A single dose of gene-virus combination cured rats of a inherited liver disease in which lack of a gene causes the accumulation of bilirubin –which, untreated, results in jaundice and brain damage, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a report in the Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.
“This is the first time this disease (Crigler-Najjar syndrome) has been completely cured long term with a single injection in an adult animal,” said Dr. Brendan Lee, assoc
Microscopic titanium particles weaken the bonding of hip, knee, and other joint replacements, according to research published online in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the Jacobs School of Engineering. The team demonstrated that titanium implants are safe in large blocks, but at the microscopic level, wear and tear can generate micrometer-sized particles.
“As replacement joints are bec
The willingness to call out in distress to get help from others appears to be regulated by two brain systems with very different responsibilities, according to a study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“These findings have far-reaching implications because they help clarify how a balance of two important brain systems can influence an individual’s behavior and emotional expression in times of need,” says Ned Kalin, senior author on the study and chair
Scientists at Rice University report their findings in PNAS
The question of whether amino acids in sandwich-like proteins are there to stabilize the structure or to speed up the protein-folding process is best answered by “all of the above,” according to researchers at Rice University in Houston. This discovery, reported in today’s issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could benefit future research on treatments for diseases related to misfolded protei
Studying phage, a primitive class of virus that infects bacteria by injecting its genomic DNA into host cells, researchers have gained insight into the driving force behind this poorly understood injection process, which has been proposed in the past to occur through the release of pressure accumulated within the viral particle itself.
Almost all phages (also known as bacteriophages) are formed of a capsid structure, or head, in which the viral genome is packaged during morpho
By analyzing the relationship between the geographic location of current human populations in relation to East Africa and the genetic variability within these populations, researchers have found new evidence for an African origin of modern humans.
The origin of modern humans is a topic that is hotly debated. A leading theory, known as “Recent African Origin” (RAO), postulates that the ancestors of all modern humans originated in East Africa, and that around 100,000 years ago some modern
Researchers Jonathan Flombaum and Dr. Laurie Santos, both from Yale University, have found that rhesus monkeys consider whether a competitor can or cannot see them when trying to steal food.
Working with semi-free-ranging rhesus monkeys on the island of Cayo Santiago in Puerto Rico, Flombaum and Santos set up a food competition game: Lone monkeys were approached by two human “competitors.” Each competitor had a grape affixed to a platform by his feet. In each experiment, one of
Researchers have discovered a fascinating symbiotic relationship between a wasp species and a newly discovered bacterial species – a relationship that potentially sheds light on how bacteria can be successfully utilized by higher organisms in defensive mechanisms against other microbes. In the new work, researchers show that a solitary ground-nesting wasp, the European beewolf, harbors Streptomyces bacteria in unique structures within its antennae and that females utilize these bacterial symbio
By applying novel measurement techniques from a high-altitude aircraft, scientists detected two species of invading plants that are changing the ecology of rain forest near the Kilauea Volcano in the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. Lead author, Dr. Gregory Asner of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Global Ecology, explained: “We found chemical fingerprints from the plant leaves and used them to tell which species dominated specific areas. We employed the recently upgraded NASA Airborne
Implanted devices intended to optimize the cardiac function of patients with heart failure have provided new insights into which patients might be at higher risk of dying suddenly from their disease, according to researchers at Duke University Medical Center.
Besides maintaining optimal electrical stimulation to the heart, these CRT-D (cardiac resynchronization therapy with defibrillation) devices are giving cardiologists a new view of subtle changes in a key measurement of hear
Warning signs of an ischemic stroke may be evident as early as seven days before an attack and require urgent treatment to prevent serious damage to the brain, according to a study of stroke patients published in the March 8, 2005 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Eighty percent of strokes are ischemic, caused by the narrowing of the large or small arteries of the brain, or by clots that block blood flow to the brain. They are oft
Broadest-to-date US lung cancer study compares gender with incidence
Results of the most comprehensive analysis to date of the impact of gender differences in lung cancer incidence in the United States indicate that lung cancer rates among men are on the decline, while the rate in women remains steady. A new study in the March issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, shows that, in addition to the unequal incidence of lung cancer in
One-third of children with asthma who go into remission by the age of 18 will relapse and redevelop asthma by the time they are 26, says a new study published in the March issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians. The findings also suggest that children with certain common allergies, such as house dust mite sensitivity, and/or poor lung function are more likely to redevelop asthma following remission.
“While we cannot definitively expl
Volunteers were shown funny and disturbing movies to test the effect of emotions on blood vessels
Using laughter-provoking movies to gauge the effect of emotions on cardiovascular health, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore have shown for the first time that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. Laughter appears to cause the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, the endothelium, to dilate or expand in orde
Mild cognitive impairment in older people is not a normal part of growing old but rather appears to be an indicator of Alzheimer’s disease or cerebral vascular disease, according to a study published in the March 8 issue of the journal, Neurology.
“The study shows that mild cognitive impairment is often the earliest clinical manifestation of one or both of two common age-related neurologic diseases,” said Dr. David A. Bennett, director of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease C
Duke University Medical Center researchers have found a strong association between depression and a higher long-term risk of death for patients with chronic heart failure.
Additionally, and just as importantly, the researchers said even a psychological status previously considered to be sub-depressive puts these patients at higher risk of death. While it has been known that depression is associated with higher short-term mortality rates, this is the first study to measure the lon
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