Fwd: Science X Newsletter Monday, Dec 29

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Tue, Dec 30, 2014 at 2:35 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Monday, Dec 29
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for December 29, 2014:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Simplicity will out: Novel experiment-based expression explains behavior of unconventional superconductors
- Detecting extraterrestrial life using mechanical nanosensors
- Sugar molecule Neu5Gc links red meat consumption and elevated cancer risk in mice
- Best of Last Week – Halting photons, a peer review problem and circadian clock shifting from e-readers
- Microscopy reveals how atom-high steps impede oxidation of metal surfaces
- Year of birth significantly changes impact of obesity-associated gene variant
- A qubit candidate shines brighter
- The biological spoils of war: Study finds those who take part in violent conflict have more wives, children
- Twitter back online after limited blackout (Update)
- Tracing evolution of chicken flu virus yields insight into origins of deadly H7N9 strain
- Study unveils new half-light half-matter quantum particles
- Lyme disease enhances spread of emerging tick infection
- Gummy bears under antiparticle fire
- Reprogramming stem cells may prevent cancer after radiation
- Enzyme's alter ego helps activate the immune system

Astronomy & Space news

Asteroids: Breaking up is hard to do (Phys.org)—Hundreds of thousands of asteroids are known to orbit our Sun at distances ranging from near the Earth to beyond Saturn. The most widely known collection of asteroids, the "main belt," contains some of the largest and brightest asteroids and lies between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Astronomers think that the asteroids, like the planets, formed in the early solar system from the gradual agglomeration of smaller particles but that, in the case of asteroids, their growth was interrupted by mutual collisions that caused them to fragment rather than to coalesce into planets.

Professor helps craft marching orders for Mars rover These are exciting days for the earthbound scientists who study Mars. Data from a NASA rover creeping across the red planet's surface is rewriting our understanding of Mars' geological history and offering tantalizing clues to the possibility that the planet once harbored life - or, possibly, still does.

