news 2014

Results from a brain-imaging study led scientists into a medical mystery going back to 1881, involving a disputed brain pathway discovered by one scientist and ignored by others. The team rediscovered the pathway's original publication in texts in the basement of Lane Medical Library and traced the structure's contentious scientific history.

Infectious particles of an avian influenza virus emerge from a cell. A team of researchers led by UW-Madison's Yoshihiro Kawaoka has revealed methods for thwarting flu viruses by shutting down the cellular machinery they need. Photo: Takeshi Noda/University of Tokyo The influenza virus, like all viruses, is a hijacker.

Doctors have long been mystified as to why HIV-1 rapidly sickens some individuals, while in others the virus has difficulties gaining a foothold. Now, a study of genetic variation in HIV-1 and in the cells it infects reported, by University of Minnesota researchers in this week's issue of PLOS Genetics, has uncovered a chink in HIV-1's armor that may, at least in part, explain the puzzling difference - and potentially open the door to new treatments.

AUSTIN, Texas — Researchers in The University of Texas at Austin's College of Education have found that a blood flow impairment in blacks that puts them at higher risk for cerebrovascular diseases like stroke appears at a much earlier age than previously thought. Prior research has identified a blood flow difference in several regions of the body between older whites and blacks.

Regular consumption of olive oil can drastically improve heart health - especially in people who do not normally eat a Mediterranean diet. Researchers at the Universities of Glasgow and Lisbon and Mosaiques Diagnostics in Germany teamed-up to study the effect of olive oil, an ingredient central to the Mediterranean diet, on heart health in a group of non-consumers.

Powerful clues have been discovered about why the human immune system, metabolism, stress response, and other life functions are so different from those of the mouse. A new, comprehensive study of the mouse genome by an international group of researchers including Penn State University scientists reveals striking similarities and differences with the human genome.

University of Queensland scientists have discovered that genes switch off as memories are being formed, allowing for new connections between nerve cells. The discovery could eventually lead to a key for treating conditions such as autism and dementia. Researchers studying honeybees during learning activities have shown that memory management in the bee brain is controlled by small genetic elements called microRNAs that help regulate gene expression.

Deadly infections that can follow chemotherapy are the target of a landmark licensing deal between The University of Queensland and a United States-based biotech company. Biotech GlycoMimetics Inc has developed an extensive library of compounds that mimic certain carbohydrates found on the outside of cells, known as 'selectins' and that have the potential to treat conditions including some blood and immune system disorders.

Powerful clues have been discovered about why the human immune system, metabolism, stress response, and other life functions are so different from those of the mouse. A new, comprehensive study of the mouse genome by an international group of researchers including Penn State University scientists reveals striking similarities and differences with the human genome.

A new study led by researchers at King's College London in collaboration with the US Consortium of Food Allergy Research and the University of Dundee has found a strong link between environmental exposure to peanut protein during infancy (measured in household dust) and an allergic response to peanuts in children who have eczema early in life.

Does 'brain training' work? 19 November 2014 Computer based 'brain training' can boost memory and thinking skills in older adults, but many programs promoted by the $1 billion brain training industry are ineffective, reveals new research by the University of Sydney. Published today in PLoS Medicine , the study shows that engaging older adults computer-based cognitive training (also known as brain training) can lead to improvements in memory, speed, and visuospatial skills.

A new, low impact low energy laser treatment for patients with early age-related macular degeneration (AMD) has produced positive results by reducing indicators of the disease. Researchers from the University of Melbourne found unlike other laser treatments, this new faster laser did not result in damage to the retina, the sensitive light detecting tissue at the back of the eye.

Scientists have revealed the mechanisms that enable certain brain cells to persuade others to create Mexican waves' linked with cognitive function. Ultimately, the team say their work may help researchers understand more about normal brain function and about neurocognitive disorders such as dementia.

The landmark discovery of a tiny defect in a vital heart protein has for the first time enabled heart specialists to accurately pinpoint a therapeutic target for future efforts in developing a drug-based cure for cardiovascular diseases. Scientists from Cardiff University and the Slovak Academy of Science have identified defects in a colossal heart protein which often leads to stroke and heart failure.

A team of scientists led by Yale University systems biologist and biomedical engineer Andre Levchenko has developed a novel method for mapping the biochemical variability, or "noise," in how human cells respond to chemical signals. The research, published Nov. 17 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, could be used to tailor drug delivery to a patient's individual cell responses and may have further implications for advances in semiconductor chip design.

An international research team that includes the University of Melbourne's Professor Sam Berkovic (AC) has identified a new gene for a progressive form of epilepsy. The findings of this international collaboration have been published today. Progressive myoclonus epilepsies (PME) are rare, inherited, and usually childhood-onset neurodegenerative diseases whose core symptoms are epileptic seizures and debilitating involuntary muscle twitching (myoclonus).

Scientists have discovered mechanisms that control a new form of premature cell death in living tissue - called ferroptosis - and a mechanism to reverse it. Tests have since revealed that this mechanism prevents tissue damage in human kidney cells, acute kidney failure and in liver damage, opening up the possibility for new pharmacological treatments to a number of diseases.

By disrupting Siberian hamsters' circadian rhythms, Stanford scientists have identified a part of the brain that, when misfiring, inhibits memory. The work could lead to therapies for neurodegenerative diseases in humans. Anyone who has struggled with a foggy brain while adjusting to daylight saving time knows first-hand how an out-of-sync circadian clock can impair brain function.

If you have high blood sugar, there is a new question to ask yourself: got milk? Researchers in the department of nutritional sciences have reported that a type of saturated fatty acid found mostly in dairy products known as pentadecanoic acid, or 15:0, is associated with lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

IMPACT Current methods to screen for lung cancer mutations in plasma or blood are complicated, technique-dependent and not readily available. Electric field-induced release and measurement is a reliable method to detect tumor-causing, lung cancer mutations in saliva that would be non-invasive, cost-effective and rapid.