In a study published recently in the journal Science Signaling Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists demonstrate on the molecular level how the anti-malaria drug chloroquine represses inflammation, which may provide a blueprint for new strategies for treating inflammation and a multitude of autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, and certain cancers. Chloroquine is a widely used anti-malaria drug that inhibits the growth of parasites. For decades, chloroquine and its derivative amodiaquine have also been used as anti-inflammation drugs to treat ...

Business users take advantage of trial software so they can understand exactly what they are purchasing, but they still have to buy support plans on blind faith. One company is changing that. MadCap Software, Inc. (http://www.madcapsoftware.com), the leader in multi-channel content authoring and a showcase company for Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) Visual Studio and Microsoft XPS, today announced that every 30-day free trial version of its technical communications software now also comes with a 30-day free trial of MadCap's Gold Level technical support. Gold Level support during ...

Research published recently in PLoS One delivers new insight about rapid toxin evolution in venomous snakes: pitvipers such as rattlesnakes may be engaged in an arms race with opossums, a group of snake-eating American marsupials. Although some mammals have long been known to eat venomous snakes, this fact has not been factored into previous explanations for the rapid evolution of snake venom. Instead, snake venom is usually seen as a feeding, or trophic, adaptation. But new molecular research on snake-eating opossums by researchers affiliated with the American Museum of ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Quantum dots made from cadmium and selenium degrade in soil, unleashing toxic cadmium and selenium ions into their surroundings, a University at Buffalo study has found. The research, accepted for publication in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, demonstrates the importance of learning more about how quantum dots -- and other nanomaterials -- interact with the environment after disposal, said Diana Aga, the chemistry professor who led the study. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals with diameters of about 2 to 100 nanometers. ...

Howard H. Collens, attorney at the probate and estate planning law firm of Galloway and Collens, PLLC, spoke at a professional training seminar on The Probate Process From Start to Finish for Paralegals, sponsored by the Institute for Paralegal Education (IPE). The seminar, which took place on June 7, 2011, aimed to increase the understanding and effectiveness of paralegals, legal assistants and legal secretaries during the legal process which may be required after a person dies. Howard H. Collens spoke about topics related to the probate process including the ethical ...

HOUSTON -- (July 18, 2011) -- Rice University scientists have defined the structure -- down to the atomic level -- of a virus that causes juvenile diarrhea. The research may help direct efforts to develop medications that block the virus before it becomes infectious. The new paper by Professor Yizhi Jane Tao, postdoctoral researcher Jinhui Dong and their colleagues was published in today's online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Tao's Rice lab specializes in gleaning fine details of viral structures through X-ray crystallography and computer ...

PRONicaragua recently announced the organization of the premier investment forum titled Nicaragua, Let's Grow Together!, which will showcase the country's sustainable growth in various economic sectors and its competitive advantages as an attractive destination for foreign direct investment (FDI). The event will take place on August 16th and 17th in Managua, Nicaragua, and will focus on specialized sectors such as apparel, footwear, food processing and manufacturing, as well as world-class bilingual business process outsourcing (BPO) services. Participants will be coming ...

The Westie Foundation of America (WFA) announced today preliminary findings in two major studies involving the health of West Highland White Terriers also known as Westies. Findings in these and other studies of Westies and other dogs may hold answers for similar human conditions like Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). The studies are jointly funded by the WFA and the AKC Canine Health Foundation (CHF). In one study, researchers are looking at the role of a mucosal gene driving inflammation Canine IBD, a chronic intestinal disorder that creates a bacterial-driven ...

We all make numerous decisions everyday; unconsciously or consciously, sometimes doing it automatically with little effort or thinking and yet, at other times, we agonize for hours over another. Why do we make these choices – be it from deciding what to have for lunch or whether to say yes to that job offer halfway round the world. Sometimes we make choices on our own, and at other times, the choice is made for us. Exercising control (by making choices) is adaptive and now, a new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of ...

What does a passionate founder of a domestic violence charity do when he wants to raise awareness and promote a daily fitness program? Rich Tola, Founder and Chairman of the yoga-inspired nonprofit, The Boulevard Zen Foundation, would say "We're going on a 30,000 mile fundraiser, visiting all 50 states in 100 days. That's 100 cities in 100 days, producing trivia-filled travelogue videos including fat burning workouts that are based on yoga". Ambitious? Yes. Impossible? "Certainly not," says the former Wall Streeter turned actor-filmmaker whose film, ...

FINDINGS: Using a new in vivo screening system, Whitehead Institute researchers have identified a protein in a key metabolic pathway that is essential in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer. When the expression of the gene that codes for this protein—phosphoglycerate dehydrogenase or PHGDH—is suppressed in tumors and cell lines with an overabundance of the protein, the rate of cellular growth declines markedly. RELEVANCE: PHGDH is overexpressed in approximately 70% of ER-negative breast cancer patients. Patients with ER-negative disease respond poorly to treatment ...

PHILADELPHIA — Almost everyone has experienced one memory triggering another, but explanations for that phenomenon have proved elusive. Now, University of Pennsylvania researchers have provided the first neurobiological evidence that memories formed in the same context become linked, the foundation of the theory of episodic memory. The research was conducted by professor Michael Kahana of the Department of Psychology in the School of Arts and Sciences and graduate student Jeremy R. Manning, of the Neuroscience Graduate Group in Penn's Perelman School of Medicine. They ...

PHILADELPHIA - Years after a single traumatic brain injury (TBI), survivors still show changes in their brains. In a new study, researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggest that Alzheimer's disease-like neurodegeneration may be initiated or accelerated following a single traumatic brain injury, even in young adults. Over 1.7 million Americans suffer a traumatic brain injury each year, and beyond the immediate effects, growing evidence demonstrates that a single TBI may initiate long-term processes that further damage the brain. ...

