Medical-Science News 16 Nov.2016

Medical News Administering Repurposed Drug to Treat TB via Lungs vs. Orally Shows Promise Tuberculosis (TB) is responsible for more than 1.8 million deaths each year, according to the World Health Organization, yet there has been little significant improvement in therapies in the past 20 years. This chronic disease is systemic, meaning it... – American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 10:30 ET Atrial Fibrillation Patients Are at Increased Risk of Dementia, Regardless of Anticoagulation Use, New Study Finds Atrial fibrillation patients who use the drug, warfarin, to prevent harmful blood clots from forming in their hearts to lower risk of stroke are at higher risk of developing dementia than patients who use warfarin for non-atrial fibrillation conditio... – Intermountain Medical Center AHA Scientific Sessions, 11-15, 2016 Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 14:30 ET Better Definition of ‘Pre-Diabetes’ Can Help Identify Those at Risk for Long-Term Complications Defining pre-diabetes based on hemoglobin A1C, a common test that determines a long-term average blood sugar level, is the most accurate predictor of who will go on to develop long-term complications from diabetes, new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School ... – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 18:30 ET Study: Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Who Smoke or Are Overweight See Less Symptom Improvement with Treatment A study finds that smoking or being overweight makes it more difficult for patients with rheumatoid arthritis to achieve optimal control of inflammation and symptoms, despite standard of care treatment. – Hospital for Special Surgery Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 17:30 ET Glowing Tumors Help Penn Surgeons Cut Out Brain Cancer with Precision An experimental cancer imaging tool that makes tumors glow brightly during surgery has shown promise again in a new Penn Medicine clinical study, this time in patients with brain cancer. The fluorescent dye technique, originally developed by surgeons... – Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania R01 CA193556 More Human-Like Model of Alzheimer’s Better Mirrors Tangles in the Brain A new animal model developed at Penn Medicine using tau tangles isolated from the brains of Alzheimer’s patients rather than synthetic tau tangles paints a closer picture of the tau pathology in the AD brain – Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania AG10124, AG17586 What Makes a Patient More Likely to End Up Back in the Hospital? Study Finds Surprising Role for Social Factors When it comes to predicting which patients will end up back in the hospital -- costing their hospital a readmission penalty -- the answer is not as one-size-fits-all as hospital gowns, a new study shows. Social and disability factors matter, and diff... – University of Michigan Health System J. Gen Internal Med DOI: 10.1007/s11606-016-3869-x First Mouse Model for the Most Common Form of Infant Leukemia, Gene Deletion Allows Cancer Cells to Thrive in the Brain, Cancer Therapy That Reduces Toxic Chemotherapy Effects, and More in the Cancer News Source Click here to go directly to the Cancer News Source – Newswise Crowdsourcing a Better Prostate Cancer Prediction Tool Prediction model created by "research parasites" published today in Lancet Oncology offers a more accurate prognosis for a patient's metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer – University of Colorado Cancer Center Lancet Oncology Microbes in Your Gut Influence Major Eye Disease Bacteria in your intestines may play an important role in determining if you will develop blinding wet Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). – Universite de Montreal Molecular Medicine, Nov 15, 2016.; 324573; 418637; OG‐3‐11‐3329‐PS; AP‐RMA‐2015‐010 Organized Prescription Drug Collection Programs May Have Minimal Impact on Reducing Availability of Controlled Medications More than 3.8 billion controlled medications, such as hydrocodone, oxycodone, Valium and Adderall, are dispensed by pharmacies annually in the United States. It has been estimated that only about 30 percent of these drugs are used by the people for w... – Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, Nov-2016 Wolters Kluwer Journals Recognized for Excellence in Editorial and Design at the 2016 FOLIO: Eddie & Ozzie Awards The Health Division of Wolters Kluwer, a leading global provider of information and point of care solutions for the healthcare industry, announced today that its Lippincott Williams & Wilkins (LWW) medical and nursing journal portfolio won four award... – Wolters Kluwer Health: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins Study Explores How Immune System Functions During Sleep Researchers have found new insights into sleep’s importance to overall health: it may give the immune system a chance to regroup at a time when the relative risk of infection is low. As the foundation of the human body’s immune system, large quan... – American Physiological Society (APS) Smoke + Hot Temperatures = Increased SIDS Risk Researchers are a step closer to understanding why cigarette smoke exposure during pregnancy may increase the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). SIDS is the unexplained, sudden death of a child younger than one year of age. A new study find... – American Physiological Society (APS) A Possible Explanation for Recurring Breast Cancer In October, we mourned those who died of breast cancer and celebrated all of the women (and men) who have survived. What many of those survivors worry about, though, is that their breast cancer may come back. It has puzzled scientists and health car... – Texas A&M University Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; National Institutes of Health P40RR17447; Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas RP150637 New Bioinformatic Analysis Reveals Role of Proteins in Diabetic Kidney Disease A new bioinformatic framework developed by researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine has identified key proteins significantly altered at the gene-expression level in biopsied tissue from patients with diabetic kidney disea... – University of California San Diego Health Sciences JCI Insights SLU Research: Wide Variability in Generic Heart Failure Drugs Can Make Them Unaffordable to Uninsured Patients New research from Saint Louis University finds that the prices for commonly used generic heart failure drugs varies widely. – Saint Louis University Medical Center New Clinical Resources from American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Address Delirium, CAUTI and VTE New clinical resources from AACN address some of the most serious complications facing critically ill patients -- delirium, catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs) and venous thromboembolism (VTE). These updated AACN Practice Alerts fea... – American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) Photo-Bombing Cancer Photoimmunotherapy blows up tumors, spares healthy cells By Charles Jolie Nov. 14, 2016 When Kerstin Stenson, MD, describes the innovative technique she is helping develop to fight cancer, it seems like she’s describing a Tom Clancy military espio... – Rush University Medical Center Teething Tips and Tricks Your baby is growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday you were welcoming them home, listening to their first coos and, unfortunately, getting used to some sleepless nights. Now, you’ve entered a new phase: teething. – Texas A&M University Invention Could Help Diabetics with Safer, Surer Insulin Injections The design is confidential, but essentially the device substitutes for the second hand, producing a bulge that holds the insulin needle stable in the subcutaneous fat. – University of Wisconsin-Madison Morgridge–UW Project Investigates Tissue-Engineered Arteries for Transplant The prospect of creating artery “banks” available for cardiovascular surgery, bypassing the need to harvest vessels from the patient, could transform treatment of many common heart and vascular ailments. But it’s a big leap from concept to real... – University of Wisconsin-Madison Forgetfulness or Alzheimer's? The holidays are a time when families get together -- sometimes after long periods apart. But sometimes seldom-seen elderly family members show signs of worrisome mental decline. When should family members be concerned about the possibility of Alz... – University of Kentucky Immunology Treatments Providing Hope for Late-Stage Melanoma Patients Therapies designed to help the body's immune system attack cancer cells are proving to be effective for some patients with advanced cases of the disease. Expert Available – Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Assumes Role as President of the Society for Neuroscience During 2016 Annual Meeting Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Dean for Academic and Scientific Affairs, Director of the Friedman Brain Institute (FBI) and Nash Family Professor of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, began his term as President of the Society fo... – Mount Sinai Health System Mount Sinai Health System Launches Patient Experience App for Android Devices Mount Sinai Health System today announced the launch of the Android version of its mobile application for patients, called MountSinaiNY. – Mount Sinai Health System Fred Hutch and SCCA Name New Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and its patient care partner, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, today announced that Lynne Kornblatt will be the organizations’ new vice president and chief human resources officer effective Jan. 3. – Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Dr. Steven K. Libutti Named as New Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Director and Vice Chancellor for Cancer Programs, Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences Aiming to further propel scientific discovery as well as augment and expand comprehensive cancer services for