(Santa Barbara, Calif.) –– UC Santa Barbara scientists have made a discovery that has the potential for use in the early diagnosis and eventual treatment of plaque-related diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Type 2 diabetes. Their work is published in a recent issue of Nature Chemistry. The amyloid diseases are characterized by plaque that aggregates into toxic agents that interact with cellular machinery, explained Michael T. Bowers, lead author and professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Other amyloid diseases include Parkinson's disease, Huntington's ...

MALVERN, PA – February 10, 2011 – Promedior, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company developing novel therapies to treat fibrotic and inflammatory diseases, announced today the publication of collaborative research in the International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology entitled, "TGF-beta driven lung fibrosis is macrophage dependent and blocked by Serum amyloid P." The research showed that human Pentraxin-2 (PTX-2), also called human Serum amyloid P (SAP), potently inhibits all undesirable pro-fibrotic pathologies driven by TGFβ1 and represents a novel ...

Why do some people fret over the most trivial matters while others remain calm in the face of calamity? Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have identified two different chinks in our brain circuitry that explain why some of us are more prone to anxiety. Their findings, published today (Thursday, Feb. 10) in the journal Neuron may pave the way for more targeted treatment of chronic fear and anxiety disorders. Such conditions affect at least 25 million Americans and include panic attacks, social phobias, obsessive-compulsive behavior and post-traumatic ...

The Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) research team that first discovered tumor-associated RNA in tiny membrane-enclosed sacs released into the bloodstream by cancer cells has now found that these microvesicles also contain segments of tumor DNA, including retrotransposons – also called "jumping genes" – that copy and insert themselves into other areas of the genome. The investigators' report, which has been published in Nature Communications, is the first to show that microvesicles are involved in transferring retrotransposons between cells. "Retrotransposons' ...

HOUSTON and LOS ANGELES – February 10th, 2011 – Medical researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) presented new research results at the American Heart Association International Stroke Conference that demonstrated how MultiStem®, a novel stem cell therapy being developed by Athersys, Inc. provided multiple benefits when administered in preclinical models of ischemic stroke. The study, conducted by leading researchers from the Department of Neurology at the UTHealth Medical School working in collaboration with scientists at Athersys, ...

Madison, WI FEBRUARY 3, 2011 – A troublesome trend is occurring at colleges and universities around the country: fewer students are graduating with degrees in natural resource related degree programs. As a result, the number of qualified professionals to manage fish and wildlife programs is dwindling. What is even more troubling is that nationally, the percentage of students enrolling in the major has increased. For reasons unknown, students have been leaving the natural resource degree path after enrollment to pursue other degrees. Finding cause for the steady decline ...

Contact: Stan Samples ssamples@kellencompany.com 404-252-3663 Calorie Control Council Study related to diet soda and stroke risk is seriously flawed Study is drawing a growing body of criticism and skepticism from experts in the field of nutrition and science The Calorie Control Council stated today that research findings presented during a poster session at the International Stroke Conference claiming an association between diet soft drink consumption and increased risk of stroke and heart attack are critically flawed. "The findings are so speculative and preliminary ...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A Sandia National Laboratories team helped reach a major milestone in the nation's nuclear nonproliferation efforts by working with the Central Asian country of Kazakhstan to move nuclear materials — enough to build an estimated 775 nuclear weapons — to safety. Sandia provided security and logistics expertise to complete the transfer across Kazakhstan of spent fuel containing 11 tons (10 metric tons) of highly enriched uranium and 3.3 tons (3 metric tons) of weapons-grade plutonium that had been stored in a BN-350 fast-breeder reactor in the busy Caspian ...

DETROIT— Romantic relationships often start out as enjoyable or even exciting, but sometimes may become routine and boring. A Wayne State University study reveals that dating couples that integrate other couples into their social lives are more likely to have happy and satisfying romantic relationships. Richard B. Slatcher, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology in WSU's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and a resident of Birmingham, Mich., specializes in social and health psychology. His recent research suggests that spending quality time with other couples may ...

Richmond, Va. (Feb. 10, 2011) – Scientists at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center have developed a novel treatment strategy for multiple myeloma that pairs two targeted agents to kill cancer cells. The study's findings, published in today's edition of the journal "Blood," are the first to demonstrate the synergistic, anti-myeloma effects of this combination regimen both in vitro and in vivo. Multiple myeloma is a cancer involving antibody-producing cells in the bone marrow, and, in most cases, is incurable. Targeted therapies work by interfering with ...

University of Arizona researchers have cracked one of the puzzles surrounding what has been called "the world's most mysterious manuscript" – the Voynich manuscript, a book filled with drawings and writings nobody has been able to make sense of to this day. Using radiocarbon dating, a team led by Greg Hodgins in the UA's department of physics has found the manuscript's parchment pages date back to the early 15th century, making the book a century older than scholars had previously thought. This tome makes the "DaVinci Code" look downright lackluster: Rows of text ...

The Internet has become not only a tool for disseminating knowledge through scientific publications, but it also has the potential to shape scientific research through expanding the field of metaknowledge—the study of knowledge itself. The new possibilities for metaknowledge include developing a better understanding of science's social context and the biases that can affect research findings and choices of research topics, according to an article published by University of Chicago researchers in the journal Science. Pooling research-related information online can shed ...

