Popularly dubbed "the book of life," the human genome is extraordinarily difficult to read. But without full knowledge of its grammar and syntax, the genome's 2.9 billion base-pairs of adenine and thymine, cytosine and guanine provide limited insights into humanity's underlying genetics. In a paper published in the July 1, 2012 issue of the journal Nature, researchers at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research and the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine open the book further, mapping for the first time a significant portion of the functional sequences ...

PHILADELPHIA (July 1, 2012)—For eastern Pacific populations of leatherback turtles, the 21st century could be the last. New research suggests that climate change could exacerbate existing threats and nearly wipe out the population. Deaths of turtle eggs and hatchlings in nests buried at hotter, drier beaches are the leading projected cause of the potential climate-related decline, according to a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change by a research team from Drexel University, Princeton University, other institutions and government agencies. Leatherbacks, the largest ...

CHICAGO --- When people have similar injuries, why do some end up with chronic pain while others recover and are pain free? The first longitudinal brain imaging study to track participants with a new back injury has found the chronic pain is all in their heads –- quite literally. A new Northwestern Medicine study shows for the first time that chronic pain develops the more two sections of the brain --- related to emotional and motivational behavior --- talk to each other. The more they communicate, the greater the chance a patient will develop chronic pain. The finding ...

LA JOLLA, CA – July 1, 2012 – Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have discovered a surprisingly simple and safe method to disrupt specific genes within cells. The scientists highlighted the medical potential of the new technique by demonstrating its use as a safer alternative to an experimental gene therapy against HIV infection. "We showed that we can modify the genomes of cells without the troubles that have long been linked to traditional gene therapy techniques," said the study's senior author Carlos F. Barbas III, who is the Janet and Keith Kellogg II Professor ...

PITTSBURGH—With the advent of semiconductor transistors—invented in 1947 as a replacement for bulky and inefficient vacuum tubes—has come the consistent demand for faster, more energy-efficient technologies. To fill this need, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh are proposing a new spin on an old method: a switch from the use of silicon electronics back to vacuums as a medium for electron transport—exhibiting a significant paradigm shift in electronics. Their findings were published online in Nature Nanotechnology July 1. For the past 40 years, the number of transistors ...

Research published today in Biomed Central's open access journal Journal of Neuroinflammation suggests that chronic inflammation can predispose the brain to develop Alzheimer's disease. To date it has been difficult to pin down the role of inflammation in Alzheimer's disease (AD), especially because trials of NSAIDs appeared to have conflicting results. Although the ADAPT (The Alzheimer`s Disease Anti-inflammatory Prevention Trial) trial was stopped early, recent results suggest that NSAIDs can help people with early stages of AD but that prolonged treatment is necessary ...

The yellow meadow ant, Lasius flavus, farms root aphids for sugar (honeydew) and nitrogen (protein). In turn these species of aphids have developed distinctive traits never found in free living species such as the 'trophobiotic organ' to hold honey dew for the ants. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology shows that over half of ant mounds contained only one of the three most common species of aphid, and two thirds of these has a single aphid clone. Even in mounds which contained more than one species of aphid 95% of the ...

PHILADELPHIA — Researchers are hopeful that new advances in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine could one day make a replacement liver from a patient's own cells, or animal muscle tissue that could be cut into steaks without ever being inside a cow. Bioengineers can already make 2D structures out of many kinds of tissue, but one of the major roadblocks to making the jump to 3D is keeping the cells within large structures from suffocating; organs have complicated 3D blood vessel networks that are still impossible to recreate in the laboratory. Now, University ...

Detailed analysis of genes expressed in circulating tumor cells (CTCs) -- cells that break off from solid tumors and travel through the bloodstream -- has identified a potential treatment target in metastatic pancreatic cancer. In a report that will appear in Nature and has received advance online publication, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center investigators describe finding increased expression of WNT2, a member of a known family of oncogenes, in CTCs from a mouse model of the deadly tumor and from human patients. The researchers were able to capture ...

VIDEO: Klaus Ley, M.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, has discovered a key step in the journey of inflammation-producing immune cells (shown here), which are... Click here for more information. SAN DIEGO – (July 1, 2012) – Like detectives seeking footprints and other clues on a television "whodunit," science can also benefit from analyzing the tracks of important players in the body's molecular landscape. Klaus Ley, M.D., a scientist at ...

PHILADELPHIA — Increasing the number of cups of caffeinated coffee you drink could lower your risk of developing the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. "Our data indicate that the more caffeinated coffee you consume, the lower your risk of developing basal cell carcinoma," said Jiali Han, Ph.D., associate professor at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston and Harvard School of Public Health. "I would not recommend ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- In the realm of deadly and disabling diseases, conditions such as cancer and Alzheimer's seem to attract the most media attention. But there are others that take a similarly high toll, and rheumatoid arthritis is one of them, Mayo Clinic researchers say. It is a common cause of disability: 1 of every 5 rheumatoid arthritis patients is unable to work two years after diagnosis, and within five years, that rises to one-third. Life expectancy drops by up to five years, they write in the July issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings in an article taking stock of ...

WASHINGTON -- Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered a single molecule they say is a major determinant of resistance to anti-estrogen therapy used to treat or prevent breast cancer in high-risk women. In the July 1 issue of Cancer Research, the scientists say glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), activated as breast cells undergo stress induced by the agents tamoxifen and fulvestrant, turns off apoptosis, a cell death response, and turns on autophagy. In autophagy, the cell "eats" and digests components within the cell body that ...

