Researchers have discovered key details of how rheumatoid arthritis (RA) destroys bone, according to a study published in the Aug. 22 edition of the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The findings are already guiding attempts to design new drugs to reverse RA-related bone loss and may also address more common forms of osteoporosis with a few adjustments.
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University of Queensland researchers have traced the origins of one of the most important steps in animal evolution – the development of nerves.
Professor Bernie Degnan, from UQ's School of Integrative Biology, together with PhD student Gemma Richards and colleagues from France, have traced the evolution of the nerve cell by looking for pre-cursors in, of all places, the marine sponge.
"Sponges have one of the most ancient lineages and don't have nerve cells," Professor Degnan said.
Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC (20 August, 2008) – Offering health tests and health consultations in primary care settings can be cost-effective and may help in the fight against the increased burden of lifestyle diseases, according to new research published today in the Scandinavian Journal of Public Health (August issue published this week by SAGE).
SANTA CRUZ, CA--The field of particle physics is poised to enter unknown territory with the startup of a massive new accelerator--the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)--in Europe this summer. On September 10, LHC scientists will attempt to send the first beam of protons speeding around the accelerator.
New York, NY (August 20, 2008) - An original study, published in the September issue of the American Journal of Nursing (AJN), revealed that graduated compression stockings were used incorrectly in 29% of the patients and sized incorrectly in 26% of the patients. These stockings play an important role in preventing the formation of deep vein clots that can result in pulmonary complications and death.
Some years ago, within the Department of Conservation Biology of the Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas; Seville, Spain), a recently established group (colloquially named the Night Ecology Group) started to explore the possibility of visual communication in crepuscular and nocturnal birds.
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Turning up the heat on the red tomato during processing has the potential to give the popular garden staple added disease-fighting power, Ohio State University research suggests.
Scientists have found that lycopene molecules in tomatoes that are combined with fat and subjected to intense heat during processing are restructured in a way that appears to ease their transport into the bloodstream and tissue. The tomato is the primary food source of lycopene, a naturally occurring pigment linked to the prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases.
DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University chemists have patented an efficient technique for synthesizing a marine algae extract in sufficient quantities to now test its ability to inhibit the growth of cancerous cells while leaving normal cells unaffected.
The researchers also deduced that this molecule -- called largazole -- acts on cells through the same chemical mechanism as other anti-cancer compounds on the market or in clinical trials. "It's a very exciting molecule," said Jiyong Hong, a Duke assistant chemistry professor.
The research by Gui Feng & Yu Ge showed the relative role of natural, climate-induced changes versus human-related activities in nutrient transportation changed over time. The study has been reported in Volume 53, Number 15 (August, 2008) of Chinese Science Bulletin because of its significant impact on lake eutrophication study.
New York, NY, August 20, 2008—The proportion of working-age Americans who have medical bill problems or who are paying off medical debt climbed from 34 percent to 41 percent between 2005 and 2007, bringing the total to 72 million, according to recent survey findings from The Commonwealth Fund. In addition, 7 million adults age 65 and over also had problems paying medical bills, for a total of 79 million adults with medical bill problems or medical debt.
STEM cell scientists have developed a more accurate way of identifying aggressive forms of bowel cancer, which should eventually lead to better treatment and survival rates.
The UK-led team, headed by scientists from Durham University and the North East England Stem Cell Institute, (NESCI*), studied tissue samples from 700 colorectal cancer patients and tracked their progress.
They found that patients who had a stem cell marker protein called Lamin A present in their tissue were more likely to have an aggressive form of the disease.