Science News SciGuru.com

Brain imaging differences evident at 6 months in infants who develop autism
Norwegian success in creating an artificial child’s voice
The origin of photosynthesis revealed by a "living fossil"
In new mass-production technique, robotic insects spring to life
Pancreatic hormone linked with severe heart disease in obese and diabetic patients
OHSU discovery may someday lead to prevention and treatment of sudden infant death syndrome
UMass Amherst Chemical Engineers Discover ‘Mini-Cellulose’ Molecule That May be Key to Maximizing Biofuel Production
As Diabetes Emerges, Researchers Track Disease’s First Steps
Why the middle finger has such a slow connection
Wayne State research reveals improved method for paramedics to stop prolonged seizures
Cognitive Stimulation Beneficial In Dementia
University of Minnesota researchers discover that cell phone hackers can track your physical location without your knowledge
University of Minnesota researchers discover that cell phone hackers can track your physical location without your knowledge
Wayne State proves targeted tumor freezing therapy increases ovarian cancer survival
Should Heparin be used in Cancer Treatment?
Nanoparticles may enhance cancer therapy
Common flame retardant linked to social, behavioral and learning deficits
Study Explains High Platelets in Ovarian Cancer Patients; Survival Reduced
UGA animal vaccine may slow deadly spread of Chagas disease
Mutations in Gigantic Gene Responsible for Common Heart Muscle Disease

Brain imaging differences evident at 6 months in infants who develop autism

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 06:54 AM PST

A new study led by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found significant differences in brain development starting at age 6 months in high-risk infants who later develop autism, compared to high-risk infants who did not develop autism.

Norwegian success in creating an artificial child’s voice

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 06:40 AM PST

It is very difficult to get a PC to recognise the voice of a child. Equally problematic is using a computer to synthesise speech in a child’s voice. Norwegian researchers have found simple, effective solutions to both challenges.

“Synthesised speech has grown more and more similar to human speech. Yet children communicating via a speech device are still forced to use a synthetic adult voice,” explains Magne Lunde, Managing Director of Media LT, a company developing tools to assist disabled persons.

The origin of photosynthesis revealed by a "living fossil"

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 06:02 AM PST

Recently, the complete genome of a glaucophyte alga (Cyanophora paradoxa) has been unraveled by an international consortium led by Dr. Debashish Bhattacharya from Rutgers University (USA). From the University of Freiburg, Dr. Stefan Rensing and Aikaterini Symeonidi (Faculty of Biology), contributed to the analysis of the genome by performing classification and phylogenomic analyses of the encoded transcription factors as well as by checking for and removing genomic contaminations. The results are published in the current issue of the journal Science.

In new mass-production technique, robotic insects spring to life

Posted: 17 Feb 2012 05:31 AM PST

A new technique inspired by elegant pop-up books and origami will soon allow clones of robotic insects to be mass-produced by the sheet.

Devised by engineers at Harvard, the ingenious layering and folding process enables the rapid fabrication of not just microrobots, but a broad range of electromechanical devices.

Pancreatic hormone linked with severe heart disease in obese and diabetic patients

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 01:42 PM PST

Severe heart damage in people who are obese and diabetic is linked with a pancreatic hormone called amylin, UC Davis researchers have found.

In the failing hearts of patients who were obese and diabetic, the scientists discovered strings of proteins, small fibers and plaques made of amylin, the hormone that produces the feeling of being full after eating. They also showed in an animal model that amylin accumulation in the heart leads to heart muscle destruction and failure.

OHSU discovery may someday lead to prevention and treatment of sudden infant death syndrome

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 01:36 PM PST

New research, published in Neuroscience, sheds light on the mechanisms responsible for development of nerves that control blood pressure and breathing. Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered that brain cells commonly thought to play a supporting role actually are critically important for the growth of brainstem neurons responsible for cardiorespiratory control. The discovery has profound implications for the prevention and treatment of SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome), the leading cause of death in children aged one month to one year.

UMass Amherst Chemical Engineers Discover ‘Mini-Cellulose’ Molecule That May be Key to Maximizing Biofuel Production

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 01:29 PM PST

A team of chemical engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has discovered a small molecule that behaves the same as cellulose when it is converted to biofuel. Studying this ‘mini-cellulose’ molecule reveals for the first time the chemical reactions that take place in wood and prairie grasses during high-temperature conversion to biofuel. The new technical discovery was reported in the January 2012 issue of the journal Energy & Environmental Science and highlighted in Nature Chemistry.

As Diabetes Emerges, Researchers Track Disease’s First Steps

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:36 PM PST

Scientists have taken a remarkably detailed look at the initial steps that occur in the body when type 1 diabetes mellitus first develops in a child or young adult.

