Physorg

Obese women who have bariatric surgical procedures before pregnancy were three times less likely to develop gestational diabetes (GDM) than women who have bariatric operations after delivery, according to new research findings published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. The retrospective study also found that delivery after bariatric procedures was associated with reduced odds of cesarean section -an outcome associated with GDM.

New findings reported in the September issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, appear to explain why people who carry specific and common versions of a single gene are more likely to have high cholesterol and to suffer a heart attack. Studies in mice show that the gene, known as sortilin (SORT1), controls the release of LDL (a.k.a. "bad") cholesterol from the liver into the bloodstream.

With the fragmentation and globalization of the U.S. textile and apparel industry, business activities and roles have changed, impacting their organizational identity. The evolving organizational identity of these firms has created many questions as to how it affects the businesses financially. Now, a researcher at MU has explored how U.S. textile and apparel firms describe themselves as organizations and how those descriptions compare to U.S. Census Bureau industry classifications.Jung Ha-Brookshire, an assistant professor in the Textile and Apparel Management department in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Missouri, found that 67 percent of textile and apparel firms misrepresent themselves to the public. In her study, Ha-Brookshire examined the websites of nearly 800 textile and apparel firms to determine how each firm was identified itself.

The team which successfully conducted a round-the-clock flight powered by the sun, Solar Impulse, said Tuesday it is planning three test flights across Switzerland as it ramps up preparations for long-haul journeys.

Penetrating injury rates were more than 20 times higher for persons living in the lowest income neighborhoods compared with those living in the highest income neighborhoods, according to a new study published in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Researchers also found that those in the lowest-income neighborhoods experienced nearly six times higher rates of blunt injury than persons in the highest income neighborhoods. Penetrating injuries included those from firearms or cuts; blunt injuries included motor vehicle crashes, falls and assaults.

Uncovering the secrets of the brain requires an intense network of collaborative research. Building on a tool that was co-developed in his laboratory and described in a recent issue of Brain, Dr. Yaniv Assaf of Tel Aviv University's Department of Neurobiology is collaborating with an international team of scientists to understand how different parts of the human brain "connect" -- and to turn this information into a "brain atlas."

Buildings, car parks and roads could, alongside their "regular" functions, have a role to play in protecting the rest of the city from flooding. According to researcher Bianca Stalenberg, this concept could be very useful for the Dutch cities along the River Rhine, for example. Stalenberg will defend her Ph.D. thesis on this subject on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at Delft University of Technology.

People who sleep less than six hours a night may be three times more likely to develop a condition which leads to diabetes and heart disease, according to researchers at the University of Warwick.

Movies are becoming more and more digital -- from the shooting to the cut to the showing. At the International Broadcasting Convention IBC in Amsterdam that is taking place from Sept. 10-14, 2010, Fraunhofer movie experts will show programs for easy, digital post-production and safe archiving.

Nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium -- there are valuable nutrients contained in wastewater. Unfortunately, these essential nutrients are lost in conventional wastewater treatment plants. This is the reason why researchers at Fraunhofer have been working on processes for regaining these nutrients in the form that can be used for agriculture. They are showcasing their work at Fraunhofer's stand at the IFAT ENTSORGA fair (Sept. 13-17 in Munich, Germany).

(AP) -- Federal health regulators have issued warnings to the makers of Canada Dry ginger ale and Lipton tea for making unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their green tea-flavored beverages.

If your job keeps you tied to your desk, you could count diabetes and an increased risk of death among your employment `benefits,` suggests a new review of existing research.

Obese women have a well-known risk for infertility, but a new Johns Hopkins Children's Center study has unraveled what investigators there believe is the mechanism that accounts for the risk.

Aurora-A kinase (AurA) is an enzyme that is hyperactive in many cancers and drives tumor cell proliferation. Several AurA inhibitors are currently being tested in clinical trials to see if they slow tumor growth. Now, researchers in the Developmental Therapeutics Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center have identified an activation signal for AurA. They report in the September 7 issue of Nature Communications that a quick increase in the calcium concentration in a cell rapidly triggers AurA kinase activity. The discovery may lead to drug combinations that had not previously been considered, and it may provide new insights into how the cell division cycle is timed.

Human pluripotent stem (hPS) cells can generate any given cell type in the adult human body, which is why they are of interest to stem cell scientists working on finding therapies for spinal cord injuries, Parkinson's disease, burns, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis, and other ailments.

The Potomac River in Washington, D.C. is showing multiple benefits from restoration efforts, newly published research suggests. Reduced nutrients and improved water clarity have increased the abundance and diversity of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the Potomac, according to direct measurements taken during the 18-year field study.

A child who can't stop scratching himself may well be suffering from atopic dermatitis, also known as neurodermatitis. Extreme irritability of the skin with a concomitant urge to scratch is typical of the disorder. The condition often appears during the first year of life and is on the increase in industrialized countries. The patient's skin becomes hypersensitive and reacts strongly to even mild irritation.

In 2009, newly installed photovoltaic (PV) cells world-wide produced a peak amount of electricity estimated at 7.4 GW, out of which 5.8 GW was located in Europe. Similarly to previous years, this shows the EU's dominance, where more than three quarters of the world's new solar systems were installed. By the end of 2009, Europe's cumulative installed PV electricity generation capacity (existing and newly installed) was 16 GW, which is about 70% of the world's total (22GW). These are just some of the findings of the ninth annual Photovoltaics Status Report published today by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

A mathematical tool known as a Monte Carlo analysis could help improve the way X-rays are used for mammography and reduce the number of breast cancers missed by the technique as well as avoiding false positives, according to research published this month in the International Journal of Low Radiation.

Google replaced the celebrated logo on its home page on Tuesday with a mysterious collection of colorful dancing balls.