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Researchers form new nerve cells – directly in the brain
Study finds molecular 'signature' for rapidly increasing form of esophageal cancer
Atypical brain circuits may cause slower gaze shifting in infants who later develop autism
New solar-cell design based on dots and wires
Hybrid ribbons a gift for powerful batteries
Storming the gates: UNC research probes how pancreatic cancers metastasize
Obesity, aging genes may play role in arthritis
Teen Mentors Inspire Healthier Choices in Younger Children

Researchers form new nerve cells – directly in the brain

Posted: 26 Mar 2013 06:50 AM PDT

The field of cell therapy, which aims to form new cells in the body in order to cure disease, has taken another important step in the development towards new treatments. A new report from researchers at Lund University in Sweden shows that it is possible to re-programme other cells to become nerve cells, directly in the brain.

Study finds molecular 'signature' for rapidly increasing form of esophageal cancer

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:33 AM PDT

During the past 30 years, the number of patients with cancers that originate near the junction of the esophagus and stomach has increased approximately 600 percent in the United States. The first extensive probe of the DNA of these esophageal adenocarcinomas (EACs) has revealed that many share a distinctive mix-up of letters of the genetic code, and found more than 20 mutated genes that had not previously been linked to the disease.

Atypical brain circuits may cause slower gaze shifting in infants who later develop autism

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:30 AM PDT

Infants at 7 months of age who go on to develop autism are slower to reorient their gaze and attention from one object to another when compared to 7-month-olds who do not develop autism, and this behavioral pattern is in part explained by atypical brain circuits.

Those are the findings of a new study led by University of North Carolina School of Medicine researchers and published online March 20 by the American Journal of Psychiatry.

New solar-cell design based on dots and wires

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:25 AM PDT

Using exotic particles called quantum dots as the basis for a photovoltaic cell is not a new idea, but attempts to make such devices have not yet achieved sufficiently high efficiency in converting sunlight to power. A new wrinkle added by a team of researchers at MIT — embedding the quantum dots within a forest of nanowires — promises to provide a significant boost.

Hybrid ribbons a gift for powerful batteries

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 09:19 AM PDT

Hybrid ribbons of vanadium oxide (VO2) and graphene may accelerate the development of high-power lithium-ion batteries suitable for electric cars and other demanding applications.

The Rice University lab of materials scientist Pulickel Ajayan determined that the well-studied material is a superior cathode for batteries that could supply both high energy density and significant power density. The research appears online this month in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters.

Storming the gates: UNC research probes how pancreatic cancers metastasize

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 08:37 AM PDT

Researchers in the lab of Carol Otey, PhD, found that the protein palladin enhances the ability of cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) to assemble organelles known as invadopodia to break down the barriers between cells and create pathways for tumors to spread throughout the body.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered that a protein found in the cells surrounding pancreatic cancers play a role in the spread of the disease to other parts of the body.

Obesity, aging genes may play role in arthritis

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 07:56 AM PDT

Studying gene activity in tissue removed from injured knees, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that genes related to obesity and aging may contribute to the development of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is the most common knee disorder. The problem involves the breakdown of cartilage, causing pain, swelling and stiffness that make it difficult, over time, to move the joint or put weight on it.

Teen Mentors Inspire Healthier Choices in Younger Children

Posted: 25 Mar 2013 07:46 AM PDT

An obesity intervention taught by teen mentors in Appalachian elementary schools resulted in weight loss, lower blood pressure and healthy lifestyle changes among the younger students learning the curriculum, according to a new study.

In contrast, children taught the same lessons by adults in a traditional classroom saw no changes in their health outcomes.