science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Παρασκευή 15 Μαρτίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Improved Detection of Frontotemporal Degeneration May Aid Clinical Trial Efforts
Increased risk of ischemic heart disease after radiotherapy for breast cancer
Autism Speaks Trailblazer Research Supports New Theory That Blocking Cell Distress Signals Can Ease Autism Symptoms
Researchers Show that Suppressing the Brain’s “Filter” Can Improve Performance in Creative Tasks
Mechanical Micro-Drum Used as Quantum Memory
Water signature in distant planet shows clues to its formation
Transplanted brain cells in monkeys light up personalized therapy

Improved Detection of Frontotemporal Degeneration May Aid Clinical Trial Efforts

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 06:40 AM PDT

A series of studies demonstrate improved detection of the second most common form of dementia, providing diagnostic specificity that clears the way for refined clinical trials testing targeted treatments. The new research is being presented by experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania at the American Academy of Neurology’s 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego March 16-23, 2013.

Increased risk of ischemic heart disease after radiotherapy for breast cancer

Posted: 15 Mar 2013 06:34 AM PDT

Women treated for breast cancer with radiotherapy run a higher risk of ischemic heart disease in later years, according to a new study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The risk increases within five years of radiotherapy and remains increased for at least 20 years. The increase in risk is particularly pronounced for women with other heart disease risk factors, such as smoking, high BMI or diabetes, at time of radiotherapy.

Autism Speaks Trailblazer Research Supports New Theory That Blocking Cell Distress Signals Can Ease Autism Symptoms

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 12:17 PM PDT

Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced a study supported by one of Autism Speaks’ first Suzanne and Bob Wright Trailblazer Awards, presents a new theory that autism may result from chronic danger signaling by mitochondria, cell structures that supply our cells with energy.

Researchers Show that Suppressing the Brain’s “Filter” Can Improve Performance in Creative Tasks

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 12:01 PM PDT

The brain’s prefrontal cortex is thought to be the seat of cognitive control, working as a kind of filter that keeps irrelevant thoughts, perceptions and memories from interfering with a task at hand.

Now, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have shown that inhibiting this filter can boost performance for tasks in which unfiltered, creative thoughts present an advantage.

Mechanical Micro-Drum Used as Quantum Memory

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 11:54 AM PDT

One of the oldest forms of computer memory is back again—but in a 21st century microscopic device designed by physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) for possible use in a quantum computer.

Water signature in distant planet shows clues to its formation

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 11:49 AM PDT

A team of international scientists including a Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory astrophysicist has made the most detailed examination yet of the atmosphere of a Jupiter-size like planet beyond our solar system.

The finding provides astrophysicists with additional insight into how planets are formed.

Transplanted brain cells in monkeys light up personalized therapy

Posted: 14 Mar 2013 09:31 AM PDT

For the first time, scientists have transplanted neural cells derived from a monkey's skin into its brain and watched the cells develop into several types of mature brain cells, according to the authors of a new study in Cell Reports. After six months, the cells looked entirely normal, and were only detectable because they initially were tagged with a fluorescent protein.

Because the cells were derived from adult cells in each monkey's skin, the experiment is a proof-of-principle for the concept of personalized medicine, where treatments are designed for each individual.