Oncogenes are generally thought to be genes that, when mutated, change healthy cells into cancerous tumor cells. Scientists at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) have proven that those genes also can change normal cells into stem-like cells, paving the way to a safer and more practical approach to treating diseases like multiple sclerosis and cancer with stem cell therapy. "The reality may be more complicated than people think," said Jiang F. Zhong, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology at the Keck School. "What is a stem cell ...

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 18, 2011 – A new approach to growing graphene greatly reduces problems that have plagued researchers in the past and clears a path to the crystalline form of graphite's use in sophisticated electronic devices of tomorrow. Findings of researchers at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrate that hydrogen rather than carbon dictates the graphene grain shape and size, according to a team led by ORNL's Ivan Vlassiouk, a Eugene Wigner Fellow, and Sergei Smirnov, a professor of chemistry at New Mexico State University. This ...

With more than 7,600 kilometers of shoreline and over 100 beaches, there's a good reason Nova Scotia is home to the best beaches in Canada. The province is a great place to have fun in the sun and dip your toes in the water. From the red cliffs and warm sands of the Northumberland shore, to the white sands and cobbled shores of the Atlantic, there's a favourite spot for everyone. This summer, check out our personal top ten Nova Scotia beaches. Top 10 Beaches in Nova Scotia Ingonish Beach Located on the Cabot Trail just outside of the Highlands National Park, this ...

Bacteria use various appendages to move across surfaces prior to forming multicellular bacterial biofilms. Some species display a particularly jerky form of movement known as "twitching" motility, which is made possible by hairlike structures on their surface called type IV pili, or TFP. "TFP act like Batman's grappling hooks," said Gerard Wong, a professor of bioengineering and of chemistry and biochemistry at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science and the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA. "These grappling hooks can extend and ...

Polaris Software (POLS.BO), a leading global Financial Technology Company, Sonali Bank Ltd., the largest Nationalized Commercial Bank in Bangladesh and Bangladesh Commerce Bank Ltd. (BCBL) today announced that they have chosen IntellectTM Core Banking Solution (CBS) to replace their existing solutions. To this effect the companies signed an MoU to form a Joint Venture Company Sonali Polaris Financial Technology Ltd (SPFTL) where Polaris will hold a 51% stake in the new company. The end-to-end Intellect Core Banking Solution will allow the banks to run a single application ...

A new study that was prompted by recent reports of an increase in cases of congenital hypothyroidism in the United States, and aimed at assessing the incidence of this condition among Quebec newborns, suggests that the increase is entirely artifactual. CH is characterized by inadequate thyroid hormone production and is the most common cause of preventable intellectual disability. The results were published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism by Dr. Johnny Deladoëy, a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher in metabolic and genetic diseases at CHU Sainte-Justine ...

German scientists at the Stuttgart Natural History Museum were leading in the discovery of a new insect order from the Lower Cretaceous of South America. The spectacular fossils were named Coxoplectoptera by their discoverers and their findings were published in a special issue on Cretaceous Insects in the scientific journal Insect Systematics & Evolution. The work group led by Dr. Arnold H. Staniczek and Dr. Günter Bechly, both experts on basal insects, determined that these fossils represent extinct relatives of modern mayflies. Coxoplectoptera however significantly ...

PartyPoker (PartyPoker.com) has done what it takes to become one of the leaders in the industry and it helps that it is one of the longest standing online poker sites in existence. Even though PartyPoker already has an excellent reputation, the poker site strives for more. The PartyPoker bonus code for 2011 is PNNBONUS as revealed by PokerNewsNow.com and online poker players won't want to miss out on the chance to enjoy it. Click here to claim your $500 bonus now. PokerNewsNow.com brings great news to those looking forward to the chance to enjoy great games while receiving ...

EVANSTON, Ill. --- Teenagers are known for their angst-ridden ways, but those who remain happy and positive during the tumultuous teenage years report better general health when they are adults, according to a new Northwestern University study. Researchers also found that teens with high positive well-being had a reduced risk of engaging in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking, binge drinking, using drugs and eating unhealthy foods as they transitioned into young adulthood. The study, one of the first to focus on the effect positive psychological characteristics in ...

SilverSaver has just launched its program in Canada. SilverSaver gives you a simple, safe and disciplined way to build your savings in a protected and tangible asset. As people become more concerned about a return of a recession or even worse a depression and the possibility of a total economic collapse, precious metals have been a growing trend for those seeking a save haven for what they've earned in a more secure manner. Speculators have also been joining in the buying participation of precious metals, primarily silver and gold as it is looked upon as the new investment ...

Over half of all Alzheimer's disease cases could potentially be prevented through lifestyle changes and treatment or prevention of chronic medical conditions, according to a study led by Deborah Barnes, PhD, a mental health researcher at the San Francisco VA Medical Center. Analyzing data from studies around the world involving hundreds of thousands of participants, Barnes concluded that worldwide, the biggest modifiable risk factors for Alzheimer's disease are, in descending order of magnitude, low education, smoking, physical inactivity, depression, mid-life hypertension, ...

InfoTech Solutions for Business (InfoTech) is pleased to announce the establishment of a partnership with Washington, D.C.-based Strategic Marketing Innovations, Inc. (SMI). With this partnership, InfoTech is taking yet another step in growing its exposure in the Federal/Department of Defense arena. "InfoTech is a leading software house and systems integration company with a history of providing state of the art technology to the Department of Defense. We look forward to working jointly with InfoTech to ensure that InfoTech's products and services are well known ...