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Madison, WI , February 2, 2009 -- Promoting genetic diversity in crops is traditional practice for agriculture professionals, and with today's technology, scientists are able to develop breeding programs with great care for the security of crops. This is particularly important due to the numerous risks the world's food supplies face with the changing climate. Genetic diversity in a breeding program is essential as an insurance against unforeseeable changes in the environment and to maintain genetic progress.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – New research suggests that blocking the activity of a protein in the blood could offer powerful protection against some skin cancers.

In the study, normal mice and mice that had a genetically engineered protein deficiency were exposed to almost a year of ultraviolet light that mimics chronic sun exposure. The mice that lacked the protein developed fewer, smaller, less aggressive and less vascular skin cancer tumors than did the normal mice.

CHICAGO – A recent study conducted by Northwestern Memorial Hospital found that integrated team training and pre-operative discussions increase staff communication and teamwork, thus reducing the potential for operating room errors. The study, published in the February issue of Archives of Surgery, was conducted by implementing a communication model known in the airline industry as Crew Resource Management, which was tailored to the specific needs of a surgical environment.

In the first systematic analysis of threats to the biodiversity of the world's mediterranean-climate regions, scientists at The Nature Conservancy and UC Davis report that these conservation hotspots are facing significant and increasing pressure. The study, which appears in this week's edition of the journal Diversity and Distributions, is part of a global conservation assessment of the rare mediterranean biome.

A more specific and faster detection of viruses has been identified in new research by Trinity College Dublin's Professor of Physics, Martin Hegner at Trinity College's Centre of Research on Adaptive Nanostructures and Nanodevices (CRANN) and an international team of researchers. These findings have been published online in Nature News and will be published in the international peer-reviewed journal Nature Nanotechnology* in March.

Cholestatic neonatal jaundice can be the initial manifestation of a very heterogeneous group of illnesses of different etiologies; many of them are potentially serious condition that indicates hepatobiliary dysfunction. The rapid detection of cholestatic neonatal jaundice and timely and accurate diagnosis is challenging because of the gravity of this consequences, successful treatment and prognosis. However, there are no data available in the literature pertaining to the histologic features present in neonatal hepatitis to aid in the differential diagnosis of IHNC.

Over the last 20 years the overall survival of patients with advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) has improved with the use of combinations of new cytotoxic chemotherapy agents with monoclonal antibodies that are targeted to tumor expressed antigens. Most of this improvement has come from data obtained from clinical trials performed on patients recruited to specialized university-based hospitals which have experience in dealing with the delivery, and managing the toxic side effects of these agents.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma), a member of the family of ligand-activated nuclear receptor transcription factors, is expressed in many human solid tumors. It was reported that activation of PPAR-gamma can inhibit the growth of pancreatic carcinoma cells, colon cancer cells, gastric cancer cells and liposarcoma cells. Some in vitro studies have recently reported that PPAR-gamma activation has inhibitory effects on the growth of pancreatic carcinoma cells, probably due to its up-regulation of cellular apoptosis and its down-regulation of tumor invasion.

Scientists at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, Stanford University School of Medicine and other centers have identified a mechanism by which a chronic form of leukemia can progress into a deadlier stage of the disease. The findings may provide physicians with an indicator of when this type of cancer – chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) – is progressing, enabling them to make more accurate prognoses for the disease and improved treatment choices.

A key finding is that the MI risk is more than twice as great in individuals who carry not only one but several of the genetic markers. Three studies on genetic markers and MI risk have now been published in the current online issue of the renowned journal Nature Genetics.

To achieve this, Carlos A. Guzmán, Head of the "Vaccinology and Applied Microbiology" working group and Robert Geffers, Head of the "Gene Expression Analysis" platform, examined the incidence and species of special defence cells, T helper cells, along with their role in the development of the disease in conjunction with their Indian colleagues. With the aid of genetic analysis, they showed how the genes in these immune cells are regulated differently according to the development of the disease.

Six-year vitamin E supplementation decreased mortality by 41% in elderly male smokers who had high dietary vitamin C intake, but increased mortality by 19% in middle-aged smokers who had high vitamin C intake, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Cancer cells need a lot of nutrients to multiply and survive. While much is understood about how cancer cells use blood sugar to make energy, not much is known about how they get other nutrients. Now, researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine have discovered how the Myc cancer-promoting gene uses microRNAs to control the use of glutamine, a major energy source. The results, which shed light on a new angle of cancer that might help scientists figure out a way to stop the disease, appear Feb. 15 online at Nature.

Park Ridge, Ill. (February 17, 2009) – A research review published recently in Nutrition Today(1) affirms that the high-quality protein in eggs makes a valuable contribution to muscle strength, provides a source of sustained energy and promotes satiety. High-quality protein is an important nutrient for active individuals at all life stages, and while most Americans consume the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for protein, additional research suggests that some Americans are not consuming enough high-quality protein to achieve and maintain optimal health.(2,3,4)

Researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health have found that dengue transmission in Puerto Rico is dependent upon local climate and short-term changes in temperature and precipitation. Details are published February 17 in the open-access journal PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.