When scientists finished sequencing the genomes of seven species of fruit fly last year, little did they know that they had also sequenced the genes of several bacteria that dwell undetected inside fruit fly embryos.
The genes of these bacteria, from a genus Wolbachia that infects many insects, have been sitting in the fruit fly gene database since then, unnoticed, according to Michael B. Eisen, a UC Berkeley assistant professor of molecular and cell biology and a faculty scient
Neuroscientists at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., leading a team of researchers in the United States and Europe, have discovered that a novel mutation in the recently identified LRRK2 gene causes parkinsonism in several North American and European families. Their findings will be reported in the April edition of the American Journal of Human Genetics. The disease-causing G2019S mutation in the LRRK2 gene is the first time a genetic cause has been associated with typical, late-onset Parkinson’s
A pilot study gathers baseline information on subway workers’ exposure
by Jennifer Freeman
Working in the subway several hours each day, subway workers and transit police breathe more subway air than the typical commuter. Subway air has been shown to contain more steel dust than outdoor or other indoor air in New York City. But do transit workers’ bodies harbor elevated levels of these metals? And does this translate into a health concern for the workers?
In a new
Johns Hopkins researchers will present results showing that tighter, dual testing standards work better for accurately distinguishing between new and old cases of HIV. Current testing standards are based on a single test called the serological testing algorithm for recent HIV seroconversion, or STARHS for short. STARHS relies on differentiating newly infected from chronically infected individuals based on the quantity, or levels, of antibodies to HIV present in patients’ blood. Normally, t
Adding a new HIV screening method, called nucleic acid amplification testing (NAAT), to standard HIV testing, researchers were able to uncover six percent more cases of HIV infection in urban STD and drug treatment clinics and HIV testing sites in Atlanta than with standard HIV antibody tests alone. The research will be presented at the 12th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Boston on February 25, 2005 by Frances Priddy, MD, assistant professor of medicine at Emory Univer
Patient-reported symptoms can be used as an effective alternative to endoscopy to monitor progression of ulcerative colitis
People living with fatigue, abdominal discomfort and bloody diarrhea caused by the chronic inflammation of ulcerative colitis may no longer need to undergo frequent and uncomfortable endoscopies, a new study shows. Researchers at the University of Michigan Health System found that disease severity in patients with ulcerative colitis can be evaluated accurately
Measuring a biological chemical called hyaluronan found naturally in joints and the fluid that lubricates cartilage might enable doctors to diagnose osteoarthritis of the knee and hip earlier or more accurately, a new study concludes. Improving diagnosis of the painful inflammatory disorder should become increasingly important as baby boomer age, doctors say.
The research, conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and in Johnston County, N.C., revealed that leve
Multiple hazards present; study cites threat of terrorism, transmission of infectious diseases, and new data on noise levels
Although information on subway safety is generally very limited, a new paper by safety experts at the Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health provides the first comprehensive look at health and safety hazards that might affect both riders and subway workers. The report, published in the Journal of Urban Health in a special issue on mas
GeoConcept SA of France, a leading specialist in decision-mapping technology, has just launched the first software package to calculate the optimal division of sales areas: GeoConcept Territory Manager. Previously, sales managers had to divide up territory manually, but now GeoConcept Territory Manager can automatically calculate the optimal organisation in just 20 seconds.
The GeoConcept Territory Manager system solves the everyday problems faced by sales managers who wish t
Research scientists at Karolinska Institutet are planning an international initiative to map out the relationships between health, genes and lifestyle. Discussion partners include world-leading researchers from the USA, Britain, Singapore and Norway.
The project has the working title “LifeGene”. If realised, it could be classed as one of the largest and most comprehensive medical projects since HUGO, the mapping of the human genome. The goal of “LifeGene” is to combine advances in
Analysing and evaluating chemical pollution – that is the goal of the new European large-scale project MODELKEY, starting in February. Under the management of the Centre for Environmental Research Leipzig-Halle, Germany (UFZ) researchers in 13 countries will be developing methods to identify so-called key chemicals and their effect on the water ecosystem until the year 2010. Three model rivers will be researched from their source to the mouth: River Elbe (Czech Republic/ Germany), River Sche
Micro-organisms in salt lakes produce chlorinated air pollutants
Salt lakes have a greater impact on climate change than was previously understood. This has been established by scientists from the UFZ Centre for Environmental Research (Umweltforschungszentrum Leipzig-Halle) together with colleagues from Austria, Russia and South Africa. They found evidence that bacteria in salt lakes produce substances which act as greenhouse gases and destroy the ozone layer. These substances a
It’s the news they have all been waiting for. After years of living under the threat of another devastating epidemic of downy mildew, a disease similar to that which caused the Irish potato famine, India’s poorest farmers have been offered a lifeline in the form of a new disease-resistant hybrid. The hybrid has been produced in record time using modern biotechnology techniques.
In February 2005, India released its first hybrid using modern DNA techniques. “This is something
The use of international watercourses, that is, rivers and lakes shared by two or more states, has long been the object of numerous international agreements.
States enter agreements with each other regarding the distribution of the water itself as a resource, maritime use of the waterway, or the extraction of water resources (fish stocks, minerals, energy, etc.). International watercourses have also been used as dumps for household and industrial waste. Specific stipulations pr
Gunnel Hänsel Petersson at Malmö University in Sweden has received an award for her studies of Cariogram, a computer program created in Malmö to assess patients’ risk of developing tooth decay, dental caries.
The program was constructed in 1997 by Professor Douglas Bratthall at the Faculty of Odontology at Malmö University College in Sweden. Today it has been translated into twelve languages and is attracting ever greater interest in other countries. Gunnel Hänsel Petersson’s stu
A new Standard Reference Material from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will help clinical genetics labs improve the accuracy of their diagnostic tests for the most common cause of hereditary mental retardation.
“Fragile X Syndrome” is a genetic mutation affecting approximately one in 3,600 males and one in 4,000 to 6,000 females. It has been linked to several physical abnormalities and to intellectual problems ranging from minor learning disabilities to se
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