Special Reports
Mutant Protein Holds Promise For Cell Growth Control (03/30)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) A unique technique for neutralizing the action of the leptin protein in humans and animals – thereby providing a means for controlling and better understanding of leptin function, including its role in unwanted cell growth -- has been developed by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Vets See Reemergence of Dog-to-human Disease (03/30)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) When you get that friendly lick from your family dog, you may be sharing more than warm and wet feelings. Veterinarians warn that they are documenting the reemergence of the dangerous bacterium Leptospira, which can spread from dogs to humans and can cause kidney disease in both.
FDA accepts IND for cancer mAbs (03/30)
(DRUGRESEARCHER.COM) Morphotek has announced the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has accepted its New Drug Application for a humanised monoclonal antibody, intended for the treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.
Innovative heart surgeon Wilfred Bigelow dies (03/30)
(CBC.CA) Former students are paying tribute to Dr. Wilfred Bigelow, father of open-heart surgery in Canada. Bigelow, co-inventor of the pacemaker, died on Sunday at age 91.
Music, pets may soothe dementia patients (03/30)
(MSNBC.MSN.COM) Music, pets and aromatherapy should be used to calm agitated or delusional patients before turning to drugs that often prove ineffective or have unhealthy side effects, researchers said Tuesday.
Hair stem cells can turn into nerve cells: report (03/30)
(EARTHTIMES.ORG) Researchers at AntiCancer Inc have found a method of turning adult hair follicle stem cells into brains cells, a ScienCentral News report has said. Using mice for experiments, scientists managed to coax their adult stem cells into becoming neurons, the brain’s nerve cells.
Scientists seek answers on what activates deadly anthrax spores (03/30)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Scientists at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and three other institutions are setting out to find what activates the spores in anthrax, the deadly bacterial infection that is back in the news.
New Protein Treatment Could Curb Cat Allergies (03/30)
(SCIAM.COM) Allergies can cause some would-be cat lovers to avoid having feline friends. Now researchers have engineered a protein that could be used as a treatment to block cat allergies.
Hair is good source of stem cells (03/30)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) US scientists have found a good source of stem cells - hair follicles. The fact that hair grows quickly and is continually replenished makes it an attractive source to harvest the amount of stem cells needed for treatments.
Hope over cancer blocking protein (03/30)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) A breast cancer treatment which blocks the growth of tumours has been hailed as a breakthrough by Irish scientists. Researchers at Ireland's Royal College of Surgeons have developed a protein which attacks a hormonal growth factor which stimulates cancer cells.
Why some males smell better than others (03/23)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Why do some males smell better than others? Scientists at Cardiff University, in collaboration with colleagues at Max-Plank Society, Germany - and the help of stickleback fish - have identified the chemical responsible.
From Gene Discovery to Preventing Eye Disease in Retinitis Pigmentosa (03/23)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited eye disease that causes visual disability leading to blindness. Over the last 15 years, researchers have pinpointed defects in dozens of genes causing different forms of RP. Surprisingly, patients with the same genetic defect can show different severities of vision loss and rates of disease progression. This effect is most dramatic across the retina of some individuals where regions with normal vision can abut regions of no vision. Environmental factors have been near the top of the suspect list for this variation in severity. An environmental factor experienced by all, but to varying extents, is exposure to light - bright lights have been previously speculated to accelerate certain forms of RP.
Newly Discovered Protein An Important Tool For Sleeping Sickness Research (03/23)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) Sixty million people in 36 countries of sub-Saharan Africa are threatened daily by a deadly parasitic disease known as African sleeping sickness. The disease is caused by organisms called trypanosomes, which are spread by the tsetse fly. African sleeping sickness affects approximately 500,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa, a quarter of whom will die this year. Because the trypanosome has an exceptional genetic strategy for evading the human immune system and resisting treatment, the current treatment for this disease is melarsoprol, an antiquated drug with terrible side effects, including death.
Duke Chemists Isolating Individual Molecules Of Toxic Protein In Alzheimer's, Parkinson's Disease (03/23)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) To understand the formation of the brain-clogging deposits that cause such disorders as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, Duke University chemists have figured out how to capture and "micromanipulate" the single molecular building blocks of the deposits.
Tiny Scaffolding Allows Stem Cells To Become Working Fat Cells (03/23)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) Researchers here have used a new microscopic, three-dimensional scaffolding to coax mouse stem cells to transform themselves into fat cells, and then to function identically to how fat cells naturally do in the body.
Study links cholesterol, prostate cancer (03/23)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) A study at a Boston hospital finds that high cholesterol levels contribute to the growth of prostate cancer by providing a chemical pathway. The findings were published in the April 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Protective molecule has heart disease link (03/23)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) U.S. researchers said a molecule that usually protects the body's infection-fighting cells also might play a role in causing heart disease.
Inhibiting B-Raf reduces melanoma development (03/23)
(DRUGRESEARCHER.COM) A study suggesting combination therapy could stop the spread and halt the growth of skin melanomas could pave the way for a better understanding of the disease, and thus, the development of more effective long-term treatment options for patients.
