Philadelphia, Pa. – Autism spectrum disorders affect nearly 1 in 88 children, with symptoms ranging from mild personality traits to severe intellectual disability and seizures. Understanding the altered genetic pathways is critical for diagnosis and treatment. New work to examine which genes are responsible for autism disorders will be presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society (BPS), held Feb. 2-6, 2013, in Philadelphia, Pa. "Autism is the most inheritable of neurodevelopmental disorders," explains Rajini Rao of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – Antipsychotic drugs, used in the treatment of psychotic disorders involving severe delusions and hallucinations, have been studied for more than 70 years. Currently available antipsychotic drugs, however, only alleviate certain symptoms, with results that vary greatly from patient to patient and frequently cause significant side effects. A new understanding of how the brain's G-protein receptors work may soon enable a way to better customize and target antipsychotic drugs to treat specific symptoms. Researchers from Virginia Commonwealth University ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – A research team in Japan exploring the functions of messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) – a molecule that encodes the chemical blueprint for protein synthesis – has discovered a way to take a close look at the temperature distribution inside living cells. This discovery may lead to a better understanding of diseases, such as cancer, which generate extraordinary intracellular heat. This breakthrough is the first time anyone has been able to show the actual temperature distribution inside living cells. The team will present its findings at the 57th Annual ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – Sound waves are widely used in medical imaging, such as when doctors take an ultrasound of a developing fetus. Now scientists have developed a way to use sound to probe tissue on a much tinier scale. Researchers from the University of Bordeaux in France deployed high-frequency sound waves to test the stiffness and viscosity of the nuclei of individual human cells. The scientists predict that the probe could eventually help answer questions such as how cells adhere to medical implants and why healthy cells turn cancerous. "We have developed a new non-contact, ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – The texture of breast cancer tissue differs from that of healthy tissue. Using a cutting-edge tissue diagnostic device, a group of researchers in Basel, Switzerland, has determined one key difference: cancerous tissue is a mix of stiff and soft zones, whereas healthy tissue has uniform stiffness. This new finding may one day help improve breast cancer diagnosis and therapy by providing a unique nanomechanical signature of tumor tissue properties that indicates the potential for the cancer to spread. The team will present its work at the 57th Annual Meeting ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – A research team in Israel has devised a novel approach to identifying the molecular basis for designing a drug that might one day decrease the risk diabetes patients face of developing Alzheimer's disease. The team will present its work at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society (BPS), held Feb. 2-6, 2013, in Philadelphia, Pa. A recent study suggests that people who suffer from type 2 diabetes face twice the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease later in life compared to those who do not have diabetes. The link these diseases share relates ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – Microbes exhibit bewildering diversity even in relatively tight living quarters. But when a population is a mix of cooperators, microbes that share resources, and cheaters, those that selfishly take yet give nothing back, the natural outcome is perpetual war. A new model by a team of researchers from Princeton University in New Jersey and Ben-Gurion University in Israel reveals that even with never-ending battles, the exploiter and the exploited can survive, but only if they have room to expand and grow. The researchers present their findings at the ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – With the discovery of antibiotics, medicine acquired power on a scale never before possible to protect health, save lives, and reduce suffering caused by certain bacteria. But the power of antibiotics is now under siege because some virulent infections no longer respond to antibiotic drugs. This antibiotic resistance is an urgent public health threat that a team of researchers from Sabanci University in Istanbul, Turkey, and Harvard Medical School and Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., aim to stop. Their approach is based on an automated device ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – The treatment of central nervous system (CNS) diseases can be particularly challenging because many of the therapeutic agents such as recombinant proteins and gene medicines are not easily transported across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Focused ultrasound can be used to "open the door" of the blood brain barrier. However, finding a way to "prop the door open" to allow therapeutics to reach diseased tissue without damaging normal brain tissue is the focus of a new study by a team of researchers at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering at National ...

Philadelphia, Pa. – The shortened daylight of a Maine winter may make for long, dark nights – but it has shone a light on a novel experimental approach to fighting inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), an especially deadly form of breast cancer. The new approach enlists the active form of Vitamin D3, called calcitriol, which is delivered therapeutically by quantum dots. Quantum dots are an engineered light-emitting nanoscale delivery vehicle. This new preliminary work shows the dots can be used to rapidly move high concentrations of calcitriol to targeted tumor sites where ...

New Rochelle, NY, January 31, 2012—Powerful antisense drugs that target disease-associated genes to block their expression can be used to treat a broad range of diseases. Though antisense therapy has been proven effective, challenges remain in ensuring that the drugs reach their intended targets. Two new methods for detecting and measuring the levels of antisense drugs in cells that could accelerate the development of improved antisense drugs are described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., ...

PHILADELPHIA — Traumatic injury – including car accidents, gunshot wounds, and stabbings – is the leading cause of death for people younger than 40 years old in the United States, but despite the toll of these injuries, few emergency medical interventions considered to be the standard of care for these injuries have been rigorously studied in clinical trials, because patients and their families are typically unable to consent to participate in research. A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania sought to examine peoples' willingness ...

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., have developed a novel computer algorithm to easily quantify a major risk factor for breast cancer based on analysis of a screening mammogram. Increased levels of mammographic breast density have been shown in multiple studies to be correlated with elevated risk of breast cancer, but the approach to quantifying it has been limited to the laboratory setting where measurement requires highly skilled technicians. This new discovery opens the door for translation to the clinic where ...

