Many patients with sleep apnea or insomnia also have attention deficit disorder
People who have difficulty sleeping at night or staying awake during the day may suffer from more than just a sleep disorder. According to a new study presented at CHEST 2004, the 70th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), the majority of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and/or nonrestorative sleep have a high degree of attention defi
Biologists studying the development of plant roots, a general basic model for tissue development, are uncovering new pieces of the puzzle of how one root cell sends its molecular instructions to another in the development process.
Researchers have found hints that the channels by which such molecules move between plant cells may also be mirrored in animal cells. Thus, discoveries about plant development may be more broadly applicable to understanding the fundamental processes
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and NASA scientists studying Mount St. Helens are using high-tech Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology to analyze changes in the surface elevation of the crater, which began deforming in late September 2004.
With data derived from airborne LIDAR, scientists can accurately map, often in exquisite detail, the dimensions of the uplift and create better models to forecast volcanic hazards. LIDAR shows, in the two weeks before Oct. 4, the new upl
Drinking regular cuppas could help improve your memory, new research suggests.
Results of laboratory tests by a team from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne found that green and black tea inhibit the activity of certain enzymes in the brain which are associated with memory. The findings, which are published in the academic journal, Phytotherapy Research, may lead to the development of a new treatment for a form of dementia which affects an estimated ten million people worldwi
Malaria vaccine trial
The results of a randomized controlled trial of a malaria vaccine called ME-TRAP are published this month in PLoS Medicine. “This first field efficacy trial was an important milestone in the progression of new recombinant vectored vaccines to deployable products,” says Adrian Hill (University of Oxford, United Kingdom), the senior investigator of the study. “The safety profile was excellent and the efficacy data provide a first indication of the levels of
A gene involved in the action of insulin is associated with type 2 diabetes and the body’s response to insulin, report scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.
Donald W. Bowden, Ph.D., the principal investigator, and his colleagues described the gene in two articles in the November issue of Diabetes, a journal of the American Diabetes Association.
Bowden said the gene is called PTPN1 (Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase N1) and is found on the human c
No one wants food that has gone mouldy – least of all when they have only just purchased the product. But consumers are not exactly wild about food preservatives either. Packaging researchers are now introducing coated films to fight the battle of the bacteria.
At first glance, food packaging and an operating theater don’t have much in common. But when you look at the elaborate procedures that are used in sterilising packaging materials, the operating theatre analogy is not so far
Spotless surfaces are of prime importance in the plastics and metal processing industries, as dust and dirt can impair the function and adhesive properties of parts. A portable measuring device, the KombiSens, can detect both types of contamination.
Greasy fingerprints on wineglasses, ketchup on the table, crumbs on the floor – anyone with a clean disposition would be disgusted. But spotless surfaces are not the prerogative of housework maniacs; they are essential in numerous sec
Nearly all organisms need iron to survive, even mould. For people with a weakened immune system such fungi pose a deadly threat. Scientists from Innsbruck (Austria) have now been able to genetically block the iron metabolism of Aspergillus fumigatus mould and thus render it harmless to humans. This discovery opens up completely new paths for developing drugs against fungal infections.
The Aspergillus fumigatus mould is commonly found in compost, green bins, potting compost and
Scientists have identified crucial elements necessary for repairing damaged DNA – the blueprint for all living cells.
The breakthrough will further our understanding of how diseases that are associated with DNA instability, such as cancer, arise. The findings also point to how new drug therapies could be developed for treating cancer.
Dr Aidan Doherty, a reader in biochemistry at the University of Sussex’s Genome Damage and Stability Centre, led a collaboration of
The voice laboratory at the University of Navarre University Hospital has designed a novel and efficient protocol to evaluate and rehabilitate the voice of patients who have undergone laryngectomy. This involves a monitoring procedure based on patterns of phonatory flow. The study forms part of the PhD thesis by Dr. Francisco Vázquez de la Iglesia. The title of the work is “Physiological Bases of the Pharyngoesophageal Segment. Characterisation of the erigmophonic voice as a function of its a
There is a patent demand in the pharmaceutical, cosmetic and chemical industry for new alternative testing in order to assess the acute toxicity of new drugs, cosmetic ingredients or industrial chemical products that have to be in contact with humans or the natural environment.
The aim is to reduce the time for and cost of studies for the development of new active elements and reduce the number of experimental animals. Equally, these tests enable direct work on human cell lines i
Toll-free telephone numbers benefit everyone. It costs callers nothing to use them and organisations paying for the lines attract more callers. Recent trials in Europe suggest this same win-win concept could be successfully used with the mobile Internet.
Surfing the Internet is easy with a third-generation (2.5/3G) mobile phone. But these miracles of wireless technology are nowhere near as popular as expected. Perhaps because their users pay for every byte of data they receive,
Insects and other invertebrates are the arena for the evolution of new infectious diseases in humans, new research shows.
Scientists now believe that not only are insects the carriers of some existing diseases but they are also the vehicle where recently emerging highly infectious diseases, such as the plague that killed millions in the 14th and 17th Centuries, evolve. Writing in the October edition of Nature Reviews: Microbiology, the researchers point to the large reservoir of d
High levels of a protein called LRP6 can make cancer cells more aggressive, according to Washington University researchers affiliated with the Siteman Cancer Center. The protein’s ability to enhance tumor development suggests that the gene that codes for LRP6 is an oncogene–a gene that contributes to tumor development when overactivated.
“Because no one has ever connected LRP6 to proliferation in tumors, we believe we may have identified a new oncogene,” says Guojun Bu, Ph.
Incidence of ovarian cancer varies in Europe due to changing risk factors and improved treatment
Europe has one of the highest incidence rates of ovarian cancer in the world, making it an important public health issue. A new large-scale study of ovarian cancer trends found that while it is declining in most northern European countries, it is increasing in a few southern and eastern European countries. The study is published October 25, 2004 in the online edition of the Internati
Feedback
