ScienceBlog.com

ROCHESTER, Minn — A new study led by Mayo Clinic researchers has found that ulcerative colitis patients had a 41 percent reduction in colectomy after a year when treated with infliximab, according to a study published in the October 2009 issue of Gastroenterology.

ANN ARBOR, Mich.—Worldwide, thousands of workers die every year from mining accidents, and instantaneous coal outbursts in underground mines are among the major killers. But although scientists have been investigating coal outbursts for more than 150 years, the precise mechanism is still unknown.

Children who eat sweets and chocolate every day are more likely to be violent as adults, according to new research.

A study of almost 17,500 participants in the 1970 British Cohort Study found that 10-year-olds who ate confectionary daily were significantly more likely to have been convicted for violence at age 34 years.

Mothers who smoke during pregnancy put their children at greater risk of developing psychotic symptoms in their teenage years.

New research published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry shows a link between maternal tobacco use and psychotic symptoms.

Bethesda, MD (Oct. 1, 2009) — When used “off-label,” the antidepressant amitriptyline works just as well as placebo in treating pain-predominant gastrointestinal disorders in children, according to a new study in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.

BATON ROUGE — For Sophie Warny, LSU assistant professor of geology and geophysics and curator at the LSU Museum of Natural Science, years of patience in analyzing Antarctic samples with low fossil recovery finally led to a scientific breakthrough.

ROSEMONT, Ill. — Platelet -rich plasma (PRP) is currently used as an alternative treatment method for several common orthopaedic-related sports medicine conditions.

A study described in the October issue of BioScience identifies diverse native prairie as holding promise for yielding bioenergy feedstocks while minimizing harm to wildlife.

The increasing use of smart drugs or “nootropics,” to boost academic performance, could mean that exam students will face routine doping tests in future, suggests an article in the Journal of Medical Ethics.

(Boston) — Community health centers have become the centerpiece of the nation’s efforts to provide access to primary care for all and therefore experience a greater need for primary care providers, who already are in short supply.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — Treating pregnant women for mild gestational diabetes resulted in fewer cesarean sections and other serious birthing problems associated with larger than average babies, according to a study conducted in part at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — A compelling University of Michigan Health System study debunks assumptions about the role of complications in distinguishing good and bad hospitals.

Two tropical cyclones in the Western Pacific are keeping in tune to the 1969 hit song by the Beatles, “Come Together.” Tropical Depression 18W and Tropical Storm Parma are already beginning to merge now that 18W made landfall in Guam and dissipated. 18W did bring gusty winds and heavy downpours to Guam, and will continue to affect the surf over the next day or two.

NASA’s Aqua satellite flew over Typhoon Ketsana during its lifetime and captured infrared imagery on a daily basis. The images showed high, cold, thunderstorm cloud tops (purple) as cold as -63F, as they dumped heavy rains over the northern Philippines and Vietnam.

A National Institutes of Health network study provided the first conclusive evidence that treating pregnant women who have even the mildest form of gestational diabetes can reduce the risk of common birth complications among infants, as well as blood pressure disorders among mothers.

ST. PAUL, Minn. — New research shows that streptococcal infection does not appear to cause or trigger Tourette syndrome or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The research is published in the September 30, 2009, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Your fingers start to burn after picking up a hot plate. Should you drop the plate or save your meal? New research suggests that it is your consciousness that resolves these dilemmas by serving as the brain’s Wi-Fi network, mediating competing requests from different parts of the body.

PORTLAND, Ore — Unlike other forms of suicide, physician assisted death does not cause substantial regret, or a sense of rejection among surviving family members. In addition, the prevalence and severity of depression and grief among family members whose loved ones received aid in dying is no different than family members whose loved ones did not pursue physician assisted suicide.

COLUMBIA, Mo. — The brain is a complex system made of billions of neurons and thousands of connections that relate to every human feeling, including one of the strongest emotions, fear. Most neurological fear studies have been rooted in fear-conditioning experiments.

NOAA and Norwegian researchers recently completed a comparative analysis of marine ecosystems in the North Atlantic and North Pacific to see what factors support fisheries production, leading to new insights that could improve fishery management plans and the ecosystems.