Newswise: Latest News

Sleep Deprivation Influences Drug Use in Teens' Social Networks

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 20:00:00 EST

Recent studies have shown that behaviors such as happiness, obesity, smoking and altruism are "contagious" within adult social networks. In other words, your behavior not only influences your friends, but also their friends and so on. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego and Harvard University have taken this a step farther and found that the spread of one behavior in social networks influences the spread of another behavior, adolescent drug use.

"Know Your Family's Autoimmune Quotient (AQ)" Campaign Highlights National Autoimmune Diseases Awareness Month

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 17:00:00 EST

In honor of the designation of March as National Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month by the U.S. Senate on March 4, 2010, the American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association (AARDA) wants to help you learn your family's AQ. AQ is a play on IQ that stands for Autoimmune Quotient. It's about knowing how likely you or a loved one is to develop an autoimmune disease, based on the prevalence of these diseases and your family history.

Treating Blood Infections Tops Annual Hospital Cost Increases

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:15:00 EST

The hospital costs for treating septicemia increased by an average of nearly 12 percent each year from 1997 to 2007, increasing from $4.1 billion in 1997 to $12.3 billion in 2007.

Prepared Patient: On Your Own With Multiple Meds

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

Overwhelmed by the vials, bottles and inhalers bulging from your medicine cabinet ? Confused about which drug is which, or when to take what?

NCAA-Related Sports Medicine News Tips from Johns Hopkins Medicine

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

Listed in this article are story ideas from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine with a partial focus on the upcoming NCAA Basketball tournaments.

Re-Accreditation Confirms High Quality, Ethical Research at Baylor Research Institute

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:00:00 EST

Officials announced today that Baylor Research Institute (BRI), part of the Baylor Health Care System, was recently re-accredited by the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP). The re-accreditation certifies that BRI maintains efficient systems for monitoring research participant safety and embraces ethical standards higher than required by law in order to protect human participants participating in BRI research programs.

Causes Found for Stiff Skin Conditions

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:45:00 EST

By studying the genetics of a rare inherited disorder called stiff skin syndrome, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have learned more about scleroderma, a condition affecting about one in 5,000 people that leads to hardening of the skin as well as other debilitating and often life-threatening problems. The findings, which appear this week in Science Translational Medicine, open doors to testing new treatments.

Acne Drug Prevents HIV Breakout

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:45:00 EST

Johns Hopkins scientists have found that a safe and inexpensive antibiotic in use since the 1970s for treating acne effectively targets infected immune cells in which HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, lies dormant and prevents them from reactivating and replicating.

Oldest Collegiate Bach Festival Celebrates 78 Years

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:55:00 EST

The annual Baldwin-Wallace College Bach Festival, April 16-18, brings together international soloists, B-W students and faculty, who perform the music of J.S. Bach and his contemporaries.

How 'Seven Revolutions' Will Shape the Future

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:50:00 EST

What will our world look like in 15 years? If your organization hasn't paused to consider this question, Erik Peterson, senior advisor for a prominent D.C. think-tank, says you're risking your company's future and bottom line.

Hiring Subsidy Bill Will Not Deliver Jobs as Promised, Says Expert

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 14:20:00 EST

John H. Bishop, a professor at Cornell University's ILR School, says the federal hiring bill approved by the Senate on March 17 is less effective than the subsidy proposed by President Barack Obama.

Timothy Hla Appointed to Lead Center for Vascular Biology at Weill Cornell Medical College

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:50:00 EST

One of the nation's foremost vascular biologists, Dr. Timothy T. Hla, has been appointed as the new director of the Center for Vascular Biology and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Mayo Research: Intervention Drops Hospital Infection Rate by One-Third

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Clostridium difficile infection nears zero

Rare Lady Beetles Prefer Traditional Diet

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

South Dakota entomologists have discovered a way to preserve & grow rare, captive lady beetles that could help farmers fight invasive aphids harmful to their crops. It's all a matter of paying attention to diet & enlisting help from citizen scientists.

Professor Discusses the Science Behind Earthquakes

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

A series of major earthquakes have struck countries in the Caribbean, South America and Asia, causing catastrophic damage. Large-scale relief efforts are in place in the hardest-hit nations, including Haiti and Chile. Northeastern earth and environmental sciences professor Jennifer Cole discusses what causes earthquakes and how one natural disaster can lead to another.

From "Green" Buildings to Sustainable Tourism: Ryerson Experts Discuss Earth Day

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Ryerson University experts can offer insight on environment topics from sustainable housing to renewable energy and plugging electricity "leaks" in your home.

Researchers Present Study on How Global Climate Change Affects Violence

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Iowa State University researchers used U.S. government data (1950-2008) in a climate change study that estimates an annual average temperature increase of 8 deg.F will increase the yearly murder and assault rate by 34 per 100,000 people.

Ohio Students Create Solutions to 'Green' Existing Gas Stations

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Three college seniors are helping a local 24-hour Marathon gas station make some changes that not only help the environment but also save the station owners money. The students were charged with generating ideas that were cost effective and could be implemented without interrupting daily operations.

Chemist Monitors Nanotechnology's Environmental Impact

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Interest in 'green' innovation means not just thinking big but also very, very, very small. At least that's the way Omowunmi Sadik, director of Binghamton University's Center for Advanced Sensors and Environmental Systems, sees it. She's working to develop sensors that would detect and identify engineered nanoparticles. Her research will advance our understanding of the risks associated with the environmental release and transformation of these particles.

World Policymakers Have Underestimated Climate-Change Impacts, Says Expert

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Charles H. Greene, Cornell professor of Earth and atmospheric science, and colleagues have published in the peer-reviewed journal Oceanography (March 2010). The scientists conclude that the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 4th assessment report underestimates the potential dangerous impacts that man-made climate change will have on society.

Inside the Plastic Vortex

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Last summer, minutes before leaving port on a voyage to the North Pacific Ocean Gyre, Chief Scientist Miriam Goldstein was frank about what might and might not be encountered during the expedition to a place that has become known as the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch." Goldstein made it clear to fellow scientists, cruise volunteers, and a few members of the news media that SEAPLEX would be an exploratory voyage.

Clean Snowmobile Challenge Tests Lower-Emission, Quieter Sleds

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

Despite unseasonably warm March weather, teams of college snowmobile engineers are competing in the annual Clean Snowmobile Challenge at Michigan Technological University.

Cup Plant Is Potential New Biomass/Carbon Storage Crop

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:00:00 EST

South Dakota State University research is exploring a native perennial called cup plant as a potential new biomass crop that could also store carbon in its extensive root system and add biodiversity to biomass plantings.

Vote Is the Endgame for the Health Care Reform Debate, Says Policy Expert

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:45:00 EST

"If the House passes the latest version of legislation this weekend and sends it to the Senate, that will be the key legislative event in the long health care debate, because both chambers have already passed the legislation," says Timothy McBride, Ph.D., health economist and associate dean of public health at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. "I believe the House will pass the legislation, but the vote will be very close, probably within one vote or two. The House probably has not had a vote this close since the vote on Medicare prescription drugs."

USDA and NSF International 2010 Food Safety Education Conference to Attract over 600 Food Safety Experts

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 11:40:00 EST

The USDA and NSF International will be hosting a 2010 Food Safety Education Conference, ""Advancements in Food Safety Education: Trends, Tools and Technologies" on March 23-26, 2010, at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Ga. More information is available at www.fsis.usda.gov/Atlanta2010.