Oncogene plays a critical role in tumor formation
Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) have identified a new cellular oncogene essential for the development of cancer. Oncogenes are genes that, when mutated or dysfunctional, lead normal cells to become cancerous. The investigators have named the gene POKEMON (for POK Erythroid Myeloid Ontogenic factor). The work is being published in the January 20, 2005, issue of Nature.
“There are a number of g
A couple of minutes is all it takes to ’knock out’ bits of your brain for an hour, according to a new study by a University College London (UCL) team. The team have been working on ways to improve a method known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and are now using their adapted version of TMS to investigate possible treatments for stroke patients or those with Parkinson’s disease.
In the latest issue of the journal Neuron, Professor John Rothwell and col
Gene chips, or microarrays, have proven to be immensely important in measuring the activity of thousands of genes at once in such cells as cancer cells or immune cells. The use of these chips has given scientists snapshots of gene activity that lead to better understanding of the genetic machinery of the cells. This understanding has led to new ways to kill cancers or to manipulate the immune system, for example.
Gene chips consist of vast arrays of thousands of specific genetic
Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), in which the brain is stimulated using a magnetic coil held outside the skull, has shown some promise in both studying the brain and in treating mental disorders such as depression, epilepsy, and Parkinson’s disease. Such magnetic fields induce tiny electrical currents inside the skull that alter the activity of neural pathways.
While TMS offers the advantages of relative safety and noninvasiveness, the results of its use in both rese
Northwestern Memorial cardiologist authors editorial in January 20 edition of New England Journal of Medicine
Alan Kadish, M.D., associate chief of Cardiology at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and associate director of the Northwestern Cardiovascular Institute, authors an editorial entitled “Prophylactic Defibrillator Implantation – Toward Evidence-Based Approach,” which accompanies the Sudden Cardiac Death in Heart Failure Trial (SCD-HeFT) reported in the January 20 edition of the New Eng
Although mass is the most important property of stars, it has proved very hard to measure for the lowest mass objects in the universe. Thanks to a powerful new camera, a very rare, low-mass companion has finally been photographed.
The discovery suggests that, due to errors in the models, astronomers have overestimated the number of young “brown dwarfs” and “free floating” extrasolar planets. An international team of astronomers lead by University of Arizona Associate Professor La
Why is it that when you go on holiday some members of your family always seem to get bitten more than others? Researchers supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) think they may have found the answer and their work could lead to new types of insect repellent.
James Logan, a research student at the BBSRC-sponsored institute Rothamsted Research in Hertfordshire, has found that some people give off “masking” odours that prevent mosquitoes f
Researchers have discovered a link between the amount of blood flowing through the liver of the unborn baby in late pregnancy and the diet of expectant mums. In slim mothers and those who eat an unbalanced diet the amount of blood flowing to the liver is increased. While this ‘liver-sparing’ pattern of blood flow is thought to protect the foetus from a nutrient deficit, the researchers believe it may also affect liver function in later life, increasing the risk of adult heart disease and diabetes
Far northern rivers are discharging increasing amounts of freshwater into the Arctic Ocean, due to intensified precipitation caused by global warming, say researchers at the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research in the United Kingdom.
Water exchange between the ocean, atmosphere, and land is called the global hydrological cycle. As Earth’s climate warms, the rate of this exchange is expected to increase. As part of this process, high-latitude precipitation and, c
Researchers led by a Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School team found that wheezing — a key physiological component of asthma — requires the interaction of genes in several locations. The work, involving multiple independent verification, demonstrates the complexity of the genetic predisposition to asthma.
The study, “Interacting genetic loci cause airway hyperresponsiveness,” appears online in Physiological Genomics, published by the American Physiological
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) is seeking clarification on allegations about grapefruit-drug interactions made without appropriate scientific support in a University of Rochester Medical Center’s press release dated January 17th. The FDOC’s first priority is the health of consumers in regards to possible interactions between grapefruit and certain drugs.
“The conclusions concerning death and pregnancy made in the University of Rochester Medical Center’s pre
Made-to-measure skin and bones, which could be used to treat burn victims or patients who have suffered severe disfigurements, may soon be a reality using inkjets which can print human cells.
Scientists at The University of Manchester have developed the breakthrough technology which will allow tailor-made tissues and bones to be grown, simply by inputting their dimensions into a computer.
Professor Brian Derby, Head of the Ink-Jet Printing of Human Cells Project research
Researchers from the CEA’s Nuclear Energy Division have, for the first time, been able to make a quantitative prediction of the evolution of radiation-induced defects in a structural material. The results obtained for iron, using multi-scale simulation techniques based on the atomic scale, will help provide greater insight into material aging phenomena in existing nuclear power plants and may be applied to nuclear systems of the future. They are to be published in the “Nature Materials” jour
Two genes with very strong associations with the disease SLE have been identified by a team of scientists headed by researchers at the Department of Medical Sciences at Uppsala University. The findings are being published today on the Web page of the highly prestigious American Journal of Human Genetics.
“These findings are probably the first genetic pieces of a huge ‘interferon puzzle,’ with whose help it will be possible to discover the mechanisms behind the disease SLE, and may
Recent studies have found that large, old and oily groundfish are significantly more important than their younger counterparts in maintaining healthy marine fish stocks – the larvae from their eggs better resist starvation and have a much greater chance of survival.
These same big, old fish are also routinely sought by fisherman, scientists say, and the age decline in fish populations helps to explain the collapsing fisheries off the Pacific Northwest coast. Other research also
Ohio State University engineers are designing super-slick, water-repellent surfaces that mimic the texture of lotus leaves.
The patent-pending technology could lead to self-cleaning glass, and could also reduce friction between the tiny moving parts inside microdevices.
Scientists have long known that the lotus, or water lily, makes a good model for a water-repellent surface, explained Bharat Bhushan, Ohio Eminent Scholar and the Howard D. Winbigler Professor of mechanical
Feedback
