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Complex wiring of the nervous system may rely on a just a handful of genes and proteins
NIH study links high levels of cadmium, lead in blood to pregnancy delay
Continental mosquito with ‘vector’ potential found breeding in UK after 60 year absence
New Method Makes Culture of Complex Tissue Possible in any Lab
Clinical Trial Teaches Binge Eaters to Toss Away Cravings
Self-assembly and increased salt content assist preparation of thin films of nanoparticles
Mixed-race marriages based on patterns of facial attractiveness?
Commonly used vitamin could help produce ‘good’ cholesterol, UF researchers find
C-sections linked to breathing problems in preterm infants
New error-correcting codes guarantee the fastest possible rate of data transmission, even over fluctuating wireless links
Night, Weekend Delivery OK for Babies with Birth Defects
To Avoid Early Labor and Delivery, Weight and Diet Changes Not the Answer
Breakthrough in designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts for fuel cells
'Dark plasmons' transmit energy

Complex wiring of the nervous system may rely on a just a handful of genes and proteins

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 08:37 PM PST

Researchers at the Salk Institute have discovered a startling feature of early brain development that helps to explain how complex neuron wiring patterns are programmed using just a handful of critical genes. The findings, published in Cell, may help scientists develop new therapies for neurological disorders, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and provide insight into certain cancers.

NIH study links high levels of cadmium, lead in blood to pregnancy delay

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 04:04 PM PST

Higher blood levels of cadmium in females, and higher blood levels of lead in males, delayed pregnancy in couples trying to become pregnant, according to a study by researchers at the National Institutes of Health and other academic research institutions.

Continental mosquito with ‘vector’ potential found breeding in UK after 60 year absence

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 04:00 PM PST

A species of mosquito not seen in the UK since 1945 has been discovered breeding in the country. Populations of the mosquito, found across mainland Europe and known only by its Latin name Culex modestus, were recorded at sites in the marshes of north Kent and south Essex in 2010 and 2011.

New Method Makes Culture of Complex Tissue Possible in any Lab

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 12:22 PM PST

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have developed a new method for making scaffolds for culturing tissue in three-dimensional arrangements that mimic those in the body. This advance, published online in the journal Advanced Materials, allows the production of tissue culture scaffolds containing multiple structurally and chemically distinct layers using common laboratory reagents and materials.

Clinical Trial Teaches Binge Eaters to Toss Away Cravings

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 12:16 PM PST

Of 190 million obese Americans, approximately 10-15 percent engage in harmful binge eating. During single sittings, these over-eaters consume large servings of high-caloric foods. Sufferers contend with weight gain and depression including heart disease and diabetes. A new clinical trial, called Regulation of Food Cues, at UC San Diego Health System, aims to treat binge eating by helping participants to identify real hunger and to practice resistance if the stomach is full.

Self-assembly and increased salt content assist preparation of thin films of nanoparticles

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 12:10 PM PST

Self-assembly and increased salt content assist preparation of thin films of nanoparticles

Mixed-race marriages based on patterns of facial attractiveness?

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 12:05 PM PST

A novel explanation for mixed-race marriage based on patterns of facial attractiveness has been identified by researchers at the University.

Currently, government data on inter-racial marriage shows that in the UK and USA more black men marry white women than vice-versa. Further, more white men marry East Asian women than the reverse.

Commonly used vitamin could help produce ‘good’ cholesterol, UF researchers find

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 09:37 AM PST

Maintaining healthy cholesterol levels can keep heart disease, heart attack and stroke away. And a commonly used vitamin could help by increasing production of “good” cholesterol in the body, researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville have found. The findings were published recently in the journal Metabolism, Clinical and Experimental.

C-sections linked to breathing problems in preterm infants

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 09:33 AM PST

Research conducted at Yale School of Medicine shows that a cesarean (C-section) delivery, which was thought to be harmless, is associated with breathing problems in preterm babies who are small for gestational age.

The study was presented at the 32nd Annual Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) Meeting in Dallas, Texas by Heather Lipkind, M.D., assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at Yale School of Medicine, and co-author Erika Werner, M.D., who is now at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

New error-correcting codes guarantee the fastest possible rate of data transmission, even over fluctuating wireless links

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 08:20 AM PST

Error-correcting codes are one of the triumphs of the digital age. They’re a way of encoding information so that it can be transmitted across a communication channel — such as an optical fiber or a wireless connection — with perfect fidelity, even in the presence of the corrupting influences known as “noise.”

Night, Weekend Delivery OK for Babies with Birth Defects

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 08:13 AM PST

Weekday delivery is no better than night or weekend delivery for infants with birth defects, according to a new study presented today at The Pregnancy Meeting, the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual conference. The finding is good news for all parties – moms, babies and healthcare teams – and suggests that this high-risk population of women should deliver when their bodies are ready to deliver, regardless of the day or time.

To Avoid Early Labor and Delivery, Weight and Diet Changes Not the Answer

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 08:09 AM PST

One of the strongest known risk factors for spontaneous or unexpected preterm birth – any birth that occurs before the 37th week of pregnancy, most often without a known cause – is already having had one. For women in this group who would like to avoid this scenario in their second pregnancy, focusing on weight gain and dietary changes may not be the best strategy. A new study reported at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting found no connection between weight gain and the risk of repeat preterm birth.

Breakthrough in designing cheaper, more efficient catalysts for fuel cells

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 08:05 AM PST

University of California, Berkeley, chemists are reimagining catalysts in ways that could have a profound impact on the chemical industry as well as on the growing market for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Catalysts are materials ‑ typically metals ‑ that speed up chemical reactions and are widely used in the synthesis of chemicals and drugs. They also are employed in automobile catalytic converters to change combustion chemicals into less-polluting emissions and in fuel cells to convert water into hydrogen.

'Dark plasmons' transmit energy

Posted: 10 Feb 2012 07:28 AM PST

Microscopic channels of gold nanoparticles have the ability to transmit electromagnetic energy that starts as light and propagates via "dark plasmons," according to researchers at Rice University.