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Visual cortex cells play a key role in reconstructing 3D shape

As dizzying as it may sound, the impression that we are living in a 3D world is actually a continuous fabrication of our brains. When we look at things, the world gets projected onto the retina and information about the third dimension is lost - a bit like when a 3D object casts a shadow onto a flat, 2D wall. Somehow the brain is able to reconstruct the third dimension from the image, allowing us to experience a convincing 3D world.

8 Dec 2011

Short breaks can help employees keen their minds off snacking

A 15-minute walk can cut snacking on chocolate at work by half, according to research by the University of Exeter. The study showed that, even in stressful situations, workers eat only half as much chocolate as they normally would after this short burst of physical activity.

8 Dec 2011

CSL partners with NIH to study Cytomegalovirus, a common cause of abnormalities in newborns

CSL Limited announced today that it is partnering with the world’s largest health research agency, the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), to study a potential new treatment for the prevention of congenital CMV infection, one of the most common known causes of congenital (i.e., present at birth) abnormalities in the developed world.

7 Dec 2011

Alzheimer’s vaccine cures memory of mice

A vaccine that slows the progression of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia has been developed by researchers at the University of Sydney’s Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI).

7 Dec 2011

“Gold standard” stem cells for clinical testing

British researchers claim to have created stem cells of a “gold standard” quality that could lead to a new wave of treatments for degenerative diseases. Taken from human embryos, they could be available to researchers before the end of next year for eventual use in clinical trials, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday.

7 Dec 2011

FDA approves changes to REMS for Nplate and Promacta

The approval of changes to the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) for both Nplate (romiplostim) and Promacta (eltrombopag) was announced by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

7 Dec 2011

Pycnogenol enhances mental performance

Keeping your brain in shape-no sweat. Health-conscious consumers may not realize that supplementing a healthy diet is just as important to maintaining mental performance as it is to maintaining six-pack abs.

7 Dec 2011

New research on bed bug's ability to withstand genetic bottleneck of inbreeding

New research on the bed bug's ability to withstand the genetic bottleneck of inbreeding, announced today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting, provides new clues to explain the rapidly growing problem of bed bugs across the United States and globally.

7 Dec 2011

Scientists help uncover evolutionary history of TAS2R38 bitter taste receptor gene

Long the bane of picky eaters everywhere, broccoli's taste is not just a matter of having a cultured palate; some people can easily taste a bitter compound in the vegetable that others have difficulty detecting. Now a team of Penn researchers has helped uncover the evolutionary history of one of the genes responsible for this trait.

7 Dec 2011

Comparative-effectiveness research takes center stage

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute attracted a larger-then-expected volume of applications for its pilot projects grants program. Meanwhile, the institute, which was created by the health law, will release its draft agenda next month.

7 Dec 2011

Evaluation method supports soy as high-quality protein

The importance of protein in the human body is undeniable. However, the idea of what makes a protein a "quality protein" has not been as easy to determine. A new study from the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry takes a closer look at the criteria for determining the quality of a protein.

7 Dec 2011

Scientists understand how nervous system becomes wired during early development

Thanks to a new study of the retina, scientists at UC Santa Barbara have developed a greater understanding of how the nervous system becomes wired during early development.

7 Dec 2011

New alveoli continue to be formed as lungs grow

A ground-breaking international study into the ways lungs grow and develop has challenged existing medical understanding that our lungs are completely formed by the age of three.

7 Dec 2011

Smoking, excess weight, unhealthy diets and alcohol cause cancer

More than 100,000 cancers - equivalent to one third of all those diagnosed in the UK each year - are being caused by smoking, unhealthy diets, alcohol and excess weight, according to new research by Cancer Research UK.

7 Dec 2011

Infants can differentiate between credible and un-credible sources

Babies love to imitate. Ask any parent and they'll report how infants mimic sounds, facial expressions and actions they observe. Now new research from Concordia University, published in the journal Infant Behavior and Development, has found that infants can even differentiate between credible and un-credible sources. Simply put, most babies won't follow along if they have been previously tricked by an adult.

6 Dec 2011

Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore establish Office of Clinical trials

Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have established an Office of Clinical Trials (OCT) to bring new therapies more rapidly to patients through the facilitation of efficient, compliant and timely conduct and management of clinical studies.

6 Dec 2011

MSD establishes Asia Research & Development headquarters in Beijing

Merck & Co., Inc., known as MSD outside the United States and Canada, today announced the establishment of an Asia Research & Development (R&D) headquarters for innovative drug discovery and development located in Beijing, China.

6 Dec 2011

AHRQ-funded study to monitor rural patients following hospital discharge

Medical errors during hospital stays make headlines, but far more common are problems that occur after patients — especially older ones — go home. Little research has focused on the critical weeks after discharge, and none has focused on rural patients — until now.

6 Dec 2011

Study identifies ways to differentiate types of diabetes in young Asian Americans

Researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center have determined key differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in the Asian American population. This study, published today in PLoS ONE, identified ways to differentiate the types of diabetes, which can be clinically similar in young Asian Americans.

6 Dec 2011

Study looks at how severely low birth weight impacts attention and memory during adulthood

Babies born at a very low birth weight are more likely to have memory and attention problems when they become adults than babies born at a low to normal weight, according to a study published in the December 6, 2011, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

6 Dec 2011