Sciencescape

Celebrating the process of scientific discovery, one story at a time.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Sciencescape Pan Sci Games: Highest Impact Countries

The Sciencescape Pan Sci Games are in full swing and the competition from our participating countries is heating up. There has been a flurry of activity as papers and researchers have been publishing with gusto. Now comes a category that goes deep into overall impact and influence of research papers: The Highest Impact Countries.

The scoring for this particular competition uses a compendium of data culled not just from algorithm, but also uses Eigenfactor Metrics to determine which countries have published the most influential papers. All papers are measured equally using Eigenfactor Metrics, with scores based on several ratings and influences:

Eigenfactor Score and Article Influence

Citation Influence

Variant Disciplines

5-year Citation Data

Combined with linking these papers, their authors and their institutions, these show which countries have published scholarly work that has had the most influence in their respective field. Think of it as the Triathlon of Science. It is with great excitement that we present our latest round of celebrated Medalists — including a newcomer to the podium:

 Highest Impact Countries

GOLD: USA (2.9 Eigenfactor score)

SILVER: Canada (2.25 Eigenfactor score)

BRONZE: Ecuador (1.95 Eigenfactor score)

Congratulation and great work to all of the researchers and scientists in their respective countries. Come back July 9th to find the Top 3 medalists for the Countries With the Most Published Papers of the Year!

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Potential therapies for autoimmune diseases:  A new role for the protein Sirtulin-1

T cells are immune cells capable of recognizing very specific pieces of pathogens using their specialized T cell receptors. Every individual T cell expresses a unique T cell receptor that recognizes unique antigen, thus increasing the scope of protection against infectious agents. During development each T cell must pass multiple checkpoints to ensure that their T cell receptor is functioning correctly and does not recognize “self” antigen, which could lead to autoimmune reactions.

It has long been known that a transcriptional regulator, Aire, is responsible for expressing numerous antigens normally found throughout the body in order to detect and delete any T cells bearing T cell receptors that recognize these “self” proteins. Exactly how Aire functions to express “self” antigen, termed negative selection, has remained somewhat of an enigma.

Recently, a group of researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science revealed a novel role for Sirtulin-1 in this process when they observed uniquely high Sirt-1 expression in medullary thymic epithelial cells, which exhibit hallmark high Aire expression. They provide evidence that the Sirt1 protein functions as a deacetylase to modify the Aire protein and that this post-translational modification is required for proper Aire function as a transcriptional regulator. This finding is an important piece of the negative selection puzzle and has major implications in using Sirt1 as a target to develop therapies for autoimmune diseases.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Sciencescape Pan Sci Games: Most Published Papers

While great research is at the foundation of top-notch science, it’s the painstaking time and effort spent on writing a compelling, insightful paper that is the fruit of those labours. We are thrilled to bring you the second group of winners in the Sciencescape Pan Sci Games!

Once again, we have used the powerful data science to reach the final tally for the winners of the Most Published Papers in the last 5 years. It goes without saying that the time and expertise of each and every researcher and scientist makes all of the papers from our 42 participating nations laudable. However, the cream rises to the top this week as we sort the countries, papers and their publishers to take their place on the podium. Without further ado, we proudly present our latest round of celebrated Medalists:

Most Published Papers

GOLD: USA (1,974,892 published papers)

SILVER: Canada (273,628 published papers)

BRONZE: Brazil (158,572 published papers)

Our hats are off to these great papers and the researchers who wrote them! Remember to come back Wednesday July 8th to find out which country will take the top spots in Highest Impact.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Sciencescape Pan Sci Games: Most Published Researchers

The tension has been mounting. The numbers have been pouring in. The day has finally arrived.  We are thrilled to bring you the first to take the podium in the Sciencescape Pan Sci Games!

Using the pure science and data of algorithm, we bring you the unbiased final tally for the winners of the Most Published Researchers. Believe us, it was a white-knuckle experience to the finish as brilliant papers, research and scientists went neuron-to-neuron in a fierce competition of intellectual might, detailed research and impeccable execution. These three countries who took the top spots had the most published researchers of all country participants. That’s quite a feat in such a crowded world of non-stop study and exploration. Without further delay, we bring you our First Medalists:

Most Published Researchers

GOLD: USA (838,819 published researchers)

SILVER: Canada (118,674 published researchers)

BRONZE: Brazil (95,855 published researchers)

Congratulations to our three medalist countries. Well done! Remember to come back Tuesday July 7th to find out who will take the top spots in Most Published Papers.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

The Sciencescape Pan Sci Games: Celebrating the Best in Science and Research

5 days. 42 countries. 1000s of published researchers and papers.

