Preliminary research suggests infection with Chlamydia pneumoniae may increase the risk of heart attack in young men, according to an article in the April 15 issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, now available online.

C. pneumoniae is a relative of the more familiar bacterium that causes the sexually transmitted disease known commonly as chlamydia. The pneumoniae species, though, leads instead to respiratory problems such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and sinus infection and is not s

Female heart attack patients undergoing angioplasty have a higher risk of death than men, but stenting may improve their outcomes, according to a study reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

A new analysis of the CADILLAC (Controlled Abciximab and Device Investigation to Lower Late Angioplasty Complications) trial examined gender differences in outcomes after treatment with angioplasty compared to stenting, with and without the antiplatelet agent abcix

An evolutionary arms race between predatory garter snakes and their newt quarry is turning out to be something of an illusion. At the molecular level, another battle rages. And in this second, miniature realm, it’s the newt who’s the aggressor.

Biologists at Indiana University Bloomington, Utah State University and the University of Utah present evidence in this week’s Nature that a toxin produced by the rough skinned newt, Taricha granulosa, has forced several e

Gene is found in the chromosomal region that influences innate immunity to tuberculosis

Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health studying tuberculosis resistance and susceptibility in animals have identified a gene in mice which plays a significant role in limiting the multiplication of intracellular pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Listeria monocytogenes inside host cells. The gene, Intracellular pathogen resistance 1 (Ipr1), found in the chromosome locatio

Just like people, clams can be affected by the toxins that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP), but scientists have now identified a mutation in clams that gives some protection. PSP toxins interfere with nerve function, and the mutation, which changes a single amino acid in a sodium channel, makes nerves less sensitive to those toxins.

The discovery is reported in the April 7 issue of the journal Nature. The authors suggest that it has wide ranging implications for the

NHGRI-supported researchers discover largest ’gene deserts’; find new clues to ancestral chromosome fusion event

A detailed analysis of chromosomes 2 and 4 has detected the largest “gene deserts” known in the human genome and uncovered more evidence that human chromosome 2 arose from the fusion of two ancestral ape chromosomes, researchers supported by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), reported today.

Sensory deprivation causes changes in new cell size and excitability in the olfactory system, which governs the ability to smell, according to a study in Neuron by a Yale School of Medicine researcher.

“This gives new insight into how stem cells in the olfactory system may be used to restore function in a brain that has been compromised by degenerative disease or trauma,” said Gordon Shepherd, M.D., co-author of the paper and professor of neuroscience at Yale.

Shepher

Researchers studying yeast cells have identified a metabolic enzyme as a potential therapeutic target for treating Huntington’s disease, a fatal inherited neurodegenerative disorder for which there is currently no effective treatment. The group, whose results appear in the May issue of Nature Genetics, includes researchers from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore. The paper was published online in advance

Laboratory technicians battling cancer want to improve diagnosis and treatment of the disease. But they are drowning in data from modern biological techniques. New Web-based software – validated in three European oncology hospitals – can extract potentially life-saving knowledge from such data in minutes.

In Europe, cancer is the second cause of death; worldwide it accounts for 23.5 per cent of all deaths. The race to beat this disease increasingly depends on groundbreaking bioinf

Researchers have discovered that antidepressant drugs such as Prozac not only affect levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain, but also “hijack” dopamine signaling as well–causing it to launch serotonin signals. Their findings offer new insight into how Prozac and other “selective serotonin uptake inhibitors” (SSRIs) work and how they might cause problems in patients taking them.

SSRIs perform their antidepressant function by increasing the concentration of seroton

The pathology of rheumatoid arthritis within the first few months after symptom onset is distinct from that of the early phases of other inflammatory joint diseases and also of established rheumatoid arthritis. New research published today in Arthritis Research & Therapy found that very early rheumatoid arthritis is characterised by a distinct profile of T cell, macrophage and stromal cell related cytokines in synovial fluid.

This finding of a distinct phase of rheumatoid arthr

Stem cell research and artificial lung technology presented at ISHLT meeting today (6-Apr-2005)

Promising new technology may extend the life of a failing organ for patients suffering from heart or lung disease while they wait for a donor organ. The use of stem cells may eliminate the need for a transplant and even eradicate heart disease in patients. Research and discussion will be presented today during symposia at the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation (ISH

According to a study published in the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, a nutritionally complete oral supplement enriched with fish oil, soluble fiber and antioxidants reduces reliance on traditional therapies for people with ulcerative colitis. Moreover, people who took the oral supplement were less likely to start corticosteroid drug therapy, which has many long-term side effects.

“Our study proves that an oral supp

The risk of HIV transmission via heterosexual intercourse is highest early in the course of HIV infection, before most infected people know their HIV status, according to a new study published in the May 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, now available online.

Conducted by a group of investigators led by Maria J. Wawer of Columbia University, the study is the first to present empirical data showing that the rate of heterosexual HIV transmission per coital act varies

Dr. Eric McAdams, who led the PhD research project alongside Peter O’Hare and Gillian McCullough, is available to discuss the Impedimap technology and its commercial development.

The key to Impedimap is that the system can be used to provide instant, accurate feedback on wounds such as venous leg ulcers, diabetic ulcers and sores, burns and surgical wounds – all without removing the dressing. It works using an electrode array system built into the bandage, which builds up

As Americans’ waistlines continue to expand, contributing to a burgeoning epidemic of type 2 diabetes, the scientific jury is in and the verdict is clear: weight loss and increased physical activity is directly related to improved diabetes control. To help Americans fight the dramatic increase in type 2 diabetes, Joslin Diabetes Center has crafted new nutrition and physical activity guidelines for overweight and obese individuals with type 2 diabetes and those at risk for developing diabetes