Body

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have for the first time shown that it is possible to derive from a human embryo so-called 'naïve' pluripotent stem cells - one of the most flexible types of stem cell, which can develop into all human tissue other than the placenta.

As well as a potential source of stem cells for use in regenerative medicine, the technique could open up new avenues of research into disorders such as Down's syndrome.

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have uncovered a protein that is key to the development of blood cancers caused by a common genetic error.

The discovery is a missing piece in the puzzle of understanding how high levels of a protein called MYC drive cancer development, and may to lead to future strategies for early treatment or possibly even prevention of these cancers.

Seventy per cent of human cancers have abnormally high levels of MYC, which forces cells into unusually rapid growth.

Ecologists have found that Australian river crayfish numbers plunged 90 per cent in an alpine region after their habitat was lost.Although alpine streams can be hotspots for the Murray Crayfish (Euastacus armatus), the population crashed after their preferred habitat, deeper pools containing plenty of boulders and overhanging shade trees, was swamped with sediment.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A new study offers the first atomic-scale view of an interaction between the HIV capsid - the protein coat that shepherds HIV into the nucleus of human cells - and a host protein known as cyclophilin A. This interaction is key to HIV infection, researchers say.

A paper describing the research appears in the journal Nature Communications.

Consuming a diet with a high glycemic index, a classification of how rapidly carbohydrates elevate blood sugar levels, was independently associated with an increased risk of developing lung cancer in non-Hispanic whites, according to a new epidemiologic study from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Cannabis use among people experiencing a first episode of psychotic illness is linked to a 50 per cent heightened risk of hospital admission--including compulsory detention (sectioning)--as well as longer inpatient stay, reveals the largest study of its kind, published in the online journal BMJ Open.

Cannabis use was also linked to higher numbers of prescriptions for different antipsychotic drugs, the findings show, suggesting that it may contribute to treatment failure, say the researchers.

Highlights

• Urine collected from preterm infants one day after birth often contains progenitor cells that can develop into mature kidney cells.
• The cells also have natural defenses that protect against cell death.

Washington, DC (March 3, 2016) -- Cells collected noninvasively from the urine of preterm infants may lead to breakthroughs in regenerative kidney repair for patients with kidney disease and injury, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN).

Hispanic middle school children, at high risk for being overweight or obese, reduced their Body Mass Index (BMI) when they adhered to a nutrition intervention that included a snack of peanuts, compared to those children who did not.

The 12-week study was conducted by researchers at the University of Houston Department of Health and Human Performance (HHP), Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Woman's University. Their findings are published in the Journal of Applied Research on Children.

Researchers at Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear have shown a link between mitochondrial dysfunction in corneal endothelial cells and the development of Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy. This study, published today in the journal, Antioxidants & Redox Signaling, is the first study to demonstrate that lifelong accumulation of oxidative DNA damage leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and subsequent cell death in the tissue of the corneal endothelium.

Women need daily doses of the antiviral medication Truvada to prevent HIV infection while men only need two doses per week due to the way the drug accumulates in different body tissues, according to a new study from pharmacy researchers the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Scientists, in four plenary talks, will explore a variety of subjects related to the "Computers in Chemistry" theme of the 251st National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), the world's largest scientific society. The meeting will take place March 13-17 in San Diego.

The presentations, which are among more than 12,500 scheduled to take place at the meeting, will be held on Sunday, March 13, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. PDT, in Room 20A-C of the San Diego Convention Center.

Artemia (the scientific name of the small crustacean that is also commonly known as 'sea monkey') is famous for being able to live in extreme environments and has become a model organism used to test the toxicity of chemicals in water. In addition, Artemia can produce dormant eggs, known as cysts, that can be stored for long periods and hatched on demand to provide a convenient form of live feed for the seafood industry, and 2000 tonnes of Artemia cysts per year are sold worldwide.

(Salt Lake City) - About eight percent of our DNA is viral in origin: remnants of ancient battles between infectious viruses and our ancestors. These so-called endogenous viruses are often perceived as a mere oddity with no clear biological significance. But a new study by scientists at the University of Utah School of Medicine shows that evolution has repurposed some of these viral remains into weapons against its own kind.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (March 3, 2016) - In a finding with enormous implications for cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, Whitehead Institute scientists have discovered that breaches in looping chromosomal structures known as "insulated neighborhoods" can activate oncogenes capable of fueling aggressive tumor growth.

LA JOLLA, CA - March 3, 2016 - A new study from scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) describes the high-resolution structure of the HIV protein responsible for recognition and infection of host cells.

The study, published today in the journal Science, is the first to show this HIV protein, known as the envelope (Env) trimer, in its natural or "native" form. The findings also include a detailed map of a vulnerable site at the base of this protein, as well as the binding site of an antibody that can neutralize HIV.