[EMBARGOED FOR JULY 2, 2012] A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases and available online shows how seasonal changes in outpatient antibiotic use – retail sales of antibiotics typically get a boost during the winter – can significantly alter seasonal patterns of drug resistance. The findings suggest that hospital campaigns to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use should be coordinated with efforts in the broader community if they are to be most effective. In the study, Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan, director of the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics and Policy ...

BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL --July 2, 2012 – "Exposure to media coverage of terrorist missile attacks increases pain levels in people already suffering from chronic pain," according to a new study by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers. "Does War Hurt? Effects of Media Exposure After Missile Attacks on Chronic Pain," published in the online version of the Journal of Clinical Psychology in Medical Settings, showed that exposure to the attacks through the media predicted an increase in pain intensity and in the sensory component of pain during the pre-post war ...

July 2, 2012 -- (Bronx, NY) -- Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have found that abnormal bone marrow stem cells drive the development of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), serious blood diseases that are common among the elderly and that can progress to acute leukemia. The findings could lead to targeted therapies against MDS and prevent MDS-related cancers. The study is published today in the online edition of the journal Blood. "Researchers have suspected that MDS is a 'stem cell disease,' and now we finally have proof," said ...

The long debated topic of whether or not you can teach someone to be funny can finally be answered in the new documentary Finding The Funny as several of the student take their acts on the road turning their hobby into a profession. The documentary stars award-winning comedian and comedy coach Don Barnhart following a group of his students in a six week class from start to showcase and features interviews with a plethora of famous and not so famous jokesters. Upon completion of the film, the majority of Barnhart's students have taken to the road becoming professional ...

McConnell & Associates recently launched their new website, http://mcconnellandassociates.com/. McConnell & Associates provides a complete resume of real estate functions, including buyer's agent, listing agent, rentals and property management all offered through a concierge environment. Providing up-to-date information on listings and free access to the entire MLS, allows users to either set up an account or browse anonymously through the available Sarasota real estate. This user friendly site is a comprehensive online resource for Sarasota real estate serving ...

Streaming live on the Co-Creator Radio Networkon Tuesday, July 3, at 11 a.m. Pacific time/2 p.m. Eastern time, on her show "Why Shamanism Now?: A Practical Path to Authenticity," shaman and founder of the Last Mask Center for Shamanic Healing Christina Pratt addresses frequently asked questions: What do we do when things stop flourishing? What do we do when houses don't sell, businesses fail, and illness keeps cycling through the family? Where do we go when we sense that the very matrix of the energy that supports life is somehow torn or set asunder? David ...

Laplace Marketing, LLC located in San Jose, CA delivers a one-stop-shop for all online marketing needs that small businesses may have. Their business model is unique, they figure out client needs and work with a large variety of partners to cater a package that will deliver them the best quality results. How does their method differ from there competitors? Most marketing companies are one or few trick ponies, they have a few services they offer and quickly sign up their clients for those services in order to maximize their own profits. The problem with this is that ...

Many market research companies have done research and found, virtually without excerption, that the cleanliness of a restaurant is one of the top criteria customers use to choose where to eat. Howard Cannon, Restaurant Consultant, Restaurant Expert, and CEO says, "Obviously, your kitchen needs to be clean, and a great chef or restaurateur wouldn't have it any other way. But customers don't see the kitchen, and they analyze restaurant cleanliness based on what they do see - mostly in high-impression areas. They also assume that if what they see looks bad, what they ...

Morris Kaye & Sons Furs is pleased to announce the release of its new KCool line of fur accessories. While many people are more familiar with fur coats of many types, fur accessories allow those who love furs to show this love to everyone around them. Whether they are looking for something to add to their fur coats or want something they can wear or use when not wearing a fur coat, the KCool line is a full line of knit fur accessories perfect for every fur lover. Made from mink, fox and rabbit, the KCool line offers many accessories those who love fur will adore. ...

Today along the Animas River in Durango, Blue River Fly Company announced immediate availability of Umpqua's full line of UPG Fly Boxes , "Fly fishermen may not have evolved, but fly boxes have with the release of the Weekender, Day Tripper, Midge, Magnum Midge, Streamers, and Flats," said Jason Adams, Founder of Blue River Fly Co. The world's highest quality fly fishing flies, need the highest quality boxes. Umpqua Professional Guide (UPG) is a professional line of fly boxes and streamside accessories created for, and designed by, the professional guide and ...

A brand new website, Top Organic Skin Care dot com, has now popped open its virtual doors at http://www.TopOrganicSkinCare.com and is offering its skin care informational resources to the public. The site includes organic and natural skincare recommendations, skincare line information and product reviews to help visitors obtain the healthy skin they've always dreamed of in a safe and effective manner. There is no longer any excuse for women to avoid high-quality skin care products that really work just because they are afraid of the ingredients these products could contain. ...

From the political turmoil of 1920s Puerto Rico, to the aftermath of a devastating hurricane in 2005, Traveler's Rest provides a kaleidoscopic look at a family that has lost its identity and torn itself apart. The ghosts of the past and the horrors of the present follow Tony, a recovering heroin addict, as he seeks to reclaim his family's legacy and set his own path in an increasingly chaotic world. Jonathan Marcantoni has been a freelance writer and editor since 2004. He has edited ten books and was co-author with Jean Blasiar on the World War II drama "Communion," ...