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	<title>Digimati Science News</title>
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	<link>http://digimati.com</link>
	<description>The Edge of Science, Health and Technology</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:45:32 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Researchers building melanoma vaccine to combat skin cancer</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/20/researchers-building-melanoma-vaccine-combat-skin-cancer/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/20/researchers-building-melanoma-vaccine-combat-skin-cancer/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:45:32 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Deep Med]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=919</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Mayo Clinic researchers have trained mouse immune systems to eradicate skin cancer from within, using a genetic combination of human DNA from melanoma cells and a cousin of the rabies virus. The strategy, called cancer immunotherapy, uses a genetically engineered version of the vesicular stomatitis virus to deliver a broad spectrum of genes derived from melanoma cancer cells directly into tumors. In early studies, 60 percent of tumor-burdened mice were cured in fewer than three months and with minimal side effects. Results of the latest study appear this week in the journal Nature Biotechnology. &#8220;We believe that this new technique will help us to identify a whole new set of genes that encode antigens that are important in stimulating the immune system to reject cancer. In particular, we have seen that several proteins need to be expressed together to generate the most effective rejection of the tumors in mice,&#8221; says Richard Vile, Ph.D., a Mayo Clinic researcher in the Department of Molecular Medicine and a coauthor of the study, along with Jose Pulido, M.D., a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist and ocular oncologist. Dr. Vile&#8217;s success with melanoma adds to Mayo Clinic&#8217;s growing portfolio of experimental cancer vaccines, which includes an active clinical [...]]]></description>
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		<title>A camera that peers around corners</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/20/camera-peers-corners/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/20/camera-peers-corners/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:41:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Invention & Discovery]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=917</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[by Larry Hardesty -  In December, MIT Media Lab researchers caused a stir by releasing a slow-motion video of a burst of light traveling the length of a plastic bottle. But the experimental setup that enabled that video was designed for a much different application: a camera that can see around corners. In a paper appearing this week in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers describe using their system to produce recognizable 3-D images of a wooden figurine and of foam cutouts outside their camera&#8217;s line of sight. The research could ultimately lead to imaging systems that allow emergency responders to evaluate dangerous environments or vehicle navigation systems that can negotiate blind turns, among other applications. The principle behind the system is essentially that of the periscope. But instead of using angled mirrors to redirect light, the system uses ordinary walls, doors or floors — surfaces that aren&#8217;t generally thought of as reflective. The system exploits a device called a femtosecond laser, which emits bursts of light so short that their duration is measured in quadrillionths of a second. To peer into a room that&#8217;s outside its line of sight, the system might fire femtosecond bursts of laser light at the wall [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Using Virtual Worlds to ‘Soft Control’ People’s Movements in the Real One</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/18/virtual-worlds-%e2%80%98soft-control%e2%80%99-people%e2%80%99s-movements-real/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/18/virtual-worlds-%e2%80%98soft-control%e2%80%99-people%e2%80%99s-movements-real/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:38:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Invention & Discovery]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=910</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Eighty-eight percent of Americans now own a cell phone, forming a massive network that offers scientists a wealth of information and an infinite number of new applications. With the help of these phone users — and their devices’ cameras, audio recorders, and other features — researchers envision endless possibilities for gathering huge amounts of data, from services that collect user data to monitor noise pollution and air quality to applications that build maps from people’s cell phone snapshots. Today, user data provides some opportunities; for example, researchers can use Flickr photos to compile 3-D virtual representations of various landmarks. But even opportunities like these have limits, as researchers are limited to using only photos that people choose to take and share. This creates a significant imbalance: Some geographic areas and landmarks have thousands of Flickr photos, while others have none. “Take the Lincoln Memorial, for example,” said Fabian Bustamante, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the McCormick School of Engineering. “Flickr has thousands of photos of the front of the Lincoln Memorial. But who takes a picture of the back? Very few people.” This has led researchers to ask the questions: How can we get mobile users to [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Treating psoriasis to prevent heart attacks and strokes</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/18/treating-psoriasis-prevent-heart-attacks-strokes/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/18/treating-psoriasis-prevent-heart-attacks-strokes/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 18 Mar 2012 05:29:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Deep Med]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adalimumab]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[psoriasis]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=907</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; A