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Increased rate of hemangiomas linked to rise in number of low birth weight infants in US

Low birth weight is the most significant factor for the development of infantile hemangiomas, a common birthmark, according to a new study by researchers at The Medical College of Wisconsin and Children's Research Institute.

The study, led by Beth Drolet, M.D., professor of dermatology and pediatrics at the Medical College and medical director of pediatric dermatology and birthmarks and vascular anomalies clinic at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, is published in the November 2008 issue of The Journal of Pediatrics.

Research identifies type of vaccine that holds promise in protecting against TB

ST. LOUIS -- Researchers are one step closer to finding a vaccine that better protects against tuberculosis. An investigational vaccine for TB tested at Saint Louis University appears likely to offer significantly better protection against the potentially fatal disease than the one in current use.

Nanoscale coating protect products -- and the economy

Put steel under a powerful microscope, revealing its microstructure, and prepare to be surprised. Known for its strength, the metal will appear pitted and pocked.

"It is intrinsic to the material," says Carolyn Aita, a Wisconsin Distinguished Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UWM). "A pit can begin to develop from a physiochemical defect in the steel itself."

The pitting is cause for concern for industry because it can progress and lead to corrosion. But Aita's research can help.

Bird flu vaccine protects people and pets

A single vaccine could be used to protect chickens, cats and humans against deadly flu pandemics, according to an article published in the November issue of the Journal of General Virology. The vaccine protects birds and mammals against different flu strains and can even be given to birds while they are still in their eggs, allowing the mass vaccination of wild birds.

Providing toilets, safe water is top route to reducing world poverty: UN University

Simply installing toilets where needed throughout the world and ensuring safe water supplies would do more to end crippling poverty and improve world health than any other possible measure, according to an analysis released today by the United Nations University.

The analysis says better water and sanitation reduces poverty in three ways.

Swamping bad cells with good in ALS animal models helps sustain breathing

In a disease like ALS - one that's always fatal and that has a long history of research-resistant biology - finding a proof of principle in animal models is significant.

This week, Johns Hopkins researchers report that transplanting a new line of stem cell-like cells into rat models of the disease clearly shifts key signs of neurodegenerative disease in general and ALS in particular - slowing the animals' neuron loss and extending life.

Researchers identify Achilles heel of common childhood tumor

BOSTON, Mass. (Oct. 19, 2008) – Researchers have discovered a mechanism for the rapid growth seen in infantile hemangioma, the most common childhood tumor.

Drug-embedded microparticles bolster heart function in animal studies

Researchers at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology have developed tiny polymer beads that can slowly release anti-inflammatory drugs and break down into non-toxic components.

When injected into rats' hearts after a simulated heart attack, the drug-embedded "microparticles" reduce inflammation and scarring, the researchers found.Injecting the particles could cut the area of scar tissue formed after the heart attack in half and boost the ability of the heart to pump blood by 10 percent weeks later.

4 in 10 parents wrong on whether their child is under or overweight

More than four in 10 parents with underweight and overweight children mistakenly believe their children are in the average weight range, according to University of Melbourne research.

The study also finds that different methods of assessing children's weight – such as BMI or waist circumference – result in different rates of children being identified as overweight or underweight. According to BMI, more children were classified as overweight, than compared to waist circumference.

Waste from gut bacteria helps host control weight, UT Southwestern researchers report

DALLAS – Oct. 17, 2008 – A single molecule in the intestinal wall, activated by the waste products from gut bacteria, plays a large role in controlling whether the host animals are lean or fatty, a research team, including scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center, has found in a mouse study.

When activated, the molecule slows the movement of food through the intestine, allowing the animal to absorb more nutrients and thus gain weight. Without this signal, the animals weigh less.

Involving men in family planning/partner communication about sex

Washington, DC. – Involving men in family planning, partner communication about sex and sexual health, and tailoring teen specific reproductive health services are among the cutting-edge topics being presented by researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center's Institute for Reproductive Health at the American Public Health Association's 136th Annual Meeting Oct. 25-29 in San Diego – the world's largest public health gathering.

Missouri Botanical Garden mounts milestone 6 millionth herbarium specimen

(ST. LOUIS): The Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis operates one of the largest and fastest growing herbaria in the world, and the second largest in the western hemisphere. With the addition of a specimen of Anthurium centimillesimum, a gigantic new aroid species from Ecuador, the Garden's permanent collection of pressed and dried plant specimens has reached a milestone of six million specimens.

Salk researchers successfully reprogram keratinocytes attached to a single hair

LA JOLLA, CA — The first reports of the successful reprogramming of adult human cells back into so-called induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, which by all appearances looked and acted liked embryonic stem cells created a media stir. But the process was woefully inefficient: Only one out of 10,000 cells could be persuaded to turn back the clock.

Caltech engineers build first-ever multi-input 'plug-and-play' synthetic RNA device

PASADENA, Calif.--Engineers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a "plug-and-play" synthetic RNA device--a sort of eminently customizable biological computer--that is capable of taking in and responding to more than one biological or environmental signal at a time.

In the future, such devices could have a multitude of potential medical applications, including being used as sensors to sniff out tumor cells or determine when to turn modified genes on or off during cancer therapy.

When under attack, plants can signal microbial friends for help

Researchers at the University of Delaware have discovered that when the leaf of a plant is under attack by a pathogen, it can send out an S.O.S. to the roots for help, and the roots will respond by secreting an acid that brings beneficial bacteria to the rescue.

The finding quashes the misperception that plants are "sitting ducks"--at the mercy of passing pathogens--and sheds new light on a sophisticated signaling system inside plants that rivals the nervous system in humans and animals.