The immunosuppressive drug mycophenolate mofetil, used to prevent rejection of transplanted hearts, kidneys and livers, may also be effective in controlling inflammatory eye diseases, according to a study by researchers at Johns Hopkins’ Wilmer Eye Institute.

“The drug seemed to be effective even in patients who had failed treatment from other immunosuppressive drugs,” says lead author Jennifer E. Thorne, M.D., an assistant professor of ophthalmology.

Physicians gav

How insects avoid getting diseases they can carry and spread to humans is the focus of research at Kansas State University.

Mike Kanost, university distinguished professor of biochemistry and head of the department of biochemistry, and researchers in his lab are studying how insects protect themselves against infection. They think the answer lies in insects’ blood, specifically proteins.

The researchers have made progress in understanding which molecules are present

Adrian Bird of the University of Edinburgh and colleagues report today in the online issue of Molecular Cell that the “Rett Syndrome protein”, MeCP2, only binds to genes with a specific sequence of nucleotide bases. This knowledge will aid in the identification of the genes that are regulated by the gene MECP2. This work was supported, in part, by the Rett Syndrome Research Foundation (RSRF).

Rett Syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurological disorder diagnosed almost exclusively in gi

The Ikerlan Centre for Technological Research, linked to the Mondragón Corporación Cooperativa (MCC), has been chosen to lead the European Optolab Card project the aim of which is to design and develop a device for the speedy and effective diagnosis in the treatment and consequent reduction of infectious diseases, evermore present due to the greater mobility of carriers.

The Ikerlan-led project involves a device made up of a portable base and a card that functions as a laborator

Thousands of people are hospitalised for burns in the UK every year, of which 6,500 are children. But like many sections of the NHS, where they live will determine how well they are treated. Survival statistics improve every year, but the success in improving appearance, dealing with an altered appearance and depression and re-integration into the community can depend on where one is treated.

The National Burns Care Group (NBCG) is expected to submit proposals at the end of this year

It has been proposed that aggression and especially anger attacks play an important role in the symptomatology of depression. Furthermore, it has been hypothesized that these symptoms are more prevalent in males than in females.

It has been conducted a study in 217 depressed patients (104 females, 113 males) without psychiatric comorbidity using questionnaires. Study subjects had previously been treated as inpatients and were contacted after discharge from hospital by mail or phone.

Pomegranate fruit extracts can block enzymes that contribute to osteoarthritis according to a Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine study published in the September 2005 issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

The study looked at the ability of an extract of pomegranate fruit against Interleukin-1b (IL-1b), a pro-inflammatory protein molecule that plays a key role in cartilage degradation in osteoarthritis. Current treatments for osteoarthritis – which affects 20 mill

Paralytic rabies after a two week holiday in India BMJ Volume 331, pp 501-3

In this week’s BMJ, experts warn travellers to get vaccinated and avoid animals when visiting areas such as Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East, where rabies is common. They should also seek urgent help if they are bitten or scratched.

Their warning comes after the recent death of a British woman, bitten by a dog during a two week holiday in Goa, India.

Rabies is an a

Scientists from the Flanders Interuniversity Institute for Biotechnology (VIB) have again achieved a breakthrough in research on hepatitis. The researchers, connected to Ghent University, have discovered the function of one of the most important proteins involved in hepatitis. Using a mouse model, they have shown that the protein prevents inflammation of the liver as well as the death of liver cells. This discovery can form the basis for the development of a new therapy in the battle against hepat

Several neurologically based afflictions, such as Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer diseases, have been correlated to a higher than normal presence of a specific type of enzymes, called transglutaminases (TGase) in the human body. TGases, whose function is to catalyze covalent bonds among proteins, are commonly found in several different human tissues.

In the presence of unusually high levels of these enzymes, some proteins tend to form denser clusters than normal

Stealth nano particles may some day target tumor cells and deliver medication to specific body locations, according to Penn State chemical engineers.

“Mainly we have focused on chemotherapy drugs,” says Dr. Michael Pishko, professor of chemical engineering and materials science and engineering. “But others are considering using this delivery system to deliver genes in gene therapy.”

The researchers first produce nano-sized powders of the drug they wish to deliver and encap

It’s not a new material, but a new application of silver hollandite could make a big impact in diesel emissions control. Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory have developed an inexpensive method of synthesizing nano-sized silver hollandite and have found the material has unique catalytic properties that can completely oxidize nitrogens of oxide, carbon monoxide and hydrocarbons.

These chemical reactions caused by the silver hollandite are key to reducing pollutants i

Chemists and biologists at Northwestern University have found a way to detect and estimate the size and structure of a miniscule toxic protein suspected of triggering Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, researchers say, could help scientists better understand the underlying mechanisms of the disease and lead to the development of new treatments that could slow or possibly arrest its progression.

The findings also could potentially be used to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease in livin

Using a new, more sensitive-testing approach they developed for fungi, Penn State food scientists have found that mushrooms are a better natural source of the antioxidant ergothioneine than either of the two dietary sources previously believed to be best.

The researchers found that white button mushrooms, the most commonly consumed kind in the U.S., have about 12 times more of the antioxidant than wheat germ and 4 times more than chicken liver, the previous top-rated ergothioneine

The human brain is composed of billions of cells, each a separate entity that communicates with others. The chemical interaction of those cells determines personality, controls behavior and encodes memory; but much remains to be understood.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed tools for studying the chemistry of the brain, neuron by neuron. The analytical techniques can probe the spatial and temporal distribution of biologically import

The ups and downs of the stock market reflect investors’ balance between greed and fear, goes an old saying. Until now, though, economists have not had a way to incorporate such emotions into their models of investors’ strategies. However, in the September 1, 2005, issue of Neuron, Camelia M. Kuhnen and Brian Knutson of Stanford University report the identification of two key brain regions activated before people make risk-seeking versus risk-aversion investment mistakes.
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