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New model of p53 regulation has important implications for the development of anticancer drugs

Genetically engineered mice convinced scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies that it was time to overhaul widely held beliefs about how a powerful tumor suppressor called p53 is controlled in cells. Their new model of p53 regulation has important implications for the development of anticancer drugs.

11 Apr 2006

Estrogen therapy increases the risk of blood clots in some women

According to new research postmenopausal women on estrogen therapy who have undergone a hysterectomy have an elevated risk of developing a blood clots in veins.

11 Apr 2006

If parents snore, chances are child will also

According to researchers in the U.S. if either parent is a snorer, a child is three times more likely to be a noisy sleeper.

11 Apr 2006

U.S. watchdog says Xenical should be withdrawn

A consumer watchdog group in the U.S., Public Citizen, has petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to withdraw the prescription diet drug Xenical (orlistat) from the market; the group also want the FDA to refuse approval for the weight-loss pill to be made widely available over the counter.

11 Apr 2006

Burma struggling to cope with over 100 bird flu outbreaks

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), says the situation concerning the bird flu virus in Myanmar (Burma) now appears far more serious than first thought.

11 Apr 2006

Forget the diet, just zap that fat!

Scientists in the U.S. are in the process of developing a laser which melts fat and they believe that in future it could be used to treat heart disease, cellulite, and acne.

11 Apr 2006

Researchers determine factors that turn on protein production in bacteria

In the study, published in the journal Molecular Cell, researchers Sean Studer and Simpson Joseph in UCSD's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry report how the messenger RNA instructions to make a protein are unfolded in a bacterial cell, so that they can be read by the cell's protein-making machinery.

11 Apr 2006

Single dose of stem cells produce robust behavioral recovery in animal models for stroke, cerebral palsy

A single dose of adult donor stem cells given to animals that have neurological damage similar to that experienced by adults with a stroke or newborns with cerebral palsy can significantly enhance recovery from these types of injuries, researchers say.

11 Apr 2006

Research explains why recipients of growth hormone therapy may develop colon polyps

The use of growth hormone therapy has been linked in some people to the development of colon polyps, a possible precursor to colorectal cancer - but medical researchers have debated the extent of a cancer risk.

11 Apr 2006

DNA "dark state" findings help explain evolution of life

Chemists at Oregon State University have pioneered a controversial theory about how supposedly-stable DNA bases can be pushed into a "dark state" in which they are highly vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet radiation - an idea that has challenged some of the most basic concepts of modern biochemistry.

11 Apr 2006

St. John's wort and Echinacea increase activity of enzyme in the liver and intestine

St. John's wort and Echinacea, two widely-used herbal preparations, have been found to increase activity of a specific enzyme in the liver and intestine, an enzyme involved in the metabolization of roughly one in every four pharmaceutical drugs on the market today, reports a clinical pharmacologist at Indiana University School of Medicine.

11 Apr 2006

Targeted mutations in mice uncover two key molecular events linked to learning

Johns Hopkins researchers have used mouse mutants to define critical steps involved in learning basic motor skills. The study focuses on the behavior of two proteins and the specific steps they take to control a neuron's ability to learn by adapting to signals from other nerve cells.

11 Apr 2006

Scientists identify a new gene that causes the spread of cancer

Professor Philip Rudland, Dr Guozheng Wang and Dr Roger Barraclough from Liverpool University's Cancer and Polio Research Fund Laboratories have discovered an additional member of the S100 family of protein genes - S100P - that causes the spread of cancerous cells from an original tumour to other parts of the body.

11 Apr 2006

Lubricin research points to future therapies for osteoarthritis

New evidence to explain how the body's natural joint lubricant prevents the wear and tear that can lead to osteoarthritis has been uncovered by researchers at Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering.The findings may lead to new methods for treating arthritis, the researchers said.

11 Apr 2006

Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome caused by Streptococcus suis Serotype 2

Last year, there was major press coverage of an alarmingly large and deadly outbreak of Streptococcus suis disease in Sichuan province in China.

11 Apr 2006

Men's and women's brains behave differently

A key part of the brain involved in processing emotionally-influenced memories acts differently in men and women, even in the absence of stimuli, UC Irvine researchers have found.

11 Apr 2006

Gene variant doubles risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder

Scientists at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) have identified a previously unknown gene variant that doubles an individual's risk for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

11 Apr 2006

Functional imaging of numerical processing in adults and 4-y-old children

Four-year-olds who are still developing numerical abilities show activity in the same brain region during numerical tasks as do math-adept adults, Duke University researchers Jessica Cantlon, Kevin Pelphrey and colleagues report in the open access journal PLoS Biology.

11 Apr 2006

Scientists reconstruct Darwinian evolution to explain 'irreducible complexity'

Using new techniques for resurrecting ancient genes, scientists have for the first time reconstructed the Darwinian evolution of an apparently "irreducibly complex" molecular system.

11 Apr 2006

Losartan can prevent progression of Marfan syndrome

A commonly prescribed blood pressure medication may provide the first ray of hope in preventing potentially deadly complications of Marfan syndrome, a genetic disease that weakens the structural meshwork of blood vessels.

11 Apr 2006