The torch is lit. The best of the best in science and research from around the world have flexed their intellectual muscles. The playing field is ready and waiting for the games to begin!

In the spirit of honouring the best that science has to offer from across the globe, Sciencescape is celebrating the 2015 Pan Am Games with our very own Sciencescape Pan Sci Games. We will be bringing you a series of events in categories that cast the spotlight on the top performers in laboratories, institutions, classrooms and lecture halls the world over.

Visit daily to find out who reigns supreme in events including Most Published Researchers, Most Published Papers, Highest Impact Studies and more. Of course, we will be using Science as our unbiased judges in each event: algorithm and Eigenfactor to score performance in each event.

We invite you to join us daily for up-to-the-moment tallies and what countries will win Bronze, Silver and the coveted Gold medals in their respective fields of expertise. Discover the most groundbreaking papers by some of the world’s best researchers and scientists. Then, check back Friday July 10th for the final medal count.

5 days. 42 countries. 1000s of published researchers and papers. Who will take the podium in the race for Gold? Who will lead the pack? Time will tell. Let the Sciencescape Pan Sci Games begin!

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Patching into diabetes could start changing lives

Managing diabetes can be a challenge at the best of times. Monitoring blood sugar levels, taking insulin injections at just the right time. That may be about to change thanks to a tiny patch.

The group of Dr. Zhen Gu at the University of North Carolina have developed a patch that not only senses changes in blood sugar levels, but administers insulin and blood-glucose sensing enzymes to track levels and stop spikes in blood sugar levels.

Source: University of North Carolina

The patch, made from biocompatible materials, has 100 tiny needles and imitates Beta cells, which generate and store insulin. The patch acts as a proxy to these cells and takes over the monitoring of blood sugar and insulin levels.

The patch could be a game-changer for the more than 387 million people worldwide living with diabetes.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Scientists explore the gender factor in Alzheimer’s

With nearly two-thirds of Americans suffering with Alzheimer’s being female, scientists are working to discover a link between the disease and gender, and what may be putting women at greater risk.

Statistically, women over the age of 65 have a 1 in 6 chance of developing Alzheimer’s. That stands in contrast to the 1 in 11 ratio for men. In May of 2015, the Alzheimer’s Association began working with 15 leading scientists to study the links to increased numbers of women developing dementia and Alzheimer’s after the age of 65.

While women, on average, tend to live four to five years longer than men, age may not be the only wild card in the Alzheimer’s mystery. One answer could be found in the presence of the gene, ApoE-4, which is linked to an increase in Alzheimer’s risk, and may have a larger impact on women compared to men in the onset of the disease.

The scientific team at the Alzheimer’s Association will release their finding later this summer. Read the full story here.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Happy Fourth of July. Top 10 American Research Papers.

American researchers have been on the leading edge of science for decades, uncovering vital information that benefits Americans on a daily basis. Whether it’s ground-breaking findings in the understanding and treatment of cancer, statistical analysis of food additives and health, or the latest discoveries in engineering beneficial biomaterials, science in the United States has been leading the way globally for a better today — and healthier generations to come.

Celebrate American scientists and researchers this Fourth of July with our Top 10 research papers.

1. Cancer statistics, 2013 and 2. Cancer statistics, 2012. Rebecca Siegel, Deepa Naishadham and Ahmedin Jemal

CA: a cancer journal for clinicians

Each year, the American Cancer Society provides projections and compiles the most recent data on cancer incidence, mortality, and survival in the US. Both the 2012 and 2013 reports indicate that cancer death rates continue to decline, with a notable 20% reduction from their peak in 1991 to 2009.

3. U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th Edition, Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, January 2011. Shelley McGuire 

Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.)

Nutrition misbalance is at root of many chronic diseases, and has impelled the US Department of Agriculture and US Department of Health and Human Services to develop nutrition guidance statements. Some of the recommendations include maintaining energy balance, focusing on nutrient-dense food, reducing added sugars, solid fats, and sodium, and staying active.

