A protein that normally helps hold the skin intact is also needed by skin cancer cells as they spread to other regions of the body, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered. Identifying this protein’s role opens the door for stopping the spread of this deadly cancer-the second most common cancer type in the United States.
The work, which appears in the March 18 issue of Science, is the first published research implicating the protein, co
Chemists say they have identified a gene that appears to play a key role in the development of type 1 diabetes, also known as insulin-dependent or juvenile diabetes, a disease that affects about one million people in the U.S. and is on the rise worldwide. They described their findings, which they say could lead to new drug interventions and possibly gene therapy, today at the 229th national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.
In
Genetically modified (GM) plants are to be used to grow vaccines for use in the worldwide fight against HIV, tuberculosis, diabetes and rabies thanks to a grant of 12 million euros from the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme (FP6).
‘Pharma-Planta’ draws on the expertise and experience of 39 scientists from 11 European countries and South Africa to address significant health problems affecting Europe and the developing world – although the primary aim is to provide medicines for poore
Scientists at the University of Liverpool have discovered how fish have evolved over the last 400 million years to stay motionless at different water depths.
A research team led by Dr Michael Berenbrink, a Comparative Physiologist at the School of Biological Sciences, has revealed how modern fish, such as pike and cod, have developed a way of floating at certain water levels using a gas-filled swimbladder.
Dr Berenbrink investigated the mechanism that allows fishes to ke
The SCIAMACHY sensor aboard Envisat has performed the first space-based measurements of the global distribution of near-surface methane, one of the most important greenhouse gases. As reported in Thursday’s issue of Science Express, the results show larger than expected emissions across tropical land regions.
The report concerns work carried out by the Institute of Environmental Physics (IUP) at the University of Heidelberg in cooperation with the Royal Netherlands Meteorolog
A new Report published by the Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR) examines the changes that have taken place in banking in the European Union over the last few years. The authors of the third title in CEPR’s Monitoring European Deregulation (MED) series ‘Integration of European Banking – The Way Forward’ note that perhaps the most significant development that has taken place in this sector has been the launch of the Financial Services Action Plan (FSAP).
The goal of the
Faculty of 1000 Biology, a revolutionary literature awareness service for the life sciences, today announce the launch of a new faculty – ecology. The ecology faculty expands the coverage of Faculty of 1000 Biology, adding to the existing offering of 15 faculties covering subject areas from biochemistry to structural biology.
Harold Mooney, Professor of Environmental Biology at Stanford University is one of three Heads of Faculty for ecology. He warmly welcomes the expansion of t
Lord Sainsbury, UK Minister for Science and Innovation will officially open the University of Dundee’s new Space Technology Centre that will carry out advanced research into planetary landing simulators and develop support technology for many space missions.
Opening on Friday 18 March the Space Technology Centre comprises the NERC Satellite Receiving Station at Dundee, The Space Systems Research Group and commercialisation activities including spin-out company STAR-Dundee.
PlayStation users worldwide can now see for themselves what happens when Ariane launcher technology is applied to Le Mans racing. All they have to do is sit back and select which Pescarolo racing car they want to test-drive.
Gran Turismo 4, a new PlayStation 2 game, features the two custom-built top-performance Pescarolo racing cars that took part in the Le Mans endurance race in 2003 and 2004. Both were constructed using technologies developed for European space programmes.
Significantly different approaches to key public policy issues have emerged in Scotland and Wales since devolution, as the new administrations in Edinburgh and Cardiff have rejected consumer choice and diversity in favour of professionalism and uniformity.
This is one of the key findings in a new study by researchers from the University of Aberdeen and Cardiff University. Their research was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council, as part of its Devolution and Constitu
In a first article, Loeys et al describe a new aortic aneurysm syndrome characterized by the main triad of hypertelorism, bifid uvula and/or cleft palate and aortic aneurysms with arterial tortuosity. This new entity also presents with alterations of the skeletal, craniofacial, neurocognitve development. Importantly, the nature of the aortic aneurysms seems very aggressive and aneurysms occur throughout the arterial tree. In a collaboration between Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore and Ghent U
Researchers working on the room temperature spintronics (SPIN) research project are the first in Europe to successfully produce GaMnN layers, which are ferromagnetic at room temperature. The layer properties were examined using electric, optic, x-ray and positron measurements. The Academy-funded SPIN project is comprised of four participating entities, i.e. the Helsinki University of Technology (HUT) Departments of Electron Physics, Optoelectronics and Physics laboratories and the VTT Tech
The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) today launches its new initiative Women at Heart at the Spring Meeting of its 49 National Cardiac Societies. Women at Heart is aimed at medical professionals, to highlight the growing burden and under-appreciation of women’s heart disease and promote improved handling of women at risk of cardiovascular disease in clinical practice.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of death in European women, killing a higher percentage of
Acupuncture and strengthening exercises help relieve pelvic girdle pain during pregnancy and are effective complements to standard treatment, finds a study published online by the BMJ today.
Pelvic girdle pain is a common complaint among pregnant women worldwide, but no cure exists.
Researchers in Sweden identified 386 pregnant women with pelvic girdle pain. Women were randomly divided into three groups; one received standard treatment (a pelvic belt and a home exercise p
NHS Stop-Smoking Services are insufficient to deliver national smoking targets, and Government smoking targets are themselves insufficient for the poorest communities, says a study published online by the BMJ today.
The study examined the effectiveness of NHS smoking cessation services in Northumberland and Tyne and Wear. These areas have populations dominated by manual workers and contain some of the worst health and deprivation in the country.
Research showed that smo
UCL public health scientist, Professor Sir Michael Marmot, writes in a paper published in the Lancet journal on 18th March 2005 that a major new thrust is needed internationally to tackle health inequalities. Professor Marmot, Director of UCL’s International
Centre for Health & Society, will chair the Commission on Social Determinants of Health launched by the World Health Organisation on Friday 18th March bringing together scientists and policy-makers to help reverse the negativ
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