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Scientific letter - Bonjour Southeast |
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July 2012 |
| Southeast | France | Events | To Know | Picture |
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Dear friends,
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Scientific news from the Southeast USA Alzheimer’s protein structure suggests new treatment directions, Vanderbilt University (TN), 05/31/2012.
The molecular structure of a protein involved in Alzheimer’s disease – and the surprising discovery that it binds cholesterol – could lead to new therapeutics for the disease, Vanderbilt University investigators report in the June 1 issue of the journal Science. >> Learn more Constructing a sling during prolapse surgery drops incontinence risk
, University of Alabama at Birmingham (AL), 06/22/2012.
Research from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and other medical centers published in the June 21, 2012, New England Journal of Medicine shows that adding a “midurethral sling” to lift and support the urethra during surgery to repair pelvic organ prolapse reduces the chances of developing stress urinary incontinence. >> Learn more Gene inactivation drives spread of melanoma, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (NC), 06/15/2012.
Why do some cancers spread rapidly to other organs and others don’t metastasize? A team of UNC researchers led by Norman Sharpless, MD, have identified a key genetic switch that determines whether melanoma, a lethal skin cancer, spreads by metastasis. >> Learn more Duke engineers improve camera resolution, Duke University (NC), 06/26/2012.
By synchronizing 98 tiny cameras in a single device, electrical engineers from Duke University and the University of Arizona have developed a prototype camera that can create images with unprecedented detail. >> Learn more Human Microbiome Project Researchers Find Vast Individual Differences in Our Bacteria, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (NC), 06/14/2012.
The Human Microbiome Project (HMP) has announced first genomic compilation of the generalized biome of microbes in the human body that complement the human genome. >> Learn more Promising early results from cancer immunotherapy, Emory University (GA), 06/05/2012.
An distinctive approach to fighting cancer – reactivating a patient’s subdued immune system – has shown promising results in early clinical trials. Researchers working in Winship Cancer Institute’s phase I clinical trials unit played a part in this research that is receiving considerable attention. >> Learn more Mosquitoes Fly in Rain Thanks to Low Mass, Georgia Institute of Technology (GA), 06/04/2012.
The mosquito is possibly summer’s biggest nuisance. Sprays, pesticides, citronella candles, bug zappers — nothing seems to totally deter the blood-sucking insect. And neither can rain apparently. >> Learn more Tomato sequencing project sheds light on the plant’s origins, University of Georgia (GA), 06/18/2012.
Researchers in the University of Georgia Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory recently helped finish the decade-long process of sequencing the tomato genome. >> Learn more Little clams play big part in keeping seagrass ecosystems healthy, new study finds, University of Florida at Gainesville (FL), 06/14/2012.
That’s definitely the case for endangered and threatened seagrass ecosystems according to a new study. Little clams living in the soil of seagrass beds consume toxic sulfides that accumulate in the silty sediments and turn what should be a toxic soup into a healthy aquatic environment where communities of fish, clams and shrimp thrive. >> Learn more UM Researchers Identify Gene That May Help Protect Human Nerve Cells After Injury, University of Miami (FL), 06/27/2012.
Researchers from the Miller School of Medicine collaborated with an international team to identify a gene that could be suppressed to protect a person’s nerve cells after injury. Published online on June 7 in Science, their study, “dSarm/Sarm1 Is Required for Activation of an Injury-Induced Axon Death Pathway,” presents the first gene required for the active self-destruction of nerves following injury. _ >> Learn more Seeping Arctic methane has serious implications for Florida coastline, Florida State University (FL), 06/27/2012.
The ancient reserves of methane gas seeping from the melting Arctic ice cap told Jeff Chanton and fellow researchers what they already knew: As the permafrost thaws, there is a release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that causes climate warming. >> Learn more |
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Scientific news from France Magnetic stimulation to improve visual perception, also available in French, CNRS, Inserm, UPMC, 06/01/2012.
