Fwd: Science X Newsletter Friday, Mar 6

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From: Newsletter Phys.org <not-for-reply@physorg.com>
Date: Sat, Mar 7, 2015 at 2:35 AM
Subject: Science X Newsletter Friday, Mar 6
To: Pascal Alter <pascal.alter@gmail.com>

Dear Pascal Alter,

Here is your customized Phys.org Newsletter for March 6, 2015:

Spotlight Stories Headlines

- Tomorrow's tomography today: Simultaneous 3D imaging of vascular and neuronal networks in mouse spinal cord tissue
- Neuroscientists find that different parts of the brain work best at different ages
- When temperature goes quantum
- New class of monofluoro acylboronates that is stable in air and water
- The dark side of cosmology
- Squeezing out new science from material interfaces
- Researchers develop polymer that helps wounds heal by strengthening clotting
- Stuck-in-the-mud plankton reveal ancient temperatures
- Multitasking hunger neurons also control compulsive behaviors
- Hello Ceres! NASA spacecraft on first visit to dwarf planet
- Researchers develop a way to observe spin in a portion of a cell cycle
- Graphene meets heat waves
- NASA's Dawn spacecraft moves in on dwarf planet Ceres
- Scientists unlock tangled mysteries of DNA
- ORNL microscopy directly images problematic lithium dendrites in batteries

Astronomy & Space news

	NASA's Dawn spacecraft moves in on dwarf planet Ceres The largest celestial body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter welcomes its first visitor Friday.
	THEMIS camera helps NASA pick site for next Mars lander NASA's next Mars space probe, a lander named InSight, is due to touch down on the Red Planet in September 2016 with a mission focused on the planet's internal properties. Its landing place has been chosen with help from a Mars-orbiting, heat-sensitive camera designed and operated at Arizona State University.
	'Habitable' planet GJ 581d previously dismissed as noise probably does exist A report published in Science has dismissed claims made last year that the first super-Earth planet discovered in the habitable zone of a distant star was 'stellar activity masquerading as planets.' The researchers are confident the planet named GJ 581d, identified in 2009 orbiting the star Gliese 581, does exist, and that last year's claim was triggered by inadequate analysis of the data.
	Hello Ceres! NASA spacecraft on first visit to dwarf planet After a nearly eight-year journey, a NASA spacecraft on Friday flawlessly slipped into orbit around Ceres in the first visit to a dwarf planet.
High-altitude NASA balloon will carry sensitive gas sensor NASA and a UCF physics professor plan to launch a high-altitude balloon on Sunday to test a high-tech payload that may one day be used to detect life on other planets.
	How far back are we looking in time? The Universe is a magic time window, allowing us to peer into the past. The further out we look, the further back in time we see. Despite our brains telling us things we see happen at the instant we view them, light moves at a mere 300,000 kilometers per second, which makes for a really weird time delay at great distances.
	Scanning Earth, saving lives A high-speed camera for monitoring vegetation from space and combating famine in Africa is being adapted to spot changes in human skin cells, invisible to the naked eye, to help diagnose skin diseases like cancer.
	UI researchers launch rockets in search of unseen parts of universe Walk into the corner astronomy lab in the basement of Van Allen Hall, and you'll likely hear a student spontaneously burst into song while creating preliminary computer aided designs for an upcoming NASA project proposal. Or, find a former-accountant-turned-astronomer designing circuit boards and routing cables through the colorfully exposed electronic guts of a rocket payload.
	UNH instruments to lift off on NASA four-satellite mission March 12 On March 12, 2015 at 10:44 p.m. EDT, scientists, engineers, and students from the University of New Hampshire's Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS) and department of physics will watch anxiously as ten years of exacting scientific effort is blasted into outer space by a 191-foot Atlas V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.

Medicine & Health news

	Neuroscientists find that different parts of the brain work best at different ages Scientists have long known that our ability to think quickly and recall information, also known as fluid intelligence, peaks around age 20 and then begins a slow decline. However, more recent findings, including a new study from neuroscientists at MIT and Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), suggest that the real picture is much more complex.
	Researchers develop polymer that helps wounds heal by strengthening clotting (Medical Xpress)—A team of researchers at the University of Washington has announced the development of a polymer, than when injected into rats, helped slow bleeding by boosting clotting effectiveness. In their paper published in Science Translational Medicine, the team reports on the development of the polymer and the results they have seen in testing it on rats. Karim Brohi, with Queen Mary University in London, offers a Focus piece on the work, in the same journal issue.
