Body

ATLANTA-January 14, 2016--A new report describes cancer among Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders (AANHPIs), and reports striking variation in the cancer burden within this population, reflecting vast differences in exposure to cancer risk factors.

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have simulated a new concept for rapid, accurate gene sequencing by pulling a DNA molecule through a tiny, chemically activated hole in graphene--an ultrathin sheet of carbon atoms--and detecting changes in electrical current.

DALLAS - Jan. 15, 2015 - Pediatric researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a key component of the pathogenesis of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a devastating and sometimes fatal lung disease that affects premature infants. Their findings clarify what prompts the inflammatory response that results in BPD, which previously had been unclear.

The study, published in Nature Communications, determined how the NLRP3 inflammasome activates the protein Interleukin 1 beta, which in turn triggers inflammation and development of BPD.

Athens, Ga. - While scientists have known for years that African trypanosomes cause sleeping sickness, they've been left scratching their heads as to how these tiny single-celled organisms communicate. A University of Georgia study, published Jan. 14 in the journal Cell, helps solve this mystery.

Adults suffering from frequent sore throats might find relief by having their tonsils removed: after undergoing tonsillectomy (surgical removal of the tonsils), people were found to have fewer cases of sore throat, fewer missed working days, and an improved quality of life. These are the results of a new study by Götz Senska and coauthors that analyzed the long-term effects of tonsillectomy based on patient surveys, recently published in Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2015; 112: 849-55).

PHILADELPHIA--(Jan. 15, 2016) -- When it comes to genes associated with cancer, none have been studied more extensively than p53, a tumor suppressor gene that serves as the guardian of our genetic information. More than half of all cancers have mutations of p53, meaning that this particular gene must often be suppressed in order for a cancer to grow and spread.

Materials scientists at FAU have shown for the first time that the mother-of-pearl in clam shells does not form in a crystallisation process but is a result of the aggregation of nanoparticles within an organic matrix. This could lead to a better understanding of the structure of biomaterials which may be useful in the development of new high-performance ceramics. The findings of the research group led by Prof. Dr. Stephan E. Wolf have been published in the latest issue of the renowned journal Nature Communications (doi: 10.1038/ncomms10097).

So-called citizen science has become a significant force in several scholarly disciplines. The phenomenon can be found in both the natural and the social sciences, according to the largest systematic analysis to date on the topic, the results of which are published in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.

James Cook University scientists have found lizards exposed to rain, hail and shine may cope better with extreme weather events predicted as a result of climate change than their fair-weather cousins.

A new study by JCU PhD student Anna Pintor, published in the journal Ecological Monographs, is one of the first to test the Climatic Variability Hypothesis (CVH) - which proposes that animals living in environmentally variable areas should be able to tolerate more environmental fluctuations as a result.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A study led by a Hasbro Children's Hospital sports medicine physician found that male student ice hockey players in earlier pubertal stages had a significantly increased risk of prolonged symptoms from concussion compared with advanced pubertal and postpubescent players.

(PHILADELPHIA) -- Obesity has long been associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer, but the link has never been understood. Now, a research team led by investigators at Thomas Jefferson University has revealed the biological connection, and in the process, has identified an approved drug that might prevent development of the cancer. Their study is published in Cancer Research.

Occupational exposure to textile dust is associated with a more than doubling in the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, finds research published online in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

And it is also linked to a heightened risk of genetic susceptibility to the risk of developing antibodies to rheumatoid arthritis, known as ACPA, which hasten progression of the disease.

This is the first time that such associations have been identified, say the researchers.

TORONTO, Jan. 16, 2016--The Zika virus, possibly linked to serious birth defects in Brazil, has the potential to spread within the Americas, including parts of the United States, according to an international team of researchers who track the spread of infectious diseases.

The Zika virus, native to parts of Africa and Asia, has for the first time been introduced into the Americas where it is spreading locally among people who have not travelled abroad. There is no vaccine against the virus or antiviral treatment.

Stem cells work throughout our lives as a sort of handyman, repairing damaged tissues and renewing some normal ones, like the skin we shed. Scientists have come to understand much about how stem cells function when we are adults, but less is known about where these stem cells come from to begin with, as an embryo is developing.

BUFFALO, N.Y. - Companies may strategically use corruption to gain a competitive advantage against rivals, according to a new study of formally registered Indian technology firms conducted by the University at Buffalo School of Management.

Forthcoming in Strategic Management Journal, results of the study show that contrary to the notion that entire countries or companies may be culturally corrupt, firms pick and choose when to ignore laws and regulations and pay bribes to government officials to compete with smaller rivals who are not formally registered.