Washington
Recycled thermal cash register receipts spread BPA to other paper products
The latest episode in the American Chemical Society’s (ACS) award-winning “Global Challenges/Chemistry Solutions” podcast series discusses the discovery of bisphenol A (BPA) in 94 percent of thermal cash register receipts …
Trichinosis parasite gets DNA decoded
Scientists have decoded the DNA of the parasitic worm that causes trichinosis, a disease linked to eating raw or undercooked pork or carnivorous wild game animals, such as bear and walrus.
After analyzing the genome, investigators at Washin…
Working more than 20 hours a week in high school found harmful
Many teens work part-time during the school year, and in the current economic climate, more youths may take jobs to help out with family finances. But caution is advised: Among high school students, working more than 20 hours a week during the schoo…
Consistent exercise associated with lower risk of colon cancer death
Consistent exercise is associated with a lower risk of dying from colon cancer, according to a new study led by researchers at the Siteman Cancer Center at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. The stu…
New research shows rivers cut deep notches in the Alps’ broad glacial valleys
For years, geologists have argued about the processes that formed steep inner gorges in the broad glacial valleys of the Swiss Alps.
The U-shaped valleys were created by slow-moving glaciers that behaved something like road graders, eroding …
Antibody locks up West Nile’s infection mechanism
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Researchers have learned the structure that results when an antibody binds to the West Nile virus, neutralizing the virus by locking up its infection mechanism. The information could help scientists develop a vaccine against t…
National study identifies range of opportunities to improve engineering education
America’s higher education system is widely regarded to be one of the largest and most flexible systems in the world. Despite this advantage, the U.S. is in danger of being
outpaced by other countries in producing innovative scientists and engineer…
Fuel treatments reduce wildfire severity, tree mortality in Washington forests
A study conducted by U.S. Forest Service and University of Washington (UW) scientists has found that fuel treatments — even of only a few acres — can reduce fire severity and protect older trees desirable for their timber, wildlife, and carbon-sto…
Rapid increase of opioids benefits some dying pediatric cancer patients
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that terminally ill children with cancer who have neuropathic pain require more opioids during the final days of life than those without neuropathic pain. In addition, the team found preliminary evidence that a “cocktail” of several narcotics was significantly more effective at treating these patients than dramatically increasing the dosage of two commonly used opioids — morphine and benzodiazepine.
Combination Pacemaker-Defibrillator Prevents Death from Heart Failure
A new implantable device has been found to reduce the risk of death from congestive heart failure by 40 percent, triggering the early halt of a national trial of the device. “This trial was the largest one in history to test an implanted pacemaker or defibrillator, and it represents a landmark study for the treatment of congestive heart failure,” says Mitchell N. Faddis, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “I think this is one of the most important therapies developed in the last decade for treatment of severe heart disease.”