Doctors to remove 16-pound facial tumor from 15 years old girl

Fifteen-year-old Lai Thi Dao waves to members of the media as she leaves Jackson Memorial Medical Center after a news conference Tuesday, April 22, 2008, in Miami. The Vietnamese girl has a 16-pound facial tumor and is in Miami awaiting surgery that will restore her ability to eat and speak. Doctors say the tumor threatens to suffocate Lai. They will remove the tumor in a 10-hour surgery on April 29.

Dr. Robert Marx, left, points to a CT scan of fifteen-year-old Lai Thi Dao during a news conference at the Jackson Memorial Medical Center Tuesday, April 22, 2008 in Miami. The Vietnamese girl, center, has a 16-pound facial tumor and is in Miami awaiting surgery that will restore her ability to eat and speak. Doctors say the tumor threatens to suffocate Lai. They will remove the tumor in a 10-hour surgery on April 29. Behind Dao is her mother Tuyet Van, and sponsor Geoffrey Le of Fort Worth, Tx., and holding the scan is Dr. Jesus Gomez.

This undated handout photo courtesy of the University of Miami School of Medicine, in Miami, Florida shows an extremely large tumor that has severely deformed the face of fifteen year-old Lai Thi Dao from Vietnam. US doctors are due to remove from the Vietnamese girl a 15-pound (seven-kilo) tumor thought to be one of the largest of its kind on record.

A BABY BORN WITH TWO FACES

A baby with two faces, two noses, two pairs of lips and two pairs of eyes was born on March 11 ,2008 in a northern Indian village, where she is doing well and is being worshipped as the reincarnation of a Hindu goddess, her father said Tuesday,April 8, 2008. Mother Sushma holds her daughter Lali at their residence in Saini Sunpura, 50 kilometers (31 miles) east of New Delhi, India, Tuesday, April 8, 2008.

Discovery of Biological Link Between Pain And Fatigue

Researchers says that a biological link between pain and fatigue and may help explain why more

women than men are diagnosed with chronic pain and fatigue conditions like fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome.Working with mice, the researchers, led by Kathleen Sluka, Ph.D., professor in the Graduate Program in Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science in the UI Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine, found that a protein involved in muscle pain works in conjunction with the male hormone testosterone to protect against muscle fatigue.Chronic pain and fatigue often occur together -- as many as three in four people with chronic, widespread musculoskeletal pain report having fatigue; and as many as 94 percent of people with chronic fatigue syndromes report muscle pain. Women make up the majority of patients with these conditions.To probe the link between pain and fatigue, and the influence of sex, the UI team compared exercise-induced muscle fatigue in male and female mice with and without ASIC3 -- an acid-activated ion channel protein that the team has shown to be involved in musculoskeletal pain.A task involving three one-hour runs produced different levels of fatigue in the different groups of mice as measured by the temporary loss of muscle strength caused by the exercise.Male mice with ASIC3 were less fatigued by the task than female mice. However, male mice without the ASIC3 protein showed levels of fatigue that were similar to the female mice and were greater than for the normal males.In addition, when female mice with ASIC3 were given testosterone, their muscles became as resistant to fatigue as the normal male mice. In contrast, the muscle strength of female mice without the protein was not boosted by testosterone."The differences in fatigue between males and females depends on both the presence of testosterone and the activation of ASIC3 channels, which suggests that they are interacting somehow to protect against fatigue," Sluka said. "These differences may help explain some of the underlying differences we see in chronic pain conditions that include fatigue with respect to the predominance of women over men."The study, which was published in the Feb. 28 issue of the American Journal of Physiology -- Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, indicates that muscle pain and fatigue are not independent conditions and may share a common pathway that is disrupted in chronic muscle pain conditions. The team plans to continue their studies and investigate whether pain enhances fatigue more in females than males."Our long-term goal is to come up with better treatments for chronic musculoskeletal pain," Sluka said. "But the fatigue that is typically associated with chronic, widespread pain is also a big clinical problem -- it leaves people unable to work or engage in social activities. If we could find a way to reduce fatigue, we could really improve quality of life for these patients."In addition to Sluka, the UI research team included Lynn Burnes, a research assistant and lead author of the study; Sandra Kolker; Jing Danielson; and Roxanne Walder. The study was funded in part by grants from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.

