science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Πέμπτη 10 Οκτωβρίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

New Strategy to Treat Multiple Sclerosis Shows Promise in Mice
Brain anatomy and language in young children
Researchers identify likely causes, treatment strategies for systemic scleroderma
Cracked metal, heal thyself

New Strategy to Treat Multiple Sclerosis Shows Promise in Mice

Posted: 09 Oct 2013 11:58 AM PDT

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have identified a set of compounds that may be used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS) in a new way. Unlike existing MS therapies that suppress the immune system, the compounds boost a population of progenitor cells that can in turn repair MS-damaged nerve fibers.

One of the newly identified compounds, a Parkinson’s disease drug called benztropine, was highly effective in treating a standard model of MS in mice, both alone and in combination with existing MS therapies.

Brain anatomy and language in young children

Posted: 09 Oct 2013 11:48 AM PDT

Language ability is usually located in the left side of the brain. Researchers studying brain development in young children who were acquiring language expected to see increasing levels of myelin, a nerve fiber insulator, on the left side. They didn't: The larger myelin structure was already there. Their study underscores the importance of environment in language development.

Researchers from Brown University and King’s College London have gained surprising new insights into how brain anatomy influences language acquisition in young children.

Researchers identify likely causes, treatment strategies for systemic scleroderma

Posted: 09 Oct 2013 11:40 AM PDT

Using mice, lab-grown cells and clues from a related disorder, Johns Hopkins researchers have greatly increased understanding of the causes of systemic sclerosis, showing that a critical culprit is a defect in the way certain cells communicate with their structural scaffolding. They say the new insights point the way toward potentially developing drugs for the disease, which affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States.

Cracked metal, heal thyself

Posted: 09 Oct 2013 07:34 AM PDT

It was a result so unexpected that MIT researchers initially thought it must be a mistake: Under certain conditions, putting a cracked piece of metal under tension — that is, exerting a force that would be expected to pull it apart — has the reverse effect, causing the crack to close and its edges to fuse together.