Body | Page 4987 | Science Codex

Caltech engineers build firast-ever multi-input 'plug-and-play' synthetic RNA device

PASADENA, Calif.--Engineers from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have created a "plug-and-play" synthetic RNA device--a sort of eminently customizable biological computer--that is capable of taking in and responding to more than one biological or environmental signal at a time.

In the future, such devices could have a multitude of potential medical applications, including being used as sensors to sniff out tumor cells or determine when to turn modified genes on or off during cancer therapy.

Radiation in your backyard ... sometimes

Modern nuclear techniques are giving the world's scientists and regulators better tools to fight pollution and other environmental threats – even those that may be lurking naturally at the beach or near your backyard. Many of the world's top "radioecologists" are in Morocco this week to assess a dynamic picture.

Human protein atlas will help pinpoint disease

Researchers in Sweden are compiling a remarkable 'atlas' that pinpoints the location of thousands of individual proteins in the body's tissues and cells which will give scientists important insights into the function of different proteins and how changes in the distribution of proteins could be reflected in diseases such as cancer. Professor Mathias Uhlén of the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, who is leading the project, said, "We are trying to map the building blocks of life."

Georgetown University Med Center reproductive health researchers tackle public health concerns

Washington, DC. – Involving men in family planning, partner communication about sex and sexual health, and tailoring teen specific reproductive health services are among the cutting-edge topics being presented by researchers from Georgetown University's Institute for Reproductive Health at the American Public Health Association's 136th Annual Meeting Oct. 25-29 in San Diego – the world's largest public health gathering.

GEN reports on novel tools for deciphering biological networks

New Rochelle, NY, October 17, 2008—Systems biology scientists from diverse areas of research are developing a range of methods to model pathways, interpret data, and derive therapeutic targets from biological networks, reports Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News (GEN).

New antibiotic candidates from Braunschweig

Scientists discover bacteria that can cause bone infections

Scientists have discovered that a bone infection is caused by a newly described species of bacteria that is related to the tuberculosis pathogen. The discovery may help improve the diagnosis and treatment of similar infections, according to an article published in the October issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.

New research shows that the smell of smoke does not trigger relapse in quitters

Research into tobacco dependence published online today (Friday 17 October 2008) in the November issue of Addiction, has shown that recent ex-smokers who find exposure to other people's cigarette smoke pleasant are not any more likely to relapse than those who find it unpleasant.

Scientists from Granada find a potential treatment to prevent diabetes and obesity

This press release is available in French and Spanish.

When the ill need protection from the cure

In the quest to discover the root of illnesses, patients have to undergo an increasing number of scans and tests that may involve the use of ionising radiation to detect the source and scope of an ailment. However, this practice could also put patients at risk.

Study finds value in 'junk' DNA

For about 15 years, scientists have known that certain "junk" DNA -- repetitive DNA segments previously thought to have no function -- could evolve into exons, which are the building blocks for protein-coding genes in higher organisms like animals and plants. Now, a University of Iowa study has found evidence that a significant number of exons created from junk DNA seem to play a role in gene regulation.

The findings, which increase understanding of how humans differ from other animals, including non-human primates, appear Oct. 17 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics.

Researchers identify genetic switch critical for cell survival in hypoxia

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a critical metabolic "switch" in fruit flies that helps oxygen-deprived cells survive.

Hypoxia-induced injury occurs in the case of heart attack, stroke or other neurological or respiratory conditions which diminish the supply of oxygen to vital tissues and organs. Scientists know that most life forms are able to somehow suppress non-essential activity in order to survive oxygen deprivation, but they didn't know why or how this metabolic slowdown occurred.

Aspirin does not prevent heart attacks in patients with diabetes

Taking regular aspirin and antioxidant supplements does not prevent heart attacks even in high risk groups with diabetes and asymptomatic arterial disease, and aspirin should only be given to patients with established heart disease, stroke or limb arterial disease, according to a study published today on bmj.com.

Molecular defect for 1 form of male factor infertility uncovered

The sperm that successfully fertilizes an egg triggers a series of events, known collectively as egg activation, that are considered the first step in the initiation of embryo development. Detection of egg activation is used by clinics to determine whether an in vitro fertilization procedure (a process whereby egg cells are fertilized by sperm in a test tube) has been successful. The sperm of some patients who repeatedly fail the in vitro fertilization technique ICSI, which is used to treat male factor infertility, fail to induce egg activation, and the patients are therefore sterile.

Study reveals embolic neuroprotection system reduces risk of cardiac events

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 16, 2008 – Results of a study on the use of the FiberNet® Embolic Protection System in carotid artery stenting were reported today during the 20th annual Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) scientific symposium, sponsored by the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF). The research showed a low number of strokes and cardiac events in patients who had stents implanted utilizing a new embolic neuroprotection system during carotid stenting with commercial stents.