Computer may recognize attractiveness in Women

[Curtesy by science daily]

scientist says that Computer can Taught To recognize attractiveness in Women

"
Scientist successfully "taught" a computer how to interpret attractiveness in women. But there's a more serious dimension to this issue that reaches beyond mere vanity. The discovery is a step towards developing artificial intelligence in computers. Other applications for the software could be in plastic and reconstructive surgery and computer visualization programs such as face recognition technologies.
From Mathematics to Aesthetics "Until now, computers have been taught how to identify basic facial characteristics, such as the difference between a woman and a man, and even to detect facial expressions," says Kagian. "But our software lets a computer make an aesthetic judgment. Linked to sentiments and abstract thought processes, humans can make a judgment, but they usually don't understand how they arrived at their conclusions."
In the first step of the study, 30 men and women were presented with 100 different faces of Caucasian women, roughly of the same age, and were asked to judge the beauty of each face. The subjects rated the images on a scale of 1 through 7 and did not explain why they chose certain scores. Kagian and his colleagues then went to the computer and processed and mapped the geometric shape of facial features mathematically.
Additional features such as face symmetry, smoothness of the skin and hair color were fed into the analysis as well. Based on human preferences, the machine "learned" the relation between facial features and attractiveness scores and was then put to the test on a fresh set of faces.
Says Kagian, "The computer produced impressive results -- its rankings were very similar to the rankings people gave." This is considered a remarkable achievement, believes Kagian, because it's as though the computer "learned" implicitly how to interpret beauty through processing previous data it had received.
Beauty is Golden The notion that beauty can be boiled down to binary data and interpreted by a mathematical model is nothing new. More than 2,000 years ago the Greek mystic, philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras observed the connection between math, geometry and beauty. He reasoned that features of physical objects corresponding to the "golden ratio" were considered most attractive.
"I know that Plato connected the good to the beautiful," says Kagian. "Personally, I believe that some kind of universal correctness to beauty exists in nature, an aesthetic interpretation of the universal truth. But because each of us is trapped with our own human biases and personalized viewpoints, this may detract us from finding the ultimate formula to a complete understanding of beauty."
Kagian, who studied under the Adi Lautman multidisciplinary program for outstanding students at Tel Aviv University, says that a possible next step is to teach computers how to recognize "beauty" in men. This may be more difficult. Psychological research has shown that there is less agreement as to what defines "male beauty" among human subjects. And his own portrait, jokes Kagian, will not be part of the experiment.