4. Global cancer statistics. Ahmedin Jemal, Freddie Bray, Melissa M Center, Jacques Ferlay, Elizabeth M Ward and David Forman 

CA: a cancer journal for clinicians

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the economically developing world. Jemal and colleagues report that breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the leading cause of death in females; in males, this status is claimed by lung cancer.

5. Improved survival with vemurafenib in melanoma with BRAF V600E mutation. Paul B Chapman, Axel Hauschild, Caroline Robert, John B A G Haanen, Paolo Antonio Ascierto, James Mg Larkin, Reinhard Dummer, Claus Garbe, Alessandro Testori, Michele Maio, David W. Hogg, Paul Lorigan, Celeste Lebbe, Thomas Jouary, Dirk Schadendorf, Antoni Ribas, Steven J O'Day, Jeffrey A Sosman, John M. Kirkwood, Alexander M. M. Eggermont, Brigitte Dréno, Keith B. Nolop, J Y M Li, B Nelson, Jeannie Hou, Richard V. Lee, Keith T. Flaherty, Grant A McArthur and Shield Study Group

The New England journal of medicine

Metastatic melanoma is concomitant with a poor prognosis and approximately 50% of patients bear the V600E mutation in BRAF, leading to the constitutive activation of the MAPK pathway. In this study, vemurafenib, a potent inhibitor of mutated BRAF, improved the rates of response and of overall survival compared to the control drug dacarbazine.

6. Ervin RB, Kit BK, Carroll MD, Ogden CL. Consumption of added sugar among U.S. children and adolescents, 2005-2008. NCHS data brief no 87. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2012. Shelley McGuire

Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) 

Overt consumption of added sugars contributes to increased weight gain and associated complications. This data brief emphasizes the finding that a substantial portion of consumed energy eaten by children and adolescents between 2005 and 2008 came from added sugars, and therefore reducing this component may lower the risk of obesity.

7. Breast cancer statistics, 2011. Carol Desantis, Rebecca Siegel, Priti Bandi and Ahmedin Jemal

CA: a cancer journal for clinicians

This report provides an overview of female breast cancer statistics in the United States. While a steady decline in breast cancer death rates has been observed since the early 1990s, disparities in these segregate according to the state, socioeconomic status, and race/ethnicity.

8. Prevention of HIV-1 infection with early antiretroviral therapy. Myron S Cohen, Y Q Chen, Marybeth McCauley, Theresa R Gamble, Mina C. Hosseinipour, Nagalingeswaran Kumarasamy, James G Hakim, Johnstone J. Kumwenda, Beatriz Grinsztejn, José Henrique Pilotto, Sheela V Godbole, Sanjay Mehendale, Suwat Chariyalertsak, Breno Riegel Santos, Kenneth H. Mayer, Irving Hoffman, Susan H. Eshleman, Estelle Piwowar-Manning, Lei Wang, Joseph Makhema, Lisa A Mills, Guy De Bruyn, Ian M. Sanne, Joseph J Eron, Joel E. Gallant, Diane V Havlir, Susan S. Swindells, Heather J. Ribaudo, Vanessa Elharrar, David Martin Burns, Taha E Taha, Karin A. Nielsen-saines, David D. Celentano, Max Essex, Thomas R Fleming and AIDS Clinical Trials Group (ACTG) 372A Study Team 

The New England journal of medicine

Cohen and colleagues conducted a study to examine the effect of early versus delayed antiretroviral therapy on the prevention of sexual HIV-1 transmission in serodiscordant couples. They found that early antiretroviral therapy had a clinical benefit for both HIV-1-infected individuals, and their uninfected sexual partners, supporting this public health strategy to reduce the spread of HIV-1 infection.

9. Shields M., Carroll M.D., Ogden C.L. adult obesity prevalence in Canada and the United States. NCHS data brief no. 56, Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2011. Shelley McGuire 

Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.)

In the past few decades, obesity rates have soared worldwide, and this data brief highlights some key comparisons of the issue in Canada and the United States. A major take home message is that although obesity rates have increased in both countries, the prevalence is lower in Canada than in the United States, and warns that obesity rates in young and middle-aged Canadian women are following in the footsteps of US women 20 years ago.

