Diabetes drug 'significantly reverses memory loss' in mice with Alzheimer's
A drug developed for diabetes could be used to treat Alzheimer's after scientists found it 'significantly reversed memory loss' in mice through a triple method of action.This is the first time that a triple receptor drug has been used which acts in multiple ways to protect the brain from degeneration. It combines three growth factors. Problems with growth factor signalling have been shown to be impaired in the brains of Alzheimer's patients.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/lu-dd122017.php
Berry gives boost to cervical cancer therapy
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 12,000 women in the United States are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year. One of the most common treatments for cervical cancer is radiation. While radiation therapy destroys cancer cells, it also destroys nearby healthy cells. University of Missouri School of Medicine researchers studied in vitro human cancer cells to show that combining blueberry extract with radiation can increase the treatment's effectiveness.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uom-bgb122917.php
Can e-cigarettes help smokers quit?
Pilot study finds smokers who are willing to use e-cigarettes tend to smoke less and have increased quit attempts, according to a Hollings Cancer Center researcher.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/muos-ceh122917.php
A phospholipid pathway from plants to parasites
Recent findings by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis may aid in the development of therapies to treat parasitic infections, including malaria, and may help plant scientists one day produce hardier crops. The research team's work will be published in the Dec. 29 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/asfb-app122917.php
Streams can be sensors
Scientists at Michigan State University have shown that streams can be key health indicators of a region's landscape, but the way they're being monitored can be improved.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/msu-scb122917.php
Selenium protects a specific type of interneurons in the brain
Exactly 200 years after the discovery of the trace element selenium, researchers at Helmholtz Zentrum München have shown for the first time why this chemical element is indispensable for mammalian life. As integral part of the enzyme GPX4, selenium protects a subset of neurons from cell death during postnatal development. The researchers reported these findings in the scientific journal 'Cell'.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/hzm--spa122917.php
Novel MOF shell-derived surface modification of Li-rich layered oxide cathode
The poor cycling stability and low rate performance become the big bottleneck of high specific capacity Li-rich layered oxide materials. Recently, a research team led by Prof. L. Q. Mai at Wuhan University of Technology developed a unique NiCo nanodots decorated carbon shell on Li1.2Mn0.54Ni0.13Co0.13O2 nanoparticles. The unique protective C&NiCo shell allows fast electron and ion transport and provides a robust structure for LLO. The obtained LLO@C&NiCo cathode exhibits enhanced cycling and rate capability.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/scp-nms122917.php
Exploring environmental and technological effects on culture evolution at different spatial scales
The trajectory and dynamics of ancient social evolution in human history is a widely concerned issue. Based on the comprehensive analysis of case studies on the rise and fall of ancient civilizations in relation to climate change and technological innovations, researchers in Lanzhou discuss environmental and technological effects on culture evolution at different spatial scales, as well as possible mechanism behind it. This research has been published in the updating special topic entitled "Past human-environment interaction" in Science China Earth Sciences.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/scp-eea122917.php
Unlocking the mystery of pollen tube guidance
Pollen tube guidance towards the ovule is an important step for fertilization in flowering plants. In order for this to happen, a pollen tube attractant peptide LURE guides the pollen tube precisely to the ovule. An international team of plant biologists at Nagoya University and Tsinghua University has succeeded in analyzing for the first time, the crystal structure of LURE bound to its receptor protein PRK6.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/iotb-utm122917.php
Researchers inhibit ebola virus
The incurable Ebola virus has long been feared due to its high mortality rate and danger of infection. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen and Phillips Universität Marburg have succeeded in inhibiting the virus in cell cultures. The researchers hope to be able to continue doing animal testing and developing an actual drug.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoct-rie122917.php
New guidelines on clinical trial design for patients with brain metastases
New guidelines from an international, multidisciplinary group published in the journal Lancet Oncology describe how to most appropriately address cancer patients with CNS involvement within clinical trials of anti-cancer drugs.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoca-ngo122817.php
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/
