Body | Page 780 | Science Codex

Quality of life meets cure for prostate cancer treatment

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Remember the game Operation? You need to carefully remove the body part without nicking the sides or the buzzer will sound.

Only imagine pulling out the funny bone when it's surrounded by vessels controlling urinary and sexual function. That's the issue when treating prostate cancer.

The prostate is a tiny organ surrounded by critical structures. When radiation treatments deliver dose to any of these structures, it can sometimes lead to problems such as erectile dysfunction and bladder or rectal irritation.

Doctors use Bitcoin tech to improve transparency in clinical trial research

Their successful application of this method to a recently reported, randomised clinical trial on cardiovascular diabetes & ethanol, is outlined in a paper that has just passed peer review on open science publishing platform F1000Research.

Revolutionary drug being explained

An international team of scientists led by researchers from the Lomonosov Moscow State University succeeded to clarify the molecular mechanism of a drug created in Russia and designed to prevent the damaging of cell mitochondria by reactive oxygen species. This work is published in the journal Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity.

Genetic variants may put some soldiers at higher risk of PTSD

In a massive analysis of DNA samples from more than 13,000 U.S. soldiers, scientists have identified two statistically significant genetic variants that may be associated with an increased risk of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an often serious mental illness linked to earlier exposure to a traumatic event, such as combat and an act of violence.

Archaeologists uncover 13,000-year-old bones of ancient, extinct species of bison

In what is considered one of the oldest and most important archaeological digs in North America, scientists have uncovered what they believe are the bones of a 13,000- to 14,000-year-old ancient, extinct species of bison at the Old Vero Man Site in Vero Beach, Fla. Archaeologists from Florida Atlantic University's Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute made this discovery just 10 feet below the ground's surface during the final stretch of the 2016 excavation efforts at the Vero Beach site.

Researchers unveil new, detailed images of DNA transcription

An unprecedented molecular view of the critical early events in gene expression, a process essential for all life, has been provided by researchers at Georgia State University, the University of California at Berkeley and Northwestern University.

Study probes heart of synthetic heart valves

The quest for a synthetic heart valve that faithfully mimics the original is a step closer to its goal with the Rice University find that a natural polymer called hyaluronan, one of the chief components of skin and connective tissue, can serve as a versatile template for growing spongiosa, the middle tissue layer in the valve's leaflets.

The tissues in heart valves, which typically work for decades without pause, are some of the strongest and most durable in nature and the options to repair or replace them are limited.

Chemists find 'huge shortcut' for organic synthesis using C-H bonds

Chemists have taken another major step in the quest to use carbon-hydrogen bonds to create new molecules, a strategy that aims to revolutionize the field of organic synthesis.

The journal Nature is publishing the work by chemists at Emory University. They demonstrated the ability to selectively functionalize the unreactive carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds of an alkane without using a directing group, while also maintaining virtually full control of site selectivity and the three-dimensional shape of the molecules produced.

You are what you eat: IU biologists map genetic pathways of nutrition-based species traits

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Biologists at Indiana University have significantly advanced understanding of the genetic pathways that control the appearance of different physical traits in the same species depending on nutritional conditions experienced during development.

In many animals, nutrition -- not genetic differences -- controls the appearance of certain physical traits. Ants and bees, for example, grow into workers or queens based upon the food eaten as larvae.

Do you see what I see?

Walking through Harvard Yard, you see it every day - one person stops to look up at a tree, perhaps trying to catch a glimpse of hawks that call the area home - and soon most passers-by are stopping to look in the same direction.

It's a phenomenon known as "gaze following" - and although it's been demonstrated in dozens of species, researchers have theorized that it may develop in a unique way in humans, because it plays a critical role in learning and socialization.

New PSA test examines protein structures to detect prostate cancers

Tuesday, May 10, 2016, San Diego: A promising new test is detecting prostate cancer more precisely than current tests, by identifying molecular changes in the prostate specific antigen (PSA) protein, according to Cleveland Clinic research presented today at the American Urological Association annual meeting.

The study - part of an ongoing multicenter prospective clinical trial - found that the IsoPSATM test can also differentiate between high-risk and low-risk disease, as well as benign conditions.

Fairness at work can affect employees' health

Employees' experiences of fairness at work can impact on their health, according to a new study involving the University of East Anglia (UEA).

The researchers investigated whether perceptions of what they call 'procedural justice', such as the processes in place to decide on rewards, pay, promotion and assignments, are related to employees' health.

They found that when perceptions of fairness changed, the self-rated health of employees also changed, for example those who experienced more fairness on average over the period studied reported better health.

Coral death stops fish from learning predators

In a world first study researchers have found that coral bleaching and death can have dramatic repercussions for how small reef fish learn about and avoid predators. The new results are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

Obesity less dangerous than 40 years ago

New research from Denmark involving more than 100,000 individuals suggests that the excess risk of premature death associated with obesity has decreased over the past 40 years. All-cause mortality was higher in obese individuals than in normal weight individuals in 1976-78, but not in 2003-13.

Coral mass spawning triggered by seasonal rises in ocean temperature

Scientists have discovered rapidly rising seasonal sea temperatures are the likely trigger for coral reproduction allowing them to predict when mass spawning will occur.

Mass coral spawning is considered to be one of nature's most spectacular phenomena with dozens of coral species releasing eggs and sperm into the sea, on a few nights each year.

The event attracts divers to ecosystems like the Great Barrier Reef to witness the corals in action. Up until now, what drives the release has been a mystery.