http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. (PhysOrg.com) -- No doubt proteins are complex. Most are "large" and full of interdependent branches, pockets and bends in their final folded structure. This complexity frustrates biochemists and protein engineers seeking to understand protein structure and function in order to reproduce or create new uses for these natural molecules to fight diseases or for use in industry. http://www.physorg.com/news157043680.html Chemistry Mon, 23 Mar 2009 16:15:03 EST news157043680 Blindness in millions of people with diseases that starve eye tissue and nerves of oxygen might be averted with a procedure being developed by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the University of Southern California and the University of Tennessee. http://www.physorg.com/news156711842.html Medicine & Health Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:05:24 EST news156711842 The benefits of moderate physical activity to general health and well-being are well known. It is recommended that people engage in 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity physical activity, equivalent to 30 minutes each day 5 times a week. Although pedometers are widely used as a physical activity monitoring tool, they are unable to measure activity intensity. http://www.physorg.com/news156506702.html Medicine & Health Tue, 17 Mar 2009 11:05:50 EST news156506702 Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is commonly associated with smell of rotten eggs, stink bombs and blocked drains but lower blood levels of the gas are possibly linked to cardiovascular complications in some male patients with type II diabetes, according to research recently presented by researchers at the Peninsula Medical School in the South West of England at the Annual Diabetes UK Professional Conference in Glasgow this week and published in Diabetic Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news156451086.html Medicine & Health Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:40:11 EST news156451086 Single oxygen atoms dancing on a metal oxide slab, glowing brighter here and dimmer there, have helped chemists better understand how water splits into oxygen and hydrogen. In the process, the scientists have visualized a chemical reaction that had previously only been talked about. The new work improves our understanding of the chemistry needed to generate hydrogen fuel from water or to clean contaminated water. http://www.physorg.com/news156433818.html Physics Mon, 16 Mar 2009 14:51:05 EST news156433818 Hyperbaric treatment for children with autism has reportedly led to improvements in the condition, though previous studies were uncontrolled. Now, a new study published in the open access journal, BMC Pediatrics, is the first controlled trial to report clinical improvements. http://www.physorg.com/news156161909.html Medicine & Health Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:19:11 EST news156161909 Ecological changes caused by humans affect natural biodiversity. For example, the eutrophication of Greifensee and Lake Constance in the 1970s and 1980s led to genetic changes in a species of water flea which was ultimately displaced. Despite the fact that water quality has since been significantly improved, this species has not been re-established. This was demonstrated by researchers from Eawag and from two German universities (Frankfurt and Konstanz), who analysed genetic material from Daphnia eggs up to 100 years old. http://www.physorg.com/news156104885.html Biology Thu, 12 Mar 2009 19:28:40 EST news156104885 (PhysOrg.com) -- Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, researchers have found evidence suggesting that stars rich in carbon complex molecules may form at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. http://www.physorg.com/news156100255.html Space & Earth Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:11:27 EST news156100255 A study to determine if patients with type 2 diabetes can benefit from a combination of autologous (patient self-donated) stem cell infusions (ASC) and hyperbaric (above the normal air pressure of ) oxygen treatment (HBO) before and after ASC has found "significant benefits" in terms of "improvements in glycemic control" along with "reduced insulin requirements." The combination therapy could decrease type 2 diabetes morbidity and mortality, said the authors, who published their study results in the latest issue of Cell Transplantation (Vol. 17 No.12). http://www.physorg.com/news156091553.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Mar 2009 15:46:41 EST news156091553 A new study reveals the mechanism by which a genetic mutation linked with Parkinson's disease (PD) renders dopamine neurons particularly vulnerable to cell injury and death. The research is published by Cell Press in the March 13th issue of the journal Molecular Cell. http://www.physorg.com/news156085299.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Mar 2009 14:02:12 EST news156085299 Estrogen may be a new postnatal therapy to improve lung function and other outcomes in preterm infants, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study. http://www.physorg.com/news156060657.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:11:28 EST news156060657 (PhysOrg.com) -- A University of Arkansas researcher studying the way caves "breathe" is providing new insights into the process by which scientists study paleoclimates. http://www.physorg.com/news155836786.html Space & Earth Mon, 09 Mar 2009 17:01:02 EST news155836786 Dual catalysts may be the key to efficiently turning carbon dioxide and water vapor into methane and other hydrocarbons using titania nanotubes and solar power, according to Penn State researchers. http://www.physorg.com/news155471367.html Nanotechnology Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:30:08 EST news155471367 If someone ever calls you a "dirty rat," consider it a compliment. A new discovery published online in the FASEB Journal shows that cellular mechanisms used by the blind mole rat to survive the very low oxygen environment of its subterranean niche are the same as those that tumors use to thrive deep in our tissues. The net effect of this discovery is two-fold: first the blind mole rat can serve a "living tumor" in cancer research; and -perhaps more important -that unique gene in the blind mole rat becomes a prime target for new anti-cancer drugs that can "suffocate" tumors. http://www.physorg.com/news155386021.html Biology Wed, 04 Mar 2009 10:47:22 EST news155386021 A University of Pennsylvania team has completed the first successful demonstration of a noninvasive optical device to monitor cerebral blood flow in patients with acute stroke, a leading cause of disability and death. http://www.physorg.com/news155227588.