FINDINGS: Whitehead Institute scientists have identified conserved, long intervening non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) that play key roles during brain development in zebrafish, and went on to show that the human versions of these RNAs can substitute for the zebrafish lincRNAs. RELEVANCE: Despite their prevalence in the cell, lincRNAs have been referred to as the "dark matter" of all the transcribed RNAs because little is known of their functions or mechanisms. Until now, lincRNAs have been studied primarily in cell lines rather than at the organismal level, which has precluded ...

Global wildlife is facing an unprecedented threat from natural disasters exacerbated by climate change, warn scientists in a paper published in Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Hurricanes, droughts, flooding and wildfires are predicted to increase in frequency and severity – but despite being able to spot human populations at risk, there is currently no mechanism for identifying vulnerable animal populations. Now scientists from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have come up with a method to identify populations likely to experience drastic changes in their population ...

A new study, bringing together an interdisciplinary team of physicians and engineers from the United States and Germany, made a surprising finding about implants used in hip replacement surgery: Graphite carbon is a key element in the lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant has more in common with the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint. The study was funded by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), part of the National Institutes of Health. Made possible by an ...

Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation have shown their strong support of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant's safety record and operational success by fighting to keep the Department of Energy facility sufficiently funded. The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant, or WIPP, is the Department of Energy's underground repository for defense-generated, transuranic (TRU) waste. Since WIPP opened in 1999, more than 10,000 shipments of TRU waste have been permanently disposed of in salt beds 2,150 feet below the surface. WIPP is located about 26 miles outside of Carlsbad, New ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Researchers have shown how arrays of tiny "plasmonic nanoantennas" are able to precisely manipulate light in new ways that could make possible a range of optical innovations such as more powerful microscopes, telecommunications and computers. The researchers at Purdue University used the nanoantennas to abruptly change a property of light called its phase. Light is transmitted as waves analogous to waves of water, which have high and low points. The phase defines these high and low points of light. "By abruptly changing the phase we ...

RattanLand, a Company specializing in the import and export of home furniture, has new products to offer to its customers worldwide - Dabota Chairs and Skidmore Chairs. New Skidmore and Dabota Chairs The Company is proud to announce two new products that have been added to its already impressive product range - Skid and Dabota chairs. Skidmore chairs are classic looking chairs that come with a simple design. There are no armrests, and the chairs sit on four legs each. These chairs are ideal for the outdoor garden or porch. Dabota chairs also come in a simple ...

Maintaining balance is crucial. In Drosophila, the common fruit fly, the creation and maintenance of the blood supply requires such balance. UCLA stem cell scientists have now uncovered that two-way signaling from two different sets of cells is necessary for that balance, both to ensure enough blood cells are made to respond to injury and infection and that the blood progenitor cell population remains available for future needs. The stem cell-like blood progenitor cells – which contribute to the cells of the adult fruit fly's blood supply – receive signals from cells ...

WORCESTER, Mass. – Small, mobile sequences of DNA left over from viruses, called transposons or "jumping genes" because of their ability to move around the genome, pose a significant threat to the genetic integrity and stability of an organism. Considered genetic parasites, these transposable elements are believed to comprise as much as 50 percent of the human genome. Because of the damage transposons can do to an organism's DNA, an immune-like response has evolved to turn off, or silence, these mobile genetic elements. New research published in the journal Cell by the ...

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The HIV Prevention Trials Network 052 study, led by Myron S. Cohen, MD of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named the 2011 Breakthrough of the Year by the journal Science. HPTN 052 evaluated whether antiretroviral drugs can prevent sexual transmission of HIV among couples in which one partner has HIV and the other does not. The research found that early treatment with antiretroviral therapy reduced HIV transmission in couples by at least 96 percent. The study was funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, ...

December 22, 2011—(BRONX, NY) —Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have discovered the first known mechanism by which cells control the survival of messenger RNA (mRNA) —arguably biology's most important molecule. The findings pertain to mRNAs that help regulate cell division and could therefore have implications for reversing cancer's out-of-control cell division. The research is described in today's online edition of the journal Cell. "The fate of the mRNA molecules we studied resembles a Greek tragedy," said the study's senior ...

Regular use of fluoride-containing toothpaste and mouthwash has long been known to strengthen the enamel on teeth. But new research by Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists finds that fluoride also has dramatic effects on bacteria inside the mouth -- including those that form plaque and can cause cavities. HHMI researcher Ronald Breaker of Yale University has discovered the cellular chain of events that occurs inside a bacterium after it encounters fluoride in its environment. His team's findings reveal that many bacteria try to fend off fluoride – which the ...

Long Island Exchange columnist Cognac Wellerlane interviews celebrities during a benefit for kidney transplant awareness. On Tuesday December 6th an organization called the Flood Sisters hosted an annual Holiday Fashion Show Benefit to support their national kidney foundation. The organization, started by three sisters, is designed to support those willing to donate kidneys as well as those awaiting transplants. They believe that no one should have to suffer through painful treatments while waiting for an expendable organ. The event was held at the Scandinavia House ...

Using a mouse model, Heidelberg University Hospital researchers have for the first time successfully treated a severe congenital disorder in which sugar metabolism is disturbed. The team headed by Prof. Christian Körner, group leader at the Center for Child and Adolescent Medicine, demonstrated that if female mice are given mannose with their drinking water prior to mating and during pregnancy, their offspring will develop normally even if they carry the genetic mutation for the congenital disorder. The team's outstanding work will contribute to better understanding of ...