10. Telaprevir for previously untreated chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Ira M Jacobson, John Mchutchison, Geoffrey M. Dusheiko, BisceglieAdrian M Di, Kondakindi Rajender Reddy, Natalie Bzowej, Patrick Marcellin, Andrew J Muir, P Ferenci, Robert Flisiak, Jacob George, Mario Rizzetto, Daniel Shouval, R Solà, Ruben A. Terg, Eric M Yoshida, Nathalie Adda, Leif Bengtsson, Abdul J. Sankoh, Tara L. Kieffer, Shelley George, Robert S. Kauffman, Stefan Zeuzem and ADVANCE Study Team 

The New England Journal of Medicine

This study evaluated the efficacy of telaprevir-based drug regimen for chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. Jacobson et al. reported that telaprevir increased the rates of sustained virologic response and shortened the duration of therapy in patients who received a combinatorial therapy compared with those only receiving the standard of care, peginterferon-ribavirin.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

CRISPR/Cas: a double edge genome-cutting sword

In the late 1990’s, the science fiction movie Gattaca illustrated a futuristic civilization were genetically enhanced humans controlled and dominated the society. For the longest time, this type of a scenario was reserved for Hollywood, but recent scientific breakthroughs might make this story a reality! Since its first use in eukaryotic cells in 2013, the CRISPR/Cas (clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats–CRISPR-associated proteins) system has revolutionized the genome-editing field. In sum, CRISPR/Cas is an adaptive immune system found in Archaea and Bacteria. It is able to fight foreign DNA invasion using specific sequences previously stored between its repeats. From this complex immune system, scientists were able to generate a single guide RNA highly customizable in order to modify gene expression directly in animal cells.

Credit: Broad Institute

The story that I want to highlight today is the first use of CRISPR/Cas technology in human embryos. This study was lead by the group of Dr. Junjiu Huang in China and aimed to repair a fatal blood disorder directly in human embryos. In order to stay within the ethical boundaries of research, they only used non-viable embryos from fertility clinics. Following this unprecedented international premier, both Nature and Science journals raised caution regarding the use of CRISPR in human embryos and requested a moratorium on this specific application of CRISPR until further examination.

Even with the modification of human embryos being currently legal in China and in many US states, safety remains the number one concern. In fact, one of Dr. Huang’s observations was a significantly lower efficiency of modifications in human embryos: out of 84 injections, only 4 had the correct genetic modification. Furthermore, they also discovered multiple unwanted mutations in their experiments, which was of outmost concern. Interestingly, they were not able to ascertain if those challenges arose from an intrinsic difference rendering the human embryos unlike other animal embryos, or rather stemmed form their non-viable state.

That being said, CRISPR technology is truly revolutionary, although additional research is warranted before it contributes to human health. It is currently being studied in many non-human animal models and is already showing great potential. This technology came at a time when scientists needed a more reliable, inexpensive, and convenient tool to study many diseases in the realm of man. I am convinced that with proper time and supervision, we will be able to develop this technology enough to treat, and potentially cure, many genetic diseases. Gattaca is still far from reality, and with great powers always come great responsibilities. In fact, on June 17 2015, US Congress introduced a bill to block research on human embryo editing until the scientific and religious debates are resolved.

@eliekostantin

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Synthetic bioparticles as deadly bacterial assassins: a solution to antibiotic resistant superviruses?

Researchers from MIT and Harvard have developed a a new method of destroying harmful bacteria using “phagemids,” synthetic particles designed to act like viruses.

Credit: Christine Daniloff and Jose-Luis Olivares/MIT (plasmid illustration courtesy of the researchers)      

In a paper published this month in Nano Letters, the team led by James Collins, the Termeer Professor of Medical Engineering and Science at MIT, describe a novel technique for engineering bacterial phagemids that disrupt the intracellular processes in targeted bacteria by infecting it with small DNA molecules, which then replicate and emit toxic proteins or peptides that ultimately destroy the host cell. 

