according to a pilot study that was part of the Sister Study. The long-term Sister Study is looking at the environmental and genetic characteristics of women whose sister had breast cancer to identify factors associated with developing breast cancer. This early pilot used baseline questionnaires and samples provided by participants when they joined the Sister Study. Two recent papers published in Cancer Epidemiology…

LAS VEGAS --Dr. Ercole Cavalieri and Dr. Eleanor Rogen of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, located in Omaha, Nebraska, have identified the triggering mechanism by which breast and prostate cancer cells begin. Preventium™ http://www.preventium.org is a recently developed dietary supplement that promises to reduce people's risk for breast and prostate cancer. Ercole Cavalieri, D.Sc. and research collaborator Eleanor Rogen, Ph.D. say: "We have found the first step that starts a cell down the…

They say a picture tells a thousand stories, but can it also tell how smart you are? Actually, say UCLA researchers, it can. In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience Feb. 18, UCLA neurology professor Paul Thompson and colleagues used a new type of brain-imaging scanner to show that intelligence is strongly influenced by the quality of the brain's axons, or wiring that sends signals throughout the brain. The faster the signaling, the faster the brain processes information. And since the integrity of the brain's wiring is influenced by genes, the genes we inherit play a far…

Yale researchers investigating the genetic causes of blood pressure variation have identified a previously undescribed syndrome associated with seizures, a lack of coordination, developmental delay and hearing loss. The findings, published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, illustrate the power of genetic studies not only to find causes of chronic ailments, but also to identify a common cause in a seemingly unrelated set of symptoms in different parts of the body. "Our ability to unequivocally and rapidly define new syndromes and their underlying disease genes has…

WASHINGTON, D.C., MARCH 17, 2009 – The medical costs that businesses pay to care for one premature baby for a year could cover the costs for nearly a dozen healthy, full-term infants, according to new statistics from the March of Dimes. The average medical cost for healthy full-term babies from birth through their first birthday was $4,551 in 2007 dollars, of which more than $3,800 is paid for by health plans, according to the new data. For premature and/or low birthweight babies (less than 37 completed weeks gestation and/or less than 2500 grams), the average cost was nearly $50,000, of…

The unexpected behaviour of a family of "superbugs" called the Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) could have implications for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. CF patients produce large quantities of sticky mucus in their lungs that is difficult to expel and is easily infected by bacteria. A recent treatment for CF, inhalation of a sugar called mannitol, works by attracting moisture into the lungs. This thins the mucus making it easier to disperse. However, recent research by Professor John Govan and colleagues at the University of Edinburgh, published in the journal…

(PHILADELPHIA) – Although most Americans live close to some type of emergency room, as many as one in four Americans are more than an hour away from the type of hospital that's most prepared to save their life during a time-sensitive medical emergency, according to a new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine study published in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine. Since little is known about which U.S. hospitals are best equipped and staffed to tackle emergent illnesses like stroke, cardiac arrest, heart attack and the severe bloodstream infection sepsis, many more Americans may…

Arnhem, The Netherlands – A number of updated guidelines will be presented at the 24th Annual Congress of the European Association of Urology (EAU) held in Stockholm, from 17 though 21 March. The abridged versions - Pocket Guidelines – which are based on the extended text documents will also be available in Stockholm to all EAU members and press. Production of clinical guidelines is one of the core activities of the organisation. Close to 150 experts split up over 18 different topic-oriented panels, are involved in this ongoing process. Guidelines aim to present the best evidence available on…

Chronic human papilloma virus (HPV)-infections can lead to cellular changes in the cervix that can be a pre-stage to cervical cancer. Surgical treatment of these pre-stages gives an increased risk of preterm birth in subsequent pregnancies. As the HPV-vaccine can prevent pre-stages of cervical cancer, it may therefore reduce the number of preterm births. A new Norwegian study has calculated the benefits of HPV-vaccination. Cervical cancer development is a step-wise process that begins with minor cell changes caused by HPV infection. Cellular changes can progress and become more serious. Long…

Madison, WI, March 16, 2009 -- One of the most significant developments in agricultural growth in modern times has been the continuous and substantial increase in corn yield over the past 80 years in the U.S. Corn Belt. This extraordinary yield advance has been associated with both breeding of improved hybrids and the ability to grow them at increased density. In a new study, published in the January-February issue of Crop Science, researchers have investigated the importance of the effects of leaves and roots on this dramatic increase in yield in the U.S. Corn Belt, and have found that the…