Genome of Ciona intestinalis yields new insights into the origins of complex biological systems
The streamlined genome of Ciona intestinalis, a common sea squirt closely related to vertebrates on the evolutionary tree, is providing new clues about the origins of key vertebrate systems and structures including the human hormone, nervous and immune systems.
In an article for the December 13, 2002 issue of the journal Science, an international consortium of researchers reports
As mammals, our internal (circadian) clock is regulated by the patterns of light and dark we experience. But how that information is transmitted from the eye to the biological clock in the brain has been a matter of scientific debate. Scientists had suspected that a molecule called melanopsin, which is found in the retina, plays an important role.
Now researchers at Stanford University and Deltagen Inc. have confirmed that melanopsin does indeed transmit light information from the eye to th
With 46 chromosomes and six feet of DNA to copy every time most human cells divide, it’s not surprising that gaps or breaks sometimes show up in the finished product – especially when the cell is under stress or dividing rapidly, as in cancer.
But what is surprising – according to Thomas Glover, Ph.D., a geneticist at the University of Michigan Medical School – is that the breaks don’t always occur at random. They happen at a few specific locations on chromosomes, when cells are u
Researchers have discovered the first genetic component of a biochemical pathway in the brain that governs the indelible imprinting of fear-related experiences in memory.
The gene identified by researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at Columbia University encodes a protein that inhibits the action of the fear-learning circuitry in the brain. Understanding how this protein quells fear may lead to the design of new drugs to treat depression, panic and generalized anxiety di
Scientists at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have identified a new and surprising mechanism by which a class of enzymes responsible for the breakdown of proteins operates.
The process of degrading proteins no longer needed by cells is essential in the normal growth, development and regulation of cells, and the study’s findings have implications for understanding diseases like Parkinson’s and several forms of cancer.
“Many diseases involve the inappropriate accumu
’Quantum dots’ may allow researchers to track proteins and cells in their natural environments
Imagine if molecular and cell biologists could watch proteins and cells at work in their natural habitat in the same way that wildlife biologists observe animals in the wild. They’d sit back and witness first hand their microscopic subjects’ daily routines, interactions and movements, and the places they prefer to be.
This fantasy is rapidly becoming a reality t
Nearly 20 percent of smokers using an over-the-counter nicotine patch in a new study were able to quit smoking entirely after six weeks, compared to only 7 percent of smokers using a dummy patch. Each group reported only mild side effects from patch use, like rashes or insomnia.
None of the smokers received any direct instruction on how to use the patch or got behavioral counseling to help them quit smoking, which suggests that nicotine patches used in an over-the-counter manner can be safe
In face of changes in precipitation variability, climatic extremes
What does Kansas’ weather and life have in common? In the words of Forrest Gump, both are like a box of chocolates. “You’re never sure what you’re going to get.” Rain or drought. Drought or rain.
Concerns about future climate changes resulting from human activities often focus on the effects of increases in average air temperatures or changes in average precipitation amounts. But climate models also
A Phase II clinical trial conducted at Duke University Medical Center and five other U.S. institutions has shown that an agent made of purified human hemoglobin appears safe and may be effective when used instead of transfused human blood to replace blood lost during heart surgery.
If the benefits of the agent, known as hemoglobin raffimer, are proven in subsequent Phase III clinical trials, physicians would not need to use as much donated blood during surgery, the researchers said. An esti
A new clinical trial has shown that reducing the interval between successive doses of a commonly used chemotherapy regimen improves survival in women whose breast cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. While previous research has evaluated the use of various forms of “dose dense” chemotherapy, this is the first major controlled study to show a clear survival benefit for women with node-positive breast cancer. The study was conducted by Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) for the Breast Cancer Intergro
Key step in process of developing targeted therapeutics to combat epilepsy
Scientists from Toronto’s Princess Margaret Hospital are able to depict for the first time how an important molecule called IP3 and its receptor interact to control calcium levels in cells, a process that is vital to normal brain function.
The study is published in this week’s edition of the international scientific journal Nature, and is a collaboration between scientists at Princess Margar
Rush is first site in the Chicago area to obtain the stereotaxis technology and one of only two in the world with an emphasis on neurosurgical applications
Neurosurgeons at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center have become the first in the Chicago area to use a radically new, magnetically controlled system to enter the brain and its vascular system to treat a variety of diseases without surgically opening up the skull and brain.
“Magnet-guided neurosurgery allows
A team of researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have linked an area of chromosome 10p to families with a history of bulimia nervosa, providing strong evidence that genes play a determining role in who is susceptible to developing the eating disorder.
The finding, gleaned from blood studies of 316 patients with bulimia and their family members, is the result of the first multinational collaborative genome-wide linkage scan to lo
Mental health experts at Cedars-Sinai shed light on seasonal affective disorder With the Holiday celebrations to attend and family gatherings to prepare for, the winter season can be a busy and joyful time of year. But for many, changes in light and temperature combined with the stresses of holiday events and heightened expectations can increase anxiety and cause depression. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a mood disorder associated with depression episodes and related to seasona
New analysis challenges results of previous research
Researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research at the University of East Anglia, the Earth Institute at Columbia University, and other institutions conclude that the increase in the incidence of malaria in East Africa parallels warming trends over the last several decades. The new findings challenge the results of a study, “Climate change and resurgence of malaria
Could Spare Half of Women From Chemotherapy
Oncologists at the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center are testing a new technique called gene expression profiling that subtypes each breast cancer tumor by its genetic defects so that doctors can tailor their treatment to inhibit that particular tumor.
The researchers believe the technique could spare millions of women from needlessly receiving toxic chemotherapy, and they are leading a national clinical trial to study gene profili
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