Body

There are four globally endemic human coronaviruses which, together with the better known rhinoviruses, are responsible for causing common colds. Usually, infections with these viruses are harmless to humans. DZIF Professor Christian Drosten, Institute of Virology at the University Hospital of Bonn, and his research team have now found the source of "HCoV-229E", one of the four common cold coronaviruses--it also originates from camels, just like the dreaded MERS virus.

New research, led by the University of Southampton, demonstrates that 'ecosystem canaries' can provide early warning signals of large, potentially catastrophic, changes or tipping points in ecosystems.

Like canaries that coal miners used to check for poisonous gasses deep underground, 'ecosystem canaries' are species that are often the first to disappear from a stressed ecosystem. Their vanishing can be linked to changes in the functioning of ecosystems, which can serve as a warning that a tipping point is approaching.

Flexitime and having autonomy over working hours - known as schedule control - impacts differently on men and women and may increase the gender pay gap.

That's the conclusion of new research co-led by the University of Kent that shows that although schedule control is associated with increases in overtime and income, it is men that benefit more.

OXFORD, 16 August 2016 - Researchers from the University of Oxford's Bodleian Libraries and from universities in the Netherlands have used high-tech imaging to uncover the details of a rare Mexican codex dating from before the colonization of the Americas. The newly revealed codex, or book, has been hidden from view for almost 500 years, concealed beneath a layer of plaster and chalk on the back of a later manuscript known as the Codex Selden, which is housed at the Bodleian Libraries.

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- Women may be at the forefront of the fast-growing forensic science field, but they're also more stressed than their male counterparts, indicates new research led by a Michigan State University criminologist.

Females working in forensic science labs were almost two times more likely to report high stress levels than males, according to the study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice. Forensic scientists aid criminal investigations by collecting and analyzing evidence such as fingerprints, ballistics and DNA.

As the rope of a chromosomes replicates, it frays at the ends. No problem: A chromosome's ends have extra twine so that fraying doesn't reach into the body of the rope where the important information resides. This extra twine is called a "telomere". Over time and across replications, this telomere twine breaks down until the chromosome loses its protective ends and this "fraying" reaches into the rope, wrecking the chromosome and resulting in the death of the cell.

HOUSTON - (Aug.18, 2016) - A neurodevelopmental disorder for which there was no known cause has been linked to SON, a gene that is involved in essential mechanisms a cell uses to translate DNA into protein, as well as in DNA replication and cell division. A multidisciplinary, international team of researchers from 10 institutions published the results in today's issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics.

WIn a study of children with mild, persistent asthma, scientists found that acetaminophen was tolerated without the worsening of asthma, when compared with ibuprofen use. The study, funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's asthma network (AsthmaNet), appears in the August 18, 2016, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Reston, VA - According to a new report by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute, mammography may present an opportunity for the expanded use of bundled payments in radiology.

Afatinib (trade name: Giotrif) has been approved since April 2016 for the treatment of adults with locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) of squamous histology who have already received chemotherapy. In an early benefit assessment, the German Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) has now examined whether in these patients this drug offers advantages over the appropriate comparator therapy. According to the findings, an added benefit of afatinib for these patients is not proven.

Dyskeratosis congenita, or DC, is a rare, inherited disease for which there are limited treatment options and no cure. Typically diagnosed in childhood, the disorder causes stem cells to fail, leading to significant problems including bone marrow failure, lung fibrosis, dyskeratosis of the skin and intestinal atrophy and inflammation. Patients are also at heightened risk of several types of cancer.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- As scientists learn more about which genetic mutations are driving different types of cancer, they're targeting treatments to small numbers of patients with the potential for big payoffs in improved outcomes.

But even as we learn more about these driver mutations, a new study suggests the science might be leaving racial and ethnic minorities behind.

Leesburg, VA, August 18, 2016-- A team of Boston researchers found that CT attenuation measurements can be used to distinguish untreated osteoblastic (bone-related) metastases from enostoses (benign bone lesions). Based on this conclusion, some biopsies and additional radiologic studies could be avoided, according to a paper published in the August 2016 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the United States and has been identified as a primary cause of cervical cancer in women. Now, an international team of researchers led by the University of Missouri has completed studies on fruit flies with a condition that mimics a form of HPV-induced cancer. The fly models the team developed may help scientists understand the underlying mechanism by which this virus can cause cancer as well as identify potential drug treatments. The study appears in today's issue of PLoS Pathogens.

BOSTON - (August 18, 2016) - Within our bodies, high levels of reactive forms of oxygen can damage proteins and contribute to diabetic complications and many other diseases. But some studies are showing that these reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules sometimes can aid in maintaining health--findings now boosted by a surprising discovery from Joslin Diabetes Center researchers.