	New understanding of stroke damage may aid recovery Stroke can lead to a wide range of problems such as depression and difficulty moving, speaking and paying attention. Scientists have thought these issues were caused by damage to the brain's "computer processors"—cells in the brain's outer layer that do much of the work involved in higher brain functions.
	Research suggests brain's melatonin may trigger sleep If you walk into your local drug store and ask for a supplement to help you sleep, you might be directed to a bottle labeled "melatonin." The hormone supplement's use as a sleep aid is supported by anecdotal evidence and even some reputable research studies. However, our bodies also make melatonin naturally, and until a recent Caltech study using zebrafish, no one knew how—or even if—this melatonin contributed to our natural sleep. The new work suggests that even in the absence of a supplement, naturally occurring melatonin may help us fall and stay asleep.
Popular antioxidant likely ineffective, study finds The popular dietary supplement ubiquinone, also known as Coenzyme Q10, is widely believed to function as an antioxidant, protecting cells against damage from free radicals. But a new study by scientists at McGill University finds that ubiquinone is not a crucial antioxidant and that consuming it is unlikely to provide any benefit.
	Multitasking hunger neurons also control compulsive behaviors In the absence of food, neurons that normally control appetite initiate complex, repetitive behaviors seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and anorexia nervosa, according to a new study by Yale School of Medicine researchers.
	Chromosomal rearrangement is the key to progress against aggressive infant leukemia The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital—Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project reports that a highly aggressive form of leukemia in infants has surprisingly few mutations beyond the chromosomal rearrangement that affects the MLL gene. The findings suggest that targeting the alteration is likely the key to improved survival. The research appeared online ahead of print this week in the scientific journal Nature Genetics.
	Radical vaccine design effective against herpes viruses Herpes simplex virus infections are an enormous global health problem and there is currently no viable vaccine. For nearly three decades, immunologists' efforts to develop a herpes vaccine have centered on exploiting a single protein found on the virus's outer surface that is known to elicit robust production of antibodies. Breaking from this approach, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine have created a genetic mutant lacking that protein. The result is a powerfully effective vaccine against herpes viruses.
	People with anorexia and body dysmorphic disorder have similar brain anomalies People with anorexia nervosa and with body dysmorphic disorder have similar abnormalities in their brains that affect their ability to process visual information, a new UCLA study reveals.
	How drinking behavior changes through the years In the UK, frequent drinking becomes more common in middle to old age, especially amongst men, according to research published in the open access journal, BMC Medicine. Doctors are seeing a growing number of cases of alcohol misuse among the elderly and this finding supports concerns that older people might be abusing alcohol.
Teenage TV audiences and energy drink advertisements Researchers at Dartmouth College examined a database of television advertisements broadcast between March 2012 and February 2013 on 139 network and cable channels and found that more than 608 hours of advertisements for energy drinks were aired. Nearly half of those advertisements, 46.5%, appeared on networks with content themes likely to appeal to adolescents.
Three Filipino health workers infected with MERS in Saudi Arabia Three Filipinos have contracted Middle East respiratory syndrome while working at separate hospitals in Saudi Arabia, the Philippine government said Friday.
	Neurons critical for learning divided into two subpopulations with different functions Neurobiologists at the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) have shown that neurons critical for learning can be divided into two subpopulations with different functions. Almost as if learning processes in the brain mimicked machine learning, one subpopulation is responsible for collecting a broad range of potentially relevant information, while the second subsequently helps to consolidate a successful strategy. This is the first evidence of how neuron networks are adapted to facilitate learning.
	Research could be life-prolonging for cystic fibrosis patients Preventing lung infections in childhood could stop later life-threatening infections for people with cystic fibrosis (CF), according to the latest research carried out at Aston University.
Weight loss surgery can be a safe option for obese children Weight loss surgery does not stunt the growth of obese children when applied within a clinical pathway. It is a safe option to use and provides hope for youngsters who are unable to shed pounds through weight management programs that include counseling and lifestyle changes. So says Professor Aayed Alqahtani of King Saud University (KSU) in Saudi Arabia, after tracking the progress of almost 300 children who had all undergone such surgery through a standardized clinical pathway that was created and applied by Alqahtani in his practice at KSU. The findings are published in Springer's journal Obesity Surgery.
