Brain

Washington, D.C. – Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered a new way to limit inflammation caused by the activation of microglia - key immune cells in the brain. Although the role of such cells is to "clean up damage" after injury, they often worsen the damage by releasing toxic inflammatory factors.

Political conservatives operate out of a fear of chaos and absence of order while political liberals operate out of a fear of emptiness, a new Northwestern University study soon to be published in the Journal of Research in Personality finds.

"Social scientists long have assumed that liberals are more rational and less fearful than conservatives, but we find that both groups view the world as a dangerous place," says Dan McAdams, study co-author and professor of human development and psychology at Northwestern University. "It's just that their fears emerge differently."

Pancreatic carcinoma is an obstinate disease that is difficult to deal with, the five-year survival rate is 4%. Conventional, the main treatments for pancreatic cancer are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Despite advances in surgical and medical therapy, little effect has been made on the mortality rate of this disease.

Lymphangiogenesis, the formation of new lymphatic vessels, has become a new research frontier. There is a crucial need for noninvasive methods to evaluate lymphangiogenesis in situ. However, to the best of our knowledge, lymphosonography about the tumour lymphangiogenesis with percutaneous hepatic injection of ultrasound contrast material was not reported before.

A study by Psychology researchers at the University of Warwick has found a radical 50/50 split in how people decide "What makes two things seem similar?". This research could mean that some advertisers and marketers could be failing to reach up to half of their potential audience and it could double the number of opportunities available in key web advertising methods such as Google AdWords.

There may be more hope than has been recognized for some people with severe brain injuries, according to a U.S. neurosurgeon who earlier this year spent four months in Iraq treating soldiers and civilians. Jason Huang, M.D., this week presented his results from his experience in Iraq at the annual meeting of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons in Orlando, Fla.

A new psychological study from the University of Leicester aims to investigate how accurate people's perceptions about forensic science are, where these beliefs come from, and how this forensic awareness may impact on jury decision making.

It will assess whether the jury system in the UK is influenced by the type of forensic-related programming potential jurors are exposed to, or whether their knowledge and understanding of forensic science through news media, literature or magazines has an impact on their courtroom decisions.

A strong leader who punishes cheats and freeloaders can increase the cooperation and riches enjoyed by the rest of the group, according to psychology and economics research at the University of British Columbia, Sheffield Hallam University and the University of Kent.

Non-daily or "casual" smokers tend to slip through the cracks of prevention efforts. Yet casual smoking and heavy drinking are prevalent behaviors among young adults and, furthermore, casual smoking occurs primarily in the context of alcohol use. A new study of casual smoking and drinking behavior has found that non-daily smoking confers an increased risk of hazardous drinking and alcohol-use disorders (AUDs).

Results will be published in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

Ghrelin is a peptide, mainly produced in the stomach, but also found in small amounts in the brain. It is known to affect food intake by increasing feelings of hunger and the urge to eat. A new study has examined ghrelin's role in addictive behaviors. Findings indicate that variations in the genes producing ghrelin and its receptor are more common in individuals considered heavy drinkers.

Results will be published in the December issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.

PHILADELPHIA – A new study analyzing gene expression among patients with glioblastomas has found that not all of the common, deadly brain tumors appear the same upon closer examination.

PHILADELPHIA -- Researchers have demonstrated a new instrument that makes it possible to detect and quantify multiple different clinically important proteins in a single tumor sample using conventional staining. Currently, pathologists usually need a separate tissue slice for each protein they want to examine, making it impossible to see how molecules interact within individual cells.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – From Barack Obama's controversial pastor to Sarah Palin's "secret religion", religious values have continued to play a dominant role in the presidential election since John F. Kennedy became the first Catholic elected to president in 1960.

DURHAM, N.C. — Duke University Medical Center scientists have made a significant finding that could lead to better drugs for several degenerative diseases including Huntington's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Compounds that block the activity of a specific enzyme prevented brain injury and greatly improved survival in fruit flies that had the same disease process found in Huntington's disease.

A significant percentage of resident physicians report that patient handoffs – transfer of responsibility for a hospitalized patient from one resident to another – contributed to incidents in which harm was done to patients. The study, published in the October 2008 Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, identifies situations in which problematic handoffs are more likely to occur and factors that may interfere with the smooth transfer of crucial information.