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Medicine18 Jul 2013

Protein responsible for 'bad' blood vessel growth discovered

The discovery of a protein that encourages blood vessel growth, and especially 'bad' blood vessels – the kind that characterise diseases as diverse as cancer, age-related macular degeneration and rheumatoid arthritis – has been reported in the journal Nature. The team at the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology discovered the new protein, called LRG1, by screening for mouse genes that are over-expressed in abnormal retinal blood vessels in diseased eyes. In these diseased retinas the LRG1 protein is expressed by blood vessel endothelial cells, which line blood vessel walls. ...

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Medicine18 Jul 2013

Molecular switch controls the destiny of self-eating cells

The study is the result of a collaboration of scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, University of Michigan, and University of California San Diego, USA, who were interested in finding out whether autophagy can be affected by events in the cell nucleus. Surprisingly, they discovered that a signal chain in the nucleus serves as a kind of molecular switch that determines whether the cell dies or survives. Put simply autophagy is a process whereby the cell consumes parts of itself, and is a way for it to clean up abnormal lumps of proteins and rid itself of damaged ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Routine tasks pose problems for older individuals with vitamin D deficiency

Chevy Chase, MD—Vitamin D-deficient older individuals are more likely to struggle with everyday tasks such as dressing or climbing stairs, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Scientists estimate many as 90 percent of older individuals are vitamin D deficient. The vitamin – typically absorbed from sunlight or on a supplementary basis through diet – plays a key role in bone and muscle health. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to a decline in bone density, muscle weakness, osteoporosis ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

PFC exposure tied to altered thyroid function

Chevy Chase, MD—Exposure to perfluorinated chemicals is linked to changes in thyroid function and may raise the risk of mild hypothyroidism in women, according to a recent study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM). Perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs, are compounds used to manufacture fabrics, carpets, paper coatings, cosmetics and a variety of other products. Among humans and wildlife, PFC exposure is widespread, according to the National Institutes of Health's National Institute of Environmental Health ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

UMMS scientists show proof-of-principal for silencing extra chromosome responsible for Down syndrome

WORCESTER, MA – Scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School are the first to establish that a naturally occurring X chromosome "off switch" can be rerouted to neutralize the extra chromosome responsible for trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, a genetic disorder characterized by cognitive impairment. The discovery provides the first evidence that the underlying genetic defect responsible for Down syndrome can be suppressed in cells in culture (in vitro). This paves the way for researchers to study the cell pathologies and identify genome-wide pathways ...

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Medicine18 Jul 2013

Bees under threat from disease-carrying bumblebee imports, research reveals

Stricter controls over bumblebee imports to the UK are urgently required to prevent diseases spreading to native bumblebees and honeybees, scientists have warned. The call follows the discovery of parasites in over three-quarters of imported bumblebee colonies they tested. The study - the first of its kind in the UK - is published today in the Journal of Applied Ecology. While wild species of bees and other insects pollinate many crops, commercially-reared and imported bumblebees are essential for pollination of greenhouse crops such as tomatoes. They are also used to ...

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Medicine18 Jul 2013

Mortality rates for emergency surgical admissions vary widely among hospitals in England

A new study reveals significant hospital-to-hospital variability in patient death rates following emergency surgical admissions in England. Published early online in the BJS (British Journal of Surgery), the study also found that survival rates were higher in hospitals with better resources. Patients presenting as emergencies account for the majority of deaths associated with general surgery. There is increasing evidence that the quality of care for these high-risk patients is variable across hospitals within England's National Health Service, which is the country's ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

80 percent of Malaysian Borneo degraded by logging

Washington, DC—A study published in the July 17, issue of the journal PLOS ONE found that more than 80% of tropical forests in Malaysian Borneo have been heavily impacted by logging. The Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak were already thought to be global hotspots of forest loss and degradation due to timber and oil palm industries, but the rates and patterns of change have remained poorly measured by conventional field or satellite approaches. A research team from the University of Tasmania, University of Papua New Guinea, and the Carnegie Institution for Science ...

