science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τρίτη 15 Απριλίου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

Chemists design nanoparticles that can deliver three cancer drugs at a time
Report finds over 28000 deaths in UK attributable to long-term particulate air pollution exposure
352 protein signature in rats could help solve the mystery of human schizophrenia
Study Links Domestic Abuse to Mental Health Problems in New Mothers
Inhibitors of cell suicide FLIP the balance in the immune system to autoimmunity

Chemists design nanoparticles that can deliver three cancer drugs at a time

Posted: 15 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT

Delivering chemotherapy drugs in nanoparticle form could help reduce side effects by targeting the drugs directly to the tumors. In recent years, scientists have developed nanoparticles that deliver one or two chemotherapy drugs, but it has been difficult to design particles that can carry any more than that in a precise ratio.

Report finds over 28000 deaths in UK attributable to long-term particulate air pollution exposure

Posted: 15 Apr 2014 04:18 AM PDT

A new report from Public Health England estimates that long-term particulate air pollution is responsible for substantial levels of mortality in the United Kingdom. Figures range from 3.8-3.9% of the proportion of deaths that can be attributed to this cause in Northern Ireland and Scotland up to 5.6% in England. Asthma UK responded to the report with concern as the majority of asthma sufferers find that air pollution makes their symptoms worse.

352 protein signature in rats could help solve the mystery of human schizophrenia

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:42 AM PDT

Phencyclidine (PCP)-treatment of rodents is used as a pre-clinical model for human schizophrenia. Using such a rat model, researchers in the University of Southern Denmark, the Danish Technological Institute and NeuroSearch A/S have identified a group of 352 proteins whose phosphorylation levels rapidly change after PCP treatment. The results of the study, recently published in the Journal of Proteome Research should be relevant in the ongoing quest to find and target the molecular basis of schizophrenia.

Study Links Domestic Abuse to Mental Health Problems in New Mothers

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:38 AM PDT

A new study shows that domestic abuse is closely linked to postpartum mental health problems, including depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in mothers. The research also found that specific types of abuse are associated with specific mental health problems. The work was done by researchers at North Carolina State University, Simon Fraser University and the University of British Columbia.

Inhibitors of cell suicide FLIP the balance in the immune system to autoimmunity

Posted: 14 Apr 2014 08:07 AM PDT

The immune response is delicately balanced to ensure that non-self ‘invaders’ are expelled while self-elements are tolerated. Multiple processes and mediators cooperate to maintain this balance, including the process of apoptosis, or programmed cell death. A new study published in the journal Cell Death and Disease suggests that key inhibitors of apoptosis are central to maintaining this delicate balance.