Body

'How much does it hurt?' For preschoolers, cognitive development can limit ability to rate pain

February 3, 2016 - "Rate your pain on a scale of zero to ten"--for most adults and older children, it's a simple concept. But preschool-aged children generally lack the cognitive skills needed to make reliable pain ratings, according to an article in PAIN®, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

Journal publishes doctoral candidate's findings on beetle promiscuity

Elizabeth Droge-Young has long been fascinated by the mysteries and motivations behind sexual selection. But the promiscuity among females of one particular species--the red flour beetle--had her particularly stumped. These beetles would mate multiple times over the course of a day, sometimes multiple times an hour. Were they getting something more out of the mating process than the sperm they needed to reproduce? If so, what?

Surgical safety checklists associated with reduced risk of death, length of hospital stay

The implementation of surgical safety checklists (SSCs) at a tertiary care hospital was associated with a reduced risk of death within 90 days after surgery, but not within 30 days, according to a study published online by JAMA Surgery. Hospital length of stay was reduced after implementation of SSCs.

Organic crystals allow creating flexible electronic devices

Scientists from the Faculty of Physics of the Moscow State University have grown organic semiconductor crystals which can reduce the cost of the process of creating light, flexible and transparent light-emitting electronic devices of the new generation.

A team of researchers from the Faculty of Physics of Moscow State University in cooperation with Russian and foreign colleagues learnt to grow organic semiconductor crystals with extremely high light-emitting efficiency that promise a bright future for wet-processed organic optoelectronics.

No proof that radiation from X rays and CT scans causes cancer

MAYWOOD, Il. - The widespread belief that radiation from X rays, CT scans and other medical imaging can cause cancer is based on an unproven, decades-old theoretical model, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Study shows direct link between state spending habits and AIDS deaths

New Haven, Conn.--Despite considerable advances in the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS over the past 30 years, HIV infection rates have remained stagnant in the United States for the past decade. A study by researchers at the Yale Global Health Leadership Institute (GHLI) examines links between spending on social services and public health and AIDS deaths in the United States. The study was published online in the journal AIDS.

Clinical investigations of MRT are 'ethically permissible' if conditions met

WASHINGTON - Conducting clinical investigations of mitochondrial replacement techniques (MRT) in humans is ethically permissible as long as significant conditions and principles are met, says a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. One of those conditions, among many laid out in the report, is that initial MRT clinical investigations should be limited to women who are at risk of transmitting a severe mitochondrial genetic disease that could lead to a child's early death or substantial impairment.

Enzyme key to link between age-related inflammation and cancer

PHILADELPHIA -For the first time, researchers have shown that an enzyme key to regulating gene expression -- and also an oncogene when mutated -- is critical for the expression of numerous inflammatory compounds that have been implicated in age-related increases in cancer and tissue degeneration, according to new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Inhibitors of the enzyme are being developed as a new anti-cancer target.

Minority of cancer cells affect the growth and metastasis of tumors

New research shows that a small minority of cancer cells in neuroendocrine tumours of the pancreas contribute to the overall growth and metastasis of the tumour. This discovery was made by a research group at Lund University, in collaboration with researchers at Karolinska Institutet, in Sweden.

The findings are of fundamental biological importance for the understanding of the different functions of cancer cells, and are now published in the scientific journal PNAS.

Promising compounds against a cancer target

Advances in new treatments for diseases, including cancer, come about from innovative research with therapeutic potential. This was the starting point for the Peptides and Proteins Lab at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) three years ago when it began to design compounds that block the binding of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF) to its receptor (EGFR). The interaction between these two proteins accelerates the metabolism of tumour cells, thus favouring their growth and division.

Breaking through insect shells at a molecular level

With their chitinous shells, insects seem almost invulnerable - but like Achilles' heel in Greek mythology, their impressive armor can still be attacked. Researchers at the universities of Bonn and Leipzig studied fruit flies (Drosophila) and discovered the molecular processes that are able to break through this protective casing. The enzyme chitinase 2 and growth factor idgf6 are especially important in correctly forming the insects' shells. These findings are relevant for fighting parasites, and will be published in the professional journal "Scientific Reports."

Purified cashew proteins lend insight into allergic reactions

It's well known that peanuts can cause severe reactions in people who are allergic, but research suggests that the risk of developing a life-threatening reaction could be higher for those allergic to cashews. Now scientists have come up with a fast and simple method to purify the three main cashew allergens to help better grasp how they work and their effects on people. Their report appears in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Researchers uncover new piece of the HIV puzzle

A research project headed by Henrik Kloeverpris, a postdoc at the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at the University of Copenhagen, shows that the so-called ILCs (innate lymphoid cells) - a component of the immune system crucial to maintaining immune system balance - are destroyed in patients infected with HIV. This study highlights the importance of early treatment during an acute HIV infection. If treatment is initiated during the later chronic infection stage - as in current standard procedure - the ILCs are eradicated.

Whooping cough booster vouchers don't boost immunization rates of caregivers

PHILADELPHIA (February 3, 2016) - Cases of pertussis (whooping cough) have increased dramatically over the past five years, putting infants at risk of serious illness or death. Most infants are infected by a caregiver who has not received a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) booster, so caregiver immunization is particularly important. However, many caregivers go unvaccinated, and new strategies are needed to convince those living with infants to get the Tdap booster.

Orangutans: Lethal aggression between females

Researchers have for the first time witnessed the death of a female orangutan at the hands of another female. Even more extraordinary is that the perpetrator recruited a male orangutan as a hired gun to help her corner and attack the victim. Before this observation, lethal fights between females had never been observed in orangutans; in other primates such fights occur mainly between males, according to Anna Marzec of the University of Zurich in Switzerland. She is the lead author of a report on the fatal incident, which appears in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.