Body

This review summarizes the literature on scleratrophic skin lesions as a manifestation of a Borrelia infection. An association of morphea with Lyme borreliosis LB was mainly reported from Middle-European Countries, Japan and South America. B. afzelii has been identified predominantly from the chronic skin lesions of acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans (ACA) and has been cultivated from morphea lesions in isolated cases. Scleratrophic skin lesions like morphea, lichen sclerosus etatrophicus (LSA) and anetoderma have been observed in coexistence with ACA.

Artificial molecules are like sheets of paper. Chemists can fold them into specific shapes. Transferring the shape of one molecule to another, however, poses a significant challenge.

An international research team describes the methods of winding up molecules into screw-shaped structures in the journal Angewandte Chemie. With the aid of artificial molecules, the researchers imitated the principles underlying the assigning a specific function to biomolecules in nature.

Structure determines function of molecules

AMHERST, Mass. - A group of seven independent researchers from universities and research institutions from Europe and the United States, including Thomas Zoeller, professor of biology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, believe they have paved the way to end a nearly three-year-long stalemate over legal requirements by the European Commission to provide criteria identifying endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and put to rest claims of a lack of consensus on the issue among scientists.

AUGUSTA, Ga. - Low levels of vitamin D in black teens correlates with low activity of a major mechanism for controlling gene expression that may increase their risk of cancer and other disease, researchers report.

Leesburg, VA, April 25, 2016-- Oral presentations delivered by some of the world's most renowned researchers and radiologists were among the highlights of the ARRS 2016 Annual Meeting recently in Los Angeles. The presentations covered 13 radiology subspecialities and were designed to provide innovative, educational information for conference attendees.

All presentations submitted were subjected to a highly-competitive review process to determine the most informative and best suited for the ARRS Annual Meeting. Among the top presentations were:

The European Commission is legally required to provide criteria identifying Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs), a process that has been blocked for almost three years, allegedly because of a lack of scientific consensus and because an impact assessment study was deemed necessary. Now, a group of 7 independent researchers from universities and research institutions from Europe and the United States* show how little controversy there is around the definition of EDCs, and that the simple logic used for the identification and regulation of carcinogens can be used for EDCs.

One of the largest and most important groups of dung beetles in the world evolved from a single common ancestor and relationships among the various lineages are now known, according to new research by an entomologist from Western Kentucky University.

Although the Himalayan wolf is visibly distinct from its European cousin, its current distribution has mostly been a matter of assumption, rather than evident truth. The most ancient wolf lineage, known to science, has been listed as Critically Endangered in the National Red List.

Now, an international research team, led by Madhu Chetri, graduate student at the Hedmark University of Applied Sciences, Norway, report the wolf from Nepal's largest protected area, thus confirming its existence in the country. Their findings are published in the open access journal ZooKeys.

Kyoto, Japan -- Teeth can reveal a lot, such as how the earliest mammals lived with their neighbors. Researchers have uncovered dozens of fossilized teeth in Kuwajima, Japan and identified this as a new species of tritylodontid, an animal family that links the evolution of mammals from reptiles. This finding suggests that tritylodontids co-existed with some of the earliest mammal species for millions of years, overturning beliefs that mammals wiped out mammal-like reptiles soon after they emerged.

Researchers working in the field of synthetic biology use components that occur in nature and combine them in a new way. This is how bacteria acquire functions that they hadn't previously possessed. This offers great potential for biotechnology.

Bacteria respond to temperature and metabolic products

A group of researchers from Osaka University, Hosei University, and Nagoya University have revealed the molecular mechanism that Vibrio cholerae, the etiological agent of cholera, is attracted by bile. This group has also successfully detected the ligand binding to the bacteria chemoreceptor in vivo for the first time. These results may significantly advance research on mechanism and control of V. cholerae.

These dire findings are the result of a new study by researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria and Wageningen University in the Netherlands, which examines the potential of a proposed action plan to save the lake under future scenarios of climate change. The study, published last week in the journal Science of the Total Environment, shows that under scenarios of moderate or intense climate change, the current plan will not be sufficient to protect the lake.

On the path to greatness, why do some become champions while others fall short? Coaches, parents, and aspiring athletes have all sought to answer this question. In their search for the optimal path to greatness, some believe that the path should be smoothed of all obstacles, while others say that such challenges are instrumental to talent development. Now, a recent study suggests that what really distinguishes champions is how they face and overcome such obstacles.

Combining marine fish oil, cocoa extract and phytosterols into a dietary supplement could offer new hope in the fight against heart disease, a new study suggests.

A collaborative study between Cardiff University scientists and South Wales-based nutritional supplement manufacturer, Cultech Ltd, examined the potential of combining the three ingredients as a means of preventing atherosclerosis or 'furring' of the arteries.

Amsterdam, April 25, 2016 - A new infection alert system in catheters could prevent serious infections in millions of hospital patients worldwide. The system, detailed in a new paper in Biosensors and Bioelectronics, changes the color of the urine so patients and carers can see easily if bacteria are starting to block the catheter.

The researchers who invented the new catheter infection alert, from the University of Bath, say it could help tackle these infections. It could also be beneficial for elderly people in care homes.