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Poplar bud extracts can serve as good source of antioxidants for skin creams

Antioxidants are popular anti-aging ingredients in skin creams, and now scientists are reporting a new source of these healthful substances - leaf buds of poplar trees. Their study appears in the ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

9 Jun 2011

Decline of citrate concentration may contribute to bone brittleness

Bone is one of nature's surprising "building materials." Pound-for-pound it's stronger than steel, tough yet resilient. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have identified the composition that gives bone its outstanding properties and the important role citrate plays, work that may help science better understand and treat or prevent bone diseases such as osteoporosis.

9 Jun 2011

Adjuvant combination generates memory CD8 T cells which could kill infected cells

Researchers at National Jewish Health have discovered how to prime a second arm of the immune system to potentially boost influenza vaccine effectiveness. A combination of two adjuvants, chemicals used to boost the effectiveness of some vaccines, induced CD8, or killer, T cells to join antibodies in response to influenza infection.

9 Jun 2011

Eliminating ABCB5-expressing cells crucial for successful colorectal cancer treatment

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston have found a marker called ABCB5 that both tags a small proportion of cells within colorectal cancers and fuels resistance in those cells to standard treatments. The results indicate that eliminating ABCB5-expressing cells is crucial for successful colorectal cancer treatment, while adding to the growing body of evidence for a theory of cancer growth called the cancer stem cell hypothesis.

9 Jun 2011

Key molecule of vascular system directs axons during neural circuit formation

Dr. Fr-d-ric Charron, researcher at the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montr-al (IRCM), and his team have shown for the first time that a key molecule of the vascular system directs axons during the formation of neural circuits.

9 Jun 2011

Emphysema gene linked to lung cancer

A gene linked to emphysema also can be a factor for developing lung cancer unrelated to cigarette smoking, UT Southwestern Medical Center research indicates. Smoking was the only known risk factor previously associated with both diseases.

9 Jun 2011

High-fat diet may cause brain nerve cell injury

Obesity among people who eat a high-fat diet may involve injury to neurons, or nerve cells, in a key part of the brain that controls body weight, according to the authors of a new animal study. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 93rd Annual Meeting in Boston.

9 Jun 2011

Rockefeller, Scripps Research develop first genetically humanized mouse model for hepatitis C

Scientists at Rockefeller University and The Scripps Research Institute have developed the first genetically humanized mouse model for hepatitis C, an achievement that will enable researchers to test molecules that block entry of the hepatitis C virus into cells as well as potential vaccine candidates. The finding is reported in the June 9 issue of the journal Nature.

9 Jun 2011

Valuable insight into how people develop B-cell lymphoma

Researchers from the University of Sheffield have discovered valuable insight into how people develop B-cell lymphoma, one of the most common cancers in the UK.

9 Jun 2011

Researchers identify key molecule responsible for breast tumor metastasis

Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified a key player in the spread of breast cancer. The findings, published today in the online edition of Nature, identify a critical molecule that helps cancer spread beyond the primary tumor.

9 Jun 2011

UC Davis and BGI partner to conduct large-scale genome sequencing and functional genomics programs

The University of California, Davis, and BGI, the world's largest genome sequencing institute, agreed today (June 8) to form a partnership to conduct large-scale genome sequencing and functional genomics programs, focusing initially on the areas of food security; human and animal health and wellness; and biodiversity and environmental health.

8 Jun 2011

Therapeutic equivalent to replace penicillin

Antibiotics are among the greatest achievements of medical science. But lately the former multi-purpose weapon fails in the battle against infectious diseases. Bacteria are increasingly developing resistance to antibiotics. Researchers have now found a therapeutic equivalent which could replace penicillin and related phamaceuticals.

8 Jun 2011

Single molecule telomerase activator could extend human cell life indefinitely

When expressed (turned on), the gene (hTERT) located on Chromosome number 5p15.33 activates the enzyme telomerase. Human cells can keep living and dividing indefinitely when telomerase is continually present; i.e. the cells become immortal. Telomerase Activation Sciences, Inc. (T.A. Sciences®) announces TA-65® can extend human cell life indefinitely. TA-65® is a single molecule telomerase activator that turns on the Immortality Gene under controlled laboratory conditions.

8 Jun 2011

Study determines surfactant protein-D as 'a good predictor' of cardiovascular disease

A blood protein known as surfactant protein-D (SP-D), which is mainly synthesised in the lungs, has been described as "a good predictor" of cardiovascular disease following a large study in North America.

8 Jun 2011

New research on spinal muscular atrophy

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is the leading genetic cause of death in children under 2, with no treatment other than supportive care. In the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at Children's Hospital Boston show how loss or mutation of the SMA gene causes progressive muscle degeneration and weakness, and suggest a promising approach to treating the condition, sometimes referred to as a "Lou Gehrig's disease of babies."

8 Jun 2011

Scientists find neuronal cells die in Alzheimer's disease

In what they are calling a new direction in the study of Alzheimer's disease, UC Santa Barbara scientists have made an important finding about what happens to brain cells that are destroyed in Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.

8 Jun 2011

New insights into understanding of neurological disorders

Increasingly sophisticated imaging tools and techniques are emerging that make it possible to probe the organization and activity of the brain at the cellular and molecular level, leading to a better understanding of the complex networks that link brain structure and function.

8 Jun 2011

Self-assembling mini devices now enlisted in nanomedicine revolution

Measured in billionths of a meter, self-assembling nano-sized devices designed to carry drugs and imaging agents into the body are revolutionizing medicine by improving drug solubility and bio-distribution, providing a platform for combining targeting and imaging agents, and enabling membrane barriers to be crossed as well as making drug and imaging agent combination therapies possible.

8 Jun 2011

Women may be as resilient to combat-related stress as men

In what is believed to be the first published study on the topic, researchers affiliated with the Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) believe female military service-members from Operation Enduring Freedom OEF)/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) may be as resilient to combat-related stress as men. These findings currently appear on-line in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology.

8 Jun 2011

Vaccine candidate produces immune response to antigen in all strains of influenza A

A universal influenza vaccine targeting a protein common to all strains of influenza A has safely produced an immune response in humans. If proven effective, the vaccine could eliminate the practice of creating a new flu vaccine annually to match predicted strains, with major implications for global health.

8 Jun 2011