patients through collaborative efforts with Rutgers and RWJBarnabas Health, Steven K. Libutti, MD, FACS, has been named as the new Director ... – Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey Michelle Camicia, MSN CRRN CCM FAHA, Named as RNF Research Grant Award Recipient At ARN REACH 2016 in Philadelphia, PA, September 28 – October 1, 2016, the Association of Rehabilitation Nurses’ (ARN’s) Rehabilitation Nursing Foundation (RNF) awarded Michelle Camicia, MSN CRRN CCM FAHA, a grant for her research on Preparedne... – Association of Rehabilitation Nurses UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute and Partners to Receive $1.2 Million Grant from California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine A team at the Oakland and San Francisco campuses of UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals, UCSF, and UC Berkeley have been awarded $1.2 million by California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine (CIAPM) to help advance precision medicine in the sta... – UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland Cedars-Sinai Researchers Receive $1.2 Million Grant From California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine Cedars-Sinai health investigators will use a $1.2 million grant from a state precision medicine initiative to design a system using remote monitoring to predict heart attacks and other cardiovascular events. In this study, the research team will look... – Cedars-Sinai ‘Origami’ Rapid Malaria Test Receives Grand Challenges Explorations Grant A novel 'origami' rapid diagnostic test for malaria has received a $100,000 Grand Challenges Explorations grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. – Vanderbilt University Grand Challenges Explorations UCI Prostate Cancer Project Awarded $1.2 Million by State Precision Medicine Initiative University of California, Irvine health policy researchers have been awarded $1.2 million by the California Initiative to Advance Precision Medicine to develop more effective ways for prostate cancer patients and their physicians to customize treatme... – University of California, Irvine Science News Research Finds Zika Virus Can Live for Hours on Hard, Non-Porous Surfaces The Zika virus is most commonly transmitted in humans as the result of a bite from an infected mosquito or from an infected human to another human. What is not well known is that the virus also can be transmitted via the environment if an individual ... – American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientist (AAPS) Annual Meeting and Exposition Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 16:00 ET Researchers Create Living Bio-Hybrid System A big challenge in cognitive or rehabilitation neurosciences is the ability to design a functional hybrid system that can connect and exchange information between biological systems, like neurons in the brain, and human-made electronic devices. A lar... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) A multidisciplinary approach to study the functional properties of neuron-like cell models constituting a living bio-hybrid ...; AIP Advances Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 11:00 ET What Factors Are Influencing Electric Vehicle Purchases in China? In 2014, the 74,763 new energy vehicles sold accounted for only 0.3 percent of total automobile sales in China that year. So a group of researchers set out to find out what motivates or influences consumer to purchase electric vehicles within seven c... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) What influences personal purchases of new energy vehicles in China? An empirical study based on a survey of Chinese citizens; Journal of Renewable and Sustainable Energy Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 11:00 ET How Synchrony and Asynchrony Co-Exist Order and disorder might seem dichotomous conditions of a functioning system, yet both states can, in fact, exist simultaneously and durably within a system of oscillators, in what’s called a chimera state. Taking its name from a composite creature... – American Institute of Physics (AIP) Symmetry effects on naturally arising chimera states in mechanical oscillator networks; Chaos Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 11:00 ET The Mathematics of Coffee Extraction: Searching for the Ideal Brew Composed of over 1,800 chemical components, coffee is one of the most widely-consumed drinks in the world. Understanding the mathematics of coffee extraction can help identify the influence of various parameters on the final product. In a paper publi... – Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics Embargo expired on 15-Nov-2016 at 10:00 ET A New Way to Image Solar Cells in 3-D Berkeley Lab scientists have developed a way to use optical microscopy to map thin-film solar cells in 3-D as they absorb photons. – Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Scientists Uncover Genetic Evidence That 'We Are What We Eat' Researchers at the University of Oxford have demonstrated that the diets of organisms can