Body | Page 4262 | Science Codex

Patients with irritable bowel syndrome not more likely to develop polyps, colon cancer

Ann Arbor, Mich. — Patients with irritable bowel syndrome are at no greater risk of having polyps, colon cancer or inflammatory bowel diseases than healthy people undergoing colonoscopies, according to new research published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

"Patients and doctors get nervous about the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)," says William D. Chey, M.D., professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School. "They think the symptoms represent something more sinister."

Nitric oxide-releasing wrap for donor organs and cloth for therapeutic socks

Scientists in Texas are reporting development of a first-of-its-kind cloth that releases nitric oxide gas — an advance toward making therapeutic socks for people with diabetes and a wrap to help preserve organs harvested for transplantation. The study is in ACS' Chemistry of Materials, a bi-weekly journal.

Fewer platelets could be used for some cancer and bone-marrow transplantation patients

DALLAS – March 10, 2010 – Physicians may be able to safely lower the platelet dosage in transfusions for cancer and bone-marrow transplant patients without risking increased bleeding, according to new research involving UT Southwestern Medical Center and 28 other medical institutions.

Reducing platelet transfusions, and lowering the threshold on when to administer transfusions could help address frequent shortages in platelet supplies, said Dr. Victor Aquino, associate professor of pediatrics and an author of the study appearing in The New England Journal of Medicine.

Molecule tells key brain cells to grow up, get to work, Stanford study shows

STANFORD, Calif. — About four out of every 10 cells in the brain are so-called oligodendrocytes. These cells produce the all-important myelin that coats nerve tracts, ensuring fast, energy-efficient transmission of nerve impulses. Mixed among them are proliferating but not particularly proficient precursor cells that are destined to become oligodendrocytes when needed but, for now, remain suspended in an immature, relatively undifferentiated state somewhere between stem cell and adult oligodendrocyte.

TU Delft improves production of chemicals from wood waste

Researchers from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands have succeeded in making a significant leap forward in the production of biochemicals and biofuels from waste wood. They discovered that the bacterium Cupriavidus basilensis breaks down harmful by-products which are produced when sugars are released from wood. They also managed to incorporate the degradation process in bacteria which are in common industrial use.

Physicians click their way to better prescriptions

Is it time for all community-based doctors to turn to e-prescribing to cut down on the number of medication errors? According to Rainu Kaushal and colleagues from the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, electronic prescriptions can dramatically reduce prescribing errors – up to seven-fold. Their study¹ of the benefits of e-prescribing in primary care practices appears online in the Journal of General Internal Medicine², published by Springer.

Study explores belief in rumor that Obama is Muslim

Exposure to news media has long been thought to help create a more informed and politically educated citizenry, but a new University of Georgia study finds that media exposure did little to correct a significant misperception during the most recent presidential campaign.

Development of more muscular trout could boost commercial aquaculture

KINGSTON, R.I. – March 10, 2010 – A 10-year effort by a University of Rhode Island scientist to develop transgenic rainbow trout with enhanced muscle growth has yielded fish with what have been described as six-pack abs and muscular shoulders that could provide a boost to the commercial aquaculture industry.

Large mammals need protected areas, forest cover in India

DURHAM, N.C. -- A study of extinction patterns of 25 large mammal species in India finds that improving existing protected areas, creating new areas, and interconnecting them will be necessary for many species to survive this century.

Fulvestrant breast cancer drug more effective in presence of CK8 and CK18

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Women's responsiveness to the second-line breast cancer drug fulvestrant may depend on whether the cancer cells are expressing two key proteins, Indiana University Bloomington scientists report in this month's Cancer Biology & Therapy.

Fulvestrant appeared to exert maximum anti-cancer effects in vitro when cells produced normal or elevated quantities of the cytokeratins CK8 and CK18, structural proteins that help give the nucleus its shape.

LSUHSC researcher finds first inherited prostate cancer genetic mutation in African-American men

New Orleans, LA – Shahriar Koochekpour, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Genetics at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, led research that has discovered, for the first time, a genetic mutation in African-American men with a family history of prostate cancer who are at increased risk for the disease. Dr. Koochekpour, who is also a member of the LSUHSC Stanley S.

Sequencing, annotation and comparative analysis of nine BACs of giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

BGI has carried out deep sequence exploration on nine BACs of giant panda with traditional sanger sequencing methods. Sequences and structure information of new genes and repeats were predicted, which greatly fills the gaps of genomics study on giant panda. In addition, the nine sequences assembled based on traditional phrap methods provided as a validation resource for the de novo assembly accuracy of the whole genome shotgun sequencing reads of giant panda generated by the Illumina GA sequencing technology.

Way to go: MBL scientists identify driving forces in human cell division

MBL, WOODS HOLE, MA—If you can imagine identical twin sisters at rest, their breath drawing them subtly together and apart, who somehow latch onto ropes that pull them to opposite sides of the bed—you can imagine what happens to a chromosome in the dividing cell.

Understanding the forces that drive chromosome segregation – a crucial aspect of human development and some diseases, including cancer – is the goal of an international group of researchers who collaborate each summer at the MBL.

Behavioral problems in childhood doubles the risk of chronic widespread pain in adult life

Bad behaviour in childhood is associated with long-term, chronic widespread pain in adult life, according to the findings of a study following nearly 20,000 people from birth in 1958 to the present day.

Better health associated with more frequent and better quality sex in later life

People who are in good health are almost twice as likely to be interested in sex compared to those in poor health, according to research published on bmj.com today.

It is already established that sexual activity has health benefits and is linked to living longer. However, this study investigates how general health impacts on the quality of sex.

The study also estimates how many remaining sexually active years healthy men and women have left.