Health News

Women living with HIV/AIDS face strikingly high levels of stigma4/1/2008 3:38:00 PM IST
Washington, Apr 1 (ANI): According to a new survey, HIV-positive women in the United States face strikingly high levels of stigma.
Use of anticoagulants after joint replacement ops may lead to more deaths4/1/2008 3:38:00 PM IST
Washington, Apr 1 (ANI): A new study from Hospital for Special Surgery in New York has revealed that the use of anticoagulants to prevent blockage in pulmonary artery after joint replacement operations may actually lead to more deaths among patients taking these drugs.
Physical activity could delay onset of Huntington's disease4/1/2008 2:48:00 PM IST
Washington, Apr 1 (ANI): A new study on mice has found that the simple act of running in an exercise wheel may delay the onset of some symptoms of Huntington's disease.
Indian scientist's 'Raman effect' spectroscopy for dramatically sharper tumour images4/1/2008 2:48:00 PM IST
Washington, Apr 1 (ANI): A team of researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine, led by an Indian-origin scientist, has developed a new type of imaging system, called Raman spectroscopy, that can illuminate details of tumours and tissues with a precision 1,000 times sharper than existing techniques.
Anti-psychotic Alzheimer's drugs do more harm than good4/1/2008 2:48:00 PM IST
London, Apr 1 (ANI): A new study has suggested that the anti-psychotic drugs or neuroleptics, which are widely prescribed for Alzheimer's patients, do not provide any benefit, but cause significant deterioration in people suffering form the disease.
Fasting could help ease effects of chemotherapy4/1/2008 2:26:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): A new study has suggested that short-term fasting can help protect cancer patients against the effects of chemotherapy.
Two-drug blood pressure therapy can cut cardiovascular risk: Study4/1/2008 1:39:00 PM IST
Washington, Apr 1 (ANI): Researchers at University of Michigan have revealed that combination of two blood pressure drugs can effectively lower cardiovascular risk among hypertensive patients.
Size zero obsession fuelling rise in eating disorders4/1/2008 1:39:00 PM IST
London, Apr 1 (ANI): An incessant obsession to be size zero is putting women at a high risk of developing eating disorders, warns an expert.
Tai Chi could help fight against type 2 diabetes4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
London, Apr 1 (ANI): Tai Chi Chuan, the traditional Chinese martial arts exercises, could help curb symptoms of type 2 diabetes, according to a new study.
Scientists identify gene linked to Lou Gehrig's disease4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
London, Apr 1 (ANI): Researchers from Canada and France have identified a new gene, called TDP-43, which is responsible for a major fraction of ALS, (sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) cases or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Diabetes drug may help slow plaque build-up in coronary arteries4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): A new study which compared two types of drugs to treat type 2 diabetes, has found that pioglitazone is better than glimepiride at slowing the rate of progression of atherosclerosis, a process in which plaque build-up in the coronary arteries.
Obese children require less intensive exercise for effective weight loss4/1/2008 12:41:00 PM IST
London, Apr 1 (ANI): Less intensive exercise can effectively burn off fat among obese kids, says a new research.
Fewer children born after Caesarean delivery: Study4/1/2008 12:41:00 PM IST
Washington, Apr 1 (ANI): Women who have a Caesarean delivery for their first child are more likely to have fewer kids later, as compared to women who give birth normally, says a new study.
Lung transplants not harmful for children with cystic fibrosis4/1/2008 12:41:00 PM IST
Washington, Apr 1 (ANI): Refuting previous findings, a new research has reported that lung transplants are not harmful for children with cystic fibrosis.
Scientists use new technique to identify molecular 'biomarkers' for disease4/1/2008 11:47:00 AM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): Chemists at the University of Florida have made a breakthrough in the fight against serious diseases, by using a new tool to identify their molecular signatures, without any prior knowledge of what these microscopic signatures or biomarkers should look like.
Study shows TB bacteria accumulate 'fat' to survive and spread4/1/2008 11:47:00 AM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): A team of scientists has claimed a significant breakthrough in their research into the spread of tuberculosis, by identifying for the first time that TB bacteria accumulate fat that may help them to survive passing from one person to another and boost their resistance to anti-TB drugs.
Scientists develop new tool to eliminate drug discovery bottleneck3/31/2008 5:19:00 PM IST
Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): Researchers at University of California, San Diego have developed a new tool that may help in screening for new drugs and studying natural compounds.
Cheap masks as effective at preventing flu spread as more expensive ones3/31/2008 3:54:00 PM IST
Sydney, Mar 31 (ANI): A new study has shown that normal surgical masks can help prevent flu spread just as well as more expensive face masks.
Scientists identify genes that govern course of immune restoration in HIV therapy3/31/2008 3:54:00 PM IST
London, Mar 31 (ANI): A research team, led by an Indian-origin scientist, has identified two genes, CCR5 and CCL3L1, that play a key role in deciding the course of immune restoration in HIV-positive individuals undergoing virus-suppressing therapy.
Unsafe carcinogenic arsenic levels found in baby food rice3/31/2008 3:54:00 PM IST
London, Mar 31 (ANI): Unsafe levels of arsenic have been found in brands of baby food rice that are widely sold in British supermarkets, according to a team of researchers from Aberdeen University.
Regular doctor-patient communication can lower heart disease risk3/31/2008 12:59:00 PM IST
Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): A new study has revealed that regular communication with doctors can lower the risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
How nerve cells in the left and right sides of the brain are wired3/31/2008 12:59:00 PM IST
Washington, March 31 (ANI): Scientists at University College London (UCL) claim that they have for the first time observed how the left and right-sided nerve cells in a part of the brain, called the habenula, are wired.
One sausage a day can boost bowel cancer risk3/31/2008 12:59:00 PM IST
London, Mar 31 (ANI): Eating just one sausage a day can increase a person's chances of developing bowel cancer by a fifth, experts have warned.
Hormone combo may offer safe, reversible male birth control tool3/31/2008 12:59:00 PM IST
Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): Researchers at the University of Sydney have found that a contraceptive containing the hormones testosterone and progestin might become a safe, effective and reversible form of male birth control.
Mobile phones could be more cancerous than smoking, asbestos3/31/2008 11:57:00 AM IST
Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): A new study by an Indian-origin neurosurgeon has shown that cell phone use could kill more people than smoking, because of its possible association with brain cancer.
Scientists search superbugs in ICUs to develop MRSA sampling system3/31/2008 11:57:00 AM IST
Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): Scientists at the Sheffield Hallam University in South Yorkshire are trying to determine which bugs grow in intensive care units, in a bid to develop a novel sampling regime that would indicate the threat of MRSA and other superbugs in the environment.
Scientists identify new genes linked to type 2 diabetes, prostate cancer3/31/2008 11:57:00 AM IST
London, Mar 31 (ANI): A multi-group team headed by University of Michigan (U-M) researchers has identified six new genes that play a role in the development of type 2 diabetes.
Study shows anticoagulant drugs have similar outcomes after angioplasty3/31/2008 11:27:00 AM IST
Washington, March 31 (ANI): Italian researchers have shown that in heart attack patients who have angioplasty, the anticoagulant drugs abciximab and tirofiban produce similar outcomes for certain cardiac measures within 90 minutes after the procedure.
Green tea can help curb superbugs3/31/2008 11:27:00 AM IST
Washington, Mar 31 (ANI): Egyptian scientists from Alexandria University have revealed that drinking green tea in combination with antibiotics may help beat superbugs.
Vaccine for Ebola virus successfully tested in primates3/31/2008 10:37:00 AM IST
Washington, March 31 (ANI): Researchers in the US and Canada have made a breakthrough in the fight against Ebola haemorrhagic fever, one of the world's deadliest diseases caused by the Ebola virus, by successfully testing several Ebola vaccines in primates.

SCIENCE & TECH NEWS

Flameless combustion could reduce polluting emissions/1/2008 2:48:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): Researchers in the Middle East have determined that using flameless combustion to build industrial gas turbines for power generation, would produce almost no polluting emissions.
Hydrogen storage in nanoparticles would allow usage in mobile applications4/1/2008 2:48:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): A Dutch chemist has demonstrated that hydrogen can be efficiently stored in nanoparticles, which allows hydrogen storage to be more easily used in mobile applications.
War is bound to exact a heavy toll on civilian mental health4/1/2008 2:26:00 PM IST
London, April 1 (ANI): A new research has determined that the health effects of war are not limited to battlefield injuries, and are also bound to exact a heavy toll on civilian mental health.
What may be needed to transform human arms into wings4/1/2008 2:26:00 PM IST
London, April 1 (ANI): A reconstructive surgeon at the University of Wisconsin in Madison has come up with an explanation as to what may be required to transform human arms into wings.
Researchers discover how plants counter attack pathogens4/1/2008 2:26:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): A new research has helped to discover how plants counter attack pathogens, which could potentially lead to crops with enhanced disease resistance.
Some biofuels might cause severe environmental impacts4/1/2008 2:26:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): A new study has determined that though biofuels are widely considered as a source of renewable energy, some of them might cause severe environmental impacts and reduce biodiversity unless principles and standards for production are developed and implemented.
Scientists discover how HIV hides itself in our cells4/1/2008 1:39:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): Researchers at the University of Michigan, USA, have taken a major step forward in the fight against AIDS, by discovering how Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), which causes the disease, can hide itself in our cells and evade the attention of our normal defences.
New mini cooler may help your electronics work better4/1/2008 1:39:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): As an important step towards the development of highly effective micro-coolers, an Indian-origin researcher at the University of Twente has created a cooler for electronic products which is about three times smaller than conventional coolers, yet has a higher cooling output.
Mountains on neutron stars could trigger gravitational waves4/1/2008 1:39:00 PM IST
London, April 1 (ANI): A new computer simulation has suggested that neutron stars can boast of topographical features such as plateaus or mountains, which could ripple the surrounding fabric of space, producing gravitational waves.
Kids, not ghosts behind the 'poltergeist phenomena'4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
London, Apr 1 (ANI): The site of a vase flying off a shelf by itself and crashing 12 feet across the room can strike fear of ghost in anyone's heart. But according to two physicists, such kind of an activity, called as poltergeist phenomena, may have nothing to offer in the way of ghost evidence.
How lowly female honeybees can be reborn as pampered queens4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
London, Apr 1 (ANI): The miserable and toiling life of the lowly female Cape honeybees can be reincarnated as royalty, at least that's what a new research suggests.
Flexible colour monitors and heads-up displays in car windshields may soon be a reality4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): E-paper, flexible colour monitors, and heads-up displays in car windshields may soon be a reality, for engineers have already made the first active matrix display using a new class of transparent transistors and circuits.
Now, a Facebook tool to spy on your spouse via your mobile phone4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
London, Apr 1 (ANI): The frantic Where r u? text message has been shown the door, thanks to this revolutionary Facebook tool that gives suspicious partners an electronic map showing the location of their spouse.
Chloroform sheds light on 150-year-old general anaesthesia puzzle4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): Chloroform, one of the earliest general anaesthetics to be used in medical science, has shed light on how these anaesthetics actually work - an enigma that's baffled doctors for over 150 years.
3,000-year-old ivory carving depicts whaling scene4/1/2008 1:09:00 PM IST
London, April 1 (ANI): Archaeologists working in the Russian Arctic have unearthed a remarkably detailed 3,000-year-old ivory carving that depicts groups of hunters engaged in whaling, which pushes back direct evidence for whaling by about 1,000 years.
Now, specially designed soils to fight global warming4/1/2008 12:40:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): A research team from Newcastle University in UK has aimed to design soils that can remove carbon from the atmosphere, permanently and cost-effectively.
