
Driving force behind cellular 'protein factories' identified
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Researchers have identified the driving force behind a cellular process linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's and motor neurone disease.
Organic chemists from the University of Groningen and the Dutch multinational company AkzoNobel, a major global producer of paints and coatings, developed a process that allows them to turn biomass into a high-quality coating using light, oxygen and UV light. This process combines a renewable source with green chemistry and could replace petrochemical-based monomers such as acrylates, which are currently used as building blocks for coatings, resins and paints.
By activating just eight genes for transcription factors, researchers at Kyushu University have directly converted mouse stem cells into oocyte-like cells that mature and can even be fertilized like egg cells. In addition to giving new insight into egg cell development, the research may lead to a simple route for generating large amounts of oocyte cytoplasm for use in reproductive biology and medicine.
Diverting urine away from municipal wastewater treatment plants and recycling the nutrient-rich liquid to make crop fertilizer would result in multiple environmental benefits when used at city scale, according to a new University of Michigan-led study.
Scientists have shown for the first time that cerebral malaria causes death in adults by triggering oxygen-deprivation in the brain, in new research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases. Already available treatments, such as hypothermia, may slow brain oxygen-deprivation in cerebral malaria patients. The researchers say these neuronal survival-enhancing approaches could soon be trialled in adults with cerebral malaria, alongside existing anti-malarial treatments, to hopefully improve survival.
A new RNA-targeting tool enables scientists to tackle difficult molecular recognition problems to aid drug discovery for incurable diseases.
Scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University (TPU) jointly with the colleagues from Siberian State Medical University (SSMU) and Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University (IKBFU) studied the properties of calcium phosphate coatings deposited on titanium implants in various inert gases environment. The researchers managed to discover that the use of xenon positively affects the physicochemical, mechanical and biological properties of the coatings used in oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthopedics and traumatology.
A research team from NUS Engineering has developed a new range of strain sensors that are 10 times more sensitive when measuring minute movements. These sensors are ultra-thin, battery-free and can transmit data wirelessly, making them attractive for a wide range of applications.
Is it possible to read a person's mind by analyzing the electric signals from the brain? The answer may be much more complex than most people think. Purdue University researchers - working at the intersection of artificial intelligence and neuroscience - say a prominent dataset used to try to answer this question is confounded, and therefore many eye-popping findings that were based on this dataset and received high-profile recognition are false after all.
'At the end of the 4-week training, participants had progressed to a more normal gait pattern,' said Dr. Karunakaran, 'including improved loading, a longer step length and faster walking speed' Although results are promising, Dr. Nolan acknowledged the limitations of the study, including small sample size and lack of a control group: 'Further study is needed to confirm the training effect in this age group with ABI, optimal dosing for the training protocol, and the durability of functional improvements.'