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Some brain regions retain enhanced ability to make new connections
Unique Protein Interaction May Drive Most Common Genetic Cause of Parkinson’s Disease
Stem Cells Used to Model Disease that Causes Abnormal Bone Growth
Chemical imaging brings cancer tissue analysis into the digital age
On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles
Enzyme mutations may protect against vascular thrombosis and stroke
Study of rodent family tree puts brakes on commonly held understanding of evolution
New algorithm can dramatically streamline solutions to the ‘max flow’ problem

Some brain regions retain enhanced ability to make new connections

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 05:03 AM PST

In adults, some brain regions retain a “childlike” ability to establish new connections, potentially contributing to our ability to learn new skills and form new memories as we age, according to new research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle.

Unique Protein Interaction May Drive Most Common Genetic Cause of Parkinson’s Disease

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 05:01 AM PST

The most devastating aspect of Parkinson’s disease may not be its debilitating symptoms, which rob its victims of their ability to control their own movement. It may not be the millions around the world and their families who suffer each day from the disease’s harmful effects. Instead, it may in fact be that its root causes remain largely a mystery. But now, scientists at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how the interplay between two proteins in the brain fuels the degradation and death of the class of brain cells, or neurons, that leads to Parkinson’s.

Stem Cells Used to Model Disease that Causes Abnormal Bone Growth

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 04:52 AM PST

Researchers have developed a new way to study bone disorders and bone growth, using stem cells from patients afflicted with a rare, genetic bone disease. The approach, based on Nobel-Prize winning techniques, could illuminate the illness, in which muscles and tendons progressively turn into bone, and addresses the similar destructive process that afflicts a growing number of veterans who have suffered blast injuries — including traumatic amputations or injuries to the brain and nervous system.

Chemical imaging brings cancer tissue analysis into the digital age

Posted: 08 Jan 2014 03:42 AM PST

A new method for analysing biological samples based on their chemical makeup is set to transform the way medical scientists examine diseased tissue.

When tests are carried out on a patient's tissue today, such as to look for cancer, the test has to be interpreted by a histology specialist, and can take weeks to obtain a full result.

On-demand vaccines possible with engineered nanoparticles

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 10:00 AM PST

Vaccines combat diseases and protect populations from outbreaks, but the life-saving technology leaves room for improvement. Vaccines usually are made en masse in centralized locations far removed from where they will be used. They are expensive to ship and keep refrigerated and they tend to have short shelf lives.

Enzyme mutations may protect against vascular thrombosis and stroke

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 09:45 AM PST

Yale researchers have identified the mechanism behind a molecular variation that reduces risk of stroke in children with sickle cell anemia. The molecular variation was recently identified but not understood due to a limited grasp of the gene’s role in hemostasis — the stopping of bleeding. These new findings open a path for the development of novel drugs that may prevent stroke, particularly in children with sickle cell anemia who are at risk of this devastating complication. The study appears online in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.

Study of rodent family tree puts brakes on commonly held understanding of evolution

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 08:58 AM PST

Rodents can tell us a lot about the way species evolve after they move into new areas, according to a new and exceptionally broad study conducted in part by Florida State University biological science Professor Scott J. Steppan.

The study of the evolutionary history of rodents calls into doubt a generally held understanding that when a species colonizes a new region, such as a continent, evolution leads to a dramatic increase in the number and variety of species.

New algorithm can dramatically streamline solutions to the ‘max flow’ problem

Posted: 07 Jan 2014 08:44 AM PST

Finding the most efficient way to transport items across a network like the U.S. highway system or the Internet is a problem that has taxed mathematicians and computer scientists for decades.

To tackle the problem, researchers have traditionally used a maximum-flow algorithm, also known as “max flow,” in which a network is represented as a graph with a series of nodes, known as vertices, and connecting lines between them, called edges.