Body

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Researchers at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that the surface plasmon resonances of metal nanoparticles in a periodic array can have considerably narrower spectral widths than those of isolated metal nanoparticles. Further, as the optical fields are significantly more intense in a periodic array, the method could improve the sensitivity of detecting molecules at low concentrations.

A landmark special issue of Springer's Humana Press journal Neuroinformatics describes the new Neuroscience Information Framework (NIF), a dynamic inventory of web-based neurosciences data, resources and tools that scientists and students can access via any computer connected to the Internet. An initiative of the National Institutes of Health Blueprint for Neuroscience Research, the NIF will advance neuroscience research by enabling discovery and access to public research data and tools worldwide through an open source, networked environment.

NICE, FRANCE, – November 14 , 2008 – Arbor Vita Corporation (AVC), a privately held biopharmaceutical company, presented new data today on its rapid, point-of-care prototype HPV test with a high positive predictive value for cervical cancer and pre-cancer. Targeted for use throughout the developing world, this diagnostic test is being developed in partnership with PATH.

Understanding how life started remains a major challenge for science. At a European Science Foundation (ESF) and COST 'Frontiers of Science' conference in Sicily in October, scientists discussed two new approaches to the problem. The first applies complex systems theory to the chemistry that preceded early life. The second involves studying Mars, which may yield ample evidence about what Earth was like when life evolved.

Characteristics present in the four social environments in which young people live—families, peers, schools, and neighborhoods—contribute both positively and negatively to whether teens misuse alcohol, with risk from one area possibly being magnified or decreased by attributes of another.

"Foamy" macrophage formation may be the key to persistence of infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis, explains a study published November 14 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens. These immunity-related cells are shown to be a safety reservoir where the bacterium can hide for years in infected individuals, before inducing an active disease.

LA JOLLA, CA — A previously unknown regulatory step during human immunodeficiency (HIV) replication provides a potentially valuable new target for HIV/AIDS therapy, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Traffic pollution, especially in cities, adversely affects respiratory health in children with asthma. A study published in BioMed Central's open access journal Respiratory Research has found that in this vulnerable group, worsening of respiratory symptoms requiring recurrent additional treatment.

Most children are still failing to eat five pieces of fruit and veg a day, though their levels of physical activity do meet current Government recommendations, according to the SPEEDY study (Sport, Physical activity and Eating behaviour: Environmental Determinants in Young people). The original results for the study are published in the open access journal BMC Public Health.

ECG (electrocardiogram) tests commonly given to people with suspected angina to predict the likelihood future of heart disease have limited accuracy, according to a study published today on bmj.com.

Alternative tests which add predictive value to that obtained from the patient's clinical history are needed to improve the chances of detecting people at higher risk of future heart disease and heart attacks, say the authors.

Fibre, antispasmodics and peppermint oil are all effective therapies for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and should become first-line treatments, according to a study on bmj.com today.

National guidelines on the management of IBS should be updated in light of this evidence, say the authors.

Sophia Antipolis, 13 November 2008: New European guidelines issued today on the management of heart attack emphasise speed of action and the importance of "reperfusion" therapy to restore blood flow to the heart and improve survival rates. "A well-functioning regional system of care... and fast transport to the most appropriate facility is key to the success of the treatment," state the guidelines, which have been developed by a Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

MANHATTAN -- Theoretical physicist Uwe Thumm and his colleagues Feng He and Andreas Becker not only work with some of the smallest molecules in the universe, but they now have found a way to control the motion of the molecules' building blocks, electrons and nuclei.

Many biological conditions cause a rise in the pH of the environment in which cells in our body exist (i.e., the environment becomes alkaline). Some of these conditions, e.g., respiratory alkalosis due to hyperventilation and the high blood pH caused by urinary tract infection, cause pain sensation, but the mechanisms by which sensory nerve cells detect alkaline pH are not well defined.

PITTSBURGH, Nov. 13 – When mice are exposed to arsenic at federally-approved levels for drinking water, pores in liver blood vessels close, potentially leading to cardiovascular disease, say University of Pittsburgh researchers in the Dec. 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, available online Nov. 13. The study, while preliminary, also reveals how an enzyme linked to hypertension and atherosclerosis alters cells, and may call into question current Environmental Protection Agency standards that are based solely on risks for cancer.