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

US Congress moves to ban the use of genetically modified embryos

Image: CRISPR - Nature | News

A bill currently pending in the US House of Representatives proposes a ban on federal funding for research involving embryos that have undergone experimentation resulting in heritable genetic modifications. The legislation also backs the creation of an “independent panel of experts, including those from faith-based institutions” to review forthcoming reports from the Institute of Medicine discussing the bioethical implications of editing the human germline. Critics of the provision worry that yet another bioethics review panel would not only be redundant, but may also ensure that these issues would remain forever mired in debate. Read more on Nature | News.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

The versatile mRNA: Realizing its importance and therapeutic potential

As we all know from the central dogma of molecular biology, RNA is best known as a messenger for DNA. Genetic information is passed on from DNA, to messenger RNA (mRNA), to protein. However, in the last few decades, scientists are beginning to realize that mRNA plays a role far beyond being a simple genetic blueprint and holds great promises for therapeutic applications.

An important regulator of cellular functions

For instance, mRNAs can dictate various biologically processes through a mechanism called mRNA localization. This includes the establishment of embryonic organization, morphogen gradients and cell polarity. In fact, in 2007, a global imaging study involving 3370 genes in Drosophila embryos demonstrated that 71% of these genes encoded localized mRNAs, many of which have significant correlation with protein localization and protein functions. This suggests that unlike previously thought, many mRNAs are specifically localized to a certain spot within the cell and likely have control over many, if not a majority of cellular functions, an interesting and prevalent facet that needs to be further defined.

Source: mRNA localization organizes cellular architecture and function - Drosophila Image Award

A promising drug for mankind

For many years, RNAs have deemed to be easily degraded and too cumbersome to be manipulated in the laboratory. Any scientists working with RNA would agree with this. This is because the human body is constantly releasing RNases into the environment, enzymes that are used for degrading RNA and thereby protecting us against harmful microorganisms. Although this benefit may initially seem like an advantage to you, it has in fact prevented scientists from using mRNA as potential therapeutics for many years, until some recent breakthroughs.

Today, mRNAs are being explored as a new class of pharmaceutical drugs, especially as vaccines for cancer immunotherapy and prophylactic vaccines for infectious diseases. For example, in 2012, one group successfully produced an effective mRNA vaccine against the influenza A virus, the mastermind behind the seasonal flu every winter. This mRNA vaccine was designed to elicit B cell and T cell-dependent protection and was made to simultaneously target multiple antigens, including the heterologously conserved influenza virus nucleoprotein. This vaccine elicited a stable and long lasting immunity not only in adult mice, but also in very old and very young mice. Upon thermal stress, the activity of the vaccine was maintained and was also proven to be effective in pigs. In fact, its efficacy was similar to that of a licensed influenza vaccine in pigs. Clearly, mRNA vaccines have great potential in the medical world, but much work remains to be done before a clinical-grade vaccine can be produced for humans in an efficient and scalable manner, where it can be used during sudden pandemic outbreaks.

Perspectives

We are only beginning to understand the many roles that mRNA play in our lives. With the rapid technological advances, mRNA-based therapies hold great promises for improving modern medicine within the foreseeable future. It may potentially serve as an alternative or replacement for gene therapy. This is especially true since mRNA will not integrate into the host genome, minimizing the risk of unpredictable outcome associated with gene therapy.

@ashelychin

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

The top 10 Canadian research papers in the last 5 years

Canadian scientists and researchers have been busy breaking ground and making waves in a variety of disciplines. From matters of the heart to cellular behaviour — and even how social media affects science — Canadians have been busy at the forefront of new theories and thought on a variety of subjects.

We invite you to celebrate Canadian science, scientists and researchers from across the land with our Top 10 research papers in the past 5 years, based on Sciencescape’s Eigenfactor algorithm!

1. Depletion Of New Neurons By Image Guided Irradiation. 

Y-F Tan, Shira Rosenzweig, David J Jaffray and Jan Martin Wojtowicz. Front Neurosci. 2011;5:59 

University of Toronto, Toronto

This study assessed the effects of ionizing radiation (used to treat malignant tumors in humans) on rat neurogenesis in the hippocampus and uncovered a bimodal dose-dependence. While low-dose irradiation was reversible, high-doses of irradiation abrogated neurogenesis and could cause permanent sequelae and cognitive impairment.

2. Radial Versus Femoral Access For Coronary Angiography And Intervention In Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes (RIVAL): A Randomised, Parallel Group, Multicentre Trial.

