Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine have discovered that a natural product isolated from a traditional Chinese medicinal plant commonly known as thunder god vine, or lei gong teng, and used for hundreds of years to treat many conditions including rheumatoid arthritis works by blocking gene control machinery in the cell. The report, published as a cover story of the March issue of Nature Chemical Biology, suggests that the natural product could be a starting point for developing new anticancer drugs. "Extracts of this medicinal plant have been used to treat ...

Motorsportsunplugged.com has taken the exciting step of launching sister site NHRAunplugged.com, a website devoted to providing the NHRA fan with commentary, interviews, opinions and insights that go beyond typical news items. The site will feature articles and blogs from such drag racing notables as Kenny Bernstein, and others, while professional journalists will provide frequent updates. Longtime motorsports expert Jay Wells will be NHRAunplugged's supervising editor and his decades of experience will be a valuable asset. "With Wells' experience and the contributions ...

The American Thoracic Society has released a new report detailing recent global changes in the management of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-associated pulmonary disease. The report examines the evolving landscape of HIV and its associated diseases in areas where combination antiretroviral therapies (ART) are available, as well as offering insight into the trends occurring in areas of the world where ART use is limited. The report appears in the March 1, 2011, issue of the Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society. Since it first came to the public eye in the ...

LA JOLLA, CA – March 3, 2011 – Unexpected results from a Scripps Research Institute and ModGene, LLC study could completely alter scientists' ideas about Alzheimer's disease—pointing to the liver instead of the brain as the source of the "amyloid" that deposits as brain plaques associated with this devastating condition. The findings could offer a relatively simple approach for Alzheimer's prevention and treatment. The study was published online today in The Journal of Neuroscience Research. In the study, the scientists used a mouse model for Alzheimer's disease to ...

Pat Vitucci, a Bay Area Independent Financial Advisor, recently launched his second weekly radio program called "Sound Money- A Conservative Approach To Investing". The program airs several times each week on Fox News Radio 910 AM and KDIA 1640AM. The 30 minute program focuses on conservative approaches to investing and saving money. "There are many people who prefer products that are relatively conservative with not a lot of risk", says Vitucci, "and that is what this show is all about". Pat Vitucci was also recently named NPC's (National Planning Corporation) #1 producing ...

The American Thoracic Society has released a new official report recommending research priorities in incorporating ambulatory management of adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) into healthcare systems. The report identifies barriers preventing incorporation of portable monitor testing into clinical management pathways and recommends research and development needed to address those barriers. The statement appears in the March 1, 2011, issue of the Proceedings of the American Thoracic Society. It is estimated that OSA occurs in roughly 20 million Americans, and ...

DALLAS (SMU) – Blood group incompatibility between Henry VIII and his wives could have driven the Tudor king's reproductive woes, and a genetic condition related to his suspected blood group could also explain Henry's dramatic mid-life transformation into a physically and mentally-impaired tyrant who executed two of his wives. Research conducted by bioarchaeologist Catrina Banks Whitley while she was a graduate student at SMU (Southern Methodist University) and anthropologist Kyra Kramer shows that the numerous miscarriages suffered by Henry's wives could be explained ...

Spring is a wonderful time of year to get married -- temperatures are warming and trees and flowers are in bloom - the perfect time for new beginnings. According to Denver wedding photographer Matt Kelly of Ambisuite Weddings, "Each season has its own unique beauty, and photographing a wedding in any given season has its special challenges. Spring, however, is a breathtaking time for taking wedding photographs." Tips for beautiful springtime wedding pictures Whether you are holding your spring wedding indoors or outdoors, the wedding photographer should know how to ...

LIVERMORE, Calif. – Scientists have found that calcium, aluminum-rich inclusions (CAIs), some of the oldest objects in the solar system, formed far away from our sun and then later fell back into the mid-plane of the solar system. The findings may lead to a greater understanding of how our solar system and possibly other solar systems formed and evolved. CAIs, roughly millimeter- to centimeter in size, are believed to have formed very early in the evolution of the solar system and had contact with nebular gas, either as solid condensates or as molten droplets. Relative ...

RICHLAND, Wash. – In some cases, soot – the fine, black carbon silt that is released from stoves, cars and manufacturing plants – can pack more of a climatic punch than greenhouse gases, according to a paper published in the journal Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics. Researchers at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the University of Michigan and NOAA found that soot landing on snow on the massive Tibetan Plateau can do more to alter snowmelt and monsoon weather patterns in Asia than carbon dioxide and soot in the air. Soot on snow causes ...

Wealth Masters International March's Consultant of the Month: Bob Chappell of Home Based Company, LLC On the first of March, the phone rings and I hear "Bob, it's Karl Bessey here. I just wanted to let you know that you have been chosen 'WMI Consultant of the Month.'" My initial thought was "Wow... me? But there are so many more deserving people!" Let me say that I am completely humbled and honored to receive this call from Karl. I am so grateful that I found Wealth Masters International (Kip and Karl's Dream) through the three points of Wealth, Health and Wisdom ...

BIGLERVILLE, PA—Blossom or fruitlet thinning is a labor-intensive part of commercial peach and nectarine production. The use of mechanical string blossom thinners has been shown to reduce labor requirements and improve fruit size in peach crops, but stone fruit producers have needed more information about the range of thinning times. New research from Tara Auxt Baugher and colleagues from The Pennsylvania State University and Penn State Cooperative Extension gives producers sought-after data about optimum thinning times. Baugher said that, prior to this study on bloom ...

American Professional Services (APS) recently announced that it is offering a commercial hood installation training program in the Los Vegas, Nevada area. The training will include how to install HVAC (Heating, Ventilating, and Air Conditioning) and fire suppression systems for businesses currently involved in restaurant construction, and for businesses running commercial kitchens needing an upgrade. With headquarters in Denver, Colorado, APS specializes in commercial hood sales and professional cleaning services for commercial exhaust hood systems throughout the country. When ...

