223 articles from MONDAY 3.2.2020

New study links autism to specific cell, paves way for potential approach to treatment

People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appear to suffer malfunctions in a cell that produces a special coating around nerve fibers that facilitates efficient electrical communication across the brain. And correcting it could offer a potential new avenue for treatment, according to a new study published today in the journal Nature Neuroscience from scientists at the Lieber Institute for Brain...

New way to study pituitary tumors holds potential for better diagnoses and treatments

Houston Methodist neurosurgeons are looking at a new way to classify pituitary tumors that could lead to more precise and accurate diagnosing for patients in the future. These tests also could have potential for better diagnoses in other brain tumors. The findings, published Jan. 28 in Scientific Reports, describe a new way to study the blood of pituitary adenoma patients to determine tumor type...

Past climate safe havens now most vulnerable

The profound threat of future climate change to biodiversity demands that scientists seek ever more effective ways to identify the most vulnerable species, communities, and ecosystems.In a new study, published in Nature Climate Change, an international team of scientists has shown that the most biodiverse regions on Earth are among the most vulnerable to future climate change.

Researchers identify link between decreased depressive symptoms, yoga and the neurotransmitter GABA

The benefits of yoga have been widely documented by scientific research, but previously it was not clear as to how yoga exerts its physiologic effect. Now a new study from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) proposes that yoga can increase levels of Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) in the short-term and completing one yoga class per week may maintain elevated GABA that could mitigate...

Researchers turbocharge hydrogen fuel cells with novel ion-conducting copolymer

New research led by Miguel Modestino, professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at NYU Tandon, detailed in the report 'Highly Permeable Perfluorinated Sulfonic Acid Ionomers for Improved Electrochemical Devices: Insights into Structure -- Property Relationships,' published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, details a hybrid material that could boost power of hydrogen fuel...

Researchers validate transferable & accessible method to quantify flavanols & procyanidins

Building on over two decades of research, Mars and the University of California Davis have developed a new methodology to measure cocoa flavanols and procyanidins that is more accurate and more reliable than previous analytical approaches. The method, published in Food & Function, has been developed in partnership with Waters, the world's leading specialty measurement company and chromatography...

Scientists examined bacterial cannibalism

Researchers from Sechenov University and their colleagues summarised the results of various studies devoted to the process that can be described as bacterial cannibalism. Why some microorganisms start to kill their relatives of the same species and whether we can use this phenomenon to combat infectious diseases is explained in the article published in Antibiotics.

Seeing the invisible -- A novel gas imaging system

Researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University developed a novel device to image and quantify volatile gases that are released through the skin in real-time. This gas imaging system could be used to provide non-invasive monitoring of diseases that are associated with specific volatile substances.

Shift workers at risk for heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes

Working nights disrupts individuals' circadian rhythm, the body's internal clock responsible for neural and hormonal signaling. When the circadian rhythm is desynchronized from the sleep/wake cycle, it causes a cascade of hormonal changes that lead to metabolic disorders and the development multiple chronic conditions. Kulkarni recommends several measures to prevent serious health issues...