UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News

Two asteroid belts found in nearby system

PASADENA, Calif., Oct. 27 (UPI) -- New observations using the U.S. space agency's Spitzer Space Telescope indicate the nearest planetary system to ours has two asteroid belts.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said the star at the center of the nearby system, called Epsilon Eridani, is a younger, slightly cooler and fainter version of the sun. Previously, astronomers had uncovered evidence for two possible planets in the system, and for a broad, outer ring of icy comets similar to our own Kuiper Belt.

Spitzer astronomers now say the system also has dual asteroid belts, one at about the same position as the one in our solar system, with the other located between the first belt and the comet ring.

"This system probably looks a lot like ours did when life first took root on Earth," said Dana Backman, an astronomer at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif. "The main difference we know of so far is that it has an additional ring of leftover planet construction material."

Backman is lead author of a paper detailing the discovery to be published in the Jan. 10 issue of the Astrophysical Journal.

Gene variation may predict cancer survival

MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've found a link between gene variations and cancer survival that might impact multiple myeloma and other disease treatments.

It's well known certain genes can influence a person's likelihood to contract particular diseases. The new research at the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota demonstrates genetic markers might also show a person's likelihood to survive the disease.

Research led by Brian Van Ness has successfully identified combinations of genes associated with early clinical relapse of multiple myeloma -- a cancer of the white blood cells that produce antibodies. The results raise the possibility a patient's genetic background exerts an important influence on the patient's prognosis and response to treatment.

"Ultimately, the goal of this research is to predict drug efficacy and toxicity based on a patient's genetic profile, and develop individualized assessments and predictions for the right drug, at the right dose, for the right patient," Van Ness said, adding the approach offers the dual benefits of avoiding unnecessary treatment for patients less likely to respond to a particular drug, and targeting treatments to those who will benefit most.

The study is reported in the research journal BMC Medicine. New emphysema treatment is studied

New emphysema treatment is studied

DENVER, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists are studying an investigational emphysema treatment that involves using stents to create new pathways for air in diseased lungs.

Researchers at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center said the new procedure involves creating openings in the airway wall connecting the damaged lung tissue to the natural airway in a minimally invasive procedure. The holes, kept open by small stents, could relieve the hyperinflation of the lungs, allowing the healthy parts of the lungs to more easily inflate and take in air.

"Airway bypass is groundbreaking because right now it is the only treatment being studied to help emphysema patients whose disease has destroyed tissue throughout the lung," said Dr. Ali Musani, principal investigator of the study. "If successful this … procedure would help those who would not otherwise be considered for or benefit from lung volume reduction surgery."

Although the procedure is still under clinical investigation, feasibility data suggest it may hold promise for patients with emphysema.

That feasibility study was reported in the October 2007 issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.

Last uncharted Earth areas to be explored

AUSTIN, Texas, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- U.S., U.K. and Australian scientists will explore two of the last uncharted regions of Earth: the Aurora and Wilkes Subglacial Basins in Antarctica.

The basins are immense ice-buried lowlands in Antarctica with a combined area the size of Mexico. The researchers say their findings could show how Earth's climate changed in the past and how future climate change will affect global sea level.

The University of Texas at Austin's Jackson School of Geosciences, along with the University of Edinburgh and the Australian Antarctic Division as part of a major International Polar Year project to study the vast area using multiple airborne instruments.

Beginning this December, the research team will fly an upgraded DC-3 aircraft with a suite of geophysical instruments to map the thickness of the ice sheet and measure the texture, composition, density and topography of rocks below the ice. The upgraded DC-3 will provide the scientists with a combination of fuel efficiency and range.

The scientists say data from the project will help model East Antarctic ice stability, forecast how ice might react to climate change and show its potential impact on global sea level.