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First-ever Compounds To Target Only Metastatic Cells Are Highly Effective Against Breast, Prostate, And Colon Cancers

...se the mice used in our trial seemed to experience minimal toxicity -- a good sign that patients might tolerate these compounds, too," Dr. Huang said. "It's all very exciting," he said. "Metastatic disease is such a tough problem, and these compounds could provide patients with a brand new kind of hope." T...

New Treatment Rivals Chemotherapy For Lymphoma, Study Finds

...lls. The radiation zaps these malignant cells with minimal exposure to normal tissues. With the Bexxar therapeutic regimen, a patient receives an injected test dose of radioactive Bexxar to determine how that patient's body processes the tagged antibody. Nuclear medicine scans are used to assess how quickly...

Researchers develop rapid diagnostic tool for pathogen identification

...etect multiple pathogens in a couple of hours with minimal labor, and will allow comprehensive detection of co-infections.?/p> “The high multiplexing capability and sensitivity of the approach is provided by using the digital molecular weights of small molecules to code for the identity of the pathogens ...

Norovirus, AIDS vaccine and Hepatitis Virus

..., and ease of use in field conditions due to their minimal need for refrigeration. In the study the DNA of a simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV) was made noninfectious by removing the gene that makes reverse transciptase (a protein the virus requires to replicate). Four macaques were injected with th...

Infants With Rare Genetic Disease Saved by Cord Blood Stem Cells

...d after onset of symptoms do stabilize but exhibit minimal neurologic improvement, said Maria Luisa Escolar, MD, of UNC-CH, whose team assessed the neurological, cognitive and physical development of each child with Krabbe Disease before and after transplant. Escolar is lead author of the study and directs ...

Scientists discover that three overlapping signals in embryo help get the backbone right

... Blocking any one of these five factors had only a minimal effect on the fate of the embryo. Khokha and Harland decided to try blocking more than one, and chose to work in embryos of the frog Xenopus tropicalis, a close relative of the more common laboratory frog Xenopus laevis. X. tropicalis is easier to w...

Findings have implications for tracking disease, drugs at the molecular level

...articles is at a wavelength range that causes only minimal damage to most biological tissue. The findings will be published in the June issue of Nano Letters. ...

Infants with Rare Genetic Disease Saved By Cord Blood Stem Cells

...d after onset of symptoms do stabilize but exhibit minimal neurologic improvement, said Maria Luisa Escolar, MD, of UNC-CH, whose team assessed the neurological, cognitive and physical development of each child with Krabbe Disease before and after transplant. Escolar is lead author of the study and directs ...

Successful Test Of Single Molecule Switch Opens The Door To Biomolecular Electronics

...he entire probe, except its very tip, so there was minimal electrical contact with the solution. According to Lindsay, the solution is required to make the process work because, without it, the initial insulating property of the molecule prevents the first electron from ever jumping on to the molecule, a ki...

Unlike other mammals, newborn dolphins and orcas stay active 24/7 during first months of development

...day during their first month. The mother also has minimal sleep during this period, but unlike all other mammals always manages more sleep than her busy newborns. The newborns and mothers gradually increase sleep over a period of months until they reach normal adult levels. As the newborns grow, neither mot...

Certain fish have a special mating preference

...nvironments gonopodia size was larger, as there is minimal cost for large genitalia in that environment. Bigger is better for mating, but smaller is better for avoiding predation." Langerhans and colleagues reported their findings in the May 9 on-line issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...

IMF Launches World’s First DNA Database for Myeloma Patients

...nvironments gonopodia size was larger, as there is minimal cost for large genitalia in that environment. Bigger is better for mating, but smaller is better for avoiding predation." Langerhans and colleagues reported their findings in the May 9 on-line issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences...

Study shows humans have ability to track odors, much like bloodhounds

...is confusion, Porter and Sobel used two odors with minimal trigeminal stimulation - essence of rose (phenyl ethyl alcohol) and cloves (eugenol) - as well as two trigeminal odorants - propionic acid, which smells like vinegar, and amyl acetate, which smells like banana. They delivered the odors through a spec...

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment: Many of 2 billion dryland dwellers at risk as land degrades

...nturies pastoral people lived in such regions with minimal impact. This 'harmony' was a default result of smaller populations, low stocking rates, and large areas to forage on. The conversion of rangelands to croplands reduced the available pasture and the collection of firewood by many, not necessarily just...

Hybrid grass may prove to be valuable fuel source

...ds as it outgrows weeds, requires little water and minimal fertilizer and thrives in untilled fields, Heaton said. In untilled fields, various wildlife species make their homes in the plant's leafy canopy and in the surrounding undisturbed soil. Illinois researchers have found that Miscanthus grown in the ...

Crisis in African fish supplies looms, experts warn Africa leaders

... a 32% increase within 15 years (2020). Given the minimal additional potential of capture fisheries, though, aquaculture will need to provide most of the production increase. Exploiting just 5% of the entire continent's estimated aquaculture potential could allow Africa to meet those targets, according to ...

Leptin-signaling Protein Maintains Normal Body Weight And Energy Balance In Mice

... a 32% increase within 15 years (2020). Given the minimal additional potential of capture fisheries, though, aquaculture will need to provide most of the production increase. Exploiting just 5% of the entire continent's estimated aquaculture potential could allow Africa to meet those targets, according to ...

Hormones and growth: The control of body size and developmental growth rate in fruit flies

...on of metamorphosis before the flies surpassed the minimal viable weight necessary to survive pupation. On the basis of their findings, the authors propose that under normal conditions, growth of prothoracic gland during development helps larval flies determine when a critical body weight has been reached an...

Costly breeding programs for endangered species pay off

... the case, but it could be that genes lost through minimal inbreeding allowed the MAI populations to better adapt to the harsh conditions in the wild." Meffert chose to conduct her experiments on common houseflies because they breed every few weeks. This model system allowed her to simulate several years of...

Asian immigrants in NYC not receiving HIV education at religious institutions

...us institutions said they believe HIV poses only a minimal risk for the Asian community, Chin and colleagues found, and most respondents said that HIV prevalence was relatively low or nonexistent in their respective communities. Others felt the community would be too uncomfortable discussing HIV in a religio...

Nanoparticles, nanoshells, nanotubes: How tiny specks may provide powerful tools against cancer

...ible. Near-infrared light delivered by a laser has minimal interaction with components found in tissue, and so also does not harm the body. But when nanoshells are injected into an experimental animal with cancer, they accumulate in the tumor; the addition of NIR laser light heats up their gold shell, cau...

Womb needed for proper brain development

...lids are closed, the infant is bathed in fluid and minimal sounds are perceived. In contrast, once the premature infant is born, he is necessarily bombarded by a complex environment full of sights, sounds, touches and unnatural loss of movement. "This research suggests that stimulation of the brain while i...

Polio vaccination strategies assessed as eradication nears

... exposed to OPV, "and therefore probably represent minimal risk of re-introducing vaccine virus into the population after poliovirus has been eradicated," the authors concluded. The alternative to OPV, a live virus vaccine, is an inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). IPV is safer because the inactivated virus i...

Poison + water = hydrogen. New microbial genome shows how

...n, Eisen and colleagues identified what may be the minimal biochemical machinery necessary for any microbe to sporulate. Thus studies of this poison eating microbe may help us better understand the biology of the bacterium that causes anthrax. Building off this work, TIGR scientists are leveraging the info...

Minimal genome should be twice the size, study shows

...g to identify the smallest collection of genes ?or minimal genome ?that is needed for maintaining life. Tra...hich are not, to work out which are needed for the minimal genome. However this knock out approach wrongly removes many of the genes that are essential to the...

Defective immune system response to smallpox vaccine detailed in new study

...entually halted. In contrast, LL-37 production was minimal in skin samples from people with atopic dermatitis and vaccinia replication was poorly controlled. Next, the scientists exposed skin samples from people with atopic dermatitis to vaccinia, and then added LL-37. With the LL-37 supplement, the skin cel...

Report finds cruise industry is protecting the precious places it visits

... implement standard operating procedures to ensure minimal negative impact on the local environment and cultures; and educate tourists about specific local regulations, laws, customs and needs. The cruise industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with average annual increases in passenger numbers of 8.2 ...

St. Jude projects 90 percent cure rate for ALL

...made by St. Jude researchers is the measurement of minimal residual disease (MRD)--the small populations of l...ldren can increasingly be expected to survive with minimal side effects," Evans said. "Surpassing 90 percent is an important step toward our ultimate quest of ...

Alaska seal pup diet may hold key to decline of population

...t group to ensure fat intake was not falling below minimal levels, she said. "We don't want to put them in nutritionally stressed situation that would harm them," Polasek said. "We don't want to drop the fat too low, but we want to know how seals respond to a restricted fat diet." Starting weight most impo...

Injection may prevent infertility in men receiving cancer chemotherapy

...ned", said Mr. Carmely. "In contrast, we saw only minimal testicular damage in the group that had previously been injected with AS101, and we could also find mature sperm. Injection of AS101 alone did not alter testicular weight or tissue analysis results. "These results hold out much promise for fertilit...

Experimental RNA-based drug kills prostate cancer cells effectively and safely

...ple' that an entirely RNA-based drug can work with minimal side effects, and it shows it is possible to overcome many of the obstacles that have hampered the development of RNA-based drugs." The study is reported in the August 2006 issue of Nature Biotechnology, which is now available online. The research...

Bedsores and bald hides: Novel roles revealed for a 'scaffolding' protein

...roved strategies for fostering proper healing with minimal scarring." K17's role in maintaining hair follicle strength is probably centered on its capacity to control the timing of follicle cell death during normal hair growth cycles, says Coulombe. The team previously reported that mice lacking the K17 p...

Defense peptide found in primates may block some human HIV transmissions

...etting. Cole and his team are encouraged that only minimal resistance of the virus occurred during that time. Higher resistance levels make it more difficult to develop drugs to fight the virus because doses must be increased substantially over time. The exact reason why resistance does not develop quickl...

Researcher studies, treats military with 'silent disease'

...r Reed. Thirty percent of the study volunteers had minimal liver disease, Sjogren said. Of the 70 percent wit...ent to "just about everybody unless they have very minimal disease or liver damage," she said. "We may not offer them treatment because chances are that person...

Research offers new hope for preterm babies

...an carry out this work at the baby's bedside means minimal disruption to a baby whose health is so critical." "Acquiring this piece of equipment is a big step forward for us. We believe we will soon have the data that will tell us to what extent preterm babies can auto-regulate blood and oxygen flows in the...

Cloning techniques produce FDA-approved antibiotic

...d van der Donk were able to determine not only the minimal set of genes required for fosfomycin biosynthesis, but also the function of some of these genes. "Our goal now is to produce fosfomycin in Escherichia coli so that we can use various protein and metabolic engineering tools to manipulate the fosfomy...

Mass vaccination unnecessary in the event of a large bioterrorist US smallpox attack

...re of schools after a smallpox attack would have a minimal effect in preventing transmission of the disease, and that any delay in quarantining infected individuals would take a much greater toll on the community than failing to pre-vaccinate potential cases. To conduct the study, Longini and colleagues cr...

Squid-inspired design could mean better handling of underwater vehicles

...res rapid deployment and high cruising speeds with minimal energy, their hydrodynamic design makes them more difficult to maneuver or dock at low speeds and in tight spaces, or to hover in precise locations. Underwater craft with boxier designs are easier to dock and maneuver, but speed is sacrificed in ...

American scientist's research of life's first cells

...volution, according to Chen. "Exploration of these minimal systems promises to lead to more exciting insights into the origins of biological complexity," she writes. Chen is currently completing medical school at Harvard and plans to continue to study molecules and evolution. "The cell, as an evolutionary...

New technology to speed up research into Huntington's disease

...ans of assessing cognition, in a way that requires minimal movement on the part of the mouse. The mouse makes its response by touching its nose to the touch-sensitive screen. This means that the HD mice can complete the task, despite motor problems. Other benefits are that it is less labour intensive, le...

Fight weeds with plant pathogens

...ation to control a native or naturalized weed with minimal technological manipulations. "Classical biological control using imported pathogens has an overall success rate of 57 percent and has been just as successful as the use of imported insects, with no instances of unexpected or undesirable effects," ...

Protein structure initiative launches new resources for the scientific community

...on. Researchers will be able to order clones for a minimal fee to cover processing, handling, and shipping. "Producing clones is an essential--and often time-consuming--step in the protein structure determination process," said PSI Director John Norvell, Ph.D. "By centralizing the availability of these m...

Parasite infection may benefit MS patients

...ninfected group. Only two infected patients showed minimal Expanded Disability Status Score changes (EDSS is used to measure disability due to MS) that lasted less than three months, while the other 10 had no changes in EDSS scores. In the uninfected group, 11 patients showed an overall increase in EDSS. Sin...

Amur leopard still on the brink of extinction, scientists say

...ion of large predators needs vast territories with minimal anthropogenic changes, which is difficult," said Dr. Dmitry Pikunov, the coordinator of the 2007 leopard census and head of the laboratory of animal ecology and conservation of the Pacific Institute of Geography of the Russian Academy of Science. ...

Growth hormone is not the anti-aging bullet for healthy adults

...month on something that appears to have modest or minimal benefit and the probability of bad side effects," said Liu. ...

ATR checkpoint-activating DNA structure

...leagues at Stanford University have determined the minimal DNA structure sufficient to activate the ATR-mediated DNA damage checkpoint. "We are very excited about these results," says Dr. Cimprich. "The ability to precisely define and manipulate the nature of the checkpoint activating structure in an exper...

Research finds music training 'tunes' human auditory system

... starting before the age of 12. The other half had minimal (less than 2 years) or no musical training. All were native English speakers with no knowledge of Mandarin, a tone language. In tone languages, a single word can differ in meaning depending on pitch patterns called "tones." For example, the Manda...

Anthrax attack posed greater potential threat than thought

...e event, however, people in areas assumed to be at minimal risk of exposure showed immune responses suggesting they had been exposed. The researchers, Denise L. Doolan, PhD, MPH, Daniel A. Freilich, MD, and coworkers of the Naval Medical Research Center, Silver Spring, MD, and elsewhere, prospectively st...

Rapid oral HIV test shows great promise according to MUHC-led research

... test can also be performed by health workers with minimal training, eliminating the need for specialist laboratory technicians." "Rapid point of care HIV testing is a very important component of HIV control initiatives and programs. In particular, non-invasive, simple, accurate oral fluid-based, rapid te...

Hybrid molecule causes cancer cells to self-destruct

... researchers believe the hybrid molecule will have minimal effect on healthy cells. Through the Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer Office, they have filed an application for a U.S. patent covering this class of compounds. ...

Study offers clues to 'Broken Heart Syndrome'

...men develop this syndrome after what appears to be minimal stress, while other women experience severely stressful events but don't develop Takotsubo cardiomyopathy," Dr. Regnante said. A surge of stress hormones likely plays a role, he said, but it is also possible that a blood clot temporarily blocks a maj...

Percutaneous aortic valve replacement safe, successful in high-risk patients

...the lungs and severe shortness of breath with even minimal activity. With the CoreValve system, aortic valve replacement is performed by threading a special delivery catheter through the femoral artery in the groin and into the aorta in a direction opposite, or retrograde, to the normal flow of blood. Onc...

Baumann Lab defines proteins that distinguish chromosome ends from DNA double-strand breaks

...assay for double-strand break repair to define the minimal requirements for the protection of telomeric DNA a...on has been lacking. "We set out to define the minimal requirements that would allow the DNA repair machinery to distinguish a chromosome end from a break,...

Soils offer new hope as carbon sink

...s, has a pilot plant at Gosford which is producing minimal amounts for research purposes. "We are hoping the technology will take hold and pyrolysis plants will be built where there is a steady stream of green or other biomass waste providing clean energy that is carbon negative," Dr Van Zwieten said. "B...

One species, many genomes

...ingly irrelevant filler sequences. "That even in a minimal genome every tenth gene is dispensable, has been a great surprise," admits Weigel. Detailed analyses showed that genes for basic cellular functions such as protein production or gene regulation rarely suffer knockout hits. Genes that are important ...