ScienceDaily: All - December 11, 2023
Today's top research news
Caffeine highs and lows soccer players should be aware of
Caffeine can have a negative impact on football players' decision-making skills, new research shows. A study has found that while consuming caffeine before a game can improve the accuracy of football passes, it can have an adverse effect on more tactical play involving a higher number of passes.
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New conductive, cotton-based fiber developed for smart textiles
A single strand of newly developed fiber has the flexibility of cotton and the electric conductivity of the polymer, polyaniline. The new material has shown good potential for wearable e-textiles. The researchers tested the fibers with a system that powered an LED light and another that sensed ammonia gas. While intrinsically conductive, polyaniline is brittle and by itself, cannot be made into a fiber for textiles. To solve this, the researchers dissolved cotton cellulose from recycled t-shirts into a solution and the conductive polymer into another separate solution.
Similarity between vitamin B12 loss and multiple sclerosis revealed
Researchers describe a novel molecular link between vitamin B12 and MS that takes place in astrocytes -- important non-neuronal glial cells in the brain.
New way to force pathogenic proteins into degradation
A number of diseases are caused by proteins that have spun out of control. Unfortunately, so far, conventional drugs have been able to stop only a fraction of these troublemakers. A new class of drugs known as PROTACs holds great promise in pharmaceutical research. They mark proteins for targeted degradation by the cell's own protein disposal system.
Non-invasive technology for the high-throughput characterization of cancer cells
The electrical properties of cancer cells can provide information on their cancer type, state, and drug resistance. However, conventional platforms to measure these properties are complex and can only analyze a few cells. Researchers have successfully developed a high-throughput device that measures the electrical properties of cancer cells through continuous flow electrorotation. The new platform offers a high degree of automation and can simultaneously analyze several cells.
Science sheds light on shaking your holiday presents
Nanoparticle-delivered RNA reduces neuroinflammation in lab tests
In mice and human cell cultures, researchers showed that novel nanoparticles can deliver a potential therapy for inflammation in the brain, a prominent symptom in Alzheimer's disease.
Chance twists ordered carbon nanotubes into 'tornado films'
Scientists have developed two new methods to create ordered carbon nanotube films with either a left- or right-handed chiral pattern.
Just say no to that invitation
It may feel unforgivably rude to reject an invitation -- even one to an event you would much prefer not to attend -- but people often overestimate the social consequences of saying no, according to new research.
Study reveals a protein called snail may play a role in healing brain injury
A new study provides us with a better understanding of how the brain responds to injuries. Researchers have discovered that a protein called Snail plays a key role in coordinating the response of brain cells after an injury. Â
Researchers combine biopolymers derived from the ocean to replace synthetic plastic films
Crustacean and seaweed materials combined in a unique way could provide a sustainable alternative to plastic films.
Hodgkin lymphoma prognosis, biology tracked with circulating tumor DNA
Circulating tumor DNA predicts recurrence and splits disease into two subgroups of Hodgkin lymphoma. New drug targets or changes in treatments may reduce toxicity.
Nature and animal emojis don't accurately represent natural biodiversity
The current emoji library doesn't accurately represent the 'tree of life' and the breadth of biodiversity seen in nature according to a new analysis. A team of conservation biologists categorized emojis related to nature and animals and mapped them onto the phylogenetic tree of life. They found that animals are well represented by the current emoji catalog, whereas plants, fungi, and microorganisms are poorly represented. Within the animal kingdom, vertebrates were over-represented while arthropods were underrepresented with respect to their actual biodiversity.
Potential new treatment for pulmonary neuroendocrine tumors
Medical researchers found a way to grow samples of different types of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) in the lab. While generating their new model, the researchers discovered that some pulmonary NETs need the protein EGF to be able to grow. These types of tumors may therefore be treatable using inhibitors of the EGF receptor.
Early results from a Phase I clinical trial of AT101, a new CAR T cell therapy that uses a distinct binding mechanism to target CD19, show a 100 percent complete response (CR) rate at the higher dose levels studied in the trial.