Engineers constructing a new railroad across the vast, high-altitude Tibetan Plateau are using a surprisingly simple idea to fortify shifting frozen soils affected by climate warming, according to a University of Colorado at Boulder permafrost expert.
“The Qinghai-Xizang railroad is the most ambitious construction project in a permafrost region since the Trans-Alaska Pipeline,” said CU-Boulder and National Snow and Ice Data Center researcher Tingjun Zhang. Zhang is working closely
Men being treated for prostate cancer using hormone therapy maybe under-recognized for their risk of developing osteoporosis, according to a new study. Researchers writing in the January 15, 2005 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, say few patients get tested for osteoporosis during treatment. Moreover, even men with other risk factors for osteoporosis, such as smoking or receiving the hormone treatment for a long time, are still unlikely to receive preven
For the first time scientists have demonstrated a model that may explain how alcohol stimulates tumor growth. Their study, published in the January 15, 2005 issue of CANCER,says alcohol fuels the production of a growth factor that stimulates blood vessel development in tumors, and that chronic ethanol increased tumor size and levels of the angiogenic factor and levels of the angiogenic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in an experimental model.
For almost a hun
Every year, millions of people try to look younger by taking injections of Botox, a prescription drug that gets rid of facial wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing muscles in the forehead. Although best known as a cosmetic procedure, Botox injections also have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat uncontrolled blinking (blepharospasm), lazy eye (strabismus), involuntary muscle contractions in the neck (cervical dystonia) and acute underarm sweating (severe primary axillar
New find may be future target for medications to relieve common skin condition
Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center simultaneously have resolved a controversy over the cause of psoriasis and developed the first mouse model that fully mimics the human disorder. What’s more, the scientists have demonstrated they can block the signals that lead to psoriasis in their mouse model with a topical skin treatment that can prevent new outbreaks as well as tr
Protein-encapsulated single-walled carbon nanotubes that alter their fluorescence in the presence of specific biomolecules could generate many new types of implantable biological sensors, say researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign who developed the encapsulation technique.
In a paper accepted for publication in the journal Nature Materials, and posted on its Web site, the researchers showed the viability of their technique by creating a near-infrared nan
Cumulative trauma during a person’s lifetime can have an overall effect on health in one’s later years, according to a study that examines the consequences of traumatic events on older adults’ physical health. Also, traumas experienced in adulthood compared to traumas experienced in childhood appear to cause more damage to an older person’s (65 and older) health, say researchers of a new study reported on in the December issue of Psychology and Aging published by the America
UCSF scientists have found that the brains of rats can be trained to learn an alternate way of processing changes in the loudness of sound. The discovery, they say, has potential for the treatment of hearing loss, autism, and other sensory disabilities in humans. It also gives clues, they say, about the process of learning and the way we perceive the world.
“We addressed a very fundamental question,” says Daniel B. Polley, PhD, lead author of the study. “When we notice a sound
A team of University of Minnesota scientists has discovered how iron- and chromium-rich rocks can generate natural gas (methane) and related hydrocarbons when reacted with superheated fluids circulating deep beneath the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
Because the process is completely nonbiological, the hydrocarbons could have been a source of “food” for some of the first organisms to inhabit the Earth. Also, methane is a potent greenhouse gas, and this process may have contributed t
Dental visits usually result in patient recommendations to floss or reschedule more appointments to treat a cavity, however, some patients are learning they may be at risk for a stroke too, according to a case report in the November/December issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry’s (AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal.
According to the American Stroke Association (ASA), every 45 seconds, someone in America has a stroke. Stroke is the third leading cause o
Hypertension, a controllable and preventable disease (and more commonly known as high blood pressure), affects 1 in 4 American adults. Causes are unknown in 90 percent of all cases. However, the most common cause of secondary hypertension in women is oral contraceptive use, according to a report in the November/December issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry’s (AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal.
Up to five percent of women taking birth control pills
Diabetes affects 18.2 million people in the United States and is expected to double by the year 2010. Additionally, diabetics who do not have good control over their blood sugar levels are more susceptible to oral health problems than non-diabetics, according to a study that appears in the November/December 2004 issue of General Dentistry, the Academy of General Dentistry’s (AGD) clinical, peer-reviewed journal.
“Oral health symptoms of diabetics include dry mouth, periodontal (g
Irritable bowel syndrome, frequent indigestion common in people with insomnia
Mayo Clinic researchers report in the current issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings an association between gastrointestinal disorders and sleep disturbances. The association is important because these problems cause significant health issues including greater need for general medical and mental health treatment. It’s estimated that nearly one-half of American adults experience one or more symptoms that ind
A new test can predict both the risk of breast cancer recurrence and may identify women who will benefit most from chemotherapy, according to research supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and performed in collaboration with the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) and Genomic Health Inc. These results suggest that almost half of over 50,000 U.S. women diagnosed with estrogen-dependent, lymph-node negative breast canc
Results from a new study show that lifetime lead exposure may increase the risk of developing cataracts. Researchers found that men with high levels of lead in the tibia, the larger of the two leg bones below the knee, had a 2.5-fold increased risk for cataract, the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment.
“These results suggest that reducing exposure of the public to lead and lead compounds could lead to a significant decrease in the overall incidence of cataract,” said
Consumers are bombarded with choices. Consider a trip to the pharmacy for razors or toilet tissue. Should you buy the 5-pack, the 10-pack, or the 15-pack? Generic versus name brand? What about the two-for-one option? Wait, what about the old reliable?!
Ultimately, these choices are informed by past experience as well as whether we’re thinking about the purchase when we’re in the store says a study published in the December 2004 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.
The
Feedback
