Just like people, clams can be affected by the toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), but scientists have now identified a mutation in clams that gives some protection. PSP toxins interfere with nerve function, and the mutation, which changes a single amino acid in a sodium channel, makes nerves less sensitive to those toxins.
The discovery is reported in the April 7 issue of the journal Nature. The authors suggest that it has wide ranging implications for the
The pathology of rheumatoid arthritis within the first few months after symptom onset is distinct from that of the early phases of other inflammatory joint diseases and also of established rheumatoid arthritis. New research published today in Arthritis Research & Therapy found that very early rheumatoid arthritis is characterised by a distinct profile of T cell, macrophage and stromal cell related cytokines in synovial fluid.
This finding of a distinct phase of rheumatoid arthr
A major new Dutch study has found that smoking adds the equivalent of ten years to a 20-year-old subfertile woman’s reproductive age and has a “devastating” impact on a couples’ chances of having a live birth after IVF. Being overweight also seriously damages their chances.
The harmful effects of smoking or being overweight were strongest among those women who had no obvious cause for not conceiving, according to the research, published today (Thursday 7 April) in Europe’s lea
Gene is found in the chromosomal region that influences innate immunity to tuberculosis
Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health studying tuberculosis resistance and susceptibility in animals have identified a gene in mice which plays a significant role in limiting the multiplication of intracellular pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Listeria monocytogenes inside host cells. The gene, Intracellular pathogen resistance 1 (Ipr1), found in the chromosome locatio
An evolutionary arms race between predatory garter snakes and their newt quarry is turning out to be something of an illusion. At the molecular level, another battle rages. And in this second, miniature realm, it’s the newt who’s the aggressor.
Biologists at Indiana University Bloomington, Utah State University and the University of Utah present evidence in this week’s Nature that a toxin produced by the rough skinned newt, Taricha granulosa, has forced several e
Researchers have discovered that antidepressant drugs such as Prozac not only affect levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain, but also “hijack” dopamine signaling as well–causing it to launch serotonin signals. Their findings offer new insight into how Prozac and other “selective serotonin uptake inhibitors” (SSRIs) work and how they might cause problems in patients taking them.
SSRIs perform their antidepressant function by increasing the concentration of seroton
Laboratory technicians battling cancer want to improve diagnosis and treatment of the disease. But they are drowning in data from modern biological techniques. New Web-based software – validated in three European oncology hospitals – can extract potentially life-saving knowledge from such data in minutes.
In Europe, cancer is the second cause of death; worldwide it accounts for 23.5 per cent of all deaths. The race to beat this disease increasingly depends on groundbreaking bioinf
Salting and sanding roads in the Northeast is a routine part of winter, but changes in climate patterns caused by global warming may alter the established policies on snow removal, incurring higher costs and influencing road safety, according to a Penn State geographer.
“I am working with the Consortium for Atlantic Regional Assessment on a case study in New York State’s Adirondack Park that investigates many aspects of climate change and land use change on local communities
’Micro-organisms could also prompt rainfall’
Micro-organisms in clouds could play a crucial role in the spread of disease and in the formation of rain drops, scientists have claimed. The radical theories about nanobacteria – micro-organisms considerably smaller than ordinary bacteria – in clouds are published in two recent articles in the Journal of Proteome Research by Dr Andrei P. Sommer of the University of Ulm, Germany, and Professor Chandra Wickramasinghe of Cardiff U
Scientists have discovered a novel method to reduce cat allergic reactions by topping up the immune cells responsible for controlling them.
According to research published this week in the Public Library of Science (PLoS) Medicine, the team from Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital have discovered a way to decrease allergic reactions by increasing numbers of CD4+ regulatory T-cells.
Dr Mark Larché from Imperial College London and Royal Brompton Hospital,
A University of Liverpool vet has developed a new food for dogs to help relieve the pain of canine osteoarthritis (OA).
Professor John Innes, from the University’s Department of Veterinary Clinical Science, has been working with colleagues at the University of Cardiff to create the specialist diet that can alleviate the discomfort caused by the condition, as well as potentially slow down the long-term development of OA in dogs.
OA mainly affects larger breeds of dog,
Asthmatics produce lower levels of a type of immune cell protein needed to fight off infection from colds and other viruses, scientists have discovered.
The finding reported in the latest issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, helps to explain why asthmatics are more susceptible to respiratory virus infections — the cause of the vast majority of acute asthma attacks in both adults and children.
The researchers, from Imperial College London and University of
Financial ’buffer’ appears to help preserve well-being after health setbacks
The old saying that ’money doesn’t buy happiness’ may hold true most of the time. But when a serious health problem comes along, financial resources may really cushion the blow to a person’s psyche, a new study suggests.
The finding, made by researchers at the University of Michigan Health System and the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, stands in contrast to previo
Dealing a new blow to the dominant evolutionary paradigm, Luiz Rocha and colleagues from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Harvard University the University of Florida and the University of Hawaii, report coral reef fish from neighboring habitats may differ more from one another than from fish thousands of miles away. An ecological speciation model for coral reef organisms may spur the development of a more synthetic treatment of speciation on land and sea.
Coral re
Contrary to popular belief, a ’few drinks’ do not promote optimal lactation
Despite age-old claims advising breastfeeding moms that alcoholic beverages can improve their nursing performance, researchers at the Monell Chemical Senses Center report that even moderate doses of alcohol affect the hormones responsible for lactation in a counterproductive manner.
“This information is important for women,” comments lead author Julie Mennella, PhD, a biopsychologist. “
Your car’s engine loses 70 percent of its energy as waste heat — but Australian and Oregon scientists may have figured out an efficient way not only to recover that lost energy, but to at long last capture the power-producing potential of geothermal heat.
The trick is to convert it to electricity — and a promising way to accomplish this, the researchers have discovered, involves using extremely thin nanowires to potentially more than double the efficiency of thermoelectri
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