Genetic variations that are linked with the onset of Barrett's oesophagus (BE), a pre-cancerous condition of the lower end of the gullet, have been identified for the first time. The discovery of variations in regions on two chromosomes makes it possible to develop screening tests for people at high risk of developing the disease. Although it's been thought for some time that there may be genetic causes for BE as well as environmental ones, such as drinking alcohol and eating fatty food, so far researchers have not found any genetic variations that are associated with ...

Researchers have newly identified three genetic regions associated with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), the most common autoimmune liver disease, increasing the number of known regions associated with the disorder to 25. The team used a DNA microchip, called Immunochip, to survey more thoroughly regions of the genome known to underlie other autoimmune diseases to discover if they play a role also in PBC susceptibility. By combining the results from this survey with details of gene activity from a database called ENCODE, they were able to identify which cells types are ...

A new survey suggests that the chamber of molten rock beneath Santorini's volcano expanded 10-20 million cubic metres – up to 15 times the size of London's Olympic Stadium – between January 2011 and April 2012. The growth of this 'balloon' of magma has seen the surface of the island rise 8-14 centimetres during this period, a team led by Oxford University scientists has found. The results come from an expedition, funded by the UK's Natural Environment Research Council, which used satellite radar images and Global Positioning System receivers (GPS) that can detect movements ...

PORTLAND, Ore. — For decades, a successful HIV vaccine has been the Holy Grail for researchers around the globe. Yet despite years of research and millions of dollars of investment, that goal has still yet to be achieved. Recent research by Oregon Health & Science University scientists explains a decades-old mystery as to why slightly weakened versions of the monkey AIDS virus were able to prevent subsequent infection with the fully virulent strain, but were too risky for human use, and why severely compromised or completely inactivated versions of the virus were not effective ...

A nationwide consortium of scientists has reported the first comprehensive genetic analysis of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung, a common type of lung cancer responsible for about 400,000 deaths each year. "We found that almost 75 percent of the patients' cancers have mutations that can be targeted with existing drugs -- drugs that are available commercially or for clinical trials," says one of the lead investigators, Ramaswamy Govindan, MD, an oncologist at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and co-chair of the lung cancer group of The Cancer Genome ...

An international team of scientists have shown at an unprecedented level of detail how cells prioritise the repair of genes containing potentially dangerous damage. The research, published in the journal Nature and involving academics from the University of Bristol, the Institut Jacques-Monod in France and Rockefeller University in the US, studied the action of individual molecules in order to understand how cellular repair pathways are triggered. The genetic information that forms the "instruction booklet" for cells is encoded in the molecular building blocks of DNA, ...

Mercury, when dumped in lakes and rivers, accumulates in fish, and often ends up on our plates. A Swiss-American team of researchers led by Francesco Stellacci at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Bartosz Grzybowski at Northwestern University has devised a simple, inexpensive system based on nanoparticles, a kind of nano-velcro, to detect and trap this toxic pollutant as well as others. The particles are covered with tiny hairs that can grab onto toxic heavy metals such as mercury and cadmium. This technology makes it possible to easily and inexpensively ...

In the September 9, 2012 early online edition of Nature, scientists with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) report that they have characterized the lung squamous cell carcinoma genome. Squamous cell carcinoma is the second most common form of lung cancer, a disease that kills more Americans than any other type of cancer. The national team of scientists examined tumor samples from 178 patients with untreated lung squamous cell carcinoma and completed genetic analysis of the tumors, work that paves the way for developing better, more targeted therapies to treat the cancer. ...

Cambridge and Boston, MA. Sunday, September 9, 2012 – A new paper published online in Nature holds out hope that people with the second most common type of lung cancer may one day benefit from targeted therapies that have transformed treatments for other lung cancer patients. Squamous cell lung cancer kills more people each year than breast, colorectal, or prostate cancer, ranking second only to lung adenocarcinoma in the number of deaths it causes. But unlike the most common form of lung cancer, squamous cell carcinoma has no treatments aimed at the specific genetic ...

University Hospitals Case Medical Center clinical researchers will present findings about a one-two punch to prevent colds and flu in San Francisco at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) on Sept. 9. The research team is presenting data in two poster presentations that a new oral antiseptic spray is effective in killing 99.9 percent of infectious airborne germs. Findings from these two presentations led to the development of Halo Oral Antiseptic, a first-of-its kind germ-fighting spray which is currently on store shelves. "Respiratory ...

Mange and viral diseases have a substantial, recurring impact on the health and size of reintroduced wolf packs living in Yellowstone National Park, according to ecologists. Following the restoration of gray wolves to Yellowstone in 1996, researchers collected blood from the animals to monitor parasite-induced disease and death. They also tracked the wolves in each pack to follow their survival and allow additional data-gathering. "Many invasive species flourish because they lack their native predators and pathogens, but in Yellowstone we restored a native predator ...

Washington, D.C.— Over the past two decades, extensive forest death triggered by hot and dry climatic conditions has been documented on every continent except Antarctica. Forest mortality due to drought and heat stress is expected to increase due to climate change. Although research has focused on isolated incidents of forest mortality, little is known about the potential effects of widespread forest die-offs. A new analysis of the current literature on this topic by Carnegie's William and Leander Anderegg is published September 9 in Nature Climate Change. Along with ...

Washington, D.C.— There is enough energy available in winds to meet all of the world's demand. Atmospheric turbines that convert steadier and faster high-altitude winds into energy could generate even more power than ground- and ocean-based units. New research from Carnegie's Ken Caldeira examines the limits of the amount of power that could be harvested from winds, as well as the effects high-altitude wind power could have on the climate as a whole. Their work is published September 9 by Nature Climate Change. Led by Kate Marvel of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, ...