Using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), an international team led by researchers from the Centre de Recherche de l’Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière has succeeded in enhancing the visual abilities of a group of healthy subjects. >> Learn more Bladder cancer treatment with BCG may be improved with new patient protocol, also available in French, Institut Pasteur, INSERM, Paris Descartes University and the MINES ParisTech, 06/06/2012.
Researchers have recently discovered a way to reinforce the effectiveness of BCG in the treatment of bladder cancer. BCG has been the standard treatment for bladder cancer tumors with a high risk of recurrence for the past 35 years. >> Learn more Mimicking living organisms helps study the mechanisms of cellular contraction, also available in French, CEA, CNRS, 06/10/2012.
These researchers showed that motile molecules known as myosins induced selective contraction of certain intracellular structures formed by actin, a protein that is present in large quantities inside cells. >> Learn more Dormancy of stem cells enables them to remain viable…many days post mortem, also available in French, Institut Pasteur, Université de Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, AP-HP, CNRS, 06/12/2012.
Under the direction of Fabrice Chrétien, in collaboration with Shahragim Tajbakhsh, researchers have shown for the first time in humans and mice, the capacity of stem cells to adopt a dormant state when their environment becomes hostile, including several days after death. >> Learn more Self-healing dynamic membrane, also available in French, CNRS, ENSCM, Université Montpellier 2, Institut de Chimie Radicalaire , 06/18/2012.
The market for membranes, porous materials used mainly to filter liquids, is booming. However, their design leaves room for improvement. >> Learn more Assessing an object’s consistency without touching it, also available in French, CNRS, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université Paris-Sud, 06/18/2012.
Two teams of researchers have succeeded in evaluating the rigidity of a material … without touching it! To achieve this feat, physicists placed a liquid–where they created a very weak, nanometric scale flow–between the probed object and the “tester”. >> Learn more |
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GeorgiaGeorgia Institute of Technology (Atlanta) July, 8th-13th
’International Conference on Science and Technology of Synthetic Metals 2012’ July, 14th, 7:00 to 8:00pm
’Hydrogen Cars, Ethanol, Wind Farms and other Silly Ideas’ |
FloridaUniversity of Miami (Miami) July, 26th, 6:00 to 7:30pm
’Aging gracefully’ |
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North CarolinaDuke University (Durham) July, 12th, 12:00-1:00pm
’ Extreme Psychiatry: Mental Health Support for American Diplomacy ’ |
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TennesseeVanderbilt University (Nashville) July, 10th, 12:00 to 1:00pm
’The brain game’ July, 22nd to 27th
’The XIX International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2012)’ |
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2012 Inserm Competition : 116 Job OpeningsThe French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) is recruiting engineers, technicians, and administrative staff for 116 job openings. The recruitment campaign opened on June 5 and will run through July 4, 2012.
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2012 Belmont Forum and G8 International Opportunities FundThe International Opportunities Fund (IOF) is aimed at supporting excellent research on topics of global relevance best tackled through a multinational approach, recognising that global challenges need global solutions. Funding should support researchers to cooperate in consortia consisting of partners from at least three of the participating countries and must bring together natural scientists, social scientists and research users (policy makers, regulators, NGOs, communities and industry). The 2012 International Opportunities Fund is aimed at supporting research in the areas of: Coastal Vulnerability and Freshwater Security.
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ANR-NSF Call for French-American Proposals in Chemistry and Materials ResearchThe ANR (The French National Research Agency) is joining the NSF (National Science Foundation) in two calls for proposals in the fields of chemistry (ICC) and materials research (MWN) as part of their Blanc International Program.
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Marie-Curie Fellowship: call for proposals opened until August 16, 2012The 2012 call for proposals for Marie-Curie Fellowships (FP7-People 2012) has been launched. These individual fellowships offer researchers of any nationality the opportunity to move abroad, within Europe and worldwide. Only experienced researchers (post-doc and beyond) are eligible, for periods of one or two years.
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H5N1 bird flu
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Edito