Medicine & Health news

	Sugar molecule Neu5Gc links red meat consumption and elevated cancer risk in mice While people who eat a lot of red meat are known to be at higher risk for certain cancers, other carnivores are not, prompting researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine to investigate the possible tumor-forming role of a sugar called Neu5Gc, which is naturally found in most mammals but not in humans.
	Year of birth significantly changes impact of obesity-associated gene variant Investigators working to unravel the impact of genetics versus environment on traits such as obesity may also need to consider a new factor: when individuals were born. In the current issue of PNAS Early Edition a multi-institutional research team reports finding that the impact of a variant in the FTO gene that previous research has linked to obesity risk largely depends on birth year, with no correlation between gene variant and obesity in study participants born in earlier years and a far stronger correlation than previously reported for those born in later years.
	Estrogen worsens allergic reactions in mice Estradiol, a type of estrogen, enhances the levels and activity in mice of an enzyme that drives life-threatening allergic reactions, according to researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study results may help explain why women frequently experience more severe allergic reactions compared to men. Furthermore, the results reaffirm the importance of accounting for gender in the design of animal experiments.
	Lyme disease enhances spread of emerging tick infection Mice that are already infected with the pathogen that causes Lyme disease appear to facilitate the spread of a lesser-known but emerging disease, babesiosis, into new areas.
Protein GRP78 identified as possible universal therapeutic target for multiple viral and bacterial infections A protein called GRP78 could be a universal therapeutic target for treating human diseases like brain cancer, Ebola, Influenza, Hepatitis and superbug bacteria such as MRSE and MRSA, according to a Virginia Commonwealth University-led pre-clinical study published this month in the Journal of Cellular Physiology.
Enzyme's alter ego helps activate the immune system Already known to cut proteins, the enzyme SPPL3 turns out to have additional talents, according to a new study from Johns Hopkins. In its newly discovered role, SPPL3 works without cutting proteins to activate T cells, the immune system's foot soldiers. Because its structure is similar to that of presenilin enzymes, which have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease, the researchers believe their findings could shed more light on presenilin functions, in addition to providing new insight into how the immune system is controlled.
	Reprogramming stem cells may prevent cancer after radiation The body has evolved ways to get rid of faulty stem cells. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published today in the journal Stem Cells shows that one of these ways is a "program" that makes stem cells damaged by radiation differentiate into other cells that can no longer survive forever. Radiation makes a stem cell lose its "stemness." That makes sense: you don't want damaged stem cells sticking around to crank out damaged cells.
	Tracing evolution of chicken flu virus yields insight into origins of deadly H7N9 strain An international research team has shown how changes in a flu virus that has plagued Chinese poultry farms for decades helped create the novel avian H7N9 influenza A virus that has sickened more than 375 people since 2013. The research appears in the current online early edition of the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
	Text messaging reminders increase second dose influenza vaccinations in children Researchers at the Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Medical Center studied the impact of text message reminders for the second dose of influenza vaccine required for many young children to protect them against the virus. The findings showed that sending text message reminders both increased receipt of the second dose of the vaccine by the end of the season as well as brought children in sooner to be vaccinated. When educational information on the importance of the second dose of influenza vaccine was embedded into the text messages there was an even greater effect compared both with conventional text messages that only told families when and where to go as well as with written reminder only.
China bird flu death reported as 2014 toll rises A man has died from the H7N9 bird flu strain in eastern China, state media reported Monday, at the end of a year in which cases of the virus have accelerated.
Japan culls 42,000 chickens after second bird flu outbreak (Update) Japan on Monday ordered the slaughter of some 42,000 chickens as officials announced the country's second bird flu outbreak in less than a month.
Egypt reports 10th bird flu death this year Egyptian health authorities on Monday reported the country's 10th death this year from bird flu, as well as the first case of H5N1 infection in the capital.
US gives go-ahead to fast Ebola test US authorities have given emergency authorisation to Swiss pharmaceutical firm Roche for an Ebola test that can take as little as three hours, the company said on Monday.
Patient self-reporting version of 'blood pressure cuff' for dementia is reliable and valid The patient self-reporting version of the Healthy Aging Brain Care Monitor—a primary-care tool to measure cognitive, functional and psychological symptoms—is user-friendly, reliable and valid, including being sensitive to symptom change, according to a new Regenstrief Institute and Indiana University Center for Aging Research study.
	Researchers compare analgesic effect of manual vs laser acupuncture lateral epicondylalgia A team of researchers from China Medical University and Da-Chien General Hospital in Taiwan (R.O.C.) recently compared the analgesic effect of laser acupuncture and manual acupuncture for the treatment of lateral epicondylalgia. Manual acupuncture is effective in short-term pain relief for the treatment of lateral epicondylalgia.
	Binge drinking disrupts immune system in young adults, study finds Binge drinking in young, healthy adults significantly disrupts the immune system, according to a study led by a researcher now at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine.
	Being uninsured in America will cost you more Being uninsured in America will cost you more in 2015.
Complications after thigh lift surgery common, but usually minor Performed as part of body contouring procedures in patients with massive weight loss, a procedure called medial thigh lift carries a substantial risk of complications, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
