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Evolutionary-management strategies to limit spread of drug-resistant diseases

In the war between drugs and drug-resistant diseases, is the current strategy for medicating patients giving many drug-resistant diseases a big competitive advantage?, asks a research paper that will be published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

24 Jun 2011

Small 'antifreeze' molecules more effective in protecting proteins than larger ones

Scientists have made an important step forward in their understanding of cryoprotectants - compounds that act as natural 'antifreeze' to protect drugs, food and tissues stored at sub-zero temperatures.

24 Jun 2011

Genetics may fuel women's prejudice against male strangers during menstrual cycle

Women's bias against male strangers increases when women are fertile, suggesting prejudice may be partly fueled by genetics, according to a study by Michigan State University psychology researchers.

24 Jun 2011

Hormone ghrelin mediates stress-induced food-reward behavior

Many people when stressed turn to high calorie "comfort foods". Despite the contribution this behavior makes to the current obesity epidemic, little is known about the molecules and nervous system circuits that control it. Insight into this could provide new targets for the development of therapeutics to curb this potentially detrimental behavior.

24 Jun 2011

HDL in CAD patients different from HDL in healthy individuals

High levels of "good" cholesterol (HDL cholesterol) are associated with a decreased risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) - a disease of the major arterial blood vessels that is one of the major causes of heart attack and stroke. This suggests that therapeutics that increase HDL levels could be clinically useful.

24 Jun 2011

RIKEN researchers reveal mechanism for stress-induced epigenetic change

Researchers at RIKEN have uncovered a mechanism by which the effects of stress in the fly species Drosophila are inherited epigenetically over many generations through changes to the structure of chromatin, the material that makes up the cell nucleus.

24 Jun 2011

New strategy to prevent amputations

Blood vessels and supporting cells appear to be pivotal partners in repairing nerves ravaged by diabetic neuropathy, and nurturing their partnership with nerve cells might make the difference between success and failure in experimental efforts to regrow damaged nerves, Johns Hopkins researchers report in a new study.

24 Jun 2011

Scientists uncover new therapeutic target for Huntington's disease

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have identified compounds that appear to inhibit a signaling pathway in Huntington's disease, a finding that may eventually lead to a potential drug therapy to help slow the progression of degenerative nerve disorders.

24 Jun 2011

Study traces precursor of deadly esophageal cancers to leftover embryonic cells

The ultimate source of some cancers is embryonic cells. Research published in the June 24th Cell, a Cell Press publication, traces the precursor of deadly esophageal cancers to leftover embryonic cells found in all adults.

24 Jun 2011

Growth-braking tumor-suppressor gene slows growth of childhood brain tumors

Johns Hopkins researchers have found a likely explanation for the slow growth of the most common childhood brain tumor, pilocytic astrocytoma. Using tests on a new cell-based model of the tumor, they concluded that the initial process of tumor formation switches on a growth-braking tumor-suppressor gene, in a process similar to that seen in skin moles.

24 Jun 2011

New automated sample preparation system developed for proteomic biomarker discovery and validation

A new automated sample preparation system based on Tecan's Freedom EVO- 200 liquid handling platform has been developed for proteomic biomarker discovery and validation in collaboration with the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University.

24 Jun 2011

Research offers avenue for creating Alzheimer's and HIV therapeutics

A new advance by UCLA biochemists has brought scientists one step closer to developing treatments that could delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

24 Jun 2011

Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis have higher vascular density in mouth

A team led by Johns Hopkins researchers has found that a hereditary colon cancer syndrome, familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), is associated with abnormally dense blood vessel growth in the skin lining the mouth.

24 Jun 2011

New VAAST software tool can identify disease-causing mutations in rare genetic disorders

Harnessing the new generation of rapid, highly accurate gene-sequencing techniques, a research team has identified the disease-causing mutation in a newly characterized rare genetic disease, by analyzing DNA from just a few individuals.

24 Jun 2011

Lithium can prevent aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss linked with Parkinson's

Lithium profoundly prevents the aggregation of toxic proteins and cell loss associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) in a mouse model of the condition.

24 Jun 2011

Researchers identify novel viral sensor complex

Double-stranded (ds) RNA viruses are a diverse group of viruses that include rotaviruses, a common cause of gastroenteritis. The ability of the immune system to detect and destroy viruses is critical for human health and survival.

24 Jun 2011

Ketogenic diet reduces seizures in mice through adenosine A1 receptors

Some individuals with epilepsy fail to respond to treatment with conventional drugs but benefit from consuming a ketogenic diet - a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet similar to the more commonly known Atkins diet.

24 Jun 2011

New research helps explain how memories are stored at synapses

Have a tough time remembering where you put your keys, learning a new language or recalling names at a cocktail party? New research from the Lisman Laboratory at Brandeis University points to a molecule that is central to the process by which memories are stored in the brain. A paper published in the June 22 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience describes the new findings.

24 Jun 2011

ITG researchers uncover unexpected sex between two different parasites

What we anxiously fear in the influenza virus - a cross between two strains, resulting in a new variant we have no resistance against - has occurred in another pathogen, the Leishmania parasite. This was uncovered by researchers of the Institute of Tropical Medicine.

24 Jun 2011

Hunger hormone likely to cause stress-linked complex eating behaviors

We are one step closer to deciphering why some stressed people indulge in chocolate, mashed potatoes, ice cream and other high-calorie, high-fat comfort foods. UT Southwestern Medical Center-led findings, in a mouse study, suggest that ghrelin - the so-called "hunger hormone" - is involved in triggering this reaction to high stress situations.

24 Jun 2011