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Biology/Biochemistry News
Blocking Tissue Stiffening Enzyme Could Be Key To Preventing Aggressive Cancers
A team of scientists from the US and the UK have shown that blocking an enzyme called lysyl oxidase (LOX) that causes tissue to stiffen reduces the likelihood of abnormal but non-malignant breast tissue turning into tumors, suggesting that LOX and similar enzymes could be new targets for effective anti-cancer drug therapies. ...more
21 Nov 2009
Laser Therapy Can Aggravate Skin Cancer
High irradiances of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) should not be used over melanomas. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancer studied the pain relieving, anti-inflammatory 'cold laser', finding that it caused increased tumour growth in a mouse model of skin cancer. Jan M. Bjordal from Bergen University College, Norway worked with a team of Brazilian researchers to carry out the in vitro and in vivo experiments. ...more
20 Nov 2009
Yale Researchers Target Tick Saliva In Their Search For Lyme Disease
A protein found in the saliva of ticks helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease, Yale researchers have discovered. The findings, published in the November 19 issue of Cell Host & Microbe, may spur development of a new vaccine against infection from Lyme disease, which is spread through tick bites. Traditionally, vaccines have directly targeted specific pathogens. ...more
20 Nov 2009
Why Hepatitis B Hits Men Harder Than Women
Scientists in China are reporting discovery of unusual liver proteins, found only in males, that may help explain the long-standing mystery of why the hepatitis B virus (HBV) sexually discriminates -- hitting men harder than women. Their study has been published online in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research, a monthly publication. ...more
20 Nov 2009
Paralysis In Animals Triggered By New On-Off 'Switch' - Reversed With A Beam Of Light
In an advance with overtones of Star Trek phasers and other sci-fi ray guns, scientists in Canada are reporting development of an internal on-off "switch" that paralyzes animals when exposed to a beam of ultraviolet light. The animals stay paralyzed even when the light is turned off. When exposed to ordinary light, the animals become unparalyzed and wake up. Their study appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). ...more
20 Nov 2009
Cancers' Sweet Tooth May Be Weakness
The pedal-to-the-metal signals driving the growth of several types of cancer cells lead to a common switch governing the use of glucose, researchers at Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University have discovered. Scientists who study cancer have known for decades that cancer cells tend to consume more glucose, or blood sugar, than healthy cells. ...more
20 Nov 2009
New Toxicity Testing Approach Could Make Chemo Drugs Safer
For cancer patients on chemotherapy, the "cure" can be as deadly as the disease itself. Adverse drug reactions are one of the leading causes of death among patients receiving cancer treatment. Jackson Laboratory Professor Gary Churchill wants to change that. With a new two-year, $1 million grant from the National Cancer Institute, Churchill is launching a radical new approach to testing three chemotherapeutic drugs for potential toxic effects. ...more
20 Nov 2009
According To The Statistical Analysis Of Fossils 'Hobbits' Are A New Human Species
Researchers from Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York have confirmed that Homo floresiensis is a genuine ancient human species and not a descendant of healthy humans dwarfed by disease. Using statistical analysis on skeletal remains of a well-preserved female specimen, researchers determined the "hobbit" to be a distinct species and not a genetically flawed version of modern humans. ...more
20 Nov 2009
The Antifibrotic Effects Of Green Tea
Several studies have shown that lipid peroxidation stimulates collagen production in fibroblasts and hepatic stellate cells (HSC), and plays an important role in the development of liver fibrosis. Hepatoprotective effects of green tea against carbon tetrachloride, cholestasis and alcohol induced liver fibrosis were reported in many studies. However, the hepatoprotective effect of green tea in dimethylnitrosamine (DMN)-induced models has not been studied. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Is Hepatic Differentiation Of Embryonic Stem Cells Induced By Valproic Acid And Cytokines?
Embryonic stem (ES) cells, known for their capacity to proliferate indefinitely and differentiate into almost all types of cells including hepatocytes, have raised the hope of cellular replacement therapy for liver failure. There have been several protocols available for hepatic fate specification from ES cells, however, most of the protocols currently used result in low yield or purity of functional hepatocytes. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Stanford/Packard Study In Mice Suggests New Down Syndrome Treatment
At birth, children with Down syndrome aren't developmentally delayed. But as they age, these kids fall behind. Memory deficits inherent in Down syndrome hinder learning, making it hard for the brain to collect experiences needed for normal cognitive development. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Scientific Link To Autism Identified
During its research into the application of neuroscience in business, a New Jersey based think tank, The Center for Modeling Optimal Outcomes®, LLC (The Center) made an inadvertent and amazing discovery. The Center examined the neuroscientific dynamics of logic and emotion in decision making while researching neuroscience in business. They found unique corollary relationships between various brain chemicals (neurohormones, neurotransmitters, etc.). ...more
19 Nov 2009
Overexpression Of Sodium/Calcium Exchanger Protein Alone Did Not Cause Heart Failure
Researchers from the Center for Translational Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University have found that the overexpression of a sodium/calcium exchanger, without changes in other ion transport pathways commonly observed in heart failure, does not by itself lead to contraction abnormalities in the heart. They presented the data from the study at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla. Led by Joseph Cheung, M.D., Ph.D. ...more
19 Nov 2009
HHMI Announces 4-Year Grant For Innovative Biomedical Training
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) has committed four years' worth of funding for an innovative biomedical training program between Rice University and the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. The unique program -- founded with a 2006 HHMI grant -- capitalizes on the strengths of Rice's top-10-ranked bioengineering program and M.D. Anderson's internationally renowned clinical programs. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Are Teenagers Wired Differently Than Adults?
Parents have long suspected that the brains of their teenagers function differently than those of adults. With the advent of magnetic resonance imaging, or MRI, we have begun to appreciate how the brain continues to develop structurally through adolescence and on into adulthood. High emotionality is a characteristic of adolescents and researchers are trying to understand how 'emotional areas' of the brain differ between adults and adolescents. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Immune Cells On The Move
Scientists from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now deciphered the mechanism that illustrates how these mobile cells move on diverse surfaces. "Similar to a car, these cells have an engine, a clutch and wheels which provide the necessary friction," explains Michael Sixt, a research group leader at the MPI of Biochemistry. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Small Nanoparticles Bring Big Improvement To Medical Imaging
If you're watching the complex processes in a living cell, it is easy to miss something important - especially if you are watching changes that take a long time to unfold and require high-spatial-resolution imaging. But new research* makes it possible to scrutinize activities that occur over hours or even days inside cells, potentially solving many of the mysteries associated with molecular-scale events occurring in these tiny living things. ...more
19 Nov 2009
Projects Designed To Advance Understanding Of Molecular Networks
NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held life sciences company marketing a molecular barcoding detection system, has announced that it is collaborating with the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard to investigate molecular networks involved in immune response and other important biological processes. ...more
19 Nov 2009
TAU Develops Dissolving Dressing For Wounds Packed With Infection-Fighting Antibiotics
Despite advances in treatment regimens and the best efforts of nurses and doctors, about 70% of all people with severe burns die from related infections. But a revolutionary new wound dressing developed at Tel Aviv University could cut that number dramatically. Prof. ...more
18 Nov 2009
New Study Ushers In Spring-Time For Slow Inactivation
The December 2009 issue of the Journal of General Physiology (JGP) contains a paper by Christopher Ahern (The University of British Columbia, Vancouver) and colleagues that explores pore mutation effects in Shaker and other K+ channels using in vivo nonsense suppression technology. The study was published online November 16 (http://www.jgp.org). ...more
18 Nov 2009

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