affect the DNA sequences of their genes. – University of Oxford Genome Biology Virginia Tech Researchers Explore Gigantic Volcanic Eruptions That Caused Worldwide Mass Extinctions A paper in Nature Communications confirms a major feature in the formation of large igneous provinces — massive worldwide volcanic eruptions that created incredibly high volumes of lava and triggered environmental catastrophes and mass extinctions ... – Virginia Tech Nature Communications, Nov-2016 AgriLife Research Team Makes Strides in Fight Against Zika There’s a war raging on a tiny battlefield and the outcome could well touch millions of people worldwide threatened by Zika and related viruses. The key ally unlocking the mystery surrounding this conflict is the long-dreaded yellow fever virus. – Texas A&M AgriLife U-M Offers Open-Access Automated Cars to Advance Driverless Research New University of Michigan research vehicles will be open testbeds for academic and industry researchers to rapidly test self-driving and connected vehicle technologies at a world-class proving ground. – University of Michigan New Technology Aims to Make Photovoltaic Cells 70% More Efficient Researchers at the Technion have developed a technology that could improve the efficiency of photovoltaic cells by nearly 70 percent. The breakthrough could be a key for harnessing the power of the sun to meet the world’s energy consumption demands... – American Technion Society Nature Communications, Oct-2016 Autism and Human Evolutionary Success A subtle change occurred in our evolutionary history 100,000 years ago which allowed people who thought and behaved differently - such as individuals with autism - to be integrated into society, academics from the University of York have concluded. – University of York Time and Mind Game Theory Shows How Tragedies of the Commons Might be Averted Lake Lanier in Georgia is the primary water reservoir serving suburban and metropolitan Atlanta. When the lake’s water level drops below a certain point, calls go out for water conservation and news reports show images of the red mud shoreline. In ... – Georgia Institute of Technology Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016 Engineer Develops Model to Predict Behavior of Cell Clusters An engineer at Washington University in St. Louis discovered a model in which the mechanics of the cells’ environment can predict their movement, a finding that ultimately could mean confining cell transition in tumors and potentially making cance... – Washington University in St. Louis Biophysical Journal New LEDs May Offer Better Way to Clean Water in Remote Areas For the first time, researchers have created light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on lightweight flexible metal foil. Engineers at The Ohio State University are developing the foil based LEDs for portable ultraviolet (UV) lights that soldiers and others can... – Ohio State University Applied Physics Letters Inactive Patents: Innovate More, Search Less A new patent search tool developed by engineers at Michigan Technological University makes it easier to discover and track inactive patents. The team hopes that by initially streamlining inactive patent searches, it will foster and speed up innovatio... – Michigan Technological University Inventions, Nov-2016; Inactive Patent Search Tool Researchers Look at Ways to Improve Pennsylvania Bridges Penn State researchers are conducting a study to identify the key factors that are contributing to premature bridge deck cracking on many of Pennsylvania's 22,000 bridges. – Penn State College of Engineering Pilgrims and Soil: What’s the Connection The Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) November 15 Soils Matter blog post explains farming challenges the Pilgrims faced, and their survival thanks to help from the Wampanoag Native Americans. – Soil Science Society of America (SSSA) ISU Scientist Receives NSF Grant to Study Origins and Functions of Orphan Genes in Corn and Other Crops An ISU scientist is leading an effort to study orphan genes in crop species. The research, supported by a National Science Foundation grant, could lead to breeding and engineering crop varieties that better meet the nutritional needs of humans and ar... – Iowa State University Documentary Just One Use of Drone Technology in Agricultural Sciences Much of the footage in David Weindorf’s film “Between Earth and Sky” was filmed using unmanned aerial vehicles flying across the Alaskan tundra. – Texas Tech University Collaborating on Climate If co-teaching sounds like it could lead to some conflicts, you’re not wrong—especially when it comes to a charged topic like climate change. It’s part of the reason why it’s rarely done in academia. But working through those disagreements, e... – Humboldt State University Researchers Question if Banning of ‘Killer Robots’ Actually Will Stop Robots From Killing A University at Buffalo research team has published a paper that implies that the rush to ban and demonize autonomous weapons or “killer robots” may be a temporary solution, but the actual