A substantial part of people, one in five, undergoing systemic treatment for psoriasis till have considerable problems with their disease. This according to a study with 2,646 Swedish psoriasis patients conducted at Umeå University and the Swedish Institute for Health Economics, and recently published in the Journal of Dermatological Treatment.

IM Marcus Schmitt-Egenolf, researcher at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University and corresponding author of the study. Photo: Mattias Pettersson

“Our results suggest that the currently available treatments are not sufficiently treating patients with moderate-to-severe psoriasis. So in order to manage their disease, more patients need access to currently available biologic agents as well as other new and more efficacious treatments,” says Marcus Schmitt-Egenolf, researcher at the Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine at Umeå University and corresponding author of the study.

By analyzing the gas motion of an extraordinarily fast-moving cosmic cloud in a corner of the Milky Way, astronomers found hints of a wandering black hole hidden in the cloud. This result marks the beginning of the search for quiet black holes; millions of such objects are expected to be floating in the Milky Way although only dozens have been found to date.

Bipolar disorder (BD), characterized by mood swings between positive manic/hypomanic and negative/depressive states, is a common psychiatric disorder with a lifetime prevalence of ~1%. Although epidemiological studies indicate that genetic components contribute to BD development, several genome-wide association studies (GWASs) identified limited number of susceptibility (risk) genes for BD, most of which are yet unidentified.

A recent review of studies of submarine canyons has identified that they are at risk from human activities, and require better protection.

The review was published in the journal Frontiers in Marine Science by a team of scientists that are part of the International Network for submarine Canyon Investigation and Scientific Exchange (INCISE). INCISE is an initiative that aims to bring together scientists working on all aspects of submarine canyon research, and to stimulate discussions across disciplines.

La FAO chiede sostegno urgente per i pastori delle regioni meridionali che devono fare i conti con la mancanza di piogge, dopo un disastroso El Niño

‘Cacciatori’ di onde estreme scoprono che sono più frequenti di quanto si ritenesse finora. Dallo studio di Ca’ Foscari e Ismar-Cnr, pubblicato su Journal of Physical Oceanography, sono nati un progetto e un brevetto per misurarle da navi e piattaforme

La Fondazione Grigioni finanzia uno studio sulle coppie di gemelli di cui almeno uno sia affetto da Malattia di Parkinson, parkinsonismi o sindromi simili.

I gemelli uguali (monozigoti) rappresentano un modello biologico straordinario: da un punto di vista genetico, due gemelli monozigoti sono assolutamente identici. Anche i gemelli diversi (dizigoti), tuttavia, sono molto preziosi. Capire e studiare le differenze che hanno provocato la Malattia di Parkinson solo in uno di due gemelli (o, in altri casi, in tutti e due) consentirebbe probabilmente di scoprire la cause della malattia.

New explanation links competing theories of the origin of Antarctic glaciation and highlights complexity of climate change

One of the big mysteries in the scientific world is how the ice sheets of Antarctica formed so rapidly about 34 million years ago, at the boundary between the Eocene and Oligocene epochs.

Grazie a uno studio internazionale a cui ha partecipato l’Istituto per la dinamica dei processi ambientali del Consiglio nazionale delle ricerche (Idpa-Cnr), pubblicato su The Cryosphere, è stato rilevato che il ghiaccio più profondo e antico presente sul Monte Ortles (3.905 m, sulle Alpi orientali, a 37 chilometri dal luogo del ritrovamento dell’Uomo del Similaun), ha cominciato a muoversi per la prima volta dai tempi dell’Uomo del Similaun, 7.000 anni fa. Le prime carote di ghiaccio estratte indicano come il ghiacciaio più elevato dell’Alto Adige abbia cominciato una fase di accelerazione del movimento che non avrebbe precedenti nel periodo osservato. Le prove vengono dagli strati più profondi, datati con la tecnica del carbonio 14, e da misurazioni condotte nel foro di perforazione mediante un inclinometro, strumento in grado di rilevare anche minimi movimenti glaciali. “Queste carote di ghiaccio offrono l’eccezionale opportunità di studiare le caratteristiche dell’atmosfera quando l’Uomo del Similaun viveva in questa regione, in modo da poter conoscere anche l’ambiente ed il clima in cui era immerso”, dichiara Carlo Barbante, direttore dell’Idpa-Cnr di Venezia.

A Japanese research group has used a new technology that identifies multiple fish species populating local areas by analyzing DNA samples from seawater, and proved that this method is accurate and more effective than visual observation.

This research was carried out as part of the Japan Science and Technology Strategic Basic Research Programs by a group including Academic Researcher YAMAMOTO Satoshi (Kobe University Graduate School of Human Development and Environment), Associate Professor MASUDA Reiji (Kyoto University), Professor ARAKI Hitoshi (Hokkaido University), Professor KONDOH Michio (Ryukoku University), Project Assistant Professor MINAMOTO Toshifumi (Kobe University Graduate School of Human Development and Environment), and Adjunct Associate Professor MIYA Masaki (Head of Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Natural History Museum and Institute, Chiba).