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One species' entire genome discovered inside another's

Scientists at the University of Rochester and the J. Craig Venter Institute have discovered a copy of the entire genome of a bacterial parasite residing inside the genome of its host species.

30 Aug 2007

Impact of mild hearing loss on neurological processes

Mild to moderate forms of hearing loss can have a lasting impact on the auditory cortex, according to findings by researchers at New York University's Center for Neural Science.

30 Aug 2007

Discovery of novel cause of iron overload in patients with thalassemia

According to the study, thalassemia patients overproduce a protein called GDF15, which suppresses the production of a liver protein, hepcidin, which in turn leads to an increase in the uptake of dietary iron in the gut.

30 Aug 2007

New insights into knee injuries and osteoarthritis in the knee

The sort of swelling that occurs when a joint is damaged by injury or degeneration is normally essential to the healing process, but when it comes to the knee, that inflammation can actually interfere with healing.

30 Aug 2007

Neurotransmitter current not flowing through ion channels

In studying how neurotransmitters travel between cells -- by analysis of events in the dimensions of nanometers -- Cornell researchers have discovered that an electrical current thought to be present during that process does not, in fact, exist.

30 Aug 2007

Inhaling nitric oxide helps transplant success

Administering inhaled nitric oxide (NO) during surgery helps protect liver transplant patients from organ failure, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).

30 Aug 2007

Microfluidic chambers advance the science of growing neurons

Researchers at the University of Illinois have developed a method for culturing mammalian neurons in chambers not much larger than the neurons themselves.

30 Aug 2007

HPV vaccines may decrease chances of oral cancer

The Centers for Disease Control report that nearly 25 million women are infected with some form of the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV).

30 Aug 2007

How neurotransmitters travel between cells

In studying how neurotransmitters travel between cells - by analysis of events in the dimensions of nanometers - Cornell researchers have discovered that an electrical current thought to be present during that process does not, in fact, exist.

30 Aug 2007

Study finds households prefer to self-segregate on the basis of both race and education

Using restricted-access Census data, a new study examines a quarter-million households on a block-by-block basis to yield new results about the correlation between household attributes and school quality.

30 Aug 2007

Protein on the surface of platelets plays a key role in cancer-induced platelet aggregation

Scientists have provided new details about how cancer cells spread by surrounding themselves with platelets – the blood cells needed for blood clotting.

30 Aug 2007

Researchers chart the level of gene expression in melanoma cell lines

Other than visually inspecting the disease, doctors have no genetic blueprint to classify melanomas, a lethal form of skin cancer.

30 Aug 2007

Improving diagnosis of pancreatic cancer

In the August issue of Molecular & Cellular Proteomics, scientists provide the first large-scale identification of proteins that are overexpressed in chronic pancreatitis, an inflammatory condition of the pancreas that shares many features with pancreatic cancer.

30 Aug 2007

FDA approves Somatuline Depot to treat acromegaly

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Somatuline Depot (lanreotide acetate injection) for the treatment of acromegaly, a rare and potentially life threatening disease in adults caused by abnormal secretion of growth hormone (GH), commonly from a benign tumor located in the pituitary gland located in the brain.

30 Aug 2007

New anti-cancer drug made from corn lillies kills brain tumor stem cells

A drug that shuts down a critical cell-signaling pathway in the most common and aggressive type of adult brain cancer successfully kills cancer stem cells thought to fuel tumor growth and help cancers evade drug and radiation therapy, a Johns Hopkins study shows.

30 Aug 2007