Culture

Gently, gently. That's how babies should be handled, and it was the prime consideration when a team of Rice University seniors developed a device that could save babies' lives.

In the event of an infection, the immune system releases messenger substances. These molecules can either activate immune cells to defeat invading pathogens, or inhibit them to prevent an excessive immune reaction. For this, the immune system has to decide very quickly what mixture of activating and inhibiting messenger molecules leads to a successful defence.

CHICAGO -- ASCO Abstract Number: CRA3507 (http://abstract.asco.org/AbstView_74_41265.html). To the surprise of researchers at Mayo Clinic who led a national clinical trial, a targeted therapy that provides benefit to patients with metastatic colon cancer has failed to help patients with less advanced, stage III cancer. In fact, patients who used the agent, cetuximab, with chemotherapy had outcomes slightly inferior to patients treated with chemotherapy alone.

Recent outbreaks of illnesses traced to contaminated sprouts and lettuce illustrate the holes that exist in the system for monitoring problems and preventing foodborne diseases. Although it is not solely responsible for ensuring the safety of the nation's food supply, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration oversees monitoring and intervention for 80 percent of the food supply.

(PHILADELPHIA) Scientists from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have found that interleukin-10 production in tumor cells is a possible prognostic factor in patients with advanced melanoma who are treated with autologous melanoma cell vaccine. They are presenting their data at the 2010 ASCO Annual Meeting in Chicago (Abstract #8588).

WESTCHESTER, IL – Children in households with bedtime rules and children who get adequate sleep score higher on a range of developmental assessments, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

WESTCHESTER, IL – Although incident parasomnias are uncommon as children enter adolescence, parasomnias present in preadolescents may persist into the teen years, according to a research abstract that will be presented Monday, June 7, 2010, in San Antonio, Texas, at SLEEP 2010, the 24th annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies LLC.

A twice weekly hip strengthening regimen performed for six weeks proved surprisingly effective at reducing -- and in some cases eliminating -- knee pain referred to as patellofemoral pain (PFP) in female runners.

Not surprising: Telecommuters balance work and family life better than office workers.

Surprising: They can maintain that balance even while sometimes squeezing in a couple extra days' worth of work each week.

Researchers from Brigham Young University analyzed data from 24,436 IBM employees in 75 countries, identifying the point at which 25 percent of employees reported that work interfered with personal and family life.

New cultivars of common bean developed by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and university scientists could shore up the legume crop's defenses against the fungal disease common bean rust.

According to Talo Pastor-Corrales, an ARS plant pathologist in Beltsville, Md., the new cultivars possess two or more genes for resistance to the rust fungi. Most of the cultivars also harbor Ur-11, which is considered the most effective rust-resistance gene in the world.

As part of the 2010 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, two teams of researchers led by Professor Barbara Layne of Concordia University, Montreal, and Professor Janis Jefferies at Goldsmiths, University of London, U.K., have brought research in intelligent textiles to a new level.

The research teams have developed a highly sophisticated concept of interactive clothing whereby the body's physical and emotional state triggers the transfer of personalized memory back to the wearer.

Two Indiana University studies examined the influence of compression garments on athletic performance and both found little influence: Abigail Laymon, researcher in the Department of Kinesiology, is presenting "Lower Leg Compression Sleeves: Influence on Running Mechanics and Economy in Highly Trained Distance Runners;" Nathan Eckert, a human performance doctoral student in the Department of Kinesiology, is presenting "Limb Compression Does Not Alter Jump Height Variability During The Vertical Jump."

LOWER LEG COMPRESSION SLEEVES

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — UC Davis public health researchers have found that children, who are already saturated with television messages about unhealthy food choices, are the targets of a new medium used to sell high-fat, high-sugar foods: advergames.

Advergames are an entertaining blend of interactive animation, video content and advertising, exposing children for extended periods of time to online messages that primarily promote corporate branding and products.

An Indiana University study found that strengthening inspiratory muscles by performing daily breathing exercises for six weeks significantly reduced the amount of oxygen these same breathing muscles required during exercise, possibly making more oxygen available for other muscles.

DETROIT – Difficulties with shelter, transportation, insurance, and health care costs are linked with heavier emergency department usage by so-called "super-user" patients in urban areas, according to research at Henry Ford Hospital.

The conclusions were drawn in the first of two studies on frequent users in inner-city emergency departments.