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An international study of animal behavior has important implications for human decision-making. For animals that live in social groups, and that includes humans, blindly following a leader could place them in danger. To avoid this, animals have developed simple but effective behavior to follow where at least a few of them dare to tread -- rather than follow a single group member. This pattern of behavior reduces the risk of imitating maverick behavior of an individual as the group recognize that consensus is better than following someone that goes it alone.

Physically active women are 25 percent less likely to get breast cancer, but certain groups are more likely to see these benefits than others, finds a review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The type of activity undertaken, at what time in life and the woman's body mass index (BMI) will determine how protective the activity is against the disease.

Intravenous administration of isotonic fluids is the standard emergency treatment in the U.S. for patients with severe blood loss, but now bioengineering researchers have reported improved resuscitation with a radically different approach. Building on earlier studies in humans that have shown benefits of intravenous fluids that are eight times saltier than normal saline, the researchers combined hypertonic saline with viscosity enhancers that thicken blood.

Women who breast feed for longer have a smaller chance of getting rheumatoid arthritis, suggests a new study. The study also found that taking oral contraceptives, which are suspected to protect against the disease because they contain hormones that are raised in pregnancy, did not have the same effect. Also, simply having children and not breast feeding also did not seem to be protective.

Asthma is associated with higher suicidal thoughts with attempted suicide, but does not seem to be linked with suicidal thoughts without attempts, according to a new report in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Cigarette smoking and concurrent mental health conditions may independently account for significant proportions (but not all) of the association between asthma and suicidal thoughts with attempts noted researchers.

Researchers in California report development of a new kind of genetically modified yeast cell that produces complex proteins up to 300 times more than possible in the past. These "super yeasts" could help boost production and lower prices for a new generation of protein-based drugs that show promise for fighting diabetes, obesity, and other diseases, the researchers suggest.

New research is changing the way cleft palate surgeries are performed throughout North America and around the world. Surgical timing has been a controversial topic with various cleft centers around the world opting for early closure at about 3-6 months of age. However, research complied over the past 20 years has shown that the best time to close the cleft at the alveolus (gum) in patients with either one or two sided clefts is at eight or nine years of age prior to canine tooth eruption.

A study of seven patients with Parkinson's disease suggests that those who have poor results following implantation of electrodes to stimulate the brain may benefit from additional surgery to correct the electrode placement, according to a new report.

Many college students have sleep patterns that could have detrimental effects on their daily performance. As a graduate student, the researcher had her own trouble sleeping, prompting her to conduct a study to determine if other students experienced the same problems. Many of the students surveyed admitted that it took longer than 30 minutes for them to fall asleep and/or they woke more than once a night for at least five nights a week.

For the estimated 82 percent of women with pierced ears, earrings are an important fashion accessory that many women wear, and change, daily. However, a new study suggests that women may be getting more than they bargained for when purchasing inexpensive earrings. Nickel exposure from these earrings is a common cause of dermatitis on the earlobes and repeated exposure can make treatment difficult.