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News | Archive (7 January 2010)
Scientists reveal Milky Way's magnetic attraction
— 06:02 GMT | AstronomyAn international research project involving the University of Adelaide has revealed that the magnetic field in the centre of the Milky Way is at least 10 times stronger than the rest of the galaxy…
Team finds link between stomach-cancer bug and cancer-promoting factor
— 05:57 GMT | HealthResearchers report that Helicobacter pylori, the only bacterium known to survive in the harsh environment of the human stomach, directly activates an enzyme in host cells that has been associated with several types of cancer, including gastric cancer…
Study identifies a protein complex possibly crucial for triggering embryo development
— 05:52 GMT | HealthThe DNA contained within each of our cells is exactly the same, yet different types of cells - skin cells, heart cells, brain cells - perform very different functions. The ultimate fate of these cells is encoded not just in the DNA, but in a specific pattern of chemical modifications that overlay the DNA structure. These modifications, or epigenetic markers as they are called, are stably carried in our genomes - except for at times when the cells change their fate, such as what occurs when the sperm meets the egg. Then they are erased completely…
First Earth-like planet spotted outside solar system likely a volcanic wasteland
— 05:47 GMT | AstronomyWhen scientists confirmed in October that they had detected the first rocky planet outside our solar system, it advanced the longtime quest to find an Earth-like planet hospitable to life…
Immune responses to tetanus vaccine unchanged for RA patients on rituximab
— 05:42 GMT | HealthResearchers from Johns Hopkins University determined that immune responses to the tetanus vaccine were not changed when rituximab in combination with methotrexate (MTX) was compared with MTX alone in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Responses to a pneumococcal vaccination (Pneumovax(R) pneumonia vaccine), however, were reduced in RA patients with rituximab. Complete findings of this study are published in the January 2010 issue of Arthritis and Rheumatism, a journal of the American College of Rheumatology…
New brain scan better detects earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease in healthy people
— 05:37 GMT | HealthA new type of brain scan, called diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), appears to be better at detecting whether a person with memory loss might have brain changes of Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study published in the January 6, 2010, online issue of Neurology(R), the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology…
Coal from mass extinction era linked to lung cancer mystery
— 05:32 GMT | HealthThe volcanic eruptions thought responsible for Earth's largest mass extinction - which killed more than 70 percent of plants and animals 250 million years ago - is still taking lives today. That's the conclusion of a new study showing, for the first time, that the high silica content of coal in one region of China may be interacting with volatile substances in the coal to cause unusually high rates of lung cancer. The study, which helps solve this cancer mystery, appears in ACS' Environmental Science and Technology, a semi-monthly publication…
More evidence on benefits of high blood pressure drugs in retinopathy
— 05:27 GMT | HealthScientists in Massachusetts are reporting new evidence that certain high blood pressure drugs may be useful in preventing and treating diabetic retinopathy, the leading cause of vision loss in people with diabetes. The study, the largest to date on proteins in the retina, could lead to new ways to prevent or treat the sight-threatening disease, they say…
'Nanodragster' races toward the future of molecular machines
— 05:22 GMT | ChemistryScientists in Texas are reporting the development of a 'nanodragster' that may speed the course toward development of a new generation of futuristic molecular machines. The vehicle - only 1/50,000th the width of a human hair - resembles a hot-rod in shape and can outperform previous nano-sized vehicles. Their report is in ACS' Organic Letters, a bi-weekly journal…
Multiple patient samples of an analyte improve detection of changes in clinical status
— 05:17 GMT | HealthClinicians rely on laboratory tests to monitor the progression or remission of disease, or to identify pathologic alterations in physiology that may precede clinical events. Monitoring quantitative laboratory results represents a crucial component in the assessment of response to therapy. Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have developed a mathematical methodology to reduce the effect of biologic variation on the difference necessary to detect changes in clinical status. The findings, which appear in the January issue of Archives of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, may lead to better patient predictions at a lower cost…
Unravelling the chemistry of Titan's hazy atmosphere
Longest lightning storm on Saturn breaks Solar System record