Methylphenidate, a medication used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), may be effective in treating hyperactivity symptoms in children with autism and related pervasive developmental disorders, researchers report in the November Archives of General Psychiatry.
The study was conducted by the Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology (RUPP) Autism Network, a National Institute of Mental Health funded multi-site consortium dedicated to the development
The p53 protein is known to be a critical player in our body’s natural defense against cancer–it is absent in many types of tumor cells–but it also represents an intriguing paradox when it comes to the broader roles this protein plays in our well being. Past work has shown that in animal models, hyperactivation of the p53 protein is beneficial in terms of bestowing extra protection against tumor formation, but at the same time it has a significant negative effect: a shortening of lifespan
By comparing foxes selected for tameness with others that have not been selected in this way, researchers have found evidence that dramatic behavioral and physiological changes accompanying tameness may be associated with only limited changes in gene activity in the brain.
The work is reported by Elena Jazin and colleagues at Uppsala University, the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, and the Norwegian University of Life Science.
The first step in the proces
UT Medical School at Houston researchers’ findings contradict earlier studies
Researchers at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston have discovered that toddlers with sleep apnea experience more respiratory disturbances when they sleep on their backs than in other positions. Their findings, which contradict earlier studies on the subject, were published in this month’s issue of Archives of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery.
Obstructive sleep apnea
There is a wide variation in the use of laparoscopic surgery for gall bladder removal in Hong Kong hospitals, and use of this procedure is more likely at certain hospitals and among younger female patients operated on more recently, according to a study in the November issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
Laparoscopic cholecystectomy (LC, removal of the gallbladder by laparoscopy) is a well-established technique for the management of symptomatic galls
Fruit flies can live significantly longer, and remain healthy, when activity of the fly version of the tumor-suppressing protein p53 is reduced in nerve cells. Published in Current Biology, the results shed important new light on the role this “protector of the genome” plays in aging and point to p53 as a viable target for anti-aging drugs.
The p53 gene plays a critical role in the body. It protects human cells by producing a protein that triggers apoptosis, or cell suicide, wh
America’s charter schools serve a larger percentage of minority and low-income students than do the nation’s traditional public schools, according to a comprehensive new study of the growing charter movement.
That’s partly because charters remain a predominantly urban phenomenon, the researchers found, with charter schools three times as likely as regular public schools to be in located in a big city.
“One of driving forces behind charter schools has be
In contrast to previous reports, for those with autism or Asperger’s syndrome, recognizing facial expressions is separate from identifying familiar faces, according to a study published in the November 22, 2005, issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Those who had an impaired ability to process facial identity were no different than those with normal facial identity ability, when it came to processing facial expression.
Led by resea
Transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, from pregnant women to their infants sometime during childbirth is a huge international problem, studies have shown. Between 25 percent and 35 percent of babies born to untreated HIV-infected mothers become infected themselves.
That’s a half million newborn worldwide every year facing chronic illness and premature death on their first day out of the safety of the womb.
“The question has always been how does the virus ge
Shuttle train provides alternative to congested European roads
The Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) has been investigating a new freight transport corridor between the Nordic region and south eastern Europe. Information on the opportunities offered by the new corridor is of particular importance to companies that export their products to central and south eastern Europe through Poland. The corridor would provide an alternative to the traditional route of congested, hig
Sports fans can now interact with their favourite broadcasts in real time through digital TVs and 3G mobile phones thanks to a newly developed infrastructure that opens up a realm of commercial opportunities for broadcasters and advertisers by providing additional revenue streams for the sports publishing value chain.
The IST programme-funded MELISA project provides a wide range of services related to cross-media sports broadcasting, featuring visual enhancements, interactive embed
The SuperNova Legacy Survey collaboration started the largest survey yet launched to measure the distance to far supernovae. Distant supernovae are powerful tools to measure cosmological distances. The first results of the survey, to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, place strong constraints on cosmological models. In the near future, this new Legacy Survey will possibly help us understand the nature of dark energy.
The SuperNova Legacy Survey is an international collabor
The share of the wholesale and retail trade in the consumer price of food has increased rapidly in Finland over the past five years. At the same time, a declining share of the consumer food euro is allocated to farmers, according to marketing margin calculations from MTT Agrifood Research Finland.
Marketing margin calculations by MTT indicate the share of the retail price going to each sector along the supply chain: farmer, processing and trade (=marketing margin) as well as
The nomination period for the Millennium Technology Prize 2006, the world’s biggest technology award, has closed and the process of selecting a winner has begun. High-level proposals have been received from 32 countries.
Expressing his satisfaction with the geographical coverage of the nominations received, Dr. Tapio Alvesalo, Secretary General of the Millennium Prize Foundation and Secretary of the International Selection Committee, said ”In terms of international awareness
The successful launch of Ariane 5 Flight 167 leaves the launch campaign of Europe’s newest meteorological satellite on track to meet its new target date of 21 December.
After 117 days of storage in French Guiana, work began on de-storing and preparing the second Meteosat Second Generation (MSG-2) spacecraft for flight on 31 October. MSG-2 launch campaign activities were officially re-started on 10 November.
MSG-2 had been shipped to Europe’s spaceport on 21 June
Researchers at The University of Nottingham are joining forces with health protection specialists to study the spread of hospital ’superbugs’ such as MRSA and identify successful methods of prevention and treatment.
The results of the research project could be used to inform future best practice guidance for hospitals and health professionals.
The three-year project is being carried out by Dr Phil O’Neill in the University’s School of Mathematical
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