New reports document dramatic changes in the ownership of southern forestland
Two new research studies document dramatic changes in the ownership of Southern forestland and declining markets for its forest products. The Southern Group of State Foresters (SGSF), with the help of scientists from the USDA Forest Service and their university cooperators, recently reviewed the findings of two year-long research projects aimed at understanding trends crucial to the future of southern fo
New research has shown that the immune-stimulating hormone known as interleukin-12 (IL-12) can safely be administered with interferon, another immune-system protein, as an experimental therapy for some cancers.
Normally, interferon is used alone to stimulate the immune system to attack certain cancers. This strategy, a form of immunotherapy, is sometimes used to treat melanoma, advanced kidney cancer and other tumors that respond poorly to chemotherapy or radiation therapy. But int
Academic medical centers and not-for-profit hospitals take the lead for-profit hospitals lag behind
A study released today in the Journal of Palliative Medicine confirmed that palliative care programs continue to be a rapidly growing trend in U.S. hospitals – a trend widely regarded to be an improvement in the quality of care of advanced, chronic illness. Researchers at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and the American Hospital Association (AHA) report that the number of palliative
A new study finds significant disparities by race and gender in the enrollment of patients into lung cancer clinical trials. Published in the January 15, 2006 issue of CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the study indicates that women and African-Americans were least likely to enroll in treatment trials for lung cancer, and identifies a need to improve educational and outreach efforts to make clinical trials available to a wider range of patients.
While clini
An inflamed injury may increase levels of a protein responsible for persistent pain, causing the brain to mimic pain long after source has disappeared, says U of T researchers. The findings could have serious implications for the millions of Canadians who suffer from chronic pain.
The study, published in the current issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, shows how inflammation in mice increases NR2B proteins – proteins that facilitate nerve cell communication – and imprint a pai
Forest productivity may be significantly greater in an atmosphere enriched with carbon dioxide, according to findings released today that challenge recent reports that question the importance of carbon dioxide fertilization.
The study, performed by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory and 10 other institutions in the United States and Europe, revealed a strong relationship between productivity of forest plots in the current atmosphere
Seeking to bring clarity to the debate on mobile phone use, researchers from the University of Essex have published the results of an investigation into the effects of mobiles on attention.
Arising from recent concerns over the physical effects of mobile phone use, the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme awarded an Essex team funding to investigate if radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted by phones have a significant effect on attention performance.
Patients with mental health problems may not be receiving the appropriate screening or treatments for illnesses including heart disease and stroke, a report from The University of Nottingham has shown.
The research, led by Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox in the University’s Division of General Practice and commissioned by the Disability Rights Commission, found some evidence that patients with mental health problems, such as schizophrenia, were also more likely to suffer fr
A new study has shown for the first time that giving two chemotherapy drugs to women with advanced endometrial cancer after surgery reduced the risk of recurrence by 29% and extended survival by 32% compared with women who received whole abdominal irradiation. The findings could improve the care for the 15% to 20% of patients with endometrial cancer who have advanced disease. The study will be published online December 5 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (JCO).
Endometrial cancer is t
Research in monkeys suggests that the perimenopause – the five to 10 years before a woman’s menopause – is a critical time for preventing heart disease and osteoporosis.
“Research in animals suggests that the five years before menopause are when bone is lost and when heart vessel disease begins to accelerate,” according to Jay Kaplan, Ph.D., from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, who spoke today at the annual meeting of the American College of Veterinary Patholog
As long as children have carried their books and belongings in backpacks they have complained of shoulder and back pain. A University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine-led team found that how loads are distributed under backpack straps may help identify the source of shoulder and back pain in children.
The study, published in the December 5, 2005 issue of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, concludes that the average backpack load that children a
Researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London have identified a molecule that could be targeted to treat the cognitive impairment in people with Down syndrome. The study, published in Archives of General Psychiatry found that people with Down syndrome have higher levels of myo-inositol in their brains than people without the condition, and that increased levels of this molecule are associated with reduced intellectual ability.
The researchers also suspect
Scientists have assessed the overall impact of grenades and concluded that even during peacetime, stockpiling these munitions can cause significant environmental damage.
Elisabeth Hochschorner and colleagues from the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm showed that during peacetime, the mining of metals used in grenade construction and the energy costs needed to produce them cause significant environmental impact. The residues emitted during practice detonations top the li
’Genetic vulnerability’ likely in excessive caffeine use
A study led by Johns Hopkins investigators has shown that women with a serious caffeine habit and a family history of alcohol abuse are more likely to ignore advice to stop using caffeine during pregnancy. Withdrawal symptoms, functional impairment and craving were cited by the women as reasons they could not cut out or cut back on caffeine use.
None of the women had a current alcohol-use diagnosis, and none ha
A team of scientists at UCSF has made a critical discovery that may help in the development of techniques to promote functional recovery after a spinal cord injury.
By stimulating nerve cells in laboratory rats at the time of the injury and then again one week later, the scientists were able to increase the growth capacity of nerve cells and to sustain that capacity. Both factors are critical for nerve regeneration.
The study, reported in the November 15 issu
Study Finds That Nutritionally Enhanced Rice Reduces Iron Deficiency
Breakthrough may lead to improved nutrition for millions of poor people
Breeding rice with higher levels of iron can have an important impact on reducing micronutrient malnutrition, according to a new study in the Journal of Nutrition. The research, conducted by scientists from the Philippines and the United States, is a major step forward in the battle against iron deficiency, one of the developing world’s
Feedback
