BACKGROUND: Insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) is a protein known to play a role in eliminating amyloid peptides that cause destructive plaques and tangles in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients. Until now, little has been known about the cellular and molecular regulation of IDE.
FINDINGS: Using animal models and human tissue, the research team 1) identified a shortfall of IDE protein in the brains of Alzheimer’s disease patients; 2) found a cause-effect relationship between insul
One more letter should be added to the alphabetic list of warning signs of melanoma, a potentially deadly skin cancer, according to a group of NYU School of Medicine dermatologists and their Australian colleagues. Based on a review of the medical literature, they recommend adding the letter “E” — for “evolving” — to the first four letters of the alphabet that are already used widely to help physicians and adults identify suspicious moles on the skin.
Their report is published i
Using hairlike microelectrodes and computer analysis, neurobiologists at Duke University Medical Center have demonstrated that they can see the detailed instant-to-instant electrical “brainscape” of neural activity across a living brain.
In their study on rats, they demonstrated that they could distinguish in unprecedented detail the patterns of brain activity — including fleeting changes in communication among brain structures — in awake animals, as they fall sleep and as they
Overweight and obesity in young adulthood and middle age may have devastating effects on future Medicare expenditures, particularly given the continued and alarming increase in prevalence of obesity in the United States during recent decades, according to a study published in the Dec. 8 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.
The study, conducted by Martha L. Daviglus, M.D., professor of preventive medicine, and colleagues at Northwestern University Feinbe
Using the latest catch-phrase or – even more importantly – knowing when to stop using it, can help you to be accepted as one of the in-crowd. Getting it wrong will dismiss you as a sad case.
The word ‘chav’ may well be a case in point. Currently on everyone’s lips, it could disappear completely before very long.
The pitfalls of popular language are just as true historically as they are now. For those researching for books or films with a historical flavour, it may seem obv
Using only computers, a research team at Uppsala University in Sweden has managed to reveal both the structure and the function of a newly discovered enzyme from the most dangerous malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. All that was needed was the amino acid sequence of the enzyme. The findings may represent a breakthrough for future pharmaceutical research.
The research was carried out within the framework of a project (RAPID) at the Uppsala University Center for Structural
• Possessive mother in law? Nope…
• Drunken uncle? Nope…
• Nagging auntie? Nope…
In fact, the answer is food poisoning bacteria.
Meet Aston University Christmas bug buster Dr Anthony Hilton, expert in food microbiology. He is calling for extra care to be taken this Christmas to prevent food poisoning outbreaks. Although bacteria do pose a threat to health throughout the year statistics show that there are a higher number of food poisoning cases in December, wi
New research reveals the positive role of local people and groups in promoting the integration of asylum seekers in Glasgow. As birth rates decline and the population ages in Scotland, refugees could bring significant benefits to Scottish society in the future. To promote their future participation in Scottish society, it is vital that appropriate support services are in place.
Around 10,000 asylum seekers of more than 70 different nationalities have been resettled in Glasgow s
In less than a month new EU food hygiene regulations will come into effect, forcing farmers, processors and distributors to definitively implement farm to fork traceability. E-FRUITRACE has validated a Europe-wide Internet-based solution for the fruit sector.
“From January 1, 2006 traceability will cease to be an added-value element in the agricultural industry and will become obligatory because of the introduction of the new EU legislation,” explains Pedro de la Peña, the tech
Rhinosinusitis, the inflammation of the mucous membrane of the nose and sinuses, has increased in both prevalence and incidence. Health officials believe that this disorder, also known as sinusitis, causes significant physical symptoms, negatively affects quality of life, and can substantially impair daily functions. It is now estimated that rhinosinusitis affects approximately 31 million Americans each year.
Recognizing a need for evidence-based rhinosinusitis guidelines, five n
Children growing up in the West today cannot imagine a world without mobile phones. They use high-tech gadgets without thinking much about them. An international research project will now examine what these skills mean for the society.
“We call them ‘power users of technology’ – I haven’t found a good Norwegian expression for it yet,” says Barbara Wasson, Professor at the Department for Information Science and Media Studies and researcher at InterMedia.
The project is an ini
One year after Mars Express’ arrival at Mars, the mighty rules of celestial mechanics have again set Christmas as the date for a major ESA event in deep space.
At 1.25 billion km from Earth, after a 7-year journey through the Solar system, ESA’s Huygens probe is about to separate from the Cassini orbiter to enter a ballistic trajectory toward Titan, the largest and most mysterious moon of Saturn, in order to dive into its atmosphere on 14 January. This will be the first man-made obj
Measuring bone marrow fat (BMF) along with bone mineral density (BMD) can better predict weakening of bones than either test done alone, a new study indicates. BMD measurement with DEXA is presently the most commonly used parameter for determining bone weakening. Researchers have long questioned whether there may be other measurable bone components that influence mechanical stability of bone.
The study, conducted by researchers at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington DC, s
Both PET and CT useful for judging biologic changes
Not only can positron emission tomography (PET) help evaluate treatment for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) by revealing biologic changes such as how the tumor processes the fuel that makes it grow, but CT can indirectly reveal biologic changes as well by analyzing the tumor’s density, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.
For the study, researchers evaluated 17
UC Riverside Research Showing How Smoke Complicates Healing Process Selected by Cell Biology Society as Press-Worthy from More Than 1,200 Submissions
Cigarette smoke, whether first- or second-hand, complicates the careful cellular choreography of wound healing, according to a paper by University of California, Riverside researchers that was included in the 2004 Press Book of the 44th Annual Meeting of the American Society For Cell Biology (ASCB).
Cigarette smoke dela
Drawing on experiments with blue jays, a team of University of Minnesota researchers has found what may be the evolutionary basis for impulsive behavior. Such behavior may have evolved because in the wild, snatching up small rewards like food morsels rather than waiting for something bigger and better to come along can lead to getting more rewards in the long run. The work may help explain why many modern-day humans find it so hard to turn down an immediate reward–for example, food, money, sex o
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