Category Health/Medical

The visual cortex can essentially make decisions just like the brain’s traditional ‘higher level’ areas, finds a new study.
“As a field, we’re only at the beginning of trying to figure out how the brain works, and the visual system is a very good place to start,” said MSU Assistant Prof. Brascamp.

Study participants were placed in an MRI scanner and shown two adjacent patterns of dots on a projection screen while their brain activity was monitored. By using a set of prisms, the researchers made sure that, unlike in normal situations, the participant’s eyes were each looking at a different dot pattern, each presented on a different part of the screen.

The combination of differing patterns seen by the 2 eyes creates an optical illusion and perception switches between the two patterns as the...

Structure of the tTRBD–TBE complex

Over-activation of telomerase in 90% of malignant tumors has made the unusual enzyme a prime target for drug development efforts. Researchers at UC Santa Cruz have determined the structure of a key part of the enzyme telomerase, which is active in most cancers and enables cancer cells to proliferate indefinitely. They reveal how the enzyme carries out a crucial function involved in protecting the ends of chromosomes.

Repetitive DNA sequences at the ends of chromosomes, called telomeres, serve as protective caps. As cells divide, their telomeres get progressively shorter, until eventually the cells stop dividing. The telomerase enzyme lengthens telomeres by adding more of the repetitive DNA sequence...

A researcher holding up the prosthetic heart valve, called VeloX, which can be implanted in patients through a small incision. ST PHOTO: SEAH KWANG PENG

A novel prosthetic heart valve has been developed, called VeloX, which can be implanted through a small incision for the treatment of a serious heart valve disorder,ie mitral regurgitation (mitral valve on the left side of the heart does not close properly). The device is beneficial for those of high surgical risk or are unsuitable for existing clinical interventions.

Mitral valve regurgitation can lead to congestive heart failure or it may worsen an existing heart failure. 12 million people suffer from mitral regurgitation worldwide, with nearly 250,000 new patients diagnosed annually...

Wu et al. combine gnotobiotic mice colonized with defined collections of sequenced human gut bacteria with a method for performing whole genome transposon (Tn) mutagenesis to simultaneously identify bacterial genes required for the survival/success of different community members under different dietary conditions. Their analysis yielded a prebiotic that was used to deliberately change the representation of a prominent community member. Their approach has general utility for defining the resource requirements (niches) of microbial citizens of complex communities and for developing new ways for manipulating the properties of these communities. Credit: Laura Kyro

An international team of researchers working at the Washington University School of Medicine in Missouri has identified several g...