Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and two other institutions have unraveled the structure of an important new drug target from the virus that causes SARS, severe acute respiratory syndrome.
“By unlocking the three-dimensional structure of this enzyme — known as papain-like-protease (PLpro) — we now have a molecular road map to design new drugs that could potentially treat SARS-infected patients, or perhaps patients suffering from other SARS-related illnesses s
An often undiagnosed source of suffering for elderly
Elderly patients with lesser versions of depression, a group many times larger than those with major depression, are more than five times as likely as healthy patients to descend into major depression within one year, according to a study published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The study’s authors believe that perhaps millions of elderly patients who do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis of major depressio
Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are to study the effects of nanoparticles on the liver. In a UK first, the scientists will assess whether nanoparticles –already found in pollution from traffic exhaust, but also used in making household goods such as paint, sunblock, food, cosmetics and clothes– can cause damage to the cells of the liver.
Nanoparticles are atoms and molecules 80,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, with various properties according to their compo
A Liverpool scientist has been awarded a Fellowship of nearly £1M by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to carry out research into emerging brain viruses such as Japanese encephalitis.
Dr Tom Solomon, from the University’s Department of Clinical Science, has been honoured with a Senior Clinical Fellowship by the MRC to further his work on virus infections of the brain. Only one or two such Fellowships are awarded annually by the MRC.
The Fellowship will enable Dr Solomon
An international team of astronomers led by D. Hudson from the University of Bonn has detected a proto supermassive binary black hole in images of NASA’s Chandra X-ray observatory. They found that these two black holes are gravitationally bound and orbit each other. Their results will be published in an upcoming issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics.
An international team of astrophysicists, led by D. Hudson from the University of Bonn and including the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory
Researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology of the University of Helsinki have for the first time identified an internal electron transfer reaction that initiates the proton pump mechanism of the respiratory enzyme. These new results are published in the Thursday (April 6th) issue of Nature.
The functions of the lungs, the blood circulation, and the red blood cells in respiration are only an overture to the physicochemical reaction in the cells where oxygen is reduced to water.
EORTC Melanoma Group researchers have identified a genomic signature predicting clinical outcome in Primary Cutaneous Melanoma, after patients having undergone standard treatment. The results of the retrospective study are published in today’s issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
About the study:
The study was initiated on the following observation: Patients with Primary Cutaneous Melanoma having received standard treatment fall into two groups – on
Researchers from the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) shows significant improving in performance of schoolchildren with better indoor climate in the classroom.
The International Centre for Indoor Environment and Energy (ICIEE) at DTU has revealed part studies from a large scale study of the indoor climate in schools, and the results are stunning.
“The size of the improvement in performance that could be obtained by improving the physical conditions in classrooms w
Green fingered amateur gardeners often talk to their plants; now the plants can talk back. Scientists have developed a system that picks up the subtle cues of plant communication helping plant growers to monitor the crop’s state of health and will result in optimal environmentally-friendly growing conditions.
The scientists, working together in a project called PLANTS, sought to develop a unique system that linked plants, technology and people to continuously assess the state o
OncoMethylome Sciences announced today that it will perform MGMT gene methylation testing for a multi-center clinical trial for patients with brain tumors conducted jointly by the U.S.-based Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC). With patient enrollment underway, the trial was designed to determine whether increasing the intensity of temozolomide drug treatment regimen for patients with glioblastoma multiforme tumors imp
A small magnifying glass incorporated into pharmaceutical packaging to help consumers read dosage instructions and save billions of pounds is being brought to market thanks to a seed investment of £30,000 from NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts).
Drug instructions on bottles need to be small to fit into a confined space that also incorporates product and manufacturing information including batch details and dates. With 30% of those taking prescripti
The development of a new innovative drill bit could change the way in which oil and gas exploration and production takes place, thanks to support from NESTA (the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts).
Bristol-based Meciria have received a £300,000 investment from NESTA and Oxford Technology VCT.
Directional drilling, or targeting a particular area to avoid difficult drilling conditions, can be undertaken by one of two methods, positive displacement moto
Forensic fingerprinting of plant DNA is being investigated as a way to identify offending poisonous plants – a major cause of death in livestock in countries such as Ghana. Dr Domozoro will describe how he uses plant DNA from the animal’s stomach for forensic fingerprinting on Thursday 6th April at the Society for Experimental Biology’s Annual Main Meeting, Canterbury [session P6]. “Knowing the offending plants will help us to manage the poisoning outbreak by targeting specific treatment rout
Gas leaks can be potentially life threatening in the home, but the presence of gas stresses out plants too. Professor Mike Steven and colleagues from the University of Nottingham have found that changes in the physical properties of plants can act as an early warning of leaks in natural gas pipelines. “Our study was about testing the ability of satellite remote systems to monitor gas leaks via the spectrum of reflected light from plants, which changes when the plants are stressed”, says Steven.
The offered invention comprises a novel method, termed “Drug Rescue”, which permits the generation of biologically active compounds enabled through a patented…
85 percent of respondents said global warming ’probably been happening’ but only 38 percent ’extremely or very sure about it’
Most Americans are pessimistic about the state of the environment and want action taken to improve its health, according to a new national survey conducted by Stanford University’s Woods Institute for the Environment.
Fifty-five percent of Americans surveyed said they expect the world’s natural environment to be in wors
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