PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — With seedlings and shoots still poking their leafy tops out of the soil, it's hard to read the newly published research of Brown University biologist Alison DeLong without musing that it provides a deeper understanding of what puts the spring in spring. DeLong's paper, published in advance online April 21 in PLoS Genetics, reveals fertile new insights into the intricate network of proteins that controls plant growth and development, particularly at the seedling stage. But the research also runs deeper than the roots of any of the ...

Boston, MA -- Using a pair of powerful genome-search techniques, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), Harvard University, and the Broad Institute have identified several genes that may be implicated in the malaria parasite's notorious ability to rapidly evade drug treatments. Further testing revealed that one of the genes, when inserted into drug-sensitive parasites, rendered them less vulnerable to three antimalarial drugs. The successful experiments suggest that the genomic methods are useful tools for probing the genetic mechanisms underlying ...

PASADENA, Calif.—The human gut is filled with 100 trillion symbiotic bacteria—ten times more microbial cells than our own cells—representing close to one thousand different species. "And yet, if you were to eat a piece of chicken with just a few Salmonella, your immune system would mount a potent inflammatory response," says Sarkis K. Mazmanian, assistant professor of biology at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). Salmonella and its pathogenic bacterial kin don't look that much different from the legion of bacteria in our gut that we blissfully ignore, ...

Protein shakes can help you to get that physique that you've always wanted and it's getting to that time of year again, when everybody is becoming worried about how they're going to look whilst they're on the beach during summer. Gyms are receiving an influx of new members, all enthusiastic and determined to get those abs they have always dreamed of. However, how many people are taking their diets seriously? It is said that your diet accounts for 90% of your workout. What you eat can make the difference between those six pack abs or that flabby beer belly. Giving proper ...

burps, bibs and beyond is pleased to announce that just in time for spring, they are expanding their product offerings with new hooded towels and baby blankets. burps, bibs and beyond, headquartered in Plantation, Florida, provides personalized baby gifts and accessories, such as trumpette socks, embroidered baby bibs, baby security blankets and accessories that make great gifts. burps, bibs and beyond is pleased to introduce blankets by the renowned children's artist, Kelly B. Rightsell, with the theme "Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice" These blankets ...

Researchers from North Carolina State University have discovered how fat, oil and grease (FOG) can create hardened deposits in sewer lines: it turns into soap! The hardened deposits, which can look like stalactites, contribute to sewer overflows. "We found that FOG deposits in sewage collection systems are created by chemical reactions that turn the fatty acids from FOG into, basically, a huge lump of soap," says Dr. Joel Ducoste, a professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering at NC State and co-author of a paper describing the research. Collection systems ...

Almost 3.3 billion people, half of the world's population, risk being infected with malaria. Despite having effective means against malaria, the WHO reports 250 million cases of malaria each year and more than 700,000 related deaths. Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have now discovered that EPO, the doping drug known from professional cycling, can significantly reduce cerebral malaria related deaths. When more than 700,000 people die from malaria each year it is due to two grave complications, which the malaria parasites manage to cause before they are eliminated ...

A fracture in a person over the age of 50 can be a sign of osteoporosis, yet some patient populations have little knowledge of the disease. According to a groundbreaking study published in a recent Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS), male and non-English speaking patients tend to have the least knowledge of osteoporosis, putting them at high risk for a subsequent fracture. Osteoporosis is a contributing factor in as many as 1.5 million fractures each year. The risk of a serious fracture can double after a first fracture in certain high-risk groups. Additionally, ...

As we strive to help pregnant women all over the world find that perfect pair of maternity jeans or that beautiful baby shower dress, we've decided to take a step closer to meeting pregnancy needs by taking prayer requests. Pregnancy is such a precious time in a women's life that every moment should be cherished with joy. However, due to difficult circumstances, enjoying your pregnancy can be hard to do. Jesus taught, "...I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. ...

When a high school athlete drops dead, the rare but fatal condition called "sudden death syndrome" dominates the headlines. For reasons that remain a mystery to scientists, some young athletes — especially young males — begin to experience an unusual heart arrhythmia. With over-exertion, their hearts stop pumping, leading to sudden death. Until now, screening for the hard-to-detect syndrome has been prohibitively expensive. But cardiologist Dr. Sami Viskin of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine has developed a new test that's already being used by doctors ...

It would appear reasonable to assume that two closely related plant species would have similar genetic blueprints. However, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen, working in cooperation with an international research team have now decoded, for the first time, the entire genome of the lyre-leaved rock cress (Arabidopsis lyrata), a close relative of the thale cress (Arabidopsis thaliana), the model plant used by geneticists. They discovered that the genome of the lyre-leaved rock cress is fifty percent bigger than that of the thale ...

The happiest countries and happiest U.S. states tend to have the highest suicide rates, according to research from the UK's University of Warwick, Hamilton College in New York and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. The new research paper titled Dark Contrasts: The Paradox of High Rates of Suicide in Happy Places has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization. It uses U.S. and international data, which included first-time comparisons of a newly available random sample of 1.3 million Americans, and another on suicide decisions ...

