Body

Mapping out cell conversion

An international team of researchers from the Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS), the University of Bristol, Monash University and RIKEN have developed an algorithm that can predict the factors required to convert one human cell type to another. These game-changing findings, recently published online on 18 January 2016 in the journal Nature Genetics, have significant implications for regenerative medicine and lay the groundwork for further research into cell reprogramming.

New findings may enhance PARP inhibitors therapy in breast cancer

Findings from a new study reveal that PARP inhibitors, an emerging class of drugs being studied in cancer clinical trials, may be enhanced by combining them with inhibitors targeting an oncogene known as c-MET which is overexpressed in many cancers.

Scientists discover blueprint of body's heat sensor

DURHAM, N.C. -- Touch a hot stove, and your fingers will recoil in pain because your skin carries tiny temperature sensors that detect heat and send a message to your brain saying, "Ouch! That's hot! Let go!"

The pain is real and it serves a purpose, otherwise we'd suffer greater injury. But for many people with chronic pain, that signal keeps getting sent for months or years, even when there is no clear cause.

Ticks that transmit Lyme disease reported in nearly half of all US counties

Lyme disease is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis) and the western blacklegged tick (Ixodes pacificus), and the range of these ticks is spreading, according to research published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.

New app can help doctors predict risk of preterm birth

A new app called QUiPP could help doctors to better identify women at risk of giving birth prematurely. The app, developed at King's College London, was tested in two studies of high-risk women being monitored at ante-natal clinics.

Ads for candy-flavored e-cigarettes could encourage vaping among school children

Advertisements featuring e-cigarettes with flavours such as chocolate and bubble gum are more likely to attract school children to buy and try e-cigarettes than those featuring non-flavoured e-cigarettes, according to new research published in the journal BMJ Tobacco Control.

2-for-1 bacterial virulence factor revealed

We've all seen the headlines. "Man found to be shedding virulent strain of polio"; "Virulent flu strain in Europe hits the economy"; "Most virulent strain of E. coli ever seen contains DNA sequences from plague bacteria."

To most of us "virulent" means "aggressive," or just plain "bad," but to a microbiologist it has a more specific meaning. Virulent strains of bacteria are ones that produce "virulence factors," small molecules and proteins that convert a benign bacterium into a pathogen.

Who guided the national discussion on Ferguson?

The fatal shooting of Michael Brown on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, set off a national wave of dialogue and protests, from the streets to social media, as people nation­wide grappled with myriad complex issues, including police use of force, race relations in America, and criminal justice reform.

Link found between obesity and blood clots in pediatric patients

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Jan. 15, 2016 - Researchers at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center have found an association between obesity and the formation of blood clots in the veins of children and adolescents.

While obesity is a well-established risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adults, previous studies in pediatric populations have yielded mixed results. The Wake Forest Baptist investigation, however, found that obesity as determined by body mass index was a statistically significant predictor of blood clot formation in juveniles.

From tamoxifen to dendrogenin A: Discovery of a mammalian tumor suppressor metabolite

Researchers from the Cancer Research Center of Toulouse have conducted the first comprehensive review on dendrogenin A (DDA). DDA is a steroidal alkaloid arising from cholesterol and histamine cross-metabolization that they recently discovered. Importantly, they found that DDA is a tumor suppressor metabolite. Thus 100 years after the discovery of all-trans-retinoic acid, DDA appears as a rare example human metabolite promised to extensive basic research studies and clinical developments.

Genetic 'paint box' shuffled between butterfly species to create new wing patterns

New research on butterfly genomes has revealed that the genetic components that produce different splotches of colour on wings can be mixed up between species by interbreeding to create new patterns, like a "genetic paint-box".

Gregarious chimps harbor richer gut microbiomes

DURHAM, N.C. -- Spending time in close contact with others often means risking catching germs and getting sick. But being sociable may also help transmit 'good' microbes, finds a multi-institutional study of gut microbiomes in chimpanzees.

Researchers monitored changes in the gut microbes and social behavior of wild chimpanzees over eight years in Gombe National Park, Tanzania. They found that the number of bacteria species in a chimp's GI tract goes up when the chimps are more gregarious.

Sociable chimps harbor richer gut microbiomes

Spending time in close contact with others often means risking catching germs and getting sick. But being sociable may also help transmit beneficial microbes, finds a multi-institutional study of gut microbiomes in chimpanzees.

Predictability of DNA markers for population-level study based on species-level variation

Biologists who use molecular data to study evolutionary dynamics between closely related organisms, such as populations, are constantly searching for regions of the genome with high amounts of variability.

University of Alberta researcher tracks tyrannosaur's trail

Just outside the tiny town of Glenrock, Wyoming the footprints of a 66 million-year-old monster are cemented in stone. This fossil trackway was brought to light with the help of University of Alberta paleontologist Scott Persons, who first viewed the tracks as a 13-year-old while visiting the Glenrock Paleon Museum.