clinical study co-led by the Montreal Heart Institute and Innovaderm Research Inc., which was presented today at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, shows that a new treatment for psoriasis could be associated with a significant decrease in vascular inflammation, a major risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the skin and joints that affects up to 3% of the population. This disease is associated with a greater risk of heart attack (infarction) and stroke. The goal of this clinical study was to show that a treatment to reduce skin inflammation in psoriasis patients could be associated with a decrease in vascular inflammation. The study had positive results, as vascular inflammation decreased significantly in patients suffering from psoriasis who were treated with adalimumab, a biological anti-inflammatory compound. The study also showed a 51% decrease in C-reactive protein among patients treated with adalimumab compared to a 2% decrease among patients in the control group. These results are significant, as a high level of C-reactive protein is known to be associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. In relation to the treatment of psoriasis, 70% of patients who received [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Red meat consumption appears to be associated with increased risk of death</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/13/red-meat-consumption-appears-increased-risk-death/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/13/red-meat-consumption-appears-increased-risk-death/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:28:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Better Living]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=905</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Eating more red meat appears to be associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality and death from cardiovascular disease and cancer, but substituting other foods including fish and poultry for red meat is associated with a lower mortality risk, according to a study published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Meat is a major source of protein and fat in many diets and previous studies suggest that eating meat is associated with increased risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and certain cancers, the authors write in their study background. An Pan, Ph.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, and colleagues analyzed data from two prospective cohort studies with repeated measures of diet and up to 28 years of follow-up. Data from 37,698 men and 83,644 women were used. Researchers documented 23,926 deaths, including 5,910 from CVD and 9,464 from cancer. &#8220;We found that a higher intake of red meat was associated with a significantly elevated risk of total, CVD and cancer mortality, and this association was observed for unprocessed and processed red meat, with a relatively greater risk for processed red meat,&#8221; the authors comment. &#8220;Substitution of fish, poultry, nuts, legumes, low-fat [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Growing market for human organs exploits poor</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/13/growing-market-human-organs-exploits-poor/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/13/growing-market-human-organs-exploits-poor/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 02:26:21 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Better Living]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=901</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A Michigan State University anthropologist who spent more than a year infiltrating the black market for human kidneys has published the first in-depth study describing the often horrific experiences of poor people who were victims of organ trafficking. Monir Moniruzzaman interviewed 33 kidney sellers in his native Bangladesh and found they typically didn’t get the money they were promised and were plagued with serious health problems that prevented them from working, shame and depression. The study, which appears in Medical Anthropology Quarterly, and Moniruzzaman’s decade-long research in the field describe a growing worldwide market for body parts that include kidneys, parts of livers and even corneas. Moniruzzaman said the people selling their organs are exploited by unethical brokers and recipients who are often Bangladeshi-born foreign nationals living in places such as the United States, Europe and the Middle East. Because organ-selling is illegal, the brokers forge documents indicating the recipient and seller are related and claim the act is a family donation. Doctors, hospital officials and drug companies turn a blind eye to the illicit act because they profit along with the broker and, of course, the recipient, said Moniruzzaman, who questioned many of the people involved. Most of the 33 [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Meteorites Reveal Another Way to Make Life&#8217;s Components</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/11/meteorites-reveal-lifes-components/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/11/meteorites-reveal-lifes-components/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 11 Mar 2012 03:57:29 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Space Man]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=897</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Creating some of life&#8217;s building blocks in space may be a bit like making a sandwich – you can make them cold or hot, according to new NASA research. This evidence that there is more than one way to make crucial components of life increases the likelihood that life emerged elsewhere in the Universe, according to the research team, and gives support to the theory that a &#8220;kit&#8221; of ready-made parts created in space and delivered to Earth by impacts from meteorites and comets assisted the origin of life. In the study, scientists with the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory at NASA&#8217;s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., analyzed samples from fourteen carbon-rich meteorites with minerals that indicated they had experienced high temperatures – in some cases, over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. They found amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, used by life to speed up chemical reactions and build structures like hair, skin, and nails. Previously, the Goddard team and other researchers have found amino acids in carbon-rich meteorites with mineralogy that revealed the amino acids were created by a relatively low-temperature process involving water, aldehyde and ketone compounds, ammonia, and cyanide called &#8220;Strecker-cyanohydrin synthesis.