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University of Pennsylvania Researchers Demonstrate a Flexible, One-Step Assembly of Nanoscale Structures
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have created a one-step, repeatable method for the production of functional nanoscale patterns or motifs with adjustable features, size and shape using a single master "plate."


Rising energy, food prices major threats to wetlands as farmers eye new areas for crops
Critical food shortages and growing demand for bio-fuels and hydro-electricity due to high fossil fuel prices rank among the greatest threats today to the preservation of precious wetlands worldwide as farmers and developers look for new areas for agriculture, energy crop plantations and hydro dams.




Anti-HIV Therapy Boosts Life Expectancy
The life expectancy for patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has increased by more than 13 years since the late 1990s thanks to advancements in antiretroviral therapy, according to researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) and Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia.


NIDDK Publishes a Strategic Plan for Research into Benign Prostate Disease
For the first time, a strategic plan for research into benign prostate disease, based on the latest scientific knowledge, has been published by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).


Mustard - hot stuff for natural pest control
Researchers, growers and Industry specialists from 22 countries will share the latest research into the use of Brassica species, such as mustard, radish, or rapeseed, to manage soil-borne pests and weeds - a technique known as biofumigation.


Princeton scientists spy an electron dance
A team of scientists led by researchers from Princeton University has discovered a new way that electrons behave in materials. The discovery could lead to new kinds of electronic devices.


The Lightness of Electrons in a Twisting Metal Crystal
A team of researchers at Princeton University's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center has observed electrons moving through a crystal of bismuth metal behaving like light.


Uncertain future for elephants of Thailand
Worries over the future of Thailand' s famous elephants have emerged following an investigation by a University of Manchester team.


Scientists demonstrate highly directional semiconductor lasers
Applied scientists at Harvard University in collaboration with researchers from Hamamatsu Photonics in Hamamatsu City, Japan, have demonstrated, for the first time, highly directional semiconductor lasers with a much smaller beam divergence than conventional ones. The innovation opens the door to a wide range of applications in photonics and communications. Harvard University has also filed a broad patent on the invention.


Hip bone density helps predict breast cancer risk
Measuring a woman's bone mineral density can provide additional information that may help more accurately determine a woman's risk of developing breast cancer.


Angiotensin receptor blockers are lower incidence, progression of Alzheimer's disease
Researchers at Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have, for the first time, found that angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)-a particular class of anti-hypertensive medicines-are associated with a striking decrease in the occurrence and progression of dementia. Data from this study will be presented this weekend (July 27) at the 2008 International Conference on Alzheimer's disease in Chicago.


ASGE issues guidelines on the role of endoscopy in the bariatric surgery patient
The American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE) has issued guidelines on the role of endoscopy in the bariatric surgery patient.


Bacteria reveal secret of adaptation at Evolution Canyon
Bacteria living on opposite sides of a canyon have evolved to cope with different temperatures by altering the make-up of their 'skin', or cell membranes. Scientists have found that bacteria change these complex and important structures to adapt to different temperatures by looking at the appearance of the bacteria as well as their genes.


New research on pre-eclampsia in mice may have important implications for humans
In a new March of Dimes-funded study of pre-eclampsia, a serious and potentially deadly disorder that affects about 5 percent of pregnancies, researchers have found results in mice that may have important implications for diagnosis and treatment in humans.


Imiquimod, an immune response modifier, is dependent on the OGF-OGFr signaling pathway
Researchers at The Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania have discovered that the efficacy of imiquimod, a clinically important immune response modifier with potent antiviral and antitumor activity, is dependent on the Opioid Growth Factor (OGF)-OGF receptor (OGFr) axis for its action.


COROT finds exoplanet orbiting Sun-like star
A team of European scientists working with COROT have discovered an exoplanet orbiting a star slightly more massive than the Sun. After just 555 days in orbit, the mission has now observed more than 50 000 stars and is adding significantly to our knowledge of the fundamental workings of stars.


Defining DNA differences to track and tackle typhoid
For the first time, next-generation DNA sequencing technologies have been turned on typhoid fever - a disease that kills 600,000 people each year. The results will help to improve diagnosis, tracking of disease spread and could help to design new strategies for vaccination.


Prostate cancer patients undergoing hormone therapy may experience cognitive effects
A recent review of the literature has found that hormone deprivation therapy, a commonly used treatment for prostate cancer, may have subtle adverse effects on cognition in patients-- such as in the ability to recall and concentrate.


Francisella tularensis: Stopping a biological weapon
Scientists hope a vaccine is on the horizon for tularemia, a fatal disease caused by the pathogen Francisella tularensis, an organism of concern as a potential biological warfare agent. Until recently we knew very little about this bacterium.


Antimicrobial Sutures Reduce Infections in Brain Shunt Surgery, Study Finds
Children born with hydrocephalus, or "water on the brain" must have shunts implanted to drain the fluid away from the brain to reduce harmful pressure.


University of Minnesota researchers map out America's deadliest roads
Would you be surprised to learn that nine people died last year on the highway you take to work everyday? Or would you be shocked to see that six teenagers died within five miles of your home in fatal car accidents?


Prevalence of dementia in the developing world underestimated
Previous estimates of levels of dementia in the developing world may have substantially underestimated the problem, according to research published today. The findings suggest that policymakers in low-income and middle-income countries may need to re-examine the burden and impact that dementia places on their health services.


Joy Luck Club: The health benefits of daughters-in-law
In a new twist on the Confucian ideal of filial piety, a study finds that the assistance of daughters-in-law - but not their own children - helps mitigate depression among older people in China. This is particularly true in rural areas, where elders may rely more heavily on family to be support providers.


Limits on futures trading could boost gas prices, expert says
Proposals to reign in wallet-draining gasoline prices by curbing speculation in oil markets would likely increase costs at the pump instead of trimming them, a University of Illinois economist says.


Confidence a key to recent economic initiatives, U. of I. expert says
Restoring confidence in the sputtering U.S. economy is at the heart of recent moves to shore up the nation's lagging financial and housing markets, a University of Illinois economist says.


New study spotlights National Institutes of Health grant outcomes for clinical research
Although the need to translate basic science discoveries into the clinical arena is widely acknowledged, a new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin, in Milwaukee, and National Institutes of Health (NIH) identified reasons why clinical science grant applications receive less positive peer reviews than basic science grant applications to the NIH. The findings were published in the July issue of The American Journal of Medicine.


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