Research News

A study by Graham Knott at EPFL has successfully used an innovative method, called 'cryofixation', to prevent brain shrinkage during the preparation for electron microscopy. To study the fine structure of the brain, including its connections between neurons, the synapses, scientists must use electron microscopes. However, the tissue must first be fixed to prepare it for this high magnification imaging method. This process causes the brain to shrink; as a result, microscope images can be distorted, e.g. showing neurons to be much closer than they actually are. Scientists have now solved the problem by using a technique that rapidly freezes the brain, preserving its true structure.

A new Australian study has found that Advertisements of Alcohol during Live Sports Attract Children's to Alcohol than those who watch non-sport TV. The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.

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Scientists have discovered a link between autism and genetic changes in some segments of DNA that are responsible for switching on genes in the brain.

The study found Restoring testosterone in older men to normal level through gels, patches, or injections may lower their risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from any cause. The study appeared online in the European Heart Journal
Rajat Barua, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Kansas in the US, said, "It is the first study to demonstrate that significant benefit is observed only if the dose is adequate to normalize the total testosterone levels. Patients who failed to achieve the therapeutic range after testosterone replacement therapy did not see a reduction in (heart attack) or stroke and had significantly less benefit on mortality."

way to keep sedentary workers active at work, and improving their health. The researchers found that workers who pedaled more were more likely to report weight loss, improved concentration while at work, and fewer sick days than co-workers who pedaled less. The study appeared in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Currently nasal spray flu vaccine that uses a live but weakened form of the virus is not recommended for those under two as it is thought to be too strong to be safe for kids, and too weak to be effective for the elderly. Johns Hopkins researchers have developed a method to modify the nasal spray flu vaccine to make it effective for those under two and above 49 - two groups for which the vaccine is not approved. The study published online in the journal Vaccine.

New research has found that drug used for treatment of liver disease can also be used in treating Parkinson disease. The findings were detailed in the journal Neurology.

A mammal communication research conducted by the University of Sussex suggests that, like humans, horses use muscles underlying various facial features including their nostrils, lips and eyes to alter their facial expressions in a variety of social situations. The research is published in PLOS ONE.

The team from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, has warned that people who have undergone bariatric surgery may be at the risk of getting drunk faster as the procedure drastically lowers body tolerance for alcohol. The paper is appeared in the journal JAMA Surgery.