NEW YORK—March 3, 2011 — In an article to be published in the forthcoming issue of International Finance, Dr. Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve, issues a major analysis of the U.S. government's economic recovery and reform efforts since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September 2008. Greenspan calculates that long-term fixed corporate investment "is now at levels, relative to cash flow, that we have not experienced since 1940." This shortfall, he explains, accounts for much of the tepid recovery and current abnormally high levels of unemployment. ...

University of British Columbia researchers have identified a small virus that attacks another virus more than 100 times its own size, rescuing the infected zooplankton from certain death. The discovery provides clues to the evolutionary origin of some jumping genes found in other organisms. The study, by UBC marine microbiologist Curtis Suttle and PhD student Matthias Fischer, is published online today in Science Express. It describes the marine virus Mavirus and its interaction with marine zooplankton Cafeteria roenbergenesis and CroV, the world's largest marine virus. "It's ...

Following a week of intense bidding, the auction for Justin Bieber's hair closed today with a final winning bid from GoldenPalace.com. The popular online casino spent $40,668.00 to lock down the teen singing phenom's famous locks with all proceeds going to support The Gentle Barn Foundation. The idea for the auction began when The Biebs paid a surprise visit to Ellen DeGeneres during the taping of her show in February. The 53-year-old talk show host had recently tweeted that she wanted a lock of Bieber's hair for her birthday. Never one to disappoint a belieber, Justin ...

CRYSTAL SPRINGS, MS—Recent movements aimed at managing environmental impacts of agriculture have spurred interest in the development and use of organic and natural fertilizers for commercial applications. Many organic fertilizers are byproducts of livestock, fish, food, and other processing industries. In Mississippi, where the poultry industry produces more than 730 million broiler chickens each year, and annual chicken litter production is estimated at more than 730,000 tons, there is a naturally abundant supply of chicken litter available for fertilizer. New research ...

SOUTH VERONA, MS—When essential oils are extracted from plants through the process of steam distillation, wastewater is produced and subsequently released into rivers and streams. Finding new uses for these unused by-products could benefit essential oil crop growers and processors as well as the environment. A team of researchers has found that the residual distillation water of some aromatic plant species has a beneficial effect on yields and can increase essential oil content of peppermint and spearmint crops. Peppermint and spearmint are commercially produced for their ...

Athens, Ga. – New University of Georgia research has identified a protein that can be modified to improve the effectiveness of one of the most common drugs used to treat pancreatic cancer. The research, published in the March edition of the journal Cancer Research, found that a cell-surface protein called CNT1, which transports cancer-killing drugs into tumor cells, was reduced in function in two thirds of pancreatic tumors. By improving the function of CNT1, the researchers increased the effectiveness of the cancer-killing drugs in pancreatic tumor cells derived from ...

The burning, tingling pain of neuropathy may affect feet and hands before other body parts because the powerhouses of nerve cells that supply the extremities age and become dysfunctional as they complete the long journey to these areas, Johns Hopkins scientists suggest in a new study. The finding may eventually lead to new ways to fight neuropathy, a condition that often accompanies other diseases including HIV/AIDS, diabetes and circulatory disorders. Neuropathies tend to hit the feet first, then travel up the legs. As they reach the knees, they often start affecting ...

March 3, 2011 — (BRONX, NY) — Few primary care physicians pay adequate attention to patients taking prescription opioid drugs — despite the potential for abuse, addiction and overdose, according to a new study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. The study, published in the March 2 online edition of the Journal of General Internal Medicine, found lax monitoring even of patients at high risk for opioid misuse, such as those with a history of drug abuse or dependence. The findings are especially concerning considering that prescription ...

The long-time practice of using police facial sketches to nab criminals has been, at best, an inexact art. But the process may soon be a little more exact thanks to the work of some Michigan State University researchers. A team led by MSU University Distinguished Professor of Computer Science and Engineering Anil Jain and doctoral student Brendan Klare has developed a set of algorithms and created software that will automatically match hand-drawn facial sketches to mug shots that are stored in law enforcement databases. Once in use, Klare said, the implications are ...

VERNON – Texas AgriLife Research scientists are trying to bring more beauty to the colder regions of the state by breeding winter-hardiness into a tropical ornamental plant, the angel's trumpet flower. Dr. Dariusz Malinowski, AgriLife Research plant physiologist and forage agronomist in Vernon, along with Dr. Bill Pinchak and Shane Martin, both with AgriLife Research, and Steve Brown, program director for Texas Foundation Seed Service, began the project three years ago. The goal of the project is to develop new cultivars with a range of flower colors, shapes and size, ...

AMARILLO – Biofuel feedstock production in the Texas High Plains could significantly change the crop mix, which could affect regional income and groundwater consumption, according to Texas AgriLife Research and Texas AgriLife Extension Service economists. Dr. Steve Amosson, AgriLife Extension economist in Amarillo, and Dr. Seong Park, AgriLife Research economist in Vernon, are joining other economists to model the socio-economic effects of climate change on the Ogallala Aquifer. The project, Economics and Groundwater-Use Implications of Bioenergy Feedstocks Production ...

JUPITER, FL, March 3, 2011 – Borrowing a page from modern manufacturing, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have built a microscopic assembly line that mass produces synthetic cell-like compartments. The new computer-controlled system represents a technological leap forward in the race to create the complex membrane structures of biological cells from simple chemical starting materials. "Biology is full of synthetic targets that have inspired chemists for more than a century," said Brian Paegel, Scripps Research assistant professor ...