Exposing rats to low levels of carbon monoxide prevents arteriosclerosis and chronic organ rejection

Exposing rats to low levels of carbon monoxide (CO) prior to aorta transplantation prevents arteriosclerosis associated with chronic organ rejection and can also suppress stenosis after balloon-angioplasty-induced carotid artery injury, according to a study published in the Feb. 1 edition of Nature Medicine. The article is published online today.

“These findings demonstrate a

Information could help identify at-risk individuals and estimate

Researchers at Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center have found evidence supporting a relationship between SIDS and the 5-HTT gene in both African-Americans and Caucasians. They found a significant positive association between SIDS and the L/L genotype, and between SIDS and the 5-HTT L allele, and a negative association between SIDS and the S/S genotype. This information might eventually lead to the identification

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have discovered how an embryo initially attaches to the wall of the uterus-what appears to be one of the earliest steps needed to establish a successful pregnancy.

Specifically, the researchers found that 6 days after an egg is fertilized, the embryo uses specialized molecules on its surface and molecules on the surface of the uterus to attach itself to the wall of the uterus.

“This discovery opens up a promising new realm of

The cushioning material or matrix within the umbilical cord known as Wharton’s jelly is a rich and readily available source of primitive stem cells, according to findings by a research team at Kansas State University.

Animal and human umbilical cord matrix cells exhibit the tell-tale characteristics of all stem cells, the capacity to self-renew and to differentiate into multiple cell types.

Researchers Kathy Mitchell, Deryl Troyer, and Mark Weiss of the College of Veterinary

Two-legged dinosaurs may have used their forelimbs as wing-like structures to propel themselves rapidly up steep inclines long before they took to the skies, reports a University of Montana researcher in the January 17 issue of the journal Science. The new theory adds a middle step that may link two current and opposing explanations for how reptiles evolved into flying birds.

According to Kenneth Dial, author of the report, the transition from ground travel to flight may have required a “

Research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reveals that a unique combination of genes inherited less than 10,000 years ago allows the parasite responsible for toxoplasmosis to infect virtually all warm-blooded animals.

Parasite life cycles are complex and thought to develop over long periods with their hosts. This study reveals that parasites sometimes adapt rapidly to new hosts, indicating that host-parasite relationships may not always represent stable, long-term as

Scientists studying the earliest mammals have been stumped for centuries about the function of two pelvic bones found in the fossil record that most mammals don’t have today. A study published in this week’s issue of the journal Science suggests those bones were involved in locomotion and helped the animals become more mobile, a find that could help researchers pinpoint a key moment in the evolution of mammals.

Biologists at Ohio University and Buffalo State College studied modern

Encouraging findings from a study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET suggest that factor VII—an agent involved in blood clotting—could be effective in reducing excessive blood loss during abdominal surgery.

Factor VII has been shown to promote blood clotting in patients with haemophilia. Marcel Levi from Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues investigated whether recombinant activated factor VII (factor VIIA) could be used to reduce excessive blood loss during sur

An important step towards controlling bubonic and pneumonic plague may soon be possible with the use of a straightforward and accurate diagnostic test, according to authors of a study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.

Plague is a flea-borne rodent disease that is occasionally transmitted to man, with around 3000-4000 cases annually in more than 20 countries, mainly in Africa. A rapid diagnostic test for the disease is urgently needed as current diagnosis is not possible until severe sympto

Results appear January 17 in the journal Molecular Cell

A lab headed by a Saint Louis University researcher has made a major breakthrough that could lead to a better molecular understanding of cancer.

Results published today in the Journal Molecular Cell by Ali Shilatifard, Ph.D., and colleagues show for the first time how a protein known to be involved in the development of cancer functions in normal cells.

The research shows how the protein “Bre1” plays a pivotal

Research conducted at Ohio State University suggests that cell biologists may be exposing the cell cultures they study to too much oxygen.

This finding could have broad implications for cellular biology research, which receives billions of dollars of funding nationally, said Ohio State scientist Chandan Sen. He is the lead author of a study which suggests that cells act differently depending on how much oxygen they are exposed to, especially when it is too much.

The air we br

Genetically engineered adult stem cell cultures will be accompanying Israel’s first astronaut, Col. Ilan Ramon, on his mission aboard the U.S. space shuttle Columbia, as part of research being carried out at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The research focuses on building new, specialized cells through the use of adult stem cells, using techniques of genetic engineering. The technology is based on isolating adult stems cells taken from bone marrow and converting them into bone, cartilage

The cosmetic, textile, and food industries and even the construction industry use starch, the main energy reserve of plants, as a biodegradable and renewable substance for a variety of applications. To get to know the metabolism of this carbohydrate better and thus facilitate its industrial use and application, Milagros Rodríguez López proposed, in her PhD thesis, the identifying and isolating of the enzyme (or enzymes) responsible for the degradation activity of the precursor molecule for starch: A

The hormone leptin, primarily produced in fat cells, helps regulate food intake, metabolism and reproduction. It has also been shown to promote and sustain the bodys immune response by binding to T lymphocytes – the frontline cells that protect against infection.

The disease experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in mice is currently used by researchers as a model of human multiple sclerosis (MS). The disease is characterized by the production of autoreactive T lymphocytes that tur

Diabetes is a chronic metabolic disorder that afflicts 17 million people in the United States and is the fourth leading cause of death. Over 2 million patients suffer from its most severe form – childhood diabetes – also known as Type 1, juvenile or insulin-dependent diabetes. We now understand that childhood diabetes is an autoimmune illness, where the body’s own white blood cells, which normally fight infection, turn and act against the body. These white blood cells target a specific group of

Inexpensive and fast route to large-scale production, say scientists at The Scripps Research Institute

A group of scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have used algae to express an antibody that targets herpes virus, describing the work in an upcoming issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

This antibody could potentially be an ingredient in an anti-herpes topical cream or other anti-herpes treatments, but more importantly the alg