Elephants learn by sound mimicry (03/23)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Elephants learn some of their calls through imitation, scientists report in this week's Nature magazine. They are the only land mammal, other than primates, that can undeniably copy sounds, the researchers claim.
Chicks used to create nerve cells (03/23)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Scientists have transformed stem cells from adult human bone marrow into nerve cells by transplanting them into damaged chicken embryos.
Unnatural DNA Replicated (03/16)
(BETTERHUMANS.COM) Researchers have replicated unnatural DNA in a step towards expanding the genetic code for everything from novel organisms to biological computers.
Researchers rein in regulatory RNAs (03/16)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) A team of scientists led by Dr Kuniya Abe from the RIKEN BioResource Center in Japan has performed one of the most comprehensive genome-wide experimental analyses of sense-antisense transcripts to date. Their findings are published in the April issue of the journal Genome Research.
Gene Therapy Cures Inherited Liver Disease In Rats (03/16)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) A single dose of gene-virus combination cured rats of a inherited liver disease in which lack of a gene causes the accumulation of bilirubin –which, untreated, results in jaundice and brain damage, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a report in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.
Heart stems cells located in mice (03/16)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) U.S. scientists said they have isolated mouse stem cells that turned into rhythmically beating heart cells and sought out the heart when injected into mice. The development holds the promise of greater recovery for heart-attack patients. Unlike regular muscle cells, heart muscle cells may not heal after damage during a heart attack. The team from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda isolated the stem cells from the skeletal muscle of adult mice.
Quark Biotech links gene to AMD development (03/16)
(DRUGRESEARCHER.COM) A study has suggested the hypoxia inducible gene RTP801 may serve an important mechanistic role in the development of experimental chordial neovascularisation (CNV), the principal cause of Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD).
Gene-Silencing Technique Could Fight ALS (03/16)
(FORBES.COM) A technique that effectively silences a mutated gene responsible for some cases of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) shows promise as a treatment for the fatal motor neuron disease, say French researchers.
China Starts Testing AIDS Vaccine On Humans (03/16)
(HEALTHTALK.CA) China says it has started the first clinical trials of a new AIDS vaccine on a 20-year-old male volunteer. In the first phase, 49 volunteers between the ages 18 and 50 will take part in the testing, which is set to be carried out in three stages.
Food Additive Prevents Pre-Diabetes in Animals (03/16)
(TODAY.REUTERS.CO.UK) If new animal research pans out, a common food additive could one day make cheeseburgers and pizza less likely to promote diabetes. The compound, known as HPMC, is a form of fiber known as soluble cellulose that is currently used as a thickener in a range of processed foods, such as sauces and glazes. In experiments with hamsters, scientists found that when they added HPMC to the animals' high-fat diets, it prevented them from developing insulin resistance.
ID Biomedical vaccine OK for fast review (03/16)
(BUSINESSWEEK.COM) Canadian biotech company ID Biomedical Corp. on Tuesday said the Food and Drug Administration advised that its injectable Fluviral flu vaccine is eligible for accelerated approval and priority review.
Oily fish helps cut inflammation (03/16)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Scientists have discovered why a diet high in oily fish like salmon and mackerel may help improve inflammatory conditions such as arthritis. They have found a key anti-inflammatory fat in humans is derived from a fatty acid found in fish oil.
Acrylamide Levels In Food Should Be Reduced Because Of Public Health Concern Says UN Expert Committee (03/09)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) A summary report released today by a Joint Expert Committee of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that the unintentional contaminant acrylamide in certain foods may be of public health concern since it has been shown to cause cancer in animals. The report, by a committee of 35 experts from 15 countries, called for continued efforts to reduce acrylamide in food.
Component Of Green Tea Protects Injured Livers In Mice (03/09)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) A new study investigating the effects of the major flavonoid component of green tea on hepatic steatosis (fatty liver) found that it significantly protected livers that suffered ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in mice. I/R injury, which is caused by decreased blood flow, can lead to complications after liver transplantation.
Study finds 'smart' cells in cancer fight (03/09)
(NLM.NIH.GOV) Trying to teach the body to fight cancer, researchers say they have found some immune cells are "smarter" than others. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center scientists, working with collections of human cells, tested kill-rates of two kinds of T-cells "primed" to attack myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow.
Symbiotic bacteria protect hunting wasps from fungal infestation (03/09)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Researchers have discovered a fascinating symbiotic relationship between a wasp species and a newly discovered bacterial species - a relationship that potentially sheds light on how bacteria can be successfully utilized by higher organisms in defensive mechanisms against other microbes. In the new work, researchers show that a solitary ground-nesting wasp, the European beewolf, harbors Streptomyces bacteria in unique structures within its antennae and that females utilize these bacterial symbionts to protect the wasp larvae against pathogenic fungi.
Mouse gene shows new mechanism behind cardiac infarction in man, Karolinska Institutet (03/09)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) A gene that, in different variants, increases or decreases the level of atherosclerosis has been identified in mice. The corresponding human gene has been shown to play a role in the development of myocardial infarction. The results of the study is published this week on Nature Genetics Online.
