Body | Page 3829 | Science Codex

When nature calls

COLLEGE STATION, Feb. 9, 2011 — When you've got to go, you've got to go — upstream, that is, if you are a male swordtail fish seeking a mate, according to research from Texas A&M University.

A recent study led by Texas A&M biologists Dr. Gil Rosenthal and Dr. Heidi Fisher in collaboration with scientists at Centro de Investigaciones Cientificas de las Huastecas in Hidalgo, Mexico, and Boston University has determined that the fish use chemical cues in their urine to elicit sexual responses from their downstream female counterparts.

New model reveals pesticide-free method that takes a bite out of mosquito-borne disease

Scientists have modeled a system that may be used to control mosquitoes and the diseases they transmit, without the use of pesticides. In the proposed system, mosquitoes are engineered to carry two genes. The first gene causes males to transmit a toxin to females through their semen. The second gene, when expressed in females, makes them immune to this toxin.

Squid pheromone sparks extreme aggression on contact

When male squid come into contact with a chemical found on the outside of eggs laid by females, they instantly go from swimming along calmly and minding their own business to a state of extreme aggression, according to a new report published online on February 10 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication. After just a touch of an egg, males will often fight vigorously with other males in an attempt to gain preferred access to mates, even when females aren't around.

Newly discovered pheromone linked to aggressive behavior in squid

Scientists have identified a pheromone produced by female squid that triggers immediate and dramatic fighting in male squid that come into contact with it. The aggression-producing pheromone, believed to be the first of its kind discovered in any marine animal, belongs to a family of proteins found in vertebrates, including humans. Results of the study appear in the February 10th issue of Current Biology.

Circulating blood antibodies are not required for HIV protection

New research shows that protective immunity against HIV can be achieved without the presence of virus neutralizing antibodies in the blood. The study, published by Cell Press in the February issue of the journal Immunity, demonstrates that a vaccine which stimulates production of specific anti-HIV antibodies in the vaginal tissue was sufficient to protect monkeys from exposure to live virus. The results may also help to explain why a few individuals who lack anti-HIV antibodies in the blood are able to resist infection, even when they are repeatedly exposed to HIV.

Homogeneous tuberculosis treatment ineffective in children, UT Southwestern researchers find

DALLAS – Feb. 10, 2011 – The realization of medically treating different children uniquely may start with one of the deadliest diseases in existence: tuberculosis.

New findings by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers indicate that the type of medications and the dosage routinely used to treat children with the disease should be individualized to each young patient in order to be effective.

SMFM highlights significance of spina bifida research findings

SAN FRANCISCO (February 10, 2011) — More than two thousand physicians, some of the top obstetric/gynecologists in the world who specialize in maternal-fetal medicine, especially high risk pregnancies, gathered today for their annual meeting in San Francisco to begin four days of intensive research presentations. Presentations each year at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine's (SMFM) annual meeting, The Pregnancy Meeting ™, represent major findings in reducing high-risk pregnancies and complications.

Final data show experimental agent better than aspirin at preventing stroke

A new anti-clotting agent is vastly superior to aspirin at reducing stroke risk (1.6 percent per year versus 3.6 percent per year) in atrial fibrillation (AF) patients unable to take stronger drugs, according to final data reported today at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2011. Researchers found the drug also works better in people with a history of stroke or a warning stroke.

Atrial fibrillation is a heartbeat abnormality that can cause blood clots which raise the risk of stroke, particularly in the elderly.

More advantages found for new drug: McMaster study

Hamilton, ON (Feb. 10, 2011) — New findings from a McMaster University-led study of a drug recently identified to prevent stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation have been published in the high-impact New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) today.

New evolutionary research disproves living missing link theories

Evolution is not a steady march towards ever more sophisticated beings and therefore the search for the living "missing links" is pointless, according to findings published by a team of researchers led by Dr. Hervé Philippe of the Université de Montréal's Department of Biochemistry. "Aristotle was the first to classify organisms – from the least to the most sophisticated. Darwin's theory of evolution continued this idea, with the concept of a hierarchy of evolution.

Kenya's fisheries management promotes species that grow larger and live longer

Marine conservationists from the Wildlife Conservation Society working in Kenya have found that better fisheries management that includes restricting fishing gear is producing more predatory and longer-lived species and is improving fishing even in adjacent areas where no management is taking place.

Extensive research demonstrates fructose does not increase food intake or impact weight

A new comprehensive review, recently published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, concludes that fructose does not increase food intake or impact body weight or blood triglycerides in overweight or obese individuals.

New online tool predicts probability of death from stroke

TORONTO, On – February 10, 2010 – Researchers at St. Michael's Hospital and the Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences (ICES) in Toronto have developed a new tool that will help doctors predict the probability of death in patients after an ischemic stroke.

Childhood physical abuse linked to peptic ulcers

TORONTO, ON – Victims of childhood physical abuse are more than twice as likely to develop ulcers than people who were not abused as children, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Toronto.

Coastal Canadians living in high-risk neighborhoods in poorer health: Study

TORONTO, Feb. 10., 2011—Canadians living in deprived neighbourhoods are twice as likely to have poor health if they live on the Atlantic or Pacific Coast, according to a new study by researchers at St. Michael's Hospital.

Past studies have shown that rates of illness and death are significantly higher in poorer neighbourhoords. "But this research shows where people live in Canada plays a big role in how strongly they are affected," said Heather White, a researcher at St. Michael's Centre for Research on Inner City Health.