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Mice use specialized neurons to detect carbon dioxide in the air

For mice, carbon dioxide often means danger - too many animals breathing in too small a space or a hungry predator exhaling nearby.

17 Aug 2007

Scientists describe a new way of creating novel enzymes

The intricate interplay of proteins and other chemicals that underlies most biological activities requires the participation of enzymes, specialized molecules that accelerate chemical reactions between molecules.

17 Aug 2007

Memory storage molecule PKMzeta stores memories in neocortex

The memory storage molecule PKMzeta maintains long-term memories in the neocortex and its presence is continually required in order for the memory to endure, according to a finding by researchers at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot, Israel and SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.

17 Aug 2007

New method to detect infection in prosthetic joints

A team of Mayo Clinic researchers has discovered a new, more accurate diagnostic test to detect infection of prosthetic joints, potentially leading to better treatment options and patient outcomes.

17 Aug 2007

New food allergy law in New York

The Food Allergy Initiative (FAI) has announced that Governor Eliot Spitzer has signed into law the Allergy & Anaphylaxis Management Act of 2007 (AAMA; A.4051), landmark legislation that will help protect New York schoolchildren who suffer from life-threatening food allergies.

17 Aug 2007

Low levels of key protein may indicate pancreatic cancer risk

A protein that dwindles in response to obesity and a sedentary lifestyle may one day help doctors predict which people are at increased risk for pancreatic cancer, new research by Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and collaborating scientists indicates.

17 Aug 2007

Researchers discover how a protein modulates the inflammatory response in acute respiratory distress syndrome

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have discovered how a protein modulates the inflammatory response in sudden, life-threatening lung failure.

17 Aug 2007

Shortcomings in pediatric pain and palliative care

Advances in pain and palliative care for adults have been significant in the past decade due in part to increased recognition, support and use by caregivers and patients.

17 Aug 2007

Humans mispredict their emotions after decision making

Behavioral research over the past 15 years has confirmed what anyone who has purchased a house or dumped a significant other could tell you: When people make decisions, they anticipate that they may regret their choices.

17 Aug 2007

HIV protein both causes brain injury and prevents its repair

New evidence reported in the August issue of Cell Stem Cell, a publication of Cell Press, offers a novel perspective on how the HIV/AIDS virus leads to learning and memory deficits, a condition known as HIV-associated dementia.

17 Aug 2007

Air pollution linked to poor lung function growth in children

Children who are chronically exposed to higher levels of air pollution show marked deficiencies in lung growth and function, and not just short-term breathing problems, according to researchers in Mexico.

17 Aug 2007

Study highlights the importance of patient-pharmacist communication

Despite years of effort in reaching out to their local communities, the role pharmacists play as health care providers still remains unclear to the people who need them the most elderly Americans with multiple medications for chronic diseases.

17 Aug 2007

Sex differences in response to vasoactive substances in early uncontrolled diabetes

Diabetes is associated with the development of vascular (blood vessel) disease. As we age, vascular disease becomes more common.

17 Aug 2007

Free distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets can save lives

Malaria is still responsible for over a million deaths every year, even though it has been known for some years that sleeping under an insecticide-treated net (ITN) greatly reduces the chance of being bitten by the mosquitoes which carry the disease.

17 Aug 2007

First biomarker discovered that predicts prostate cancer outcome

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified the first immune molecule that appears to play a role in prostate cancer development and in predicting cancer recurrence and progression after surgery.

17 Aug 2007

American correction used to repair a mitral valve

Dr. Gerald Lawrie, a cardiothoracic surgeon with the Methodist DeBakey Heart Center, is the first to use a surgical robot to successfully repair a mitral valve using an advanced technique of repair called the “American Correction.”

17 Aug 2007

FDA approves updated labeling for Warfarin (Coumadin)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced the approval of updated labeling for the widely used blood-thinning drug, Coumadin, to explain that people's genetic makeup may influence how they respond to the drug.

17 Aug 2007

Children need a certain amount of fat in their diet

Parents should think twice before offering a low-fat menu to youngsters, despite concerns over obesity.

17 Aug 2007

Preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases

Instead of attacking wild birds for our new disease problems, a far more cost effective approach should focus on keeping wild animals separate in the places where they often commingle: in wildlife markets and international trade, according to wildlife health experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in a recent issue of the prestigious Journal of Wildlife Diseases.

17 Aug 2007

Effectiveness of mouse breeds that mimic Alzheimer's disease symptoms questioned

Scientists have shown that recently developed mouse breeds that mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (AD) may not be as effective as previously assumed.

17 Aug 2007