	Easing cancer's effects through focus on relationships Cancer patients look to oncology specialists for highly skilled treatment. Yet others may affect their disease experiences – their partners, wives, husbands or close family members.
Surgeon discusses problems of 'medicalized' mortality in the US Author and surgeon Atul Gawande, MD, MPH, described how witnessing the untimely and inevitable passing of patients, friends and his father revealed to him the shortcomings of the American medical system's and society's approach to dying.
	Scientists find gene that inadvertently promotes cancer growth A protein that scientists at the School of Medicine discovered in pancreatic tumors may lead to a new chemotherapy that is effective against many different kinds of cancers. But an effort to turn the discovery into a new drug has required a bit of chemistry know-how.
	Moderate alcohol consumption increases attractiveness Consuming alcohol (equivalent to about a glass of wine) can make the drinker appear more attractive than when sober, according to new research from the University of Bristol. However, the effect disappears when more is consumed.
	History of epidemics informs modern science As well as telling us more about earlier societies, the study of diseases in the past is proving an invaluable tool for modern science, as a new book by the historian of medicine Mary Dobson reveals.
	DNA safeguard may be key in cancer treatment Cornell researchers have developed a new technique to understand the actions of key proteins required for cancer cells to proliferate.
The effects of graphic images from the Boston bomber trial on children After two months of jury selection and several motions to change the venue, the Boston bomber trial is expected to last until June. The prosecution in the Dzhokhar Tsarnaev trial will present graphic evidence, including videos and photographs of the bombing which will undoubtedly be shown by the media and on the Internet exposing millions of people, including children, to the images of that horrific day.
	Scientist helps develop new tools to probe mysteries of the brain A University of Otago researcher is part of an international collaboration that has developed an exciting and expansive new set of tools to probe cell types in the brain.
	Spinal procedure no longer such a pain in the back Researchers at Flinders University's Medical Device Partnering Program (MDPP) will design a new medical device that could change the way spinal surgeries are delivered.
	Infant growth affected by exposure to environmental pollutants Even though the levels of two environmental pollutants have declined over the last 20 years, they may still have adverse effects on children's development, according to a new study by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. This is the largest study of environmental pollutants and infant growth to date.
Neuroscientists perform an important step towards cell therapy for diseases of the cerebral cortex Researchers at the ULB – IRIBHM and ULB Neuroscience Institute – have tested the therapeutic potential of cortical neurons generated at the laboratory, by transplantation in the brains of adult mice. Their research is published in the journal Neuron.
	Autism detection improved by multimodal neuroimaging In an ancient Indian parable, a group of blind men touches different parts of a large animal to find what it is. Only when they share the descriptions of an ear, tail, trunk and leg do they know it is an elephant.
	New findings on 'key players' in brain inflammation Inflammation is the immune system's natural reaction to an 'aggressor' in the body or an injury, but if the inflammatory response is too strong it becomes harmful. For example, inflammation in the brain occurs when a person has a stroke, or when suffering from neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
	A look at the growing use of synthetic drugs In recent years, hundreds of new synthetic recreational drugs have emerged – drugs that neither the general public nor the scientific community know very much about. Many of these new synthetic drugs – often referred to as "legal highs" – are dangerous and continue to lead to poisonings throughout the US and the rest of the world.
Oncologists see gene expression profiling tests as helpful but have concerns Oncologists welcome gene expression profiling tests as an added tool in deciding whether women with early-stage breast cancer should have chemotherapy, a new study has found. But they have significant reservations about the cost of the test and whether it is being overused and used for the right patients.
Obese females who are most unlikely to lose weight are most in need of losing it In obese females, a close relationship may exist between their disinhibition (detrimental eating and behavioral characteristics) that limits successful weight loss, and impaired metabolism, new research shows. The results will be presented Thursday, March 5, at ENDO 2015, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego.
Safer drug combination found for patients with high-risk atrial fibrillation Patients with high-risk atrial fibrillation, or AFib, often require one drug to regulate heart rhythm and a second drug to thin their blood and reduce the risk of stroke. A recent study led by a University of Missouri School of Medicine cardiologist found that use of a newer blood thinner significantly decreased the risk of strokes for patients with AFib who require both types of medication.