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Medicine18 Jul 2013

Empty decoys divert antibodies from neutralizing gene therapy in cell, animal studies

Gene therapy researchers have produced a bioengineered decoy that fools the immune system and prevents it from mistakenly defeating the benefits delivered by a corrective gene. The decoy was effective in animal studies, and if the approach succeeds in humans, it offers a potential new treatment for genetic diseases such as hemophilia, while advancing the broader field of gene therapy. "This decoy strategy could be individualized to patients and could greatly expand the population of patients who may benefit from gene therapy," said study leader Katherine A. High, M.D., ...

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Medicine18 Jul 2013

Scripps Research Institute scientists find 3D structure of key drug target for diabetes

LA JOLLA, CA -- An international team led by scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) has determined and analyzed the three-dimensional atomic structure of the human glucagon receptor. The receptor, found mainly on liver and kidney cells, helps regulate glucose levels in the bloodstream and is the target of potential therapeutic agents for type 2 diabetes. "Our data should change the current view of how drugs are designed with this and related receptors," said TSRI Research Associate Fai Yiu Siu, PhD, who was first author of the study. The study is reported ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Mutation linked to congenital urinary tract defects

NEW YORK, NY (July 17, 2013) — Researchers at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) and collaborators have identified a genetic mutation that causes congenital malformations of the kidney and urinary tract, a common form of birth defect and the most common cause of kidney failure in children. It is the first time that a specific genetic mutation has been linked to a non-syndromic form of urinary tract malformation. The findings were published in the July 17 online issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. The research team, led by Ali Gharavi, MD, associate professor ...

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Engineering18 Jul 2013

Impossible material made by Uppsala University researchers

A novel material with world record breaking surface area and water adsorption abilities has been synthesized by researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden. The results are published today in PLOS ONE. The magnesium carbonate material that has been given the name Upsalite is foreseen to reduce the amount of energy needed to control environmental moisture in the electronics and drug formulation industry as well as in hockey rinks and ware houses. It can also be used for collection of toxic waste, chemicals or oil spill and in drug delivery systems, for odor control and ...

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Medicine18 Jul 2013

'Intelligent knife' tells surgeon which tissue is cancerous

Scientists have developed an "intelligent knife" that can tell surgeons immediately whether the tissue they are cutting is cancerous or not. In the first study to test the invention in the operating theatre, the "iKnife" diagnosed tissue samples from 91 patients with 100 per cent accuracy, instantly providing information that normally takes up to half an hour to reveal using laboratory tests. The findings, by researchers at Imperial College London, are published today in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Earth's gold came from colliding dead stars

We value gold for many reasons: its beauty, its usefulness as jewelry, and its rarity. Gold is rare on Earth in part because it's also rare in the universe. Unlike elements like carbon or iron, it cannot be created within a star. Instead, it must be born in a more cataclysmic event - like one that occurred last month known as a short gamma-ray burst (GRB). Observations of this GRB provide evidence that it resulted from the collision of two neutron stars - the dead cores of stars that previously exploded as supernovae. Moreover, a unique glow that persisted for days at ...

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Medicine18 Jul 2013

Conflict threatens global nutrition progress, new report warns

Major progress in tackling child undernutrition in some of the world's toughest countries is under threat as military and security funding takes precedence, a new report from aid agency World Vision warns. The number of children under five who die every year has decreased by half since 1990. Yet, World Vision's Fragile but not Helpless report (PDF) finds that this progress is under threat. Countries marred by conflict or fragility have some of the highest rates of acute and chronic undernutrition in the world. In Africa alone it is on average 50 percent higher in fragile ...

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Environment18 Jul 2013

Researchers reveal great white sharks' fuel for oceanic voyages: Liver oil

Great white sharks are not exactly known as picky eaters, so it might seem obvious that these voracious predators would dine often and well on their migrations across the Pacific Ocean. But not so, according to new research by scientists at Stanford University and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. The researchers' findings, published July 17 in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, reveal previously unknown details of how great white sharks power themselves and stay buoyant on non-stop trips of more than 2,500 miles. The discoveries have potentially broad implications for conservation ...