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:47:23 EST news155227588 (PhysOrg.com) -- Ferroelectric materials display a spontaneous electric polarization below the Curie temperature that can be reoriented, typically by applying an electric field. In this study, researchers from Argonne, Northern Illinois University, and The University of Pennsylvania have demonstrated that the chemical environment can control the polarization orientation in an ultrathin ferroelectric film. http://www.physorg.com/news154799563.html Physics Wed, 25 Feb 2009 15:53:16 EST news154799563 When participants performed a mentally fatiguing task prior to a difficult exercise test, they reached exhaustion more quickly than when they did the same exercise when mentally rested, a new study finds. http://www.physorg.com/news154678090.html Medicine & Health Tue, 24 Feb 2009 06:08:49 EST news154678090 The phenomenon of light emission by living organisms, bioluminescence, is quite common, especially in marine species. It is known that light is generated by chemical reactions in which oxygen molecules play an important part. In the animal world, these chemical reactions take place in special luminescent cells called photocytes. These are aggregated into complex light organs, in which the intensity of light is regulated by nerve impulses, and in which light can be modulated with the help of reflectors, lenses and filters. By these means, organisms can adjust the wavelength, diffusion and intensity of light according to need. But the exact mechanisms behind these processes remain shrouded in mystery. http://www.physorg.com/news154618501.html Biology Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:35:34 EST news154618501 There may be a new way to predict mortality in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a devastating disease that slowly petrifies the lungs. Most patients live only three years after diagnosis on average; however, some remain stable for many years, while for others, the disease progresses more rapidly. http://www.physorg.com/news154342144.html Medicine & Health Fri, 20 Feb 2009 08:49:37 EST news154342144 Protecting drinking water and preventing harmful coastal "dead zones", as well as eutrophication in many lakes, will require reducing both nitrogen and phosphorus pollution. Because streams and rivers are conduits to the sea, management strategies should be implemented along the land-to-ocean continuum. In most cases, strategies that focus only on one nutrient will fail. http://www.physorg.com/news154278113.html Biology Thu, 19 Feb 2009 15:02:22 EST news154278113 (PhysOrg.com) -- As the world marks the 200th anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth, there is much focus on evolution in animals and plants. But new research shows that for the countless billions of tiniest creatures - microbes - large-scale evolution was completed 2.5 billion years ago. http://www.physorg.com/news154275830.html Biology Thu, 19 Feb 2009 14:24:24 EST news154275830 A Johns Hopkins engineer is trying to coax human stem cells to turn into networks of new blood vessels that could someday be used to replace damaged tissue in people with heart disease, diabetes and other illnesses. http://www.physorg.com/news154201708.html Medicine & Health Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:49:10 EST news154201708 For more than 40 years, the prevailing explanation of why we get old has been tied to what is called oxidative stress. This theory postulates that when molecules like free radicals, oxygen ions and peroxides build up in cells, they overwhelm the cells` ability to repair the damage they cause, and the cells age. http://www.physorg.com/news154117063.html Biology Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:18:36 EST news154117063 Our blood vessels provide all growing tissues with oxygen and nutrients. The growth of blood vessels (a process termed angiogenesis) is indispensable for the proper functioning of organs and the repair of tissues when they have become damaged. http://www.physorg.com/news153670072.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Feb 2009 14:08:19 EST news153670072 A report publishing online on February 12th in the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, suggests a counterintuitive new method to make cancer less likely to spread: by normalizing the shape of tumors' blood vessels to improve their oxygen supply. Such a treatment strategy might also boost the efficacy and reduce resistance to available anti-cancer drugs and so-called anti-angiogenic drugs that work by cutting off the growth of new blood vessels. http://www.physorg.com/news153665488.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:52:14 EST news153665488 (PhysOrg.com) -- As fuel cells are becoming more popular due to their potential use in applications such as hydrogen-powered vehicles, auxiliary power systems, and electronic devices, the need for the precious metal platinum is also increasing. In fuel cells, platinum is often used as the catalyst for oxygen reduction by splitting oxygen molecules into oxygen ions. However, platinum is rare and expensive: in a fuel cell for a typical car, the platinum catalyst costs about $4,000. http://www.physorg.com/news153413712.html Nanotechnology Mon, 09 Feb 2009 14:55:56 EST news153413712 Electronic implants that dispense medicines automatically or via a wireless medical network are on the horizon. Australian and US researchers warn of the security risks in a forthcoming issue of the International Journal of Biomedical Engineering and Technology. http://www.physorg.com/news153137835.html Biology Fri, 06 Feb 2009 10:19:05 EST news153137835 Compared to dialysis patients living near sea level, dialysis patients living at an altitude higher than 4,000 feet have a 12-15 percent lower rate of death, according to a study in the February 4 issue of JAMA. http://www.physorg.com/news152901744.html Medicine & Health Tue, 03 Feb 2009 16:47:05 EST news152901744 (PhysOrg.com) -- Virginia Commonwealth University researchers have found that the protein Stat3 plays a key role in regulating mitochondria, the energy-producing machines of cells. This discovery could one day lead to the development of new treatments for heart disease to boost energy in failing heart muscle or to master the abnormal metabolism of cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news152374253.html Biology Wed, 28 Jan 2009 14:11:23 EST news152374253 A paper co-authored by Beatrice Golomb, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and director of UC San Diego's Statin Study group cites nearly 900 studies on the adverse effects of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), a class of drugs widely used to treat high cholesterol. http://www.physorg.com/news152273287.html Medicine & Health Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:08:38 EST news152273287