Patients with diabetes mellitus are less likely to develop vascular complications (such as retinopathy, nephropathy and coronary artery disease) if their blood sugar levels are tightly controlled. Physicians use a simple blood test — glycosylate hemoglobin (HBA 1c ) — to measure control and guide therapy.
In this study, Woodward and colleagues identified over 63 000 patients in eastern Ontario with diabetes, and examined their control over their blood sugar and how often it
Using a fleet of NASA and other satellites as well as aircraft and other observations, scientists were able to unlock the secret of Hurricane Lili’s unexpected, rapid weakening as she churned toward a Louisiana landfall in 2002. The data from multiple satellites enabled researchers to see dry air move into the storm’s low levels, partially explaining why Lili weakened rapidly.
This study focuses on the rapid weakening of Hurricane Lili over the Gulf of Mexico beginning early on
The “heat is on” in New York City, whether it’s summer or winter. This is due to a phenomenon called the urban heat island effect that causes air temperatures in New York City and other major cities to be warmer than in neighboring suburbs and rural areas. And, in a big city, warmer air temperatures can impact air quality, public health and the demand for energy.
Recently, several innovative approaches developed by scientists, public officials, environmental activists, community
Tens of thousands of Americans living with emphysema would benefit from a surgical procedure that removes part of the lung, according to national research presented yesterday by a Saint Louis University cardiothoracic surgeon.
The findings confirm earlier study results and offer new hope to select patients, says Keith Naunheim, M.D., director of the division of cardiothoracic surgery at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and principal investigator of the eight-year long Natio
Deadly and damaging toxins that allow anthrax to cause disease and death in mammals have similar toxic effects in fruit flies, according to a study conducted by biologists at the University of California, San Diego.
Their findings, which appear this week in an early online edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, show that fruit flies can be used to study the link between the biochemical activities and physiological effects of anthrax toxins.
Scientists have discovered that a wide variety of different cancers actually share something in common – a molecular “signature” made up of tiny bits of genetic material called microRNA (miRNA) that target key cancer genes and promote malignant growth.
The finding provides more insight into miRNA as an emerging class of gene regulators and may also pave the way for new approaches in diagnosis and treatment. The study appears online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Scientists at the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology have found that photosynthetic bacteria living in scalding Yellowstone hot springs have two radically different metabolic identities. As the sun goes down, these cells quit their day job of photosynthesis and unexpectedly begin to fix nitrogen, converting nitrogen gas (N2) into compounds that are useful for cell growth. The study, published January 30 in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of
What do mad cow disease and stem cell research have in common? Whitehead Institute scientists have found that the same protein that causes neurodegenerative conditions such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (mad cow disease) is also important for helping certain adult stem cells maintain themselves.
“For years we’ve wondered why evolution has preserved this protein, what positive role it could possibly be playing,” says Whitehead Member Susan Lindquist. Along with White
A press briefing will take place at the Nobel Forum, Stockholm, at 6.15pm local time on Monday 30th January 2006. If you would like to attend, please contact Katarina Sternudd (Karolkinska Institutet) or Clare Oh (Earth Institute)–see contact details below.
Achieving success in the global fight against the “big three” diseases–HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, which together account for 5.6 million deaths a year–may well require a concurrent attack on the world’s most neglected
Hidden toll of dying and disabled children; A comprehensive global analysis identifies trends and interventions
Every year an estimated 8 million children — about 6 percent of total births worldwide — are born with a serious birth defect of genetic or partially genetic origin, according to a new report from the March of Dimes.
Additionally, hundreds of thousands more are born with serious birth defects of post-conception origin due to maternal exposure to environmental
Leeds bioengineers have developed an innovative technique for cartilage repair combining the self-healing powers of the body with stem cell science to help young people avoid debilitating knee problems and give hope to arthritis sufferers.
Current treatments of cartilage defects in the knee are expensive, have lengthy recovery times, and can even cause as much damage as good. “We’re responding to a real need,” said reader in bioengineering Dr Bahaa Seedhom.
“Orthopaedic
Scientists at the University of York have launched a new research project which aims to develop ways of making bones from blood.
Researchers from the University’s Department of Biology are heading the EC-backed project to create bone structures from cord blood stem cells for use in the repair of bone defects and fractures.
The three-year €2.5 million research project involves scientists in the UK and across Europe, as well as academics from the University of York’s Depa
Researchers at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Energetics and Materials at the Public University of Navarre are working on the implementation of a fork-lift truck simulator for training purposes and aimed at minimising the risks involved in their use in the workplace. The project, led by Department member Jesus Maria Pintor, is being undertaken after being commissioned by the Navarre Government’s Institute of Occupational Health and forms part of a wider project, started in 2002, on work
A study involving researchers from the Universities of Leicester, Birmingham and Sheffield has highlighted significant variation in the development of intermediate care in England.
The study, which included a national survey of intermediate care co-ordinators, data collection in five case-study sites and a systematic review of previous research, focused upon the costs and outcomes of intermediate care for older people.
Research Fellow Emma Regen said: “Findings from t
Today saw a glimmer of hope for the three species of Asian vulture threatened with extinction.
Oriental white-backed, long-billed, and slender-billed vultures in South Asia have suffered one of the most rapid and widespread population declines of any bird species, declining by more than 97% over the last 10-15 years.
These declines were caused by the widespread veterinary use of the drug diclofenac for the treatment of sick domestic livestock throughout the Indian subcont
Research on the marsupial genome promises to reveal unparalleled insights into mammalian evolution
The genetic code of marsupials has now been documented for the first time. An international team led by Kathy Belov from the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Veterinary Science published an analysis of the marsupial genome in the open access journal PLoS Biology. The paper details the evolution of an important cluster of immune genes known as the MHC using available genome sequen
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