UCI scientists identify hidden genetic variation that helps drive evolution
Identifying complex mutations in the structure of an organism's genome has been difficult. But in a new study published online in Nature Genetics, a research team led by J.J. Emerson, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology at the Ayala School of Biological Sciences, applies new methods of genome analysis to identify these complex mutations with unprecedented resolution.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoc--usi122217.php
Study identifies new loci associated with asthma enriched in epigenetic marks
An international study led by scientists from Inserm and Paris Diderot University (France), the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (USA), the University of Chicago (USA) and the National Heart and Lung Institute (UK) together with researchers of the Trans-National Asthma Genetics Consortium (TAGC) has discovered five new regions of the genome that increase the risk of asthma. This study was published Friday, Dec. 22, in the journal Nature Genetics.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoca-sin122217.php
Deep brain stimulation: Improving outcomes in the treatment of movement disorders
For the first time, researchers from Charité have shown that, in patients with a type of movement disorder known as dystonia, a particular pattern of brain activity is linked to both the severity of symptoms and the clinical outcomes achieved through deep brain stimulation. Results from this study, which has been published in the journal Annals of Neurology*, may help to improve the way in which treatment is adapted to an individual patients needs.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/c-ub-dbs122217.php
NASA captures Tropical Depression Kai-Tak's final bow
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Malay Peninsula and infrared imagery showed Tropical Depression Kai-Tak dissipating in the Gulf of Thailand under strong vertical wind shear.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/nsfc-nct122217.php
NASA sees second Tropical soaking in Southern Philippines
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Philippines and infrared imagery showed that Tropical Storm Tembin contained strong thunderstorms with heavy rainmaking potential as it moved across Mindanao in the southern part of the country. The southern Philippines recently experienced a soaking from what is now Tropical Depression Kai-Tak.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/nsfc-nss122217.php
Preterm infants have narrowed upper airways, which may explain higher obstructive sleep apnea risk
A multidisciplinary team used MRI to determine that the risk factors that lead to obstructive sleep apena are confined to the uppermost airway and do not appear to be explained by enlarged adenoids and tonsils.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/cnhs-pih122217.php
Re-assessing Alaska's energy frontier
The new USGS assessment estimates 8.7 billion barrels of oil and 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/ugs-rae122217.php
Hormone therapy combination may benefit health without increasing cancer risk
A team led by University of Illinois food science and human nutrition professor Zeynep Madak-Erdogan found that treating ovariectomized mice with a combination of conjugated estrogens and the drug bazedoxifene improved metabolism and prevented the weight gain often associated with low estrogen levels without posing increased risk to their reproductive tissues.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoia-htc122117.php
New study visualizes motion of water molecules, promises new wave of electronic devices
A novel approach to studying the viscosity of water has revealed new insights about the behavior of water molecules and may open pathways for liquid-based electronics. Oak Ridge National Laboratory used a high-resolution inelastic X-ray scattering technique to measure the strong bond involving a hydrogen atom sandwiched between two oxygen atoms. This hydrogen bond is a quantum-mechanical phenomenon responsible for various properties of water, including viscosity, which determines a liquid's resistance to flow or to change shape.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/drnl-nsv122217.php
Zika remains a research and public health challenge, say NIAID scientists
The Zika virus has become established in more than 80 countries, infected millions of people, and left many babies with birth defects. Although scientists have made progress in their understanding of the virus, it would be premature to think that the Zika pandemic is now under control and will not reemerge, perhaps more aggressively, say leaders from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases in a Journal of Infectious Diseases special supplement.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/nioa-zra122217.php
How odors are turned into long-term memories
Neuroscientists from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum have investigated which brain area is responsible for storing odours as long-term memories. Some odours can trigger memories of experiences from years back. The current study shows that the piriform cortex, a part of the olfactory brain, is involved in the process of saving those memories; the mechanism, however, only works in interaction with other brain areas.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/rb-hoa122217.php
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/
