Body

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite analyzed Tropical Depression 9 after formed in the Gulf of Mexico after a slow crawl over the last week.

PITTSBURGH--Alternating positions between standing and sitting while performing deskwork could make the difference in whether the thin red needle in your bathroom scale tilts to the left or the right of your goal weight.

A new study from the University of Pittsburgh's School of Education examined the potential weight management benefits of sit-stand desks. Pitt's researchers found that regular use of a height-adjustable workstation, when combined with other low-intensity activities, is an effective measure for maintaining weight for most people.

SELANGORE, MALAYSIA - Miracle berry (Synsepalum dulcificum), also known as miracle fruit, is a valuable horticultural species indigenous to West Africa. The authors of a study in the June 2016 issue of HortScience say that miracle fruit is "a very promising species" that has not been adequately studied. "Miracle fruit is a rare fruit crop with high economical value in the medical and food industry," they explained.

We might think of living organisms as typically having two sets of chromosomes---one from mom and one from dad. But there are lots of variations out there. Polyploidy, or having more than two chromosome copies, is especially common in plants, including some of the tasty ones we eat, such as potatoes, wheat, and strawberries. In fact, polyploidy is a major driver of plant diversity both on our plates and in the wild.

MIAMI--In a new study, University of Miami (UM) scientists found high concentrations of toxins linked to neurodegenerative diseases in the fins and muscles of 10 species of sharks. The research team suggests that restricting consumption of sharks can have positive health benefits for consumers and for shark conservation, since several of the sharks analyzed in the study are threatened with extinction due to overfishing.

A research team including developmental biologist Stephen A. Duncan, D. Phil., SmartStateTM Chair of Regenerative Medicine at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), has found a better way to purify liver cells made from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Their efforts, published August 25, 2016 in Stem Cell Reports, will aid studies of liver disease for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)'s $80 million Next Generation Genetic Association Studies (Next Gen) Program.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Maintaining proper nutrition is an important part of cancer therapy. Patients are urged to consult their doctors before making any change to their nutrition or vitamin regimen. Use of vitamin C may preclude patients from participating in a clinical trial.

HIGHLIGHTS

Previous studies at the University of Colorado Cancer Center show that the experimental drug AMPI-109 potently kills triple-negative breast cancer cells. But even the most compelling evidence of cell death in a dish isn't enough to push a drug into human clinical trials, even for triple-negative breast cancer, which has a high mortality rate and remains largely without targeted treatment options.

Being overweight increases the chances of premature death, according to a USC researcher.

Although people accept that obesity can shorten a person's life span, scientists have debated whether the weight category between normal and obese is, in fact, a health risk.

Asthma costs the UK health service at least £1.1 billion each year, researchers have estimated.

The findings are the result of the most comprehensive study of the state of asthma in UK to date.

Researchers found that at least three people die each day from asthma attacks. Experts say the majority of asthma deaths are preventable and greater focus on basic care is needed to cut the rates of severe attacks.

New research presented at this year's World Congress of Anaesthesiologists (WCA) in Hong Kong (Aug. 28 - Sept. 2) shows that allowing children to use iPads to distract them before surgery requiring general anaesthesia is as effective at lowering their anxiety as conventional sedatives. Furthermore, parental satisfaction and quality of anaesthesia induction was higher in children using iPads. The study is by Dr Dominique Chassard, EPICIME, Hopital Mere Enfant, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Bron, France, and colleagues.

An unnatural balance of nutrients threatens biodiversity in a survival of the fittest scenario, according to the results of a world-first global experiment published in the prestigious Nature journal.Professor Jennifer Firn, from QUT's Science and Engineering Faculty, is part of a global network of researchers who have tested the impact increased nutrient levels is having on grasslands across six continents.

The article is titled Addition of multiple limiting resources reduces grassland diversity and was led by Professor Stan Harpole from UFZ and iDIV, Germany.

HOUSTON-(Aug. 23, 2016)-Researchers at Houston Methodist have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) software that reliably interprets mammograms, assisting doctors with a quick and accurate prediction of breast cancer risk. According to a new study published in Cancer (early online Aug. 29), the computer software intuitively translates patient charts into diagnostic information at 30 times human speed and with 99 percent accuracy.

Primary care physicians are critical in identifying children and adolescents who have thyroid disorders and early identification and treatment helps to optimize growth and development.

Andrew J. Bauer, M.D., of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and coauthors examined the presentation, evaluation and treatment of thyroid disorders seen in primary care practice in a new review article published online by JAMA Pediatrics. The authors conducted a literature review and the article includes 83 publications.

The first national study to examine spending on a wide array of low-value health services among adults with commercial health insurance finds that while use of such services is modest, there is considerable potential for cost savings.

Studying insurance claims from more than 1.46 million adults from across the nation, researchers found that spending on 28 low-value medical services totaled $32.8 million during 2013 among the group. That accounted for 0.5 percent of total spending or more than $22 per person annually.