science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Πέμπτη 21 Μαρτίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Research Shows Genetic Evidence that New Therapies Targeting Parkinson's Disease may Cause Harm
Microbes use a channel protein as a syringe for toxins
Discovery could yield treatments for cocaine addicts
Differences in Bone Healing in Young Vs. Old Mice May Hold Answers to Better Bone Healing for Seniors
Brain mapping reveals neurological basis of decision-making in rats
NIST Guides Seek Interoperability for Automated Fingerprint ID Systems

Research Shows Genetic Evidence that New Therapies Targeting Parkinson's Disease may Cause Harm

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 03:02 PM PDT

NorthShore University HealthSystem (NorthShore) and Mayo Clinic researchers have partnered on a study that shows genetic and clinical evidence that therapies targeting the expression of alpha-synuclein — a gene whose function is involved in the development and progression of Parkinson's disease — may accelerate disease progression and increase the risk of physical incapacitation and dementia. If replicated, the findings will have profound implications for therapies under development for Parkinson's disease.

Microbes use a channel protein as a syringe for toxins

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 02:53 PM PDT

The bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens is a constant companion of some roundworms. These worms assault insect larvae, thereby infecting them with the bacteria; the pathogens then attack the cells of their victims with a deadly cocktail of various toxins. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Physiology in Dortmund working together with colleagues from Freiburg University and Jacobs University Bremen, have discovered that the bacteria use an important toxin complex like a syringe.

Discovery could yield treatments for cocaine addicts

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 02:39 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered a molecular process in the brain triggered by cocaine use that could provide a target for treatments to prevent or reverse addiction to the drug.

Reporting in the Journal of Neuroscience, Michigan State University neuroscientist A.J. Robison and colleagues say cocaine alters the nucleus accumbens, the brain’s pleasure center that responds to stimuli such as food, sex and drugs.

Differences in Bone Healing in Young Vs. Old Mice May Hold Answers to Better Bone Healing for Seniors

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 02:18 PM PDT

By studying the underlying differences in gene expression during healing after a bone break in young versus aged mice, Jaimo Ahn, MD, PhD, assistant professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and his colleagues aim to find specific pathways of fracture healing in humans. The team of researchers will present their findings in a poster presentation beginning Tuesday, March 19, 2013 at the 2013 American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons annual meeting in Chicago.

Brain mapping reveals neurological basis of decision-making in rats

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:24 PM PDT

Scientists at UC San Francisco have discovered how memory recall is linked to decision-making in rats, showing that measurable activity in one part of the brain occurs when rats in a maze are playing out memories that help them decide which way to turn. The more they play out these memories, the more likely they are to find their way correctly to the end of the maze.

NIST Guides Seek Interoperability for Automated Fingerprint ID Systems

Posted: 20 Mar 2013 12:15 PM PDT

A new set of publications from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) could make it easier, faster, and most importantly, more reliable, for forensic examiners to match a set of fingerprints with those on file in any database, whether local, state or national.