Tech
Brian Wainger, MD, PhD, of the Healey Center for ALS at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) presented initial, top-level results of a recently completed phase 2 clinical trial of ezogabine (also called retigabine) on December 9 at the Motor Neurone Disease Association annual meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. The trial met its primary goal of measuring a reduction in motor neuron excitability in people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) following treatment.
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, USA and LEIDEN, THE NETHERLANDS - An international team of researchers led by Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah (U of U) has developed, calibrated, and validated a novel tool for identifying the genetic changes in Lynch syndrome genes that are likely to be responsible for causing symptoms of the disease. The results were published this week in the journal Genetics in Medicine.
University of Sydney authors who led the research said the Mamil study was prompted by media attention given to depicting and satirising this group and the importance of physical activity for preventing lifestyle diseases like cardiovascular disease.
Characters in the Game of Thrones TV series are more likely to die if they do not switch allegiance, and are male, according to an article published in the open access journal Injury Epidemiology.
Consumers paid on average £75 more in the year after the EU referendum for gas and electricity, according to research by UCL.
A hard Brexit could lead to a further average rise of £61 per year in the event of further devaluation of sterling to pound-euro parity.
In a crystalline solid, the atoms form an ordered lattice. Crystalline solids respond elastically to small deformations: When the applied strain is removed, the macroscopic stress, as well as the microscopic configuration of the atomic lattice, goes back to the original state. On the other hand, a material behaves plastically if it does not return to its original state. In general, plasticity only occurs when the deformation is sufficiently large.
For the first time, a research team at Lund University in Sweden has successfully reprogrammed mouse and human skin cells into immune cells called dendritic cells. The process is quick and effective, representing a pioneering contribution for applying direct reprogramming for inducing immunity. Importantly, the finding opens up the possibility of developing novel dendritic cell-based immunotherapies against cancer.
Chestnut Hill, Mass. (12/7/2018) - Like so many targets of scientific inquiry, the class of material referred to as the kagome magnet has proven to be a source of both frustration and amazement. Further revealing the quantum properties of the kagome magnet is seen as one of the primary challenges in fundamental physics - to both theorists and experimentalists.
A new study suggests that a genetic switch that causes latent HIV inside cells to begin to replicate can be manipulated to completely eradicate the virus from the human body. Cells harboring latent HIV are "invisible" to the natural defenses of the immune system.
The findings, which suggest a cure for HIV may be possible, are reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Schizophrenia is among the most difficult mental illnesses to treat, in part because it is characterized by a wide range of dysfunction, from hallucinations and mood disorders to cognitive impairment, especially verbal and working memory, which can be explained in part by abnormalities in early auditory information processing.
From iPhones on Earth to rovers on Mars, most electronics only function within a certain temperature range. By blending two organic materials together, researchers at Purdue University could create electronics that withstand extreme heat.
This new plastic material could reliably conduct electricity in up to 220 degrees Celsius (428 F), according to a paper published Thursday in the journal Science.
Advances in remote sensing technologies are helping scientists to better measure how global landscapes -- from forests to savanna -- are able to store carbon, a critical insight as they evaluate the potential role of ecosystems in mitigating climate change.
One factor often ignored in these carbon cycle assessments, however, is the role of wild animals. Compared with the vast capacity for trees and plants to store carbon, the conventional wisdom goes, low-abundant animal populations simply can't have much effect on these global systems.
In the drive to find new ways to extend electronics beyond the use of silicon, physicists are experimenting with other properties of electrons, beyond charge. In work published today (Dec 7) in the journal Science, a team led by Penn State professor of physics Jun Zhu describes a way to manipulate electrons based on their energy in relation to momentum -- called "valley degree of freedom."
Researchers from Aarhus University have contributed to creating new knowledge about resistance to yellow rust, which is a serious fungal disease in wheat. The results can have global importance.
The conservation of animals relies heavily on estimates of their numbers. Without knowing how many individuals there are, it is impossible to know whether a population is thriving or dying out--and whether conservation efforts are getting the job done. But making those estimates is no mean feat, reports Easton R. White of the Center for Population Biology at the University of California, Davis, writing in BioScience.