What: Researchers have discovered evidence that suggests a genetic variant may be associated with better preserved lung function among children with asthma and adults who smoke, according to a new study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health. The study also found an association between the genetic variant and a lowered risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in adults who smoke. COPD is a lung disease most common among smokers, which makes it difficult to breathe.
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QUEBEC, DECEMBER 2009 -- Companies and communities trying to restore vegetation on damaged northern landscapes should think twice about using fertilizer to stimulate growth according to new research published in the November issue of Arctic, Antarctic and Alpine Research.
Not all plants benefit from the use of fertilizers. In fact, some do worse.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Dec. 17, 2009 -- Scientists at Harvard University have used light and genetic trickery to trace out neurons' ability to excite or inhibit one another, literally shedding new light on the question of how neurons interact with one another in live animals.
PITTSBURGH, Dec. 17 – Stem cells that could one day provide therapeutic options for muscle and bone disorders can be easily harvested from the tissue of the umbilical cord, just as the blood that goes through it provides precursor cells to treat some blood disorders, said University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers in the online version of the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology.
The teeth of some apes are formed primarily to handle the most stressful times when food is scarce, according to new research* performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The findings imply that if humanity is serious about protecting its close evolutionary cousins, the food apes eat during these tough periods—and where they find it—must be included in conservation efforts.
An agreement in Copenhagen to fund reduced emissions from deforestation may generate multiple environmental and economic benefits if investments simultaneously target sites that are both carbon and biodiversity-rich.
But the new report, published today in the journal Conservation Letters, also warns of challenges in countries such as Brazil and parts of East Africa unless safeguards are followed.
"Based on our data, the molecular mechanism of infection employed by Salmonella has to be revised," says Klemens Rottner, head of the HZI research group "Cytoskeleton Dynamics". The group's results have now been published in the current issue of the scientific journal "Cellular Microbiology".
CHICAGO -- New research from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine has found that an alternative therapy may be possible for treating some types of hypertension using an enzyme called ACE2.
The research, conducted on mice in the laboratory of Daniel Batlle, M.D., professor of medicine at the Feinberg School and staff nephrologist at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, will appear in the January issue of Hypertension in a paper by lead author Jan Wysocki, a post-doctoral fellow in nephrology at the Feinberg School.
Shift work exposures can accelerate metabolic syndrome (MetS) development among the large population of middle-aged males with elevated alanine aminotransferase (ALT). Elevated serum alanine aminotransferase (e-ALT) is a common abnormality of health examinations in middle-aged working populations. It is unavoidable nowadays that a large number of asymptomatic workers with e-ALT may be asked to do rotating shift work on 24 h production lines.
The glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) and glutathione S-transferase T1 (GSTT1) null genotypes have been linked to increased risk of developing cancer. The results regarding the association between GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes and the risk of GC or CRC were contradictory. However, the majority of previous reports are limited by their small sample sizes. Therefore, the association of the GSTM1/GSTT1 null genotype with the risk of GC and CRC need to be confirmed in studies with larger numbers of samples.
It should be possible to use therapeutic vaccines to create both cheap and effective drugs for diseases like cancer and allergies. One problem in developing such vaccines has previously been the lack of adjuvants, substances that make vaccines more effective. However, there has now been a major breakthrough in this area. The study, led by scientists at Uppsala University, is published in the December issue of the journal Vaccine.
When cells accumulate excessive errors in the proteins they produce, apoptosis is activated, that is to say, a cell suicide programme; however, beforehand the cells attempt to rectify the problem through a number of rescue responses. Scientists know only the general outline of the mechanisms behind cellular "stress responses", the interactions between them and the molecular components involved. Researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) have designed a new tool to study rescue signalling pathways and cell suicide in depth.
Graphene -- A single-atom-thick sheet of carbon, like those seen in pencil marks -- offers great potential for new types of nanoscale devices, if a good way can be found to mold the material into desired shapes.
Chemists at the University of Illinois at Chicago say it's possible, reporting that graphene can become quite pliable using only a nanodroplet of water to do the job.
Scientists in Scotland, Canada and the US have proposed a new method to identify priority areas for whale conservation. The team's findings, published in Animal Conservation, suggest that even small protected areas, identified through feeding behaviour, can benefit highly mobile marine predators such as killer whales.
The medical establishment and politicians must do more to crack down on alternative medicine, argues a senior scientist on bmj.com today.
In 1909 the BMA, BMJ and politicians tried to end the marketing of secret remedies by uncovering the secret ingredients of popular products like Turlington's Balsam of Life, Mayr's wonderful stomach remedy, and Green Mountain magic pain remover.