Climate change and human hunting caused woolly mammoth extinction4/1/2008 12:40:00 PM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): A new paper has used climate models and fossil distribution to establish that the woolly mammoth went extinct primarily because of loss of habitat due to changes in temperature, while human hunting acted as the final straw.
Best sex lasts from three to 13 minutes4/1/2008 11:47:00 AM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): Great sex doesn't require long steamy nights of passion, for a new US survey has found that all you need for some good sex is three to 13 minutes.
Astronomers discover two peanut-shaped star systems4/1/2008 11:47:00 AM IST
Washington, April 1 (ANI): Astronomers have spotted two new star systems, which are the first of its kind, sharing stellar material to form the shape of a peanut.
Aberdeen Maritime Museum exhibits Atlantic Ocean's ugliest, most frightening creatures3/31/2008 5:10:00 PM IST
London, March 31 (ANI): Aberdeen Maritime Museum is putting stunning pictures of some of the most frightening-looking creatures and specimens collected from the volcanic mountain range in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean on display.
Now, miniscule TV sets for your doll-houses3/31/2008 5:10:00 PM IST
London, Mar 31 (ANI): Kids will now be able to install working television sets in the sitting rooms of their doll-houses, thanks to a miniature enthusiast who has developed such miniscule TV sets.
Brit cell phone users in the grip of 'nomo-phobia'3/31/2008 4:22:00 PM IST
London, March 31 (ANI): A survey has revealed that 20 per cent of cellular phone users in Britain consider being out of mobile phone contact to be as stressful as moving house or breaking up with a partner.
Researchers achieve 3-D imaging of magnetic fields for first time3/31/2008 3:54:00 PM IST
Washington, March 31 (ANI): Researchers have succeeded, for the first time, in a direct, three-dimensional visualisation of magnetic fields inside solid, non-transparent materials.
San Francisco may soon boast of the greenest buildings3/31/2008 3:54:00 PM IST
London, March 31 (ANI): The city of San Francisco may soon boast of the greenest buildings in the US, with the local government planning the toughest environmental construction standards in the country.
Cellulose might be the 'paper trail' in search for life on other planets3/31/2008 3:26:00 PM IST
Washington, March 31 (ANI): The discovery of cellulose microfibers in ancient salt deposits has pushed back the earliest direct evidence of biological material on Earth by about 200 million years, and suggesting scientists looking for evidence of life on Mars or other planets, cellulose might be the 'paper trail'.
New chip to speed up detection of livestock viruses3/31/2008 3:26:00 PM IST
Washington, March 31 (ANI): Scientists have developed a screening chip that would be help to speed up detection of some of the worst livestock viruses like bird flu and foot-and-mouth disease.
Environment threatening laughing gas is being released by bacteria3/31/2008 2:23:00 PM IST
Washington, March 31 (ANI): Scientists have said that nitrous oxide, which is popularly known as laughing gas, is being released in the environment by a number of species of bacteria.
Bowel cancer risk governed by your race and country3/31/2008 1:39:00 PM IST
London, March 31 (ANI): Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have shown that chances of getting cancer depends on an individual's country, by finding that genes linked to the deadly disease do not affect all races the same way.
Scientists shed light on 'the wallpaper problem'3/31/2008 1:39:00 PM IST
London, March 31 (ANI): You must have wondered several times as to why a sheet of wallpaper refuses to tear neatly off the wall, or why people often find it difficult to peel the tape off the roll in a straight line. Well, an international team of researchers perhaps knows the answer.
Antarctic tourism threatening region's ecosystems, warn campaigners3/31/2008 12:59:00 PM IST
London, March 31 (ANI): Environmental campaigners have called for greater restrictions on shipping around Antarctica in order to prevent damage to its unique ecosystems.
New geological age similar to 65 million year old mass extinction event3/31/2008 11:57:00 AM IST
Canberra, March 31 (ANI): A leading environmental scientist has suggested that an unprecedented climatic change is creating a new geological age, which is similar to the mass extinction event which wiped out the dinosaurs and other species 65 million years ago.
Ancient clay tablet helps unravel 5,000-year-old asteroid mystery3/31/2008 11:27:00 AM IST
London, March 31 (ANI): British scientists have deciphered a mysterious ancient clay tablet, which they believe has helped them to solve a riddle over a giant asteroid impact more than 5,000 years ago.According to a report in the Telegraph, the circular clay tablet was discovered 150 years ago by Sir Austen Henry Layard, a leading Victorian archaeologist, in the remains of the royal palace at Nineveh, capital of ancient Assyria, in what is now Iraq.