University of Helsinki researchers have uncovered a novel gene associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in dogs. The new research on this fatal disease may also help us understand the mechanisms of respiratory diseases in humans. A new genetic study has uncovered the cause of acute respiratory distress in Dalmatian dogs. ADRS has an early onset, with puppies or young dogs experiencing difficulty in breathing, which rapidly leads to death. The gene study used material which was previously collected at the University of Helsinki Veterinary Teaching Hospital as well as canine biobank samples.

Many mature oligos_red-myelin_green-oligodendrocyte cell

Queen’s University Belfast scientists have discovered that specific cells from the immune system are key players in brain repair – a fundamental breakthrough that could revolutionise the treatment of debilitating neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The research study, led by Dr Yvonne Dombrowski and Dr Denise Fitzgerald at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, is being hailed as a landmark study in unravelling the mysteries of how the brain repairs damage. This is crucial in the fight against MS, which affects 2.3 million people world-wide and over 4,500 people in Northern Ireland.

Many mature oligos_red-myelin_green-oligodendrocyte cell

Queen’s University Belfast scientists have discovered that specific cells from the immune system are key players in brain repair – a fundamental breakthrough that could revolutionise the treatment of debilitating neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The research study, led by Dr Yvonne Dombrowski and Dr Denise Fitzgerald at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, is being hailed as a landmark study in unravelling the mysteries of how the brain repairs damage. This is crucial in the fight against MS, which affects 2.3 million people world-wide and over 4,500 people in Northern Ireland.

The image, created with OPT, shows the pancreas of a healthy mouse. The individual pancreatic islets have been color-coded and their exact volume and 3D-coordinates can be precisely determined throughout the pancreas. The exocrine pancreatic tissue (in grey) has partly been digitally removed. Image: Ulf Ahlgren.

Umeå researchers have created datasets that map the three-dimensional distribution and volume of the insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. The wealth of visual and quantitative information may serve as powerful reference resource for diabetes researchers. The Umeå University researchers are now publishing their datasets in Scientific Data, which is a Nature Research journal for scientifically valuable collections of research data with high reuse potential. The hormone insulin – which is needed to regulate the blood sugar levels of the body – is produced by the pancreas and plays a key role in the development of diabetes. Insulin-producing cells are organised in the so-called Islets of Langerhans (or pancreatic islets), which are scattered by the thousands in the pancreas. In diabetes research, it is often important to study the quantity and distribution of insulin-producing cells. At present, such studies are generally based upon analyses of chosen cross-sections of pancreatic tissue. These in turn form the basis for attempting to gain an overall picture of the pancreas.

Differences between a map of thermal data type and a 3D SIG based map o the same element (Estela de Cenicientos, Madrid)

A research carried out at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid suggests a new mapping method based on non-destructive testing on historic buildings using SIG techniques. A female researcher from the School of Architecture at Universidad Politécnica de Madrid has mapped data of heritage constructions that was not possible before with conventional methods.  Thanks to the new method, the researcher was able to map diverse factors such as humidity, evaporation, salinity and material degradation. Thus, this powerful tool can interpret the dynamic processes of deterioration on historic buildings by providing a right and rigorous interpretation of data in order to restore such buildings.

Stem cells are unspecialised cells that can develop into any type of cell in the human body. So far, however, scientists only partially understand how the body controls the fate of these all-rounders, and what factors decide whether a stem cell will differentiate, for example, into a blood, liver or nerve cell. Researchers from the Luxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine (LCSB) of the University of Luxembourg and an international team have now identified an ingenious mechanism by which the body orchestrates the regeneration of red and white blood cells from progenitor cells. “This finding can help us to improve stem cell therapy in future,” says Dr. Alexander Skupin, head of the “Integrative Cell Signalling” group of LCSB. The LCSB team has published its results in the scientific journal PLOS Biology (DOI:10.1371/journal.pbio.2000640).

Uno studio condotto sulla base delle rilevazioni dell'osservatorio ESO VLT, svela che nelle galassie più distanti e antiche la materia oscura scarseggia mentre la fa da padrona nei dintorni della Via Lattea. La ricerca si basa sul calcolo delle velocità di rotazione.

Quanto “pesa” la materia oscura ai confini del cielo? Meno del previsto, a quanto sembra. Un gruppo internazionale di ricerca, guidato da Reinhard Genzel del Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, ha utilizzato gli strumenti KMOS and SINFONI istallati sul Very Large Telescope dell’ESO per misurare la velocità di rotazione di sei galassie massive e brillanti nell’Universo remoto, a caccia di indizi sulla misteriosa componente di cui si fa un gran parlare… ma che nessuno ha mai visto. A differenza infatti della cosiddetta materia normale - composta da stelle scintillanti, gas incandescente e polvere – l’elusiva materia oscura non è facile da individuare: non emette o assorbe né riflette luce e la sua presenza può essere presunta solo a partire dagli effetti gravitazionali che genera sugli oggetti che circonda.