feed info

279,032 articles from PhysOrg

New tool for RNA silencing

Anti-sense reagents have been developed for C. Elegans micro RNA. Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Silence have created the first class of reagents to potently and selectively inhibit miRNAs in this widely used model organism.

Solid pseudopapillary tumor of the pancreas in China

Solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas is a rare neoplasm with a low malignant potential, usually affecting young women in the second or third decade of life. With widespread availability of high-quality imaging systems and a better understanding of its pathology, the number of cases reported in the literature has been steadily increased in recent years.

Understanding night blindness and calcium

Congenital stationary night blindness, an inherited condition that affects one's ability to see in the dark, is caused by a mutation in a calcium channel protein that shuttles calcium into and out of cells. Now, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have teased apart the molecular mechanism behind this mutation, uncovering a more general principle of how cells control...

Vaccine with no jab: Protein vaccines for needle-free immunization through the skin

(PhysOrg.com) -- Most immunizations currently involve an injection in the arm. In the future, vaccination may be accomplished without the unpleasant jab of a needle: a team led by Victor C. Yang at the University of Michigan (USA) has developed a method by which vaccines can pass directly through the skin without a needle. As the researchers report in the journal Angewandte Chemie, merely linking...

Wireless health care for diabetes

Online communities could easily be used to offer people with chronic illnesses, such as diabetes , wireless healthcare services via mobile phones and the internet. The approach, outlined in the International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, would reduce healthcare costs and empower many patients to manage their condition more effectively.

Online April Fools' Day Jokes

(PhysOrg.com) -- Every year, on April 1, you have to be careful of what you read on the Web. Everyone is putting up April Fools' Day jokes.

Oral infection and heart disease

(PhysOrg.com) -- Science previously suggested oral infections might trigger the immune system, causing inflammation in other parts of the body and contributing to heart disease. It was thought that all antibodies worked the same way and that elevated antibody levels would increase the risk of heart disease if the `oral infection and heart disease` hypothesis were true.

Physicists demonstrate 100-fold speed increase in optical quantum memory

(PhysOrg.com) -- As with today's computers, future quantum computers will require more than just quantum information processing; they will also require methods to store and retrieve the quantum information. For this reason, physicists have been studying different types of quantum memories, which are capable of controllably storing and releasing photons. However, these memories still face several...

Some Choices Are Better Than Others in Studying the Universal Solvent

By mixing and matching choices from a buffet of 30 to 70 options, scientists are modeling water's behavior in surface and subsurface reactions and in heterogeneous atmospheric processes such as the formation of clouds. But, how accurate are the models built with this approach, known as density functional theory (DFT)?

The Medical Minute: Advances in the treatment of rectal cancer

Cancers of the rectum are, unfortunately, a common disease, and along with colon cancer represent the second most common cause of cancer death in the United States. It is estimated that there will be about 42,000 new cases of rectal cancer diagnosed in the United States annually, and that 8,500 patients will die from this disease each year.

Huge solar powered plane takes to the air (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) -- A huge airplane using solar cells as its only power source is being tested in Switzerland. In its first successful test flight last December, the plane flew only 350 meters at a height of just one meter above the ground, but by mid 2010 it is expected to make a non-stop test flight of 36 hours, and to make the first ever night flights by a plane powered only by solar panels.

CT and MRI scans associated with shorter hospital stays and decreased costs

Advanced imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) might shorten the length of a person's hospital stay and decrease the high costs associated with hospitalization if used early, according to a study in the April issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Glancing blow from a comet could create amino acids

(PhysOrg.com) -- Amino acids are markers for potential life since they are the building blocks of proteins. Now scientists in California have for the first time found the shock wave created when a comet has a glancing blow with a planet can deform molecules inside the comet, break bonds and create new ones, forming new molecules, including an amino acid complex.

Acupuncture may be an effective treatment for post-viral infection loss of smell

Traditional Chinese acupuncture (TCA), where very thin needles are used to stimulate specific points in the body to elicit beneficial therapeutic responses, may be an effective treatment option for patients who suffer from persistent post- viral olfactory dysfunction (PVOD), according to new research in the April 2010 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery.