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New analysis provides insight into the way water and DNA interact

In a biological system, the ratio of water-to-non-water molecules, known as the hydration level, influences both the arrangement of biomolecules and the strength of the electric interactions that occur between biomolecules, free ions, and functional groups, which are groups of atoms within molecules that strongly influence the molecules' chemical properties.

15 Dec 2015

Light-driven protein has potential to become key tool for optogenetics

Biophysicists have developed a hypothesis to explain the function of a light-driven protein which pumps sodium ions across a cell membrane, and they have revealed the key structural feature of these pumps. The scientists see these sodium pumps as being highly promising tools in using light signals to control nerve cells – which is exactly what is involved in the new scientific field of optogenetics.

15 Dec 2015

Could statins treat muscular dystrophy? An interview with Dr. Nick Whitehead and Dr Stan Froehner

In addition to their well established cholesterol lowering benefits, statins also have potent anti-inflammatory, anti-fibrotic and antioxidant effects, which continue to be identified in a wide range of diseases.

30 Nov 2015

Columbia University data scientists create world's first catalog of therapeutic venom

What doesn't kill you could cure you. A growing interest in the therapeutic value of animal venom has led a pair of Columbia University data scientists to create the first catalog of known animal toxins and their physiological effects on humans.

26 Nov 2015

Brain protein identifies presence of nerve fiber damage

Physicians and others now recognize that seemingly mild, concussion-type head injuries lead to long-term cognitive impairments surprisingly often. A brain protein called SNTF, which rises in the blood after some concussions, signals the type of brain damage that is thought to be the source of these cognitive impairments, according to a study led by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and the University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.

24 Nov 2015

Improved gene therapy treatment shows promise in mice with cystic fibrosis

An improved gene therapy treatment can cure mice with cystic fibrosis (CF). Cell cultures from CF patients, too, respond well to the treatment. Those are the encouraging results of a study presented by the Laboratory for Molecular Virology and Gene Therapy at KU Leuven, Belgium.

17 Nov 2015

Loyola and Notre Dame researchers report promising new approaches to treating cancer

Promising new approaches to treating cancer were reported during a recent meeting of researchers from Loyola University Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.

12 Nov 2015

Konica Minolta to feature new digital radiology solution at RSNA 2015

Konica Minolta, a market leader in medical diagnostic Primary Imaging Solutions, will feature AeroDR LT, its new digital radiology solution, at the 2015 Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Booth #2729.

12 Nov 2015

Deep, uniform exome coverage in one day

Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT), introduces its new xGen® Exome Research Panel v1.0 for insightful analysis of the human exome via next generation sequencing.

From Integrated DNA Technologies 10 Nov 2015

Protein sensor for proprioception found

Can you touch a finger to the tip of your nose with your eyes closed? Most of us can, thanks to a sense called proprioception, which tells us where our body parts are relative to each other and our environment. Not surprisingly, this sense is essential for normal movement and balance—walking, for instance.

10 Nov 2015

Combatting viral and bacterial lung infections with volatile anesthetics: an interview with Dr Chakravarthy

Inhaled anesthetics are fairly common all over the world for minor and extensive surgical procedures in patients of all age groups. In the olden days when anesthesia was first developed, ether was the first inhaled anesthetic. That has been replaced, with the more recent discoveries of sevoflurane, isoflurane, and desflurane.

9 Nov 2015

Researchers find new way to prevent inflammation, accelerate the skin's healing process

Most products on the market today that are used to treat skin problems target the effects of the disease or wound such as inflammation, which can prolong the healing process and result in scarring. However, LSU Assistant Professor Wei Xu and collaborators at Northwestern University discovered a new way to prevent inflammation and to speed up the skin's healing process.

5 Nov 2015

New DentaPlas coated implants help prevent infections caused by bacteria

One million dental implants are inserted every year in Germany, and often they need to be replaced due to issues such as tissue infections caused by bacteria. In the future, these infections will be prevented thanks to a new plasma implant coating that kills pathogens using silver ions.

