- September 8, 2009
- 03:57 AM
- 806 views
New anti-cancer role for p53
by Charles Daney in Science and Reason
I suppose that just about everyone knows of the important role the p53 protein plays in protecting cells from becoming cancerous. The protein was identified 30 years ago and its gene (TP53) cloned soon thereafter. What's not so widely known is just how complex the operation of p53 in protecting against cancer really is. And very recent research shows the complexity is even more than previously thought. However, the complexity is to be expected, because evolution doesn't "design" cellular mechani........ Read more »
Suzuki, H., Yamagata, K., Sugimoto, K., Iwamoto, T., Kato, S., & Miyazono, K. (2009) Modulation of microRNA processing by p53. Nature, 460(7254), 529-533. DOI: 10.1038/nature08199
- September 8, 2009
- 02:45 AM
- 1,302 views
Young Lemon Sharks Stay Close to Home
by Laura Klappenbach in About Animals / Wildlife
It seems young lemon sharks that live in the waters around the Bahamas are homebodies. Recent research has revealed that these "teenage" sharks stay close to their birthplace as they mature. Previously, little was known about the wanderings of the sharks after they reached 3 years of age. Scientists were uncertain whether they dispersed into new territory as they gained experience or if they lingered close to their nursery sites. These new findings reveal that more than half of teenage........ Read more »
CHAPMAN, D., BABCOCK, E., GRUBER, S., DIBATTISTA, J., FRANKS, B., KESSEL, S., GUTTRIDGE, T., PIKITCH, E., & FELDHEIM, K. (2009) Long-term natal site-fidelity by immature lemon sharks ( ) at a subtropical island . Molecular Ecology, 18(16), 3500-3507. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2009.04289.x
- September 8, 2009
- 02:31 AM
- 1,266 views
Empathy during Medical Education
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
There is a significant decline in empathy occurs during the third year of medical school. This decline occurs during a time when the curriculum is shifting toward patient-care activities.
There is a significant decline in empathy during third year of medical school, regardless of gender or specialty interest.
Every year women scored significantly higher than men.This seems [...]... Read more »
Hojat, M., Vergare, M., Maxwell, K., Brainard, G., Herrine, S., Isenberg, G., Veloski, J., & Gonnella, J. (2009) The Devil is in the Third Year: A Longitudinal Study of Erosion of Empathy in Medical School. Academic Medicine, 84(9), 1182-1191. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181b17e55
Spiro, H. (2009) Commentary: The Practice of Empathy. Academic Medicine, 84(9), 1177-1179. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181b18934
Crandall, S., & Marion, G. (2009) Commentary: Identifying Attitudes Towards Empathy: An Essential Feature of Professionalism. Academic Medicine, 84(9), 1174-1176. DOI: 10.1097/ACM.0b013e3181b17b11
- September 7, 2009
- 11:31 PM
- 707 views
Symmetry Part 4: Unequal Asymmetries
by Wayne Hooke in The Psychology of Beauty
TTypically, the research on symmetry and attractiveness does not take the specific location of the asymmetry or asymmetries into account. Springer, et.al. (2007) compared attractiveness ratings of photos of 2 men and 2 women (like the one to the right) in the following conditions:
nevus free (birthmark, beauty mark, or blemish)
a digitally added single nevus at [...]... Read more »
Springer, I., Wannicke, B., Warnke, P., Zernial, O., Wiltfang, J., Russo, P., Terheyden, H., Reinhardt, A., & Wolfart, S. (2007) Facial Attractiveness. Annals of Plastic Surgery, 59(2), 156-162. DOI: 10.1097/01.sap.0000252041.66540.ec
- September 7, 2009
- 11:00 PM
- 610 views
On the Hunt
by Journal Watch Online in Journal Watch Online
DNA barcodes could assist tracking of illegal bushmeat
... Read more »
Eaton, M., Meyers, G., Kolokotronis, S., Leslie, M., Martin, A., & Amato, G. (2009) Barcoding bushmeat: molecular identification of Central African and South American harvested vertebrates. Conservation Genetics. DOI: 10.1007/s10592-009-9967-0
- September 7, 2009
- 07:50 PM
- 1,391 views
Unicolonial Ants Pose Challenge to "Selfish Gene" Theory
by Eric Michael Johnson in The Primate Diaries
Unicolonial ants, such as these Argentine ants (Linepithema humile), are genetically unrelated but will cooperate to defeat a much larger adversary.
