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Study suggests rats can be used as animal model to investigate human brain

A study led by Zachary Mainen, Director of the Champalimaud Neuroscience Programme, and published today (March 28th) in the scientific journal, Neuron, reports that when rats were challenged with a series of perceptual decision problems.

29 Mar 2013

Study: Diabetes drug slows down ageing process by mimicking the effects of dieting

A widely prescribed type 2 diabetes drug slows down the ageing process by mimicking the effects of dieting, according to a study published today using worms to investigate how the drug works.

29 Mar 2013

Low anterior cingulate activity linked to repeat offenses

A new study conducted by The Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, N.M., shows that neuroimaging data can predict the likelihood of whether a criminal will reoffend following release from prison.

29 Mar 2013

Exposure to multiple estrogen-mimicking chemicals distorts hormone action

For years, scientists have been concerned about chemicals in the environment that mimic the estrogens found in the body. In study after study, researchers have found links between these "xenoestrogens" and such problems as decreased sperm viability, ovarian dysfunction, neurodevelopmental deficits and obesity.

29 Mar 2013

New concept to fight microorganisms can promote stronger immune system

Managing bacteria and other microorganisms in the body, rather than just fighting them, may be lead to better health and a stronger immune system, according to a Penn State biologist.

29 Mar 2013

Research shows immune system can destroy HIV through deactivation of vif gene

Human cells have an intrinsic capacity to destroy HIV. However, the virus has evolved to contain a gene that blocks this ability. When this gene is removed from the virus, the innate human immune system destroys HIV by mutating it to the point where it can no longer survive.

29 Mar 2013

Study: Protein clumps in nerve cells are pathologies of Parkinson's disease

Clumps of α-synuclein protein in nerve cells are hallmarks of many degenerative brain diseases, most notably Parkinson's disease.

29 Mar 2013

Study promises effective treatment for stroke patients

Two molecules may provide, for the first time, an indication of which stroke patients will suffer a further, long-term neurological deficit, allowing doctors to tailor treatment more effectively.

29 Mar 2013

A new strategy to protect against HIV infection

An effective vaccine against HIV-1 remains elusive, but one promising strategy focuses on designer antibodies that have much broader potency than most normal, exquisitely specific antibodies.

29 Mar 2013

Research shows certain cells take on new identities through reprogramming mechanism

Researchers have been able to reprogram cells experimentally, but few have shown that cells can change their identities under normal physiological conditions in the body, particularly in mammals.

29 Mar 2013

TSRI scientists receive innovative grant to help people break nicotine addiction

As part of an unprecedented national effort to develop new drugs to treat neurological disorders, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have been awarded an innovative grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to help people break their addiction to nicotine.

28 Mar 2013

New screening procedure determines animal, plant, and microbial substances in foodstuffs

Scientists at the Institute of Molecular Genetics, Genetic Security Research and Consulting at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have developed a novel screening procedure that provides for highly sensitive, quantifiable analysis of animal, plant, and microbial substances present in foodstuffs.

28 Mar 2013

Study: New genetic variants may increase cancer risk

The European Collaborative Oncological Gen-Environmental Study (COGS) project, whose main goal is to decipher the complex genetic bases of breast, prostate and ovarian cancers, publishes today a total of 12 research articles in several prestigious journals, including Nature Genetics, Nature Communications, The American Journal of Human Genetics and PLOS Genetics.

28 Mar 2013

Inflammation and epigenetics: an interview with Dr Belkina and Dr Denis, Boston University School of Medicine

Inflammation can be thought of as taking two major forms: acute or chronic. Acute inflammation, which can be painful, usually arises quickly and resolves quickly. It accompanies bacterial infections, traumatic injury and is useful to fight infections and promote healing.

28 Mar 2013

Data shows efficacy of MANF in neuroprotection 6-hydroxydopamine rat models of Parkinson's disease

Amarantus BioScience, Inc., a biotechnology company discovering and developing treatments and diagnostics for diseases associated with neurodegeneration and apoptosis, today reported positive preclinical data for its lead therapeutic MANF in neuroprotection 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) rat models of Parkinson's disease.

28 Mar 2013

Researchers uncover DNA rearrangement process for sex determination in Tetrahymena

It's been more than 50 years since scientists discovered that the single-celled organism Tetrahymena thermophila has seven sexes. But in all that time, they've never known how each cell's sex, or "mating type," is determined.

28 Mar 2013

University of Liège researchers examine physiological mechanisms of NDE

University of Liège researchers have demonstrated that the physiological mechanisms triggered during NDE lead to a more vivid perception not only of imagined events in the history of an individual but also of real events which have taken place in their lives!

28 Mar 2013

Johns Hopkins scientists identify DNA-damaging substances in food

In a laboratory study pairing food chemistry and cancer biology, scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center tested the potentially harmful effect of foods and flavorings on the DNA of cells.

28 Mar 2013

Research findings could lead to improved treatment for neuropathic pain

An international team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, says a key protein in Schwann cells performs a critical, perhaps overarching, role in regulating the recovery of peripheral nerves after injury.

28 Mar 2013

Exosomes can transfer membrane proteins, study reveals

Important new research from UMass Medical School demonstrates how exosomes shuttle proteins from neurons to muscle cells where they take part in critical signaling mechanisms, an exciting discovery that means these tiny vehicles could one day be loaded with therapeutic agents, such as RNA interference, and directly target disease-carrying cells.

28 Mar 2013