Hereditary blindness caused by a progressive degeneration of the light-sensing cells in the eye, the photoreceptors, affects millions of people worldwide. Although the light-sensing cells are lost, cells in deeper layers of the retina, which normally cannot sense light, remain intact. A promising new therapeutic approach based on a technology termed "optogenetics" is to introduce light-sensing proteins into these surviving retinal cells, turning them into "replacement photoreceptors" and thereby restoring vision. However, several factors limit the feasibility of a clinical ...

PRINCETON, N.J.--The measles virus is known to cast a deadly shadow upon children by temporarily suppressing their immune systems. While this vulnerability was previously thought to have lasted a month or two, a new study shows that children may actually live in the immunological shadow of measles for up to three years - leaving them highly susceptible to a host of other deadly diseases. Published in the journal Science, the study, led by researchers from Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Department of Ecology and Evolutionary ...

This news release is available in Spanish. Although the genetic blueprint of every cell is the same, each cell has the potential to become specific for a tissue or organ by controlling its gene expression. Thus, every cell "reads" or "switches on" a particular set of genes according to whether it should become a skin, heart, or liver cell. Launched by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2010, the GTEx Project aims to create a reference database and tissue bank for scientists to study how genomic variants affect gene activity and disease susceptibility. Following ...

CAMBRIDGE, Mass--Researchers have succeeded in creating a new "whispering gallery" effect for electrons in a sheet of graphene -- making it possible to precisely control a region that reflects electrons within the material. They say the accomplishment could provide a basic building block for new kinds of electronic lenses, as well as quantum-based devices that combine electronics and optics. The new system uses a needle-like probe that forms the basis of present-day scanning tunneling microscopes (STM), enabling control of both the location and the size of the reflecting ...

For years, scientists have been puzzled by the presence of short stretches of genetic material floating inside a variety of cells, ranging from bacteria to mammals, including humans. These fragments are pieces of the genetic instructions cells use to make proteins, but are too short a length to serve their usual purpose. Reporting in this week's Cell, researchers at Rockefeller have discovered a major clue to the role these fragments play in the body -- and in the process, may have opened up a new frontier in the fight against breast cancer. Specifically, Sohail Tavazoie ...

Every inch of our body, inside and out, is oozing with bacteria. In fact, the human body carries 10 times the number of bacterial cells as human cells. Many are our friends, helping us digest food and fight off infections, for instance. But much about these abundant organisms, upon which our life depends, remains mysterious. In research reported May 7 in Cell, scientists at Rockefeller finally crack the code of a fundamental process bacteria use to defend themselves against invaders. For years, researchers have puzzled over conflicting results about the workings of a ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Much like a finger leaves its own unique print to help identify a person, researchers are now discovering that skull fractures leave certain signatures that can help investigators better determine what caused the injury. Implications from the Michigan State University research could help with the determination of truth in child abuse cases, potentially resulting in very different outcomes. Until now, multiple skull fractures meant several points of impact to the head and often were thought to suggest child abuse. Roger Haut, a University Distinguished ...

PULLMAN, Wash.--Washington State University researchers say the popularity of bamboo landscaping could increase the spread of hantavirus, with the plant's prolific seed production creating a population boom among seed-eating deer mice that carry the disease. Richard Mack, an ecologist in WSU's School of Biological Sciences, details how an outbreak could happen in a recent issue of the online journal PLOS One. Bamboo plants are growing in popularity, judging by the increased number of species listed by the American Bamboo Society. Some grow in relatively self-contained ...

WASHINGTON -- Can a true, robust global health framework be created to help prevent tragedies like Ebola while at the same time allow countries to meet everyday health needs? Georgetown University global health and law experts say it can be done, and in a special issue of "The Lancet" focusing on global health security, they propose specific priorities to transform a fragmented health system into a "purposeful, organized" framework with national health systems at its foundation and an empowered World Health Organization at its apex. "The Ebola epidemic in west Africa ...

The west African Ebola epidemic has rekindled interest in global health security, but it has also highlighted a troubling lack of political commitment to public health, and it is far from clear whether the crisis will be enough to rejuvenate global health security, say leading global health experts writing in The Lancet. Through a series of essays [1], the review, which is published as part of a special issue on global health security, explores different perspectives on the wider lessons that can be drawn from the outbreak, including how it has demonstrated the importance ...

Your genes may influence how sensitive you are to emotional information, according to new research by a UBC neuroscientist. The study, recently published in The Journal of Neuroscience, found that carriers of a certain genetic variation perceived positive and negative images more vividly, and had heightened activity in certain brain regions. "People really do see the world differently," says lead author Rebecca Todd, a professor in UBC's Department of Psychology. "For people with this gene variation, the emotionally relevant things in the world stand out much more." The ...

For faster, longer-lasting water filters, some scientists are looking to graphene --thin, strong sheets of carbon -- to serve as ultrathin membranes, filtering out contaminants to quickly purify high volumes of water. Graphene's unique properties make it a potentially ideal membrane for water filtration or desalination. But there's been one main drawback to its wider use: Making membranes in one-atom-thick layers of graphene is a meticulous process that can tear the thin material -- creating defects through which contaminants can leak. Now engineers at MIT, Oak Ridge ...

