Curated News: Top Hit Stories

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The following health policy experts at the GW Medical Center are available to comment on the State of the Union address.

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Loyola weight loss specialist physicians and psycologist comment on Starbucks new "trenta" 31 oz beverage offering and offer tips on how people self monitor eating/drinking.

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Policy makers, industry, researchers and the public have a new way to gain and share information about biofuels with the Bioenergy Knowledge Discovery Framework, or KDF, developed by a team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and sponsored by the Department of Energy.

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The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and its members are extremely troubled to learn that the anesthetic drug, sodium thiopental (Pentothal®), will no longer be available to patients in the U.S. or any other country due to the unfortunate circumstances in Italy that led the sole manufacturer, Hospira, to cease production of the drug.

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In the first phase of a more than two-year study funded by InterDigital, Virginia Tech researchers have made great strides in the development of more reliable and efficient spectrum sensing techniques that will be needed to meet the ever-expanding demand for wireless technologies.

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A strain of bacteria found in soil is being studied for its ability to convert waste from a promising alternative fuel into several useful materials, including another alternative fuel.

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Physicians will replace diseased cardiac valves through a single, tiny puncture hole in the patient's groin, as part of a research study.

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Joslin Diabetes Center researchers have identified a key molecular player that contributes to the increased bleeding that hemorrhagic strokes may cause in people with diabetes.

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Health care reform should be able to mend a disconnect that has existed between the recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and Medicare coverage for those services.

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Canada's national parks have seen many changes in the 100 years they have been around. Our national parks and Canadians' connections to them have helped shaped Canada's national identity.

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A research team that includes scientists from the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research (SFBR) reported today that inadequate nutrition during early pregnancy impairs fetal brain development. The researchers found decreased formation of cell-to-cell connections, cell division and amounts of growth factors in the fetuses of mothers fed a reduced diet during the first half of pregnancy, in baboons located at SFBR’s Southwest National Primate Research Center.

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Recent research finds that the next generation of the American family is more ethnically diverse, cash-strapped, cuisine-savvy, and health-concerned than ever before. An article in the January issue of Food Technology magazine identifies new culinary, health, and restaurant behaviors shaping the food choices of tomorrow’s family.

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In research described as “a stark warning” to those tempted to start smoking, scientists are reporting that cigarette smoke begins to cause genetic damage within minutes — not years — after inhalation into the lungs. Their report, the first human study to detail the way certain substances in tobacco cause DNA damage linked to cancer, appears in ACS’ Chemical Research in Toxicology, a monthly journal.

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This commentary by renowned social scientist Dennis Embry emphasizes the severity of mental health issues facing our nation's youth. Dr. Embry advocates for the use of "behavioral vaccines" to improve mental health and reduce the problems it causes.

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Joel Dvoskin, PhD, is a clinical psychologist based in Tucson, Ariz. He is author of numerous articles and chapters in professional journals and texts, including a number of articles that deal with treatment of people with serious mental illness and co-occurring substance use disorders.

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Though the cause of Alzheimer’s disease still is unknown, recent studies have implicated three proteins strongly in its onset., amyloid beta, tau, and Fyn. New research from UAB and others indicates that interactions between those three proteins might lead to brain dysfunction and AD in a mouse model of the disease.

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For the first time in history, the next generation of Americans will not live as long or longer than their parents due to complications from obesity.

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The newly discovered crocodile ancestor came on the scene about the same time as dinosaurs began evolving.

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An international team of astronomers has detected one of the earliest “protoclusters” of galaxies ever, about 12.5 billion light years from Earth. In the current issue of Nature, they report catching the cluster in the act of formation when the Universe was only 1 billion years old.

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According to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), exposure to electrical light between dusk and bedtime strongly suppresses melatonin levels and may impact physiologic processes regulated by melatonin signaling, such as sleepiness, thermoregulation, blood pressure and glucose homeostasis.

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Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have launched a new clinical trial to determine if estrogen replacement therapy may help prevent depression and cardiovascular illness in women between the ages of 45 and 55.

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Behavioral therapies such as pelvic-floor-muscle training and bladder-control strategies can reduce incontinence episodes by more than 50 percent in men following prostate-cancer surgery, according to new research from UAB Center. The findings, published in JAMA on Jan. 12, 2011, indicate that these therapies can improve bladder control and enhance quality of life.

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A mysterious, glowing, green blob of gas is floating in space near a spiral galaxy. Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope uncovered delicate filaments of gas and a pocket of young star clusters in the giant object called Hanny's Voorwerp, which is the size of our Milky Way galaxy. These results will be presented at the meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Jan. 10, 2011.

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Although the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic infected an estimated 60 million people and hospitalized more than 250,000 in the United States, it also brought one significant benefit—clues about how to make a vaccine that could protect against multiple strains of influenza.

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Health care reform as presented will be good for Americans, according to Dr. Joel Rudin, a professor in the Management and Entrepreneurship Department in the Rohrer College of Business at Rowan University, Glassboro, N.J.

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Animal experiments suggest that taking the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexanoic acid (DHA) might offer a new way of protecting against traumatic brain injury (TBI), reports the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons.

