The News:
Satellite Images Corroborate Eyewitness Accounts of Human Rights Abuses in Burma
A new analysis of high-resolution satellite images completed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) pinpoints evidence consistent with village destruction, forced relocations, and a growing military presence at 25 sites across eastern Burma where eyewitnesses have reported human rights violations.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the AAAS's full report.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Research News: Researchers Pin Down Genome of Parasitic Worms
The News:
Researchers Pin Down Genome of Parasitic Worms
by Joe Palca
Morning Edition, September 25, 2007 · Filarial nematodes are thread-like parasitic worms. They cause painful and disfiguring swelling of the legs — a condition known as elephantiasis. Now scientists have sequenced the genome of one of the worms and hope for new treatments for the disease.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Researchers Pin Down Genome of Parasitic Worms
by Joe Palca
Morning Edition, September 25, 2007 · Filarial nematodes are thread-like parasitic worms. They cause painful and disfiguring swelling of the legs — a condition known as elephantiasis. Now scientists have sequenced the genome of one of the worms and hope for new treatments for the disease.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal Science.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Research News: Even fake acupuncture beats usual care for back pain
The News:
Even fake acupuncture beats usual care for back pain, study finds
By Carla K. Johnson The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 09/25/2007 12:25:20 AM MDT
Chicago - Fake acupuncture works nearly as well as the real thing for low back pain, and either kind performs much better than usual care, German researchers have found. Almost half the patients treated with acupuncture needles felt relief that lasted months. In contrast, only about a quarter of the patients receiving medications and other Western medical treatments felt better. Even fake acupuncture worked better than conventional care, leading researchers to wonder whether pain relief came from the body's reactions to any thin needle pricks or, possibly, the placebo effect.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Even fake acupuncture beats usual care for back pain, study finds
By Carla K. Johnson The Associated Press
Article Last Updated: 09/25/2007 12:25:20 AM MDT
Chicago - Fake acupuncture works nearly as well as the real thing for low back pain, and either kind performs much better than usual care, German researchers have found. Almost half the patients treated with acupuncture needles felt relief that lasted months. In contrast, only about a quarter of the patients receiving medications and other Western medical treatments felt better. Even fake acupuncture worked better than conventional care, leading researchers to wonder whether pain relief came from the body's reactions to any thin needle pricks or, possibly, the placebo effect.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Research News: Secondhand Smoke Increases High School Test Failure
The News:
Secondhand Smoke Increases High School Test Failure, Study Suggests
Science Daily — Teens exposed to secondhand smoke at home are at increased risk of test failure in school, suggests a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Secondhand Smoke Increases High School Test Failure, Study Suggests
Science Daily — Teens exposed to secondhand smoke at home are at increased risk of test failure in school, suggests a new study in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of Adolescent Health.
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Research news: Tracing Your Ancestry--Computer Program Accurately Analyzes Anonymous DNA Samples
The News:
Tracing Your Ancestry: Computer Program Accurately Analyzes Anonymous DNA Samples
Science Daily — A group of computer scientists, mathematicians, and biologists from around the world have developed a computer algorithm that can help trace the genetic ancestry of thousands of individuals in minutes, without any prior knowledge of their background.
Unlike previous computer programs of its kind that require prior knowledge of an individual's ancestry and background, this new algorithm looks for specific DNA markers known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs (pronounced snips), and needs nothing more than a DNA sample in the form of a simple cheek swab. The researchers used genetic data from previous studies to perform and confirm their research, including the new HapMap database, which is working to uncover and map variations in the human genome.
"Now that we have found that the program works well, we hope to implement it on a much larger scale, using hundreds of thousands of SNPs and thousands of individuals," said Petros Drineas, the senior author of the study and assistant professor of computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS Genetics.
Tracing Your Ancestry: Computer Program Accurately Analyzes Anonymous DNA Samples
Science Daily — A group of computer scientists, mathematicians, and biologists from around the world have developed a computer algorithm that can help trace the genetic ancestry of thousands of individuals in minutes, without any prior knowledge of their background.
Unlike previous computer programs of its kind that require prior knowledge of an individual's ancestry and background, this new algorithm looks for specific DNA markers known as single nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs (pronounced snips), and needs nothing more than a DNA sample in the form of a simple cheek swab. The researchers used genetic data from previous studies to perform and confirm their research, including the new HapMap database, which is working to uncover and map variations in the human genome.
