Culture | Science Codex

Physicists discover mechanisms of wrinkle and crumple formation

AMHERST, Mass. – Smooth wrinkles and sharply crumpled regions are familiar motifs in biological and synthetic sheets, such as plant leaves and crushed foils, say physicists Benny Davidovitch, Narayanan Menon and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, but how a featureless sheet develops a complex shape has long remained elusive.

Now, in a cover story of the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the physicists report that they have identified a fundamental mechanism by which such complex patterns emerge spontaneously.

University of Tennessee professors take big step to develop nuclear fusion power

Imagine a world without man-made climate change, energy crunches or reliance on foreign oil. It may sound like a dream world, but University of Tennessee, Knoxville, engineers have made a giant step toward making this scenario a reality.

UT researchers have successfully developed a key technology in developing an experimental reactor that can demonstrate the feasibility of fusion energy for the power grid. Nuclear fusion promises to supply more energy than the nuclear fission used today but with far fewer risks.

More people staying connected on vacation

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Scanning smartphones, tablets and laptops is as much a part of vacations as slathering on sunscreen, according to a Michigan State University study.

The results, which will appear in the forthcoming issue of Annals of Tourism Research, show that easy online access and ubiquitous personal devices have made the digital divide disappear, even for folks on holiday.

Car crash victims more likely to survive if taken directly to a trauma centre

TORONTO, June 8, 2012—People who are seriously injured in a car accident are more than 30 per cent more likely to survive at least 48 hours if they are taken directly to a trauma centre than those who are taken first to a non-trauma centre, new research has found.

However, fewer than half of people seriously injured in car accidents in Ontario are taken directly from the scene to a trauma centre. In addition, only half of those taken to the nearest hospital are later transferred to a trauma centre after being assessed and stabilized.

ASTRO chairman to testify at CARE Act hearing

American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) Chairman Leonard Gunderson, MD, MS, FASTRO, will testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health today on provisions of the Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility, and Excellence in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy Act of 2011 (CARE Act) related to training and credentialing for medical imaging and radiation therapy technologists.

76 percent of patients on oral JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor plus DMARDS achieve ACR20 response at week 12

Berlin, Germany, June 8 2012: Data from a Phase IIb study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, show that 76% of patients with active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) receiving either 4mg or 8mg of baricitinib, an oral JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor, plus stable methotrexate (MTX) achieved ACR20* response compared with 41% of placebo-treated patients (p≤0.001) at 12 weeks. The 4mg and 8mg doses of baricitinib demonstrated statistical superiority to placebo in all clinical outcomes measured, including ACR20/50/70*, DAS28**-CRP and DAS28-CRP <2.6.

Obesity negatively predicts minimal disease activity achievement in patients with PSA

Berlin, Germany, June 8 2012: According to a study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) who are starting anti-tumour necrosis factor (anti-TNF) treatment and adhere to a hypocaloric diet have a significantly greater chance of achieving minimal disease activity (MDA, an important measure of disease activity) at six months compared to those on a standard diet.

Patients with PsA treated with ustekinumab are twice as likely to achieve acr20 vs. placebo

Berlin, Germany, June 8 2012: A new Phase III study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, shows that patients with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA) treated with Ustekinumab (UST) 90mg were more than twice as likely to achieve the study's primary endpoint, ACR20* at 24 weeks, than those treated with placebo (49.5% vs 22.8%). 42.4% of patients treated with UST 45mg were also more likely to achieve ACR20 at 24 weeks compared to placebo.

Early menopause predicts a milder form of rheumatoid arthritis

Berlin, Germany, June 8 2012 : A new study presented today at EULAR 2012, the Annual Congress of the European League Against Rheumatism, shows that early menopause predicts a milder form of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). New insights on factors influencing RA are good news for sufferers of the chronic inflammatory disease that currently affects over 2 million women in Europe. 1,2

13.7 million young adults stayed on or joined their parents' health plans in 2011

June 8, 2012, New York, NY—In 2011, 13.7 million young adults ages 19 to 25 stayed on or joined their parents' health plans, including 6.6 million who would likely not have been able to do so before passage of the Affordable Care Act, according to a new Commonwealth Fund report.

Re-defining future stroke risk among pre-diabetics

Millions of pre-diabetic Americans may be at increased risk of future stroke, say researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in a new meta-analysis of epidemiological studies, but the precise degree of that threat is confounded by differing medical definitions and factors that remain unknown or unmeasured.

Patients suffering from pre-diabetes at potential future risk of stroke

Millions of people suffering from pre-diabetes may be at a higher risk of stroke, a study published on bmj.com today suggests.

Pre-diabetes is characterised by higher than normal blood glucose levels that, if left untreated, develops into type 2 diabetes. The scale of the problem is enormous and growing, with an estimated 79 million people in the US and 7 million people in the UK affected.

Pre-existing mutations can lead to drug resistance in HIV virus

In a critical step that may lead to more effective HIV treatments, Harvard scientists have found pre-existing mutations in a small number of HIV patients. These mutations can cause the virus to develop resistance to the drugs used to slow its progression.

Pre-existing problems

In a critical step that may lead to more effective HIV treatments, Harvard scientists have found that, in a small number of HIV patients, pre-existing mutations in the virus can cause it to develop resistance to the drugs used to slow the progression of the disease.

Safe, simple eye test may help save lives by preventing stroke

SAN FRANCISCO – June 7, 2012 – A simple eye test may someday offer an effective way to identify patients who are at high risk for stroke, say researchers at the University of Zurich. They showed that a test called ocular pulse amplitude (OPA) can reliably detect carotid artery stenosis (CAS), a condition that clogs or blocks the arteries that feed the front part of the brain. It's a known risk factor for stroke. The OPA test could be performed by ophthalmologists – physicians who treat eye diseases – during routine exams.