The analysis comes from a team of researchers and physicians at the University of Rochester Medical Center who have expertise both in the laboratory and in treating patients. The team studied children from ages 8 to 18 within 48 hours of their diagnosis with type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease where the body’s immune system attacks the cells in the pancreas that make insulin.

Why the middle finger has such a slow connection

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:31 PM PST

Each part of the body has its own nerve cell area in the brain –we therefore have a map of our bodies in our heads. The functional significance of these maps is largely unclear. What effects they can have is now shown by RUB neuroscientists through reaction time measurements combined with learning experiments and “computational modelling”. They have been able to demonstrate that inhibitory influences of neighbouring “finger nerve cells” affect the reaction time of a finger.

Wayne State research reveals improved method for paramedics to stop prolonged seizures

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:26 PM PST

Drug delivery directly into muscle using an autoinjector is faster and may be more effective in stopping prolonged seizures, according to a study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and conducted by a Wayne State University School of Medicine researcher.

Cognitive Stimulation Beneficial In Dementia

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:24 PM PST

Cognitive stimulation therapies have beneficial effects on memory and thinking in people with dementia, according to a systematic review by Cochrane researchers. Despite concerns that cognitive improvements may not be matched by improvements in quality of life, the review also found positive effects for well-being.

University of Minnesota researchers discover that cell phone hackers can track your physical location without your knowledge

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:21 PM PST

Cellular networks leak the locations of cell phone users, allowing a third party to easily track the location of the cell phone user without the user’s knowledge, according to new research by computer scientists in the University of Minnesota’s College of Science and Engineering.

University of Minnesota researchers discover that cell phone hackers can track your physical location without your knowledge

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:21 PM PST

Wayne State proves targeted tumor freezing therapy increases ovarian cancer survival

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 12:12 PM PST

Ovarian cancer, which killed 15,000 American women last year, is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. A team of Wayne State University School of Medicine researchers recently proved that freezing tumors increases survival rates in ovarian cancer patients.

The "freeze and destroy" technique is an alternative for local treatment of cancerous tumors, said Peter Littrup, M.D., professor of radiology in the School of Medicine and director of imaging core and radiological research at the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute.

Should Heparin be used in Cancer Treatment?

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 11:19 AM PST

For decades, the blood thinner heparin has been used to prevent and treat blood clots. Could it be just as effective in treating cancer? In an editorial published Feb. 15 in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers from the University at Buffalo and McMaster University suggest conclusive answers to key questions on the benefits of low molecular weight heparin for cancer patients remain elusive -- despite promising results from large studies.

Nanoparticles may enhance cancer therapy

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 11:14 AM PST

A mixture of current drugs and carbon nanoparticles shows potential to enhance treatment for head-and-neck cancers, especially when combined with radiation therapy, according to new research by Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The work blazes a path for further research into therapy customized to the needs of individual patients. The therapy uses carbon nanoparticles to encapsulate chemotherapeutic drugs and sequester them until they are delivered to the cancer cells they are meant to kill.

Common flame retardant linked to social, behavioral and learning deficits

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 11:05 AM PST

Mice genetically engineered to be susceptible to autism-like behaviors that were exposed to a common flame retardant were less fertile and their offspring were smaller, less sociable and demonstrated marked deficits in learning and long-term memory when compared with the offspring of normal unexposed mice, a study by researchers at UC Davis has found. The researchers said the study is the first to link genetics and epigenetics with exposure to a flame retardant chemical.

Study Explains High Platelets in Ovarian Cancer Patients; Survival Reduced

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:26 AM PST

Highly elevated platelet levels fuel tumor growth and reduce the survival of ovarian cancer patients, an international team of researchers led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer center reports in the New England Journal of Medicine.

By pinpointing a powerful cause-and-effect relationship at the heart of a clinical observation that dates back more than 100 years, the team's findings reveal a new factor in cancer progression and new potential approaches for treatment.

UGA animal vaccine may slow deadly spread of Chagas disease

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 09:22 AM PST

Chagas disease is the single most common cause of congestive heart failure and sudden death in the world. The devastating parasitic infection affects millions of people throughout Central and South America. But as global travel increases, it's becoming a greater threat in the United States and Europe as well.

Mutations in Gigantic Gene Responsible for Common Heart Muscle Disease

Posted: 16 Feb 2012 08:32 AM PST

Mutations in TTN-the largest gene in the human genome-cause idiopathic (unknown cause) dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), a common form of heart failure, according to a study by Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) researchers. The TTN gene encodes a protein that functions as a scaffold for assembly of contractile proteins in muscle cells and also regulates the production of force in cardiac muscle cells.