"Now that we have found that the program works well, we hope to implement it on a much larger scale, using hundreds of thousands of SNPs and thousands of individuals," said Petros Drineas, the senior author of the study and assistant professor of computer science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS Genetics.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Research news: Google bugs
The News:
Goggle bugs
"Giant search engine helps scientists find where the tiny creatures live."
Satellite imagery is helping researchers to pinpoint the whereabouts of rare insects, according to evidence published recently in the Journal of Insect Conservation. Using freely available, high resolution satellite images from Google Earth, and Microsoft Terraserver, Smithsonian Institute entomologist Jonathan Mawdsley located nineteen potential oases for tiger beetles at the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s, Maryland.
The Research:
Read the research behind the news in the Journal of insect conservation.
Goggle bugs
"Giant search engine helps scientists find where the tiny creatures live."
Satellite imagery is helping researchers to pinpoint the whereabouts of rare insects, according to evidence published recently in the Journal of Insect Conservation. Using freely available, high resolution satellite images from Google Earth, and Microsoft Terraserver, Smithsonian Institute entomologist Jonathan Mawdsley located nineteen potential oases for tiger beetles at the US Fish and Wildlife Service’s, Maryland.
The Research:
Read the research behind the news in the Journal of insect conservation.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Research news: Binocular vision gene is discovered
The News:
Binocular vision gene is discovered
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A team of U.S., Australian, and German researchers have identified the gene needed for binocular vision in mice.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Mriganka Sur and colleagues from the University of Sydney and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany studied normal mice, as well as mice in which the activity of the critical gene was suppressed.
They noted many animals, including mice and humans, are able to perceive depth because of the successful coordination of different images from each eye.
The scientists found mice with the suppressed gene were blind, although their eyes worked normally. The investigators discovered the image from one eye suppressed the image from the other eye. When the neural signals from one eye were blocked, the affected mice could once again see, though only with monocular vision.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS Biology.
Binocular vision gene is discovered
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A team of U.S., Australian, and German researchers have identified the gene needed for binocular vision in mice.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor Mriganka Sur and colleagues from the University of Sydney and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany studied normal mice, as well as mice in which the activity of the critical gene was suppressed.
They noted many animals, including mice and humans, are able to perceive depth because of the successful coordination of different images from each eye.
The scientists found mice with the suppressed gene were blind, although their eyes worked normally. The investigators discovered the image from one eye suppressed the image from the other eye. When the neural signals from one eye were blocked, the affected mice could once again see, though only with monocular vision.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal PLoS Biology.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Research news: Value of some prenatal genetic tests questioned in study
The News:
Value of some prenatal genetic tests questioned in study
By Judy Peres Chicago Tribune
Article Last Updated: 09/18/2007 11:28:39 PM MDT
Chicago - Illustrating the complications of prenatal genetic testing, researchers reported Tuesday that some couples chose to terminate pregnancies even though the mutation carried by their fetus probably would not have resulted in serious health problems.
The researchers, from several medical centers in Israel, analyzed information about Gaucher disease, a genetic condition the symptoms of which range from severe to nonexistent. It occurs mainly in Ashkenazi Jews, or those of Eastern or Central European descent.
Experts say the new findings, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, raise questions about the appropriateness of screening for treatable or non-life-threatening diseases - a practice that is likely to increase as scientists continue to discover the functions of individual genes.
Already, pregnant Ashkenazi women are usually screened for a battery of genetic diseases, including Tay Sachs, which invariably leads to extreme disability and early death. But the typical "Jewish panel" also includes some less serious conditions, such as Gaucher (pronounced go-SHAY).
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Value of some prenatal genetic tests questioned in study
By Judy Peres Chicago Tribune
Article Last Updated: 09/18/2007 11:28:39 PM MDT
Chicago - Illustrating the complications of prenatal genetic testing, researchers reported Tuesday that some couples chose to terminate pregnancies even though the mutation carried by their fetus probably would not have resulted in serious health problems.
The researchers, from several medical centers in Israel, analyzed information about Gaucher disease, a genetic condition the symptoms of which range from severe to nonexistent. It occurs mainly in Ashkenazi Jews, or those of Eastern or Central European descent.
