Body

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The Cambrian Period, which occurred between 541 million and 485 million years ago, is an important point in evolutionary history where most of the major groups of animals first appear in the fossil record. Often called the "Cambrian explosion," fossils from this time provide glimpses into evolutionary history as the world's ecosystems were rapidly diversifying.

The differences between men and women seem to infiltrate yet another aspect of medicine with a study spearheaded at Women & Infants Hospital, a Care New England hospital, indicating that younger female gynecologic oncologists were less productive scholastically and, therefore, poorly represented in the higher academic ranks, than their male contemporaries.

Researchers at Women & Infants Hospital, a Care New England hospital, recently published the results of a study demonstrating a connection between anal cancer and human papillomavirus (HPV) infection.

The study - entitled "Anal Cytology and Human Papillomavirus Genotyping in Women with a History of Lower Genital Tract Neoplasia Compared with Low-Risk Women" - was published in a recent issue of the professional journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

A qualitative study from North Carolina State University finds that most people who have lost a lot of weight don't perceive themselves as being "judged" because they used to be overweight or obese - which contradicts earlier research that people were still stigmatized even after reaching a healthy weight.

Previous research found that people judge thin individuals more harshly if they know that those individuals used to be overweight - for example, judging them to be less attractive or lazier.

The recent discovery of the first male-determining factor in mosquitoes, combined with the gene-editing capabilities of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, could be used to bias mosquito populations from deadly, blood-sucking females toward harmless, nectar-feeding males, thus helping to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases. Two experts outline the advantages and challenges of such approaches in a Review published Feb. 17, 2016 in Trends in Parasitology, part of a special issue on vectors.

Lake Nona, Fl., Feb. 17, 2015 - A new research study has revealed an important relationship between proteins secreted by the heart and obesity, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance. The findings, published today in Obesity, offer a new approach to treating metabolic disorders, including type 2 diabetes, by targeting the pathway that controls the proteins' concentration in the blood.

Fairfax, Va., February 17, 2016 - The Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) today joined 14 other neurointerventional medical societies in releasing new training guidelines for endovascular intervention in ischemic stroke patients. The guidelines were developed by an international, multidisciplinary group of neurointerventional medical societies and will be published in seven journals, including the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery.

Earth's critters have developed countless ways to survive. Some bacteria that live inside paramecia, which are tiny aquatic organisms, use a coiled protein ribbon that unfurls like a Chinese paper yo-yo to deliver a toxin to threatening organisms. The protein packs a punch, bursting through membranes of the paramecia's competitors as it elongates. Now, in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology, scientists report that the protein could someday deliver drugs or become integrated into tiny devices.

TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 17, 2016) - Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in the United States resulting in more than 158,000 deaths each year. With a 5-year survival rate at only 18 percent, the development of new and improved treatment options is needed. Moffitt Cancer Center researchers are leading the way in the creation of novel therapies.

CHICAGO (February 16, 2016): Patients who received chemotherapy after surgical resection of pancreatic cancer have fewer distant disease recurrences and longer overall survival than those who also had adjuvant chemoradiation therapy. While a course of radiotherapy in addition to chemotherapy and a cancer operation reduced the number of local disease recurrences, it did not affect distant recurrences or survival.

A new study shows that women with diabetes during pregnancy face a significantly higher risk of having a low milk supply.

The Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center study, published online in Breastfeeding Medicine, adds to evidence that maternal glucose intolerance may impede lactation. Although insulin resistance is common among obese women, and obesity is a risk factor for poor lactation outcomes, the study is believed to be the first to examine maternal diabetes as a risk factor for low milk supply.

Fighting chemoresistant cancer remains a huge challenge that scientists are tackling from as many angles as they can. One alternative approach involves pairing two groups of compounds -- pain medicine and metal ions -- that have individually shown promise as anti-cancer agents. Scientists report in the ACS journal Inorganic Chemistry that combining the two led to new compounds that could destroy drug-resistant cancer cells and leave most normal cells alone in lab tests.

New study indicates deterrent measures such as anti-smuggling are ineffective and an alternative is needed

The research highlights the need for opening safe and legal routes for those migrating

Findings demonstrate that a deeper understanding of why people migrate is needed

This is Vicki Squire. Credit: Vicki Squire

RUSTON, La. - Researchers from Louisiana Tech University have published a study on the prevalence and impacts of "serial inventors" - scientist and engineers within university research communities who are particularly inventive and produce patents at a high level.

Iron deficiency is often an issue in patients with inflammatory bowel diseases. An international and interdisciplinary research group under the aegis of the ZIEL Institute for Food & Health (ZIEL) at the TU Munich has now investigated how the intestinal microbiota responds to oral or intravenous iron replacement. Both lead to an improved iron balance but the bacterial community in the gut is substantially altered depending on the route of iron administration.