A small clinical trial of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) who did not respond to interferon alone found that adding the human antibody daclizumab improved patient outcome. Patients who received the combined therapy had a 78 percent reduction in new brain lesions and a 70 percent reduction in total lesions, along with other significant clinical improvements. The trial was led by investigators at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), a component of the National Inst
Evidence could indicate bacteria-like etiology of vascular calcification
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic found they could isolate and culture nanoparticles from filtered homogenates of diseased calcified human cardiovascular tissue. These cultured nano-sized particles were recognized by a DNA-specific dye, incorporated radiolabeled uridine, and after decalcification, appeared via electron microscopy to contain cell walls.
The research paper, entitled “Evidence of Nanobacteria
In laboratory experiments, women — but not men — who had been exposed to frustrating noise stress ate more cheese, chocolate, potato chips and popcorn after the stressful session was over.
Dr. Laura C. Klein, assistant professor of biobehavioral health who led the study, says, “Although other researchers have shown that both men and women eat more during stressful periods, this is the first study to show that eating is affected in some individuals after a stress is stopped.
“In
Just as low-carbohydrate diets are trimming the American waistline, more judicious use of hydrocarbon-based fossil fuels would reduce U.S. energy consumption by 33 percent and save consumers $438 billion a year by 2014, according to an analysis by Cornell University ecologists.
David Pimentel, Cornell professor of ecology, and 11 student ecologists found the most fat for trimming — with the best potential for major energy savings — in the transportation, residential heating and cooling, i
An improved method for correcting nano- and micro-scale friction measurements has been developed by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The new technique should help designers produce more durable micro- and nano-devices with moving parts, such as tiny motors, positioning devices or encoders.
Friction measurements made at the micro- and nano-scale can differ substantially due to changes in applied load. In a series of experiments described by nanotribol
Diagnosing heart attacks will become a more precise science thanks to the first of a new series of clinical standards just issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Standard Reference Material (SRM) 2921 (human cardiac troponin complex) will help manufacturers develop and calibrate assays that measure specific protein concentrations in patient blood samples to determine whether a heart attack has occurred.
The SRM is a solution containing certified concentrations
Microarrays, sometimes called “gene chip” devices, enable researchers to monitor the activities of thousands of genes from a single tissue sample simultaneously, identifying patterns that may be novel indicators of disease status. But generating consistent, verifiable results is difficult because of a lack of standards to validate these analyses, scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and collaborators warn in the May 20 online issue of Clinical Chemistry.
In an unusual paradox, smoking cigarettes-a deadly habit that contributes to the development of peripheral artery disease-actually helps arteries stay open following a procedure to repair clogged blood vessels in the legs, according to a study in the June issue of Radiology. The study found that habitual to heavy smokers who continued to smoke after angioplasty had a lower rate of restenosis, or re-narrowing of the arteries, than nonsmokers.
As expected, the researchers who conducted the st
A new charitable foundation that will improve cancer care in Europe and beyond is being created by the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the leading charity in the field of oncology education and training.
The new ESMO Foundation will officially come into existence during ESMO’s biennial congress, which is being held in Vienna this year. In the city where Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms, and the Strauss family did their most significant work, it is only fitting th
A revolutionary type of ‘self healing’ bandage that uses the patient’s own cells is being developed. The technique has already been tried successfully on patients with diabetic ulcers and in the long-term could offer a more effective, quicker and cost efficient way of treating many types of slow-healing wounds such as pressure ulcers. The bandages are already available for patients with severe burns.
The bandages have been developed by CellTran Ltd., a spin-out company from the University
UK researchers writing in Europe’s leading reproductive medicine journal Human Reproduction[1], today (Tuesday 25 May) report what they believe to be a world record – a baby born using sperm that had been frozen for 21 years.
“We believe this is the longest period of sperm cryopreservation resulting in a live birth so far reported in the scientific literature,” according to one of the authors, Dr Elizabeth Pease, Consultant in Reproductive Medicine at the Department of Reproductive Medicine
This image of the Arsia Mons shield volcano was taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on board ESA’s Mars Express.
This image shows a spectacular zone of collapse features on the southern flank of the giant shield volcano Arsia Mons (located at 239°E longitude and 10°S latitude, see the Mars map image).
The image was taken from an altitude of about 400 kilometres during orbit 263 of the Mars Express spacecraft.
The original image resolution was 20 metres pe
Thanks to biophysicists, statistics has reached the most intimate aspect of life – regulation of genes’ activity. Investigation on probabilistic aspects of molecular biology has been supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the INTAS Foundation.
Regulation of genes’ activity is one of the most important biological problems which has not been solved so far. A cell switches on and off its genes through multiple factors, which, if required, interact with certain sections of a
More durable helmets, vests, ski-sticks and various other fibre-glass plastic products are close to becoming a reality. Provided, of course, the manufacturers apply new technology – the one developed by the Chernogolovka scientists supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research and the Foundation for Assistance to Small Innovative Enterprises (FASIE).
When fibre-glass plastic products were first introduced to the market, the applicability of the material seemed truly unlimited. Late
Tape-recorders allow us to record and analyze birds’ singing, but communicating with birds is more difficult
From time immemorial, people have listened to the birds singing, recognized birds by voices, have been able to guess their condition. Some people are able to successfully imitate bird’s singing. Only in the 50s of the last century, researchers managed to put the matter on a strictly scientific basis, when the tape equipment became available. Researchers started to record birds’
Of the four representative species of the Mediterranean climate – the holm oak ( Quercus ilex ), the kermes oak ( Quercus coccifera ), the Aleppo pine ( Pinus halepensis ), and the Phoenician juniper ( Juniperus phoenicea ) – the last is the one which best adapts to the adverse conditions of water stress. However, this does not mean the disappearance of the other three species that have been studied. This is the conclusion drawn from his PhD by Francisco Javier Baquedano, agricult
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