EurekAlert!

The first entire genome of an Irish individual has been sequenced. The sequence is reported in BioMed Central's open-access journal, Genome Biology, and provides insight into the evolutionary history of this distinct lineage.

Scientists at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid are testing infrared remote sensing technology to evaluate the pollutant emissions associated with motor vehicle traffic which allows for analysis of all the gases of environmental interest with one sole instrument in a sole measurement.

A new study from Sweden's Karolinska Institutet suggests that bipolar disorder -- or manic-depressive disorder -- does not increase the risk of committing violent crime. Instead, the over-representation of individuals with bipolar disorder in violent crime statistics is almost entirely attributable to concurrent substance abuse.

Researchers have developed a new data transmission system that could substantially improve the transmission capacity and energy efficiency of the world's optical communication networks.

A team made up of members of the University of Oviedo and the Complutense University of Madrid have gathered together all findings of the woolly mammoth, the woolly rhinoceros and the reindeer in the Iberian Peninsula to show that, although in small numbers, these big mammals, prehistoric indicators of cold climates, already lived in this territory some 150,000 years ago.

A brain-scanning study reveals that an oral dose of methylphenidate, commonly known as Ritalin, improves impaired brain function and enhances cognitive performance in people who are addicted to cocaine. The study suggests that methylphenidate, combined with cognitive interventions, may have a role in facilitating recovery from drug addiction.

Only 45 percent of the 354 million annual visits for acute care in the United States are made to patients' personal physicians, as Americans increasingly make busy emergency departments, specialists or outpatient care departments their first point of contact for treatment of new health problems or a flare up of a chronic condition like asthma or diabetes.

Today, the Endocrine Society released a new clinical practice guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. The guideline features a series of evidence-based clinical recommendations developed by an expert task force.

Evidence shows that more people are seeking routine care from hospital emergency departments, a trend that may grow under health care reform. A new study by the RAND Corporation shows that about 17 percent of all visits to hospital emergency departments across the United States could be treated at retail medical clinics or urgent care centers, potentially saving $4.4 billion annually in health care costs.

The United States must focus on conserving the use of antibacterial drugs, or face a public health crisis from rapidly rising rates of antibiotic-resistant infections, according to an analysis out today. Most proposals to solve this problem focus on giving pharmaceutical companies financial incentives to develop new drugs that could replace those that are no longer working. But a new report in Health Affairs suggests that approach won't work for long.

Food manufacturers advertise a variety of foods on grocery store shelves by using nutrient claims on the front of packaging. A study in the September/October issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior evaluates how consumers are interpreting certain carbohydrate-related content claims and the effects of claims on consumer perceptions of food products. Findings from this study reveal that consumers misinterpret low carbohydrate claims to have health benefits and weight loss qualities beyond their nutrition facts.

Using ultrasound and a minimally invasive procedure, radiologists can identify and treat patients who engage in a disturbing self-injury behavior known as self-embedding, according to a new study.

Researchers at Caltech have engineered a fundamentally new approach to killing cancer cells. The process -- developed by Niles Pierce, associate professor of applied and computational mathematics and bioengineering at Caltech, and his colleagues -- uses small RNA molecules that can be programmed to attack only specific cancer cells; then, by changing shape, those molecules cause the cancer cells to self-destruct.

Dr. David Keith suggests that two novel geoengineering approaches -- "levitating" engineered nano-particles, and the airborne release of sulphuric acid may be more effective than simply putting sulphur dioxide gas into the atmosphere.His results have been published in both the upcoming Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a top-ranked international science journal, and the Geophysical Research Letters.

A BMJ investigation into the top-selling diabetes drug rosiglitazone (Avandia) raises concerns about its safety and the whole system by which drugs are evaluated, regulated, and promoted around the world.

At least one in 10 athletes sustained an injury and a further one in 14 fell ill during the 2010 Winter Olympics, held in Canada, reveals research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Financial incentives in primary care cut heart disease deaths and hospital admissions, particularly among people from deprived areas, finds research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

Children as young as four weeks old are being fed a poor diet of biscuits, ice cream and soft drinks, according to new Australian research.

Employees who have control over the design and layout of their workspace are not only happier and healthier -- they're also up to 32 percent more productive, according to new research from the University of Exeter.

The Greenland and West Antarctic ice caps are melting at half the speed previously predicted. This finding has emerged from research by a joint US/Dutch team from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Delft University of Technology and SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research. The scientists have published their findings in the September issue of Nature Geoscience.