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Researchers explore neural mechanisms behind responsibility and punishment

A new study reveals that humans use different neural mechanisms for determining criminal responsibility and assigning an appropriate punishment.

10 Dec 2008

Decreased levels of binding gene affect memory and behavior

Reducing the activity of a gene called FKBP12 in the brains of mice affected neuron-to-neuron communication (synapse) and increased both fearful memory and obsessive behavior, indicating the gene could provide a target for drugs to treat diseases such as autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disease and others, said researchers from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston in a report in the current issue of the journal Neuron.

10 Dec 2008

Save money wih generics

Today, more than ever, consumers can opt for generic equivalents of brand-name medications at substantial cost savings.

10 Dec 2008

Death rates in hospital highest for infants, and children without insurance

The vast majority of children who die while hospitalized are newborns, according to a new nationwide study.

10 Dec 2008

Researchers map changing epigenetic modifications that enable transposons to run amok

Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y. – Much like cancer cells, plant cells grown for a long time outside of their normal milieu, in culture dishes, have highly unstable genomes.

10 Dec 2008

Cellular 'brakes' may slow memory process in aging brains

University of Florida researchers may have discovered why some brain cells necessary for healthy memory can survive old age or disease, while similar cells hardly a hairsbreadth away die.

10 Dec 2008

Brain deletion of FK506-binding protein enhances repetitive behaviors in mice

A new study reveals a link between dysregulation of a common signaling pathway and repetitive behaviors similar to those associated with multiple neurological and neurodegenerative disorders including, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Huntington's disease.

10 Dec 2008

Blocking immune receptor molecule improves response to HIV-like virus, prolongs survival in monkeys

By blocking PD-1 (programmed death-1), an immune receptor molecule known to inhibit the immune response to chronic viral infections, scientists have safely and significantly reduced the plasma viral load and also prolonged survival of rhesus macaque monkeys severely infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the nonhuman primate version of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

10 Dec 2008

Research looks at neighborhoods and obesity in later life

Living in an affluent neighborhood with a higher educated population and higher valued homes may play a protective role against obesity for older men and women, according to UMDNJ researchers.

10 Dec 2008

3D imaging technology improves spinal surgery outcome

Using a three-dimensional (3D) image-guided system to help place screws in the spines of patients results in safe and accurate surgery with a decrease in the number of misplaced screws, and subsequent injuries, seen in more traditional operations, say neurosurgeons at Mayo Clinic in Florida.

10 Dec 2008

New class of anti-inflammatory drugs

In the treatment of pain, inflammation and fever, non-steroid anti-rheumatic drugs (NSAR) such as acetylsalicylic acid - more commonly known as Aspirin - or Ibuprofen have always been popular choices.

10 Dec 2008

Labcyte awarded U.S. patent for transferring liquids within sealed containers

Labcyte Inc. announces the issuance of U.S. Patent 7,405,072, which uses the unique advantages of moving liquids with sound to transfer fluids within a sealed container, free from any physical contact. This process can be applied to the testing of pathogens and other dangerous fluids.

10 Dec 2008

Regular exercise good for the sex lives of older men

According to Turkish scientists regular exercise can increase men's sexual prowess - the researchers say physical activity might also boost erections in old age.

10 Dec 2008

Hong Kong on high alert over bird flu outbreak

Concerns that an outbreak of what is suspected to be the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus in a wholesale market in Hong Kong, has prompted the culling of tens of thousands of chickens.

10 Dec 2008

Accelerating progress in the development of vaccines

This week the Elsevier Journal Vaccine, the most comprehensive and pre-eminent journal for those interested in vaccines and vaccination, organized the 2nd Vaccine Global Congress in Boston MA, USA.

10 Dec 2008

Drug-resistant tuberculosis rife in China

Levels of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) in China are nearly twice the global average. Nationwide research published in the open access journal BMC Infectious Diseases has shown that almost 10% of Chinese TB cases are resistant to the most effective first-line drugs.

10 Dec 2008

Panic attacks linked to higher risk of heart attacks and heart disease, especially in younger people

People who have been diagnosed with panic attacks or panic disorder have a greater risk of subsequently developing heart disease or suffering a heart attack than the normal population, with higher rates occurring in younger people, according to research published in Europe's leading cardiology journal, the European Heart Journal.

10 Dec 2008

NSW's biggest ever trial to prevent type 2 diabetes

Sydney University researchers are behind a new $5 million trial to address the growing problem of type 2 diabetes among the NSW adult population.

10 Dec 2008

$Thiazolidinediones doubles risk of fractures in women$

Thiazolidinediones doubles risk of fractures in women

New findings out of Wake Forest University School of Medicine and the University of East Anglia show that long-term use of a popular class of oral diabetic drugs doubles the risk of fractures in women with type 2 diabetes.

10 Dec 2008

Controlling the building blocks of life

A simple and reliable method for converting one of the simplest chemical entities into one of the most difficult-to-make molecular building blocks of life, with complete control over its shape, is reported by scientists at the University of Bristol in this week's Nature.

10 Dec 2008