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University of Maryland's homeland security professor Michael Greenberger to comment on bomb explostions today in two state government buildings in Maryland, including in Annapolis.

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Animal study suggests the control of cholesterol may be useful in the reduction of breast cancer development and aggressiveness

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On Wednesday, January 26, as part of Perimeter Institute’s Public Lecture Series presented by Sun Life Financial, Sara Seager will share her unique insights into recent Kepler announcements, and detail pioneering technology developments that will fuel the search for life on other worlds.

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Mount Sinai researchers coordinating the largest clinical study to date of ”Sarcoid Like” Granulomatous Pulmonary Disease in World Trade Center (WTC) responders have found that the rate of the condition was increased in this group as compared to the records of pre-9/11 FDNY personnel.

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Women who have multiple sclerosis (MS) are more likely to have a gene associated with multiple sclerosis than men with the disease and it is this gene region where environment interacts with the genetics, according to a study published in the January 5, 2011, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

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Tweets from popular news organizations have a major influence on hot Twitter topics, but a Northwestern University analysis of the Top Twitter Trends in 2010 shows that celebrities, such as Adam Lambert and Conan O’Brian, sometimes beat out news organizations and reigned as Twitter’s top influencers on big news stories.

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Men are more willing to receive human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine when they learn the vaccine can prevent cancer, according to a recent University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill study.

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An epidemiological study conducted by researchers at Tufts University and the Corporacion Ecuatoriana de Biotecnologia showed that the metabolic syndrome was prevalent in a small population of older adults living in Ecuador and that a poor diet appeared to contribute.

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The January issue of the journal Anesthesiology examines the issue of burnout among anesthesiologists. Two studies provide significant burnout statistics among these highly trained medical specialists...

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An entirely new type of nanomaterial developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute could enable the next generation of high-power rechargeable lithium (Li)-ion batteries for electric automobiles, as well as batteries for laptop computers, mobile phones, and other portable devices.

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The National Center for Family Literacy and Toyota announced are accepting applications for the 2011 Toyota Family Literacy Teacher of the Year. The winner will receive $10,000 for his or her family literacy program as well as a free trip to the 2011 National Conference on Family Literacy.

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University of Michigan researchers have found new evidence that our genes help determine our susceptibility to depression. Their findings, published online today in the Archives of General Psychiatry, challenge a 2009 study that called the genetic link into question and add new support to earlier research hailed as a medical breakthrough.

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A new meta-analysis of data from more than 100,000 people has identified novel variants in over two dozen genes associated with adult height. The study team's technique may be useful in discovering genes in complex diseases.

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The Mediterranean diet, rich in vegetables, fish and olive oil and moderate in wine and alcohol, is associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in older adults, according to researchers at Rush University Medical Center.

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Addiction researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that a risk for alcoholism also may put individuals at risk for obesity, and the association between a family history of alcoholism and obesity risk has become more pronounced in recent years.

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Consistent exercise is associated with a lower risk of dying from colon cancer, according to a new study led by Siteman Cancer Center researchers at Washington University and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. The study is among the first to show that physical activity can make the disease less deadly.

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Hospital emergency department visits involving underage drinking increased more than 250 percent on New Year’s Day according to a new study by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The brief study shows that on New Year’s Day 2009, there were an estimated 1,980 emergency department visits involving underage drinking, compared to 546 such visits on an average day that year - a 263 percent increase.

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Loyola chair of OB/GYN candidly and humorously discusses the medical community's race for the first baby of the new year and defines the terms and ways to win.

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Exercise and B vitamins can help cure a hangover, but coffee won't help.

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Need help choosing a New Year’s resolution? Research from the University at Buffalo can provide some direction. Below is a summary of useful health and wellness tips assembled from studies published by UB researchers in 2010.

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Plan your exit before you enter a new business market may sound like strange advice, but it comes from an expert in entrepreneurship with experience to prove it. Olin Business School professor Clifford Holekamp shares his expertise in the December issue of Octane, the award winning magazine of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization.

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With “green” on the mind from holiday trees, wreaths, and garlands, here’s a package of ideas for keeping “green” — as in sustainable, eco-friendly — in your life throughout 2011 and beyond. They are gems on sustainability hand-picked from almost 38,000 scientific reports published in 2010 in the American Chemical Society’s 38 peer-reviewed scientific journals and its weekly newsmagazine, Chemical & Engineering News.

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A new study finds that microscopic particles of dust, emitted into the atmosphere when dirt breaks apart, follow similar fragment patterns as broken glass and other brittle objects. The research suggests there are several times more dust particles in the atmosphere than previously believed, since shattered dirt appears to produce an unexpectedly high number of large dust fragments. The finding has implications for understanding future climate change because dust plays a significant role in controlling the amount of solar energy in the atmosphere.

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Starch granules from plant food were discovered trapped in the dental calculus on 40-thousand-year-old Neandertal teeth, leading scientists to believe that Neandertals ate a wide variety of plants and included cooked grains as part of a more sophisticated, diverse diet similar to early modern humans.