EurekAlert! - Medicine and Health
Sun Apr 24 04:23:15 EDT 2011
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IADR/AADR Journal of Dental Research releases studies on oral health inequalities in older people - (International & American Associations for Dental Research) The International and American Associations for Dental Research (IADR/AADR) have published two studies about oral health inequalities in older people and low income individuals. These articles, titled "Income-related Inequalities in Dental Service Utilization by Europeans Aged 50+" by Stefan Listl, and "Income Inequality and Tooth Loss in the United States" by Eduardo Bernabe and Wagner Marcenes, are published in the Journal of Dental Research, the official publication of the IADR/AADR.

Columbia Business School hosts American Healthcare Landscape in 2014 Leadership Forum - (Columbia Business School) The Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School will host a Leadership Forum that features speakers and discussants with an insider's perspective on health-care reform and the current dynamics of health care in New York.

Columbia Business School's Frank Lichtenberg awarded by the Emerald Literati Network - (Columbia Business School) Frank R. Lichtenberg, Courtney C. Brown Professor of Business of Finance and Economics and the Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Management program, was awarded a 2011 Outstanding Author Contribution Award by the Emerald Literati Network.

Renowned glaucoma researcher receives University of Houston’s highest honor - (University of Houston) One of the world's foremost glaucoma researchers, Ronald S. Harwerth, is the recipient of the 2011 Esther Farfel Award, the highest distinction bestowed upon faculty by the University of Houston. In addition to his bevy of international glaucoma research awards and close to 130 articles published in peer-reviewed journals cited by thousands, the common thread among all his nomination letters describes Harwerth as a humble, respectful and friendly gentleman.

The ultimate camo: Team to mimic camouflage skill of marine animals in high-tech materials - (Marine Biological Laboratory) Camouflage expert Roger Hanlon of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) is co-recipient of a $6 million grant from the Office of Naval Research to study and ultimately emulate the exquisite ability of some marine animals to instantly change their skin color and pattern to blend into their environment.

Penn research using frog embryos leads to new understanding of cardiac development - (University of Pennsylvania) During embryonic development, cells migrate to their eventual location in the adult body plan and begin to differentiate into specific cell types. Thanks to new research at the University of Pennsylvania, there is new insight into how these processes regulate tissues formation in the heart.

Signaling pathway reveals mechanism for B cell differentiation in immune response - (RIKEN) An article in Science Signaling by researchers at the RIKEN Research Center for Allergy and Immunology (RCAI) has clarified for the first time the mechanism governing differentiation of B cells into antibody-producing plasma cells. The finding establishes a role for the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway in B cell differentiation, a key step toward the development of B cell-targeted drugs for treatment of autoimmune diseases and allergies.

TGen findings contribute to understanding of diabetic kidney disease - (The Translational Genomics Research Institute) A gene called PVT1 may help reduce the kidneys ability to filter blood, leading to kidney disease, kidney failure and death, according to a study published today by researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute.

New approach to defeating flu shows promise - (American Thoracic Society) New research on mice has shown that pulmonary administration of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) significantly reduces flu symptoms and prevents death after a lethal dose influenza virus. While GM-SCF therapy for humans as a flu prophylaxis or treatment may be years away, the study results were striking: All of the mice treated with GM-SCF survived after being infected with the influenza virus, whereas untreated mice all died from the same infection.

17th Annual International Sustainable Development Research Conference - (The Earth Institute at Columbia University) “Moving Toward a Sustainable Future: Opportunities and Challenges” is the theme of this three-day annual gathering of the International Sustainable Development Research Society, bringing together experts in agriculture, urban development, climate, business, education, architecture, public health and other fields. The fundamental question: how can global society’s aspiration for continued economic growth be harmonized with the limits imposed by earth’s resources? Speakers include Nina Federoff, Lester Brown, Sanjeev Chadha, Christiana Figueres, Achim Steiner and Jeffrey D. Sachs.

Scott & White Healthcare broadcasts live surgery to São Paolo, Brazil - (Scott & White Healthcare) Scott & White Healthcare today teleconferenced one of the world's first live international surgical procedures to repair an abdominal aortic aneurysm to conference attendees in Sao Paolo, Brazil. The meeting, CICE (Current Issues in Comparative Education) 2011, is one of the globe's largest vascular surgery events and includes over 2,000 attendees.

