Researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Boston have developed a fast and systematic method that could make it easier to understand how cells from complex animals work. Their results, published this week in Journal of Biology, should inspire scientists to perform comprehensive screens of the fruit fly genome to find molecules that control a variety of cellular processes. The research team, led by Norbert Perrimon, systematically inhibited the function of around 1,000 Drosophila

A new study shows that molecular analysis of a very small tissue sample can identify hidden melanoma metastases in lymph nodes. The presence of melanoma in the lymph nodes is the single most important factor in determining a patient’s prognosis and is a key factor in determining a patient’s course of treatment.

Published in the October 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, the study is the first to use such a thin section of archival paraffin-embedded tissue and show that a

A team led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in collaboration with researchers at Eli Lilly and Co. in Indianapolis, have developed a new technique that, for the first time, provides a way to dynamically study proteins known to be related to Alzheimer’s disease in the fluid between brain cells, called interstitial fluid.

Using this new technique in mice, the team discovered that the relationship between levels of a key molecule involved in Alzheim

Useful in developing countries

A hand-held vacuum aspiration device works as well as a more expensive electrical one for ending second-trimester pregnancies, according to results of a study by Johns Hopkins obstetricians published in the October issue of the International Journal of Gynecology & Obstetrics.

“Now that we know the low-tech device is safe and effective, it can be taught to doctors in developing nations to help reduce the prevalence of unsafe abortions and compl

New findings suggest altered kidney regulation of COX-2 occurs at very early stage in obesity-related diabetic nephropathy

In human diabetic patients, an excessive vasoconstrictive and pro-aggregatory thromboxane (TXA2) renal synthesis, along with a decrease in vasodilatory and anti-aggregatory prostaglandin (PGE2) synthesis, has been found to influence kidney function. Prostaglandins and thromboxane are formed by the enzymatic oxidation of arachidonic acid catalyzed by the cyclooxyge

The contents of ancient pottery could help archaeologists resolve some longstanding disputes in the world of antiquities, thanks to scientists at Britain’s University of Bristol. The researchers have developed the first direct method for dating pottery by examining animal fats preserved inside the ceramic walls.

Archaeologists have long dated sites by the visual appearance of pottery fragments found around the site. The new analytical technique will allow archaeologists to more accurate

A non-human, cellular molecule is absorbed into human tissues as a result of eating red meat and milk products, according to a study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine, published online the week of September 29, 2003 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers also showed that the same foreign molecule generates an immune response that could potentially lead to inflammation in human tissues.

Several previous studies ha

Does the body’s synthesis of certain substances affect the relationship between obesity and blood pressure?

The number of overweight Americans has reached record levels, and obesity now affects almost one in three citizens. Published findings from the 1999-2000 report of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the definitive measure for weight matters in the United States, show that 59 million (31 percent) of adults are obese. One third of adult women are obese

Researchers at Stanford University Medical Center have identified a genetic marker that can explain why some people experience side effects to common antidepressants while others do not. They also found that a key liver enzyme involved in breaking down these antidepressants surprisingly played no role in the development of side effects nor in how well the drugs worked. The findings may lead to fewer side effects for patients undergoing antidepressant drug therapy.

“Antidepressants are among

A new technique accurately identifies breast cancers that are difficult to detect with conventional mammography, according to a study appearing in the October issue of the journal Radiology.

“The dual-energy contrast-enhanced digital subtraction mammography technique is feasible for hard-to-demonstrate breast cancers and is worthy of further study,” said the study’s lead author, John M. Lewin, M.D. Dr. Lewin is an associate professor of radiology at the University of Colorado Health Sc

Targeting angiogenesis alone not effective

Scientists at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and colleagues found that by inhibiting both the proteins responsible for breast cancer growth and those required for the formation of new blood vessels, they could more effectively suppress the growth of extremely aggressive breast tumors in mice. In a surprising finding, the researchers showed that mice harboring a mutation commonly found in human breast cancers developed tumors that were

Angioplasty surpasses clotbuster drugs only when treatment comes quickly

In a perfect world, heart attack patients would get to the hospital within minutes after their symptoms start.

And most would immediately get sent for an emergency angioplasty, which uses a tiny balloon to clear blood clots that are clogging arteries. Study after study has shown that quick access to this life-saving treatment, also called percutaneous coronary intervention, surpasses fibrinolytic (clot-

Catalysts which cause cancer cells to ’’commit suicide’’ have been developed in the laboratory by West Country scientists.

The research groups of Dr Claus Jacob, of Exeter University and Dr Nicholas Gutowski at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, with support from the Peninsula Medical School, are investigating the anti-cancer effects of biocatalysts that mimic the activity of the human selenium enzyme, glutathione peroxidase. Their work opens up a very promising

A naturally occurring variation in an essential gene can suppress genetic mutations caused by retroviruses in mice, according to a new discovery by researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine.

Published in the September 28 online edition of Nature Genetics, and in the journal’s October issue, the study identified a novel change in mice in a gene called mRNA nuclear export factor 1 (Nxf1). This gene normally acts as part of the cell’s machinery for ensurin

Social structures form through group dynamics, not trait selection

From her work studying social insects, Arizona State University biologist Jennifer Fewell believes that these remarkable animals suggest a an alternate cause behind the development of complex societies. In a viewpoint essay in the September 26 issue of the journal Science, Fewell argues that complex social structures like those seen in social insect communities can arise initially from the nature of group interactions

Young children need to be highly physically active if they are to stave off degenerative joint disease, specifically osteoarthritis of the knee, suggest researchers in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Assessing all the evidence, the researchers from the Monash University and the University of Tasmania in Australia, show that physical activity in young children is associated with the healthy development of cartilage, the firm rubbery tissue that cushions joint bones.

Loss of c