Tech

Johns Hopkins engineers have devised computer software that can sift through hundreds of genetic mutations and highlight the DNA changes that are most likely to promote cancer. The goal is to provide critical help to researchers who are poring over numerous newly discovered gene mutations, many of which are harmless or have no connection to cancer. According to its inventors, the new software will enable these scientists to focus more of their attention on the mutations most likely to trigger tumors.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Going back to the drawing board is much easier now that researchers have developed a new type of design program called FEAsy.

The program allows the designer to sketch a rough concept of the part and then analyze the part's characteristics while it is still only a drawing, said Karthik Ramani, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University.

The concept represents a departure from conventional design methods, in which engineers use a painstaking procedure called finite-element analysis to test designs, he said.

(Boston) In its quest to find new strategies to treat osteoarthritis and other diseases, a Boston University-led research team has reported finding a new computer tomography contrast agent for visualizing the special distributions of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) – the anionic sugars that account for the strength of joint cartilage.

Assessing the local variations in GAGs are of significant interest for the study of cartilage biology and for the diagnosis of cartilage disease like osteoarthritis, which afflicts more than 27 million in people in the United States

Lakes in Antarctica, concealed under miles of ice, require scientists to come up with creative ways to identify and analyze these hidden features. Now, researchers using space-based lasers on a NASA satellite have created the most comprehensive inventory of lakes that actively drain or fill under Antarctica's ice. They have revealed a continental plumbing system that is more dynamic than scientists thought.

A new method for "recycling" hydrogen-containing fuel materials could open the door to economically viable hydrogen-based vehicles.

In an article appearing today in Angewandte Chemie, Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Alabama researchers working within the U.S. Department of Energy's Chemical Hydrogen Storage Center of Excellence describe a significant advance in hydrogen storage science.

In order to achieve control over single electrons in a group, ultrashort light pulses of a few femtoseconds duration are needed. Physicists of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) in Garching and chemists of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) in Munich succeeded for the first time at using light for controlling single, negatively charged elementary particles in a bunch of electrons. The scientists achieved a major milestone that they aimed for within the excellence cluster "Munich Center for Advanced Photonics" (MAP).

Gene therapy holds promise in the treatment of a myriad of diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. However, developing a scalable system for delivering genes to cells both efficiently and safely has been challenging.

Now a team of Northwestern University researchers has introduced the power of nanodiamonds as a new gene-delivery technology that combines key properties in one approach: enhanced delivery efficiency along with outstanding biocompatibility. The results are published in the journal ACS Nano

What do hide-and-seek, police searches, and video games such as Half-Life 2 have in common? More than you would think, say two University of Alberta researchers.

Experimental psychologist Marcia Spetch and computer scientist Vadim Bulitko, recently published an article in Learning and Motivation, and are using their research to understand the reasoning and decision-making process involved in hiding and searching for objects. They hope it will lead to more realistic game environments and, one day, advanced search-enhancing tools for law enforcement.

A one-year evaluation at Group Health Cooperative is the first to demonstrate the measurable benefit to both patients and staff when a primary care practice adopts a "patient-centered medical home" model. This model gives patients more time with doctors, more preventive care, and improved collaboration among caregivers. The September 2009 American Journal of Managed Care will publish the results—which include significantly fewer emergency room visits and hospitalizations.

Barcelona, Spain, 1 September: Despite the promising findings of the PROTECT Pilot study, the larger PROTECT trial found no difference with rolofylline versus placebo with respect of the primary and main secondary end-points of the study. Although more rolofylline patients than placebo patients experienced moderate or marked dyspnea improvement at 24 and 48 hours from randomization, this was counterbalanced by a lack of effect on persistent renal impairment. Lastly, the risk of important neurological events was increased in patients on rolofylline.

Barcelona, Spain, 1 September: The European cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) Survey is a joint initiative taken by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) and European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology. Its primary objective is to describe current European practice and routines associated with the implantation of a CRT device with or without an ICD (implantable cardioverter defibrillator) capability in patients with heart failure.

Barcelona, Spain, 1 September: More widespread availability of defibrillators and education of the general public could boost survival rates fourfold amongst athletes suffering cardiac arrest, a study has found. In less than half of cases, a bystander initiated cardiopulmonary reanimation. This is crucial as survival at hospital admission is 4 times higher when CPR is attempted and 10 times greater when an electric shock is delivered.

Barcelona, Spain, 1 September: An increasing number of heart failure patients are treated with a number of complex devices, i.e. cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT). Recently completed and ongoing clinical trials such as MADIT-CRT and EchoCRT provide evidence of a growing number of CRT patients, in need of individualised treatment. Rising demand for implantable cardiac devices and the simultaneous need for increased efficiency as well as enhanced patient comfort and safety significantly increase the need for remote monitoring technology.

Barcelona, Spain, 1 September: Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains one of the leading causes of death in the Western world, with prevalence predicted to increase dramatically in developing countries, especially India and China. Around 40-50% of AMIs are the result of a persistent, complete thrombotic occlusion of a coronary artery. In such cases fast reopening of the infarct vessel is the primary goal of treatment.

Alexandria, Va. - The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF) will issue the first--and only--national clinical practice guideline to help healthcare practitioners identify and manage patients with hoarseness, also known as dysphonia. The guideline emphasizes evidence-based management of hoarseness by clinicians, and educates patients on the prevalence of this common vocal health issue.