A Cornell University research group has made a sweet and environmentally beneficial discovery — how to make plastics from citrus fruits, such as oranges, and carbon dioxide.
In a paper published in a recent issue of the Journal of the American Chemical Society (Sept. 2004), Geoffrey Coates, a Cornell professor of chemistry and chemical biology, and his graduate students Chris Byrne and Scott Allen describe a way to make polymers using limonene oxide and carbon dioxide, with t
Researchers have found that a single mutation in a recently discovered Parkinson’s disease gene is responsible for 5 percent of inherited Parkinson’s disease cases. The finding opens the door to the possibility of genetic screening for the LRRK2 gene mutation, which is believed to be the most common genetic cause of inherited Parkinson’s disease identified to date.
The study, conducted by William C. Nichols, PhD, a geneticist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital M
A new research study published in the January issue of Cancer Cell provides exciting new information about how to boost the effectiveness of a promising cancer treatment that targets telomeres in an attempt to interfere with the ability of a cancer cell to continuously divide.
Telomeres are DNA sequences found at the ends of chromosomes that play a key role in controlling the life span of cells. With every cell division, telomeres get a bit shorter until eventually they becom
Scientists have uncovered critical information that may lead to an urgently needed method for effective monitoring of antiangiogenic cancer therapies. The research, published in the January issue of Cancer Cell, is likely to facilitate development of new antiangiogenic drugs or treatment strategies and allow for accurate determination of the optimal drug doses to use for such therapies.
Antiangiogenic cancer therapy targets the formation of new blood vessels used to support tumor
Advanced melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, can be successfully treated in some cases by vaccinating patients with tumor proteins. How these vaccines work and why they are only effective in some patients remains unclear. Pierre Coulie and colleagues now show, in two articles in the January 17 issue of the Journal of Experimental Medicine, that these vaccines work by increasing the number of immune cells called killer T cells that can attack the tumor. In an unexpected finding, however, t
Some Compounds Show Dramatic Differences in Toxicity And Rate of Break Down Between Isomers
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have demonstrated that isomers – or the mirror-image structures – of some pesticides, although chemically identical, have very different biological and environmental impacts between the two sides. This may have significant implications for risk assessment and research and development directions of new products.
The environmen
This picture is a composite of 30 images from ESA’s Huygens probe. They were taken from an altitude varying from 13 kilometres down to 8 kilometres when the probe was descending towards its landing site. View all raw images here: http://esamultimedia.esa.int/docs/titanraw/index.htm
Chronic, constant worry (Generalized Anxiety Disorder) is most frequently treated with psychotropic drugs (benzodiazepines and antidepressants). A randomized controlled trial published in the Jan 2005 issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics by a group of researchers of the University of Berlin suggests the usefulness of psychotherapy.
Generalized anxiety disorders (GAD) are amongst the most prevalent mental disorders. Recent studies have suggested that cognitive behaviour th
The University of Surrey today announced that it is to lead a major European research initiative in the genetics of drug addiction, funded by an € 8.1 million contract from the European Commission. The effort brings together eight leading public and private research organisations with the aim of identifying genes involved in addiction and advancing the development of new treatment strategies for this serious disease.
Although the role of genetics in susceptibility to addiction has be
While children across the country are still trying to stick to their New Year’s resolutions to tidy their bedrooms every morning, building scientists are investigating whether a clutter could actually be the key to healthier living. Dr Stephen Pretlove, from Kingston University’s School of Architecture, is one of a group of specialists advising Britons to leave their beds unmade to banish house dust mites which cause asthma and other allergies. The scientists have discovered the mites cannot sur
Courtyard houses and terraced houses are the central topics of a newly released publication on the forms of horizontal densification in domestic architecture. Besides the history of these building types, the various types, quality criteria and their implementation within the purview of the numerous concepts of urban development are dealt with in detail. The book, published in German with the aid of the Austrian Science Fund (FWF), thus offers a unique review of a residential building type that –
Along with Ireland and Portugal, Norway is now working to make marine research a priority focus of the 7th EU Framework Programme for Research and Technology Development (2007–2010). The goal is to develop a vital, beneficial marine and maritime economy in Europe with the help of interdisciplinary research.
Seafood, transport, security, recreation and ecology are important key words for the ocean theme in Europe. Oceans encircle a great deal of the continent. This has played a cru
Elderly carers have larger social networks and are not as lonely as other people in their age group, according to a paper in the Journal of Advanced Nursing. They also tend to be healthier and have a better quality of life.
A study of 4,278 people aged 75 and over showed strong links between loneliness, a weak social network and low mental quality of life.
Researchers from Lund University in Sweden also reported that women were more likely to report frequent and intense l
Tobacco smoke triggers the production of COX-2, a cellular protein linked to the development and progression of cancer, according to research published in the January 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.
Tobacco smoke also promoted rapid cellular production of two proteins that initiate an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) driven cascade leading to the production of COX-2, the report stated.
The report by Andrew J. Dannenberg, M.D., director of cancer preventi
Sequence may contain genes controlling stature and tumor development
Scientists report on Friday in the journal Genome Research that they have successfully cloned and characterized a previously intractable DNA sequence: a 554-kilobase-pair genomic segment near the centromere of the human Y chromosome. This sequence contains eight putatively active genes that could be implicated in sex-associated height differences and gonadal tumor development.
This pericentromeric ga
For many years, DNA and proteins have been viewed as the real movers and shakers in genomic studies, with RNA seen as little more than a messenger that shuttles information between the two. But researchers from Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that small RNA molecules called microRNAs regulate thousands of human genes–more than one third of the genome’s protein-coding regions. In other words, a class of molecule once releg
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