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OAK BROOK, Ill. - Preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, have abnormal connections between certain networks of their brains that can be seen using a special MRI technique, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology. Researchers said the findings may one day help guide treatments for ASD.
New single-cell technology has allowed scientists to study malaria parasites at the highest resolution to date. By investigating the genes in individual malaria parasites, scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute are beginning to understand the genetic processes each parasite undergoes as it moves through its complicated lifecycle.
Nitroproston (11(S),15(S)-dihydroxy-9-keto-5Z,13E-prostadienoic acid 1?,3?-dinitroglycerol ester) is a novel prostaglandin-based compound with potential application in obstructive respiratory diseases such as asthma and obstructive bronchitis. Its pharmacological activity is provided by combined multi-target action on prostanoid EP4 receptors and soluble guanylylcyclase.
Scientists have developed a new technique to examine the effects of chemicals on digestive systems of fish and support research into gut related conditions.
The technique also has potential to reduce the number of animal experiments, in line with the principles of the 3Rs (Reduce, Refine and Replace).
Data is only as good as humans' ability to analyze and make use of it.
In materials research, the ability to analyze massive amounts of data--often generated at the nanoscale--in order to compare materials' properties is key to discovery and to achieving industrial use. Jeffrey M. Rickman, a professor of materials science and physics at Lehigh University, likens this process to candy manufacturing:
March 25, 2018 - Boston - In the natural world, intelligence takes many forms. It could be a bat using echolocation to expertly navigate in the dark, or an octopus quickly adapting its behavior to survive in the deep ocean. Likewise, in the computer science world, multiple forms of artificial intelligence are emerging - different networks each trained to excel in a different task.
Exposures of pregnant women and children to common thyroid-hormone-disrupting toxins may be linked to the increased incidence of brain development disorders, according to a review published in Endocrine Connections. The review describes how numerous, common chemicals can interfere with normal thyroid hormone actions, which are essential for normal brain development in foetuses and young children, and suggests a need for greater public health intervention.
New Orleans, LA - An international team of researchers led by Lucio Miele, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Genetics at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Justin Stebbing, BM BCh MA, PhD, Professor of Cancer Medicine and Medical Oncology at Imperial College of Medicine in London, has found new genetic mutations that promote the survival of cancer cells. The research also provided a clearer understanding of how some cancer cells are able to resist treatment. The findings are published in PLOS ONE, available here.
Around 20% of the world's irrigated land is considered to contain elevated concentrations of salt, and the soil continues to get saltier as the climate warms. Agricultural production is hard hit by soil salinity; salt stress reduces the growth and yield of most plants, resulting in billions of dollars in crop yield losses annually. Rice--the staple food of more than half the world's population--is particularly sensitive to salty soil, with even moderate levels of salt resulting in substantial yield losses.
Sea ice in the Arctic grew to its annual maximum extent last week, and joined 2015, 2016 and 2017 as the four lowest maximum extents on record, according to scientists at the NASA-supported National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) and NASA.
On March 17, the Arctic sea ice cover peaked at 5.59 million square miles (14.48 million square kilometers), making it the second lowest maximum on record, at about 23,200 square miles (60,000 square kilometers) larger than the record low maximum reached on March 7, 2017.
Barcelona, Spain: Extensive surgery involving mastectomy and removal of several lymph nodes can be safely avoided for more women with some types of breast cancer, if they receive targeted drugs before surgery, according to research presented at the 11th European Breast Cancer Conference.
The study focused on women with HER2 positive breast cancer, an aggressive form of the disease, who were given a targeted drug treatment to shrink their tumours before they had surgery.
Barcelona, Spain: Professor Robert Mansel, Chair of the 11th European Breast Cancer Conference (EBCC-11) and Emeritus Professor of Surgery at Cardiff University School of Medicine, UK, has called for men to be included in trials to improve treatments for breast cancer.
MISSOULA - A recent study from researchers at the University of Montana, National Audubon Society, Oregon State University and East Cascades Audubon Society shows food sources for migratory birds decline with low water levels and high salt content in lakes.
New research links specific numerical activities undertaken by parents to certain math skills in young children. Published today in open-access journal Frontiers in Psychology, the study also finds that the more parents engage in mathematical activities with their children, the higher their early numeracy performance.
Scientists from Australia and China have drawn on the durable power of gold to demonstrate a new type of high-capacity optical disk that can hold data securely for more than 600 years.
The technology could offer a more cost-efficient and sustainable solution to the global data storage problem while enabling the critical pivot from Big Data to Long Data, opening up new realms of scientific discovery.