Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory have discovered a key mechanism in the brains of people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) dementia. The study is the first to document decreases in the neurotransmitter dopamine in those with the condition, and may lead to new, more effective therapies. HIV dementia is a type of cognitive decline that is more common in the later stages of HIV infection.
Scientists have identified what may be the first nontoxic treatment for a subset of medulloblastoma, the most common type of malignant pediatric brain tumor. The finding is encouraging in that such precise, targeted therapies may someday replace traditional treatments that can have overwhelmingly negative side effects for pediatric cancer patients. ”Therapy for pediatric cancers of the central nervous system has not improved significantly in the last three decades. This is partly due to the absence of adequate model systems for testing novel therapies.”
For the first time, scientists have peered at the stars using the newly installed telescope aboard NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), the largest airborne observatory in the world. During the night of Aug. 18-19 in its first ground-based ‘on-sky test,’ the telescope was pointed at the star Polaris. A crisp white dot appeared on astronomers’ computer screens inside the aircraft, demonstrating that the telescope’s basic optical, mechanical and software systems all are functioning properly. ”This is an important milestone from an engineering perspective, because all the telescope subsystems have been integrated on the aircraft for the first time, and it substantiates all the engineering design and interface work performed on both sides of the Atlantic.”
A new strategy for cancer therapy, which converts the tumor-promoting effect of the immune system’s inflammatory response into a cancer-killing outcome, is suggested in research findings by investigators in San Diego. The findings provide new insight into the immune system’s response to inflammation, the connection between inflammation and malignancy, and how the delicate balance between cancer promotion and inhibition can be manipulated in the patient’s favor.
For the first time a major study is now being presented in which parents of children who died of cancer were given the opportunity to talk about their experiences. The findings are being published in several acclaimed articles and a doctoral dissertation at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. All parents of children who died of cancer in Sweden between 1992 and 1997 were contacted four to nine years after the death of their child. One part of the study based on the massive material takes up the question of whether the parents had talked with their severely ill child about death. None of the 147 parents who had done so regretted doing so. On the other hand, 69 (27%) of the 258 parents who had not spoken with their child about death later regretted not having done so, most of them because they had realized that their child had in fact understood that he/she was dying.
Until now, lightweight plastic solar cells have remained elusive. During the last decade, scientists have struggled to substitute polymers for the expensive, but effective crystalline materials such as silicon, a traditional solar cell material. These attempts produced solar cells with poor efficiencies at converting light into electricity. Researchers now hope to develop an improved polymer solar cell using nanomaterial additives. Specifically, a team in Rhose Island will use a thin polymer film that can be rolled out in sheets. The film will contain nanoscale pieces of semiconductor material and single-walled carbon nanotubes to maximize energy conversion.
Researchers have demonstrated the significance of central corneal thickness (CCT) on the clinical management of patients with glaucoma and those suspected to have glaucoma. While confirming previous research about the relevance of CCT in glaucoma management, this study represents one of the first attempts to determine exactly how great an impact CCT has on a patient’s intraocular pressure (IOP), fluid build-up inside the eye that is a glaucoma risk factor. Results found that CCT affected more than half of the patients in the study.
Men have been tomcatting around since time immemorial, and some traveled far from home to do it, new research suggests. And there’s no covering up even ancient sexual dalliances: the guys most successful in sowing wild oats passed on the proof in their genes. By using those genetic smoking guns, researchers at the University of Arizona in Tucson have developed new insights into ancient mating and migration patterns in humans.
When we volunteer our time to do something for others, such as helping out an elderly neighbour or taking part in a local community project, it can be good news for our health, our children’s education and even reduce the local crime rate too. Recent research funded by the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC) has revealed that people who live in areas that record high levels of informal voluntary activity in their neighbourhood, also enjoy better health, students achieve higher GCSE grades and their communities suffer fewer burglaries. ”The research has revealed an interesting link between helping others and enjoying a good quality of life. It seems that when we focus on the needs of others, we may also reap benefits ourselves.”
You’ve seen it in horror movies, or even in real-life at the local museum: a painting in which the eyes of the person portrayed seem to follow you around the room, no matter where you go. People have described the effect as creepy or eerie, and some have thought it supernatural. But now researchers have demonstrated the very natural cause for this visual effect. All it takes for the effect to work is to have the person in the painting, or photograph, look straight ahead, said James Todd, co-author of the study and a professor of psychology at Ohio State University. Our visual perception takes care of the rest.
Differentiated thyroid cancer, the most common form of thyroid cancer, is one of the success stories in the war on cancer. Since the advent of radioiodine therapy, it has been considered one of the most curable cancers. On the downside, current treatment involves taking patients off their thyroid medication. This can lead to serious side effects including symptoms of hypothyroidism, an unbalanced metabolic state that can induce fatigue, depression, and other unpleasant conditions. Researchers now report on a new technique that allows patients to maintain their normal course of thyroid medication prior to and during radioiodine therapy. The new technique avoids the problems of hypothyroidism, and levels of radiation in the blood and bone marrow remain well below the accepted safety thresholds during therapy.
Scientists are a step closer to understanding the health benefits of drinking red wine. Researchers funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and affiliated with the Salk Institute in San Diego, Calif., have succeeded in converting chalcone synthase, a biosynthetic protein enzyme found in all higher plants, into an efficient resveratrol synthase. Resveratrol, a beneficial component of red wine, is thought to contribute to the improved cardiovascular effects associated with moderate consumption of red wine.
The FTC today issued a report assessing whether and how a system that rewards members of the public for tracking down spammers would or could help improve enforcement of the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act of 2002 (CAN-SPAM Act.) That Act, which became effective on January 1, 2004, required the FTC to conduct a study and provide a report to Congress on a CAN-SPAM ”bounty system.” Based on the FTC’s experience in more than 60 cases that targeted spam, the report notes that there are three hurdles for the FTC and other law enforcers in anti-spam investigations: identifying and locating the spammer; developing sufficient evidence to prove the spammer is legally responsible for sending the spam; and obtaining a monetary award. If a reward system could be designed so that it would generate information that helps clear those hurdles, it might improve the effectiveness of CAN-SPAM enforcement, according to the report.
Researchers, using a state-of-the-art microscope and new computerized imaging technology, have pushed back the barrier of how small we can see–to a record, atom-scale 0.6 angstrom. Researchers obtained the improved resolution with ORNL’s 300-kilovolt Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM), aided by an emerging technology called aberration correction. The direct images have been acknowledged as proof of atom-scale resolution below one angstrom and provide researchers with a valuable tool for designing advanced materials.