Anyone involved in macromolecular crystallography will know that for many years scientists have had to rely on a multi-stage process utilizing protein, usually expressed in engineered cells, which is then extracted and purified before crystallization in vitro and finally prepared for analysis. As a counter to this time-consuming and substantial scientific effort, there are a number of examples of protein crystallization events occurring in vivo, with next to no human input. In a case presented in a recent paper an insect virus exploits the phenomenon as part of its life ...

New research confirms a vulnerability to lung cancer can be inherited and implicates the BRCA2 gene as harboring one of the involved genetic mutations. An international consortium of scientists including investigators at the Institute for Cancer Research in London, the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Harvard, and Dartmouth used integrated results from the 1000 Genomes Project with genetics studies of lung cancer to complete the investigation published on June 1, 2014 in Nature Genetics. The study scanned ...

Hydrogen is often touted as the fuel of the future. But because this gas is highly explosive, it must be stored and transported under pressure in specialized and expensive containers. Hydrogen therefore has issues in terms of safety, logistics, and profitability that could significantly limit its wider use. However, a solution might lie in research by EPFL scientists, who have developed a simple system based on two chemical reactions. The first reaction transforms hydrogen into formic acid, a liquid that is easy to store and less flammable than gasoline, while the second ...

Employees at small businesses are less likely to have access to worksite wellness programs, according to a research review in the May Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). But smaller companies that can overcome the barriers and implement wellness programs can realize achieve meaningful improvements in employee health, report Kira McCoy, BA, of Hampshire College, Amherst, Mass., and colleagues. They write, "Preventative health initiatives and disease management ...

DARIEN, IL – A new study suggests that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy rapidly improves blood pressure and arterial tone in adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Results show that there was a significant reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressures among sleep apnea patients who were compliant with CPAP therapy for three months. Successful treatment of sleep apnea also was associated with decreased vascular tone and arterial stiffness. Following one week of treatment withdrawal, these improvements disappeared and reverted to baseline values. "We ...

CHICAGO – Key studies released today at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) identify new strategies for easing the short- and long-term effects of cancer therapy and improving the quality of life of patients with cancer, as well as their caregivers. "We've made incredible strides in cancer treatment, and more cancer survivors are alive today than ever before. But oncology isn't just about helping people live longer – we need to ensure that patients have the best quality of life possible at every stage of their cancer journey, from ...

CHICAGO – Positive results from four clinical trials of investigational targeted drugs for advanced ovarian, lung, and thyroid cancers, and chronic lymphocytic leukemia were highlighted today at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). Findings from the mid- and late-stage trials suggest new ways to slow disease progression and improve survival for patients who experience relapses or resistance to available treatments. "Cancer relapses and treatment resistance have always been among the most daunting challenges in cancer care," said ...

VIDEO: Dr. Joyce Liu talks about her ovarian cancer research at ASCO 2014. Click here for more information. CHICAGO –– Significant improvement with the use of a combination drug therapy for recurrent ovarian cancer was reported at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago today. This is the first ovarian cancer study to use a combination of drugs that could be taken orally. The drugs were tested in a phase I combination study followed ...

VIDEO: Dr. Christopher Sweeney talks about his new study showing a drug combination extends survival by more than a year in metastatic prostate cancer. Click here for more information. CHICAGO – Men with newly diagnosed metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer lived more than a year longer when they received a chemotherapy drug as initial treatment instead of waiting to for the disease to become resistant to hormone-blockers, report scientists from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute ...

PORTLAND, Ore. – A drug used to treat men with late-stage prostate cancer proved effective in stemming progression of the disease in research participants who had not yet received chemotherapy and extended their survival, according to results from a multi-national Phase III clinical trial led by the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). A comprehensive analysis of the study's results ― published in June 1 online edition of the New England Journal of Medicine and to be presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual ...

LOS ANGELES (STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 7:30 A.M. EDT on JUNE 1, 2014 - ASCO Abstract No. 2005) – A multicenter team of investigators, led by researchers from the Cedars-Sinai Department of Neurosurgery, the Cedars-Sinai Maxine Dunitz Neurosurgical Institute and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, have found in a Phase II clinical trial that an immune system-boosting therapy slowed the recurrence of glioblastoma multiforme, or GBM, the most common and deadly malignant brain tumor. They will present their findings in an oral presentation June 1 at the annual meeting ...

CHICAGO – Findings from four phase III clinical trials in breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers were released today at the 50th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). The studies were presented in ASCO's Plenary session, which features the meeting's most important clinical cancer research with the greatest potential to impact patient care. These pivotal studies reveal new ways to optimize commonly used chemotherapy, hormone therapies, and newer targeted drugs, and answer critical questions about the comparative effectiveness of two common ...

University of Adelaide physics researchers have produced the world's most sensitive thermometer – three times more precise than the best thermometers in existence. Published in the journal Physical Review Letters, the researchers from the University's Institute for Photonics and Advanced Sensing (IPAS) report they have been able to measure temperature with a precision of 30 billionths of a degree. "We believe this is the best measurement ever made of temperature − at room temperature," says project leader Professor Andre Luiten, Chair of Experimental Physics in ...

