Implications for chronic use of COX-2 Inhibitors in pre-menopausal women
Heart disease is less pronounced in women than in men as humans age, but this difference narrows after menopause. Some studies have shown that estrogen slows heart disease in mouse models, but the mechanism is largely unknown. Now scientists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine show for the first time that in female mice protection from hardening of the arteries purported to come from higher l
In a developing embryo, the growth of nerves cannot outpace the establishment of life-giving blood vessels. Now, researchers have found that a protein intimately involved in blood vessel patterning actually belongs to a family of proteins known to guide neural development.
The researchers said the studies provide more evidence of communication between developing nerves and blood vessels. Understanding how those networks talk to each other could help researchers devise methods to
Scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, have created a model that predicts the survival of follicular lymphoma patients based on the molecular characteristics of their tumors at diagnosis. The model is based on two sets of genes–called survival-associated signatures–whose activity was found to be associated with good or poor prognosis for patients with the cancer. The scientists’ results, to be published in the November 19, 2004,
Holds hope for sufferers of macular degeneration
For the first time researchers have shown that transplanted stem cells can preserve and improve vision in eyes damaged by retinal disease. In the cover article in the November 2004 Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, scientists from Harvard’s Schepens Eye Research Institute describe results of a mouse study in which transplanted stem cells develop into retinal cells, prevent the death of “at risk” retina cells in the rec
Biochemistry department featured in December issue of the prestigious Nature Methods scientific publication
The biochemistry department of the Université de Montréal salutes the brilliant research performed by Julie Perroy, post-doctoral trainee, and Stéphanie Pontier, graduate student, on the protein ubiquitination process. Their article describing this research work appears in the year-end review of the Nature Methods scientific publication. The work was performed under the dire
The identification of a gene expression profile using microarray technology may help clinicians better determine the prognosis of patients with advanced stage ovarian cancer and may eventually help provide targeted therapies for this hard-to-treat disease, according to a study led by investigators at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).
The findings, described in an advance on-line publication of the December issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, represent the fi
The sea urchin’s tough, brittle spines are an engineering wonder. Composed of a single crystal from base to needle-sharp tip, they grow back within a few days after being broken off. Now, a team of scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science has shown how they do it.
While many crystals grow from component atoms or molecules that are dissolved in liquid, sugar and salt being the most familiar examples, the team of Profs. Lia Addadi and Steve Weiner, of the Institute’
Using biominerals as an inspiration, Livermore physicist Jim De Yoreo and his LLNL research team have determined a key factor in how to manipulate the shapes of crystals.
In a series of experiments using an atomic force microscope, De Yoreo’s team and that of Patricia Dove, a geoscientist from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, used four different biomolecules to study their effects on the dynamics of atomic steps during crystallization. They set out to test a two-
In experiments with mice, a research team led by Johns Hopkins scientists has discovered an unusual protein pair that stops blood vessels’ growth in the developing back. Results of the studies, published today in the express online edition of Science, are of special interest to researchers trying to prevent blood flow that nourishes tumors or exploit the signals vessels emit during growth to help regrow damaged nerves.
During an animal’s prenatal development, protein “sig
Scientists have found that overexpression of a protein called Down Syndrome Critical Region 1 (DSCR-1) blocks the formation of new blood vessels and thus reduces tumor growth. Therapeutics based on this finding may potentially lead to new cancer treatments.
The research appears as the “Paper of the Week” in the November 26 issue of the Journal of Biological Chemistry, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.
Many vascular disorders including
LRRK2 gene may play a central role in the pathogenesis of several neurodegenerative disorders
A team of researchers at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., and colleagues in Canada and Germany have discovered a gene and six mutations of it that cause symptoms associated with Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders. Their discovery will be reported in the Nov. 18 issue of the journal, Neuron. The team found a mutation of the gene, named LRRK2, in members of six
Researchers find no role for RET-independent GFR-alpha in development or regeneration
Neurons depend on external molecular signals for their very survival. These molecules, collectively referred to as neurotrophic factors, include a family of four GDNF Family Ligands (GFLs) that bind to specific receptor sites on the surfaces of neural cells. These sites allow GFLs to signal through a receptor complex composed of the RET tyrosine kinase and a GFRá-family receptor. Tyrosine kinases,
Some 100 species of birds are what scientists call “obligate brood parasites”–instead of building nests and raising their own young, they lay their eggs in the nests of other species and let those birds do the hard work of parenting for them. The black-headed duck of South America is one of these, but it stands out from all the others in a striking way. Black-headed ducks don’t need any parental care other than incubation for their eggs–the ducklings leave the nest one day after hatchin
Opens the door for new therapeutic targets
Researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children (Sick Kids) and the University of Toronto (U of T) have confirmed that childhood and adult brain tumours originate from cancer stem cells and that these stem cells fuel and maintain tumour growth. This discovery has led to development of a mouse model for human brain tumours and opens the door for new therapeutic targets for the treatment of brain tumours. This research is reported in the Nov
Possible links to DiGeorge syndrome, schizophrenia also seen
Tiny bits of short-lived genetic material called microRNAs, or miRNAs, have attracted enormous interest from scientists since their discovery in humans only a few years ago. Viewed most broadly, they appear to play significant roles in controlling gene expression and development in many different settings.
Now, a new study from researchers at The Wistar Institute identifies for the first time a molecular comple
A study looking at chronic infectious respiratory diseases that affect most swine during their critical growing stage has shed new light on the reasons for restricted weight gain and reduced muscle mass.
In the November issue of the Journal of Nutrition, scientists at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign report that the production of inflammatory cytokines by immune cells appears to be responsible for declines of both protein accretion and weight gain in swine infected w
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