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Brain-tumor-associated mutation detected in cerebrospinal fluid using non-invasive digital PCR technology
Date: Jul-25-2013Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers and their colleagues have used digital versions of a standard molecular biology tool to detect a common tumor-associated mutation in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of patients with brain tumors...
An inborn deficit causes children with dyscalculia to have an imprecise representation of numbers
Date: Jul-25-2013Dyscalculia is a severe and persistent disability in learning arithmetic that is often highly selective, in that it can affect children with normal intellectual ability. Karin Landerl and her team at the University of Graz, Austria, investigated the development of numerical processing in elementary school children with dyscalculia and a control group with good arithmetic skills. Children from grades 2 through 4 were asked to repeatedly perform simple computer tasks, for example selecting the larger number or set of dots, counting dots, or placing numbers on a number line...
Signal uncovered that prevents the immune system from spinning out of control
Date: Jul-25-2013A team led by a University of Arizona researcher has discovered a previously unknown mechanism that prevents the immune system from going into overdrive, shedding light not only on how our body controls its response to pathogens but on conditions such as autoimmune diseases, allergies and chronic inflammation as well. The group found a protein previously believed to only play a role in blood clotting acts as a negative feedback signal, telling defense cells to calm down, thereby preventing an immune reaction from spiraling out of control...
By tracking frequency and time our brains can pick out salient sounds from background noise
Date: Jul-25-2013New research reveals how our brains are able to pick out important sounds from the noisy world around us. The findings, published online in the journal eLife, could lead to new diagnostic tests for hearing disorders. Our ears can effortlessly pick out the sounds we need to hear from a noisy environment - hearing our mobile phone ringtone in the middle of the Notting Hill Carnival, for example - but how our brains process this information (the so-called 'cocktail party problem') has been a longstanding research question in hearing science...
To ensure proper cell division, centrioles must be kept in check
Date: Jul-25-2013The duplication of cellular contents and their distribution to two daughter cells during cell division are amongst the most fundamental features of all life on earth. How cell division occurs and is coordinated with organismal development is a subject of intense research interest, as is how this process malfunctions in the development of tumors. Alex Dammermann and his team from the Max F...
Solar-powered sterilization technology supported by Gates Foundation
Date: Jul-25-2013Rice University nanotechnology researchers have unveiled a solar-powered sterilization system that could be a boon for more than 2.5 billion people who lack adequate sanitation. The "solar steam" sterilization system uses nanomaterials to convert as much as 80 percent of the energy in sunlight into germ-killing heat. The technology is described online in a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Early Edition...
Clearest ever pictures of immune cells could help treat cancers and HIV
Date: Jul-25-2013Immunity has never looked so good. Scientists in the UK recently released images that provide the clearest snapshot of how white blood immune cells attack viral infections and tumors. They are hopeful that these clearer pictures will provide important insights into how diseases can be treated. White blood cells are the fighters of the body, tackling infections and cancers on our behalf...
Greater success in personalized medicine class by students who underwent genetic testing
Date: Jul-25-2013Students who had their genome tested as part of a groundbreaking medical school course on personalized medicine improved their knowledge of the class materials by an average of 31 percent compared with those who didn't undergo the testing, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. While the sample size was small - 23 students sent their saliva to a commercial genetics testing company; eight did not - the results may encourage educators to consider this approach in the future, the authors said...
Family cancer risk may be wider than relative's specific type
Date: Jul-25-2013People with a family history of cancer have an increased risk of developing not only the same cancer, but also a different form of the disease, according to a study published in the journal Annals of Oncology. Researchers from Italy, Switzerland and France analyzed 12,000 cases of cancer occurring in 13 different sites of the body between 1991 and 2009. These were compared with 11,000 people without cancer. Information on any cancer in the family, particularly in first-degree relatives (directly related), was collected in both groups...
Obese kidney failure patients receive survival benefit from transplantation
Date: Jul-25-2013Most obese individuals with kidney failure can prolong their lives by receiving a kidney transplant, although this survival benefit is lower in severely obese individuals. That's the conclusion of a new study published in the American Journal of Transplantation. The findings will hopefully decrease differences in access to transplantation for obese patients. Obesity is increasing in patients with kidney failure. In some studies, obese kidney failure patients who are on dialysis have a lower risk of dying prematurely than non-obese patients...
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