BOULDER--New research has identified correlations between weather conditions and the occurrence of West Nile virus disease in the United States, raising the possibility of being able to better predict outbreaks. The study, by researchers with the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), finds strong correlations across much of the country between an increased occurrence of West Nile virus disease and above average temperatures in the preceding year. The scientists also find that precipitation influences ...

Latin American women in Los Angeles County are twice as likely as white women to contract cervical cancer, according to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, and are significantly less likely to be educated about the causes of the disease or to be screened for it. That needs to change, say USC researchers, who are finding ways to make it happen. "Latinas are the ones most at risk and yet health communication campaigns still essentially target white women," said Sheila Murphy, professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Murphy ...

Researchers at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have uncovered a new mechanism for the regulation of blood pressure. Published in Molecular Cell, the study links events at the single-cell level to a system-level effect, showing that blood pressure can drop dramatically if the protein ERAP1 is released from cells and enters the blood stream. Because high blood pressure is a primary risk factor for stroke, heart disease, and diabetes, understanding how our bodies naturally regulate blood pressure is essential for developing treatments that help keep it at normal levels. ...

A study, published today in Cell, demonstrates the power of organoids to capture, in three dimensions, the multiple mutations that occur in tumours. Organoids, small clusters of cells that accurately mimic the behaviour of human tissue, can be used to test cancer drugs and, eventually, to identify effective personalised treatments for patients. Until now, cancer drug screening has primarily been carried out using two-dimensional cell lines grown in dishes, or in mouse models. Organoids, which more closely resemble human tumours than cell lines, and are less time and ...

Researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Shiley Eye Institute have identified the molecular "glue" that builds the brain connections that keep visual images clear and still, even as objects or your eyes move. Using mouse models, the researchers demonstrate that image stabilization depends upon two proteins, Contactin-4 and amyloid precursor protein, binding during embryonic development. The study is published May 7 by Neuron. "In the visual system, precise connections between your eyes and brain help you see specific things and make sure ...

In a large prospective study published online in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition*, researchers looked at the association between nut consumption and risk of colorectal cancer among 75,680 women in the Nurses' Health Study, with no previous history of cancer. Women who consumed a one-ounce serving of nuts, including tree nuts (such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios and walnuts), two or more times per week had a 13% lower risk of colorectal cancer (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.72-1.05; P=0.06) compared to those ...

On 9 May we celebrate Europe Day. On this 65th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration 85% of Flemish adolescents and 80% of the adults feel European. 62% of the respondents also feel actively involved in what happens in the European Union. That is the conclusion of a study by the KU Leuven Centre for Political Research. "I consider myself an EU citizen" and "I am proud to be living in Europe". These are just some of the statements that Soetkin Verhaegen presented to almost 3600 fifteen-year-olds and their parents (of whom over 4300 participated). She found that a surprisingly ...

LAWRENCE -- The cliché version of the American dream usually involves getting married, finding a good job, raising 2.5 kids and buying a home with a white picket fence. But in recent times spiking prices can make home ownership impossible -- or falling prices can trap homeowners in so-called "upside-down" mortgages, where debt dwarfs the shrinking value of a house. "To determine the right price of a house, people need to make long-term projections of many uncertain economic variables, such as interest rate," said Shu Wu, associate professor of economics at the ...

ANN ARBOR -- Arginine, a common amino acid found naturally in foods, breaks down dental plaque, which could help millions of people avoid cavities and gum disease, researchers at the University of Michigan and Newcastle University have discovered. Alexander Rickard, assistant professor of epidemiology at the U-M School of Public Health, and colleagues, discovered that in the lab L-arginine -- found in red meat, poultry, fish and dairy products, and is already used in dental products for tooth sensitivity--stopped the formation of dental plaque. "This is important ...

TORONTO, May 7, 2015 -- Highly priced cancer drugs get rushed approvals despite poor trial methodology and little effect on the longevity of patients, cautions York University Professor Dr. Joel Lexchin in the School of Health Policy and Management. "Patients and their doctors should demand that regulators require pharma companies to provide clear evidence of clinical effectiveness of the drugs, resulting from rigorous methodology," suggests Lexchin. "Drug agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicine Agency (EMA) don't actually look at ...

Compliance with post-treatment surveillance, income level and the travel distance for follow-up care had effects on survival in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC), according to a report published online by JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery. Post-treatment surveillance is a key component for patients with HNSCC, a cancer with a five-year survival rate of only slightly above 50 percent. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network guidelines recommend follow-up should consist of visits at least every one to three months during the first year after ...

The use of cholesterol-lowering statins when men initiated androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer was associated with longer time to progression of the disease, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology. The gene SLCO2B1 acts as a transporter that enables a variety of drugs and hormones to enter cells. For example, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) is a precursor of testosterone and uses SLCO2B1 to get into cells. Similarly, statins use SLCO2B1 to enter cells as well. Previous research has suggested an association between statin use and ...

Crigler-Najjar syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations in the UGT1A1 gene, which result in the toxic accumulation of bilirubin, a substance made by the liver in the body. Indeed, when the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1 isotype A1 (UGT1A1), the enzyme responsible for removing bilirubin, doesn't work, the substance accumulates, causing a severe and chronic jaundice, and becoming toxic for the brain and leading to lethality. Gene therapy has allowed the restoration of an equivalent level of bilirubin to those found in healthy animals Federico ...