Special Reports
Mouse Brain Cells Rapidly Recover After Alzheimer's Plaques Are Cleared (26/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) Brain cells in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease have surprised scientists with their ability to recuperate after the disorder's characteristic brain plaques are removed.
Researchers Hope Monkeys Can Provide New Insights Into Depression (26/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) Monkeys get depressed, too, and scientists hope that studying them could lead to better treatments for depressed people. Researchers from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center will report new findings about patterns of depression in monkeys in the April issue of the Journal of Biological Psychology. The article is now available on-line.
Novel Antiviral Technology Inhibits RSV Infection In Mice (26/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) A novel antiviral treatment combining nanoparticle and gene silencing technologies thwarts attacks of respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) -- a virus associated with severe bronchitis and asthma, an animal study by University of South Florida researchers found. The study was reported in the January 2005 issue of the journal Nature Medicine.
Born To Run? Capacity For Aerobic Exercise Linked To Risk Of Heart Disease (26/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) If your New Year’s resolution to exercise is now just a distant memory, there are some rats at the University of Michigan Medical School that may convince you to climb back on the treadmill.
Biologists Find Stem Cell Regulator (26/01)
(HEALTHDAY.COM) A signaling system between stem cells and specialized niche cells that harbor and regulate the stem cells has been defined by cell biologists at Duke University Medical Center.
Mice protected from cancer with non-alcoholic beer (26/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Scientists from Okayama University, Japan, have found that mice fed with non-alcoholic beer suffered 85% less DNA damage to the liver, lungs and kidneys when compared to mice that were given water only.
DNA molecules used to assemble nanoparticles (26/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) University of Michigan researchers have developed a faster, more efficient way to produce a wide variety of nanoparticle drug delivery systems, using DNA molecules to bind the particles together.
Lack of enzyme turns fat cells into fat burners (26/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Lack of the enzyme, acetyl CoA carboxylase 2 or ACC2, appears to turn the adipose or fat cells of mice into fat burners, explaining in part why the animals can eat more and weigh less than their normal counterparts, said Baylor College of Medicine researchers.
If you can run, you can live longer too (26/01)
(THESTAR.COM) Rats bred for their ability to use oxygen efficiently and generate the energy it takes to run for long periods of time are less apt to suffer from cardiovascular diseases than their more slovenly maze-mates, according to research at the University of Michigan Medical School. Translated to humans, it means that people with a natural ability to run distances are less apt to suffer heart problems than those who get winded walking up the stairs from the basement to grab a Swiss Roll.
Impotence Drug May Reduce Heart Failure - Study (26/01)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) The impotence drug Viagra may also help prevent the abnormal growth of the heart seen in some types of heart disease, researchers reported on Sunday. The drug, originally tested but rejected as a heart drug, stopped the overgrowth of hearts in mice with surgically induced heart failure, the researchers said.
Transplantation Of Monkey Embryonic Stem Cells Reverses Parkinson Disease In Primates (19/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) The replenishment of missing neurons in the brain as a treatment for Parkinson disease reached the stage of human trials over 15 years ago, however the field is still in its infancy. Researchers from Kyoto University have now shown that dopamine-producing neurons (DA neurons) generated from monkey embryonic stem cells and transplanted into areas of the brain where these neurons have degenerated in a monkey model of Parkinson disease, can reverse parkinsonism. Their results appear in the January 3 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
How much postage for a fruit fly? (19/01)
(CBC.CA) As geneticists increasingly use fruit flies for their research, some are running into legal trouble trying to find the insects. Biologists have long valued the insects, Drosophila melanogaster, as a model organism for understanding mutations.
Healing Injured Hearts with Adult Stem Cells (19/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Once a mere fantasy, the idea of growing new, healthy heart tissue to replace damaged or diseased heart muscle is inching closer to reality. Researchers are exploring several routes to grow new heart muscle, according to the January issue of the Harvard Heart Letter.
Diet, exercise, stimulating environment helps old dogs learn (19/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) According to conventional wisdom, old dogs and new tricks aren't a good match. But a new study of beagles finds that regular physical activity, mental stimulation, and a diet rich in antioxidants can help keep aging canine--and perhaps human--brains in tip-top shape. The research, supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is among the first to examine the combined effects of these interventions and suggests that diet and mental exercise may work more effectively in combination than by themselves.
