Neuherberg, Germany, June 21, 2016. In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, scientists at the Helmholtz Zentrum München describe a small peptide that very efficiently binds excess copper from liver cells. This molecule comes from a bacterium's bag of tricks and could be suitable for treating Wilson disease. In an experimental model it has already proven superior to conventional medicines.
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A Kobe University research group including Associate Professor Maki Hideshi (Center for Environmental Management), PhD candidate Sakata Genki (Graduate School of Engineering, Department of Chemical Science and Engineering, currently employed at Central Glass Co., Ltd.) and Professor Mizuhata Minoru (Graduate School of Engineering) have developed a new analysis method that uses magnetic fields to quickly and accurately measure the concentration of aluminum used to purify tap water.
Typically ignored, the millions of microorganisms that we tread upon daily play a major role in the decomposition of soil matter - one that is of far greater significance than that of the whales and pandas that tend to steal our attention. A group of researchers has just shown that there is an enormous diversity among a group of bacteria-eating microorganisms known as Cercozoa. In four small soil samples, each consisting of a half gram of soil, they discovered more than 1000 different species per sample.
- Scientists have known for a while that coral reefs around the world are dying, and in a worst-case scenario they were counting on large, healthy-looking corals to repopulate.
But a new study presented at the 13th International Coral Reef Symposium in Honolulu today shows that these seemingly healthy colonies are "Coral Zombies" with no reproductive ability, which makes them useless in a recovery effort.
Blackjack players who hold high-value cards tend to glance fleetingly to the right, whereas those with a lower-value hand do so spontaneously to the left. This is according to research on aspects of mental arithmetic, led by Kevin Holmes of Colorado College in the US. The findings [1] are published in Springer's journal Psychonomic Bulletin & Review [2].
COLOGNE. More prescriptions for psychotropic drugs in children and adolescents in Germany have been issued than in the past. This is the result of a study reported by Sascha Abbas and colleagues in the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2016; 113: 396-403).
The protein complex that holds strands of DNA in compact spools partially disassembles itself to help genes reveal themselves to specialized proteins and enzymes for activation, according to Rice University researchers and their colleagues.
The team's detailed computer models support the idea that DNA unwrapping and core protein unfolding are coupled, and that DNA unwrapping can happen asymmetrically to expose specific genes.
ITHACA, N.Y. - A doctor's guidance may reassure us more than we realize -especially if she says she is likely to recommend treatment in her field of expertise, known as "specialty bias."
A study of the Caribbean Sea by University of Liverpool ocean scientists has revealed that, in the midst of all the noise of the ocean, this region behaves like a whistle, which blows so loudly that it can be 'heard' from space in the form of oscillations of the Earth's gravity field.
The Caribbean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean, southeast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is a bounded by South America, Central America and the Caribbean islands, and covers an area of approximately 2,754,000 km2 (1,063,000 square miles).
PHILADELPHIA - Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs), engineered from a patient's own immune cells, have been successful for treating blood cancers, but using CARs for solid tumors has been limited by side effects to normal tissues containing the protein targeted by the engineered cells.
The prevalence of pollen allergies among adults in Sweden has increased. However, the prevalence of allergies to furred animals, mites or mold has not. These were the results of a new study at Sahlgrenska Academy.
The prevalence of allergic diseases has increased since the mid-1900s, and today, approximately one fourth of Swedish adults has hayfever, while 10 percent suffer from asthma.
Asthma and hayfever are strongly linked to allergic sensitization, that is the prevalence of antibodies against allergens, for example, from pollen or furred animals.
Female beetles that are seasoned fighters put more effort into raising their offspring than mothers with no conflict experience, a study suggests.
Beetles that are used to conflict spend twice as much time providing food for their offspring as those that have never fought, helping more of their young to survive, researchers say.
Female burying beetles - which belong to the species Nicrophorus vespilloides - routinely fight over the carcasses of small birds and rodents, which they use to provide their young with food.
A new meta-analysis published in Clinical Nutrition found that cardiac surgery patients who received omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (compared to placebo) in advance of surgery experienced reduced postoperative cardiac arrhythmias and significantly reduced the length of hospital stay by up to 2.4 days. The results are based on 11 RCT's with 1038 patients.
Using unmanned drones to deliver vaccines in low- and middle-income countries may save money and improve vaccination rates, new research led by the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Pittsburgh Supercomputing Center suggests.
The cost savings would come from drones being able to deliver vaccines more quickly and cheaply than land-based methods limited by road conditions and the need for costly fuel and maintenance, the researchers note in their study, published June 20 in the journal Vaccine.
BOSTON - In an effort to address widespread concerns related to testosterone deficiency (TD) and its treatment with testosterone therapy, a group of international experts has developed a set of resolutions and conclusions to provide clarity for physicians and patients. At a consensus conference held in Prague, Czech Republic last fall, the experts debated nine resolutions, with unanimous approval. The details of the conference were published today in a Mayo Clinic Proceedings report.