Innovative test based on nanoshells could provide critical info for ER doctors, others
Nanotechnology researchers at Rice University have developed a new method of testing whole blood that could allow emergency room doctors and other point-of-care health professionals to rapidly diagnose a variety of ailments, including hemorrhagic stroke, heart attack, and various infectious diseases.
The test, which is faster than existing whole-blood immunoassays, uses gold nanoshells, tiny op
Genotyping provides route to tailored treatment at lower cost with less side effects
A new centralised genotyping service that enables clinicians to differentiate between types of hepatitis C infections is poised to improve treatment for patients with Hepatitis C, a severely under treated viral infection in the UK. The new service, available through HepCgen will allow clinicians to tailor costly interferon-based treatment regimes to the patients’ viral genotype, thus lowering costs a
Poultry production in the Netherlands has to change for a prosperous future. This is a mutual task of poultry producers, consumers, governmental and non-governmental organisations, and knowledge institutions. The outbreak of avian influenza in the beginning of 2003 in the centre of the Netherlands made the urgency of change quite clear. This is the outcome of an investigation by researchers of Wageningen University and Research Centre. In a report (in dutch) they provide building blocks to facili
A simple, quick and accurate hand-held kit which can be taken out into the field to test for toxic chemicals is being exploited by a spin-out company from the University of York.
The BATT (Bioassay Toxicity Testing) device is now being tested by environment agencies, textile industries, water boards, and diagnostic companies involved with pesticide measurement.
Microbiologist Dr Russell Grant was working on a third-year project as an undergraduate at York when the idea of th
Using the Internet at school for research can lead to teenagers losing their confidence and becoming frustrated, a new study suggests.
Most teenagers lack the more complex information gathering skills necessary for internet searching, ultimately using the Internet very inefficiently, says Dr Alison Pickard of Northumbria University who has just completed a four-year research study into the subject.
Her findings will be given next week at the 5th Northumbria International Conf
Scientists and engineers who work with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer have pulled off a second daring and unprecedented rescue of the satellite observatory from serious guidance problems. This time, though, they didn´t actually wait for the guidance problems to happen.
In response to hints of the potential for future new difficulties with FUSE´s gyroscopes, which are used to check the satellite´s pointing accuracy, researchers redesigned software for three computers aboard FUSE a
Peering into a giant molecular cloud in the Milky Way galaxy – known as W49 – astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have discovered a whole new population of very massive newborn stars. This research is being presented today at the International Astronomical Union’s 25th General Assembly held in Sydney, Australia, by ESO-scientist João Alves.
With the help of infrared images obtained during a period of excellent observing conditions with the ESO 3.5-m New Technolog
In a study made possible by the sequencing of the human genome, scientists at the University of Illinois at Chicago have identified 57 genes involved in the growth of human tumor cells.
Some of these genes appear to be linked with the growth of cancerous cells only – not healthy cells – making them possible targets for new drugs that could halt the spread of disease without necessarily compromising normal processes.
The research relied on a strategy pioneered in the laboratory of I
A team of scientists – including one from Michigan State University – has announced a genomic sequence for the rest of us: mapping the DNA of a grain fungus that wreaks havoc with beer brewing.
The genomic sequence of the fungal plant pathogen, Fusarium graminearum, has been completed, providing scientists a roadmap to combating a fungus that infects wheat and barley crops, rendering them unusable.
“We have enough to do a tremendous amount of good work,” said Frances Trail,
People who are energetic, happy and relaxed are less likely to catch colds, while those who are depressed, nervous or angry are more likely to complain about cold symptoms, whether or not they get bitten by the cold bug, according to a recent study.
Study participants who had a positive emotional style weren’t infected as often and experienced fewer symptoms compared to people with a negative emotional style, say Sheldon Cohen, Ph.D., of Carnegie Mellon University and colleagues
Leading scientists worldwide investigating the cause of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) confirm that a novel coronavirus is the primary cause of the disease. The study is published on THE LANCET’s website at 0001 H Tuesday 22 July UK time.
SARS was first reported in China in November 2002, with over 8300 cases and 812 deaths reported by the beginning of July 2003. A novel coronavirus has been identified as the likely cause of SARS. Albert Osterhaus from Erasmus University, R
A revolutionary breakthrough in heat transfer technology that could improve process productivity and reduce energy consumption and waste, is being developed by Ashe Morris Ltd thanks to a £100,000 investment from NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology & the Arts), the largest source of early stage funding in the UK.
Heat exchangers are used in many industrial, commercial and domestic applications and can be used to add or remove heat during chemical and biological manu
Hand held metal detectors (HHMDs), such as those used for security checks in airports, do not cause harmful heating or nerve stimulation in pregnant women, according to research published today (22 July 2003) in the Institute of Physics journal Physics in Medicine and Biology. The role of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), Maryland, is to ensure the safety of radiological products, so electromagnetic wave emitting HHMDs were an obvious choice for them to investigate, especially fo
On 27th August, Mars will be at its closest to Earth for almost 60,000 years. On that date, the Red Planet will approach to within 34,646,418 miles (55,758,006 km) – 145 times the distance of the Moon.
The last time the two planets were so close our ancestors were living in caves and struggling to survive the extreme conditions of the Ice Age. Who knows what will have happened by the time they are as near again – 284 years into the future?
When and were to see Mars
The sun´s big, bright, explosive flares are the attention grabbers, but tiny, more numerous microflares may have nearly as much influence on the solar atmosphere, according to new data from the University of California, Berkeley´s RHESSI satellite.
Solar flares, the largest explosions in the solar system, propel energetic particles into space and are thought to be the main source of heat pumping the sun´s outer atmosphere to a few million degrees Celsius — hotter than the surface i
“Eighty percent of all babies born in the US that have cystic fibrosis (CF) are born to parents with no previous family history.” This attention-getting quote, used frequently by an activist in the CF community, makes it powerfully clear what few people realize: that both parents did not know they would pass on to their child the life-altering CFTR gene, the gene mutated in cystic fibrosis.
In fact, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation estimates that more than 10 million Americans are unkno
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