Stents Work Well, But Are Costly: Will Hospitals Continue To Use Them?
...an't afford." Cardiologists insert the mesh-like structures to keep arteries openafter clogs have been cleared by balloon angioplasty. Because of its effectiveness,stenting has quickly become a popular procedure: This year, it is estimatedthat 170,000 stents will be inserted in American hearts, compared to al...Common Drug-Capsule Coating Not As Inert As Previously Thought
...at thepolymer does not perturb the various protein structures and trigger an unwantedbiological response that would lead to rejection." One of the current problems in the design of biomaterials is that thereis no direct correlation between a material's properties and its biocompatibility,Leckband said. "Becau...Intralase Will Develop Laser Systems For Eye Surgery
...pulses of light, which can cut within the delicate structures of the eye, such as the cornea, while avoiding damage to overlying or adjacent tissue---something not possible with current clinical laser technology," said Ron Kurtz , assistant professor of ophthalmology at the U-M Medical School and a co-founde...X-ray Microscope Designed To Study Jet Engine Components Now Probes Tooth Dentin
...t engines, allowsthe dental researchers to observe structures in the dentin as small as twomicrometers -- about the size of a human cell. Atomic force microscopy (AFM), another technology used at UCSF and LawrenceLivermore, provides an even closer view. Researchers test the strength andstiffness of denti...Tighter Chemical Binding = Better Meds
...hanges affect the drug's binding ability. The 3-D structures of hundredsof key human proteins have been solved in recent years, many of them byYale scientists, making rational drug design possible. Jorgensen also has developed widely used computer programs, suchas BOSS and CAMEO, that enable scientists to mod...New Drug Prevents Breast Cancer In Postmenopausal Women, UCSF Researchers Report
...er breasts and uterus. Estrogen acts by binding to structures called receptors in various target tissuecells, which then stimulate different responses. The hormone can cause tissuegrowth in a woman's breasts and uterine lining, and over time, may increase herrisk of breast or endometrial cancer. At the same ti...Polish Dumpling-Like Particle Has Potential In Drug Delivery
... improvements on a class of polymers -- chain-like structures of repeating compound assemblies -- called micelles. There has been lots of interest this decade in micelles for drug delivery, but they have a major drawback for this purpose. They are dynamic and unstable. If they are diluted or subjected to for...Health Risk To "Cigarette Babies" Is Neglected, Duke Scientist Charges
...ette smoke. The impact on those countries' social structures and economiesis unfathomable. "It's one thing to have a large number of babies needing intensive carein the First World where we have the facilities and can afford it. But in theThird World, these babies are just going to die. What's more, th...DFG To Fund Four New Research Units
...ical structures. They will focus on studying basic structures in number theory in particular. As a rule, research units consist of scientists investigating a common scientific problem at the same university. Research units are set up when a small, but scientifically significant theme requires the cooperation...Study Captures Images Of Memories Being Formed Within The Human Brain
...e describes how levels of activity in certainbrain structures involved in processing verbal information can pred...ten, they found thatincreased activity in specific structures in the left frontal and temporal lobespredicted whether participants would accurately and confidentl...Neurotransmission Machinery Visualized For The First Time
...mbrane fusion.In addition, highly flexible helical structures in the complex, prone totwisting and bending, could cause strains that physically deform fatty layerswithin the two membranes, allowing them to mix. The complex's highly groovedsurface, with distinct electrically and chemically polarized regions, cou...National Science Foundation Awards Knowledge And Distributed Intelligence Grants
...olve the formation and evolution of complex defect structures on a hierarchy of length scales. For example, as an airplane wing is buffeted by turbulence during flight, complicated changes happen to the internal structure of the metal which can lead_in the absence of inspection and maintenance_to its failure. ......cause scientists cannot yet predict which chemical structures will, forexample, help drugs in transdermal systems penetrate the skin, scientists are"reduced to trial and error," Kohn says. "It's like playing the lottery: if youmake and test one compound at a time, it's like buying a single ticket," heexplains. ...Differences In Brain Function Found For Attention Deficit Disorder
... including the frontal-lobe cortex andthe striatal structures below it. The boys, 10 of whom had been diagnosed ...ference in theactivation of neuronal tissue in two structures in the striatal region, which isknown to be involved in motor control. The brain activation differen...Views Of Tamoxifen And Synthetic Estrogen In Action Provide Clues For Designing Better Drugs
...en," said Greene, "but this collection of receptor structures -- firstestradiol and raloxifene, and now DES and ...tiated the study and crystallized theproteins. The structures and their molecular-level function were determined using X-ray crystallography in Agard'slaboratory....Forecasting Killer Heat: UD Systems Predict Deadly Weather Worldwide
...ark, N.J.; and St. Louis, Mo.," he reports. "Urban structures in thesecities often are designed to trap heat, and people aren't prepared for sudden orlong-lasting heat waves." Like the UD systems in Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., the Italian warningsystem will reflect that city's unique climate conditions, ...School Computer Posture Problems Found
... timekeyboarding, their developing musculoskeletal structures could be especiallyvulnerable to trauma," Oates says. "At this time, we just don't know." Studies of adults have found that poor posture at computer workstations islinked to risk of neck, shoulder, back, arm and hand musculoskeletal discomfort.No co...An Ergonomically Redesigned Analgesia Delivery Device Proves Safer And More Efficient
...act that there are fewer steps in the new dialogue structures for the redesigned interface. Furthermore, with significantly fewer programming errors being made, less time was wasted recovering from errors. The workload associated with the redesigned interface was found to be 14% lower than that associated with ...New Book Says Cross-Train Your Brain To Increase Mental Function
...p forge newconnections among the different sensory structures of the brain. "A huge area of our brain is devoted to processing sensory inputs,because that's how we deal with the outside world," he said. "And the sensesneed to know what's going on in the other senses as well, to try to makepredictions ab......ere those proteins are located in cells. Once the structures of theproteins are identified, molecules that can either assist or hinder theiractivity can be identified. "Our long-term goals are to identify and relate the signaling pathwaysto understand better the consequences of their activation," Elain...