At Boxer, we have decided to include TV2 in each of our four TV-packages, so our customers can keep viewing the channel. And on top of this, we are also making Danish TV-history by making it possible for our customers to purchase the channel (in Danish the term is Tv kanaler) separately. For the first time ever, our customers can choose to pay for a single channel without purchasing a full TV-package. Here are the prices for TV2 purchased separately: -19 kr./monthly subscription -199 kr./annual card fee (primarily running and maintenance costs). The fee makes ...

When the Mountains Call . . . . . . don't climb too fast! Lack of acclimatization and excessively rapid ascent are the main risk factors for acute mountain sickness, as Kai Schommer and Peter Bärtsch explain in this issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2011; 108 [49]: 839-48). More and more tourists are climbing up mountains that are 5000 to almost 7000 meters high, such as Kilimanjaro, without any prior experience at high altitudes. The low oxygen content in the air can cause altitude sicknesses of various kinds. For example, sudden vomiting ...

Most of the concerts will be held at the Arena Santa Giuliana on either the main stage or restaurant stage. Other venues include the Teatro Pavone and the Giardini Carducci Conad Stage and restaurant. This year's theme emphasizes the Latin sounds of jazz, delivered by international and Italian jazz and gospel soloists and groups. Among the many featured performers this year are Stan Tracy, Michel Camilo, the Gonzalo Rubalcaba Trio, Chano Dominguez, Fabrizio Bosso, The Harlem Jubilee Singers and la Lydian Sound Orchestra. Travel to the Umbria Jazz Winter Festival from ...

London, December 22, 2011 – Elsevier's Journal of Clinical Virology in collaboration with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced the publication of a special supplement entitled 'Update on HIV Diagnostic Testing Algorithms'. This timely supplement contains articles which summarize studies since the 2010 US HIV Diagnostics Conference validating the proposed new US HIV diagnostic testing algorithm. In addition, review articles and original research related to the topic of HIV diagnosis and viral load monitoring are included. Dr. Bernard ...

The researchers evaluated the role of Mediterranean diet ingredients in the prevention and mitigation of cell damage. Oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol –present in a particularly high concentration in virgin olive oil– and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids –found in fish– affect the cellular mechanisms involved in the development of acute pancreatitis, a disease of oxidative-inflammatory etiology. Therefore, oleic acid and hydroxytyrosol can be considered potential functional ingredients, as they may prevent or mitigate this disease. Such was the conclusion drawn in a study ...

The entire Hawaiian population of the peat moss Sphagnum palustre appears to be a clone that has been in existence for some 50,000 years researchers have discovered. The study is published in New Phytologist. Among the most long-lived of organisms, every plant of the Hawaiian population appears to have been produced by vegetative rather than sexual propagation and can be traced back to a single parent. Surprisingly, the genetic diversity of the Hawaiian clone is comparable to that detected in populations of S. palustre that do propagate sexually and occur across vaster ...

Physicists at Harvard University have realized a new way to cool synthetic materials by employing a quantum algorithm to remove excess energy. The research, published this week in the journal Nature, is the first application of such an "algorithmic cooling" technique to ultra-cold atomic gases, opening new possibilities from materials science to quantum computation. "Ultracold atoms are the coldest objects in the known universe," explains senior author Markus Greiner, associate professor of Physics at Harvard. "Their temperature is only a billionth of a degree above absolute ...

A compound produced from fish oil that appears to target leukemia stem cells could lead to a cure for the disease, according to Penn State researchers. The compound -- delta-12-protaglandin J3, or D12-PGJ3 -- targeted and killed the stem cells of chronic myelogenous leukemia, or CML, in mice, said Sandeep Prabhu, associate professor of immunology and molecular toxicology in the Department of Veterinary and Medical Sciences. The compound is produced from EPA -- Eicosapentaenoic Acid -- an Omega-3 fatty acid found in fish and in fish oil, he said. "Research in the past ...

Board certified plastic surgeon Dr. David A. Bottger has made a commitment to reduce his practice's environmental impact. Dr. Bottger has always been committed to serving his community, in the OR and in the neighborhood, and now hopes to do even more for Philadelphia by practicing and promoting awareness of eco-friendly business practices for plastic surgeons through the B2B Green Alliance. The B2B Green Alliance is sponsored by longtime partner Page 1 Solutions. The B2B Green Alliance is an environmental commitment program and part of the company's Page 1 Green Solutions. ...

This press release is available in German.The Earth wobbles. Like a spinning top touched in mid-spin, its rotational axis fluctuates in relation to space. This is partly caused by gravitation from the sun and the moon. At the same time, the Earth's rotational axis constantly changes relative to the Earth's surface. On the one hand, this is caused by variation in atmospheric pressure, ocean loading and wind. These elements combine in an effect known as the Chandler wobble to create polar motion. Named after the scientist who discovered it, this phenomenon has a period of ...

ATLANTA -- A new study finds that while colorectal cancer mortality rates dropped in the most recent two decades for every stage in both African Americans and whites, the decreases were smaller for African Americans, particularly for distant stage disease. The authors say concerted efforts to prevent or detect colorectal cancer at earlier stages in blacks could improve worsening black-white disparities. Before 1980, colorectal cancer mortality rates for African Americans were lower than those for whites. Since then, however, the pattern of CRC mortality rates has reversed ...

Local law firm Long & Waite, PC has made a commitment to reduce the firm's environmental impact. Long & Waite has always been committed to the community, and now hopes to do the best for its neighbors in Mobile, both in the court room and in the environment by practicing and promoting awareness of eco-friendly business practices for personal injury lawyers through the B2B Green Alliance. The B2B Green Alliance is an environmental commitment program sponsored by longtime partner Page 1 Solutions. The B2B Green Alliance is a recent addition to the company's Page ...