Workplace lifestyle intervention program improves health, reduces diabetes and heart disease risks A healthy lifestyle intervention program administered at the workplace and developed by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health significantly reduces risk factors for diabetes and heart disease, according to a study reported in the March issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Sweet cravings will make sugar curbs hard: experts UN recommendations to curb sugar intake may face an uphill battle for acceptance, experts say—confronted by an ingrained human yearning for sweetness.
Seniors' hospital and ER admission rates are higher if they have obesity Obesity is associated with substantial increases in older adults' hospitalizations, emergency room admissions and use of outpatient health care services, according to a new study of 172,866 Medicare Advantage members throughout the U.S. Results of the one-year study will be presented Thursday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
Fast food commercials to kids 'deceptive' by industry self-regulation standards Fast food ads aimed at kids fail to de-emphasize toy premiums, making them deceptive by industry self-regulation standards. They also fail to emphasize healthy menu items, investigators at Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center have found. The research was published in the March 4 edition of the journal PLOS ONE.
Onion extract may improve high blood sugar and cholesterol The extract of onion bulb, Allium cepa, strongly lowered high blood glucose (sugar) and total cholesterol levels in diabetic rats when given with the antidiabetic drug metformin, according to a new study. The study results will be presented Thursday at The Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
Male smokers at higher risk than females for osteoporosis, fractures In a large study of middle-aged to elderly smokers, men were more likely than women to have osteoporosis and fractures of their vertebrae. Smoking history and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were independent risk factors for low bone density among both men and women in the study, which has been published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Long-term effects of obesity surgery on adolescent skeleton are favorable The skeletons of obese adolescents are usually more dense than those of normal weight teens, but after gastric bypass surgery, most return to normal density within two years, a new study finds. The results will be presented Thursday, March 5, at ENDO 2015, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society, in San Diego.
Letrozole is a promising new treatment of male infertility, researcher says A letrozole pill once a week restored fertility in obese, infertile men and led to their partners giving birth to two full-term, healthy babies, according to a new study from Canada. The results will be presented Thursday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
	Quitting smoking has favorable metabolic effects People who quit smoking have improved metabolic effects, a new study finds. The results will be presented in a poster Thursday, March 5, at ENDO 2015, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego.
The brain treats real and imaginary objects in the same way The human brain can select relevant objects from a flood of information and edit out what is irrelevant. It also knows which parts belong to a whole. If, for example, we direct our attention to the doors of a house, the brain will preferentially process its windows, but not the neighboring houses. Psychologists from Goethe University Frankfurt have now discovered that this also happens when parts of the objects are merely maintained in our memory.
FDA approves first lower-cost biotech drug (Update) Federal health officials have approved the first lower-cost copy of a biotech drug to reach the U.S. market, a long-awaited milestone that could generate billions in savings for insurers, doctors and patients.
Researchers develop first validated method of detecting drugs of abuse in exhaled breath Drug testing is most commonly performed using urine samples. The methodology and regulations for reliable urine testing are well developed and can be considered the current gold standard for drug testing. However, one problem with urine testing is related to the methodology of sample collection, often perceived as inconvenient and privacy-overriding by those undergoing the test. As such, a group of researchers from the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have worked on developing a more donor-friendly alternative to urine testing for drugs by focusing on exhaled breath.
Parasite infection poses a greater risk for African under-fives Children under five living in sub-Saharan Africa are at greater risk than older children of developing a long-term parasitic disease, research suggests.
A new tool for detecting and destroying norovirus Infection with highly contagious noroviruses, while not usually fatal, can lead to a slew of unpleasant symptoms such as excessive vomiting and diarrhea. Current treatment options are limited to rehydration of the patient. "Additionally, noroviruses come in a variety of constantly evolving strains. This makes the development of an effective vaccine to protect against infection, as well as antiviral therapy to combat already-existing infections, particularly challenging", says Dr. Grant Hansman, a virologist who leads the CHS Research Group on Noroviruses at the German Cancer Research Center (Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum, DKFZ) and Heidelberg University.
Most men with borderline testosterone levels may have depression Men with borderline testosterone levels have higher rates of depression and depressive symptoms than the general population, new research finds. The results will be presented Saturday, March 7, at ENDO 2015, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego.