problem is that society is entering into a situation wher... – University at Buffalo International Journal of Cultural Studies Five Los Alamos Innovations Win R&D 100 Awards Five Los Alamos National Laboratory technologies won R&D 100 Awards last week at R&D Magazine’s annual ceremony in Washington, D.C. – Los Alamos National Laboratory Lee Blumenfeld, M.D., Named Vice President of Business Development at SBP Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) is pleased to announce that Lee Blumenfeld, M.D., has been named to the newly created position of Vice President of Business Development. – Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute Lifestyle & Social Sciences Freefall: Flying in Space As a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger in 1983, Dr. Guion S.Bluford became the first African-American to travel into space. He was also the first African-American to return to space for a second, third, and fourth time. Bluford w... – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) ​Consuming Violent Media Linked to 13x Surge in Violent Dreams The violent and sexual media you consume during the day may infiltrate your dreams at night, new research suggests. People who reported consuming violent media within 90 minutes of bedtime were 13 times more likely to have a violent dream that night.... – Ohio State University Dreaming Preventing Adolescent Substance Use May Need to Start in Early Childhood Research from the University at Buffalo Research Institute on Addictions suggests the approach to preventing alcohol and drug use by some adolescents should begin in early childhood. – University at Buffalo Developmental Psychology Teacher Communication with Parents Consistent with Racial Stereotypes Teachers communicate with parents not just based on a student’s academic performance and behaviors, but also based on parents’ racial and immigrant backgrounds, finds a study by NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Developme... – New York University Teachers College Record, Nov. 2016 Real Men Don't Say 'Cute' Psychologists tap big data and Twitter to analyze the accuracy of stereotypes – Society for Personality and Social Psychology Social Psychological and Personality Science FSU Professor: 50 Years of Research Fails to Improve Suicide Prediction Florida State University researcher Joseph Franklin made a startling discovery during an exhaustive examination of hundreds of suicide prediction studies conducted over the past 50 years: Science is still not very good at predicting who will kill the... – Florida State University Psychological Bulletin Study Provides Insight Into Children’s Race and Gender Identities Research from the University of Washington found that children aged 7 to 12 rate gender as more important than race — and that their perceptions of both are a complex mix of personal and societal influences. – University of Washington Eight Ways to Make Kids More Grateful With Thanksgiving around the corner, now's a natural time for parents to promote gratitude in their kids. And while it can't hurt to participate in the tried-and-true practice of every family member and friend saying what they're thankful for around... – California State University, Dominguez Hills Scholar of Pet Safety Offers Air-Travel Tips According to Dr. Julie Bailey, holiday travelers who bring pets along run the risk of compromising their trips or endangering pets, if they don’t plan ahead. Last-minute flyers may not realize airline rules may change, sedative or other drug option... Expert Available – Academy Communications Jack Laub Inducted Into Brooklyn Jewish Hall of Fame and James P. Kelly University of Cincinnati Athletics Hall of Fame Jack Laub is the only student-athlete in NCAA history to play six varsity years. He became one of the first professional basketball players in the NBA after he was drafted by the Baltimore Bullets. More recently, Laub was conferred the honor of “Ch... – Florida Atlantic University Food Scholarship Program Helps Students Study Instead of Worry About Meals UGA's food scholarship and other programs that support students just got a big boost from University of Georgia graduate Jess Stokely, who is contributing $900,000 to the food scholarship and $1.5 million to general support for students. – University of Georgia Phillips School of Nursing Receives National Accreditation for Baccalaureate Degree Program The Phillips School of Nursing (PSON) at Mount Sinai Beth Israel announced today that its registered nurse (RN) to bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN) program has been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) for a period ... – Mount Sinai Health System Business News CSU Dominguez Hills’ Annual Economic Forecast Shows Steady Growth in 2017 California State University, Dominguez Hills’ (CSUDH) 2nd Annual South Bay Economic Forecast Conference reported that steady growth will continue in all the South Bay’s primary economic indicators—employment, wages, housing and taxable sales—... – California State University, Dominguez Hills