Feed aggregator

In a surprising and unexpected discovery, scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center have found that a single type of gene acts as a master organizer of motor neurons in the spinal cord. The finding, published in the Sept. 9, 2010, issue of Neuron, could help scientists develop new treatments for diseases such as Lou Gehrig's disease or spinal cord injury.

Malaria remains a serious global health problem, killing more than one million people per year. Treatment of the mosquito-borne illness relies on antibiotics, and the emergence of drug-resistant malaria is of growing concern. In a report published online today in Genome Research, scientists analyzed the genomic features of a Peruvian parasite population, identifying the genetic basis for resistance to a common antibiotic, gaining new insights that could improve diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Addictive drugs are known to induce changes in the brain's reward circuits that may underlie drug craving and relapse after long periods of abstinence. Now, new research, published by Cell Press in the Sept. 9 issue of the journal Neuron, uncovers a specific neural mechanism that may be linked to persistent drug-seeking behavior and could help to guide strategies for development of new therapies for cocaine addiction.

A new study identifies molecules that can be used to selectively reduce generation of the sticky, neuron-damaging plaques that are the hallmark of the Alzheimer's disease brain. The research, published by Cell Press in the Sept. 9 issue of the journal Neuron, may lead to the development of effective and safe therapeutics for this currently incurable disease.

A new Pacific Institute analysis identifies specific actions that can annually save a million acre-feet of water in California quickly and at lower economic and ecological cost than developing new supplies. Water conservation and efficiency improvements from urban and agricultural sectors are central components of any portfolio of solutions for California's water problems: the report identifies the water-savings and offers strategies for financing and implementing them. Addressing the state's persistent water supply challenges cannot wait.

The risk factors for indoor and outdoor falls are different, according to a new Institute for Aging Research study, a fact that is often missed when the two are combined and may affect how falls prevention programs are structured.

A research team led by Brown University has determined the structure for three proteins in a class known as intrinsically disordered proteins. The findings, reported in Structure, are important because they show how these proteins fold with the regulator protein phosphatase-1, which must happen for biological instructions to be passed along.

Although the consumer price index is near zero, J. Fred Giertz says we're unlikely to see a prolonged deflationary period like the slump Japan experienced during its "lost decade" of the 1990s.

There's a reason why some sports fans are referred to as "die-hards" -- even after they move away, their loyalty to their hometown team endures, according to research by Scott Tainsky and Monika Stodolska, professors of recreation, sport and tourism at Illinois.

A University of Alaska, Fairbanks, fisheries scientist has teamed up with Alaska Power and Telephone to study how a new power-generating turbine affects fish in the Yukon River. So far, the news looks good for the fish.

Too much testosterone can be a deal breaker, according to Sauder School of Business researchers at the University of British Columbia. Their paper, to be published in the INFORMS journal Management Science on Sept. 10, shows that young CEOs with more of the steroidal hormone in their system are more likely to initiate, scrap or resist mergers and acquisitions.

Scientists have identified a way that amyloid beta, the protein that accumulates in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, interferes with the ability of cells to get rid of debris and have also identified a way that amyloid itself may be discarded, a new study has found.

A new study involving 195 infants in South Africa found that children who were treated with protease inhibitors (PI) and then switched to nevirapine were more likely to maintain virus below the detection threshold of the test than infants who continued to receive PI.

Scientists from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified dendritic antigen-presenting cells in zebrafish, opening the possibility that the tiny fish could become a new model for studying the complexities of the human immune system.

A new Iowa State University study has found that corn bred to contain increased levels of beta-carotene is a good source of vitamin A. The discovery gives added support to the promise of biofortified corn being developed through conventional plant breeding as an effective tool to combat vitamin A deficiency in developing countries.

Using high-resolution microscopy, researchers at the National Institutes of Health have shown how insulin prompts fat cells to take in glucose in a rat model. The findings were reported in the Sept. 8 issue of the journal Cell Metabolism.

Expanded irrigation has made it possible to feed the world's growing billions -- and it may also temporarily be counteracting the effects of climate change in some regions, say scientists in a new study. But some sources of irrigation water are projected to dry up in coming decades and when they do, people may face the double whammy of food shortages and higher temperatures. A new study in the Journal of Geophysical Research pinpoints where the trouble spots may be.

Seven years ago a Northwestern University physicist conjectured that the expansion of the universe at the time of the big bang was highly chaotic. Now he and a colleague have proven it using rigorous mathematical arguments. Their study reports not only that chaos is absolute but also the mathematical tools that can be used to detect it. Applied to the most accepted model for the universe's evolution, these tools demonstrate the early universe was chaotic.

Changing how a person perceives and thinks about others was the most effective intervention for loneliness, a sweeping analysis of previous research has determined. The findings may help physicians and psychologists develop better treatments for loneliness, a known risk factor for heart disease and other health problems.

Fostering community cooperation, building on skills and strengths, and getting strangers to work together -- these are fundamentals of community development.