Source: Alex Wild / Live Science
It has been a mainstay of evolutionary theory since the 1970s. Natural selection acts purely on the level of the individual and any cooperation observed between organisms merely hides a selfish genetic motive. There have been two pioneering theories to explain cooperation in the natural world given this framework:........ Read more »
Helantera, H., Strassman, J.E., Carrillo, J., Queller, D.C. (2009) Unicolonial ants: where do they come from, what are they and where are they going? . Trends in Ecology and Evolution.
- September 7, 2009
- 06:17 PM
- 1,283 views
Patient-determined outcomes: If you can’t take my pain away, then at least let me do more
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
If I had a dollar for every time that I’ve asked someone what they would like from pain management and they’ve answered ‘take my pain away’ – well I wouldn’t be writing this blog early in the morning before work!
The findings from this piece of research by Thorne and Morley (2009) suggests that people think [...]... Read more »
Thorne, F., & Morley, S. (2009) Prospective judgments of acceptable outcomes for pain, interference and activity: Patient-determined outcome criteria. Pain, 144(3), 262-269. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.04.004
Vowles, K., & Robinson, M. (2009) Progressing towards acceptable treatment outcomes. Pain, 144(3), 228-229. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.05.008
- September 7, 2009
- 04:17 PM
- 1,290 views
Epigenetics - Implications for behavioral neuroendocrinology
by Manasi in Wissenschaft
Individuals vary in their sociosexual behavior and reactivity. How an organism interacts with the environment to produce these variations has been a focus in psychology since its inception as a scientific discipline.There is now no question that cumulative experiences throughout life history interact with genetic predispositions to shape the individual's behavior. Recent evidence suggests that events in the past generations may also influence how an individual responds to events in their own li........ Read more »
CREWS, D. (2008) Epigenetics and its implications for behavioral neuroendocrinology. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 29(3), 344-357. DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2008.01.003
- September 7, 2009
- 04:03 PM
- 675 views
How to optimize host transmission in a complex parasite
by Devin Drown in Coevolvers
Hammerschmidt and colleagues (2009) recently published an empirical investigation of optimal host switching. Parasites that must infect multiple hosts to complete their life cycle face a complex set of challenges. One of these is determining the timing of the switch. The authors of this paper look at the trade-off involved in staying in an intermediate host so as to become larger and more fecund in the next host and the increased chance of mortality in the current host. The authors conduct t........ Read more »
Hammerschmidt, K., Koch, K., Milinski, M., Chubb, J., & Parker, G. (2009) Whe to go: Optimzation of host switching in parasites with complex life cycles. Evolution, 63(8), 1976-1986. DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.2009.00687.x
- September 7, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 759 views
New Antipsychotic Agent in the US Market
by Shaheen Lakhan in Brain Blogger
More than 50 years ago, the first antipsychotic medications appeared in the United States. While these drugs -– fluphenazine, haloperidol, chlorpromazine, and others — were effective in treating a variety of psychiatric conditions, their safety and tolerability presented many drawbacks. It was not until the 1990s when a new class of antipsychotic medications emerged that [...]... Read more »
Bishara, D., & Taylor, D. (2008) Upcoming Agents for the Treatment of Schizophrenia. Drugs, 68(16), 2269-2292. DOI: 10.2165/0003495-200868160-00002
Peritogiannis, V., Stefanou, E., Lixouriotis, C., Gkogkos, C., & Rizos, D. (2009) Atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of delirium. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences. DOI: 10.1111/j.1440-1819.2009.02002.x
- September 7, 2009
- 08:00 AM
- 910 views
50 Million Chemicals and Counting
by sciencebase in Sciencebase Science Blog
Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) will announce the 50 millionth registered chemical substance in its Registry, tomorrow (8th September).