Collar Planet, Tampa Florida's luxury pet boutique, has announced the addition of the supercoller Leash and Collar System to their Online Catalog The supercoller is a hybrid dog collar and leash system all-in-one, designed to replace the traditional separate collar and leash. Convenience and control are what this unique alternate will provide to dog owners. The supercoller offers the convenience of a built in leash that retracts and attaches to the collar when not in use. Each cable of the built in leash is manufactured to handle 100lbs. The supercoller is made for dogs ...

A new procedure devised by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists and colleagues can improve polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based methods of detecting plant disease organisms. PCR-based tests are prized tools for diagnosing plant diseases that can cause yield losses and diminished markets among other economic harm. But the test's ability to obtain a "genetic fingerprint" conclusively identifying a culprit pathogen hinges on there being a minimum number of its cells. Otherwise, the pathogen's genetic material can't be probed and multiplied in amounts necessary ...

A lawn of regionally native grasses would take less resources to maintain while providing as lush a carpet as a common turfgrass used in the South, according to a study by ecologists at The University of Texas at Austin's Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. "We created a lawn that needs less mowing and keeps weeds out better than a common American lawn option," said Dr. Mark Simmons, director of the center's Ecosystem Design Group, noting that this new approach could have a huge impact on pocketbooks and the environment. Simmons led the study comparing common Bermudagrass ...

Scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, Germany have discovered a new, hitherto unknown mechanism of Salmonella invasion into gut cells: In this entry mode, the bacteria exploit the muscle power of cells to be pulled into the host cell cytoplasm. Thus, the strategies Salmonella use to infect cells are more complex than previously thought. According to the World Health Organization, the number of Salmonella infections is continuously rising, and the severity of infections is increasing. One of the reasons for this may be the sophisticated ...

Fresh insight into the survival strategy of the parasite that causes sleeping sickness could help inform new treatments for the disease. Scientists have found that the parasite, which can transform itself into either of two physical forms, has developed a careful balance between these. One of these types ensures infection in the bloodstream of a victim, and the other type is taken up by the tsetse fly and spread to another person or animal. The parasite maintains a trade-off between maintaining enough parasites to beat off the immune response and cause infection, and ...

The positive effects of mindfulness meditation on pain and working memory may result from an improved ability to regulate a crucial brain wave called the alpha rhythm. This rhythm is thought to "turn down the volume" on distracting information, which suggests that a key value of meditation may be helping the brain deal with an often-overstimulating world. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Harvard Medical School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology report that modulation of the alpha rhythm in response to attention-directing cues was faster ...

Church attendance in western democracies has declined; yet, a new University of Missouri study shows religious beliefs still influence people at the polls. Chris Raymond, a graduate instructor of political science in the MU College of Arts and Science, said that many political experts consider voters around the world as "floating without party loyalties," and that religion does not influence voters. Raymond's new study says religion still has a large impact on how people vote and helps define many of the platforms represented in the party system. In the study, Raymond ...

ANN ARBOR, MICH. -- A Data and Safety Monitoring Committee (DSMC) has determined that patients in a phase III clinical trial given atrasentan in addition to a standard chemotherapy regimen for advanced prostate cancer did not have longer survival or longer progression-free survival than patients on the same chemotherapy regimen who got a placebo rather than atrasentan. Almost 1,000 patients who had advanced, hormone-refractory prostate cancer were given up to 36 weeks of chemotherapy with docetaxel and prednisone. These patients were randomized so that one half got an ...

Acupuncture provides long-lasting relief to hot flashes, heart palpitations and anxiety due to side effects of the hormone given to counteract testosterone, the hormone that induces prostate cancer, according to a study published in the April issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology•Biology•Physics, an official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). The main treatments for men with metastatic prostate cancer are either surgery or hormone therapy to significantly reduce the level of testosterone in the body. Eliminating testosterone ...

A discovery by Johns Hopkins scientists about how a single-celled fungus survives in low-oxygen settings may someday help humans whose immune systems are compromised by organ transplants or AIDS. A report on the discovery in a yeast called Schizosaccharomyces pombe appears April 22 in Molecular Cell. Previous work by the Hopkins team showed that Schizosaccharomyces pombe, a model organism that's often used to study individual genes, contains a protein named Sre1 that allows the organism to adapt to conditions in which oxygen is very low or missing altogether. To find ...

Berkeley, CA– New research by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory finds strong evidence that homes with solar photovoltaic (PV) systems sell for a premium over homes without solar systems. "We find compelling evidence that solar PV systems in California have boosted home sales prices," says the lead author Ben Hoen, a researcher at Berkeley Lab. "These average sales price premiums appear to be comparable with the average investment that homeowners have made to install PV systems in California, and of course homeowners also benefit ...

April 21, 2011 − (BRONX, NY) − Researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have for the first time observed the activity of a single gene in living cells. In an unprecedented study, published in the April 22 online edition of Science, Einstein scientists were able to follow, in real time, the process of gene transcription, which occurs when a gene converts its DNA information into molecules of messenger RNA (mRNA) that go on to make the protein coded by the gene. Robert Singer, Ph.D., co-director of the Gruss Lipper Biophotonics ...

According to a new study, severely obese adolescents are no more likely to be depressed than normal weight peers. The study, which has been released online in the Journal of Adolescent Health, did find that white adolescents may be somewhat more vulnerable to psychological effects of obesity. This three-year study – performed by researchers from the Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts Medical School – analyzed the relationship between severe obesity ...