Genes play a strong role in how well our memory works, according to a study of families with more than one person with Alzheimer’s disease. The study is published in the February 10 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Located in DNA and RNA, a gene is a unit of inheritance that determines one or more traits.
“These results are exciting because if we can identify the genes that are responsible for memory, they may lead us to identifying more of the
Study evaluates immune response to telomerase tumor antigen as possible vaccine
Researchers at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania have begun a Phase I clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a telomerase peptide as a possible vaccine against breast cancer. The study will measure potential tumor cell shrinkage in patients after an immune response has been triggered to an antigen – the telomerase peptide – found in more than 90 percent of breast cancer
Although there are numerous telescopes – both large and small – examining the night sky at any one time, the heavens are so vast and so densely populated with all manner of exotic objects that it is extremely easy to overlook a significant random event. Fortunately, a new generation of scientific instruments is now enabling UK astronomers to prepare for the unexpected and become leaders in so-called “Time Domain Astrophysics”.
Exciting new observations of many different, time-variable celest
A team of European researchers lead by Carles Arús, professor at the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, have developed a system that facilitates the interpretation of magnetic resonance spectra of brain tumours and improves their diagnosis. It is a computer-based tool that visually classifies the different types of tumours. The new system has significantly improved the reliability of the diagnosis in preliminary tests with 16 patients.
Draw a picture on the computer and it immediately shows up on the screen of a hand-held computer in Africa. The person with the palm computer can then use the tiny screen to access a supercomputer in France to perform advanced graphic calculations that a number of logged-on people can see simultaneously. This solution is called Verse, a new protocol for 3D graphics created by a 27-year-old with no previous knowledge of programming at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm. Verse was re
American Stroke Association meeting report
Women aged 55 and older have a one in five chance of suffering a stroke during their lifetime, while men the same age have a one in six chance, according to data from the Framingham Heart Study presented today at the American Stroke Association’s 29th International Stroke Conference.
“The lifetime risk of stroke has not been previously reported in the U.S. population,” said study lead author Sudha Seshadri, M.D., assistant profe
Medical malpractice cases frequently try to link injuries to the white matter of a newborn’s brain — a precursor to cerebral palsy and other disorders — to the baby’s delivery, though a new Johns Hopkins study demonstrates that such injuries are more closely associated with neonatal infections.
White matter, the tracts of nerve fibers that communicate messages in the brain, is generally injured at so-called “end zones” between the long, penetrating arteries that supply blood to
Dartmouth researchers have developed an algorithm that might someday be used to analyze blood for diagnostic purposes. Using data from a mass spectrometer, a device that generates a molecular fingerprint of biological samples, the Dartmouth team’s calculations can distinguish healthy blood from diseased blood.
This study by Ryan Lilien, a Dartmouth M.D./Ph.D. student, Hany Farid, Assistant Professor of Computer Science , and Bruce Donald, the Foley Professor of Computer Science, appeare
Possession isn’t necessarily nine-tenths of the law, especially if the purchase is a wheat variety protected by the Plant Variety Protection Act. This misunderstood and often-ignored law may soon become more stringently enforced, largely due to the stepped-up use of DNA plant testing.
Gary Bomar, Texas Cooperative Extension agricultural agent for Taylor County, said the practice of “catching” or keeping some of the current crop’s production for planting the following season has lo
Fractures are serious problems for kidney patients
Scientists working with a mouse model of chronic kidney disease have found a treatment that appears to block the devastating effects kidney damage can have on bones.
“We still have some mechanical and structural testing to do to prove that the skeletons of these mice are normal, but if this works out and we’re able to apply it in humans, we could be on our way to producing a major improvement in the well-being of patien
A series of studies in rats and mice suggests that short bouts of stress increase the skin’s ability to fight infections and heal minor wounds.
The immune response of animals exposed to acute stress – about two hours of restraint – was two to four times higher compared to non-stressed animals. This was true when the animals’ skin was treated with chemical or protein antigens immediately after a stressful event. An antigen is any substance that the immune system reacts to by
Results of a Phase III clinical study using botulinum toxin type A to treat primary axillary hyperhidrosis, or excessive underarm sweating, show that botulinum toxin type A is safe and effective for treatment of hyperhidrosis and that it markedly improves quality of life in patients who suffer from this medical condition. The data were announced today at the 2004 American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) annual meeting in Washington, D.C. by Dr. Dee Anna Glaser, Associate Professor of Dermatology and Vic
Oil spills are a real disaster. They cause worst troubles to sea birds and animals. A risk of an accident always exists within areas of oil mining and transporting, especially, in the sea. Beginning the exploitation of oil and gas fields on the sea shelf, our country is to face inevitable ecological problems, and it would be helpful to know in advance how to solve them.
An international conference on the impact of oil industry on wild animals was held in Hamburg in October of 2003. There, re
Some of the world’s finest rock paintings are more than three times older than previously believed, according to researchers from British and Australian universities who used the latest radio-carbon dating technology.
Previous work of the age of the rock art in South Africa’s uKhahlamba-Drakensberg, a World Heritage Site, concluded it is less than 1,000 years old. But the new study, by archaeologists from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and Australian National University in Canbe
American Stroke Association meeting report
A new catheter device that diverts some blood from the lower body to the brain appears safe for treating acute stroke and may significantly reduce stroke complications – even after a critical treatment window has lapsed.
The results of this experimental study were reported today at the American Stroke Association’s 29th International Stroke Conference.
“The device treats stroke by a unique approach that increases blood
American Stroke Association meeting report
A revolutionary tiny corkscrew that captures blood clots from vessels deep inside the brain can “almost instantly” reverse damage caused by ischemic stroke, according to the first report on the safety and efficacy of the device presented today at the American Stroke Association’s 29th International Stroke Conference.
Ischemic strokes are caused by a blood clot that blocks blood supply to the brain. Each year, about 700,000 Ameri
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