4 Nov 2015

Oxford professor wins Heinrich Wieland Prize for pioneering method that helps control nerve cells with light

Gero Miesenböck was the first to insert a light-controlled on/off switch into brain cells. His pioneering method allows scientists to switch nerve cells on and off selectively and observe how the behaviour of, for example, fruit flies or mice changes as a result. In this way, researchers can learn in a step-by-step process what behaviour the studied brain circuits control and what goes awry in disease. For his method, hailed as a "breakthrough of the decade," Professor Gero Miesenböck of the University of Oxford will receive the 100,000-euro Heinrich Wieland Prize of the Boehringer Ingelheim Foundation in Munich on November 6, 2015.

4 Nov 2015

Elderly women should take more vitamin D supplementation during the wintertime, suggests researchers

Osteoporosis is one of the chief reasons why the elderly often suffer broken bones from relatively minor injuries. Postmenopausal women in particular experience a relatively rapid loss in bone mass due to a reduced concentration of oestrogen, which is responsible for strong bone growth during youth. Maintaining bone mass requires physical exercise and vitamin D, which is mainly produced in the skin with the help of UVB radiation. This is why, especially in the wintertime, many elderly women are prescribed a vitamin D supplement by their doctor to maintain bone mass.

4 Nov 2015

New broad-spectrum antibiotic can kill bacteria by punching holes in their membranes

Bacteria have many methods of adapting to resist antibiotics, but a new class of spiral polypeptides developed at the University of Illinois targets one thing no bacterium can live without: an outer membrane.

29 Oct 2015

Scientists decode central signal switch associated with epileptic seizures

Scientists at the University of Bonn and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel) have decoded a central signal cascade associated with epileptic seizures. If the researchers blocked a central switch in epileptic mice, the frequency and severity of the seizures decreased. Using a novel technology, it was possible to observe the processes prior to the occurrence of epileptic seizures in living animals.

27 Oct 2015

Miniaturized microfluidic device can help monitor blood levels in real time for patients in ICU

No larger than a pack of chewing gum, the prototype developed by EPFL's Integrated Systems Laboratory is deceptively simple in appearance. But this little black case with two thin tubes sticking out contains some real miniaturized high-tech wonders.

23 Oct 2015

Scientists map out the brain circuitry critical for filtering out distractions

In a study of mice, scientists discovered that a brain region called the thalamus may be critical for filtering out distractions. The study, published in Nature and partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, paves the way to understanding how defects in the thalamus might underlie symptoms seen in patients with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and schizophrenia.

22 Oct 2015

New breakthrough advances our understanding of how brain detects, prevents dehydration

Scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and Duke University have made a breakthrough that advances our understanding of how the brain detects and prevents dehydration.

16 Oct 2015

Ion News and Research

New analysis provides insight into the way water and DNA interact

Light-driven protein has potential to become key tool for optogenetics

Could statins treat muscular dystrophy? An interview with Dr. Nick Whitehead and Dr Stan Froehner

Columbia University data scientists create world's first catalog of therapeutic venom

Brain protein identifies presence of nerve fiber damage

Improved gene therapy treatment shows promise in mice with cystic fibrosis

Loyola and Notre Dame researchers report promising new approaches to treating cancer

Konica Minolta to feature new digital radiology solution at RSNA 2015

Deep, uniform exome coverage in one day

Protein sensor for proprioception found

Combatting viral and bacterial lung infections with volatile anesthetics: an interview with Dr Chakravarthy

Researchers find new way to prevent inflammation, accelerate the skin's healing process

New DentaPlas coated implants help prevent infections caused by bacteria

Oxford professor wins Heinrich Wieland Prize for pioneering method that helps control nerve cells with light

Elderly women should take more vitamin D supplementation during the wintertime, suggests researchers

New broad-spectrum antibiotic can kill bacteria by punching holes in their membranes

Scientists decode central signal switch associated with epileptic seizures

Miniaturized microfluidic device can help monitor blood levels in real time for patients in ICU

Scientists map out the brain circuitry critical for filtering out distractions

New breakthrough advances our understanding of how brain detects, prevents dehydration

Enhancing confidence in chemical ionization spectrometry data eBook

Advancing Neuroscience Research Through Collaboration and Patient-Centered Innovation

The impact of vibration on microscopy

How Omics Technologies Are Transforming Biological Research and Drug Discovery

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