A close look at blinking after facial transplantation Recovery of blinking function is a critical but easily overlooked outcome after facial transplantation, according to a report in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Cancer-causing mutation discovered in 1982 finally target of clinical trials In 1982, the gene TRK was shown to cause a small percentage of colon cancers. In 2013 and 2014, next-generation sequencing of tumor samples found fusions of the TRK family of genes in at least 11 tumor types, including lung, breast, melanoma and more. Now, a recent article in the journal Cancer Discovery describes clinical trials at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and elsewhere that match drugs to this long-overlooked oncogene, offering targeted treatment options for cancers that harbor these gene abnormalities (e.g. ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02122913).
Team finds mechanism of toxin's inflammatory effect on lungs A study released Dec. 23 describes a never-before-seen mechanism by which a bacterial toxin leads to severe inflammation in asthma and other acute and chronic pulmonary diseases. Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio said the discovery could result in development of therapeutic strategies that improve health in individuals who suffer from airway diseases.
	Report on remission in patients with multiple sclerosis three years after stem cell transplant Three years after a small number of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) were treated with high-dose immunosuppressive therapy (HDIT) and then transplanted with their own hematopoietic stem cells, most of the patients sustained remission of active relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) and had improvements in neurological function, according to a study published online by JAMA Neurology.
How economic insecurity impacts diabetes control among patients Difficulty paying for food and medications appears to be associated with poor diabetes control among patients in a study that examined the impact of economic insecurity on managing the disease and the use of health care resources, according to a report published online by JAMA Internal Medicine.
	Drug combo slows heart decline in muscular dystrophy Early use of available heart failure drugs slows the progressive decline in heart function before symptoms are apparent in boys and young men with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), according to a new study published online by The Lancet Neurology.
Ebola returns to Europe with first case diagnosed in Britain (Update 2) A healthcare worker recently back from Sierra Leone was diagnosed with Ebola on Monday by doctors in Scotland's largest city, the first diagnosis of the deadly virus in Britain during the current outbreak.
Washington state, feds testing birds for avian flu Federal and state officials are testing wild birds in Washington state to see how far a type of avian influenza has spread.
	For anorexic men, the focus is on muscle (HealthDay)—Anorexia is typically associated with women, but a new report finds that men—especially men obsessed with muscularity—can develop the eating disorder, too.
	'Tis the season for seasonal affective disorder (HealthDay)—Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is a type of depression that occurs in some people due to decreased amounts of daylight during the winter.
	Stay sober or be pulled over this holiday season (HealthDay)—As the holiday season kicks into full gear, state highway officials from across the nation are warning drivers to stay off the roads if they've been drinking.
	Surgery or medical Tx for cervical epidural abscesses? (HealthDay)—At one medical center, early operative management of cervical spine epidural abscess (CSEA) appeared to offer the benefit of improved neurologic outcome, according to research published in the Jan. 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
	Features of microdirect laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy ID'd (HealthDay)—Neonates undergoing microdirect laryngoscopies and bronchoscopies (MLB) most often present with respiratory distress and stridor, according to research published online Dec. 18 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.
	Rural rheumatology telemedicine services satisfy patients (HealthDay)—Patient satisfaction is high with a rural rheumatology telemedicine service, according to a study published online Dec. 20 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
	Most office-based pediatricians use electronic health records (HealthDay)—Most pediatricians use electronic health records (EHRs), yet there are unique obstacles that prevent pediatricians from participating in meaningful use (MU) incentive programs, according to findings published online Dec. 29 in Pediatrics.
AAP: Best practices for improving ER flow for pediatric patients (HealthDay)—Best practices for improved flow and care for pediatric patients in the emergency department are discussed in a technical report published online Dec. 29 in Pediatrics.
MS patients cheer FDA OK of new drug Patients facing limited options for treating their relapsing multiple sclerosis are celebrating the FDA's approval of a new aggressive drug treatment. The ruling reverses the agency's decision a year ago that the drug was not yet ready.
Nutritional experts say it's time to stop fearing fat Those seeking the keys to a healthy diet these days face a predicament. Decades of studies have produced vast stores of data about the foods and nutrients likely to enhance and extend life. But any attempt to retrieve this vital knowledge lands the public in an informational crossfire.
China officials dismissed over diseased meat scandal China has dismissed eight officials after pork from pigs infected with a "highly contagious virus" was found to have entered the market, state media said Monday.
Seoul plastic surgery clinic probed over staff selfies South Korean health authorities said Monday they are investigating a plastic surgery clinic in Seoul after photographs emerged online showing medical staff partying in an operating theatre.
Liberia reports dozens of new Ebola cases on border Dozens of new Ebola cases have erupted in Liberia, near the border with Sierra Leone, Liberian health officials warned Monday, marking a setback amid recent improvements.
	Team looks to ocean to find sepsis treatment It's likely that you wouldn't have to ask too many of your acquaintances to learn that some they loved died of sepsis. Sepsis, a complication of infection, is one of the leading causes ofdeath in the world. Of the more than one million people diagnosed with sepsis each year in the United States, between 28 percent and 50 percent of them die. It is the tenth leading cause of death among elderly people, and it kills 30% of cancer patients.
Yoga as a potential therapy for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome are major public health problems in the US and worldwide.
Breast reconstruction using patient's own tissues yield higher satisfaction rates For women who have undergone mastectomy, breast reconstruction using the patient's own tissues—rather than implants—provides higher satisfaction scores, reports a study in the January issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).
Ebola death toll rises to 7,842: WHO The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in west Africa has risen to 7,842 out of 20,081 cases recorded, the World Health Organization said Monday.

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