Latest News Releases8 April

Leaking calcium in neurons an early sign of Alzheimer's pathology New Haven, Conn. -- Alzheimer's disease is known for its slow attack on neurons crucial to memory and cognition. But why are these particular neurons in aging brains so susceptible to the disease's ravages, while others remain resilient?

Six years ago, Michael Niederweis, Ph.D., described the first toxin ever found for the deadly pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, the mechanism for its secretion from the bacterium was unknown. Now, researchers describe two small Esx proteins that form pores in bacterial membranes and are essential for toxin release. This transport system may be widespread across many Gram-positive bacteria that contain proteins in the WXG100 superfamily.

Utah had more melanoma deaths than any other state from 1975 to 2013, says a letter published today by HCI researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine. In contrast to the rest of the United States, melanoma mortality in Utah increased by 0.8% per year over that period. The researchers say this data emphasizes the need to stay vigilant about preventing melanoma.

While it isn't surprising that infants and children love to look at people's movements and faces, recent research from Rochester Institute of Technology's National Technical Institute for the Deaf studies exactly where they look when they see someone using sign language. The research uses eye-tracking technology that offers a non-invasive and powerful tool to study cognition and language learning in pre-verbal infants.