KuarkScience-Alpha1.0

How Plasma From Superstorms Affects Near-Earth Space (May 31, 2008) — NASA scientists have uncovered new details about how plasma from superstorms interact with Earth’s magnetosphere. … > full story

Human Stem Cell Line Made Containing Sickle Cell Anemia Mutation (May 31, 2008) — Researchers at Johns Hopkins have established a human cell-based system for studying sickle cell anemia by reprogramming somatic cells to an embryonic stem cell like state. Publishing online on May 29, the team describes a faster and more efficient method of reprogramming cells that might speed the development of stem cell therapies. … > full story

Plant Foods For Preserving Muscle Mass (May 31, 2008) — Fruits and vegetables contain essential vitamins, minerals and fiber that are key to good health. Now, new research suggests plant foods also may help preserve muscle mass in older men and women. … > full story

New CT Technology Offer Roadmap To Quicker, Cheaper Chest Pain Screening In Emergency Rooms (May 31, 2008) — Eight million Americans visit US emergency departments for chest pain each year. Just five to 15 percent of them are found to be suffering from heart attacks or other cardiac diseases, but more than half are admitted to the hospital for observation and further testing. Computed tomography angiography offers a way to more quickly and cost effectively identify patients at low-risk of cardiac problems that lead to heart attacks, according to the new University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine research. … > full story

X-rays Often Repeated For Patients In Developing Countries (May 31, 2008) — Patients in developing countries often need to have X-ray examinations repeated so that doctors have the image quality they need for useful medical diagnosis, the IAEA is learning. The findings come from a survey involving thousands of patients in 45 hospitals and 12 countries of Africa, Asia and Eastern Europe. … > full story

Most Caregivers Of Young Children Lack Basic Knowledge Of Potentially Toxic Household Products (May 31, 2008) — According to a new study, knowledge of potentially toxic household substances among primary caregivers for young children is alarmingly poor. … > full story

Invasion Strategy Of World’s Largest Virus Revealed (May 31, 2008) — A new study provides important new insights into the process of viral infection. The study reveals certain mechanisms by which mimivirus — a virus so called because it was originally thought to mimic bacteria in various aspects of their behavior — invades amoeba cells. Living cells become infected by viruses in two steps. First, the virus penetrates the cell. Next, in the second and crucial step, the cell starts producing new viruses, which spread and infect additional cells. At the beginning of this production process, the cell makes the outer wall of the virus, which is a container of sorts composed of proteins and known as the capsid. The cell then makes copies of viral DNA and inserts it into the capsid. The result is a new, functioning virus that is ready to leave the host cell and infect more cells. … > full story

New Method Effective In Detecting Dangerous Coronary Plaque (May 31, 2008) — A new non-invasive method has shown success in detecting and measuring non-calcified plaque, a buildup of soft deposits embedded deep within the walls of the heart’s arteries, undetectable by angiography or cardiac stress tests — and prone to rupture without warning. … > full story

A New Way To Look At Lung Cancer And Tobacco Carcinogens (May 31, 2008) — Previous studies have shown how polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons damage DNA, with the emphasis on how PAHs bind directly to DNA itself, leading to the mutations in critical genes that cause disease. Now, researchers have shown that PAHs, via oxidative stress, can also led to mutations in critical genes important in lung cancer. … > full story

Sex, Age And Ethnicity Assciated With Colorectal Cancer Survival (May 31, 2008) — The interaction of sex, age and ethnicity has a significant impact on overall survival in metastatic colorectal cancer patients, a new study suggests. Researchers found that pre-menopausal women with metastatic colorectal cancer (18-44 years old) lived longer than younger men, while older women (75 and older) had significantly worse overall survival than older men. … > full story

Magnetic Nanoparticles: Suitable For Cancer Therapy? (May 31, 2008) — A new measuring procedure can help to investigate in some detail the behavior of magnetic nanoparticles which are used for cancer therapy. … > full story

Quality Of Life Predicts Cancer Survival, Study Finds (May 31, 2008) — Head and neck cancer patients who reported lower physical quality of life were more likely to die from their disease, according to a new study. The findings could mean that identifying patients with poor quality of life could also identify patients with particularly aggressive tumors. … > full story