Experts say the new findings, published in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, raise questions about the appropriateness of screening for treatable or non-life-threatening diseases - a practice that is likely to increase as scientists continue to discover the functions of individual genes.
Already, pregnant Ashkenazi women are usually screened for a battery of genetic diseases, including Tay Sachs, which invariably leads to extreme disability and early death. But the typical "Jewish panel" also includes some less serious conditions, such as Gaucher (pronounced go-SHAY).
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Research news: Specific exercises could reduce diabetes symptoms
The News:
Specific exercises could reduce diabetes symptoms
DENVER - Kaiser Permanente's chief of endocrinology is impressed by a new study that shows the benefits of both aerobic exercise and resistance training, when it comes to Type 2 diabetes.
"I think it was an excellent design for the study. And I think it answers a very relevant question," said Dr. Bill Georgitis. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine follows 251 people. One group did aerobic exercises. Another group did resistance training. A third group did both. In the group that did both types of exercise, hemoglobin levels – which regulate blood sugar levels - decreased by an average of one percent. "It's comparable to what drugs would do. Pills. Not insulin. Pills, for diabetes," said Georgitis. Study participants all had Type 2 diabetes. Researchers followed them for 22 weeks. All of the participants exercised three times a week. The group that saw the largest decrease in hemoglobin levels did aerobic and resistance exercises for 45 minutes a piece, on each of the three days.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Specific exercises could reduce diabetes symptoms
DENVER - Kaiser Permanente's chief of endocrinology is impressed by a new study that shows the benefits of both aerobic exercise and resistance training, when it comes to Type 2 diabetes.
"I think it was an excellent design for the study. And I think it answers a very relevant question," said Dr. Bill Georgitis. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine follows 251 people. One group did aerobic exercises. Another group did resistance training. A third group did both. In the group that did both types of exercise, hemoglobin levels – which regulate blood sugar levels - decreased by an average of one percent. "It's comparable to what drugs would do. Pills. Not insulin. Pills, for diabetes," said Georgitis. Study participants all had Type 2 diabetes. Researchers followed them for 22 weeks. All of the participants exercised three times a week. The group that saw the largest decrease in hemoglobin levels did aerobic and resistance exercises for 45 minutes a piece, on each of the three days.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Research News: Find may help fight hantavirus
The News:
Find may help fight hantavirus A UNC researcher says certain cells protect mice. But treatment may cause cancer, a doctor says.
By Allison Sherry Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/18/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT
A University of Northern Colorado researcher said Monday that his studies of deer mice infected by the hantavirus could lead to a treatment for humans who come down with the serious respiratory disease. A leading doctor and cancer researcher at National Jewish Medical and Research Center said, however, that the potential treatment, published in an online edition of a medical journal, could cause cancer. The idea is a "disaster," said Dr. Yosef Refaeli, a National Jewish immunologist and cancer researcher. UNC immunologist Tony Schountz has been studying hantavirus - a lung disease carried by rodents and passed along to humans through saliva, droppings or urine - since 1998, after a woman in Meeker survived the disease. Schountz looked at why deer mice, the primary carriers of the virus, never get sick or die from it.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal BMC Immunology.
Find may help fight hantavirus A UNC researcher says certain cells protect mice. But treatment may cause cancer, a doctor says.
By Allison Sherry Denver Post Staff Writer
Article Launched: 09/18/2007 01:00:00 AM MDT
A University of Northern Colorado researcher said Monday that his studies of deer mice infected by the hantavirus could lead to a treatment for humans who come down with the serious respiratory disease. A leading doctor and cancer researcher at National Jewish Medical and Research Center said, however, that the potential treatment, published in an online edition of a medical journal, could cause cancer. The idea is a "disaster," said Dr. Yosef Refaeli, a National Jewish immunologist and cancer researcher. UNC immunologist Tony Schountz has been studying hantavirus - a lung disease carried by rodents and passed along to humans through saliva, droppings or urine - since 1998, after a woman in Meeker survived the disease. Schountz looked at why deer mice, the primary carriers of the virus, never get sick or die from it.
The Research:
Read the research behind this story in the journal BMC Immunology.
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