VIDEO: Dr. Thomas and his team light an LED using energy stored in the outside coatings of an electrical cable. Click here for more information. Imagine being able to carry all the juice you needed to power your MP3 player, smartphone and electric car in the fabric of your jacket? Sounds like science fiction, but it may become a reality thanks to breakthrough technology developed at a University of Central Florida research lab. So far electrical cables are used only to transmit ...

Cold season may be just behind us, but a new discovery may shed light on how this common condition triggers asthma attacks. In a new research report published in the June 2014 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, researchers show that in individuals with asthma, statins significantly reduce the in vitro inflammatory response of human monocytes to rhinovirus (RV), the cause of the common cold. Not only does this discovery suggest that statins could help prevent or reduce the severity of asthma symptoms resulting from colds, but may also open the doors to further research ...

It appears that "The Pill" for men will have to wait a while longer. A new research report published in the June 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal involving mice, shows that a previously developed male hormonal oral contraceptive method (i.e. via testosterone) is unable to stop the production and / or the release of sperm. "Our research in mice explains why the efficacy of male hormonal contraception is not as effective as expected and it provides clues on how to improve the method," said Ilpo Huhtaniemi, M.D., Ph.D., M.D.hc, FMed.Sci., a researcher involved in the work ...

When it comes to reaping benefits of sprint interval training, it appears that men have won the battle of the sexes, if just barely. According to new research published in the June 2014 issue of The FASEB Journal, men create more new proteins as a result of this exercise than women do. The good news, however, is that men and women experienced similar increases in aerobic capacity. This study is the first to directly measure the creation of proteins made to adapt to this mode of exercise. The study also uniquely used methods that measure the cumulative making of proteins ...

Scientists at New York University and the University of Melbourne have developed a method using DNA origami to turn one-dimensional nano materials into two dimensions. Their breakthrough, published in the latest issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology, offers the potential to enhance fiber optics and electronic devices by reducing their size and increasing their speed. "We can now take linear nano-materials and direct how they are organized in two dimensions, using a DNA origami platform to create any number of shapes," explains NYU Chemistry Professor Nadrian Seeman, ...

DARIEN, IL – A new study provides novel evidence suggesting that suicides are far more likely to occur between midnight and 4 a.m. than during the daytime or evening. Results show that the weighted, scaled mean suicide rate per hour was 10.27 percent after midnight, peaking at 16.27 percent between 2 a.m. and 2:59 a.m. In contrast, the mean suicide rate per hour was 2.13 percent between 6 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. When six-hour time blocks were examined, the observed frequency of suicide between midnight and 5:59 a.m. was 3.6 times higher than expected. "This appears to ...

A seven-year study of women who take antipsychotic medication while pregnant, proves it can affect babies. The observational study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, reveals that whilst most women gave birth to healthy babies, the use of mood stabilisers or higher doses of antipsychotics during pregnancy increased the need for special care after birth with 43 per cent of babies placed in a Special Care Nursery (SCN) or a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), almost three times the national rate in Australia. As well as an increased likelihood of the need for intensive ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke researchers have found a new type of neuron in the adult brain that is capable of telling stem cells to make more new neurons. Though the experiments are in their early stages, the finding opens the tantalizing possibility that the brain may be able to repair itself from within. Neuroscientists have suspected for some time that the brain has some capacity to direct the manufacturing of new neurons, but it was difficult to determine where these instructions are coming from, explains Chay Kuo, M.D. Ph.D., an assistant professor of cell biology, neurobiology ...

Sleeping well is a crucial factor contributing to our physical and mental restoration. SWS in particular has a positive impact for instance on memory and the functioning of the immune system. During periods of SWS, growth hormones are secreted, cell repair is promoted and the defence system is stimulated. If you feel sick or have had a hard working day, you often simply want to get some good, deep sleep. A wish that you can't influence through your own will – so the widely held preconception. Sleep researchers from the Universities of Zurich and Fribourg now prove ...

DARIEN, IL – A new study shows that college students who are poor sleepers are much more likely to earn worse grades and withdraw from a course than healthy sleeping peers. Results show that sleep timing and maintenance problems in college students are a strong predictor of academic problems even after controlling for other factors that contribute to academic success, such as clinical depression, feeling isolated, and diagnosis with a learning disability or chronic health issue. The study also found that sleep problems have about the same impact on grade point average ...

A team of international scientists led by Professor Jagadese J Vittal of the Department of Chemistry at the National University of Singapore's (NUS) Faculty of Science has successfully unraveled the chemical reaction responsible for propelling microscopic crystals to leap distances up to hundreds of times their own size when they are exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. This popping effect, akin to the bursting of popcorn kernels at high temperatures, demonstrates the conversion of light into mechanical motion. It is the first instance of a "photosalient effect" driven ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — 1 in 2 hypertensive pregnant women who habitually snore may have unrecognized obstructive sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder that can reduce blood oxygen levels during the night and that has been linked to serious health conditions, new University of Michigan-led research shows. One in four hypertensive pregnant women who don't snore also unknowingly suffer from the sleeping disorder, according to the study that appears in the British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. "We know that habitual snoring is linked with poor pregnancy outcomes for both ...