Body

DALLAS, April 5, 2016 - When older people develop atrial fibrillation -- the most common type of irregular heartbeat -- it accelerates age-related declines in walking speed, strength, balance and other aspects of physical performance, according to new research in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, an American Heart Association journal.

Paleontologists at Virginia Tech have found that muscle-scarred fossil leg bones of one of the closest cousins of dinosaurs that lived approximately 240 million years ago can shine new light on a large unknown: How early dinosaurs grew from hatchlings to adults.

A new study offers hope for cold-water species in the face of climate change. The study, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, addresses a longstanding paradox between predictions of widespread extinctions of cold-water species and a general lack of evidence for those extinctions despite decades of recent climate change.

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that certain gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) are more deadly than previously reported in medical literature. Findings are published online in the Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery.

Major epidemics such as the recent Ebola outbreak or the emerging Zika epidemic may be difficult to forecast because of our inability to determine whether individuals are uninfected or infected but not showing symptoms, according to a new study from the University of Cambridge. The finding emphasises the need to develop and deploy reliable diagnostic tests to detect infected individuals whether or not they are showing symptoms, say the researchers.

The salivary gland secretes saliva that helps us chew and swallow the food we eat. The pancreas secretes digestive juices that enable our bodies to break down the fat, protein, and carbohydrates in the food. Secretions like these are important in countless activities that keep our bodies running day and night. A study published today in the journal Science Signaling uncovers a previously mysterious process that makes these secretions possible.

A leaner, more-focused national security decision-making system can help the United States succeed in a period of tumultuous change, according to a new RAND Corporation report.

Increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of the National Security Council is necessary as the country contends with many more state and nonstate actors, around-the-clock public scrutiny and exploding nontraditional threats, according to the report.

The analysis makes recommendations to help the U.S. carry out improved national security strategies the nation will need in the 21st century.

Quebec City, March 5, 2016--A study published in the April edition of Health Affairs reveals that one-sided comments posted on online news articles may influence readers' opinions about health-related topics. This raises questions about how health social media should be moderated, especially considering the potentially polarized nature of these forums.

COLLEGE STATION - With no more "swimmable" water than thirsty West Texas has, it's hard to imagine a fish, even a minnow-sized fish could remain "missing" for more than a century. But due to a case of mistaken identity, such is the case, said a Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientist.

April 4, 2016 - A study of light-use hookah or waterpipe smokers found evidence of lung function abnormalities, including marked changes in cells lining the airways. The study, "Pulmonary Abnormalities in Young, Light-use Waterpipe (Hookah) Smokers," was published recently in the American Thoracic Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Despite the urban myth reinforced by many a daytime talk show, researchers writing in Trends in Ecology & Evolution on April 5 say the emerging evidence consistently indicates that very few fathers have unknowingly raised children who were not biologically their own. The collective evidence for low rates of extra-pair paternity (EPP) challenges the notion that it pays, evolutionarily speaking, to sleep around, the researchers say.

Two unrelated studies on the Zika virus--one ruling out a theory for how Zika may be passing through the human placenta and another on using mouse models to trace Zika pathogenesis--appear April 5 in Cell Host & Microbe.

Trophoblasts Unlikely Placental Entry Point for Zika

LA, JOLLA, CA - April 5, 2016 - Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and collaborating institutions have described the first-ever immature or "teenage" antibody found in a powerful class of immune molecules effective against HIV.

"This is actually the first example of how we can go back to the really early stage to see how this antibody lineage was born and can develop," said TSRI biologist Jiang Zhu, who served as co-senior author of the study.

A research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis has established a mouse model for testing of vaccines and therapeutics to battle Zika virus.

The mouse model mimics aspects of the infection in humans, with high levels of the virus seen in the mouse brain and spinal cord, consistent with evidence showing that Zika causes neurological defects in human fetuses. Interestingly, the researchers detected the highest levels of the virus in the testes of male mice, a finding that supports clinical data indicating the virus can be sexually transmitted.

According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, a torn anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, is one of the most common knee injuries. Approximately 200,000 Americans experience a torn ACL each year, and more than half undergo surgical repairs. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have developed a model to show that a newer surgical technique results in a stronger, more natural ACL repair.