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Science Daily is a free online news source. It features news and articles on a variety of topics including: computer science, nanotechnology, medicine, psychology, biology, climate, space, physics, mathematics, chemistry, archeology, paleontology, and others.

It has been active since 1995. The articles are selected from news releases submitted by universities and other research institutions. Some have criticized the site's refusal to provide links to the specific release on which each article is based, and its decision to list instead the home page of the institution responsible for the release--a practice that makes it difficult for researchers and interested laymen to cite and consult the actual scientific paper discussed.

Science Daily

Science Daily is a free online news source. It features news and articles on a variety of topics including: computer science, nanotechnology, medicine, psychology, biology, climate, space, physics, mathematics, chemistry, archeology, paleontology, and others.

It has been active since 1995. The articles are selected from news releases submitted by universities and other research institutions. Some have criticized the site's refusal to provide links to the specific release on which each article is based, and its decision to list instead the home page of the institution responsible for the release--a practice that makes it difficult for researchers and interested laymen to cite and consult the actual scientific paper discussed.

Man's Health

The hormonal side-effects experienced by the three treatment groups were similar to previously reported effects for androgen deprivation hormone therapy.

Patients receiving degarelix were much more likely to experience injection-site reactions than those receiving leuprolide (40 per cent compared to one per cent).

However degarelix patients suffered fewer urinary tract infections than those in the leuprolide group (three per cent versus nine per cent) together with fewer joint pains and chills (four per cent versus nine per cent).

“More than 2,000 patients have now taken part in clinical trials for degarelix and there have been no signs of immediate or late-onset systemic allergic reactions, in contrast to other reported trials of other GnRH antagonists” points out Dr Klotz.

“The aim of the study was to show that degarelix was not inferior to leuprolide when it came to maintaining low testosterone levels over a one-year treatment period. We have conclusively shown that this is the case.

“However, we have also demonstrated that degarelix - which is an antagonist - offers an advantage, in that it reduces testosterone and PSA levels very quickly. It doesn’t cause the initial surge of testosterone seen with agonist drugs like leuprolide - the other drug featured in this study.

“This is relevant as biochemical surges in testosterone can stimulate the prostate cancer cells and cause unpleasant side effects for patients. They may also require further drug therapy to counteract the effects of agonist drugs like leuprolide.”

Science Daily News

Potts will give an invited talk on "Geobiological Responses to Ocean Acidification" at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union (AGU) in San Francisco on Wednesday, December 17.

Ocean acidification is one of the side effects of the rising concentration of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere due to the burning of fossil fuels. The oceans can absorb enormous amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, but as the gas dissolves it makes the water more acidic. Increasing acidity can make life difficult for corals and other marine organisms that build shells and skeletons out of calcium carbonate.

Scientists fear that acidification will slow the growth of these organisms and cause calcium carbonate structures to dissolve. Potts agrees that dissolving shells will certainly be a problem for many marine organisms, but he thinks the disruptions will run much deeper.

"It's not just a question of coral reefs, and it's not just a question of calcification," he said. "What we are potentially looking at are disruptions of developmental processes and of populations and communities on many scales."

The term "acidification" refers to a slight lowering of the pH of ocean water, pushing it closer to the acidic end of the scale, although it is still slightly alkaline. A small decrease in pH affects the chemical equilibrium of ocean water, reducing the availability of carbonate ions needed by a wide range of organisms to build and maintain structures of calcium carbonate.

Many phytoplankton--microscopic algae that form the base of the marine food web--build calcium carbonate shells to protect themselves from microscopic predators called ciliate protozoa. A disruption of the ability of phytoplankton to build their shells could have ripple effects throughout the marine food web, Potts said.

"It's going to change the dominant organism in the food chain, and there's a very real danger that it may short-circuit the food chains," he said. In other words, ciliate protozoa gorging on unprotected phytoplankton may flourish at the expense of other organisms higher up the food chain.