They piggyback on iron-storing proteins after surviving digestive juices
A new study from the Department of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine shows that the infectious version of prion proteins, the main culprits behind the human form of mad cow disease or variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), are not destroyed by digestive enzymes found in the stomach. Furthermore, the study finds that the infectious prion proteins, also known as prions, cross
A team of researchers, led by University of Georgia psychologist Dorothy Fragaszy, has just published the first direct scientific report of tool use among a population of wild capuchin monkeys. There have been reports of single instances of this behavior but never of a whole population using tools routinely over a long period of time.
Using remarkably heavy stones probably transported to an “anvil” site in northeastern Brazil, these cat-sized monkeys routinely crack palm nuts, whic
Wiping out a protein in skin cancer cells could significantly stall melanoma tumor development and increase the sensitivity of the cancer cells to chemotherapy, a Penn State College of Medicine study suggests.
The protein, Akt3, appears to be responsible for promoting tumor cell survival and development in 43 percent to 60 percent of non-inherited melanomas. “Our study showed that lowering Akt3 activity can reduce the tumor-creating potential of melanoma cells by making the cancer
Combined positron emission tomography and computerized tomography (PET/CT) can help diagnose occult (hidden) recurrent cancer, possibly a cancer patient’s greatest post-treatment fear, report a team of Israeli physicians in the December issue of the Society of Nuclear Medicine’s “Journal of Nuclear Medicine.”
PET and CT scans are standard imaging tools that allow clinicians to pinpoint the location of cancer within the body before making treatment recommendations. PET/C
Genetics, genomics, bioinformatics and neuroscience join forces
Children’s Hospital Boston has begun enrolling patients as part of an ambitious new multidisciplinary study of autism that will attempt to pin down its genetic and biochemical causes. Results could be available in a year or two, and could yield a greater biological understanding of autistic spectrum disorders, better diagnostic and prognostic techniques, and potential medical treatments.
More than 90 percent
Men are more likely to want to marry women who are their assistants at work rather than their colleagues or bosses, a University of Michigan study finds.
The study, published in the current issue of Evolution and Human Behavior, highlights the importance of relational dominance in mate selection and discusses the evolutionary utility of male concerns about mating with dominant females. “These findings provide empirical support for the widespread belief that powerful women are at a
Exposure to low levels of hydrogen sulfide and possibly other airborne chemicals from nearby asphalt plants may have contributed to an increased suicide rate in a North Carolina community, a study suggests for the first time.
In 2003, the suicide rate in two Salisbury, N.C., neighborhoods was found to be 192 per 100,000 individuals a year, roughly 16 times the statewide average, as stated in community reports confirmed by death certificates for that year by the Blue Ridge Environmental De
Consumers are bombarded with choices. Consider a trip to the pharmacy for razors or toilet tissue. Should you buy the 5-pack, the 10-pack, or the 15-pack? Generic versus name brand? What about the two-for-one option? Wait, what about the old reliable?!
Ultimately, these choices are informed by past experience as well as whether we’re thinking about the purchase when we’re in the store says a study published in the December 2004 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research.
The
Results from a new study show that lifetime lead exposure may increase the risk of developing cataracts. Researchers found that men with high levels of lead in the tibia, the larger of the two leg bones below the knee, had a 2.5-fold increased risk for cataract, the leading cause of blindness and visual impairment.
“These results suggest that reducing exposure of the public to lead and lead compounds could lead to a significant decrease in the overall incidence of cataract,” said
UCSF scientists have found that the brains of rats can be trained to learn an alternate way of processing changes in the loudness of sound. The discovery, they say, has potential for the treatment of hearing loss, autism, and other sensory disabilities in humans. It also gives clues, they say, about the process of learning and the way we perceive the world.
“We addressed a very fundamental question,” says Daniel B. Polley, PhD, lead author of the study. “When we notice a sound
For the first time scientists have demonstrated a model that may explain how alcohol stimulates tumor growth. Their study, published in the January 15, 2005 issue of CANCER,says alcohol fuels the production of a growth factor that stimulates blood vessel development in tumors, and that chronic ethanol increased tumor size and levels of the angiogenic factor and levels of the angiogenic factor and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in an experimental model.
For almost a hun
Research from 19 European countries in this week’s issue of THE LANCET documents how childhood cancer, while still rare, has been slowly increasing over the past 3 decades.
Cancer is rare before age 20 years. Eva Steliarova-Foucher (International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France) and colleagues used the large European database of childhood and adolescent cancer cases to estimate patterns and trends of incidence and survival within Europe.
The investigators
Levodopa is the most powerful drug available to treat the symptoms of Parkinson disease, and almost all patients with the disease will eventually need to take it. But there has long been controversy about when it should be started, in part because of concern that the medicine itself might cause further damage to the brain cells that are impaired in this disease. To resolve the controversy, a Columbia University scientist led a team of experts from the Parkinson Study Group to study levodopa’s
Using food, UCI psychologist Elizabeth Loftus demonstrates false beliefs can affect people’s later thoughts and behaviors
For the millions of Americans who worry about overeating during the holiday season, there may be hope: A new UC Irvine study suggests changing their memories of food may be a way to influence their eating habits.
With food as the subject, UCI psychologist Elizabeth Loftus conducted the first scientific demonstration of the effect of false beliefs on
Exposure to fine particles and pollutants that accumulate in cars driving at varying speeds in road traffic enhances the likelihood of thrombosis, inflammation and alters the regularity of the heart rhythm. A study published today in the journal Particle and Fibre Toxicology raises concerns about cardiovascular risks for vehicle drivers.
Michael Riediker, from The Institute of Occupational Health Sciences in Switzerland, collaborated with colleagues from a number of institut
University of Utah scientists taught baby sparrows to sing a complete song even though the birds were exposed only to overlapping segments of the tune rather than the full melody. The study provides clues about how musical memories are stored in the brain and how those memories help birds learn to sing.
The results also may have implications for how people learn language, says Gary J. Rose, a University of Utah professor of biology and principal author of the study published in
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