Toronto team's technique may guide doses for cancer therapy (19/01)
(CBC.CA) Scientists have found a way to measure the effects of a new class of cancer drug, which they hope will improve success rates for the therapy. Angiogenesis describes the development of blood vessels that feed tissues such as tumours. The field of anti-angiogenesis is based on the idea of starving a tumour by cutting off its blood supply.
Cancer therapy targets stem cells (19/01)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) A cancer treatment is being developed that researchers believe could rid the body of the disease by homing in on its stem cells. Researchers hope the new technology will target the root cause of tumours, leaving surrounding cells unharmed.
Cocaine craving clue identified (19/01)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Scientists say they now know more about what happens in the brains of former drug addicts when they crave cocaine. Tests on rats by US National Institute on Drug Abuse researchers found a way of blocking craving messages in their brains and preventing a relapse.
Electrical Device Promising for Spinal Cord Injury (19/01)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) Early tests are raising hopes that a new device can help people who've injured their spinal cord. Implantation of an oscillating field stimulator, which generates an electrical field, is a safe, well-tolerated treatment that may improve motor and sensory function in such patients, findings from a pilot study suggest.
Modified Measles Vaccine Could Fight West Nile (19/01)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) A measles vaccine, modified to express a West Nile virus protein, protects mice against West Nile virus, according to French researchers. The researchers believe the vaccine could potentially give humans full protection from West Nile as early as eight to 10 days after inoculation. Dr. Frederic Tangy, from Institut Pasteur in Paris, and his colleagues tested the effectiveness of the widely used measles vaccine, engineered to produce a protein normally found on the surface the West Nile virus. The antigen causes the body to produce infection-fighting antibodies that produce immunity to the disease.
Gene Therapy Improves Alzheimer's in Mouse Study (19/01)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) Gene therapy might one day be an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease, new experiments in mice suggest. The study found that gene delivery of a human protein called apolipoprotein E2 (apoE2) helped cut down amyloid-beta deposits in the brains of mice. The deposits are the hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.
Gene vaccine protects mice against development of Her2/neu breast cancer (12/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Based on successful animal studies, a novel vaccine that uses immune cells as factories to produce Her2/neu protein may offer a way to treat some human breast cancers, say researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.
Scientists Find Clue to AIDS Origins, New Therapy (12/01)
(REUTERS.CO.UK) A single change in a human gene may hold the key to preventing people living with HIV from progressing to full-blown AIDS, researchers said on Monday. They found a crucial difference between a gene in humans and one in rhesus monkeys that blocks infection of the virus in the animals -- a finding that offers new insights into the origins of AIDS and gene therapy.
Dog epilepsy gene discovered (12/01)
(CBC.CA) LONDON - The gene responsible for a rare and severe form of human epilepsy is also found in purebred dogs, researchers have found. Dr. Berge Minassian of Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children and colleagues in the U.S., France and Britain say the findings could allow dog breeders to eradicate the disease through selective mating.
Sea Squids Owe Their Glow To Molecule Previously Linked To Whooping Cough (12/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) A molecule that triggers damaging changes in the lungs of children with whooping cough lets a bobtail squid living off the coast of Hawaii acquire the ability to glow, scientists have discovered.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/01/06/60minutes/main665263.shtml (12/01)
(CBSNEWS.COM) There’s no question dogs are an integral part of the fabric of America. There are more than 65 million dogs – and two in every five American households have dogs as pets. They and their owners pride themselves on their special gifts: brilliant, goofy, gravity-defying dogs.
Gene clue to HIV origin in humans (12/01)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Scientists say they have uncovered an important clue to understanding the origins of the Aids epidemic. They have pinpointed crucial differences in a gene found in rhesus monkeys that can prevent HIV infection, and its human counterpart, that cannot.
New Painkiller Was Born In Utah: Undergrad Discovered Natural Form In Venomous Snails (12/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) The natural form of Prialt – a new drug for severe pain approved this week by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration – was discovered at the University of Utah in 1979 by an incoming freshman studying toxins produced by cone snails.
Scientists reveal molecular secrets of the malaria parasite (12/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Groundbreaking research project may help boost vaccine development - In an innovative project with implications for malaria vaccine development, scientists have used genomics, proteomics and gene expression studies to trace how malaria parasites evolve on a molecular level as they move between their hosts and insect vectors.
Maggots could save NHS millions (12/01)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Volunteers are being sought for what is said to be the largest study into the healing powers of maggots. The University of York is looking for 600 leg ulcer sufferers to test the effectiveness of the larvae of a species of greenbottle fly.