Sanjit S. Jolly, S Yusuf, John A. Cairns, Kari Niemelä, Denis Xavier, Petr Widimsky, Andrzej Budaj, Matti Niemelä, Vicent Valentin, Basil S. Lewis, Alvaro Avezum, Philippe Gabriel Steg,Sunil V Rao, Peggy Gao, Rizwan Afzal, Campbell D Joyner, Susan Chrolavicius, Shamir R Mehta and RIVAL trial group. Lancet. 2011; 377(9775):1409-20

McMaster University and the Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton

Opening blocked heart arteries involves vascular access and stent insertion, often via the femoral artery. This large clinical trial headed by Saniit S. Jolly concluded that while both approaches had similar success rates, radial access reduced major vascular complications compared with femoral access and may therefore be the preferred option.

3. The self-administered patient satisfaction scale for primary hip and knee arthroplasty.

Nizar N Mahomed, Rajiv Gandhi, Lawrence Daltroy and Jeffrey N Katz. Arthritis. 2011; 2011: 591253.

Department of Surgery, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto

In order to improve patient perceived outcomes following primary hip and knee replacement surgery, Mahomed and colleagues have devised an improved satisfaction scale to explore the complex relationships between patient baseline pain, functioning, expectations of surgery, and satisfaction with outcome.

4. Risk of bleeding with 2 doses of dabigatran compared with warfarin in older and younger patients with atrial fibrillation: an analysis of the randomized evaluation of long-term anticoagulant therapy (RE-LY) trial.

John W. Eikelboom, Lars Wallentin, Stuart J Connolly, Mike Ezekowitz, Jeff Healey, Jonas Oldgren, S S Y Yang, A. Marco Alings, Scott S. Kaatz, Stefan H Hohnloser, Hans-Christoph Diener, Maria Grazia Franzosi, Kurt Huber, Paul A Reilly, Jeanne Varrone and S Yusuf. Circulation. 2011;123(21):2363-72.

Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton Health Sciences and McMaster University, Hamilton

Atrial fibrillation is a common arrhythmia that affects over 300,000 Canadians and increases the risk of stroke. While both dabigatran and warfarin are drugs effective for stroke prevention, this study demonstrated that risk of intracranial bleeding is reduced with dabigatran compared with warfarin irrespective of patient age.

5. Apixaban in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Stuart J Connolly, John W. Eikelboom, Campbell D Joyner, Hans-Christoph Diener, Robert D Hart, Sergey P Golitsyn, Greg C Flaker, Alvaro Avezum, Stefan H Hohnloser, Rafael Diaz,Mario Talajic, Jun Jie Zhu, Prem Pais, Andrzej Budaj, Alexander Yu. Parkhomenko, Petr Jansky, Patrick Joseph Commerford, Tan Ru San, Kui-Hian Sim, Basil S. Lewis, W. Van Mieghem, Gregory Y H Lip, Jae Hyun Kim, Fernando Lanas-Zanetti, Antonio Gonzalez-Hermosillo, Antonio Dans, Muhammad I. Munawar, Martin O'Donnell, John H. Lawrence, Gayle Lewis, Rizwan Afzal, S Yusuf and CREST Investigators. N Engl J Med. 2011;364(9):806-17

Population Health Research Institute, Hamilton

Apixaban acts as a direct and competitive inhibitor of the coagulation factor Xa and was shown to be effective and safe for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after elective orthopedic surgery. In this study, Connolly et al. demonstrated that Apixaban, as compared with aspirin, reduced the risk of stroke and systemic embolism in atrial fibrillation patients.

6. Fidaxomicin Versus Vancomycin For Clostridium Difficile Infection.

Thomas J Louie, Mark F. Miller, Kathleen M. Mullane, Karl Heinz Weiss, Arnold L. Lentnek,Yoav Golan, Sherwood L. Gorbach, Pamela S. Sears, Youe-kong Shue and AVENA Study Group. N Engl J Med. 2011;364(5):422-31.

University of Calgary, Calgary

During the past decade, the emergence of a hypervirulent C. difficile strain led to a soar in incidence and severity of infections caused by this pathogen. This phase 3 clinical trial headed by Thomas J Louie demonstrated that fidaxomicin, a bactericidal and narrow antimicrobial spectrum drug, led to a durable resolution of disease (lower recurrence rate) compared to vancomycin.