According to the email I received from a CAS spokesman, “The number itself represents an important milestone both for researchers and CAS, but even more significant is the pace of scientific discovery around the world.” Roger Schenck, Manager [...]50 Million Chemicals and Counting is a post from: Sciencebase Science Blog
... Read more »
Lipkus, A., Yuan, Q., Lucas, K., Funk, S., Bartelt, W., Schenck, R., & Trippe, A. (2008) Structural Diversity of Organic Chemistry. A Scaffold Analysis of the CAS Registry. The Journal of Organic Chemistry, 73(12), 4443-4451. DOI: 10.1021/jo8001276
- September 7, 2009
- 07:00 AM
- 1,374 views
Fence lizards versus fire ants: Evolutionary fail?
by Zen Faulkes in NeuroDojo
As many know, this is the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of Species. If I may be so bold, one of the things that might distinguish our thinking about evolution in the last 50 years from the first hundred years might be the speed at which natural selection can operate. For a long time, we thought of evolution taking long times: millions of years would be needed to see the gradual accumulation of changes. We learned in the past few decades that we can see the effects of sele........ Read more »
Boronow, K., & Langkilde, T. (2009) Sublethal effects of invasive fire ant venom on a native lizard. Journal of Experimental Zoology Part A: Ecological Genetics and Physiology. DOI: 10.1002/jez.570
- September 7, 2009
- 06:00 AM
- 1,381 views
Clinical Examination for Meniscus
by Mike Reinold in MikeReinold.com
Today’s post is a review of a recent meta-analysis looking at the accuracy of clinical tests for meniscal lesions from our friend Dan Lorenz, MS, PT, ATC/L, CSCS. RESEARCH UPDATE: Clinical Tests for Meniscal Lesions Dan Lorenz, MS, PT, ATC/L, CSCS It has been estimated that approximately 27% of all outpatient physical therapy visits are for knee pain.1 Of the many possible lesions causing pain, one common source is from a meniscal lesion. Recently, Meserve et al2 did a meta-analysis summar........ Read more »
Meserve BB, Cleland JA, & Boucher TR. (2008) A meta-analysis examining clinical test utilities for assessing meniscal injury. Clinical rehabilitation, 22(2), 143-61. PMID: 18212035
- September 7, 2009
- 03:53 AM
- 1,684 views
harder, better, faster, stronger?
by Greg Fish in weird things
Contrary to popular sentiment and science fiction clichés, human evolution hasn’t stopped. If anything, we’re actually evolving faster than ever according to research published in 2007. Moving into new environments and an explosion in our populations drastically increased the rate at which our genomes are changing and being selected. Compared to our prehistoric ancestors, we [...]... Read more »
Hawks, J. et al,. (2007) Recent acceleration of human adaptive evolution. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(52), 20753-20758. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0707650104
- September 7, 2009
- 02:59 AM
- 1,400 views
Did Salvador Dali suffer from Mental Illness?
by Dr Shock in Dr Shock MD PhD
Based on two psychiatric assessment procedures, a computer program investigating the presence of a psychotic disorder and a personality questionnaire, Salvador Dali was found to have a personality disorder for DSM Cluster A and B. He was also found to meet the diagnostic criteria for psychotic illnesses.
You can’t diagnose psychiatric illness without doing a face [...]... Read more »
Murphy, C. (2009) The link between artistic creativity and psychopathology: Salvador Dalí. Personality and Individual Differences, 46(8), 765-774. DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2009.01.020
- September 6, 2009
- 07:09 PM
- 749 views
I TOLD you you're all mutants
by David in The Atavism
Recently I tried to make this case that a mutation in my mitochondrial DNA
didn't make me so very different than the rest of you:
Our typical conception of mutation is drawn from the tragic effects of those
relatively rare mutations, induced in our bodies or passed on through germ
cells, that lead to diseases (or, in movies to super powers). In fact, we
are, each of us, mutants. DNA replication is not perfect, we are born with about
6 or 7 new mutations...
