The secret of electron heating in low temperature plasmas has been discovered. Scientists found the answer to a question which has been puzzling scientists for decades — why electrons in such plasmas are so hot.

(European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) At the 21st Congress of the ECNP 2008 in Barcelona, professor Marion Leboyer, University of Paris, France, presented the compelling neurobiological story of discovering the first autism genes. Thereby she highlighted new findings on the role of gene mutations, their association with synapse abnormalities, and — surprisingly — a connection between circadian rhythms and autism risk. These insights will nurture applied projects on the development of new therapeutic strategies.

(European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) At the 21st Congress of the ECNP 2008 in Barcelona, Dr. Celso Arango, a renowned Spanish psychiatrist, will present the latest results from his research group on the benefits and risks of antipsychotic medication in children and its impact on individual well-being, social, educational and/or vocational functioning, and disease burden. Furthermore, he will point out the challenges that clinicians encounter in treating children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders, and discuss the requirements for starting antipsychotic treatment in clinical practice.

(American Chemical Society) The American Chemical Society News Service Weekly Press Package contains reports from 36 major peer-reviewed journals on chemistry, health, medicine, energy, environment, food, nanotechnology and other hot topics.

(University of Leicester) New research led by University of Leicester into why men are more prone to heart disease.

(McMaster University) An international study led by Canadian researchers has found that telmisartan, a medication used to lower blood pressure, reduced the outcome of cardiovascular death, heart attack or stroke in people who are unable to tolerate a widely available and effective standard treatment. Dr. Salim Yusuf and Dr. Koon Teo, professors in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University and clinicians at Hamilton Health Sciences, led the study.

(Queen’s University Belfast) People who have suffered a stroke or who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, could benefit from new research at Queen’s University Belfast.

(European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) At the 21st Congress of the ECNP 2008 in Barcelona, Professor Fuchs from the Clinical Neurobiology Laboratory, German Primate Center in Goettingen, presented the latest findings on how brain cells can be adversely affected by stress and depression. He explained how the adult brain is generating new cells and which impact these findings will have on the development of novel antidepressant drugs.

(European College of Neuropsychopharmacology) The highlights of the recently published ECNP consensus statement on bipolar depression were presented by the renowned British researcher Guy M. Goodwin, Oxford. The apparent differences between unipolar and bipolar depression arise in diagnosis and epidemiology, bipolar depression in children as well as adults, the use of rating scales, and finally treatment studies to optimize pharmacotherapy and clinical outcome.

(The Wistar Institute) Researchers at the Wistar Institute have deciphered the structure of the active region of telomerase, an enzyme that plays a major role in the development of nearly all human cancers. The landmark achievement opens the door to the creation of new, broadly effective cancer drugs, as well as anti-aging therapies. The study will be published online in Nature on Aug. 31.