A rose by any other name would smell … like celery? North Carolina State University research intended to extend the "vase life" of roses inserts a gene from celery inside rose plants to help fight off botrytis, or petal blight, one of the rose's major post-harvest diseases. Some fungal pathogens, the bad guys that infect plants, produce a sugar alcohol called mannitol that interferes with the plant's ability to block disease like petal blight, which produces wilty, mushy petals – an effect similar to what happens to lettuce when it's been in the crisper too long. In ...

Most of us are familiar with the idea of image compression in computers. File extensions like ".jpg" or ".png" signify that millions of pixel values have been compressed into a more efficient format, reducing file size by a factor of 10 or more with little or no apparent change in image quality. The full set of original pixel values would occupy too much space in computer memory and take too long to transmit across networks. The brain is faced with a similar problem. The images captured by light-sensitive cells in the retina are on the order of a megapixel. The brain ...

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The aging population, 65 years and older, includes nearly 3.8 million divorced men and women, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Illnesses and end-of-life issues can be particularly difficult for singles without spouses or designated caregivers. A new study from the University of Missouri provides insight into the experiences of exes who care for their former spouses, offering support, assistance with daily tasks and management of health needs. "The concept of women as caregivers for their ex-husbands is largely unexplored," said Teresa Cooney, associate ...

A low pressure area located a couple of hundred miles northwest of Western Australia appears in a better position for development into a tropical cyclone according to infrared NASA satellite imagery. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite shows some strong convection in the low, named System 96S. When Aqua passed over System 96S on Feb. 9 at 17:47 UTC (12:47 p.m. EST), the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument showed some strong convection and strong thunderstorms with very cold cloud-top temperatures around the center of circulation. Those cloud top temperatures ...

Housing 1,200 stores, an underwater zoo, a SEGA indoor theme park, an Olympic-size ice rink, a 22-screen Cineplex and the world's largest gold market, the Dubai Mall is a retail marvel that attracts tourists from around the world. Thanks to one Wayne State researcher, its multilingual, multicultural employees are using an efficient, cost-effective instructional process to learn their job duties. Monica W. Tracey, Ph.D., associate professor of instructional technology and administrative and organizational studies in WSU's College of Education and resident of Farmington ...

Forecasters at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center were keeping a close eye on a low pressure area known as System 94S yesterday, and satellite data helped confirm that today it has strengthened into Tropical Storm Bingiza. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite captured this image of Tropical Storm Bingiza at 06:30 UTC (1:30 a.m. EST) on its approach to Madagascar. The highest, strongest thunderstorms appeared almost bubble-like near the center of the storm's circulation. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ...

321Soft Data Recovery for Mac is professional and user-friendly Mac data recovery software to recover data lost due to accidental deleting, formatting, virus infection, unexpected power failure, and other unknown reasons. It compatible with HFS+, FAT16/32, NTFS ISO9660, UDF, and EXT2/3 file system volumes, It is non-destructive data recovery software and will not write or make changes to the drive it is recovering from. all recovered files must be saved to another storage device or another drive letter in the system. Key Features of 321Soft Data Recovery for Mac 5.0.0 ...

(Rosemont, IL) Feb. 10 – For generations, the consumption of dairy products has been positively associated with the health and wellness of families and communities. Nevertheless, the recent shift in dietary trends has focused on "what not to eat" instead of emphasizing "what to eat," resulting in demonizing the naturally occurring fats in dairy, while overlooking its many essential nutrients. However, the long-held beliefs about the impact of saturated fatty acids (SFA) on the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) are being challenged by a new perspectives paper from ...

123Decal a consistent leader in the Custom Decal industry has recently announed the aquistion of The Banner Factory. The Banner Factory is a wholesale provider of Custom Banners, Vinyl Banners Flag Banners and More. They have provided banners to clients locally as well as on a national basis. Althought the details of the aquisition were not yet available, it is rumored that 123Decal is looking to expand their product lines after explosive growth in the custom decal industry. 123Decal just finished a year of their highest sales in company history. They are well position ...

NEW YORK (Feb. 10, 2011) -- A new clinical trial at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is among the first to test surgery specifically for Type 2 diabetes. The aim of the study is to understand whether surgery can control diabetes, as well or even better than the best medical treatment available today. This is the first study of its kind open to patients who are overweight or mildly obese. Under current guidelines, bariatric surgery is only indicated for the treatment of severe or morbid obesity, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of ...

A sequence of small earthquakes that occurred at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport between October 30, 2008 and May 31, 2009 were likely triggered by the disposal of brines accompanying natural gas production at a nearby well that had recently been completed, according to research published in the February issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America (BSSA). Many residents of the Dallas-Fort Worth area felt small earthquakes, which had magnitudes between 2.2 and 3.3, prompting scientists to investigate. The area, home to more than four million residents, ...

Media professionals across North America are using the new http://www.guestmatch.com as a quick and easy resource when searching for interview guests, story sources and experts in a variety of topics. GuestMatch.com features on-line media kits for hundreds of expert sources in all fields, and includes backgrounders, hi res photos, video and audio samples and best of all, direct contact phone numbers and email addresses for each GuestMatch member. In addition to a search feature that allows media members to sort both by topic, name, program idea and area of expertise, ...

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass.—While the tragic shooting in Arizona has spotlighted the vitriol that seems to pervade political commentary, objective research examining the scope of this disturbing phenomenon has been lacking. In the first published study of its kind, social scientists at Tufts University's School of Arts and Sciences have found that outrage talk is endemic among commentators of all political stripes, but measurably worse on the political right, and is more prevalent than it was even during the turmoil of the war in Viet Nam and the Watergate scandal. In their ...