The chemist Mikel Arandigoyen Vidaurre, of the Department of Chemistry and Soil Sciences of the University of Navarra, has proved the effectiveness of new formulas for the restoration of buildings. In his thesis, defended at the School of Sciences, he proposes a combination of calcium and cement, which is able to strengthen the qualities of both materials.

The restoration of architectural patrimony currently presents certain problems of compatibility. Cement-based mortar is useful fo

Scientists have uncovered new information about what orchestrates the complex balance between blood stem cells and mature blood cells, a relationship that is often disrupted in leukemia. The results, published in the March issue of Cancer Cell, will lead to a better understanding of the behavior of leukemic cells and may have vital clinical applications for patients recovering from chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or bone marrow transplantation.

Recent studies have implicated reduced le

Researchers at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) and the Department of Horticulture in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Virginia Tech have developed a new procedure for the efficient transfer of specific DNA sequences into the genome of strawberry. The scientists have used Agrobacterium tumefaciens, nature’s genetic engineer, to introduce DNA into the woodland or alpine strawberry Fragaria vesca.

The method takes advantage of Agrobacterium’s circular DNA

As few as four per cent of US adults with overactive bladders (OAB) seek medical treatment, despite the condition affecting an estimated 34 million Americans over the age of 18, according to research in the March issue of the UK-based urology journal BJU International.

The American research comes hard on the heels of a recent European study, published in the same journal, which reported that only 43 per cent of adults with OAB would consider visiting their doctor.

A team

In pregnancy the foetus secretes proteins that fool the immune system of the pregnant woman so that it will not attack the foetus. This is shown by Lucia Mincheva-Nilsson, associate professor and researcher at the Department of Clinical Microbiology, Umeå University, Sweden, in the leading publication Journal of Immunology. The findings may be of great importance in transplants and in the treatment of cancer and infertility.

Transplants between humans are easily attacked by the recipient’

A new method to increase the efficiency of contrast radiology may open the way to earlier and more reliable diagnosis of, for example, breast cancer. With new integrated electronics and signal processing, the image quality can be improved sharply. This was demonstrated by Hans Bornefalk at the Royal Institute of Technology as he presented his doctoral thesis about the technology on March 10.

To date, the new technology has only been tested in a test rig, but in principle it can open the

Researchers believe antiretroviral therapy (ART) will not be effective in stopping HIV epidemics even if it is made universally available in poorer countries, and that widespread use could even lead to an increase in the numbers infected with HIV.

Research published today in PLoS Medicine by a team from Imperial College London reveals a model which predicts how different strategies for increasing access to ART might affect HIV infection rates.

The modelling found that while

An antiviral drug may be useful in the final stages of eradicating polio worldwide, according to EXPLORING THE ROLE OF ANTIVIRAL DRUGS IN THE ERADICATION OF POLIO, a new workshop report from the National Academies’ National Research Council. The planning and development of such drugs should be initiated now, says the report, which identifies several promising targets for drug development and outlines steps for clinical trials and regulatory approval.

The World Health Organization

Oral cancer is the 6th most common cancer in men and the 14th most common cancer in women. In the US, oral cancer will be diagnosed in an estimated 30,000 Americans this year and will cause more than 8,000 deaths. The disease kills approximately one person every hour. Oral cancer can spread quickly. The majority of oral cancers are diagnosed in late stages, which accounts for the high death rates. Only half of those diagnosed with the disease will survive more than five years. However, if the

Embryonic development is already disturbed at concentrations 10 times lower than the norm for human consumption.

Dioxin-like contaminants such as PCB’s are probably playing a key role in the extinction of the eel. Embronyic development in this species is halted at dioxin concentrations 10 times below the levels for human consumption. This discovery was made by a team of biologists, led by Guido van den Thillart, who are conducting research in Leiden into the sexual maturity and

New research at UT Southwestern Medical Center shows that on a biochemical level, hormone-like molecules in tiny worms called nematodes work similarly to the way in which certain hormones work in humans — findings that one day may help eradicate worm infections that afflict a third of the world’s population.

UT Southwestern researchers have discovered a molecule that activates genes involved in the development and reproduction of Caenorhabditis elegans, a common research worm abou

Biologists at New York University have identified a key factor that enables photoreceptor cells to decide their color sensitivity. The findings, which were uncovered by researchers in Professor Claude Desplan’s laboratory in NYU’s Center for Developmental Genetics, were published in the March 9th issue of the journal Nature.

The researchers used the fruit fly Drosophila as a genetic model system to study stochastic events like color sensitivity in photoreceptor cell

First-of-its-kind clinical trial will explore safety, preliminary efficacy of injecting human stem cells directly into the brain to treat fatal pediatric neurodegenerative disorder

Researchers in Doernbecher Children’s Hospital at Oregon Health & Science University will begin a Phase I clinical trial using stem cells in infants and children with a rare neurodegenerative disorder that affects infants and children. The groundbreaking trial will test whether HuCNS-SC(TM), a pro

Applications of new method will make possible earliest warning of cancer and other diseases

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have developed a paradigm-shifting method for detecting small amounts of proteins in the blood. Applications of this method will make discerning low-abundance molecules associated with cancers (such as breast cancer), Alzheimer’s disease, prion diseases, and possibly psychiatric diseases relatively easy and more accurat

Effects of tight glucose control seen years later in diabetic neuropathy study

People with diabetes who keep their blood sugar in check today will probably have a far lower chance of developing foot pain or other nerve damage tomorrow, according to new research results from a national study.

In fact, the study shows that the positive effects of tight blood glucose control can be seen more than a decade later. At the end of the study period, patients who had controlled

Researchers are finding that components found in red wine can help in preventing and treating inflammatory periodontal diseases. Periodontitis is a progressive infectious disease affecting the gums and bone that surround and support teeth, often causing tooth movement and leading to permanent tooth loss. About 15% of adults between 21 and 50 years of age and 65% of adults over 50 are affected by this disease.

In recent years, the benefits of consuming fresh fruits and yellow-green vegetab