Body | Page 4100 | Science Codex

REM sleep deprivation plays a role in chronic migraine

LOS ANGELES (June 23, 2010) – Reporting at the American Headache Society's 52nd Annual Scientific Meeting in Los Angeles this week, new research shows that sleep deprivation leads to changes in the levels of key proteins that facilitate events involved in the underlying pathology of migraine.

Paul L. Dunham, Ph.D. and his team at Missouri State University's Center for Biomedical & Life Sciences sought to understand the mechanisms by which sleep disturbance increases the risk of migraine and may even trigger migraine.

Striped mice -- the neighbors from hell

Fighting, paternity tests and infidelity. No, not a daytime talk show, but the results of new research examining why the fur will fly if a four-striped grass mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio) wanders into his neighbour's territory. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Frontiers in Zoology investigated aggression in the mammalian species, finding that breeding males are much more concerned with repelling their neighbours than with defending their partners from complete strangers.

The prevalence and drug sensitivity of tuberculosis among patients dying in hospital in South Africa

A large, systematic postmortem study carried out in South Africa by Ted Cohen and colleagues has revealed that 94% of deceased patients were HIV infected and 50% had culture-positive tuberculosis at the time of death. These data, which reveal that the toll of tuberculosis in young people (age 20-45) in KwaZulu-Natal is higher than we previously thought, are published this week in the open access medical journal PLoS Medicine.

New vaccine strategies could safely control Rift Valley fever

PITTSBURGH, June 22 – Two new approaches could form the basis for the first-ever human vaccine for Rift Valley Fever (RVF), an infectious disease that threatens both farm animals and people, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Vaccine Research. Reported in this week's PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, experimental vaccines developed with these approaches produced strong immune responses in mice and may be safer than the only available RVF vaccine, which is limited to animal use.

Organic pesticides not always 'greener' choice - study

Consumers shouldn't assume that, because a product is organic, it's also environmentally friendly. A new University of Guelph study reveals some 'organic' pesticides have a higher environmental impact than conventional pesticides because the organic product may require larger doses.

Environmental sciences professor Rebecca Hallett and PhD candidate Christine Bahlai compared the effectiveness and environmental impact of organic pesticides to those of conventional and novel reduced-risk synthetic products on soybean crops.

Obesity, weight gain in middle age associated with increased risk of diabetes among older adults

For individuals 65 years of age and older, obesity, excess body fat around the waist and gaining weight after the age of 50 are associated with an increased risk of diabetes, according to a study in the June 23/30 issue of JAMA.

Study identifies reasons for higher rate of severe sepsis among black patients

A greater frequency of severe sepsis among black patients is attributable to higher rates of infection and higher risks of organ dysfunction than what white patients experience, according to a study in the June 23/30 issue of JAMA.

American team of scientists help protect Guatemala's Lake Atitlan

American team of scientists help protect Guatemala's Lake Atitlan

UC Riverside entomologist helps manage invasion threats posed to California's avocados

UC Riverside entomologist helps manage invasion threats posed to California's avocados

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – California's avocado industry is worth more than $320 million annually, and has about 6,000 growers farming more than 6,000 acres of land. Indeed, California grows nearly 95 percent of the country's avocados.

Genetic septet in control of blood platelet clotting

In what is believed to be the largest review of the human genetic code to determine why some people's blood platelets are more likely to clump faster than others, scientists at Johns Hopkins and in Boston have found a septet of overactive genes, which they say likely control that bodily function.

New lung cancer drug shows dramatic results for shrinking tumors

Media Contact:Karen Shea61

Patients with a specific kind of lung cancer may benefit from a Phase III clinical trial offered by the Moores UCSD Cancer Center. The new drug, crizotinib, under development by Pfizer, showed dramatic results in reducing lung cancer tumors in some patients during Phase I and II clinical trials.

Filtering donor blood reduces heart, lung complications

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) have discovered yet another reason to filter the foreign white cells from donor blood: The resulting blood product is associated with dramatically fewer cardiopulmonary complications for patients who received a transfusion.

The study is published in the journal, Transfusion. It is the latest in a large body of work led by Neil Blumberg, M.D., who for 25 years has been investigating the benefits of filtering or washing blood to create safer, simpler approaches to transfusion therapy.

Schools still failing to promote positive attitudes toward disabled people

Many primary school teachers admit they 'could do better'. Lack of resources or insufficient training has led to teaching that is often inadequate and lacking in confidence, claim researchers.

"Some of the reasons for the lack of positive promotion of disability in primary schools are; uncertainty about how to fit disability equality into the curriculum or a reluctance to talk about disability for fear of highlighting 'difference' " says the study.

Mothers' high blood sugar in pregnancy is linked to children's reduced insulin sensitivity

Children of mothers whose blood glucose (sugar) was high during pregnancy are more likely to have low insulin sensitivity—a risk factor for type 2 diabetes—even after taking into consideration the children's body weight, a new study shows. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 92nd Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Local groups uncover corruption, tackle problems of governance across the developing world

LONDON (22 June 2010)—Independent research by local groups in emerging democracies helped uncover corruption or abysmal government performance in 13 countries in last few years, forcing public officials to improve education and healthcare services, according to a global report released today by Results for Development Institute (R4D), a Washington, D.C.-based group that promotes good governance around the world.