New Rochelle, NY, April 19, 2010—Laboratory research and clinical studies are beginning to demonstrate that DNA vaccines can be as effective as traditional vaccines, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). A number of factors are driving the growth of the field, especially new approaches to electroporation, vaccine formulation, and vector design, according to the April 15 issue of GEN (http://www.genengnews.com/articles/chitem.aspx?aid=3247).
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New research provides crucial insight into the pathogenic mechanisms of Parkinson's disease (PD), a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. The study appears in the April 19 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (www.jcb.org).
There are striking differences in the cardiovascular risk profiles of four ethnic groups — white, Chinese, South Asian and black — living in Ontario, Canada, found a new study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj091676.pdf.
New immigrants, especially women and those of South Asian or African descent, have a higher risk of diabetes compared with long-term residents of Ontario, found a research study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj091551.pdf.
A substance found in breast milk can kill cancer cells, reveal studies carried out by researchers at Lund University and the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Researchers have discovered a new disorder linked to heart problems that stems from a genetic defect in the protein glycogenin. In a worst case scenario, disruption of this protein's function can lead to cardiac arrest, which is exactly what happened to the young man whose case triggered the investigation at Sahlgrenska University Hospital at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, that led to a brand new diagnosis.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pathology have discovered a set of four biomarkers that will help predict which patients are more likely to develop aggressive colorectal cancer and which are not. The findings also shed light on the genetics that result in worse colorectal cancer-treatment outcomes for African-Americans, compared with Caucasians, the researchers said.
Researchers at the Sven Lovén Centre for Marine Sciences at the University of Gothenburg have discovered a brand new species of bacterium found only in the Gullmarsfjord north of Gothenburg. The bacterium has been named Endoxenoturbella lovénii to honour the newly founded marine research center.
"Two lung cancer tumors might appear identical under a microscope and have the same staging, but they behave differently," said Waun Ki Hong, M.D., head of M.D. Anderson's Division of Cancer Medicine and principal investigator on the BATTLE grant from the U.S. Department of Defense. "The name of the game now is to treat based on the molecular defects in the tumor."
BATTLE identifies potential biomarkers
TORONTO, ON -- Inuit preschoolers in Nunavut are as tall as their U.S. counterparts but they're also heavier, according to a new study published in the online edition of the International Journal of Circumpolar Health.
This represents a remarkable change from previous work showing Inuit infants began life with equivalent birth lengths, but were falling behind by the time they were six months old.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Department of Pathology have discovered a set of four biomarkers that will help predict which patients are more likely to develop aggressive colorectal cancer and which are not. The findings also shed light on the genetics that result in worse colorectal cancer-treatment outcomes for African-Americans, compared with Caucasians, the researchers said.
The fifth Howler Monkey census at the Smithsonian's Barro Colorado Island research station in Panama, organized by Katie Milton, professor in the department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management at the University of California, Berkeley, revealed that monkey numbers have not changed significantly since the first census 33 years ago.
Long before dawn on March 19 and 20, Katie Milton and a group of stalwart volunteers, each armed with flashlight and compass, spread out into the jungle to find 35 predetermined listening stations marked on their maps of the island.
A new study suggests that jewel scarab beetles find each other—and hide from their enemies—using the same technology that creates the 3D effects for the blockbuster movie Avatar.
According to researchers from the University of Texas, the jewel scarab species Chrysina gloriosa can distinguish between circularly polarized and unpolarized light. That ability could provide the beetles with a tremendous advantage, the researchers say, because most of the light reflected off these beetles' colorful bodies happens to be circularly polarized.
Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm of the pancreas (IPMN) shows a wide spectrum of histological presentations, ranging from adenoma with mild atypia to adenocarcinoma. In general, branch duct IPMN develops slowly and has a comparatively good prognosis. However, in several studies, it became evident that IPMN is a disease that very frequently coexists with cancer. Several investigators have suggested that the prognosis of the IPMN is more closely related to coexisting diseases than IPMN per se.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the most common life-threatening autosomal recessive disease in Caucasian children; it has an incidence of 1 case in every 2500 children born alive. CF involves an anomalous function of the exocrine glands, caused by a mutation of a gene (cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, CFTR) located on chromosome 7, which codes for a protein involved in ion transport through the cell membrane. Pulmonary complications are the most common causes of mortal¬ity, but the presenting symptoms are very often linked to gastrointestinal and pancreatic biliary diseases.