organ

University of Manchester makes made-to-measure skin and bones a reality using inkjet printers

...huge:"You could print the scaffolding to create an organ in a day," he says....

Lack of enzyme turns fat cells into fat burners

...velop type 2 diabetes."This adds another tissue or organ that helps out in the process ofenergy maintenance," said Wakil. "ACC2 is potentially a key enzyme inthe regulation of weight, obesity, and related problems."Wakil and his colleagues studied the oxidation of fatty acid andglucose in cultures of fat c...

Placenta Is A Rich Source Of Blood Stem Cells

...n the embryo itself, but also in the placenta, the organ that nurtures the baby in utero. Meticulous exper...cells to the fetus. ''This research reveals a new organ for blood development,'' Orkin says. ''It is surprising that this role for the placenta has been ove...

Researchers add new tool to tumor-treatment arsenal

...e of the immunosuppressive drug rapamycin. Used in organ transplant patients, rapamycin and its derivatives have shown promising anti-tumor activity in phase I and II clinical trials. RAD001 lowers the amount of DNA-damaging agent needed by blocking p53's DNA-repair function, automatically killing the can...

Circles Of DNA Might Help Predict Success Of Stem Cell Transplantation

...lls become T cells. The thymus is an immune system organ behind the breastbone that processes immature "precursor" immune cells into specialized T cells. T lymphocytes are specialized immune cells carrying proteins called receptors on their surface. The target that a T cell recognizes and attacks depends ...

Discovery Could Lead To Novel Approaches In HIV Treatment

...d the discovery of afunctional abnormality of this organ in HIV-infected individuals. Theteam of investigators led by Dr. Rafick-Pierre Sékaly, professor atUniversité de Montréal, scientist at the CHUM Research Centre, andScientific Director and Program Leader of CANVAC, publishes today itsdiscoveries in I...

Plants defy Mendel's inheritance laws, may prompt textbook changes

...have the mutated gene, called hothead, that causes organ fusion like that seen in the flowers. The researchers used molecular markers - bits of DNA that help identify and locate genes in organisms - to determine whether a plant carried normal or mutant copies of the genes. "It seems that these hothead-con...

New RNA polymerase discovered in plants

...loral defects. The plants were having trouble with organ identity ?stamens tried to turn into petals, for instance. Our first hypothesis was that the fourth polymerase was involved with what are known as micro RNAs, which are known to regulate flower development, but that proved wrong." In a series of gen...

Sequencing of marine bacterium will help study of cell communication

... which lives in symbiotic harmony within the light organ of the bobtail squid, has helped a Virginia Tech microbiologist advance her research on quorum sensing, or how cells communicate and function as a community. Researchers studying the newly sequenced genome of the marine bacterium V. fischeri, descri...

Vascular structure and function improve with diet and exercise

...o relax. Left ventricular mass is a measure of end organ damage often following the onset of LVDF abnormalities. The brachial (arm) and carotid (neck) arteries were tested for intima-media thickness and arterial distensibility. Both reflect the health of the blood vessels. The thicker and less distensible...

Protein offers way to stop microscopic parasites in their tracks

...sses such as HIV or is suppressed to facilitate an organ transplant. "Toxoplasma is like a time bomb that can go off and cause serious trouble when the immune system wanes or is compromised," explains L. David Sibley, Ph.D., professor of molecular microbiology at Washington University School of Medicine. ...

Surprising findings reported about iron overload

...e, is prevalent in the South, and sometimes causes organ damage when severe iron deposition occurs due to inadequate control of iron absorption by the small intestine. The first major report of findings in the five-year, 100,000-person study will be published tomorrow, April 28, in The New England Journal...

World-first Living Donor Islet Cell Transplant A Success; Procedure Offers Promise For Diabetics

...onton Protocol is done with islets from brain-dead organ donors. Those islets are often severely injured fr...ays. The recipients use the same drugs to prevent organ rejection as are used in the Edmonton Protocol. Dr. Shapiro was invited to participate in the opera...

Iron exporter revealed that may explain common human disorder

...Left untreated, the hereditary disease can lead to organ failure. The new work, led by researchers at the Children's Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical School, finds that the protein ferroportin is the major, if not the only, iron exporter that functions in key sites of iron absorption and release in the...

Light therapy may combat fungal infections, new evidence suggests

...ents who lack a functioning immune system, such as organ transplant recipients, those with HIV/AIDS, and patients treated with steroids or cancer chemotherapy. The fungus' global importance as a health threat has therefore risen in parallel with the increase in immunosuppressive therapies and the worldwide...

Buying Time Through Hibernation on Demand

...s. While the notion of putting a human or a human organ into an oxygen-free state of biological limbo and then reversing the process at will with no ill effects may sound like science fiction, dozens of documented cases exist of humans surviving prolonged hibernation-like states with no lingering physical...

U-M team recovers ancient whale in Egyptian desert

...s. While the notion of putting a human or a human organ into an oxygen-free state of biological limbo and then reversing the process at will with no ill effects may sound like science fiction, dozens of documented cases exist of humans surviving prolonged hibernation-like states with no lingering physical...

Researchers report new pro-inflammatory role for anti-inflammatory enzyme

...found hypotension, inadequate tissue perfusion and organ failure. This often results in death." Previously, Dr. Hobbs and colleagues demonstrated in vitro that endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) also plays a pro-inflammatory role by facilitating iNOS expression. "eNOS is found almost exclusively in ...

Same-Sex Mating Discovered in a Toxic Fungus

...st commonly in immune-compromised patients such as organ transplant recipients and cancer patients -- whose immune systems are crippled by immunosuppressive drugs or chemotherapy -- and people with HIV/AIDS. The fungus' global importance as a health threat has therefore risen in parallel with the increased...

Cooperation is key—a new way of looking at MicroRNA and how it controls gene expression

...uced to defeat. Excessive inflammation can lead to organ failure and death, and this is exactly what happens when people are stricken with septic shock. Likewise, the loss of control of genetic expression is the underlying cause of various forms of cancer--for instance the overexpression of genes that caus...

MUHC scientists describe genetic resistance to rampant virus

...in those with a compromised immune system, such as organ transplant recipients, newborns and persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Dr. Vidal believes her groundbreaking discovery increases the likelihood that therapies will be developed to fight CMV. ...

NIAID begins clinical trial of West Nile virus vaccine

...rus also can be spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants and breastfeeding, as well as from mother to child during pregnancy. Most people experience no symptoms or only mild symptoms, such as fever, headache and body aches; more serious cases can lead to infections of the brain and nervous syst...

Doctors closer to using gene analysis to help trauma patients

...on who go on to develop complications that lead to organ failure and death, which is the most common cause ...ath after traumatic injury ?sepsis and multisystem organ failure. So the goal is to use functional genomics as a tool to identify those patients who, after s...

Protein prevents detrimental immune effects of bacterial sepsis

.... