In a new study of cichlid fish descended from others caught in East Africa’s Lake Tanganika, scientists have made some surprising observations about how those animals respond to changes in their environments known as “social opportunities.”

Dr. Sabrina S. Burmeister, assistant professor of biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s College of Arts and Sciences, and colleagues found that subordinate male fish underwent a radical and rapid transformation when more d

If successful, moxifloxacin could be first new treatment for TB in more than 40 years

A Johns Hopkins infectious disease expert will lead two international studies of the effectiveness of the antibiotic moxifloxacin as a new treatment for tuberculosis, the highly contagious bacterial disease that kills more than 2 million people worldwide each year and is the leading cause of death of people living with HIV and AIDS. Moxifloxacin is currently approved in more than 100 countri

Purdue University engineers are helping the U.S. Coast Guard deal with a possible 10-fold increase in vibration that could result from installing a larger observation window in a search-and-rescue aircraft to improve visibility during missions.

Presently, the Lockheed Martin HC-130J Hercules search-and-rescue plane has a circular observation window that is about a foot in diameter, and the Coast Guard would like to install a window that is about 4 feet long by 3.5 feet wide.

Emphasis on national performance measures for crime and detection rates causes police resources to be diverted from dealing with anti-social behaviour, according to new research sponsored by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

This could help explain why when crime levels are generally falling, fear among the public is not, says a study led by Dr Paul Collier of the Aston Business School in Birmingham. This study forms one of the Public Service research projects

Combined therapy is good for BAD

A new research study published in the October issue of Cancer Cell identifies a molecular switch that integrates cell survival signals from multiple intracellular signaling pathways. The finding has substantial clinical significance, as mutations in these cell survival-signaling pathways are associated with many human cancers, and a better understanding of how these pathways converge to regulate the delicate balance between cell proliferation and cel

Most abuse of boys done by parents … most frequently mothers

According to a study in the October 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, a history of childhood physical abuse may be common in men from urban settings, and these men with physical abuse histories may be more likely to commit domestic violence. The study found that the childhood abuse was primarily committed by parents, with mothers being the most frequent abusers.

“The results provide a circumstanti

New studies unveiled at bone marrow failure symposium

The following studies on bone marrow failure diseases will be presented at the Bone Marrow Failure Scientific Symposium Oct. 18-19, L’Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. Organized by the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation, Inc. (AA&MDSIF), the symposium is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health, including the Office of Rare Diseases, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the National Cancer

Evolutionary Trade-Off Exists Between Advantage and Disadvantage

Some viruses’ ability to exploit the human body’s own defenses to increase their replication may be both a blessing and curse, according to the findings of a study conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The process is known as antibody-dependent enhancement. Scientists believe antibody-dependent enhancement may allow the dengue virus to grow more rapidly in people who we

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center found no effects of type II diabetes on aggressiveness of prostate cancer but found that long-term survival is worse. The findings were presented today at the 47th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology in Denver, Colo.

Previous research suggests that insulin may spur the growth of prostate cancer cells. In type II diabetes, the body fails to properly use insulin, which can lead to an excessive amount of insulin

How we perceive another’s moral character can influence the nature of our economic decisions and the neural mechanisms underlying these choices, according to a new study by researchers at New York and Cornell universities. The findings, which appear in the latest issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience, run counter to the assumptions favored by many economists that individuals behave opportunistically.

The study’s researchers were Mauricio Delgado, a post-doctoral research

New data suggest that a home-based environmental intervention program is a cost-effective way to improve the health of inner-city children who have moderate to severe asthma. The program successfully decreased allergen levels in the home and reduced asthma symptoms. The data also show that the cost would be substantially lower if the interventions were implemented in a community setting, and that they would be as cost-effective as many drug interventions.

The National Institute of

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have identified an elusive protein that performs a necessary step in the production of human chromosomes.

The new study appears in the most recent issue (Oct. 7) of the journal Cell.

The study found that a protein called CPSF73 acts like scissors to cut strands of histone messenger RNA (mRNA) in the cell nucleus. This cutting action produces the mRNA needed to create histone proteins that com

Ozone is being wrongly blamed for many of the deaths during hot weather spells, finds a new UCL (University College London) study. UCL scientists warn that amidst all the concerns over air pollution, the more basic health message of ‘staying cool when the weather is hot’ may be being forgotten.

The study, published online in the journal Environmental Research, modelled the daily mortality rate of people over 65 (who suffer most of the heat-related deaths) in Greater London from 1991

UCI study shows link between infant stress and later deficits in brain-cell communication for learning and memory function
Psychological stress during infancy has been found to cause early impaired memory and a decline in related cognitive abilities, according to a UC Irvine School of Medicine study. The study suggests that the emotional stress associated with parental loss, abuse or neglect may contribute to the type of memory loss during middle-age years that is normally seen in

Study of otherwise healthy men reveals indications of coronary artery disease

Erectile dysfunction may be a sign that coronary artery disease is developing, even in men without typical risk factors, according to a new study in the Oct. 18, 2005, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

“We think that erectile dysfunction represents the ’tip of the iceberg’ of a systemic vascular disorder; thus potentially preceding severe cardiovascular event

Long-term tobacco use associated with dulled thinking and lower IQ, study finds

Smokers often say that smoking a cigarette helps them concentrate and feel more alert. But years of tobacco use may have the opposite effect, dimming the speed and accuracy of a person’s thinking ability and bringing down their IQ, according to a new study led by University of Michigan researchers.

The association between long-term smoking and diminished mental proficiency in 172 alcohol