7. Hyperthermia In Bone Generated With MR Imaging-Controlled Focused Ultrasound: Control Strategies And Drug Delivery.

Robert Staruch, Rajiv Chopra and Kullervo H. Hynynen. Radiology. 2012; 263(1):117-27.

Centre for Research in Image-Guided Therapeutics, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto

Staruch et al have developed an improved method, utilizing MR imaging–controlled focused ultrasound heating and temperature-sensitive liposomes, for enhanced drug delivery in bone marrow and surrounding muscle. In the future, this methodology may relieve debilitating skeletal pain associated with bone metastases in humans.

8. Improved Learning In A Large-Enrollment Physics Class.

Louis Deslauriers, Ellen Schelew and Carl E. Wieman. Science. 2011;332(6031):862-4.

Carl Wieman Science Education Initiative, University of British Columbia, Vancouver

An interesting study by Wieman and colleagues highlights the importance of interactive teaching compared to standard lecturing method in a setting of a large introductory physics course at the undergraduate level.

9. Family-Group Names In Coleoptera (Insecta).

Patrice Bouchard, Yves Bousquet, Anthony E Davies, Miguel A Alonso-Zarazaga, John F Lawrence, Chris H C Lyal, Alfred F. Newton, Chris M Reid, Michael Schmitt, S Adam Slipińskiand Andrew B T Smith. Zookeys. 2011;(88):1-972.

Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Ottawa

For the first time, Bouchard et al. compile data on all known extant and fossil beetle family-group names.

10. GRADE Guidelines: 1. Introduction-GRADE Evidence Profiles And Summary Of Findings Tables.

Gordon H Guyatt, Andrew D. Oxman, Elie A. Akl, Regina Kunz, Gunn E. Vist, J L Brozek,Susan L. Norris, Yngve Falck-ytter, Paul P. Glasziou, Hans DeBeer, Roman Jaeschke, David Rind, Joerg J Meerpohl, Philipp Dahm and Holger J Schünemann. J Clin Epidemiol. 2011;64(4):383-94. 

Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton

Guyatt and colleagues propose a transparent and structured process for summarizing evidence and assessing its quality for systematic reviews and recommendations in health care.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Clean your arteries with "microswimmers" nano-robots

A team of Drexel bio-engineers have joined an $18 million Korean research initiative focused on creating micro robots

Source : phys.org 

capable of cleaning blocked arteries. The Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technologies aims to have fully developed the technology within the next five years. In theory, the “microswimmer” robots would be propelled through the bloodstream by an externally-manipulated magnetic field, and act as tiny drills to clear arterial plaque.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

Following your Passion: a conversation with Dr. Joan Steitz

Not too long ago, I had the great pleasure of speaking with one of the most prominent figures in science: Dr Joan Steitz. Being one of the first few women to graduate from Harvard’s Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program in the male-dominated years of the 1960’s, Steitz is known as a tireless supporter of the cause of women in science. Her journey renders her an inspiring figure and role model, not just for female graduate students, rather all scientists across disciplines.

Image source: Howard Hughes Medical Institute

At the time of our conversation, I was struggling to figure out what I was truly passionate about and what I wanted to do as a lifelong career. We all face moments of self-doubt and question our competencies and decisions, especially in competitive fields like biological research. Steitz suggests that the antidote to this crisis is to go through the progression and natural flow of an academic career, without comparing oneself to those who are ahead in the field. Comparison is often unfair and leads to unnecessary discouragement.    

Steitz’ own progression in science began after graduating from Antioch College in 1963 with a BSc in Chemistry. She then got accepted into Harvard’s Medical School but decided to turn down the offer in pursuit of basic research in science. During a summer stint in a lab when she was but an undergraduate, Steitz did some technician work and data gathering. It wasn’t until she acquired her own project that everything changed. “Suddenly, it seemed worthwhile working nights and days”, she described the feeling. Her first project with Joseph Gall involved answering the question of whether there were DNA and RNA in basal bodies in the cells. Since DNA was also in mitochondria, did it also exist in other cellular compartments? A paper that came out of this project granted Steitz her big break into scientific research.  