A new study from the University of Southern California (USC) has found a link between recreational marijuana use and an increased risk of developing subtypes of testicular cancer that tend to carry a somewhat worse prognosis. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the findings suggest that the potential cancer-causing effects of marijuana on testicular cells should be considered not only in personal decisions regarding recreational drug use, but also when marijuana and its derivatives are used for therapeutic purposes in ...

The Endangered Species Act (ESA)—the key US law protecting species listed as threatened or endangered—focuses on boosting species' numbers until they reach recovery thresholds and so can be taken off the ESA list. Almost 1400 species are now listed. Yet as many as 84 percent of currently listed species with management plans will face threats to their biological recovery even after they are considered "recovered" under the act, according to an article by Dale D. Goble and his colleagues in the October issue of BioScience. These species will require continuing management ...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A new study by University of North Carolina School of Medicine pediatrics researchers finds a surprising difference in the eating habits of overweight children between ages 9 and 17 years compared to those younger than 9. Younger children who are overweight or obese consume more calories per day than their healthy weight peers. But among older overweight children the pattern is reversed: They actually consume fewer calories per day than their healthy weight peers. How to explain such a seemingly counterintuitive finding? "Children who are overweight ...

Acer Philippines and ShadowProtect software, through IT distribution company IPSYSTEMS Inc, have partnered together in providing real time data recovery for Philippine local companies and SMEs. The aim of the partnership is to provide a complete and integrated business solution to maximize business continuity and avoid business disruption following a server or PC failure. "What happens when a company loses its data? Simply put, production stops and a company can lose hundreds of thousands to millions of pesos worth of business," said Patricia B. Celis, Business ...

The Michael Jackson Estate and Legacy Recordings / Sony Music Entertainment chose Art Sims' 11:24 as the ad agency to create the official ad campaign for Michael Jackson BAD 25 documentary. 11:24 designed and created the print ad campaign for the movie. According to The Michael Jackson Estate, "We have met some great and talented people. Art Sims, you are one of them." Sims says, "I am humbled that my firm, 11:24, is regarded as the preeminent ad agency in America for creating memorable movie marketing creations for iconic films showcasing African American ...

Fast-food and take-out restaurants are everywhere. In fact, research reveals that fast-food restaurants serve more than 60 million North Americans every day and more than one quarter of Canadians report eating fast food daily. These astonishing statistics are not lost in the Caribbean Food Market, where restaurants are generating more than $3 billion in sales per year. It is here where SunRise Caribbean Restaurant has grown to become a market leader, by serving tasty, healthy foods to familiar Caribbean consumers while introducing North Americans to the tastes of the ...

This November, Brookfield Homes will debut its newest community, Haven at Windingwalk in Chula Vista. The 60-home neighborhood is currently under construction, and will soon showcase five model homes representative of four different floor plans. Pricing is anticipated to start in the mid $300,000s. "Our interest list for Haven has been rapidly growing," says Debby King, director of marketing for Brookfield Homes. "Haven will bring something different to Chula Vista, as the homes will display comfortable and distinctive design elements such as a supersized ...

The 8th Annual Sean Eduardo Sanchez (SES) fundraising Pro-Am will be held on Saturday, September 15, 2012 beginning at 1:00 p.m., at Rancho Valencia Resort & Spa, located at 5921 Valencia Circle, Rancho Santa Fe, California. Proceeds will provide the children of Tecate, Mexico, with access to free tennis lessons, tennis equipment and cross border tournament transportation while also supporting the efforts of the Empty Cradle, a San Diego non-profit organization that helps parents cope with the loss of an infant before, during or after birth. There are currently 500 ...

The Daily Record, a 124 year-old legal and business information publisher based in Baltimore, MD, announced that AiNET's CEO Deepak Jain was selected as one of its 2012Innovators of the Year. The 10 year-old competition has a rigorous selection process in which readers, economic development agencies and state and local business community members nominate candidates whose innovations made a major contribution to business in the state. Jain, founder of AiNET, a 19 year-old critical IT solutions company based in Beltsville, MD, is building Maryland (and the region's) largest ...

Director Jonathan Isen of Phasmatrope Studios just wrapped the latest two spots in the PECO Energy Ogres campaign, through the Tierney Agency, Philadelphia. Isen working once again with world-class puppet builder Zach Buchman of Furry Puppets created two new puppets, a very busy fuse box and the outlet brothers for spots that support the Energy E-Audit program from PECO Energy. "Once again the Tierney team came up with great concepts that provided for excellent puppet personalities," stated Isen. "From concept to execution, it was a great collaboration." ...

Leading Ayr-based law firm Frazer Coogans Solicitors has announced the appointment of Ross Slater as the new head of its Accident & Injury Claims Centre. Ross Slater (48) is an experienced solicitor with a strong interest in civil litigation, particularly relating to pursuer personal injury. He has appeared regularly in the Sheriff Court as well as conducting cases in the Court of Session. After graduating in law at the University of Glasgow, Ross completed his traineeship as a solicitor with Ross Harper & Murphy, working mainly in the firm's civil litigation ...

Check printing software provider halfpricesoft.com launched the new version of ezCheckPersonal, the PC check writer for family users. In response to customers¡¯ requests, this new edition comes with the data backup reminder which can speed up secure back-up and restoration of check data to prevent loss to viruses, spyware and computer crashes. Printing bank checks from a user's own printer is perfectly legal. Known for its flexibility and affordability ($29 per installation. free through TrialPay ofer), ezCheckPersonal software institutive interface is so easy to understand ...