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Evolution and religion: New insight into instructor attitudes in Arizona

Tempe, Ariz. -- Evolution can be an emotionally charged topic in education, given a wide range of perspectives on it. Two researchers from Arizona State University are taking an in-depth look at how college professors handle it.

In a first-of-its kind study, scientists from ASU School of Life Sciences have found that a majority of professors teaching biology in Arizona universities do not believe that helping students accept the theory of evolution is an instructional goal. In fact, a majority of study participants say their only goal is to help students understand evolution.

Combining radiation with immunotherapy showing promise against melanoma

MAYWOOD, IL - Combining radiation treatments with a new generation of immunotherapies is showing promise as a one-two-punch against melanoma, Loyola Medicine researchers report in the Journal of Radiation Oncology.

Radiation kills cancer cells by damaging their DNA. Immunotherapies work by harnessing a patient's immune system to attack and kill cancer cells. When combined, the two therapies appear to have synergistic effects, according to the article by James S. Welsh, MD and colleagues.

Commissions that reflected on Ebola outbreak highlight overlapping conclusions in new PLOS piece

WASHINGTON - To make the world safer against future infectious disease threats, national health systems should be strengthened, the World Health Organization's emergency and outbreak response activities should be consolidated and bolstered, and research and development should be enhanced, says a new Policy Forum article that appears in the May 19 edition of PLOS Medicine.

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Immunology - and the idea that many diseases can best be addressed by boosting the body's own immune response - is one of the hottest areas in medical research and clinical treatment. University of California San Diego School of Medicine and Chiba University School of Medicine in Japan have announced a new collaborative research center to investigate the most promising aspects of immunology, especially the area of mucosal immunology, and to speed development of clinical applications.

More light on cancer

The group of Russian and French researchers, with the participation of scientists from the Lomonosov Moscow State University, has succeeded to synthesize nanoparticles of ultrapure silicon, which exhibited the property of efficient photoluminescence, i.e., secondary light emission after photoexcitation. These particles were able to easily penetrate into cancer cells and it allowed to use them as luminescent markers in the early diagnosis of cancer and in treatments of this disease.

Lab cell study shows that HOXA5 protein acts as tumor suppressor in breast cancer

Many breast cancers are marked by a lack of HOXA5 protein, a gene product known to control cell differentiation and death, and lower levels of the protein correspond to poorer outcomes for patients. Now, results of a new study by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists suggests a powerful role for the protein in normal breast cells, acting as a tumor suppressor that halts abnormal cell growth.

Mouse study: Triple-therapy cocktail shrinks triple-negative breast tumors

In a new study using mice and lab-grown human cells, a scientific team led by Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center researchers show how a triple-drug cocktail can shrink triple-negative breast cancers by killing off cancer cells and halting new tumor growth.

Children injured in motor vehicle crashes fare better at level I pediatric trauma centers

Minneapolis, Minn. - May 19, 2016 - Children and adolescents injured in motor vehicle accidents have better outcomes when treated at a stand-alone Level I pediatric trauma center (PTC) than at general adult trauma centers (ATC) or adult trauma centers with added Level I pediatric qualifications (ATC+PTC), according to a new study to be published in the Journal of Pediatric Surgery by researchers from Children's Minnesota.

To operate or not to operate: A serious question with no clear answers

What goes into a surgeon's decision to operate or recommend an alternative treatment option?

Two UCLA-led studies published on the website of the peer-reviewed Annals of Surgery sought to answer that question. The upshot is: It might depend as much on how surgeons perceive the world as it does on the patient's diagnosis.

Enzyme pair play crucial role in maintaining balance of cellular processes

Researchers at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have uncovered how two enzymes, ULK1 and ULK2, which are best known for their role in the degradation and recycling of proteins, control the trafficking of specific proteins. The control of the movement of these molecules from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus is essential for maintaining the correct balance of cellular processes. The results are described online in the journal Molecular Cell and in time may help researchers understand how certain neurodegenerative diseases arise.

NIH study confirms benefits of intensive blood pressure management among seniors aged 75 and older

WHAT: NIH-supported researchers are reporting additional details about a widely-publicized study that linked a systolic blood pressure target under 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) with reduced cardiovascular disease and a lower risk of death. The new analysis singles out adults aged 75 and older and confirms that those with high blood pressure also benefit from the lower pressure target similar to the larger group studied in the earlier research: non-diabetic adults aged 50 and older.

Research behind global switch to new polio vaccine strategy released in the Lancet

A groundbreaking study released today shows that a single injectable dose of inactivated polio vaccine (IPV) along with bivalent oral polio vaccine could protect up to 90 percent of children from polio and strengthen community protection against the disease.

Taking control of key protein stifles cancer spread in mice

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- For cancer to spread, the cells that take off into the bloodstream must find a tissue that will permit them to thrive. They don't just go looking, though. Instead, they actively prepare the tissue, in one case by co-opting a protein that suppresses defenses the body would otherwise mount. In a new study, scientists report that by wresting back control of that protein, they could restore multiple defenses in the lungs of mice, staving off cancer's spread there.

Understanding the mechanics of the urinary bladder

Dr. S. Roccabianca and Dr. T.R. Bush, researchers from Michigan State University compiled an extensive review of the key contributions to understanding the mechanics of the bladder ranging from work conducted in the 1970s through the present time with a focus on material testing and theoretical modeling. The review appears in a forthcoming issue of the journal TECHNOLOGY.

Researchers reveal how a new class of drugs kills cancer cells

A team of Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers has worked out how a new class of anti-cancer drugs kills cancer cells, a finding that helps explain how cancer cells may become resistant to treatment.

The researchers studied a class of anti-cancer drugs called BET inhibitors, which are considered promising new drugs for the treatment of blood cancers such as leukaemias and lymphomas. BET inhibitors reduce tumour growth by blocking BET proteins, a family of proteins that control whether genes are switched on or off.