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Scripps florida scientists find a defect responsible for memory impairment in aging

Everyone worries about losing their memory as they grow older—memory loss remains one of the most common complaints of the elderly. But the molecular reasons behind the processes remain unclear, particularly those associated with advancing age.

4 Mar 2015

Environmental conditions play significant role in determining growth, height

If you've ever wondered why you aren't a little taller, it turns out it's not all about genetics. In findings published in the Journal of Pediatrics (January 2015), an Israeli research team shows that the environment in which one lives from the womb to about age one largely determines an adult's height.

4 Mar 2015

New study shows who benefits most from statin therapy

Research has demonstrated that the risk for developing coronary heart disease depends on a host of risk factors that are related both to lifestyle and genetics. In a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and Massachusetts General Hospital, researchers tested whether a composite of genetic variants could identify the risk of cardiovascular death and heart attacks as well as identify individuals who derived greater clinical benefit from statin therapy.

4 Mar 2015

Bibby Scientific announces Stuart® Undergrad hotplate stirrer kits

Bibby Scientific Ltd announced today that Stuart®, a leading UK manufacturer of laboratory benchtop equipment, has launched a new range of Undergrad hotplate stirrer kits that offer excellent value for money for a broad range of life science heating and stirring applications.

4 Mar 2015

MPFI researcher awarded NIH grant to study mechanisms involved in early stages of hearing

Samuel Young, Jr., PhD at the Max Planck Florida Institute for Neuroscience has been awarded a $2.4 million, five-year grant from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders to investigate how synaptic vesicle activity modulates the transfer of auditory information and ultimately how this impacts our ability to discern sounds.

4 Mar 2015

Study: People use touch of a handshake to sample, sniff signaling molecules

Limp or firm, your handshake conveys subliminal social cues. Now, research reveals it also transmits chemical signals that could explain why the greeting evolved in the first place.

4 Mar 2015

Novel drug mechanism shows promise against glioma cells

Researchers at UC Davis have developed and characterized a molecule that interferes with the internal regulation of cancer cells, causing them to self-destruct. This novel mechanism was found to be effective against glioma cells - responsible for a usually fatal type of brain cancer - and could be applicable to other highly aggressive cancers.

4 Mar 2015

Common antidepressant medications not helpful for people with mood, anxiety disorders

Studies indicate that the majority of people with mood and anxiety disorders who receive the most commonly prescribed class of antidepressant medications, Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors or SSRI's, are not helped by these medications. SSRIs are designed to increase serotonin, a neurotransmitter in the brain that is key to maintenance of mood.

4 Mar 2015

Salt may help control infection

Researchers at Vanderbilt University and in Germany have found that sodium - salt - accumulates in the skin and tissue in humans and mice to help control infection.

4 Mar 2015

UCLA life scientists develop new method to find genetic markers for many diseases

UCLA life scientists have created an accurate new method to identify genetic markers for many diseases -- a significant step toward a new era of personalized medicine, tailored to each person's DNA and RNA.

4 Mar 2015

New antibody provides 100% protection against H5N1 influenza virus in animal models

Since 2003, the H5N1 influenza virus, more commonly known as the bird flu, has been responsible for the deaths of millions of chickens and ducks and has infected more than 650 people, leading to a 60 percent mortality rate for the latter. Luckily, this virus has yet to achieve human-to-human transmission, but a small number of mutations could change that, resulting in a pandemic.

4 Mar 2015

Neuroscientists find new pathway that allows several brain areas communicate within striatum

Carnegie Mellon University neuroscientists have identified a new pathway by which several brain areas communicate within the brain's striatum.

4 Mar 2015

Study on spider venom may lead to new class of potent painkillers

New research shows that seven compounds of the countless found in spider venom block a key step in the body's ability to pass pain signals to the brain. The hunt for a medicine based on just one of these compounds, which would open up a new class of potent painkillers, is now a step closer according to new research published in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

4 Mar 2015

TSRI scientists find mechanism that causes long-term memory loss due to age

Everyone worries about losing their memory as they grow older--memory loss remains one of the most common complaints of the elderly. But the molecular reasons behind the processes remain unclear, particularly those associated with advancing age.

4 Mar 2015

World first: Antimicrobial copper supermarket trolleys

In a world first, a Brazilian supermarket has introduced supermarket trolleys with antimicrobial copper handles to help reduce the spread of disease-causing pathogens.

3 Mar 2015

Brain scientists map changes in communication between nerve cells in rats

Lights, sound, action: we are constantly learning how to incorporate outside sensations into our reactions in specific situations. In a new study, brain scientists have mapped changes in communication between nerve cells as rats learned to make specific decisions in response to particular sounds. The team then used this map to accurately predict the rats' reactions. These results add to our understanding of how the brain processes sensations and forms memories to inform behavior.

3 Mar 2015

Scientists produce cartilage from embryonic stem cells

Scientists have succeeded in producing cartilage formed from embryonic stem cells that could in future be used to treat the painful joint condition osteoarthritis.

3 Mar 2015

Malvern launches two new ITC systems to support life science research

Malvern Instruments has launched two new-generation isothermal titration calorimeters (ITC), advancing its recently acquired MicroCal range to further support life science researchers studying biomolecular interactions. The new manual Malvern MicroCal PEAQ-ITC and fully automated Malvern MicroCal PEAQ-ITC Automatedsystems are designed to deliver the enhanced functionality and robust performance now demanded of this essential tool.

3 Mar 2015

TSRI researchers show how ABC transporters cause multidrug resistance

Cancer patients fear the possibility that one day their cells might start rendering many different chemotherapy regimens ineffective. This phenomenon, called multidrug resistance, leads to tumors that defy treatment.

3 Mar 2015

MD Anderson scientists show why some brain cancer patients develop resistance to treatments

Scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center may have discovered why some brain cancer patients develop resistance to standard treatments including radiation and the chemotherapy agent temozolomide.

3 Mar 2015