Liver-cell transplants show promise in reversing genetic disease affecting liver and lungs - (Albert Einstein College of Medicine) Transplanting cells from healthy adult livers may work in treating a genetic liver-lung disorder that affects millions of people worldwide, according to an animal study in the April 18 online edition of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Jayanta Roy-Chowdhury, M.D., professor of medicine and of genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University, is the study's senior author.

What motivates environmental activists, policymakers? asks new research center - (University of Maryland) A new University of Maryland research center will focus on the human side of environmental policymaking and activism -- one of the first of its kind in the field."Environmental legislation and community activism doesn't just spring up in a vacuum," said Dana R. Fisher, a University of Maryland sociology professor who directs the new Center for Society and the Environment.

UGA compound offers new hope for treatment of painful adult shingles - (University of Georgia) Researchers at the University of Georgia and Yale University have discovered a compound with the potential to be more effective than existing agents in treating the very painful blisters known as shingles -- a condition that affects up to 30 percent of Americans, mostly elderly, and for which no specific treatment exists.

Researchers create functioning synapse using carbon nanotubes - (University of Southern California) Engineering researchers at the University of Southern California have made a significant breakthrough in the use of nanotechnologies for the construction of a synthetic brain. They have built a carbon nanotube synapse circuit whose behavior in tests reproduces the function of a neuron, the building block of the brain.

Are dietary supplements working against you? - (Association for Psychological Science) Do you belong to the one-half of the population that frequently uses dietary supplements with the hope that it might be good for you?

Deaths from drug overdose decline 35 percent after the opening of supervised injection site - (Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health) Illicit drug overdose deaths declined dramatically after the establishment of North America's first supervised injection facility located in Vancouver, Canada. In the first peer-reviewed study to assess the impact of supervised injection sites on overdose mortality, researchers observed a 35 percent reduction in overdose deaths in the immediate vicinity of a pilot injection facility.

Scientists engineer nanoscale vaults to encapsulate 'nanodisks' for drug delivery - (University of California - Los Angeles) The first steps toward the development of the vault nanoparticle into a versatile and effective DDS are reported in this paper. The ability to encapsulate therapeutic compounds into the vault is a critical and fundamental obstacle in their development for small-molecule drug delivery. Recombinant vaults are engineered to encapsulate the highly insoluble and toxic hydrophobic compound all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) using a vault-binding lipoprotein complex that forms a lipid bilayer nanodisk.

Study in roundworm chromosomes may offer new clues to tumor genome development - (University of North Carolina School of Medicine) Research led by UNC School of Medicine scientists finds that a "promiscuous DNA replication process" may be responsible for large-scale genome duplications in developing tumors. These findings challenge the long-standing, currently accepted model.

UCI anesthesiologist to lead study on alleviating surgical anxiety, pain in children - (University of California - Irvine) A UC Irvine anesthesiologist will use a $3.2 million National Institutes of Health grant to launch a research effort aimed at lessening the anxiety and pain children feel before and after surgery.

Severe obesity not seen to increase risk of depression in teens - (Massachusetts General Hospital) According to a new study, severely obese adolescents are no more likely to be depressed than normal weight peers. The study did find that white adolescents may be somewhat more vulnerable to psychological effects of obesity.

First articles in new neuroscience journal -- Brain Connectivity -- debut online - (Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) The new neuroscience journal, Brain Connectivity, set to become the premier source of cutting-edge basic and clinical research contributing to a better understanding of how structural and functional connections in the brain are organized, develop, and are altered in neurological disorders, launches with four compelling articles. Brain Connectivity, a bimonthly peer-reviewed journal, is published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The articles and a full description of the Journal and its editorial leadership are available online.

Acupuncture relieves hot flashes from prostate cancer treatment - (American Society for Radiation Oncology) Acupuncture provides long-lasting relief to hot flashes, heart palpitations and anxiety due to side effects of the hormone given to counteract testosterone, the hormone that induces prostate cancer, according to a study published in the April issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, an official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology.

Phase 3 trial finds no benefit from atrasentan added to chemo for advanced prostate cancer - (University of Michigan Health System) The NCI-supported SWOG trial S0421 closed early based on interim finding that atrasentan added to docetaxel and prednisone did not confer additional survival benefit to patients with advanced hormone-refractory prostate cancer.

Meditation may help the brain 'turn down the volume' on distractions - (Massachusetts General Hospital) The positive effects of mindfulness meditation on pain and working memory may result from an improved ability to regulate a crucial brain wave called the alpha rhythm. This rhythm is thought to "turn down the volume" on distracting information, which suggests that a key value of meditation may be helping the brain deal with an often overstimulating world.