Biochemistry

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Simple, portable test can detect poisonous mushrooms in minutes

A simple, portable test that can detect the deadliest of the mushroom poisons in minutes has been developed by Agricultural Research Service scientists and their colleagues.

19 Feb 2020

Altered potassium levels in neurons linked to mood swings in bipolar patients

People with bipolar disorder experience dramatic shifts in mood, oscillating between often debilitating periods of mania and depression.

19 Feb 2020

Live-cell imaging provides new insights into dynamic structure of mitochondria

As power plants and energy stores, mitochondria are essential components of almost all cells in plants, fungi and animals. Until now, it has been assumed that these functions underlie a static structure of mitochondrial membranes.

18 Feb 2020

Fruit flies have a new defense strategy to deal with oxidative stress

Oxidative stress affects all living organisms, and the damage it causes is believed to play a part in cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's disease and a number of other health conditions.

18 Feb 2020

New 3D model shows how breast cancer cells interact with the body’s stem cells

A Loughborough University Ph.D. student has provided new insight into how breast cancer cells interact with cells in our body by using a novel 3D model.

18 Feb 2020

Bruker announces fully validated NMR module for metabolite quantification in urine (research use only)

Bruker has announced the release of the B.I.QUANT-UR™ 1.1 module, which complies with DIN-ISO criteria for the quantification of urine metabolites by NMR.

From Bruker BioSpin - NMR, EPR and Imaging 18 Feb 2020

Oxidative stress induces sleep in fruit flies, research shows

Sleep-deprived fruit flies helped reveal what induces sleep. University of Oxford researchers Anissa Kempf, Gero Miesenböck, and colleagues reveal that fruit fly sleep is driven by oxidative stress, the imbalance of free radicals and antioxidants in the body. Kempf

16 Feb 2020

Novel formulation allows use of toxin from rattlesnake venom to control neuropathic pain

Crotoxin, extracted from the venom of the South American rattlesnake Crotalus durissus terrificus, has been studied for almost a century for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and antitumor activities and as an even more powerful muscle paralyzer than botulinum toxin.

16 Feb 2020

Research reveals new pathogenic mechanism for influenza NS1 protein

Influenza is a deadly virus, with about 290,000 to 650,000 deaths worldwide each year. When pandemics hit, the toll can soar: The Spanish flu of 1918 caused 40 million to 50 million deaths, the Asian flu of 1957 caused 2 million deaths, and the Hong Kong flu of 1968 caused 1 million deaths.

16 Feb 2020

Researchers identify key modifier in large genetic deletion linked to neurodevelopmental disorders

Neurodevelopmental disorders, including schizophrenia and autism, likely result from complex interactions that modify the effects of individual genes.

16 Feb 2020

New method for real-time detection of neural oscillation bursts

Neural oscillations - also known as brainwaves - are important carriers of information in the brain. Researchers are increasingly coming to view them less as sustained oscillations and more as transient bursts.

14 Feb 2020

A simple, straightforward approach to protein modification

Proteins are essential parts of organisms; thus, they are widely used in medicine, biology and chemistry. Enhancing their inherent properties by adding functional molecules to their structures is a common and important step in many fields.

14 Feb 2020

New study describes inflammatory reaction in lab-developed human astrocytes

Astrocytes are neural cells with many important functions in the nervous system. The inflammation of these cells occurs in brain infections and neurodegenerative disorders, a process called astrogliosis.

14 Feb 2020

Molecular study defines the contributions of key genes, proteins to endometrial cancer

The most comprehensive molecular study of endometrial cancer to date has further defined the contributions of key genes and proteins to the disease, say its authors.

13 Feb 2020

New study may lead to better treatments for Parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease is a long-term (chronic) neurological condition that affects around 12,000 people in Ireland and between 7 and 10 million people worldwide. The disease affects the way the brain co-ordinates body movements like walking and talking, but cognitive abilities are also affected.

13 Feb 2020

Study explains how certain mutations can shorten biological clock timing

A new study of molecular interactions central to the functioning of biological clocks explains how certain mutations can shorten clock timing, making some people extreme "morning larks" because their internal clocks operate on a 20-hour cycle instead of being synchronized with the 24-hour cycle of day and night.

13 Feb 2020