Discovery Of Key Protein's Shape Could Lead To Improved Bacterial Pneumonia Vaccine (12/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered that the shape of a protein on the surface of pneumonia bacteria helps these germs invade the human bloodstream. This finding, published Dec. 16 online by the EMBO Journal, could help scientists develop a vaccine that is significantly more effective at protecting children against the disease.
Geckos could hold key to ouchless bandages (05/01)
(CBC.CA) PORTLAND, ORE. - The adhesive hairs that geckos use to stick to surfaces are self-cleaning. Scientists say the finding could lead to ouchless bandages or longer-lasting duct tape.
Curry Spice May Fight Alzheimer's (05/01)
(REUTERS.COM) NEW YORK - The pigment that gives curry spice its yellow hue may also be able to break up the "plaques" that mark the brains of Alzheimer's disease patients, early research suggests.
Protein offers allergy care hope (05/01)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Scientists believe they have identified a protein which could be crucial in creating new treatments for allergies. Researchers told Nature that blocking p110delta in mast cells - which cause allergic reactions - substantially reduced symptoms in tests on mice.
New painkiller was born in Utah - Student discovered natural form in venomous snails in 1979 (05/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Undergrad discovered natural form in venomous snails in 1979 - The natural form of Prialt - a new drug for severe pain approved this week by the US Food and Drug Administration - was discovered at the University of Utah in 1979 by an incoming freshman studying toxins produced by cone snails.
Scientists identify key signaling molecule in osteoarthritis (05/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Using naturally-occurring mutant mice with a defective collagen gene, scientists at Harvard have identified a signaling molecule involved in one of the most common causes of disability among the elderly in the United States, osteoarthritis. Inhibitors of this molecule's signaling may eventually be used to slow down the progression of the disease, thus helping to relieve chronic pain in a large segment of the population.
Desires For Fatty Foods And Alcohol Share A Chemical Trigger (05/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) A brain chemical that stokes hunger for food and fat also triggers thirst for alcohol and may play a role in chronic drinking, according to a study led by Princeton University scientists. The study showed that rats injected with galanin, a natural signaling agent in the brain, chose to drink increasing quantities of alcohol even while consuming normal amounts of food and water. The finding helps explain one of the mechanisms involved in alcohol dependence and strengthens scientists' understanding of the neurological link between the desires for alcohol and food.
Plastic used in food container stimulates growth of certain prostate cancer cells (05/01)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) An estrogen-like chemical commonly used to synthesize plastic food containers has been shown to encourage the growth of a specific category of prostate cancer cell, potentially affecting the treatment efficacy for a subset of prostate cancers.
Researchers Describe How Human Blood Stem Cells Transform Themselves To Repair Injured Animal Hearts (05/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) HOUSTON - Regeneration of damaged hearts using blood stem cells now appears to be clinically promising, say Texas researchers who show that in mice, human stem cells use different methods to morph into two kinds of cells needed to restore heart function - cardiac muscle cells that contract the heart as well as the endothelial cells that line blood vessels found throughout the organ.
Gene Vaccine For Alzheimer's Disease Shows Promising Results (05/01)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) DALLAS - UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researchers have found a way of stimulating the immune systems of mice to fight against amyloid proteins that cause the devastating plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer's disease.
Cells repair Parkinson's damage (05/01)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Monkey stem cells can repair the brain damage caused by Parkinson's disease, Japanese researchers have shown. The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, offer renewed hope of a similar treatment for humans.
Special Reports:
Nobel Laureates Back Animal Research
Winners of Nobel prizes in physiology or medicine
overwhelmingly support responsible use of animals in research, according to
Seriously Ill For Medical
Research (SIMR) of Bedfordshire, England. SIMR has carried out a survey of
Nobel prize winners in physiology or medicine to find the views of top medical
researchers worldwide on the need for animals in medical research.
The centenary of Alfred Nobel's death in 1896
seemed an ideal opportunity. "We are concerned that animal rights propaganda has
undue influence in the media, leading to confusion amongst the public and
patients about animal research. SIMR wants to help sort out science fact from
science fiction," said the late Andrew Blake of SIMR.
Questionnaires were sent to all living Nobel
laureates in medicine or physiology. They were asked to indicate their level of
agreement with five statements on the use of animals in medcal research. Their
responses show unanimous support on the need to use animals in medical research.
The complete survey results are available at the
SIMR website. To review the achievements of these great scientists, see a
Timeline
of Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine.
info@pirweb.org