Category Biology/Biotechnology

Folinic acid

Prescription doses of folinic acid, which is a reduced form of a B vitamin known as folate, could help improve the language and communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These are the preliminary findings from a placebo-controlled trial in which children were randomized to receive either high-dose folinic acid or a placebo, says lead author Richard Frye of Arkansas Children’s Research Institute in the US. The study also identified a specific blood marker that can be used to predict which patients have the best chance to respond to the treatment.

Up to 2% of American children are said to experience symptoms that place them on the autism spectrum...

(a) Crystal structure of MoS2: S atoms in gold and Mo in black with unit cell parameter a and b, (b) top view of a single-layer MoS2 structure in honeycomb shape; (c) HRTEM of 2H-MoS2 (top insert is the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) image showing the planes; slight distortion is due to the tilting of the flake in the TEM; a1, a2 and a3 presented HRTEM image is the Mo-Mo interatomic distance of 2.8 Å for 2H-MoS2 (d–e) schematic of the indirect electron transition in bulk MoS2 and direct electron transition in single layer MoS2 respectively.

A research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has developed a revolutionary, light-activated semiconductor nanocomposite material that can be used in a variety of applications, including microscopic actuators and grippers for surgical robots...

Georgios Tsiminis in his photonics laboratory. Credit: University of Adelaide

A 1st step towards a low-cost, portable, broadscale vitamin B12 deficiency test has been developed. Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with an increased risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Such a device would enable the tracking of vitamin B12 levels in high-risk patients and early intervention – to top up vitamin B12 levels when low – and help overcome the limitations of current testing methods which are time-consuming and costly.

“Vitamin B12 deficiency has been shown to be a potential modifiable risk factor for dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and is associated with cognitive decline,” says Dr Georgios Tsiminis, Research Fellow at the University of Adelaide...

The wearable sensor uses a method called iontophoresis to induce perspiration. The unit then measures the alcohol content and sends it to the user’s cell phone. Credit: American Chemical Society

Engineers funded by the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) have developed a small monitoring device, worn on the skin, that detects alcohol levels in perspiration. It was designed as a convenient method for individuals to monitor alcohol intake, which could help reduce unsafe drinking that can lead to vehicle crashes, violence, and the degeneration of health.

Seila Selimovic, Ph.D., director of the NIBIB Program in Tissue Chips, explains the new technology...