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Research sheds light on origins of "junk" DNA

In experiments with transgenic mice, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine researchers discovered the remaining steps in the complicated process of how the largest class of jumping genes replicates and inserts themselves within the human genome.

7 Feb 2006

Mechanism of torpor - hibernation-like state

If doctors could put people in hibernation and pull them out at will, scientists think they could minimize damage from strokes, help recipients' bodies accept transplanted organs, perhaps even enable astronauts to travel in suspended animation until reaching distant destinations.

7 Feb 2006

Intracellular observation of RNA metabolism will help identify disease-associated RNAs

For the first time, researchers can now peer inside intact cells to not only identify RNA-binding proteins, but also observe-in real-time-the intricate activities of these special molecules that make them key players in managing some of the cell's most basic functions.

7 Feb 2006

Alternative method to produce heparin

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have discovered an alternative way to produce heparin, a drug commonly used to stop or prevent blood from clotting.

7 Feb 2006

Ability for grammar hardwired into humans

Researchers have long wondered why certain fundamental characteristics of grammar are present in all languages, and now a team of scientists at the University of Rochester has found evidence that these properties are built into the way our brains work.

7 Feb 2006

Link between high levels of a protein HtrA1 and preeclampsia

Mayo Clinic researchers have found an association between abnormally high levels of a protein named HtrA1 and preeclampsia, a sudden and dangerous rise in blood pressure that can result in premature delivery, disability or death for mother and fetus.

5 Feb 2006

Obesity may accelerate the onset of type 1 diabetes in some

Obesity, long known as a cause of type II diabetes, may accelerate the onset of type 1 diabetes in some - but not all - groups of younger patients, according to research at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and six clinical sites nationally.

5 Feb 2006

New Saint Louis University research finds SIDS strikes premies later

Because premature and small babies are at risk for SIDS later and longer than full-term infants, pediatricians should adjust when they offer counseling to parents about preventing SIDS, according to research published by a Saint Louis University pediatrician who examined more than 8,000 SIDS deaths.

5 Feb 2006

Simple method to diagnose preeclampsia

Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that analyzing proteins in urine is a simple and objective method to diagnose and classify preeclampsia (PE), a complication of pregnancy causing high blood pressure after 20 weeks of gestation.

5 Feb 2006

Researchers discover lowered sensitivity to smell when lying down

Before giving flowers or scattering rose petals on Valentine's Day, make sure your significant other has already gotten out of bed. In a study published recently in the journal Chemical Senses, researchers at the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) at McGill University discovered that sensitivity to rose odour is greater in subjects that are sitting than in those lying down.

2 Feb 2006

Why anti-obesity cortisol reducing supplements do not work

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have revealed that the cortisol/obesity connection, touted by many weight-loss supplement marketers, may be even more tenuous than first thought.

2 Feb 2006

HMRI researcher lights a path to understanding brain diseases

Neurologist Mike Harrington of Pasadena, California's Huntington Medical Research Institutes argues that soon we may be able to detect brain disease before symptoms even begin. The secret is in the cerebrospinal fluid, the clear liquid that cushions our brain and spinal cord.

2 Feb 2006

Married, happy and rich, means you should look young!

According to Danish researchers, in order to hang on to your looks and retain a youthful demeanor all you need is happy family life and plenty of money.

2 Feb 2006

$Bones from blood: scientists aim to break new ground on fractures$

Bones from blood: scientists aim to break new ground on fractures

Scientists at the University of York have launched a new research project which aims to develop ways of making bones from blood.

2 Feb 2006

Preimplantation cell number may affect birthweight

Dr Lieberman et al. at the Department of Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Reproductive Biology at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston, USA have measured the quality of human embryos by counting and assessing the properties of their individual cells.

2 Feb 2006

Innovative approach to cartilage repair

Leeds bioengineers have developed an innovative technique for cartilage repair combining the self-healing powers of the body with stem cell science to help young people avoid debilitating knee problems and give hope to arthritis sufferers.

2 Feb 2006

Deer antlers provide important clues for stem cell research

Research carried out by veterinary scientists at the Royal Veterinary College reveals that deer antler regeneration may use stem cells and involves similar mechanisms to those used in limb development.

2 Feb 2006

Chinese medicine shows promise as treatment for sperm genetic abnormalities

Bioscientists from the University of Kent have called for clinical trials to further investigate how traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) may have a positive effect on sperm genetic abnormalities, and thereby influence the success rate of male infertility treatment.

2 Feb 2006

Copper could help prevent the spread of flu infections

Copper could help prevent the spread of flu infections. Recent research at the University of Southampton shows that the Influenza A virus is virtually eradicated within six hours on copper surfaces.

2 Feb 2006

Advance in the fight against bacterial infections

Bacterial infections can strike anyone, and they can sometimes be fatal. Because more and more bacteria are becoming resistant to the pre-eminent remedy - antibiotics - the search for new remedies against bacterial infections is in high gear.

2 Feb 2006