A mutant gene that starves the brain of serotonin, a mood-regulating chemical messenger, has been discovered and found to be 10 times more prevalent in depressed patients than in control subjects, report researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI). Patients with the mutation failed to respond well to the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant medications, which work via ser
A restrictive diet in mice reduces the build-up of a substance linked to memory loss. But can the findngs be applied to humans?
Restricting the diets of mice reduces the build-up of plaques in the brain that are linked to Alzheimer’s disease, according to a USC study. With obese people generally considered to be at a higher risk for developing Alzheimer’s, the research raises questions about whether the findings are potentially applicable to humans. “This is the first i
A new method of measuring emissions from cookstoves could help improve human health and enhance the accuracy of global climate models.
Wood-fueled cooking stoves are commonly used in Central America and other Third World nations. Producing copious amounts of noxious smoke, the stoves can be detrimental to human health. Lack of knowledge about the characteristics and quantities of emissions from millions of these modified campfires is a major contributor to uncertainties in globa
If global warming shuts down the thermohaline circulation in the North Atlantic Ocean, the result could be catastrophic climate change. The environmental effects, models indicate, depend upon whether the shutdown is reversible or irreversible.
“If the thermohaline shutdown is irreversible, we would have to work much harder to get it to restart,” said Michael Schlesinger, a professor of atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a co-author of a re
Researchers from Finland have found that the antibiotic ciprofloxacin (brand names Ciproxin, Ciprofloxacin etc.) greatly increases the concentrations of tizanidine (Sirdalud, Zanaflex) in blood. Concomitant use of ciprofloxacin and tizanidine results in severe and prolonged decrease in blood pressure and greatly enhances central nervous system effects.
This previously unrecognised interaction can be dangerous, particularly in elderly patients, and the concomitant use of the two age
EUREKA project E! 2774 FACTORY WELDERS’ PASSPORT has created an online passport that enables skilled welders to move and work freely throughout Europe.
“The Factory Welders’ Passport is a harmonisation of EWF (European Welders Federation) skills and training certificates that allows for the accreditation of welding related personnel, wherever they work in Europe,” says Erik Engh, manager of the Norwegian lead partner, Quality Management Software AS. “It ensures that appropriate w
A revolutionary Personal Health Status Monitor for early detection of life threatening cardiac rhythms is just one of the exciting new medical devices set to revolutionise health care on show at the Personalised Health Workshop in Belfast.
In recognition of their expertise in the areas of e-health and sensor technology, researchers at the University of Ulster have been asked by the Information Society Directorate-General for eHealth at the European Commission to organise the 2nd
Core Web Architectural Principles Described and Explained
The World Wide Web Consortium announces the publication of “Architecture of the World Wide Web, Volume One” as a W3C Recommendation. The authors of this document, W3C’s Technical Architecture Group (TAG), have documented the architectural principles that make the Web of today work well, and will help build a better Web tomorrow.
Technical Architecture Group Distills Conventional Wisdom
In Nov
Ranitidine, a widely used substance used as an antihistaminic drug against gastric ulcers, may become a new treatment for cerebral ischemia caused by craneoencephalic infarcts or traumatisms, the third leading cause of deaths in industrialised countries. In experiments with an model of cerebral ischemia using rats, a team from the Institute of Neurosciences of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (Spain) has observed how the presence of ranitidine reduces neuronal death by a quarter. The substan
The European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO)and Imedex, Inc. announced today their collaboration in the promotion of The World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer®, a clinically-focused Congress that has attracted thousands of oncologists and gastroenterologists since its inception in 1999. In a joint statement Paris Kosmidis, MD and President of ESMO, Stefan Terwindt, President of the Congress organizer, Imedex, Inc., Eric Van Cutsem, MD, PhD, and Mario Dicato, MD, Congress co-chairmen, emphas
The way in which automatic transport systems are currently designed, is out of date. That is one of the conclusions of PhD student Corné Versteegt, who will defend his thesis on 15 December at TU Delft. This is important information for the transport sector, which will become more automated in the future.
An example of transport automation is the future Ondergronds Logistieke Systeem Schiphol (Underground Logistic System Schiphol, or OLS Schiphol), that will connect the airport wit
People screened for genetic disorders must have appropriate follow-up and monitoring to avoid stress and anxiety, according to new research sponsored by the ESRC.
Those with a condition may also find it difficult to have their disease diagnosed and treated satisfactorily, and there can be surprisingly little or no access to genetic counselling. These are among the key issues identified in a unique three-year project led by Professor Paul Atkinson of Cardiff University, examining
Seeking to find a way to lessen patients’ vulnerability to deadly infections following chemotherapy, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have figured out a way to boost the immune function in animals following such treatments. Their approach involves increasing the pool of cells that give rise to neutrophils, a type of white blood cell that is critical for fighting bacterial and fungal infections but is particularly ravaged by chemotherapy.
“Our approach ha
Winds and changing climate converted parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Texas into a giant ’dust bowl’ in the 1930s. In response, the 1937 ’Shelterbelt Project’ involved the planting of trees to reduce erosion and provide relief from the biting winds that blew soil from farms and drove people west to California. Now, almost 75 years later, NASA scientists have found that planting trees also can significantly reduce carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
Tree planting and insect co
Many women at high risk for breast cancer are foregoing tamoxifen, the first FDA-approved drug for prevention of breast cancer, due to concerns about side effects, increased risk of other cancers, and lack of information, a new study by researchers in Boston shows. The study will be published December 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
“While the availability of tamoxifen is a significant advance in breast cancer prevention, it also presents a complicated decision for women
Hold off putting up your usual variety of mistletoe – the dwarf mistletoe could soon eclipse its better-known Christmas cousins as the green fertility symbol of choice for holiday party goers. In fact, the discovery of the intimate details of the sex life of the dwarf mistletoe is even getting traditionally staid botanists hot and bothered.
New research shows that the dwarf mistletoe, a member of the same Viscaceae family as the better-known Christmas varieties, is truly worth
Feedback