New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) is delighted to introduce the inaugural issue of the Journal of the Academy of Distinguished Educators (JADE), published by NYUCD. JADE can be accessed by going to http://www.nyu.edu/dental/ade/. An online-only, open-access journal, JADE is the publications component of the NYU Academy of Distinguished Educators. The mission of the Academy is to enhance overall teaching at NYUCD and to stimulate excitement among teachers around their intellectual content. JADE intends to invite experts in higher education to face off ...

Latest research points to the high risk for mental health problems among staff working in humanitarian organizations in northern Uganda, due in large part to their work environment. A new study by researchers at Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health examined the mental health of 376 Ugandan workers at 21 humanitarian aid agencies and found that a significant number of the staff at these organizations experienced high levels of symptoms for depression (68%), anxiety disorders (53%), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (26%), respectively. Research up to now ...

Recent Study Indicates Serious Surgical Errors Occur 4,000 Times Each Year Each day, patients put their trust in surgeons to perform life-saving operations. Although most of these surgeries occur without incident, a new study, recently published in the journal Surgery, indicates that thousands of serious surgical errors occur each year. Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine examined 20 years of data from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB), a federally created database of medical malpractice claim information, to identify judgments ...

Group Calls for Tougher Traffic Safety Laws Over the last ten years, the number of traffic fatalities in the United States has fallen to record lows. A variety of factors, including better road conditions, improved vehicle safety standards and public awareness campaigns against behaviors such as drunk driving have all contributed to safer roadways. Because of a recent increase in the number of fatal car accidents, however, one safety group suggests that years of declining road deaths has led to complacency among lawmakers. Number of Fatalities Increasing? According ...

Crane operator and owner cited in latest New York construction accident Lately it may seem like dangerous construction accidents such as crane collapses are an almost constant occurrence in New York City. Following the latest crane collapse, the crane operator and owner were cited by the New York City Department of Buildings for violations, and many hope increased regulations and enforcement will reduce the number of these perilous incidents. New York City crane accidents According to WABC News, there have been five serious crane accidents in New York in less than ...

Even With New Technologies, Using Cell Phone While Driving Remains Dangerous In recent years, the increased adoption of smart phone and Global Positioning System (GPS) technology has changed the way people drive. Indeed, these new devices help commuters keep in touch with loved ones and help ensure they reach their planned destinations. The use of cell phones while driving does, however, come with significant risks. And although some auto manufacturers have attempted to mitigate these risks with new technologies, the danger still remains. Distracted Driving a Significant ...

Operation Safe Driver has lessons for all motorists In October West Virginia took part in a North American campaign, Operation Safe Driver. Originally designed to promote highway safety for commercial vehicles, the program aims to make roads in the United States, Canada and Mexico safer for all motorists. Sponsors of the annual event are the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Focus of Operation Safe Driver The CVSA stated that its focus in the 2012 Operation Safe Driver initiative was on three kinds of unsafe ...

Loan servicers agree to settlement, help homeowners keep homes Loan servicers like Bank of America, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase and Wells Fargo recently agreed to a $25 billion settlement for borrowers struggling to keep their homes. The settlement was made with a group of state attorneys general. These banks, along with other loan providers, were charged with wrongful foreclosure and other deceptive practices like taking illegal shortcuts when foreclosing on a homeowner's property, according to Fox Business. According to the executive summary, the settlement is ...

Court of appeals hears white collar crime case involving wiretap In the high-profile case of hedge fund manager Raj Rajaratnam, who was convicted of insider trading following an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), judges will decide whether omitting key investigative information is grounds for throwing out evidence from a wiretap. Federal wiretap laws Federal investigators use wiretaps in both criminal and civil investigations, though their use is more common in criminal cases. Investigators must obtain authorization from a federal judge ...

Wrong-Way Wrecks Plague Dallas/Fort Worth Roads A 26-year-old man was sentenced to 15 years in prison recently for his role in a wrong-way drunk driving crash that killed a woman and crippled a man in Dallas in March 2012. Toxicology reports indicated that the driver's blood alcohol content was 0.224 at the time of the crash, nearly three times the legal limit. He was sentenced to 15 years for intoxication manslaughter, to be served concurrently with a 10-year sentence for injuring the man, age 62. The man says he is facing financial ruin and can no longer walk without ...

Avoid These Financial Mistakes During a Massachusetts Divorce Psychologists say that divorce is one of the most stressful events people can experience, on par with the death of a loved one or loss of a job. Many people feel they are in no state to make important financial decisions during the turmoil that often accompanies divorce. However, people must divide property as part of a divorce, and many end up making costly errors. Massachusetts couples going through divorce can take steps to avoid common financial mistakes associated with divorce. Financial Planning One ...

How Do Courts Make Child Custody Decisions in Massachusetts? One of the more difficult parts of a couple splitting up can be determining who will get custody of any children that resulted from the relationship. Each parent wants what is best for the child, but parents do not always agree on what that means. In such cases, the court must determine the custody arrangements. Massachusetts parents should know the different types of child custody that exist and how courts make custody decisions. Types of Child Custody in Massachusetts The different types of child custody ...