Six out of ten first-time mothers who had a prolonged labour say that the experience will affect them for life, but more than eight out of ten still found giving birth exciting.
Those are two of the key findings of a survey of over 250 women published in the May issue of Journal of Clinical Nursing. A team of Swedish researchers, led by Astrid Nystedt from Umea University, studied 84 women who had experienced prolonged labour with assisted vaginal or caesarean delivery. They
It is not necessary to fly to the Moon to get lunar soil even if the sample is required from the other side of this planet. A meteorite originating from the other side of the Moon has recently got into the hands of scientists. The meteorite investigation required precision instruments and grants from the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Büro Für Wissenschaftlich-Technische Zusammenarbeit Des Österreichischer Austauschdienst (Bureau for Scientific and Technical Collabration of Austr
The blood-thinning drug Warfarin tops the list of drug side-effects in Sweden. Patient sensitivity to Warfarin varies, which can lead to over-dosage and in certain cases to death. A study led by Mia Wadelius at Uppsala University in Sweden, together with researchers in Cambridge, indicates that two genes may be the explanation. The findings are being published in the latest issue of The Pharmacogenomics Journal.
Warfarin is used to prevent blood clots, but a side-effect can be seve
Summer in Europe means time for the beach. Testing the waters is a traditional holiday ritual: a swift hand or foot in the surf to check sea temperature. Or there is the modern approach – a flotilla of satellites identifying the warmest parts of all 2 965 500 square kilometres of the Mediterranean on a daily basis.
An updated map of the sea surface temperature (SST) of the world’s largest inland sea is generated every day as part of ESA’s Medspiration project, with an
Dutch researcher Sebastiaan Herber has developed a sensor which can detect poor blood circulation in the stomach. A high level of carbon dioxide in the stomach is a characteristic of this so-called gastrointestinal ischaemia. By measuring this concentration the sensor can indicate how good or bad the circulation in the stomach wall is.
The main components of the sensor are a pH-sensitive polymer (hydrogel) and a micro pressure sensor. The polymer contains a large quantity of
Dutch researcher Daniël van den Broek investigated bacteria which fight fungal infections in plants. Spontaneous variations in the phase of these bacteria reduce the anti-fungal protective function but increase the bacteria’s competitive advantage and with this their chances of survival.
Scientists worldwide are looking for biological alternatives to chemical pesticides in order to protect crops against pathogens. One of these is the use of bacteria which protect plants, fo
The colossal kauri trees prevent landslides on landslide-prone slopes. This is the conclusion of Dutch-funded researcher Lieven Claessens, who developed a model for predicting landslides in the Waitakere Ranges Regional Park in New Zealand.
Claessens has discovered that the kauri trees in New Zealand prevent landslides. When these enormous conifers reached a certain age, they stabilise areas prone to landslides. This maximises the benefit the trees gain by living far longer than
The best efforts of dentists don’t always mean people will look after their teeth, British researchers have found.
A study by a team at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne discovered that only up to one-third of gum disease patients, who received advice on how long to brush their teeth, followed it to the letter. Yet the same people perceived their brushing habits to be better than they were – a finding which has major implications for dentists wishing to change their patients
Maku is a family of languages spoken by Indians in the Amazon rainforest. Dutch-funded researcher Valteir Martins has reconstructed the sound structure of an ancestral Maku language and has demonstrated that the Maku languages are genetically related to the Arawak languages.
Martins compared the results of existing studies into the Maku languages and for many years he also worked with speakers of these various languages. The Brazilian researcher established that the modern M
Despite dozens of interceptions at U.S. ports, a public enemy has infiltrated the nation’s borders. Taken captive in Fulton County, N.Y., and identified by a Cornell University expert, the adult female alien is the only one of its kind ever discovered in the eastern United States.
The discovery of a single specimen of Sirex noctilio Fabricius, an Old World woodwasp, raises red flags across the nation because the invasive insect species has devastated up to 80 percent of p
Observations of Titan’s atmosphere offer a unique look at how Saturn’s giant moon compares to Earth.
Titan is the only moon in the solar system with a substantial atmosphere. Like Earth, Titan’s atmosphere is primarily composed of nitrogen, but unlike Earth, one of the most abundant constituents is methane (CH4). The Huygens probe will determine if the abundance of argon exceeds that of methane. Methane, the main component in natural gas, plays a key role in the m
A research team from Purdue University and the University of California, San Diego has found that the Earth’s atmosphere may be more effective at cleansing itself of smog and other damaging hydrocarbons than was once thought.
Scientists, including Joseph S. Francisco, have learned that some naturally occurring atmospheric chemicals react with sunlight more effectively than previously thought to produce substances that “scrub” the air of smog. This group of chemicals, after abso
New summit station planned for greenland summit camp offers space applications
Scientists are preparing to step up research in the Polar Regions, and University of Houston architecture students and staff are designing the facility at the Greenland Summit that sits atop more than 10,000 feet of ice.
The UH group was the only organization approached to submit a design proposal for the first stage of a new summit station at the peak of the Greenland ice cap. The project wa
Receptor Can, When Overly Abundant, Adjust for the Consequences of a High-Fat Diet
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have discovered that a molecule found in liver cells is an important link in explaining the relationship among diet, lipid levels in blood, and atherosclerosis. The research team surmises that drugs targeted at the liver may one day help lower elevated lipids and battle cardiovascular disease. Mitchell Lazar, MD, PhD, Director of th
The brains of one species of mouse actually shrink during the winter, causing the mice to have more difficulty with some types of learning, a new study found.
The results showed that, during the short days of winter, white-footed mice had impaired spatial memory – the mental map that helps them remember important places in their environment. This is one of the first studies to show seasonal changes in the structure and the functioning of brains of mammals, said Randy Nelson, co-
NYU School of Medicine scientists have created the first active vaccine that can significantly delay and possibly prevent the onset of a brain disease in mice that is similar to mad cow disease. The new findings, published online this week in the journal Neuroscience, could provide a platform for the development of a vaccine to prevent a group of fatal brain diseases caused by unusual infectious particles called prions.
Although no cure for these diseases — which include scrapie, mad
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