“I knew I really liked doing science”. With that, Steitz fearlessly leaped into the field and enrolled in James Watson’s lab as his first female graduate student. Her first graduate project involved the bacteriophage RNA. James Watson, co-discoverer of the double-stranded winded helix of DNA - an icon for many famous research institutes, retired chancellor of Cold Springs Harbor Laboratories, also a Nobel Laureate - has been known for a tough work ethic and having high expectations of those he works with. Steitz described working with him as “interesting”, with a light-hearted laugh and smirk.

“The lab was a very exciting place when all initiation factors and protein synthesis were being discovered. DNA was formulated; tRNAs could suppress nonsense codons”. From Steitz’ perspective, Watson is a very fair person and assesses people on a basis on whether they have potential to make real contribution to science. “Once on his good side, one has all sorts of opportunities”.

Following her PhD, Steitz conducted her Postdoctoral fellowship at Medical Research Council (MRC) in Cambridge, where she began to discover the intricate mechanisms of RNA translation by binding to ribosomes in bacteria. In 1975 she published the famous paper about ribosomes binding to mRNA via base complementarity and then made the important discovery of snRNPs in 1980.

In terms of her relationships, Steitz has three papers published in liaison with her husband, Thomas Steitz, a structural biologist and Nobel laureate at Yale University. She was quoted in an article saying that it has been helpful to have a partner who and goes through similar frustrations and pleasures in a scientific career. “When I need a crystallographer, he’s a readily available source!” Steitz commented on their professional relationship.

Next, we discussed her relationships with students in her lab. Common questions that always arise when meeting a prominent figure in science include what kind of qualities they look for in people they hire. Successful candidates in Steitz’ perspective are individuals who are really passionate about science, who can take information from different inputs and put them together to come up with interesting ideas. In short: creativity, innovation and good people skills that flourish to provide good chemistry in the lab. Although she did not comment on how tough or lenient she is as a supervisor, she simply stated that she believes in giving guidance to students – a sentiment that should echo with other scientists as well.

When asked about the pressures of publishing, she commented that she hasn’t experienced any but that it’s bound to increase nowadays since more people are partaking in health research. Funding was also easier to secure a few decades ago; in fact, researchers “never even had to think twice about it”.

Later in the day, I saw Steitz leaving the McIntyre Building following a seminar she had given at McGill’s Department of Biochemistry. She was engaging in what was probably her favourite pastime: having an intelligent conversation with a fellow scientist. I smiled with the recollection of the valuable wisdom she imparted about shifting the paradigm and changing our attitudes about ourselves. “If you really love doing science and you really want to do it, you’ll figure out a way to do it and don’t worry too much about the future. Look at people who are one step beyond you and see if that’s what you like doing”. So keep calm and Research On.

@sarahsabboobeh

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

How to make a lightning machine

Forget Ben Franklin kite apocrypha— Martin Uman and his team at the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing have rigged up an experimental lightning contraption for the modern age. 

Source: the International Center for Lightning Research and Testing, University of Florida

Using hobby rockets attached to 2,300 feet of copper wire, Uman’s team has found a way to trigger bolts of lightning by threading the wire through thunderstorm clouds, allowing them to gather data and photos of the resulting strikes. Read more and watch a video of their project in action at Wired. Martin Uman is known in part for his research on lightning flash at Kennedy Space Center.

[sciencescapeblog-blog]

The fruit fly as a model for visual circuitry?

Drosophila, the fruit fly, has long been the model organism of choice for neuroscience research, largely because of the relative simplicity of its neural system. Even so, the fly’s visual circuitry is incredibly complex, and the precise mechanisms underlying the cellular processes guiding its development are largely unknown.

This week, an international team of researchers including P.R. Hiesinger and Steven J. Altschuler, have published a paper in Cell that makes important progress towards that goal. After using high-resolution photon imaging to record anatomical changes in the optic-neural circuitry during the pupa’s first 25 hours, they attempted to define the developmental rules that guided those changes—the underlying computational model by which the fly’s visual system is organized.

Credit: Hiesinger et al. / Cell 2005

After three years of fine-tuning their model to more closely simulate the observed biological data, the researchers arrived upon a successful developmental algorithm: a set of constraints which, despite their seemingly limited scope, nevertheless obtained results of comparable complexity and functional equivalence to drosophila’s own neural circuitry.

Source: University of California San Francisco