Menopausal hormone therapy does not affect the risk of dying, study shows Menopausal hormone therapy (HT) does not have a significant effect on death, according to a new review of the medical literature published over the past three decades. The results, which included studies with follow-up as long as 18 years, will be presented Friday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
Race/ethnicity sometimes associated with overuse of medical care Racial and ethnic disparities in the receipt of health care (typically referring to minorities not receiving needed care) are well known. A recent review in the journal Milbank Memorial Quarterly has now found that while race/ethnicity is not consistently associated with the overuse of medical care (unnecessary care that does not improve patient outcomes). However, when overuse occurs, a substantial proportion occurs among white patients. These findings may lead to a better understanding of how and why race/ethnicity might be associated with overuse and may result in ways to reduce it from occurring.
	FDA launches first app to identify drug shortages (HealthDay)—A mobile phone application (app) has been released to identify current drug shortages, resolved shortages, or discontinuations of drug products, according to a press release published by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
	A sense of purpose may help your heart (HealthDay)—Living your life with a strong sense of purpose may lower your risk for early death, heart attack or stroke, new research suggests.
	Painkiller-addicted babies a growing US concern, especially in Fla. (HealthDay)—Doctors in the United States are seeing more infants born addicted to narcotic painkillers—a problem highlighted by a new Florida-based report.
	Pneumonia in early childhood tied to higher odds of asthma (HealthDay)—Children who contract pneumonia during the first three years of life appear to face a higher risk of developing asthma, new research suggests.
	Various factors influence central cord syndrome management (HealthDay)—For patients with central cord syndrome (CCS), patient, surgical, and institutional factors influence surgical management and mortality, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of The Spine Journal.
	Short-chain fatty acids in diet stimulate fat utilization (HealthDay)—Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), the main products of dietary fiber fermentation, induce a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) γ-dependent switch from lipid synthesis to lipid utilization, according to research published online Feb. 18 in Diabetes.
	National hospital rating systems rarely in agreement (HealthDay)—National hospital rating systems are rarely in agreement, according to a study published in the March issue of Health Affairs.
	Confidence gap between male and female med students (HealthDay)—Female medical students perform at the same or higher level as men, but they lack confidence compared with men, according to a letter published in the March 3 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
	More otologic symptoms, hearing loss for HIV-infected (HealthDay)—Otologic symptoms and hearing loss are more common among patients with HIV than uninfected controls, according to a study published online March 5 in JAMA Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery.
	Extended pre-cessation bupropion helps smokers quit (HealthDay)—Extended pre-quit bupropion is associated with reduced smoking behavior during the pre-quit period and improved short-term abstinence rates, according to a study published online Jan. 14 in Nicotine & Tobacco Research.
	Atrophy seen in gluteus maximus post gluteal augmentation (HealthDay)—The gluteus maximus muscle presents atrophy after gluteal augmentation surgery with implants, according to a study published in the March issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
M-MDSCs shut down arthritis in mouse model of the disease Using a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, scientists have discovered that a form of cellular immunotherapy by intravenous administration of monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells, or M-MDSCs, might be an effective treatment for the disease in humans. In a report published in the March 2015 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, researchers show that M-MDSCs are capable of inhibiting T cell proliferation, as well as B cell proliferation and antibody production. As a result, the arthritic mice experienced improvements in their symptoms.
	Review article provides new insights on how tumors metastasize In a review article recently published in the journal Clinical and Translational Medicine, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) shed new light on the underlying processes of tumor metastasis and highlight the role of epigenetics in this process. By comparing embryogenesis with cancer metastasis they hypothesize that reversible epigenetic events regulate the development of different types of metastatic cancers. They also describe that the surrounding cells of the tumors (stromal cells) play a significant role in this process.
First device approved for dialysis-related amyloidosis (HealthDay)—The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first device to treat dialysis-related amyloidosis (DRA), a complication of dialysis used to treat kidney failure.
	Breast cancer survivors may have higher thyroid cancer risk (HealthDay)—Women who survive breast cancer may have a higher-than-average risk of developing thyroid cancer in the next several years, a new study suggests.
In chronic heart failure, monitoring calcitriol may help prevent death In patients with chronic heart failure, the vitamin D metabolite 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), also called calcitriol, and its ratio to parathyroid hormone (PTH 1-84) may help predict cardiovascular death; and patients with decreased calcitriol and decreased ratio of calcitriol to PTH might benefit from more aggressive supplementation, a new study finds. The results will be presented Friday, March 6, at ENDO 2015, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego.
Stress reduction may reduce fasting glucose in overweight and obese women A treatment known as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) may decrease fasting glucose and improve quality of life in overweight and obese women, new research suggests. The results will be presented in a poster Friday, March 6, at ENDO 2015, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego.
