A gene involved in B-cell development might play a role in multiple sclerosis. The results of a large study published today in the open access journal BMC Neurology reveal that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients are more likely to carry two specific genetic variations in the Early B-cell factor gene (EBF-1), than healthy individuals.

These variations – or polymorphisms – could play a causative role in MS or be located near other polymorphisms that do play a causative role in the disorder.

New research in monkeys suggests that, although living in an “enriched” environment can make someone less vulnerable to abusing cocaine, once started, extended drug abuse can eliminate the social advantage the abuser originally had.

However, the research also shows that prolonged abstinence from drug use can give the recovering addict another chance, and that environment again becomes a major factor influencing the success of the recovery.

Michael A. Nader, Ph.D., prof

A group of Belgian researchers has determined that a pregnant woman’s ability to metabolize fats is determined not only by her genes but by her baby’s genes as well. The details of their findings appear in the November issue of the Journal of Lipid Research, an American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology journal.

The researchers, led by Olivier S. Descamps of the Centre de Recherche Médicale de Jolimont in Haine Saint-Paul and of the Université Catholiq

Weizmann Institute scientists develop new analytical method

Some fundamental outstanding questions in science – “Where do stem cells originate?” “How does cancer develop?” “When do cell types split off from each other in the embryo?” – might be answered if scientists had a way to map the history of the body’s cells going back to the fertilized egg. Now, a multidisciplinary team at the Weizmann Institute of Science has developed an analytical method that can trace the lineage trees

Who would get mixed with a hefty chap two meters high? There would be few those who wish. Just imagine that in a moment of danger this “hefty chap” becomes thrice as large… Is it fantasy? It is, if we are talking about people. But if it comes to unicellular algae, it is a typical scenario provided by nature for them. The scenedesmus unicellular alga grows thrice as large in presence of predators – cladoceran and rotifers that eat up unicellular algae. This is a defence mechanism as rotifers

People living in deprived areas or working in manual occupations are less likely to receive cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering treatment than more affluent people

People living in deprived areas or working in manual occupations are less likely to receive cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering treatment than more affluent people, according to a paper published today [28 October] in the November issue of the British Journal of General Practice.

This is because the

Scientists are one step closer to unraveling the complex mechanisms in the brain that regulate body weight. Working with mice — whose appetites are controlled by systems very similar to those in humans – they have identified a specific type of neuron that is essential for feeding behavior. Without these neurons, adult mice stop eating and undergo rapid weight loss.

Remarkably, the researchers found that absence of these neurons only influenced eating behavior when they were remov

Tips from Harvard Health publications

Halloween is an exciting time for kids, and we can all help to make sure that children have a safe and fun holiday with the following tips from Harvard Health Publications, the publishing group at Harvard Medical School.

Candy

Kids will be less likely to overload on candy if they eat something before they go out. And they’ll be more likely to do that if you make it fun. One idea: Host a make-your-own-jack-o’

Pregnant women with hypertension who also have elevated blood uric acid levels may face an increased risk of complications that could be fatal for mother and baby, University of Pittsburgh researchers have found.

Reporting in the Oct. 27 online issue of Hypertension, a journal published by the American Heart Association, researchers note that the greatest risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy accompanies preeclampsia, a devastating disorder that affects some 5 percent of firs

Study shows long-term benefits of initial combination therapy, including either prednisone or infliximab, over dmards alone or step-up combination therapy

A progressive, inflammatory disease affecting the joints and organs, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) claims more than two million Americans, mostly women over age 40, among its victims. While a cure has yet to be found, the treatment of RA patients has changed considerably over the last two decades. Today, the goal of therapy is not

Vaccine would be first to protect against bird flu

Vanderbilt University Medical Center is enrolling volunteers in a study to test a new vaccine that targets avian flu, the first such vaccine against the virus. The Vanderbilt trial, led by Kathryn Edwards, M.D., will test the new vaccine in nearly 100 individuals 65 years of age and over. It is the second phase of a national study led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The first phase of

Researchers at The University of Manchester and Hope Hospital in Salford have discovered that head injury patients not treated in specialist brain surgery centres are at significantly greater risk of dying from their injuries.

In a study published today (28 October) in The Lancet which analysed 1989 – 2003 data from the national Trauma Audit and Research Network database, the team compared the death-rates of patients with head injuries with those of other types of emergency patients

New tool speeding the discovery of genes for common diseases

The International HapMap Consortium today published a comprehensive catalog of human genetic variation, a landmark achievement that is already accelerating the search for genes involved in common diseases, such as asthma, diabetes, cancer and heart disease.

In a paper in the Oct. 27 issue of the journal Nature, more than 200 researchers from Canada, China, Japan, Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United

An extensive research analysis by a neuroscientist at UCLA’s Semel Institute and the Veterans Affairs’ Neurobiology Research Laboratory concludes that environment and diet largely determine sleep needs.

Appearing in the Oct. 27 edition of the peer-reviewed journal Nature, the analysis shows that meat-eating species sleep the most and grazing animals the least. Sleep amounts range from 20 hours in the little brown bat to only two hours in the horse. Animals that have le

Scientists have identified the gene responsible for controlling a first key step in the creation of new life, according to new research published in the journal Nature tomorrow (Thursday 27 October 2005).

The gene, known as HIRA, ‘chaperones’ the early processes that take place once a sperm enters an egg, giving it a crucial role in the most fundamental process in sexually reproducing animals.

The absence or mutation of this gene in the maternal (mother’s) genome explai

Rice team mitigates toxicity of tiny cylinders with chemical changes

In follow-on work to last year’s groundbreaking toxicological study on water-soluble buckyballs, researchers at Rice University’s Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) find that water-soluble carbon nanotubes are significantly less toxic to begin with. Moreover, the research finds that nanotubes, like buckyballs, can be rendered nontoxic with minor chemical modifications.