Siemens Medical Solutions introduces new IT-based solutions for magnetic resonance tomography at the ECR. These so-called syngo MR applications simplify workflows in clinical routine, for example, imaging of the spine, the thorax or diffusion-weighted imaging in the body and 3D acquisitions with various contrasts. These applications enable faster and more accurate diagnosis and improve the efficiency of the hospital. The new syngo MR applications are based on Tim (Total imaging matrix) tec

Duke University theoretical chemists are investigating a new computer method that could help scientists identify the best molecules for drugs, electronic devices or an array of other uses. Their method would address the “daunting” fact that “that there aren’t enough atoms in the universe to make all the reasonable-sized molecules that could be made,” said Duke chemistry professor David Beratan.

In an article published in the Friday. Feb. 17, 2006 online issue of the Journal of the Am

Researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered the underlying cause of a type of ataxia, hereditary disorders characterized by poor balance, loss of posture and difficulty performing rapid coordinated movement. Their work also led to a drug that significantly improved the motor coordination in mice with ataxia–a finding that could lead to better therapies for the disease. The study appears in the March issue of Nature Neuroscience and was featured in

A global evolutionary map reveals new insights into our last common ancestor

In 1870 the German scientist Ernst Haeckel mapped the evolutionary relationships of plants and animals in the first ’tree of life’. Since then scientists have continuously redrawn and expanded the tree adding microorganisms and using modern molecular data, yet, many parts of the tree have remained unclear. Now a group at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg has developed a c

When Anita Louise Smith enrolled in an experimental drug trial in 2002 in Colorado, she had a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis but no symptoms and was looking to reduce the chances of being ravaged by the disease. Last year, she died at the age of 46 from an infection linked to the drug.

This tragedy – recounted in an article in the March 4 issue of The Lancet by two Stanford University School of Medicine neurologists – serves as a telling case study of what can go wrong in clini

GeneChip Citrus Genome Array launched by Affymetrix, Inc.

UC Riverside researchers, in partnership with Affymetrix, Inc., have designed a chip – the GeneChip® Citrus Genome Array – that can improve citrus varieties and suggest ways to better manage them. By helping determine which genes are turned on in a tissue of citrus – genes that are associated with taste, acidic content and disease, for example – the chip provides information useful to researchers for rectifying existing pr

Thousands of years ago, humans began scrubbing off and discarding the outer layer of long-grain rice, preferring the polished white kernel beneath. Now, for the first time, scientists in Japan have shown that this waste product of rice processing, called rice bran, significantly lowers blood pressure in rats whose hypertension resembles that of humans.

The team reports their findings in the March 8 issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, published by the America

Salmon is rich in essential fatty acids, in particular the Omega-3 family of fatty acids. The description ’essential’ means that the body cannot synthesise or can only synthesise limited amounts of the substance in question.

The long-chain fatty acids in the Omega-3 family include the parent alpha-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Oil-rich fish and supplements such as fish oil and cod liver oil are the richest and most readily available die

Pre-eclampsia is a complication in pregnancy occurring in approximately eight percent of all pregnancies. It is characterised by elevated blood pressure and protein in the urine. It generally develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy.

Medical doctor and researcher Bjoern Egil Vikse from the Department of Medicine at University of Bergeb is the first author of an upcoming article in the March issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

Vikse explains that ther

Another research project of the professor’s could virtually eliminate need for heart/lung machines

Virtual reality simulation tools are already revolutionizing the way dentists are taught at Case Western Reserve University—and if M. Cenk Cavusoglu has his way, simulation technology at Case will also train the world’s brain and heart surgeons.

“Simulation is a popular training tool because it reduces the learning time and allows students to learn independently,”

The popular saying goes that 70 is the new 60 and 60 is the new 50, unfortunately for much of New Zealand’s ageing population declining muscle function means it simply isn’t true.

New research however from The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Science aims to develop a non-pharmaceutical means to maintain muscle function and quality of life in older individuals. The good news is the answer could be as simple as taking a stroll followed by a glass of chocolate mi

The sensor, which measures 10 mm x 10 mm, can replace advanced, expensive optical devices containing lenses and grids in what are commonly called spectroscopic tools. The sensor is also more reliable than traditional optical devices that require calibrating and maintenance. This chip does not corrode, is robust and provides quick results from analyses. The chips can be produced in the same type of machines that make compact discs.

The plastic chip was originally developed to detect di

C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker for inflammation in the blood, can help to identify individuals whose abnormal precancerous lesions will advance closer to invasive lung cancer.

The results appear in the first issue for March 2005 of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society.

Stephen Lam, M.D., F.R.C.P.C., of the Lung Tumour Group, British Columbia Cancer Agency at the University of British Columbi

A new drug that enhances the activity of a key brain cell receptor involved in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) reverses learning and memory deficits in mice engineered to have pathological hallmarks of the disease. What’s more, the drug, called AF267B, reduces both of the pathologies–the brain-clogging buildup of protein “amyloid plaque” outside brain cells and the protein “neurofibrillary tangles” inside the cells.

In an article in the March 2, 2006, issue of Neuron, Dr. Frank La

Whether salamanders transform into their terrestrial, adult form or retain their aquatic, juvenile form depends on the nature of the streambed where they develop. A study published today in the open access journal BMC Biology reveals that the Oklahoma salamander Eurycea tynerensis metamorphoses into a more terrestrial adult form in streambeds composed of fine, tightly packed gravel but retains its juvenile, or paedomorphic, form in streambeds made of large, loosely packed particles. This study hi

Plaques that form around the nerve cells of people with multiple sclerosis are apparently what disable people with the disease. But partly developed reparative cells within the plaques provide hope for a treatment, a UT Southwestern physician reports in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Dr. Elliot Frohman, professor of neurology and ophthalmology, is lead author on an overview of MS. It is the first time in five years that Journal editors have had researchers provide an overvi