(University of California - Los Angeles) A UCLA study shows for the first time how microscopic crystals form sound and gravity sensors inside the inner ear. Located at the ends of cilia -- tiny cellular hairs in the ear that move and transmit signals -- the crystals play an important role in detecting sound, maintaining balance and regulating movement. The findings suggest a potential gene target for the treatment of people suffering from vertigo and common hearing problems related to cilia disorders.

(University of California - Los Angeles) A UCLA study shows for the first time how microscopic crystals form sound and gravity sensors inside the inner ear. Located at the ends of cilia -- tiny cellular hairs in the ear that move and transmit signals -- the crystals play an important role in detecting sound, maintaining balance and regulating movement. The findings suggest a potential gene target for the treatment of people suffering from vertigo and common hearing problems related to cilia disorders.

(Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health) The Johns Hopkins University has received a $4.97 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to undertake the initial phase of a unique program aimed at improving health outcomes in Uganda and East Africa, in coordination with the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health and the Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda.

(Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health) The Johns Hopkins University has received a $4.97 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to undertake the initial phase of a unique program aimed at improving health outcomes in Uganda and East Africa, in coordination with the Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health and the Makerere University College of Health Sciences in Kampala, Uganda.

(Lifespan) New research by the Miriam Hospital reveals that babies exposed to tobacco in utero are less likely to self-soothe and are more aroused and excitable than newborns whose mothers didn't smoke during pregnancy.

(Lifespan) New research by the Miriam Hospital reveals that babies exposed to tobacco in utero are less likely to self-soothe and are more aroused and excitable than newborns whose mothers didn't smoke during pregnancy.

(Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology) Researchers used a new imaging technique to take high quality color photographs of the clinical stages of ocular inflammation in mice -- without distress to the animals or the need for anesthesia. It featured the use of Topical Endoscopic Fundal Imaging, which uses an endoscope with parallel illumination and observation channels connected to a digital camera.

(American Roentgen Ray Society) A dual-headed dedicated gamma camera used during molecular breast imaging can accurately detect small breast tumors less than 2 cm in size, according to a study performed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

(American Roentgen Ray Society) Cardiac CT can effectively assess coronary artery stenosis, according to a large study performed at Leiden University Medical Center in Leiden, the Netherlands.

(American Roentgen Ray Society) Coronary CTA offers a low cost, non-invasive alternative to conventional angiography for evaluating patients who are suspected of having coronary artery disease; true even if the patients have calcified coronary artery plaques, according to a study performed at the Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pa.

(Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) A stunning discovery based on epigenetics (the inheritance of propensities acquired in the womb) reveals that consuming choline -- a nutrient found in eggs and other foods -- during pregnancy may significantly affect breast cancer outcomes for a mother's offspring. This finding by Boston University biologists is the first to link choline consumption during pregnancy to breast cancer. It also is the first to identify possible choline-related genetic changes that affect breast cancer survival rates.

(European Science Foundation) Microorganisms in rivers and streams play a crucial role in the global carbon cycle that has not previously been considered. Freshwater ecologist Dr. Tom Battin, of the University of Vienna, told a COST ESF Frontiers of Science conference in October that our understanding of how rivers and streams deal with organic carbon has changed radically.

(American Roentgen Ray Society) Multidetector CT cystography (diagnostic procedure used to examine the bladder) can be used to detect vesicourethral leaks (a common problem) after prostatectomy according to a study that was performed at the Seoul National University College of Medicine in the Republic of Korea.

(American Roentgen Ray Society) Mammography and sonography findings help doctors identify and appropriately treat breast cancer in men, according to a study performed at the University of Texas M.D. Cancer Center in Houston, Texas.

(St. Jude Children's Research Hospital) Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that a certain differentiated cell type is so ready to change its identity that it requires the constant expression of a gene called Prox1 to dissuade it.

(University of Liverpool) The University of Liverpool will become one of seven national 'hubs' for developing clinical trial methodologies following an award of £2.75 million (US$4 million) by the Medical Research Council.

(VIB (the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology)) Permission has been granted to start the first safety and tolerability trial on patients for a remedy for ALS. ALS is an incurable, paralyzing neurodegenerative disorder that strikes five persons in every 100,000. The disease commonly affects healthy people in the most active period of their lives -- without warning. Together with UZ Leuven they'll start the first evaluation of safety and tolerability of the drug in patients by the end of this year.

(Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research) Dutch biologist Suzanne van Helden discovered that before dendritic cells move to the lymph nodes they lose their sticky feet. This helps them to move much faster. Immature dendritic cells patrol the tissues in search of antigens. After exposure to such antigens they undergo a rigorous maturation process. During this maturation the dendritic cells migrate to the lymph nodes to activate T cells. Suzanne van Helden studied the adhesion and migration of both immature and mature dendritic cells.

(Elsevier) Clinical Immunology publishes novel approach that can augment clinical outcomes.

(Swedish Research Council) Increased financial support for IVF fertilization would be downright profitable for the state. Test-tube babies are an investment for the future, not an expense. This is shown by Anders Svensson, who studied this issue in a bachelor's thesis in economics at Lund University School of Economics and Management in Sweden. His article on the subject was recently published in Scandinavian Journal of Public Health.