Scientists discover that three overlapping signals in embryo help get the backbone right (03/09)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) A major step in the development of the vertebrate embryo - the establishment of a back that morphs into a brain, spinal cord and muscles - turns out to be so important that the body uses at least three signals to make sure it happens properly.
Computational tool predicts drugs action in cells (03/09)
(DRUGRESEARCHER.COM) Biomedical engineers and chemists have collaborated on a novel method that predicts how drugs work in cells. The tool will allow drug developers to design compounds that will act on a desired gene and protein targets, eliciting therapeutic responses without the side effects.
Allergy study: Roaches worse than furry pets (03/09)
(CNN.COM) WASHINGTON - Cockroaches worsen asthma symptoms in children far more than furry pets or dust mites, U.S. researchers reported Tuesday. High-rise apartments in Northeastern U.S. cities were the worst places for the allergic effects of cockroaches, the team at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas found. Single-family houses were the worst for dust mites -- miscroscopic creatures that live in bedding and furniture.
Stem cell therapy safety boosted (03/09)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) A new way of growing human embryonic stem cells in the laboratory will reduce the risk that their use in therapy could go wrong, say scientists. At present the cells are cultured using live animal cells which carries the risk of contamination with viruses and other harmful agents.
Sperm protein fertility aid hope (03/09)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Scientists have identified a protein essential for human sperm to fuse to an egg, which could lead to new methods of treating infertility. The Japanese team has named the protein Izumo, after a Japanese shrine dedicated to marriage.
UCLA Scientists Transform HIV Into Cancer-Seeking Missile (03/02)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) Camouflaging an impotent AIDS virus in new clothes enables it to hunt down metastasized melanoma cells in living mice, reports a UCLA AIDS Institute study in the Feb. 13 online edition of Nature Medicine. The scientists added the protein that makes fireflies glow to the virus in order to track its journey from the bloodstream to new tumors in the animals' lungs.
Tiny flies could lead to understanding potential for non-embryonic stem cells (03/02)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) It has long been thought that cells that regenerate tissue do so by regressing to a developmentally younger state. Now two University of Washington researchers have demonstrated that cells can regenerate without becoming "younger."
Embryonic Stem Cells Treated With Growth Factor Reverse Hemophilia In Mice: UNC Researchers (03/02)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers have made a discovery that may have implications for the treatment of liver-based genetic defects such as hemophilia A and B in humans. Mouse embryonic stem cells treated in culture with a growth factor and then injected into the liver reverse a form of hemophilia in mice analogous to hemophilia B in humans, the new study shows. A report of the study appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today.
First Human Cases of Two Retroviruses Discovered Among People in Contact With Monkey Meat in Cameroon (03/02)
(MEDICALNEWSTODAY.COM) Scientists have detected the first human cases of two retroviruses among two people in rural Cameroon who hunt monkeys and other primates, according to a study presented on Friday at the... 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston, the New York Times reports (Altman, New York Times, 2/26). Scientists from CDC and Johns Hopkins University discovered the first human cases of the retroviruses -- called Human T-Lymphotomic Virus types 3 and 4 -- while studying 930 residents of Cameroon who were "in frequent contact with monkey meat," AFP/Australian reports.
AIDS Drugs Might Combat Bird Flu (03/02)
(REUTERS.CO.UK) The anti-HIV drugs known as protease inhibitors may be effective against the bird flu virus, according to an Italian researcher. The H5N1 strain of avian flu has devastated poultry flocks in southeast Asia and caused the deaths of 47 people. It is considered a global health threat, because it could mutate into a strain that is easily passed from person to person, people have no immunity to it, and a vaccine would take months to produce.
Gene Switch Turns Stem Cells into Cancer Killers (03/02)
(BETTERHUMANS.COM) A gene has been discovered that turns stem cells into cancer killers, promising new treatments that boost the body's ability to destroy tumors. South Korean scientists from the Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology in Daejeon say that the gene, Vitamin D3 Upregulated Protein 1 (VDUP1), spurs stem cells to become natural killer cells.
Vital organs gave snakes their venom (03/02)
(NATURE.COM) When snakes evolved venom, they co-opted proteins from all over their bodies, says an analysis of 24 different toxins. Surprisingly, very tiny tweaks were enough to transform harmless proteins into deadly poison, and this may help drug designers to create proteins with precise biological effects.
Australian 'OPAL' Provides Hope For HIV Treatment (03/02)
(SCIENCEDAILY.COM) Australian researchers have made a major discovery in the fight against AIDS, with the development of a novel, simple and safe technique for boosting the body’s immune response to deadly viruses like HIV, which is even effective against drug resistant forms of the disease.
More Genetic Clues to Lung Cancer's Cause (03/02)
(ABCNEWS.GO.COM) Researchers say they've identified two gene mutations key to the development of lung cancer, with one occuring more often in people who've never smoked.
Mice optic nerves 'regenerated' (03/02)
(NEWS.BBC.CO.UK) Scientists say they have completely regenerated damaged optic nerves from the eye to the brain in mice. Experts say the work offers new hope for people with glaucoma, a condition in which raised pressure destroys the optic nerve.
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