It’s a wonder cells make it through the day with the barrage of cues and messages they receive and transmit to direct the most basic and necessary functions of life. Such cell communication, or signal transduction, was at least thought to be an “automatic” cascade of biochemical events.

Now, however, a study reported in a recent issue of Nature by Johns Hopkins and Harvard scientists has found that even before a message makes it through the outer cell membrane to the inner nucleus, the

University of Michigan Kellogg Eye Center researchers have found that the aging of the human retina is accompanied by distinct changes in gene expression.

Using commercially available DNA slides, a team of researchers directed by Anand Swaroop, Ph.D., have established the first-ever gene profile of the aging human retina, an important step in understanding the mechanisms of aging and its impact on vision disorders.

In the August issue of Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Scie

It’s no coincidence that the process of turning animal skins into leather is called tanning. When people tan, UV radiation from the sun breaks down protein in our skin cells and causes, over time, wrinkles and leathery-looking skin. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), most sun exposure occurs before the age of 18. With major summer “beach time” remaining, here’s some information from the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society, on how consumers can prote

Based on a review of research in postmenopausal women and monkeys, Thomas B. Clarkson, D.V.M., of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, believes that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has a beneficial role in slowing heart vessel disease after menopause. Clarkson addressed the Third World Congress on Controversies in Obstetrics, Gynecology & Infertility in Washington, D.C. this weekend.

“Mounting evidence points to the conclusion that HRT can help prevent heart vessel disease – if

If grandma gets a bedsore, the best thing to put on it might be a plant that’s been used for 5,000 years.

The mysterious Aloe vera has been a source for healing since Old Testament times, and a Texas A&M University researcher is trying to uncover just what the substances are in the plant that work wonders and how they do it so that more might be learned about treating wounds.

Dr. Ian Tizard, a professor of immunology in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is studying a spe

Highly promising results from clinical trials indicate that alpha-emitting radioisotopes can kill cancer cells. The Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) and Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum presented this innovative therapy during a recent workshop in Heidelberg. Alpha-immunotherapy should develop into an effective treatment over the next few years and provide new methods of healing for patients. How does the cancer-killing mechanism work? A cancer-cell selective vehicle, (e.g. a monocolonal anti

A new study published in BMC Public Health shows that breathing in second-hand smoke significantly increases the risk of developing heart problems in non-smokers. These findings have serious consequences for public health giving weight to calls for smoking to be banned in public places.

In 1995 cardiovascular diseases accounted for nearly 15 million deaths, approximately 30% of deaths worldwide. Smokers are becoming increasingly aware of the links between smoking and heart disease as warning

The National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI) launched a totally redesigned Web site today with a new Internet address – genome.gov . The streamlined Web site address makes it easy for users to access a comprehensive and authoritative government site focused on genomic research, including the international Human Genome Project slated for completion in April 2003. The new Web site supports ongoing scientific studies by researchers inside and outside

You may feel different at the dreary hour of 4 a.m. than you do mid-afternoon at 4 p.m. Now, researchers might understand why. A study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis helps explain how genes dictate our biological clock.

Nearly all living things have a natural rhythm that influences their behavior and physiology. This rhythm typically is “circadian”, following a near 24-hour cycle. Driven by an internal clock, a creature’s natural rhythm is synchronized to th

“I would like Europe to become a centre of excellence and a focus for pharmaceutical research once again”, stated EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin today at the annual assembly of the European pharmaceutical industry (EFPIA) in Bruges. “We need to nurture our research-based industries by reinforcing science and technology in Europe. Europe needs to invest more and in a better, more consistent way: it has to cut red tape and be bold.” From 1999 to 2002 the Commission invested around € 1 billio

p> Salmonella enterica causes approximately 16 million cases of typhoid fever worldwide, killing around 500,000 per year. One in thirty of the survivors, however, become carriers, such as Typhoid Mary who caused several typhoid outbreaks in New York City at the beginning of the last century. In carriers the bacteria remain hidden inside cells and the gall bladder, causing new infections as they are shed from an apparently healthy host.

The factors that enable the bacteria to establish ch

Physical fitness may have an anti-inflammatory effect that protects against heart attacks, according to a report in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

In a recent study, researchers compared the level of physical fitness in 135 women from three ethnic groups to their levels of C-reactive protein (CRP). CRP level indicates inflammation.

Elevated CRP is associated with a two- to five-fold increase in the risk of heart attack. T

The high blood pressure drug irbesartan delayed the recurrence of irregular heartbeats, researchers report for first time in today’s rapid access issue of Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

The drug helped stop irregular heartbeats (arrhythmias) known as atrial fibrillation (AF). AF is a disorder in which the two small, upper chambers of the heart quiver instead of beating effectively. Blood that isn’t pumped out may pool and clot. If a piece of clot leaves th

Scientists at the Research & Education Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center (REI) are developing a new breast imaging diagnostic tool which will afford clinicians greater opportunities for detecting early stage breast cancers with greater certainty and help patients avoid biopsy in some cases. This detection method identifies breast lesions utilizing a radiopharmaceutical diagnostic imaging technology known as Tc-99 Sestamibi (MIBI) scintimammography. The procedure is based on a radioactive isotop

Unlike nuclear terrorism, bioterrorism won’t begin with a bang. It will begin with a whimper — a child feeling the effects of food poisoning.

E.coli, Listeria, Campylobacter, Salmonella are not weapons of mass destruction, they are weapons of mass disruption. Experts say it’s not a matter of if but when terrorists will attempt a strike at our food or water supply. If they succeed, hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Americans will become sick, and some among the youngest and ol

According to fellow phycologists, algae expert Stefan Draisma from the Leiden University has turned brown algae phylogeny completely upside down. His research shows that few of the currently assumed relationships between the orders are correct. Furthermore, it transpires that some simple species arose not earlier but later than more complex species.

Brown algae are multicellular algae. Brown pigments mask the green colour of the chlorophyll. Most of the species occur in temperate regions. Th