A means for controlling single-molecule switches by engineering their design and surrounding environment has been developed by a research team led by scientists at Penn State, Rice University, and the University of Oregon. The research demonstrates that single-molecule switches can be tailored to respond in predictable and stable ways, depending on the direction of the electric field applied to them–while some switches were engineered to turn on, others were engineered to turn off in response to th

Researchers have identified a fear factor – a protein the brain uses to generate one of the most powerful emotions in humans and animals. The molecule is essential for triggering both the innate fears that animals are born with – such as the shadow of an approaching predator – as well as fears that arise later in life due to individual experiences. Eliminating the gene that encodes this factor makes a fearful mouse courageous. The finding, the researchers say, suggests new approaches for drugs

Scientists are concerned with commodization of mobile communications. Although the damage of cellular phones’ electromagnetic radiation has never been proved, their safety can not be warranted either. Chairman of the Russian National Committee for defense from nonionizing radiation, Doctor of Science (Medicine), Professor, Yuri Grigirievich Grigoriev advises that children and teenagers are particularly sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. Judging by some data, long child’s conversations o

The discovery of a swarm of aggressive tiger mosquitoes, a type known to carry dengue fever, in the Netherlands has highlighted the lack of legislation for monitoring disease-carrying insects in the EU, reports Jennifer Rohn in Chemistry & Industry magazine.

A Dutch inspector was attacked and bitten by the swarm in a greenhouse during a routine inspection of imported bamboo. The bamboo and the insects originated in southeast China where the disease is rife. But it is not yet

Better means of communicating risks needed

In a survey of approximately 930,000 ambulatory care patients, researchers from the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention (of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care) and colleagues found that 42 percent received prescriptions for drugs with Black Box Warnings (BBW), the Food and Drug Administration’s strongest label for high-risk medication. Additionally, physicians’ compliance with the recommendations of

Prevent bone loss, periodontal disease

Drugs that reverse and prevent bone loss due to osteoporosis also significantly ward off periodontal disease, according to a graduate of the Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine who reports in the current Menopause journal article, “Periodontal Assessments of Postmenopausal Women Receiving Risedronate.”

Leena Bahl Palomo, D.D.S and M.S.D., is the lead author on the study with Nabil Bissada, chair and professor

More than one third of 7 million cancer deaths are caused by 9 avoidable risk factors

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and a network of collaborators estimated mortality for 12 types of cancer linked to nine risk factors in seven World Bank regions for the year 2001. They found that of the seven million deaths worldwide that year from cancer, 35 percent were attributable to the nine well-known behavioral and environmental risk factors. The researchers al

Researchers at Johns Hopkins’ Institute for Cell Engineering (ICE) have discovered a protein that could be the best new target in the fight against Parkinson’s disease since the brain-damaging condition was first tied to loss of the brain chemical dopamine.

Over the past year, the gene for this protein, called LRRK2 (pronounced “lark-2”), had emerged as perhaps the most common genetic cause of both familial and unpredictable cases of Parkinson’s disease. Until n

Technique shows that injection accuracy is critical, but not perfect

By using MRI to detect magnetic probes of tiny iron oxide particles, an international research team for the first time has successfully tracked immune-stimulating cells implanted into cancer patients for treatment purposes.

“In four of the eight patients, MRI revealed that the implanted cells weren’t where they needed to be to be effective for treatment,” says Jeff Bulte, Ph.D., an associate p

Viagra® (sildenafil citrate), known for improving erectile dysfunction (ED), also effectively treats the prostate and lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) associated with prostate enlargement that often occur with ED, a Northwestern University study has found.

Kevin V. McVary, M.D., professor of urology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, led the study, which he presented at a meeting of the Sexual Medicine Society of North America on Nov. 21 in New York.

Findings could pave the way to treatment of anxiety disorders

Rutgers geneticist Gleb Shumyatsky has discovered a gene that controls both innate and learned forms of fear. The gene, known as Stathmin or Oncoprotein 18, is highly concentrated in the amygdala, a key region of the brain that deals with fear and anxiety.
“This is a major advance in the field of learning and memory that will allow for a better understanding of post traumatic stress disorder, phobias, borderline

Like waves of soldiers guarding a castle gate, multiple genetic defenders cooperate to protect plant cells against powdery mildew disease, according to a new study. Powdery mildew is a common fungal infection in plants that attacks more than 9,000 species, including many crops such as barley and wheat, and horticultural plants such as roses and cucumbers. The researchers, including Shauna Somerville and Mónica Stein of the Carnegie Institution’s Department of Plant Biology, are the first

A Scots-led medical research team has identified a new gene linked to major mental illness that links back to a previously discovered gene known to increase the risk of schizophrenia and depression. Scientists from the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow, together with scientists from the pharmaceutical company Merck, Sharp & Dohme Limited, report the discovery of the second gene, phosphodiesterase 4B (PDE4B) in the prestigious journal Science today (17 November). Their discoveries could lead to

The immune system is highly complex. The cast of characters alone required to marshal an immune response to a foreign invader can number in the millions as the body’s soldiers, T cells, are called into action. What triggers this complex response begins when T cells and dendritic cells, another type of immune cell, form a kind of molecular embrace, or immunological synapse, to relay information about intruders.

The communication between these immune cells hasn’t been well underst

Northwestern University researchers have demonstrated how the microenvironments of two human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines (federally approved) induced metastatic melanoma cells to revert to a normal, skin cell-like type with the ability to form colonies similar to hESCs. The researchers also showed that these melanoma cells were less invasive following culture on the microenvironments of hESCs.

“Our observations highlight the potential utility of isolating the factors wit

Researchers at the University of Washington have found a genetic pathway linking nutrient response and the aging process, they report in the Nov. 18 issue of the journal Science. Scientists have long known that dramatically reducing food intake boosts the lifespan of model organisms such as mice, but the new results point to a possible mechanism through which drastic calorie restriction affects aging.

As scientists learn more about the biochemical processes that affect lifespan, t