Body

COLUMBIA, Mo. (July 25, 2016) -- Full-term babies receive natural protection from their mothers that helps them fight off dangerous infections. However, babies born prematurely lack protective intestinal bacteria and often are unable to be nursed, causing their infection-fighting capabilities to be underdeveloped. Now, researchers at the University of Missouri School of Medicine have found that a manufactured form of lactoferrin, a naturally occurring protein in breast milk, can help protect premature infants from a type of staph infection.

HOUSTON - (July 25, 2016) - Regions in Texas differ widely in adherence to recommended cancer treatment for elderly patients, according to a study by researchers at Rice University and the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

These differences are not due to the availability of treatment specialists or the presence of teaching hospitals, the study found. The absence of consistent explanations for these treatment differences suggests that variations like these are likely to occur elsewhere nationwide.

COLUMBIA, Mo. - According to studies, approximately one out of every 40 individuals in the United States is a carrier of the gene responsible for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a neurodegenerative disease that causes muscles to weaken over time. Researchers at the University of Missouri developed a new molecule in April 2014 that was found to be highly effective in animal models exhibiting SMA. Now, testing of that compound is leading to a better prognosis for mice with the disease and the possibility of potential drugs that will improve outcomes for patients with SMA.

A study by researchers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA), Brigham and Women's Hospital and the California Department of Public Health suggests that all babies with a known mutation for cystic fibrosis (CF) and second mutation called the 5T allele should receive additional screening in order to better predict the risk of developing CF later in life.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 25, 2016 - A team of scientists led by the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a novel way to produce two-dimensional nanosheets by separating bulk materials with nontoxic liquid nitrogen. The environmentally friendly process generates a 20-fold increase in surface area per sheet, which could expand the nanomaterials' commercial applications.

In a study published in the Journal of American Geriatrics Society, researchers developed a "prediction score" to help healthcare professionals determine which older adults might be most at risk for developing pneumonia.

Pneumonia is a leading cause of sickness and death among older adults. About 40 percent of older adults with pneumonia are hospitalized and face high rates of complications and death. Risk factors for pneumonia include increasing age, chronic lung disease, smoking, being underweight, and having difficulty functioning.

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have developed the first placenta-on-a-chip that can fully model the transport of nutrients across the placental barrier.

The flash-drive-sized device contains two layers of human cells that model the interface between mother and fetus. Microfluidic channels on either side of those layers allow researchers to study how molecules are transported through, or are blocked by, that interface.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The fountain of youth may reside in an embryonic stem cell gene named Nanog.

In a series of experiments at the University at Buffalo, the gene kicked into action dormant cellular processes that are key to preventing weak bones, clogged arteries and other telltale signs of growing old.

The findings, published June 29 in the journal Stem Cells, also show promise in counteracting premature aging disorders such as Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.

WORCESTER--Variations in a gene with multiple functions in neurons are present in approximately 3 percent of all cases of ALS in North American and European populations, both sporadic and familial, making it one of the most common genetic causes of the disease, according to a paper published in Nature Genetics.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- Polylactic acid, or PLA, is a biodegradable polymer commonly used to make a variety of products from disposable cups to medical implants to drug delivery systems. A team of Brown University researchers has shown that by treating PLA at various temperatures and pressures, they can induce a new polymer phase in the material -- one that could possibly decrease the rate at which it degrades.

The results of clinical studies by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center (VAMC), reported in the July 2016 issue of Pharmacogenomics, demonstrate transcriptome-level linkages between racial disparities in circulating levels of vitamin D and expression of pro-inflammatory genes in African American (AA) patients with prostate cancer compared to European American (EA) patients.

Telomerase, an enzyme naturally found in the human organism, is the closest of all known substances to a "cellular elixir of youth." In a recent study, Brazilian and US researchers show that sex hormones can stimulate production of this enzyme.

The strategy was tested in patients with genetic diseases associated with mutations in the gene that codes for telomerase, such as aplastic anemia and pulmonary fibrosis. The authors say that the results suggest that the approach can combat the damage caused to the organism by telomerase deficiency.

What makes flowers on a plant almost identical, or internal organs remarkably reproducible?

A study of sepals in Arabidopsis plants published in the July 11 issue of the journal Developmental Cell has revealed the mystery of how such uniformity occurs. Though the research was done on sepals - the bud that holds a plant's reproductive organs - the researchers suspect similar mechanisms apply to organ development in all organisms. The study was conducted by an interdisciplinary team led by Cornell researchers.

Reporting in the journal Cell, Senior Research Scientist Dr. Ulrike Kusebauch, of Institute for Systems Biology (ISB), describes the results of a collaboration between scientists at ISB, ETH Zurich and a number of other contributing institutes to develop the Human SRMAtlas, a compendium of proteomic assays for any human protein.

Nagoya, Japan - Despite the extensive fossil record of mammals, it is often difficult to use fossil data to reconstruct the lifestyles and habitats of extinct species. The fact that some species spent all or part of their time underwater, respectively similar to modern-day whales and seals, further complicates this.