203 articles from TUESDAY 21.1.2020

Low power metal detector senses magnetic fingerprints

Recent studies have shown metallic objects have their own magnetic fingerprints based on size, shape and physical composition. In AIP Advances, from AIP Publishing, scientists look to leverage these observations to potentially create a smaller and cheaper system that is just as effective as their larger counterparts.

Maternal depression on rise in poor countries

Women in low and medium-income countries struggle with many health issues in pregnancy and childbirth, but little attention is given to antenatal depression -- which is on the rise in many developing countries, new PLOS ONE paper shows. A study by Flinders University public health researchers found rising levels of reported antenatal depression in these countries, and recommends more services are...

Mixing the unmixable -- a novel approach for efficiently fusing different polymers

Cross-linked polymers are structures where large molecular chains are linked together, allowing exceptional mechanical properties and chemical resistance to the final product. However, their modification is not easy. Now, scientists at Tokyo Tech develop a method that allows the fusion of different polymers together easily, allowing the precise tuning of the properties of the final material by...

Mosquitoes are drawn to flowers as much as people -- and now scientists know why

Despite their reputation as blood-suckers, mosquitoes actually spent most of their time drinking nectar from flowers. Scientists have identified the chemical cues in flowers that stimulate mosquitoes' sense of smell and draw them in. Their findings show how cues from flowers can stimulate the mosquito brain as much as a warm-blooded host -- information that could help develop less toxic repellents...

New AGA guideline outlines treatment best practices for ulcerative colitis patients

An increasing number of drugs are available for long-term management of moderate to severe UC, leading to questions about treatment strategies for optimal patient care. A new clinical guideline from the American Gastroenterological Association, published in Gastroenterology, the official journal of the AGA Institute, provides recommendations for the management of adult outpatients with moderate to...

New image analysis method for time-lapse microscopy shows how giant viruses infect amoeba

Host cells infected with giant viruses behave in a unique manner. To gain deeper insight into the infection mechanism of giant viruses, scientists at Tokyo University of Science developed a specialized algorithm that can track the movement of host cells. This method could also be used to study any other type of cells, such as cancer cells, neurons, and immune cells, serving as an efficient tool in...

New opportunity for cancer drug development

After years of research on cell surface receptors called Frizzleds, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden provide the proof-of-principle that these receptors are druggable by small molecules. The results, which are published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, open for new strategies to treat different types of cancer.

New research uses physiological cues to distinguish computer-generated faces from human ones

Recent advances in computer graphics are making it possible to create computer-generated (CG) representations of human beings that are difficult to distinguish from their real-world counterparts. 'Digital human face detection in video sequences via a physiological signal analysis,' a paper published today in the Journal of Electronic Imaging (JEI), presents a viable, innovative way to discern...

New roles found for Huntington's disease protein

A Duke University research team has identified a new function of a gene called huntingtin, a mutation of which underlies the progressive neurodegenerative disorder known as Huntington's Disease. Using genetic mouse models, they have discovered that neurons in the striatum, a brain area involved in controlling movement, require the huntingtin gene for regulating the body's movements, maintaining...

New study debunks notion that salt consumption contributes to weight loss

Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that reducing sodium intake in adults with elevated blood pressure or hypertension decreased thirst, urine volume and blood pressure, but did not affect metabolic energy needs. These results support the traditional notion that decreasing sodium intake is critical to managing hypertension -- disputing recent studies.

New study highlights importance of grain foods in infant diets

Undertaken to inform the development of the first-ever Dietary Guidelines (2020-2025) to include specific recommendations for infants and toddlers, this study analyzed infant data from the 2001-2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). It found grain consumption by infants aged 6-23 months was generally associated with significantly higher nutrient intakes, better diet...

Our biological clock plays crucial role in healing from surgery

If you have just had knee, shoulder or hip surgery, you may want to take anti-inflammatories in the morning or at noon, but not at night. A McGill-led study shows, for the first time, that circadian clock genes are involved in healing from surgery. Indeed, the researchers demonstrated that anti-inflammatory medications are most effective in promoting post-operative healing and recovery when taken...

Possible Alzheimer's breakthrough suggested

Researchers at the Case Western University School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio say they have identified a previously unknown gene and associated protein (which they have named 'aggregatin') which could potentially be suppressed to slow the advance of Alzheimer's disease. 'Based on the data we have, this protein can be an unrecognized new risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD),' said Xinglong...