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In Lab, Pannexin1 Restores Tight Binding of Cells Lost in Cancer

By Guest PostJanuary 31, 2012Healthbrain tumor, cancerous cells, mechanics of tumor, protein pannexin1

By studying tumor cell behavior in a novel “scaffold-free” 3-D system, researchers have determined that the protein Pannexin1 may play an important biomechanical role in binding tissues together, an effect that is lost in cancerous cells

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — First there is the tumor and then there’s the horrible question of whether the cancerous cells will spread. Scientists increasingly believe that the structural properties of the tumor itself, such as how tightly the tumor cells are packed together, play a decisive role in the progression of the disease. In a new study, researchers show that the protein Pannexin1, known to have tumor-suppressive properties, plays an important role in keeping the cells within a tissue closely packed together, an effect that may be lost with cancer. (more…)

Severe Declines in Everglades Mammals Linked to Pythons

By Guest PostJanuary 31, 2012Environment, Natureafrican python, alex wolf, alligators, america, beni anaconda, boa constrictor, bobcat, burmese python, camp walker, christopher gillette, cottontail rabbits, dan kimball, deschauensee anaconda, ecological impact, ecosystem, everglades, everglades ecosystem, everglades national park, everglades python, fox, geographic pattern, green anaconda, invasive species, john willson, mammal decline, mammals, marcia mcnutt, marsh, michael dorcas, michael rochford, national park, opossums, prey, python, python predation, rabbits, raccoons, robert reed, spread of pythons, therese walters, U.S. Geological Survey, united states

HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Precipitous declines in formerly common mammals in Everglades National Park have been linked to the presence of invasive Burmese pythons, according to a study published on Jan. 30, 2012, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The study, the first to document the ecological impacts of this invasive species, strongly supports that animal communities in this 1.5-million-acre park have been markedly altered by the introduction of pythons within 11 years of their establishment as an invasive species. Mid-sized mammals are the most dramatically affected. (more…)

For Some Medical Residents, Empathy Declines With Long-Call

By Guest PostJanuary 31, 2012Generalburnout, chris segrin, concern, damage, degradation, diagnostic ability, domino effect, environmental stressors, fatigue, health care provider, heavy workload, long call, medical resident, one way street, patient care, physician, potential of litigation, residency program, sleep deprivation, stacey passalacqua, survey, tough situation, trait empathy, university of arizona

*In a newly published study, researchers found the majority of medical residents surveyed experienced a decline in empathy over the course of the oft-used “long-call” shift.*

Fatigue and sleep deprivation are undisputed job descriptors for medical residents, but results from a new study indicate the common “long-call” shift may have adverse effects not only for residents, but also their patients.

University of Arizona alumna Stacey Passalacqua, now a visiting assistant professor at James Madison University’s School of Communication, surveyed nearly 100 medical residents at several different hospitals. (more…)

Will the Next Bill Gates Please Step Up: Young Entrepreneurs Meet Microsoft’s Founder

By Guest PostJanuary 30, 2012Technologymicrosoft founder, next bill gates, young entrepreneurs

Students from around the world talked with Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates and Executive Vice President Brad Smith on Friday about removing obstacles that keep young people from starting their own businesses and nonprofits

Davos, Switzerland — Jan. 30, 2012 — When the world’s policymakers descend on Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting, Bill Gates can usually get their attention. (more…)

New CU-led Study May Answer Long-Standing Questions About Enigmatic Little Ice Age

By Guest PostJanuary 30, 2012Environmentcold times, little ice age, middle ages, valley glaciers

A new University of Colorado Boulder-led study appears to answer contentious questions about the onset and cause of Earth’s Little Ice Age, a period of cooling temperatures that began after the Middle Ages and lasted into the late 19th century. (more…)

They Know The Drool

By Guest PostJanuary 30, 2012Health, Scienceactin, biomarkers, breast, cervical, clinical spit test, disease, epithelial cells, frank ondrey, heart disease, john carlis, life threatening cancer, lymphoma, melanoma, metastatic breast cancer, motions of cells, myosin, nelson rhodus, oral cancer, oral lesions, ovarian cancer, protein, proteomics, saliva, study of proteins, testing spit, timothy griffin, tissue cells, united states, university of minnesota

*The search for biomarkers of disease in spit*

It’s a researcher’s dream: a simple, noninvasive test to detect life-threatening cancer, heart disease, or other maladies while they’re still treatable.

A team of University of Minnesota researchers is in hot pursuit of that goal, using one of the simplest means imaginable: testing spit. They’ve discovered that conditions such as breast and oral cancer leak certain proteins into saliva, and if detected, such proteins can be “biomarkers” for the disease. (more…)

Divorce Hurts Health More at Earlier Ages

By Guest PostJanuary 30, 2012Healthdivorce, divorce experience, Health, marital satisfaction, marital therapy, stress of divorce

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Divorce at a younger age hurts people’s health more than divorce later in life, according to a new study by a Michigan State University sociologist. (more…)

Adolescents with Autism Spend Free Time Using Solitary, Screen-Based Media

By Guest PostJanuary 30, 2012Scienceadolescent, asd, autism spectrum disorder, benjamin cooper, children, email, intellectual disabilities, internet chatting, language impairment, micah mazurek, non social media, paul shattuck, screen based technology, social media, Technology, television, university of missouri, video games

*MU researcher encourages capitalization on interest in screen-based technology, cautions against overuse*

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to be fascinated by screen-based technology. A new study by a University of Missouri researcher found that adolescents with autism spend the majority of their free time using non-social media, including television and video-games.

“Even though parents and clinicians have often observed that children with ASD tend to be preoccupied with screen-based media, ours is the first large-scale study to explore this issue,” said Micah Mazurek, assistant professor in the School of Health Professions and the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders. “We found that 64 percent of adolescents with ASD spent most of their free time watching TV and playing video and computer games. These rates were much higher than among those with other types of disabilities. On the other hand, adolescents with ASD were less likely to spend time using email and social media.” (more…)

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