Canadian scientists have developed some clever molecular trickery that is helping to reduce the drug cravings of addicted rats. One of the problems in addiction is that neurons in some parts of the brain lose glutamate receptors from the cell surface, and those receptors are important for communication between neurons. The researchers have sidestepped this problem by crafting a peptide that mimics a portion of the tail of the glutamate receptor and, once inside a neuron, serves as a decoy to preve
At the heart of the promises of nanotechnology – the emerging science of making molecular machines – are carbon nanotubes. These are tiny cylinders with remarkable properties that could improve products ranging from house paint to microchips.
Now, engineers at the University of Florida and two other universities have added another possibility: Foams used in everything from construction to cushions to packaging.
An article about the engineers’ discovery appears Friday
Treatment of bites by adders and exotic venomous snakes BMJ Volume 331, pp 1244-7
Life threatening snake bites are uncommon in the UK but can happen, especially in children, and should not be underestimated, says an expert in this week’s BMJ.
Antivenom, the only specific antidote is underused in the UK.
As well as bites by the UK’s only indigenous venomous snake, the adder, doctors should also be aware that large numbers of dangerous snakes are kept sur
Editorial: Human health and nature conservation BMJ Volume 331, pp 1221-2
Connecting with nature can improve your health and wellbeing, say researchers in this week’s BMJ. The theory is known as ecotherapy: restoring health through contact with nature.
Use of wildlife in some therapies is reported to improve quality of life, write the authors. Smaller animals (for example, squirrels, owls, and raccoons) have been used successfully in therapies for children with e
Editorial: A walk on the wild side – emerging wildlife diseases BMJ Volume 331, pp 1214-5
Emerging infectious diseases pose a global threat to human and animal health, and the problem is likely to worsen, warns an expert in this week’s BMJ.
The recent emergence of diseases, such as AIDS, SARS and avian flu, have catapulted emerging infectious diseases to the top of the medical and political agendas, and have highlighted the importance of wildlife as reservoirs or
Pet ownership and human health BMJ Volume 331, pp 1252-4; Commentary: Pets – pleasures and problems BMJ Volume 331, pp 1254-5
Owning a pet is linked to health and wellbeing, particularly for older people and patients recovering from major illness, say researchers in this week’s BMJ.
About half of households in the United Kingdom own pets and over 90% of pet owners regard their pet as a valued family member.
Research has suggested that pet ownership is associa
Supplements Reduce Frequency of Diarrhea Without Adverse Impact on Viral Load
Zinc-deficient children living in communities where they do not receive adequate amounts of zinc from their diet should be given supplements, even if they are HIV-infected, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions. Previously, it was not known if zinc would speed up HIV disease progression in children by increasing their viral load. Zinc
Duke University theoretical chemists who spend much of their time calculating how the exotic rules of quantum mechanics govern electrons motion between and through biological molecules have garnered surprising results when they add water to their models.
They have discovered that a scant handful of water molecules positioned in the nearly infinitesimal gap between two “docking” proteins creates unexpectedly favorable conditions for electrons to “tunnel” from one protein to anot
Rutgers-led team shows rising ocean levels tied to human-induced climate change
Global ocean levels are rising twice as fast today as they were 150 years ago, and human-induced warming appears to be the culprit, say scientists at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, and collaborating institutions.
While the speed at which the ocean is rising – almost two millimeters per year today compared to one millimeter annually for the past several thousand years – may
Immune rejection problems could affect any one of us. This unique research shows that producing individual patient cell lines for our own future needs is now something we might all want to consider.
Somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) forms the basis for obtaining patient specific stem cells and with the presence of reprogramming factors in human embryonic stem (hES) cells, a method for replacing the nuclei of hES cells by somatic cell nuclei has been widely sought.
Ni
Randomised controlled study of animal facilitated therapy with dolphins in the treatment of depression BMJ Volume 331, pp 1231-4
Swimming with dolphins is an effective treatment for mild to moderate depression, say researchers in this week’s BMJ.
Their findings support the theory of biophilia, which shows how human health and wellbeing are dependent on our relationships with the natural environment.
The study was carried out in Honduras and involved 30 pat
When smedwi-2 gene is silenced, regeneration stopped in planarians
Researchers at the University of Utah have discovered that when a gene called smedwi-2 is silenced in the adult stem cells of planarians, the quarter-inch long worm is unable to carry out a biological process that has mystified scientists for centuries: regeneration.
The study published in the Nov. 25 issue of Science was led by Alejandro Sánchez Alvarado, Ph.D., Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator
Using a tiny flatworm best known for its extraordinary ability to regenerate lost tissue, researchers have identified a gene that controls the ability of stem cells to differentiate into specialized cells. The gene encodes a protein that is most similar to the protein PIWI, an important regulator of stem cells in organisms ranging from plants to humans.
The replacement of tissue lost to injury or shed during the body’s normal activities is essential for the survival of most
Researchers have identified an enzyme crucial to the malaria parasite’s invasion of red blood cells, according to a study in the open-access journal, PLoS Pathogens.
“The most exciting practical implication of this work is that it identifies a potential drug target that is quite different from anything that is targeted by existing antimalarial drugs,” Blackman says. “This is very important, since it is widely agreed that the best way to prevent the appearance of drug resist
Carbon nanotubes have enticed researchers since their discovery in 1991, offering an impressive combination of high strength and low weight. Now a new study suggests that they also act like super-compressible springs, opening the door to foam-like materials for just about any application where strength and flexibility are needed, from disposable coffee cups to the exterior of the space shuttle.
The research, which is reported in the Nov. 25 issue of the journal Science, shows that films
Two new studies of gases trapped in Antarctic ice cores have extended the record of Earth’s past climate almost 50 percent further, adding another 210,000 years of definitive data about the makeup of the Earth’s atmosphere and providing more evidence of current atmospheric change.
The research is being published in the journal Science by participants in the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica. It’s “an amazing accomplishment we would not have thought pos
Feedback
