science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Πέμπτη 17 Απριλίου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

Study suggests more patients with emphysema could benefit from lung volume reduction surgery
Get into the groove: rhythmic complexity in music influences our desire to dance
Researchers develop novel tools to learn how astrocytes listen in on neurons
Synapses remain stable if their components grow in coordination with each other
Chronic hypertension complicates pregnancy outcomes

Study suggests more patients with emphysema could benefit from lung volume reduction surgery

Posted: 17 Apr 2014 05:02 AM PDT

A procedure called lung volume reduction surgery could be performed effectively in more patients, according to new research.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a combination of emphysema (damage to the air sacs of the lungs) and chronic bronchitis. It affects more than a million people in the UK and is a major cause of disability and premature death.

Get into the groove: rhythmic complexity in music influences our desire to dance

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 09:08 PM PDT

The feelings of wanting to dance to music and experiencing pleasure are influenced by the degree of rhythmic complexity or syncopation. This is the main finding of a study from researchers in the University of Oxford and Aarhus University, Denmark published in the journal PLoS One on April 16th 2014.

Researchers develop novel tools to learn how astrocytes listen in on neurons

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 11:06 AM PDT

Everything we do — all of our movements, thoughts and feelings – are the result of neurons talking with one another, and recent studies have suggested that some of the conversations might not be all that private. Brain cells known as astrocytes may be listening in on, or even participating in, some of those discussions. But a new mouse study suggests that astrocytes might only be tuning in part of the time — specifically, when the neurons get really excited about something.

Synapses remain stable if their components grow in coordination with each other

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 09:38 AM PDT

Synapses are the points of contact at which information is transmitted between neurons. Without them, we would not be able to form thoughts or remember things. For memories to endure, synapses sometimes have to remain stable for very long periods. But how can a synapse last if its components have to be replaced regularly?

Chronic hypertension complicates pregnancy outcomes

Posted: 16 Apr 2014 09:18 AM PDT

Pregnant women with chronic hypertension (high blood pressure) are highly likely to suffer from adverse pregnancy outcomes such as preterm delivery, low birth weight and neonatal death, which emphasizes a need for heightened surveillance, according to research carried out at King’s College London and published today in BMJ.

Chronic hypertension complicates between 1-5 per cent of pregnancies and recent demographic changes in the antenatal population suggest that chronic hypertension in pregnancy may be an increasing clinical problem.