problems

Reports have suggested that sleep problems in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders are associated with challenging daytime behaviours.

Using a new mouse model of Alzheimer's disease, researchers have found that Alzheimer's pathology originates in Amyloid-Beta oligomers in the brain, rather amyloid plaques.

A gene with a significant effect on regulating haemoglobin in the body has been identified as part of a genome-wide association study, which looked at the link between genes and haemoglobin level in 16,000 people.

Melatonin medication can shorten the length of time it takes for children with autistic spectrum disorder, Fragile X Syndrome, or both to fall asleep at the beginning of the night.

Researchers evaluated the link between a common class of drugs used to prevent bone fractures in osteoporosis patients and the development of irregular heartbeat.

Faulty fans can be a costly problem in food factories. The temptation might be to go for a quick fix but only expert assistance can get to, and solve, the root cause of the problem.

Personal and and environmental hygiene are key healthcare issues. Here, Terry Ashenden reports how autoclaves incorporate advanced surface hygiene coating to combat surface bacterial growth.

The structural characterisation of biotechnology products presents a challenge for modern analytical techniques. In contrast to small molecule drugs, biopharmaceuticals can be extremely large, complex entities, often comprising of multiple disulphide-bridged proteins or glycoproteins.In particular, these products demand the use of methods capable of determining the primary structure of a recombinant or engineered molecule and of detecting and assigning post-translational modifications and microheterogeneities. By Dr Fiona M Greer.

High-efficiency silica-based packings have been used in high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) since 1973. Over the past 27 years, says Sylvie Mamon, many improvements have been made to the technology of these packings.

Work undertaken in Germany is demonstrating how a new particle size measurement technique is opening up many new applications areas in the laboratory. Heike Krischollek reports on the specific problems posed when dealing with biological materials and how one new measurement system has been designed to overcome these difficulties.

Medical researchers at the University of Sheffield have defined the structure of a key part of the human obesity receptor- an essential factor in the regulation of body fat- which could help provide new treatments for the complications of obesity and anorexia.

Oesophageal cancer is a very serious form of cancer that, if not fatal, requires extensive surgery. A new study from Karolinska Institutet shows that when serious complications arise after surgery for oesophageal cancer, many patients suffer other health problems, such as breathlessness, fatigue, insomnia and eating problems, for five years afterwards.

In 2002, transgenic food aid to African nations was rejected by the recipient governments. The EU's stand on agricultural biotechnology no doubt contributed to this decision.