U-M research shows chronically ill may be happier if they give up hopeStudy shows that colostomy patients who felt their condition was irreversible reported better quality of life than those with faith that they would be curedAnn Arbor, Mich. — Holding on to hope may not make patients happier as they deal with chronic illness or diseases, according to a new study by University of Michigan Health System researchers.

Ineffective monotherapies common in high-burden malarious countriesUnprecedented data from ACTwatch unveils low accessibility of ACTs(November 2, 2009; Nairobi) ACTwatch, a research project led by PSI, in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, released evidence today that indicates that artemisinin combination therapy, the most effective medicines for treating malaria, continue to have a significantly low presence on the market among populations considered to be most at risk.

Robot fish could monitor water qualityMichigan State University scientists developing biomimetic probesEAST LANSING, Mich. -- Nature inspires technology for an engineer and an ecologist teamed up at Michigan State University. They\'re developing robots that use advanced materials to swim like fish to probe underwater environments. "Fish are very efficient," explained Xiaobo Tan, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. "They can perform very efficient locomotion and maneuvering in the water.

Wolves, moose and biodiversity: An unexpected connectionIMAGE:The coastline of Isle Royale National Park is represented in two maps. Moose carcasses, like the ones on which wolves are feeding in lower map, produce pulses of nutrients that... Click here for more information. Moose eat plants; wolves kill moose. What difference does this classic predator-prey interaction make to biodiversity? A large and unexpected one, say wildlife biologists from Michigan Technological University.

Brain tumors in childhood leave a lasting mark on cognition, life statusSurvivors have less education, lower income relative to their siblings and survivors of other cancersWASHINGTON — Brain tumors in childhood cast a long shadow on survivors. The first study of the lasting impact of these tumors -- the most common solid malignancies in childhood -- shows that survivors have ongoing cognitive problems.

Losing your tongueWorld\'s top endangered language experts gather at University of UtahNov. 2, 2009 -- Elder Tommy George has not spoken his aboriginal language of Kuku Thaypan for three years, since his brother died. "It might die in the throat, but it stays alive in the heart," he said to the Queensland Courier-Mail in June, 2009. What happens when you no longer have anyone to talk to in your own language?

Bacteria \'launch a shield\' to resist attackResearchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can \'switch on\' production of molecules that kill white blood cells – preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body\'s immune system. P. aeruginosa is responsible for many hospital-acquired infections and also causes chronic infections in those with pre-existing medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF).

Duke develops nano-scale drug delivery for chemotherapyIMAGE:This is Ashutosh Chilkoti from Duke University. Click here for more information. DURHAM, N.C. -- Going smaller could bring better results, especially when it comes to cancer-fighting drugs. Duke University bioengineers have developed a simple and inexpensive method for loading cancer drug payloads into nano-scale delivery vehicles and demonstrated in animal models that this new nanoformulation can eliminate tumors after a single treatment.

An exquisite containerA gold nanocage covered with a polymer is a smart drug delivery systemVIDEO:Lycurgus, King of the Edoni in Thrace, is ensnared by the nymph Ambrosia in the form of a vine. The famous Roman cup looks green when lit from outside but... Click here for more information. In campy old movies, Lucretia Borgia swans around emptying powder from her ring into wine glasses carelessly left unattended.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania November 1, 2009 -- Living Without a Name: A View through Black Eyes by Ronald DeLoach of Antioch, California, has been released by Dorrance Publishing. Who are black people? Do black people exist as a race? Although much of their connection to the African continent's history and culture is gone, including the names of approximately eighty-five tribes that comprise African Americans, the author attempts to answer these and other questions.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania November 1, 2009 -- Tea for Honey, a delightful book for children, by Clemmons, North Carolina resident Fanny Fernhouse, has been published by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. Honey is a bear who has everything a bear could ever want: a warm house to live in, plenty of berries to keep her tummy full, and all the sweet honey she could possibly eat. So why is Honey the grizzly bear so miserable? All this lovable bear wants is to have a friend, but when you're a huge bear, that is not so easy.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania November 1, 2009 -- Annie's Lively Characters, by a Queensbury, New York, resident who writes under the name TAS, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. Annie is a young girl who enjoys reading, dancing, and her vivid imagination. When the characters in the books she reads come alive, she is afraid of what her imagination has become. She dreams of getting the part of Claire in The Nutcracker and still works with everyday life at home and school.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania November 1, 2009 -- The Sun Will Still Come Up Tomorrow, an exciting new mystery by Cherie M. Fields, has been released by Dorrance Publishing. Traveling back to her grandmother's ranch in the Texas Panhandle, Megan O'Hara is determined to unravel the mystery surrounding her grandmother's sudden death. Megan, however, arrives under the ruse of a guest wanting to stay the summer at the ranch-turned-resort, which is being run by her long-lost aunt, Carol.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania November 1, 2009 -- Ebony Arose, a new novel by Millington resident Vicky Siegrist, has been released by Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. Besides writing, Vicky owns and operates a special needs foster care home with her sister, Tracy. Vicky and her husband, Mike, love to fish, camp, hunt, and garden together. She has two children: Christopher, who owns a radio station, and Ann, who is an Occupational Therapist. Vicky spends her days with her granddaughter, Stephanie. They write, laugh, and have adventures together.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania November 1, 2009 -- These are tough times for the American economy--and the middle class is shouldering much of the burden. For every unemployment and foreclosure statistic we hear about on the news, there is a real person behind it who is struggling to survive. Cathy White knows about this struggle. After years of living comfortably, she now finds herself and her family in the trenches of a paycheck-to-paycheck existence, just like many of our neighbors.

Genedata Screener Supports Small Molecule Research at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT Screener's High Throughput Screening Capabilities Yield High-quality Data for the Broad Institute's NIH-funded Molecular Libraries and Imaging Initiative Lexington, Mass.

Study shows that sleep disturbances improve after retirementThis study is the first to examine the trajectories in sleep disturbances before and after retirement over an extended time windowWESTCHESTER, Ill. - A study in the Nov.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that retirement is followed by a sharp decrease in the prevalence of sleep disturbances. Findings suggest that this general improvement in sleep is likely to result from the removal of work-related demands and stress rather than from actual health benefits of retirement.

Study shows that sleep deprivation can negatively affect information processingThis is the first study to analyze the effects of sleep deprivation on information-categorizationWestchester, Ill. —A study in the Nov.1 issue of the journal Sleep shows that sleep deprivation causes some people to shift from a more automatic, implicit process of information categorization (information-integration) to a more controlled, explicit process (rule-based).

Study spotlights efficacy of questionnaire to identify patients at high risk for lung cancerAsking a few questions can help determine risk for lung cancerA study featured in the November issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology confirms the success of a simple questionnaire designed to identify patients at high risk of lung cancer. Initiated in 2001, the current study confirmed 18 cases of cancer of the original 430 patients who qualified as high risk after completing a five-minute questionnaire.

Intervals between lung cancer diagnosis and treatment displays a health care disparityResearch published in the November 2009 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology has found that intervals between lung cancer suspicion, diagnosis and treatment may be attributed to health care system discrepancies. To gain better insight on this topic, researchers studied the timing of lung cancer diagnosis and treatment a t U.S. medical center providing care to a diverse patient population within two different hospital systems.

Commentary warns of unexpected consequences of proton pump inhibitor use in reflux diseaseAlexandria, VA – Despite being highly effective and beneficial for many patients, unexpected consequences are emerging in patients who are prescribed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for reflux diseases. Physicians are warned to monitor these effects and prescribe these medications carefully, according to a new commentary published in the November 2009 issue of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery.