Powdery mildew is a fungus that infects both crop and ornamental plants. Each year, powdery mildew and other plant pathogens cause immense crop loss. Despite decades of intense research, little is known of the plant molecules that allow fungal hyphae to invade the host's epidermal cells. A European research group lead by Ueli Grossniklaus, a plant geneticist at the University of Zurich, now published a study in Science shedding a new light on mildew susceptibility in plants and its surprising link to reproduction. Investigating mildew susceptibility in plants is not really ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Urinary tract infections are a painful, recurring problem for millions of women. They are also getting more dangerous as bacteria develop resistance to the most common treatments. Scientists from the University of Michigan have moved one step closer to a vaccine that could prevent a majority of urinary tract infections, which are caused by E. coli bacteria. Using a genetic technique rarely used to look at infections in human hosts, the researchers studied how the E. coli bacteria operate and discovered key differences between how the bacteria's genes ...

History's first recognized influenza pandemic originated in Asia and rapidly spread to other continents 500 years ago, in the summer of 1510. A new commentary by researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, explores the 1510 pandemic and what we have learned since then about preventing, controlling and treating influenza. Prior to that time, regional and local epidemics of respiratory infectious diseases and pneumonia had occurred, but no outbreaks had yet been recorded on a worldwide scale. The 1510 ...

A collaboration between a physician-researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and a mathematician from Harvard University has led to development of a mathematical model reflecting how red blood cells change in size and hemoglobin content during their four-month lifespan. In their report published online in PNAS Early Edition, John Higgins, MD, MGH Center for Systems Biology and Department of Pathology, and L. Mahadevan, PhD, Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), also describe how their model may be used to provide valuable clinical information. "This ...

Geneva, Switzerland, 12 November 2010 – Allosteric modulation company Addex Pharmaceuticals (SIX:ADXN) announced today that data on a total of nine therapeutic programs will be presented during Society for Neuroscience 2010 (November 13-17, San Diego, USA), highlighting the strength of its allosteric modulation technology platform. The data being presented cover multiple receptor types and therapeutic areas, including Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, anxiety, Alzheimer's disease and depression. "The data generated by Addex and our partners, Ortho-McNeil-Janssen and ...

COLLEGE STATION -- A virus that normally deforms or kills plants like tomatoes, peppers and eggplants isn't all bad: A gene within the virus has been found useful for allowing foreign genes to be introduced into a plant without harmful effects, according to Texas AgriLife Research scientists. The technology ultimately could lead the way toward a "cheap, green alternative" for pharmaceutical development, said Dr. Herman Scholthof, AgriLife Research virologist. Scholthof and colleague Drs. Yi-Cheng Hsieh and Veria Alvarado collaborated with scientists at the John Innes ...

Chemical reactions are happening all over the place all the time--on the sun, on the Earth and in our bodies. In many cases, enzymes help make these reactions occur. One family of enzymes, called cytochrome P450s (P450), is important because they help us eliminate toxins. We know P450s are important to life of all kinds because they have been found in animals, plants, fungi and bacteria, but they are of special interest to humans because they are responsible for metabolism of about 75 percent of known pharmaceuticals. "The reactions that P450s perform to detoxify a ...

PHILADELPHIA - The potential for harmful side effects associated with anti-psychotic medications for treating schizophrenia is a frustration for mental-health professionals who must balance this with the positive benefits of drugs. For example, the issue of the antipsychotic drug ziprasidone lengthening the QTc interval, a possible indicator of life-threatening heart arrhythmias, has demanded much attention among clinicians since the drug was introduced in 2001. Ziprasidone (marketed as Geodon and Zeldox by Pfizer Inc.) was the fifth second-generation anti-psychotic ...

The impact of 30 years of HIV on an area once described as the epicentre of the African AIDS epidemic will be discussed at a lecture hosted by the University of East Anglia (UEA) in London this month. Progressive declines in agricultural production, with dire consequences for rural livelihoods, were originally predicted as a result of the long-term effects of HIV and AIDS in central and south western Uganda. However, recent research has shown that those forecasts have not come true. The lecture "30 years into the HIV epidemic in South West Uganda and the rural economy ...

Amsterdam, The Netherlands and San Antonio, TX, USA, November 12, 2010 – There is growing global concern regarding the potential neurotoxicity of anesthetics. Biophysical and animal model studies have identified molecular changes simulating Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology after exposure to inhaled anesthetics. This research has alerted anesthesiologists, neuropsychologists, surgeons and other clinicians to initiate in-depth clinical research on the role of anesthetics in post operative cognitive decline. AD is a devastating disease commonly found in elderly persons ...

Catastrophic drought is on the near-term horizon for the capital city of Bolivia, according to new research into the historical ecology of the Andes. If temperatures rise more than 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius (3 to 5 degrees Fahrenheit) above those of modern times, parts of Peru and Bolivia will become a desert-like setting. The change would be disastrous for the water supply and agricultural capacity of the two million inhabitants of La Paz, Bolivia's capital city, scientists say. The results, derived from research funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and ...

James "Jimmy" Armstrong hadn't missed a "Mac" in 28 years. At 44, he's one of the youngest "goats" in the Chicago Yacht Club. Sailors receive the designation of "goat" once they've completed 20 or more "Macs", the 333-mile boat race from Chicago to Mackinac, Mich. Armstrong has sailed the race every year since he was 16. But, he wasn't among the sailors this past July. Instead, he was in intensive care awaiting heart transplant following a harrowing experience spurred by severe case of myocarditis—a little-known condition causing inflammation of the heart muscle. "I ...

CHAPEL HILL – An imbalance of salt and water in patients with cystic fibrosis makes their lungs clog up with sticky mucus that is prone to infection. The cause of the offending imbalance is a well-known genetic error, one that blocks the molecular expressway for tiny chloride ions to move across the surface of the lungs. But how does that same gene mutation upset a parallel roadway controlling the flow of the other component of salt, sodium ions? Now, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine have found the answer, demonstrating ...

Gadonanotubes (GNTs) developed at Rice University are beginning to show positive results in a study funded by a federal stimulus grant through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) last year. The study has determined GNTs are effective in helping doctors track stems cells through the body by making them 40 times better than standard contrast agents used in magnetic resonance imaging. Contrast agents help doctors spot signs of disease or damage in MR images. Researchers at Rice and the Texas Heart Institute at St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital in Houston reported in the ...

Major factors contributing to a rapid spread of fire at the Sofa Super Store in Charleston, S.C., on June 18, 2007, included large open spaces with furniture providing high fuel loads, the inward rush of air following the breaking of windows, and a lack of sprinklers, according to a draft report released October 28, 2010, for public comment by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The fire trapped and killed nine firefighters, the most firefighter fatalities in a single event since 9/11. On the basis of its findings, the NIST technical study team ...

As humans, we spend about a third of our lives asleep. So there must be a point to it, right? Scientists have found that sleep helps consolidate memories, fixing them in the brain so we can retrieve them later. Now, new research is showing that sleep also seems to reorganize memories, picking out the emotional details and reconfiguring the memories to help you produce new and creative ideas, according to the authors of an article in Current Directions in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. "Sleep is making memories stronger," ...

The Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute of Northwestern Memorial Hospital recently implanted a patient with two of the smallest experimental ventricular assist devices (VADs) currently available for study in humans. VADs are designed to assist either the right (RVAD) or left (LVAD) ventricle, or both (BiVAD) at once. This is the first time that two Heartware™ VADs have been implanted in the left and right ventricles anywhere in North America—a "game changer" in the realm of heart assist devices according to Patrick M. McCarthy, MD, chief of the hospital's Division of Cardiac ...

Neuroscience researchers from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, will present a wide range of research topics at the Society for Neuroscience's 40th annual meeting in San Diego, Nov. 13-17, 2010. The information below is a representation of the neuroscience research Yerkes scientists will be discussing. To learn more about ongoing research and scientific resources available at the Yerkes Research Center and the other seven national primate research centers, please visit exhibit booth 3817. The Yerkes Research Center is sponsoring a Meet the ...

Cambridge, Mass., November 12, 2010 – Engineers from Harvard University have designed and demonstrated ice-free nanostructured materials that literally repel water droplets before they even have the chance to freeze. The finding, reported online in ACS Nano on November 9th, could lead to a new way to keep airplane wings, buildings, powerlines, and even entire highways free of ice during the worst winter weather. Moreover, integrating anti-ice technology right into a material is more efficient and sustainable than conventional solutions like chemical sprays, salt, and ...

It's arguably the most celebrated pencil in history: The Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602 was used by artists and writers, and even made a cameo on AMC's television show, "Mad Men." In such high demand, unsharpened Blackwings sell on eBay for $30-$40 per pencil ( http://www.pencils.com ). Discontinued in 1998, the Blackwing 602 was unparalleled in performance, quality and following — until now. California Republic Stationers, makers of premium woodcased pencils ( http://www.pencils.com ) like the Golden Bear and the Palomino, has acquired the Blackwing trademark and engineered ...

Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts is pleased to announce the appointment of Jack Breisacher as General Manager of Swissôtel Beijing, Hong Kong Macau Center. Mr Breisacher brings with him over 37 years of hospitality experience internationally and has been with Swissôtel Hotels & Resorts since 2003. Mr. Breisacher moves to Beijing from Chicago, where he was most recently Hotel Manager of Swissôtel Chicago. Previous appointments include Acting General Manager for Swissôtel Nai Lert Park, Bangkok and the opening team for the newly launched Swissôtel Kolkata, where he was fully ...

In their 2010 trust in financial services study, mext and Australia Online Research claim to prove the importance of fully understanding trust for business success. While most organizations focus on 'advocacy' and 'satisfaction' measures, brand trust is often merely tracked as a byproduct. 'The common perception is that trust is warm and fuzzy, but has little business impact and can not be precisely implemented and measured', says mext managing partner, Stefan Grafe. This couldn't be farther from the truth, according to mext. The impact of trust on business is intuitively ...

The CIO Healthcare Summit team announced today that it has formed a strategic partnership with Healthcare IT News, which provides readers with information on IT strategies and tactics, statutory and regulatory issues, as well as provider and vendor updates on its website, http://www.healthcareitnews.com. The CIO Healthcare Summit, April 3-6, 2011 in Scottsdale, Arizona, is a unique opportunity for CIOs and healthcare IT leaders to network with their peers, attend educational sessions, and learn about new IT solutions. The event's strategic agenda features open forums, ...

MEDecision, Inc., a leading provider of collaborative healthcare management solutions, will conduct a complimentary webinar to discuss how health plans can leverage MEDecision's URAC-accredited disease and case management software and health content to drive care management quality and improve health outcomes. The session will be held on Wednesday, November 17 at 12:30 p.m. Eastern time, and will be hosted by MEDecision's Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Andrew P. Schuyler, MD; Clarice Holmes, RN, senior vice president, medical services; David Comiciotto, ...

Child abduction prevention advocates Peter Thomas Senese and Carolyn Ann Vlk announced today that the recently completed educational documentary film segment 'Crisis In America: International Parental Child Abduction Today' will be added to the groundbreaking film series 'Chasing Parent: Racing Into The Storms of International Parental Child Abduction'. The 46 minute long segment narrated by 'Chasing The Cyclone' author Peter Thomas and directed by filmmaker Dan Nastro addresses the growing and dramatic rise of criminal international parental child abductions originating ...