Eliminate Data Analysis Bottlenecks in Drug Discovery
In the March 3 issue of Nature, Johns Hopkins researchers report that two proteins best known for very different activities actually come together to turn the liver into a sugar-producing factory when food is scarce. Because the liver's production of sugar is a damaging problem in people with diabetes, the proteins' interaction might be a target for future drugs to fight the disease, the research...Meeting the ethanol challenge: Scientists use supercomputer to target cellulose bottleneck
Termites and fungi already know how to digest cellulose, but the human process of producing ethanol from cellulose remains slow and expensive. The central bottleneck is the sluggish rate at which the cellulose enzyme complex breaks down tightly bound cellulose into sugars, which are then fermented into ethanol. To help unlock the cellulose bottleneck, a team of scientists has conducted mol...Neural bottleneck found that thwarts multi-tasking
Many people think they can safely drive while talking on their cell phones. Vanderbilt neuroscientists Paul E. Dux and René Marois have found that when it comes to handling two things at once, your brain, while fast, isn't that fast. "Why is it that with our incredibly complex and sophisticated brain, with 100 billion neurons processing information at rates of up to a thousand times a se...UW engineers clear bottleneck in hydrogen production
MADISON - Carbon monoxide, or CO, has long been a major technical barrier to the efficient operation of fuel cells. But now, chemical and biological engineers at the University of...Bottleneck: High on Spirits Can Cause A Dispirited Liver, Leading To Cirrhosis!
If you are hooked on to hooch, or a binge drinker, who is over the board regularly, its time to cork the bottle tight and do something worthwhile to kick the tendency. // Medical experts have issued a wake –up call to the inebriated, that cirrhosis, a disease of the liver is not far away, and is like a ticking time bomb, waiting to explode. Infact, figures show that there has been an...Bottleneck: Similac infant formula off the Shelf
Nearly 300,000 bottles of Similac Infant Formula were off the shelf, after its manufacturer, the well-known Ross Products Division, recalled the product// following a suspected flaw in the bottle. No repercussions after the use of this product has been reported yet; however the company has decided to recall the product in order to rectify a mistake on the label regarding the Vitamin C content in...Identifying Bottlenecks to Breastfeeding
The finale of the National Breast Feeding week included an All-Ireland Conference that opened up a host of attitudinal challenges// that pose a major hurdle to ensuring more number of breast fed babies. Among western countries, Ireland has one of the lowest breast feeding rates. Internationally acclaimed breastfeeding specialist, Dr Jack Newman of the University of Toronto, said, “In t...Bottleneck for Neck Stents - May Enhance Risk of Stroke, Says a Study
A French study that was stopped abruptly due to safety reasons has indicated a risk factor while using stents to clear the clogged neck arteries, which could result in// stroke and death. These findings cast doubts on earlier research which had proved that stents were indeed a safe bet to do away with blockages in the carotid artery. To make a comparative study, researchers used sten...Bottleneck in Blood Supply Makes Brain Vulnerable to Strokes
A team of University of California, San Diego physicists and neuroscientists has discovered a bottleneck in the network of blood vessels// in the brain that makes it vulnerable to strokes. The finding may explain the origin of the puzzling damage to the brain’s gray matter often detected in brain scans, especially among the elderly. In the study, published this week in the journal Proc...