Body

NYU Langone Medical Center researchers have developed a powerful new method to investigate the discrete steps necessary to turn on individual genes and examine how the process goes wrong in cancer and other diseases. The finding, based on seven years of research and described in the April 9 issue of Molecular Cell, allows scientists to investigate the unfolding of DNA, a process required for gene activation.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Press freedoms are eroding as courts step in to restore personal privacy battered by an explosion of tabloid reporting on the Internet and 24-hour news outlets hungry for fresh stories, a study by a University of Illinois legal expert warns.

Amy Gajda says long-held boundaries for news coverage have narrowed in a recent spate of privacy rulings, which could ultimately have a chilling effect on mainstream journalists whose watchdog role helps safeguard against corruption and other misconduct.

Kidney damage associated with chronic reflux is the fourth leading cause of chronic kidney disease and is the most common cause of severe hypertension in children. Doctors and researchers at Nationwide Children's Hospital have developed a new mouse model of vesicoureteral reflux (VUR), a common childhood condition that can lead to chronic kidney disease in children.

COLLEGE STATION, April 8, 2010 - Two well-preserved skeletons of a human ancestor never before seen have been discovered in South Africa by a team that includes a Texas A&M University anthropologist.

OTTAWA – In today's world more geographic information is being collected about us, such as where we live, where the clinic we visited is located, and where we work. Web sites are also collecting more geographic information about their users. This location information makes it easier to identify individuals, which can raise privacy concerns when location is coupled with basic demographics and sensitive health information. Individuals living in small areas tend to be more easily identifiable because they are unique on their local demographics.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University anthropologist Kristian J. Carlson today (April 8) joined an international team of six other scientists announcing discovery of the fossil remains of a new species of early man that could help rewrite the path of human evolution.

Two partial skeletons unearthed from a cave in South Africa belong to a previously unclassified species of hominid that is now shedding new light on the evolution of our own species, Homo sapiens, researchers say. The newly documented species, called Australopithecus sediba, was an upright walker that shared many physical traits with the earliest known Homo species—and its introduction into the fossil record might answer some key questions about what it means to be human.

New research by the University of East Anglia (UEA) shows no risk in combining two commonly-prescribed treatments for patients at risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Published this month in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, the study is the largest investigation yet into concerns of an adverse interaction between Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) and the antiplatelet drug clopidogrel.

Surface ozone levels in the south west of the Iberian Peninsula usually exceed the protection threshold established by EU regulations for people and plants in spring and summer, according to data gathered between 2000 and 2005 by four measuring stations in Huelva, one of them next to the Doñana National Park.

The efficacy of interferon (IFN) therapy depends on the hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype, pretreatment viral load and early viral kinetics. Thus, IFN therapy must be individualized and optimized according to the virological and clinical status of each patient.

Previous studies have shown that GI is a reproducible measure of day-long postprandial glycemia. Over 2480 GI values of individual food items were listed in the recent edition of international tables of GI and GL. The relationship between food GI and human health has been largely investigated and is still one of the research hotspots in this research field. During recent years, the GI values of some local foods have been measured in different Asian countries because most of the published GI data are based on analysis carried out in western countries.

ST. LOUIS – A study co-authored by a Saint Louis University researcher found telaprevir, a protease inhibitor, combined with standard hepatitis C treatment, cures a significantly higher number of difficult-to-treat patients than standard treatment alone. The findings were published in the April issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Recql5 is a member of the mammalian RecQ helicase family. Genetic mutations that result in loss of RecQ helicase activity give rise to disorders that are associated with cancer predisposition and premature aging, such as Bloom, Werner, and Rothmund-Thomson syndromes. This class of enzymes is best known for their role in maintaining the integrity of the genome to prevent oncogenic mutations.

Gastric cancer in Mexico is the most frequent gastrointestinal malignant neoplasm. Several precursor conditions, such as chronic gastritis, have been associated with the development of gastric cancer. The gelatinases MMP-2 and MMP-9, members of the metalloproteinase family, are fundamental enzymes in extracellular matrix remodelling. The extracellular matrix is composed of secreted molecules outside cells which provides structural support and regulates cell behaviour.