The right answer could yield better anesthetics, as well as improved stroke and heart attack outcomes – for everyone

For a human, mere minutes without oxygen (called anoxia) resulting from cardiac arrest, cerebral stroke or being trapped under water can lead to profound tissue damage and even death. However a Western painted turtle can survive anoxia for months without apparent tissue damage. Why, and how?

“Key to surviving anoxia is the shutting off of energy-utilizing

Genetically engineered mice will help U-M scientists decipher signals that trigger gastric cancer in humans

When it comes to gastric cancer, too little stomach acid can be just as dangerous as too much, according to scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School. Both extremes create inflammatory changes in the stomach lining and a condition called chronic atrophic gastritis, which over time often leads to cancer.

In research published in the March 31 issue of

A University of Liverpool scientist has discovered how the food poisoning bug E.Coli 0157 became deadly to humans.

Twenty-three years ago a harmless gut bacterium called E. coli developed the ability to kill people through food poisoning, bloody diarrhoea and kidney failure. Normally E. coli bacteria live in the intestine and don’t pose any danger, but some varieties can cause fatal food poisoning. The most serious in the UK is E. coli O157, which is carried by livestock (mainl

The TIM23 complex, which regulates the transport of protein to the mitochondria in a cell, is much more complicated than was previously believed. This is shown by Uppsala University researcher Maria Lind in an article in the leading journal Cell.

Together with Agnieszka Chacinska from the University of Freiburg in Germany, Maria Lind from Uppsala University is lead author of the article in Cell.

Agnieszka Chacinska’s and her study shows how the TIM23 complex functions, som

Scientists identify novel regulator of telomere homeostasis

Each of our 46 chromosomes is capped by a telomere – a long stretch of repeated DNA (TTAGG). Telomeres play a key protective function in our cells, and now Dr. In Kwon Chung and colleagues at Yonsei University (Seoul, Korea) and the University of Central Florida reveal a novel mechanism to modulate telomere length. Their work will be published in the April 1st issue of Genes & Development.

With each round of c

A natural tumor suppressor that could potentially be turned on in certain cancer cells to prevent the formation of tumors has been discovered by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

Located on chromosome 18 and called PH domain Leucine-rich repeat Protein Phosphatase (PHLPP, pronounced “flip”), the tumor suppressor is described in the April 1, 2005 issue of the journal Molecular Cell. The scientists demonstrated that PHLPP deletes a p

Researchers at the University of Toronto have mapped the molecular details that show how a viral protein coded in the Epstein-Barr virus immortalizes cells and causes them to continuously grow, thereby predisposing people to certain types of cancer.

“Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is one of the most common human viruses in the world and is strongly linked to certain b-cell cancers like Burkitt’s lymphoma as well as the epithelial cell cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma. EBNA1 is

Scientists identify novel anti-cancer target

Blood vessels nourish healthy tissues, but also provide a conduit for tumor growth and metastasis. A collaboration of researchers from the University of Michigan, NIH, and the University of Helsinki (Finland) has identified a novel, potential therapeutic target to prevent tumor vascularization.

In the April 15th cover story of Genes & Development, Dr. Stephen J. Weiss and colleagues demonstrate that “the recently characterized

The repetition of three little “letters” within the gene that codes for the ataxin-3 protein is both the cause of and perhaps a solution to Machado-Joseph disease and an entire family of similar genetic disorders, according to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania. Their findings, which appear today in the journal Molecular Cell, present a potential therapeutic role for the ataxin-3 protein for MJD and related disorders such as Huntington’s disease.

Machado-Joseph

Chemists journey to Gobi region for samples, discover novel dye in textiles from Peru

Although searching for 3,000-year-old mummy textiles in tombs under the blazing sun of a western Chinese desert may seem more Indiana Jones than analytical chemist, two Boston University researchers recently did just that. Traveling along the ancient Silk Road in Xinjiang Province on their quest, they found the ancient fabrics – and hit upon a research adventure that combined chemistry, archaeology

With the new Leica M844 F40, Leica Microsystems introduces an ophthalmic surgical microscope that significantly improves visibility and working conditions for the surgical team during the eye surgery, while protecting the eyes of both surgeon and patient. Brilliant optics, outstanding illumination, perfect balance and easy of use: These are the highlights of the new premium-class microscope system from Leica Microsystems.
One microscope for all disciplines

As eye surgeons

There is currently not enough evidence to suggest that multivitamin and mineral supplements prevent infections in elderly people, finds a study published online by the BMJ today.

Ageing is associated with an increased risk of infection. So, as the number of elderly people in developed nations continues to rise, there has been great interest in the use of supplements to help prevent infections.

Researchers identified eight trials evaluating the effect of multivitamin

A novel high-tech microscope will be brought to the marketplace, giving laboratories everywhere fascinating new insights into living organisms. EMBLEM Technology Transfer GmbH (EMBLEM), the commercial entity of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), announced today that it has signed a licensing deal with technological leader Carl Zeiss to commercialise a new technology called SPIM (Selective Plane Illumination Microscopy).

“Microscopes have to evolve to keep up with t

Cannabis-based medicines given in a highly-controlled clinical environment unexpectedly lead to strong psychotic effects

Volunteers taking cannabis-based therapeutic drugs as part of a controlled trial, which had been approved by an ethics board as safe for the subjects, experienced psychotic effects just as strong as if they had smoked cannabis. These findings, highly unexpected in such a controlled environment, are published today in the peer-reviewed, Open Access journal BMC P

Asthma is the most common cause of exercise-induced shortness of breath in children and adolescents. While a diagnosis of asthma is often correct, University of Iowa pediatric pulmonary physicians caution that other unrelated conditions also can cause shortness of breath during exercise.

In cases where the asthma diagnosis is questionable, the UI experts recommend further testing to identify the true cause of exercise-induced shortness of breath. “Asthma usually responds well to

Chagas disease, which is transmitted to humans by a blood-sucking insect known as an Assassin bug, is the most devastating parasitic infection in Central and South America and Mexico. The protozoan parasite that causes the disease, Trypanosoma cruzi, infects 16 to 18 million people, causing severe chronic illness and tens of thousands of deaths per year.

Until now, there has been no effective treatment for the long-term, chronic form of Chagas disease, which kills up to one-third