Chemistry has provided many key tools and techniques to the biological community in the last twenty years. We can now make proteins that Mother Nature never thought of, image unique parts of live cells and even see cells in live animals. This week in ACS Central Science, three independent research groups from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and one from the University of Basel (UNIBAS) take these accomplishments a step further, reporting advances in both how proteins are made and how you can see their expression patterns in live animals.
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A group of researchers at Osaka University developed a method of the consecutive formation of bonds of two butadiene, alkyl groups, and benzene rings by using a cheap nickel catalyst. Using this technique, it has become possible to synthesize high-value terminal olefin by using cheap butadiene.
Multicomponent reactions are methods which are superior in economy and efficiency to methods of bonding molecules by repeating reactions, but it was necessary to control the number of molecules to be bonded and locations of the bonds, so their applications were limited.
A group of researchers at Osaka University found that if DNA damage response (DDR) does not work when DNA is damaged by radiation, proteins which should be removed remain instead, and a loss of genetic information can be incited, which, when repaired incorrectly, will lead to the tumor formation.
Around 8,800 people in the UK are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer each year. It is known as the UK's deadliest cancer, with a survival rate of just 3 per cent. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy alone are relatively unsuccessful in treating the disease, and while surgery to remove the tumour offers the best chance of survival, most patients are diagnosed when the cancer has already spread to other organs. A different approach is therefore needed to target the cancer more effectively.
New research from North Carolina State University finds that turnover among executive leaders at nonprofit organizations is often plagued by problems - with very few transitional periods mirroring the scenarios painted in the professional literature. The study also found that most nonprofit executives do not leave their positions due to voluntary retirement, as previously thought.
Zombie ants are only one of the fungi-insect relationships studied by a team of Penn State biologists in a newly compiled database of insect fungi interactions.
"I couldn't find a place with broad information about all groups of fungi that infect insects in the same study," said Joao Araujo, graduate student in biology. "When we organized the information, we started to understand things we wouldn't see before, because the literature was so spread."
Feeding at the breast may be healthier than feeding pumped milk from a bottle for reducing the risk of ear infection, and feeding breast milk compared with formula may reduce the risk of diarrhea, according to a recent study by researchers at The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital.
The double blind, randomised, placebo controlled feasibility RUTI trial, funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), is now underway in the primary care setting, where patients recruited to the trial via their GPs will be offered one of two treatment paths.
Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections are associated with high mortality, primarily due to delays in administration of effective treatment and the limited availability of effective treatment options. New antibiotics capable of replacing carbapenems, a last-line group of antibiotics used to treat patients infected with multidrug-resistant bacteria, are not likely to become available in the near future. Furthermore, CRE are adapted to spread in healthcare settings as well as in the community.
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND - The biennial Asia Pacific Lung Cancer Conference (APLCC 2016) was successfully organized in Chiang Mai, Thailand (13-15 May 2016) by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), Thai Society of Clinical Oncology (TSCO), Chiang Mai Lung Cancer Group and Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University (CMU). More than 870 participants from 26 countries with a wide range of expertise spanning prevention, treatment, research, and care and support fields actively participated in this regional meeting.
HANOVER, N.H. - Dartmouth College researchers are shedding light on the early chemical reactions in the organic sediments that would ultimately become the Marcellus Shale, a major source of natural gas and petroleum.
As the 69th World Health Assembly discusses progress on the Global Vaccine Action Plan, a new data visualization platform--from the International Vaccine Access Center (IVAC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH)--provides stark numbers on where shortfalls exist in vaccine introduction and cov
COLUMBUS, Ohio - A study shows which psychological characteristics of some new mothers may affect how they use Facebook to show off their baby.
The study looked at a specific group of moms - highly educated, mostly married Midwestern women who had full-time jobs - and found that those who felt societal pressure to be perfect moms and who identified most strongly with their motherhood role posted more frequently than others to Facebook.
Unlike the declining populations of many fish species, the number of cephalopods (octopus, cuttlefish and squid) has increased in the world's oceans over the past 60 years, a University of Adelaide study has found.
The international team, led by researchers from the University's Environment Institute, compiled a global database of cephalopod catch rates to investigate long-term trends in abundance, published in Cell Press journal Current Biology.
Men with blood cells that do not carry the Y chromosome are at greater risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and this is in addition to an increased risk of death from other causes, including many cancers, the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics will hear today (Tuesday). The paper is published today in the American Journal of Human Genetics*. The loss of the Y chromosome, or LOY, is known to affect up to 20% of men who are aged over 80, and is the most common genetic mutation acquired during a man's lifetime.