Endocrine disruptors cause fatty liver Exposure to low doses of hormone-disrupting chemicals early in life can alter gene expression in the liver as well as liver function, increasing the susceptibility to obesity and other metabolic diseases in adulthood, a new study finds. Results of the animal study will be presented Friday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
	BPA harms dental enamel in young animals, mimicking human tooth defect A tooth enamel abnormality in children, molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH), may result from exposure to the industrial chemical bisphenol A (BPA), authors of a new study conclude after finding similar damage to the dental enamel of rats that received BPA. The study results will be presented Friday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
Maternal age at childbirth may affect glucose metabolism in their adult male children A mother's age at childbirth may affect her male baby's birth weight as well as his adult glucose metabolism, new research shows. The results will be presented Friday, March 6, at ENDO 2015, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in San Diego.
Patients must not be forced to choose between easier access and continuity of care RCGP says that reducing waiting times for a GP appointment must be a priority for politicians and the incoming government
	'Tip of the iceberg' in concussion treatment In an attempt to find a better approach to treating and preventing sports-related concussions, a Penn State faculty member is using cutting-edge medical technology to explore the effects of cooling helmets on brain injuries.
Earlier detection for men is vital to increase survival rates for male breast cancer Every week in Australia, three men will be diagnosed with male breast cancer.
	The path to eradicating Ebola The worst Ebola outbreak in history is not yet over.
	Protein push could help dieters fight fat Can a high protein diet help people lose weight?
	Improving cancer treatment through better imaging technologies Since January 2014, the HELICOID project has been developing hyperspectral imaging technologies capable of differentiating between healthy and diseased tissues. The February 2015 meeting in Brussels enabled project partners to meet and discuss the progress that has been made.
	Kidney donation triggers transplant chain in San Francisco When a Sacramento woman donated a kidney to a stranger, she set off a series of organ swaps that resulted in five more sick people getting new kidneys at a San Francisco hospital.
High-normal thyroid hormone level in pregnancy may affect fetal brain development A new study finds that not only low but also high maternal thyroid hormone levels during early pregnancy may significantly lower the infant's IQ later in childhood. The study results, which will be presented Thursday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego, suggest that the common practice of treating pregnant women who have mild thyroid hormone deficiency may pose unexpected risks to the developing baby's brain.
Investigational osteoporosis drug, abaloparatide, lowers fracture risk Abaloparatide-SC, an injectable drug being studied for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis, reduces the rate of new spinal fractures by a statistically significant 86 percent and as well as statistically significant reductions in the fracture rate at other parts of the body, a phase 3 clinical trial finds. Results of the ACTIVE fracture prevention trial will be described in a late-breaking oral presentation Thursday at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
Pharmacist survey shows huge growth in compounded menopausal hormone therapy Among prescriptions filled for menopausal hormone therapy (HT) in the U.S., almost half now are custom-compounded "bioidentical" hormones, according to analysis of a recent survey of nearly 500 pharmacists. The study results will be presented Friday March 6th at the Endocrine Society's 97th annual meeting in San Diego.
'Systems-based' hematologist is new way to provide hematology expertise A report, released today from the American Society of Hematology (ASH) in its journal, Blood, presents an innovative, sustainable new role for hematologists, particularly those specializing in non-malignant blood diseases, for today's rapidly changing U.S. health-care system. The report, published online as a Blood Forum article, outlines several models for a "systems-based clinical hematologist," a centralized position within hospitals and health-care systems specializing in non-malignant blood disorders.
	Risk of breast cancer in transgender persons—a study of veterans A study of breast cancer in transgender veterans has identified ten new cases, increasing the total number of published cases in both female-to-male and male-to-female transgender persons. Patient outcomes, use of cross-sex hormones, and recommendations for screening are presented in an article in LGBT Health.
Medical device surveillance on the horizon Thousands of people around the world have been exposed to toxic chemicals generated by their metal hip implants. Similarly, many patients have contracted infections from pieces of implanted mesh used in hernia-repair surgery, even though materials less prone to causing complications were available.
	Last surgeries underway in 12-person kidney transplant chain Surgeons have started the final operations in an organ donation chain that will result in six patients getting new kidneys at a San Francisco hospital.
Turkey farms boost precautions after deadly flu strain found Minnesota turkey farmers are increasing precautionary measures after a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza wiped out a flock of 15,000 birds in about a week.

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