Hurricanes can completely re-structure themselves inside, and that presents forecasters with great uncertainty when predicting their effects on the general population.
Recently, scientists used data from NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite to analyze transformations that take place inside a hurricane. Stephen Guimond, a graduate research assistant at Florida State University, Tallahassee, Fla., lead a study that used TRMM data to view the height at which i
Study finds statins have beneficial effect on rheumatoid arthritis cells in vitro
Statins, a class of drugs widely used to treat high cholesterol, have also recently been studied for their potential role in inflammation and other cell processes, including immune response. They have also been shown to induce apoptosis (cell death) in normal cells and tumor cells. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) causes proliferation of synovial tissue, which lines the joints, but little is known about the
Study finds genetically engineered muscle-derived stem cells improved cartilage repair in rats
Damage to articular cartilage (cartilage covering the ends of bones where they meet in a joint) frequently occurs due to injury or illness, and can lead to degenerative disease. Treatments and experimental approaches to repair this articular cartilage have achieved limited results, but currently there is no method to fully restore this type of injured cartilage. Tissue engineering in
Human adenoviruses may cause human obesity, but more research is needed before a screening test and vaccine become reality. Meanwhile, one researcher advises, ’Eat right, exercise, wash your hands’
There is a lot of good advice to help us avoid becoming obese, such as “Eat less,” and “Exercise.” But here’s a new and surprising piece of advice based on a promising area of obesity research: “Wash your hands.”
There is accumulating evidence that certain viruses may cause
Identification of precursor cell may lead to tumor immunotherapy as well as new treatment for rare disorder
Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers have identified the precursors of cells in the skin that are part of the first line of defense against invading pathogens. The study will appear on Nature Immunology’s website this week and will be published in a future issue.
A tight network of cells covering the entire body is formed in the skin by a group of cells
Intracellular observation of RNA metabolism will help identify disease-associated RNAs
For the first time, researchers can now peer inside intact cells to not only identify RNA-binding proteins, but also observe–in real-time–the intricate activities of these special molecules that make them key players in managing some of the cell’s most basic functions. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine who developed the new technology see this advance as one o
Offering free HIV tests instead of charging a small fee is more cost-effective at preventing HIV infections and draws in three times as many people for testing, according to a Duke University Medical Center study conducted in Tanzania.
The Duke researchers provided free HIV tests and counseling during a two-week pilot program in 2003. The number of people seeking tests increased from 4.1 per day before the free testing interval to 15.0 per day during the pilot program. However, th
Cleaner method of making spices, perfumes moves one step closer to reality
Materials scientists at Lehigh University and catalyst chemists at Cardiff University have uncovered secrets of the “nanoworld” that promise to lead to cleaner methods of producing, among other things, spices and perfumes.
The materials scientists, headed by Christopher Kiely of Lehigh, have determined the structure of a type of gold-palladium nanoparticle, which is the active component of
A team of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Purdue University, and the Russian Academy of Sciences has used sound waves to induce nuclear fusion without the need for an external neutron source, according to a paper in the Jan. 27 issue of Physical Review Letters. The results address one of the most prominent questions raised after publication of the team’s earlier results in 2004, suggesting that “sonofusion” may be a viable approach to producing neutrons for a variety of appl
Children’s first dental visit should come soon after their first teeth sprout, says UCSF researcher
Fluoride varnish, a dental preventive treatment, reduces the incidence of early childhood tooth decay in combination with dental health counseling for parents, according to a study by investigators at the UCSF School of Dentistry.
The investigators examined cavity-free infants and young children, primarily from low-income Chinese or Hispanic families in San Francis
Researchers at the Yale Fertility Center are now offering a cutting edge reproductive procedure called oocyte cryopreservation that allows women to freeze their eggs and use them at a later time to conceive a child.
Pasquale Patrizio, M.D., professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences and Director of the Yale Fertility Center, is introducing this technique at Yale in collaboration with an oocyte cryopreservation expert from Bologna, Italy. They w
An international team of scientists affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nanoscale Science and Engineering Center has coaxed a self-assembling material into forming never-before-seen, three-dimensional nanoscale structures, with potential applications ranging from catalysis and chemical separation to semiconductor manufacturing.
Led by UW-Madison chemical and biological engineering professors Paul Nealey and Juan de Pablo and colleagues at Georg-August University
These findings set the stage for clinical research into stroke prevention
Among patients who have suffered a single stroke, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, along with colleagues at other institutions, have found that severe stenosis, or narrowing, of the arteries in the head represents a major risk factor for the development of a subsequent stroke. Patients with recent symptoms were also at high risk. Further, women faced a greater risk of sub
Using mobile telephones in hospitals reduces the error rate in medical care because of more timely communication and rarely causes electronic magnetic interference, Yale School of Medicine researchers report this month.
The study published in February’s Anesthesia & Analgesia is believed to be the first to investigate whether use of cell phones by medical personnel has a beneficial impact on safety. It was based on 4,018 responses from attendees at the 2003 meeting of the
Researchers at Penn State have devised a novel way to clean and disinfect milking equipment, using little more than salt water. The new method could be a safer and cheaper alternative to conventional cleaning systems.
“Concentrated chemicals used in the conventional cleaning are stored on the farm and on contact, they can cause serious burns in the eyes and on skin,” says Dr. Ali Demirci, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. And, he says the chemicals
Study shows one third of candidates are unlikely to benefit from ICD
Last year, about 170,000 people in North America had devices surgically implanted to stop potentially fatal arrhythmias. For many, these were life-saving, but for others they were unnecessary, uncomfortable, and sometimes dangerous. Now a new, noninvasive test may help determine which patients are most likely to benefit from the device, known as implantable cardiac defibrillator (ICD). A large, multicenter, NIH-spo
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