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168,100 articles from ScienceDaily

Circulating Tumor Cells A Must Watch

The presence of tumor cells circulating in the blood is associated with shortened survival. Now, researchers in Japan have developed a simple imaging system to detect circulating tumor cells, which could help clinicians hoping to predict a patient's chances of survival and/or monitor a patient's response to...

Waist-hip Ratio Better Than BMI For Gauging Obesity In Elderly, Study Finds

Body mass index readings may not be the best gauge of obesity in older adults, according to new research from endocrinologists and geriatricians. Instead, they say, the ratio of waist size to hip size may be a better indicator when it comes to those over 70. Obesity is often associated with premature mortality because it leads to an increased risk of diabetes, heart attack, stroke and other major...

Are Intravenous Treatments Safe? New Research Raises Doubts

German scientists identified serious and previously misunderstood contaminants that bring the safety and efficacy of intravenous treatments into question. In a new report, they show how a common intravenous treatment used to boost blood pressure in patients also contains substances called "advanced glycation end products," which trigger inflammation. This study directly challenges today's...

Component Of Mothballs Is Present In Deep-space Clouds

Researchers have shown for the first time that one component of clouds emitting unusual infrared light know as the Unidentified Infrared Bands (UIRs) is a gaseous version of naphthalene, the chief component of mothballs back on Earth. The UIRs have been seen by astronomers for more than 30 years, but no one has ever identified what specific molecules cause these...

Map Characterizes Active Lakes Below Antarctic Ice

Lakes in Antarctica, concealed under miles of ice, require scientists to come up with creative ways to identify and analyze these hidden features. Now, researchers using space-based lasers on a NASA satellite have created the most comprehensive inventory of lakes that actively drain or fill under Antarctica's ice. They have revealed a continental plumbing system that is more dynamic than...

A Breath Of Fresh Air Could Improve Drug Toxicity Screening

Researchers have developed an innovative way to culture liver cells for drug toxicity screening. In a new report, they describe how liver cells grown in a high-oxygen environment and in a culture medium free of animal-derived serum quickly begin to function as they do within the...

Diesel Exhaust Is Linked To Cancer Development Via New Blood Vessel Growth

Scientists here have demonstrated that the link between diesel fume exposure and cancer lies in how diesel exhaust induces the growth of new blood vessels that supply solid tumors. The researchers found that in both healthy and diseased animals, more new blood vessels sprouted in mice exposed to diesel exhaust than did in mice exposed to clean, filtered air. This suggests that previous illness...

Cardiac Surgeons Implant World's First New DeBakey Heart Assist Device

At the end of July 2009, a team of cardiac surgeons in Germany was the first in the world to implant the HeartAssist 5 ventricular assist device, the modern version of the DeBakey VAD. The device augments the pumping function of the left ventricle in an especially effective, gentle and quiet manner. It pumps blood from the weakened or failed left ventricle into the...

Time To Lift The Geoengineering Taboo, Experts Urge

Hot on the heels of the Royal Society's Geoengineering the Climate report, September's Physics World contains feature comment from UK experts stressing the need to start taking geoengineering -- deliberate interventions in the climate system to counteract man-made global warming -- more...

National Guideline Released For The Treatment Of Hoarseness

The American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery Foundation will issue the first -- and only -- national clinical practice guideline to help health care practitioners identify and manage patients with hoarseness, also known as dysphonia. The guideline emphasizes evidence-based management of hoarseness by clinicians, and educates patients on the prevalence of this common vocal health...

Fine-tuning An Anti-cancer Drug

Biochemists have illuminated a reaction pathway that blocks the action of proteasomes, vital intracellular waste-processing plants. They report insights that could potentially lead to development of custom-tailored anti-cancer drugs with improved efficacy and safety.