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Medicine18 Jul 2013

Nano drug crosses blood-brain tumor barrier, targets brain-tumor cells and blood vessels

The blood-brain barrier protects the brain from poisons but also prevents drugs from reaching brain tumors; innovative new treatments are needed. This laboratory study shows that a nanotechnology drug called SapC-DOPS crosses that barrier and targets brain-tumor cells and retards growth of tumor blood vessels. The findings also show how the agent targets tumor cells and recommend its further development as a novel treatment for glioblastoma. COLUMBUS, Ohio – An experimental drug in early development for aggressive brain tumors can cross the blood-brain tumor barrier ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

The best defense against catastrophic storms: Mother Nature, say Stanford researchers

Extreme weather, sea level rise and degraded coastal systems are placing people and property at greater risk along the coast. Natural habitats such as dunes and reefs are critical to protecting millions of U.S. residents and billions of dollars in property from coastal storms, according to a new study by scientists with the Natural Capital Project at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. The study, "Coastal habitats shield people and property from sea-level rise and storms," published July 14 in the journal Nature Climate Change, offers the first comprehensive ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Splitting donated livers shown to be safe, allowing doctors to save 2 lives from single organ

Boston, Mass—Split liver transplantation carries no increased risk of failure in either recipient, allowing surgeons to safely save two lives from a single donated organ (graft), according to new research from Boston Children's Hospital published online in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Due to their regenerative nature, livers donated by a deceased adult or adolescent can be surgically split into two unequally sized portions; the smaller segment is allocated to a young child awaiting transplant and the larger portion to an adult. "Infants waiting ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Monitoring nutrient intake can help vegetarian athletes stay competitive

CHICAGO – A balanced plant-based diet provides the same quality of fuel for athletes as a meat-based diet, provided vegetarians seek out other sources of certain nutrients that are more commonly found in animal products, according to a presentation at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Expo®. The research was compiled by Dilip Ghosh, Ph.D., director of Nutriconnect in Sydney, Australia. He was unable to attend the meeting, so his presentation was given by Debasis Bagchi, Ph.D., director of innovation and clinical affairs at Iovate Health Sciences ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Compound discovered at sea shows potency against anthrax

A team led by William Fenical at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego has discovered a new chemical compound from an ocean microbe in a preliminary research finding that could one day set the stage for new treatments for anthrax and other ailments such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). As reported in the international edition of the German journal Angewandte Chemie, Scripps researcher Chris Kauffman in Fenical's group first collected the microorganism that produces the compound in 2012 from sediments close to shore off Santa Barbara, ...

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Technology18 Jul 2013

New technologies and ingredients provide better options for gluten-free eating

CHICAGO—New technologies and ingredients are improving the taste, appearance and nutritional content of gluten-free food products, a market that is expected to grow to $6 billion by 2017, according to a presentation today at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo® in Chicago. An estimated one in 133 Americans has celiac disease, an immune disorder triggered by the ingestion of gluten peptides found in wheat, barley and rye, said Joseph Baumert, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Food Science & Technology and co-director ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Ironing out the origins of wrinkles, creases and folds

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Engineers from Brown University have mapped out the amounts of compression required to cause wrinkles, creases, and folds to form in rubbery materials. The findings could help engineers control the formation of these structures, which can be useful in designing nanostructured materials for flexible electronic devices or surfaces that require variable adhesion. "When a rubbery material is compressed and reaches a critical load, it experiences instability and forms surface patterns like wrinkles, creases, or folds," said Mazen Diab, ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Personality may predict if you like spicy foods

CHICAGO – Certain aspects of an individual's personality may be a determining factor in whether they like their food plain and bland or spicy and hot, according to research presented at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo®. Nadia Byrnes, MS, a doctoral candidate at Pennsylvania State University, presented her research that set out to determine whether there was a correlation between personality types and hot-spice preferences. She conducted a study of 184 participants--nonsmokers ages 18 to 45 without any known issues that would compromise ...

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Science18 Jul 2013

Seafood still considered a good source of nutrients but consumers confused on safety

CHICAGO-Seafood continues to be a proven strong nutrient-rich food providing essential vitamins, minerals and omega-3 fatty acids, but consumers and some toxicologists still keep a watchful eye on safety, according to a July 16 panel discussion at the 2013 Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo® held at McCormick Place. "Moderate, consistent evidence shows that health benefits derived from the consumption of a variety of cooked seafood in the U.S. in amounts recommended by the [2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, U.S. Department of Agriculture] ...

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