Raindrops and proteins seem to have a lot in common. This has been shown in a new study by scientists at Umeå University in Sweden. The principle behind the formation of raindrops is very similar to how proteins fold. This knowledge is vital to our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases like ALS.

These findings have been published in the latest issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and have caught the attention of the international research community. The

The three-dimensional structure of a DNA-damaging, bacterial toxin has been visualized by scientists at Rockefeller University. The molecular image of the toxin, published in the May 27 issue of the journal Nature, shows exactly how the toxin is put together at the molecular level and damages human DNA. The structure also could help scientists to design new drugs to fight the wide variety of bacteria that use this toxin.

The toxin, called cytolethal distending toxin, or CDT, is used by bact

A study by scientists with the Veterans Affairs’ Neurobiology Research Laboratory and UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute shows that brain cells containing the chemical histamine are critical for waking.

Detailed in the May 27 edition of the journal Neuron, the findings show that the cessation of activity in histamine cells causes loss of consciousness during sleep, while cessation of activity in other brain cells–those containing the brain chemicals norepinephrine or serotonin–causes lo

The discovery of millions of micro-microbes surviving in a 120,000-year-old ice sample taken from 3,000 meters below the surface of the Greenland glacier will be announced by Penn State University scientists on 26 May 2004 at the General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology in New Orleans, Louisiana. The discovery is significant because it may help to define the limits for life on Earth as well as elsewhere in the universe, such as on cold planets like Mars.

According to Penn S

Scientists at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center say they have evidence that abnormally short telomeres – the end-caps on chromosomes that normally preserve genetic integrity -appear to play a role in the early development of many types of cancer.

“Cancer researchers have debated whether shortened telomeres were a cause or effect of tumors,” says Alan K. Meeker, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a postdoctoral fellow in urology and pathology at Hopkins. “What our study suggests is tha

Computer model shows why some get sick after TB infection, while others don’t

University of Michigan microbiologists have created a virtual model of the human immune system that runs “in silico” to study what happens inside the lungs after people inhale Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB.

The computer model is helping scientists learn more about this ancient pathogen, and why some people are able to fight off the infection, while others get sick. U

A vaccine against allergies. This may be the eventual result of research at Uppsala university in Sweden. New findings are presented by Anna Ledin in her doctoral dissertation. She vaccinated dogs and rats against their own IgE antibodies, and shows that their allergic symptoms diminished.

The type of antibody called IgE is part of the body’s defense against parasites, but today it is best known for its key role in allergic reactions. IgE is what brings about an allergic reaction. Normally i

Periconceptional use of folic acid supplements is effective for the primary prevention of neural-tube defects and is recommended by reproductive health researchers

Recent research in this area, however, centres on two main debated questions. The first one is whether the use of folic acid alone or folic acid-containing multivitamins is better. The second one is whether high dose of folic acid (e.g. 5 mg) might be better than a daily multivitamin with low dose 0.4 – 0.8 mg of folic acid

Scientists have identified what may be a completely new way in which bacteria defend themselves against their hosts. The bacteria have stolen a key defensive gene from the very animals that they are invading – and are now using it against them. This research from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) is featured in today’s issue of the open access journal Genome Biology.

EMBL Team Leader Toby Gibson points out that such a discovery has clear medical implications. “This study give

Alcoholism tends to run in families, suggesting that addiction, at least in part, has an underlying genetic cause. Now, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have discovered a gene linked to alcohol dependency.

Laboratory mice deficient in the gene were found to consume excessive amounts of alcohol, preferring ethanol to water and evincing highly anxious behavior in a maze test.

Results of the study are published in the May 26 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

Good news for red wine drinkers

It’s well known that drinking red wine in moderation can have some health benefits, mainly attributed to a compound called resveratrol. Now, scientists at the University of Virginia Health System have discovered how.

They found how resveratrol helps to starve cancer cells by inhibiting the action of a key protein that feeds them. The protein, called nuclear factor- kappa B (NF-kB), is found in the nucleus of all cells and activates genes respo

New studies conducted at Pace University have indicated that White Tea Extract (WTE) may have prophylactic applications in retarding growth of bacteria that cause Staphylococcus infections, Streptococcus infections, pneumonia and dental caries. Researchers present their findings today at the 104th General Meeting of the American Society for Microbiology.

“Past studies have shown that green tea stimulates the immune system to fight disease,” says Milton Schiffenbauer, Ph.D., a microbiologist

The fact that a newborn baby can experience pain has previously been taken as evidence that pain reflexes are inborn, not learned. This is because the baby in the womb has been protected from everything that could cause pain and should therefore not have been able to learn what pain is. But according to a team of scientists at Lund University, Sweden, headed by Professor Jens Schouenborg, the tactile feeling of fetal movements in the womb is sufficient to initiate a process of learning in the undevel

Better Prevention; Evidence Does Not Support Links to Wider Array of Illnesses

Scientific evidence links mold and other factors related to damp conditions in homes and buildings to asthma symptoms in some people with the chronic disorder, as well as to coughing, wheezing, and upper respiratory tract symptoms in otherwise healthy people, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. However, the available evidence does not support an association between ei

Volunteers now sought for Stanford trial

Doctors may someday have a new way to combat AIDS by going straight to the source: destroying the virus before it has a chance to wreak havoc on a patient’s immune system.

Thomas Merigan, MD, the George and Lucy Becker Professor of Medicine in infectious diseases at Stanford University School of Medicine, is seeking volunteers for a study to test a possible method of empowering an infected person’s own cells to destroy HIV a

High efficacy ratings further validate research on molecules anti-infective and anti-inflammatory properties

Zengen Inc. announced today positive phase I/II results for its proprietary molecule CZEN-002 for the treatment of vulvovaginal candidiasis (VVC), commonly known as vaginal yeast infection. The open label, non-randomized study was designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of CZEN-002 in patients with VVC.

The majority of subjects in the study