Well, a paper published last ........ Read more »
Xue, Y., Wang, Q., Long, Q., Ng, B., Swerdlow, H., Burton, J., Skuce, C., Taylor, R., Abdellah, Z., & Zhao, Y. (2009) Human Y Chromosome Base-Substitution Mutation Rate Measured by Direct Sequencing in a Deep-Rooting Pedigree. Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2009.07.032
- September 6, 2009
- 07:00 PM
- 1,291 views
The Craigslist of Antibiotic Resistance
by Iddo Friedberg in Byte Size Biology
In their most recent article, Sommer, Dantas and Church have hit upon the craigslist for antibiotic resistance used by bacteria living in the human body. The basic genomic material needed for antibiotic resistance is readily available at your local bacterial community. Resistance genes are everywhere, and it is clear that, despite transmission barriers between species, they are transmitted. Bacteria have a large pool form which to draw new resistance genes. The arms race between drug developer........ Read more »
Sommer, M., Dantas, G., & Church, G. (2009) Functional Characterization of the Antibiotic Resistance Reservoir in the Human Microflora. Science, 325(5944), 1128-1131. DOI: 10.1126/science.1176950
Dantas, G., Sommer, M., Oluwasegun, R., & Church, G. (2008) Bacteria Subsisting on Antibiotics. Science, 320(5872), 100-103. DOI: 10.1126/science.1155157
- September 6, 2009
- 03:32 PM
- 1,188 views
Pacing and avoidance in fibromyalgia
by Adiemusfree in Healthskills: Skills for Healthy Living
The recent emergence of study into ‘pacing’ or activity regulation in pain management is a welcome addition to our knowledge of this coping strategy. Although pacing has been described and included in many self-help books as well as clinical texts as an effective strategy for people with chronic pain to use, the research base [...]... Read more »
Karsdorp, P., & Vlaeyen, J. (2009) Active avoidance but not activity pacing is associated with disability in fibromyalgia. Pain. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.07.019
- September 6, 2009
- 01:42 PM
- 500 views
Looking for some science on swine flu
by Catarina Vicente in The Y.O.R.F.
As a medical association in Spain has recently communicated to the press, more than anything there seems to be an epidemic of fear going on. As I am currently living in Portugal, I do not know what the situation is in other countries, but I can tell you how the situation is here. Every news bulletin starts with more news about the flu, even though no one has died here yet. It then finishes with a previously recorded warning on how one should wash hands frequently and keep 1m away from other peop........ Read more »
Garten RJ, Davis CT, Russell CA, Shu B, Lindstrom S, Balish A, Sessions WM, Xu X, Skepner E, Deyde V.... (2009) Antigenic and genetic characteristics of swine-origin 2009 A(H1N1) influenza viruses circulating in humans. Science (New York, N.Y.), 325(5937), 197-201. PMID: 19465683
Garten, R., Davis, C., Russell, C., Shu, B., Lindstrom, S., Balish, A., Sessions, W., Xu, X., Skepner, E., Deyde, V.... (2009) Antigenic and Genetic Characteristics of Swine-Origin 2009 A(H1N1) Influenza Viruses Circulating in Humans. Science, 325(5937), 197-201. DOI: 10.1126/science.1176225
Maines TR, Jayaraman A, Belser JA, Wadford DA, Pappas C, Zeng H, Gustin KM, Pearce MB, Viswanathan K, Shriver ZH.... (2009) Transmission and pathogenesis of swine-origin 2009 A(H1N1) influenza viruses in ferrets and mice. Science (New York, N.Y.), 325(5939), 484-7. PMID: 19574347
Itoh, Y., Shinya, K., Kiso, M., Watanabe, T., Sakoda, Y., Hatta, M., Muramoto, Y., Tamura, D., Sakai-Tagawa, Y., Noda, T.... (2009) In vitro and in vivo characterization of new swine-origin H1N1 influenza viruses. Nature. DOI: 10.1038/nature08260
- September 6, 2009
- 12:50 PM
- 686 views
The tantalising potential of mobile phones for social research
by Christian Jarrett in BPS Research Digest
Nearly everyone seems to carry a mobile phone these days. What if social scientists could exploit this technology to spy on our social behaviour: who we speak to and who we spend time with? It turns out they already are. Nathan Eagle, named recently as a leading young innovator by Technology Review, and his colleagues, have published one of the first studies into social network analysis using spy software loaded onto Nokia smartphones.For nine months, Eagle's team recorded data from the phones ........ Read more »
Eagle, N., Pentland, A., & Lazer, D. (2009) Inferring friendship network structure by using mobile phone data. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0900282106
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