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The small but charismatic Hawaiian bobtail squid is known for its predator-fooling light organ. To survive, the nocturnal cephalopod depends on a mutually beneficial relationship with the luminescent bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, which gives it the ability to mimic moonlight on the surface of the ocean, and deceive monk seals and other predators that would happily make a meal of the small creature.

Akron, Ohio, Dec. 22, 2015 -- What drives you to Facebook? News? Games? Feedback on your posts? The chance to meet new friends?

If any of these hit home, you might have a Facebook dependency. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, says Amber Ferris, an assistant professor of communication at The University of Akron's Wayne College.

As the 25-year period for the UN Millennium Development Goals concludes on Dec. 31. 2015, to be replaced by the Sustainable Development Goals, a deeper analysis of factors outside defined goals is necessary to learn why some countries failed. This is an argument presented by researchers at Umeå University in an article published today in the scientific journal PLOS Medicine.

Bariatric surgery delivered in routine clinical practice in the UK is associated with a substantial initial weight loss that is sustained for at least four years after surgery, according to a study published this week in PLOS Medicine. The longitudinal study, conducted by Ian Douglas and colleagues at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK, also shows that bariatric surgery is associated with improvements in pre-existing type 2 diabetes and hypertension and with a reduced risk of the onset of several obesity-related co-morbidities.

Bariatric (weight-loss) surgery can reduce the risk of developing serious health conditions such as heart attacks and type 2 diabetes, as well improve existing conditions, according to a new study published in PLOS Medicine.

The project is the largest comprehensive study of longer-term outcomes post bariatric surgery in the UK. It suggests that widening the availability of bariatric surgery could boost the health prospects for thousands of people who are very obese (body mass index/BMI of 40 kg/m2 or more).

How will Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) change cancer survivors' access to healthcare? Answering the question first requires defining access to healthcare before the ACA. An analysis published in the Journal of Cancer Survivorship finds that even in the landscape before the ACA, cancer survivors in states that had already expanded Medicaid coverage prior to the ACA had more access to healthcare than cancer survivors in states that had not expanded Medicaid.

CORVALLIS, Ore. - A few years from now millions of people around the world might be walking around with an unusual kind of glass in their mouth, and using it every time they eat.

Engineers at Oregon State University have made some promising findings about the ability of "bioactive" glass to help reduce the ability of bacteria to attack composite tooth fillings - and perhaps even provide some of the minerals needed to replace those lost to tooth decay.

Scientists from the Energy Department's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) have discovered that a metabolic pathway previously only suggested to be functional in photosynthetic organisms is actually a major pathway and can enable efficient conversion of carbon dioxide to organic compounds.

The discovery shines new light on the complex metabolic network for carbon utilization in cyanobacteria, while opening the door to better ways of producing chemicals from carbon dioxide or plant biomass, rather than deriving them from petroleum.

Tempe, Ariz., (December 22, 2015) - International trade and travel has literally opened up new vistas for humans, ranging from travel to exotic places to enjoying the products and services of those distant lands. But along with international trade and travel comes the risk of spreading infectious diseases, a growing problem in today's global economy, says an Arizona State University researcher.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Cancer can cause an enormous financial burden for some patients. Now a new study finds the burden is worse for patients without paid sick leave.

In a survey of more than 1,300 patients with stage 3 colorectal cancer, researchers found that only 55 percent who were employed at the time of diagnosis retained their jobs after treatment. Patients who had paid sick leave were nearly twice as likely to retain their jobs as those without paid sick leave.

Compared with receiving chemotherapy alone, women with breast cancer who also received the hormonal drug triptorelin to achieve ovarian suppression had a higher long-term probability of ovarian function recovery, without a statistically significant difference in pregnancy rate or disease-free survival, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

Nearly half of working individuals with stage III colorectal cancer surveyed did not retain their jobs reportedly due to their cancer diagnosis and treatment, according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA. Paid sick leave was associated with a greater likelihood of job retention and reduced personal financial burden.

Use of NSAIDs vs opiates resulted in no significant difference in measures of pain but was associated with more rescue medication (additional medicine needed due to uncontrolled pain) among patients with malignant pleural effusions (excess fluid accumulates around the lungs that is a complication of cancer) undergoing pleurodesis (a treatment for this condition that closes up the pleural space), according to a study in the December 22/29 issue of JAMA.

The shells of a common plant virus, inhaled into a lung tumor or injected into ovarian, colon or breast tumors, not only triggered the immune system in mice to wipe out the tumors, but provided systemic protection against metastases, researchers from Case Western Reserve University and Dartmouth University report.

The scientists tested a 100-year-old idea called in-situ vaccination. The idea is to put something inside a tumor and disrupt the environment that suppresses the immune system, thus allowing the natural defense system to attack the malignancy.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A number of drugs already approved to treat parasitic infections, cancers, infertility and other conditions also show promise as antibiotic agents against staph and tuberculosis infections, according to a new study by University of Illinois chemists and collaborators. Because these agents act against multiple targets within the bacteria, it may be harder for bacteria to develop resistance.

The new study, led by Illinois chemistry professor Eric Oldfield, was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.