Leukaemia :: Deakin University discovery could lead to new leukaemia treatments
Deakin University scientists have identified a protein that could hold the key to new leukaemia treatments.
Laboratory
Health :: Caution issued on medicinal product
The Department of Health has warned consumers not to buy a medicinal product called Shenxiaotoutongsan as it contains three undeclared Western drug ingredients that may cause side effects.
Flu :: Hospital costs for children with flu may be higher than thought
Going into another flu season, a new study reports that hospitalizing children for influenza may cost up to three or four times the previously accepted estimates. Pediatric researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia say their finding strengthens the economic justification for broadly vaccinating children against flu. The cost of influenza-related hospitalizations in children was about $13,000 each — compared to prior estimates of $3,000 to $4,000.
Head Lice :: The LouseBuster kills
University of Utah biologists invented a chemical-free, hairdryer-like device — the LouseBuster — and conducted a study showing it eradicates head lice infestations on children by exterminating the eggs or “nits” and killing enough lice to prevent them from reproducing.
Health :: Neuron Cell Stickiness May Hold Key to Evolution of Human Brain
The stickiness of human neurons may have been a key factor in why the human brain evolved beyond the brains of our primate relatives. In a study comparing the genomes of humans, chimpanzees, mice and other vertebrates, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Joint Genome Institute (JGI) found a strikingly high degree of genetic differences in DNA sequences that appear to regulate genes involved in nerve cell adhesion molecules. Cell adhesion controls many aspects of brain development including growth and structure, and enables neurons to connect with other neurons and supportive proteins. Differences in the molecular connections of human neurons compared to the neurons of chimps, mice and other animals, could help explain why the human brain is capable of far more complex cognitive functions.
Diet :: Accelerating Loss of Ocean Species Threatens Human Well-Being
In a study published in the November 3 issue of the journal Science, an international group of ecologists and economists shows that the loss of biodiversity is profoundly reducing the ocean’s ability to produce seafood, resist diseases, filter pollutants, and rebound from stresses such as over fishing and climate change.
Health :: Growth factor stimulates rapid extension of key motor neurons in brain
A growth factor known to be important for the survival of many types of cells stimulates rapid extension of corticospinal motor neurons — critical brain cells that connect the cerebral cortex with the spinal cord and that die in motor neuron diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease).
Health :: Space sunshade might be feasible in global warming emergency
Developing renewable energy is the only permanent solution to global warming, University of Arizona astronomer Roger Angel concludes. But should Earth be faced with an abrupt climate crisis, a space sunshade is a technically feasible solution.
Health :: How fish mend a broken heart
New evidence to explain how a common tropical fish mends a broken heart may suggest methods for coaxing the damaged hearts of mammals to better heal, researchers report. The researchers found that the hearts of zebrafish harbor progenitor cells that spring into action to restore wounded heart muscle. Cells from a membrane layer that surrounds the heart, called the epicardium, follow suit, invading the wounded cardiac tissue and stimulating the growth of new blood vessels.
Nutrition :: Research addressing malnutrition and iron deficiency
Dartmouth biologists are leading a research team that has learned where and how some plant seeds store iron, a valuable discovery for scientists working to improve the iron content of plants. This research helps address the worldwide issue of iron deficiency and malnutrition. Their findings were published online on Nov. 2 at ScienceExpress, the advance publication site for the journal Science.