&#8221; &#8220;Although we&#8217;ve found [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Oceans Acidifying Faster Today Than in Past 300 Million Years</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/08/oceans-acidifying-faster-today-300-million-years/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/08/oceans-acidifying-faster-today-300-million-years/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:49:36 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Surviving Earth]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=893</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The oceans may be acidifying faster today than they did in the last 300 million years, according to scientists.  &#8221;What we&#8217;re doing today really stands out in the geologic record,&#8221; says lead author Bärbel Hönisch, a paleoceanographer at Columbia University&#8217;s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory. &#8220;We know that life during past ocean acidification events was not wiped out&#8211;new species evolved to replace those that died off. But if industrial carbon emissions continue at the current pace, we may lose organisms we care about&#8211;coral reefs, oysters, salmon.&#8221; The oceans act like a sponge to draw down excess carbon dioxide from the air. The gas reacts with seawater to form carbonic acid, which over time is neutralized by fossil carbonate shells on the seafloor. If too much carbon dioxide enters the ocean too quickly, it can deplete the carbonate ions that corals, mollusks and some plankton need for reef and shell-building. In a review of hundreds of paleoceanographic studies, the researchers found evidence for only one period in the last 300 million years when the oceans changed as fast as today: the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum, or PETM. In ocean sediment cores, the PETM appears as a brown mud layer flanked by thick deposits of [...]]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://digimati.com/2012/03/08/oceans-acidifying-faster-today-300-million-years/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<title>Diabetes drug halts atherosclerosis progression in HIV-infected patients</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/08/diabetes-drug-halts-atherosclerosis-progression-hiv-infected-patients/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/08/diabetes-drug-halts-atherosclerosis-progression-hiv-infected-patients/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 08 Mar 2012 06:44:07 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Deep Med]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[diabetes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[HIV]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=890</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Treatment with the common diabetes drug metformin appears to prevent progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients infected with HIV. In a presentation today at the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers reported that study participants receiving daily doses of metformin had essentially no progression of coronary artery calcification during the year-long study period, while participants receiving a placebo had calcium increases of up to 50 percent. The study also found that lifestyle modification – participation in regular exercise and dietary counseling sessions – did not have a significant effect on calcification, although it did improve several cardiovascular risk factors. &#8220;HIV-infected patients are known to have higher rates of cardiovascular disease and elevations in traditional risk factors – such as insulin resistance, abdominal obesity, high triglyceride levels and hypertension,&#8221; says Steven Grinspoon, MD, director of the Program in Nutritional Metabolism in the MGH Neuroendocrine Unit, the study&#8217;s principal investigator. &#8220;This is the first demonstration of a therapy that is effective in preventing progression of coronary calcium in patients infected with HIV.&#8221; Several large epidemiologic studies have found that HIV-infected individuals have approximately twice the rate of cardiovascular disease as non-infected individuals in the same demographic [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Immortal worms defy aging</title>
		<link>http://digimati.com/2012/03/02/immortal-worms-defy-aging/</link>
		<comments>http://digimati.com/2012/03/02/immortal-worms-defy-aging/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:22:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Digimati</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Invention & Discovery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[immortal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://digimati.com/?p=884</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Researchers from The University of Nottingham have demonstrated how a species of flatworm overcomes the ageing process to be potentially immortal. The discovery, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is part of a project funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and Medical Research Council (MRC) and may shed light on the possibilities of alleviating ageing and age-related characteristics in human cells. Planarian worms have amazed scientists with their apparently limitless ability to regenerate. Researchers have been studying their ability to replace aged or damaged tissues and cells in a bid to understand the mechanisms underlying their longevity. Dr Aziz Aboobaker from the University&#8217;s School of Biology, said: &#8220;We&#8217;ve been studying two types of planarian worms; those that reproduce sexually, like us, and those that reproduce asexually, simply dividing in two. Both appear to regenerate indefinitely by growing new muscles, skin, guts and even entire brains over and over again. &#8220;Usually when stem cells divide — to heal wounds, or during reproduction or for growth — they start to show signs of ageing. This means that the stem cells are no longer able to divide and so become less able to replace exhausted specialised [...]]]></description>
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