Cambridge, Mass., January 11, 2010 – The subtle but ongoing pressures of human evolution could explain the seeming rise of disorders such as autism, autoimmune diseases, and reproductive cancers, researchers write in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Certain adaptations that once benefited humans may now be helping such ailments persist in spite of – or perhaps because of – advancements in modern culture and medicine.
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Taking a more strongly evidence-based approach to medicine would help the US healthcare system recover its ranking among other nations and improve quality, access, efficiency, equity and healthy lives, according to a report published in the International Journal of Public Policy this month.
Two new studies showing that protein bits produced by unusual "reading" of the HIV genome can induce immune responses will appear online in the Journal of Experimental Medicine on Jan. 11 (www.jem.org).
A new and previously unknown species of spider has been discovered in the dune of the Sands of Samar in the southern Arava region by a team of scientists from the Department of Biology in the University of Haifa-Oranim. Unfortunately, however, its habitat is endangered. "The discovery of this new spider illustrates our obligation to preserve the dune," says Dr. Shanas, who headed the team of scientists.
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, January 11, 2010 - A new study by a researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) reveals that physicians' moods impact the number of prescriptions, referrals and lab tests ordered, as well as the amount of time they spend talking with their patients.
Spanish scientists have described the lichen Phylloblastia fortuita, new to the Iberian Peninsula and to science. Another species from the same family, Phylloblastia dispersa, is also a new entry for Europe and is the first time it has been found outside the tropics.
Foliicolous lichens, symbiosis between fungi and algae, are organisms associated with tropical or sub-tropical climates, and their presence in environments such as the Iberian Peninsula, outside of the tropics, is associated with conditions of very stable ecological and environmental conditions
Jerusalem, January 11, 2010 – Why do some people like to take risks by playing "longshot" payoffs while, on the other hand, taking the opposite tack by buying insurance to reduce risks? A team of economists and molecular geneticists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and two Asian universities say the answer can be found in our genetic makeup.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have discovered a molecular security system in human cells that deactivates and degrades foreign DNA. This discovery could open the door to major improvements in genetic engineering and gene therapy technologies.
Led by Reuben Harris, associate professor of biochemistry, molecular biology and biophysics in the College of Biological Sciences, the report's findings will be published online by Nature Structural and Molecular Biology on Jan. 10.
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that impact almost every aspect of biology. In recent years, they have been strongly implicated in stem cell biology, tissue and organism development, as well as human conditions ranging from mental disorders to cancer. For the most part, miRNAs control gene expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) targets. Unlike mRNAs, which are translated into proteins, miRNAs function as short, untranslated molecules that regulate specific mRNAs through base-pairing interactions.
The IU and Stanford team reported in 2008 in the journal Science that in laboratory tests Alda-1 bypassed the body's usual signaling system and activated the ALDH2 enzyme directly, reducing damage to heart muscle tissue. That finding raised the possibility of new treatments for heart attacks, methods to protect hearts during open heart surgery, organ transplants, stroke and other situations in which blood flow is interrupted.
An experimental compound repaired a defective alcohol metabolism enzyme that affects an estimated 1 billion people worldwide, according to research supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). The findings, published Jan. 10, 2010 in the advance online edition of Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, suggest the possibility of a treatment to reduce the health problems associated with the enzyme defect.
Work done in part by researchers at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston has led to the discovery of two new genes that are implicated in ankylosing spondylitis (AS), an inflammatory and potentially disabling disease. In addition, the international research team pinpointed two areas along stretches of DNA that play an important role in regulating gene activity associated with the arthritic condition.
ANN ARBOR, Mich.---A strip of paper infused with carbon nanotubes can quickly and inexpensively detect a toxin produced by algae in drinking water.
Engineers at the University of Michigan led the development of the new biosensor.
The paper strips perform 28 times faster than the complicated method most commonly used today to detect microcystin-LR, a chemical compound produced by cyanobacteria, or blue-green algae. Cyanobacteria is commonly found on nutrient-rich waters.
Researchers at Oregon State University and the University of Georgia have developed an improved, more efficient method to test for the most serious of the parasitic worms in sheep, a problem that causes hundreds of millions of dollars in losses every year to the global sheep and wool industry.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- A cell type that causes significant scarring in lung disease appears to have a similar effect in Graves' disease, University of Michigan Health System researchers have found. The cells, called fibrocytes, are present at a higher than normal frequency in patients with Graves' disease, according to a new study, the first to associate fibrocytes with this autoimmune disease.
The discovery is a major step forward in explaining how and why the orbit of the eye is subject to scarring and inflammation in Graves' disease.