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Tiger moths use signals to warn bats: Toxic not tasty

Acoustic warning signals emitted by tiger moths to deter bats - a behavior previously proven only in the laboratory - actually occur in nature and are used as a defense mechanism, according to new research from Wake Forest University.

Origin of dromedary domestication discovered

The dromedary, the one-humped Arabian camel, plays an important role in the countries of North Africa. For thousands of years, the people of North Africa and Asia have used the animal for the transportation of people and goods. It was fundamental to the development of human societies in inhospitable environments. Dromedaries are the largest domesticated livestock species.

A constant companion with many unknowns

Do witchcraft beliefs halt economic progress?

Believing in witchcraft is a salient feature of daily life in many parts of the world. In worst-case scenarios, such beliefs lead to murder, and they may also cause destruction of property or societal ostracism of the accused witches. The first large-scale economics study to explore beliefs in witchcraft, broadly defined as the use of supernatural techniques to harm others or acquire wealth, links such beliefs to the erosion of social capital.

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers present new guidelines for treating perinatal mood and anxiety disorders based on

BEER-SHEVA, Israel...May 10, 2016 - Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have issued new guidelines for treating perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs), based on a recent study. The guidelines are being released to coincide with National Maternal Depression Awareness Month that occurs this month.

Eliminating HIV is possible; UCLA, Danish researchers explain how

Worldwide, about 35 million people are living with HIV. The World Health Organization and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS plan to use an approach called "treatment as prevention" to eliminate the global pandemic, which the WHO says will have occurred when only one person out of 1,000 becomes infected each year.

Now, a nearly two-decade analysis by researchers from UCLA and Denmark yields the first proof that the approach could work.

Common nanoparticle has subtle effects on oxidative stress genes

A nanoparticle commonly used in food, cosmetics, sunscreen and other products can have subtle effects on the activity of genes expressing enzymes that address oxidative stress inside two types of cells. While the titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles are considered non-toxic because they don't kill cells at low concentrations, these cellular effects could add to concerns about long-term exposure to the nanomaterial.

TGen and international team find new avenues of precision medicine for treating cancer

PHOENIX, Ariz. -- May 9, 2016 -- An international team of scientists, including those at the Translational Genomic Research Institute (TGen), have discovered new avenues of potential treatments for a rare and deadly cancer known as Adrenocortical Carcinoma, or ACC.

In a study published today in the scientific journal Cancer Cell, researchers conducted an extensive genomic profile of ACC, a cancer of the adrenal glands, which are located above the kidneys. Current treatment options for ACC have not changed in decades and are not curative.

Junk food causes similar high blood sugar levels as type 2 diabetes

A junk food diet can cause as much damage to the kidney as diabetes, according to a study published in Experimental Physiology.

Scientists identify new route of TB transmission

Washington, DC - May 10, 2016 - Scientists have discovered a new species of bacteria, Mycobacterium mungi, that causes tuberculosis (TB) and is transmitted through the skin and nose of banded mongoose in Northern Botswana. The findings, published May 10 in the journal mBio, radically changes scientists understanding of how tuberculosis can be transmitted.

New research gives deeper understanding of why some breast cancers are hard to treat

SCIENTISTS have unearthed crucial new genetic information about how breast cancer develops and the genetic changes which can be linked to survival, according to a Cancer Research UK-funded study published in Nature Communications today (Tuesday).

The Cancer Research UK funded researchers, from the University of Cambridge, analysed tumour samples from the METABRIC** study -- which revealed breast cancer can be classified as 10 different diseases - to get a deeper understanding of the genetic faults of these 10 subtypes.

Intraocular therapy prevents or reverses diabetic retinopathy in mice

Philadelphia, PA, May 10, 2016 - Pathologic changes of the retina caused by diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working adults. Diabetic retinopathy has no known cure, treatment options are inadequate, and prevention strategies offer limited protection. In the first of its kind, a report in The American Journal of Pathology describes a potential new intraocular treatment based on manipulating the renin angiotensin system (RAS) that both prevents and reverses some characteristics of diabetic retinopathy in a mouse model.

Rapid diagnostics for multidrug resistant organisms in combat-related infection

The occurrence of multidrug resistant infection is a major concern in Wounded Warriors and military Veterans, especially in combat-related injuries. In addition to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), other resistant strains have been associated with hospital-acquired infections that are often not responsive to even a broad range of antibiotics. Culture-directed antibiotic treatment is an early treatment regime for these kinds of infections.

Gamma-retroviruses preferentially integrate near cancer-associated genes

Identifying the sites where gamma-retroviruses commonly insert into the genome may help to identify genes associated with specific cancer types, according to a study published April 20, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kathryn Gilroy at the University of Glasgow, UK, and colleagues.

Modeling and simulation help optimize chemotherapy to combat brain tumor

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have used sophisticated pharmacologic modeling and simulation to translate preclinical findings into a successful phase I clinical trial of a chemotherapy agent for treatment of ependymoma. The research marked the first time the approach has been used to calculate drug doses for a clinical trial in pediatric brain tumor patients.

GW researchers use light to control human heart cells and expedite development of new drugs

WASHINGTON (May 10, 2016)-- A team of researchers at the George Washington University has developed a faster method to predict whether potential new drugs will cause heart arrhythmias using optogenetics, a technique that uses light to control cells. While optogenetics has been used in neuroscience for a decade, this technique is relatively new in cardiac research.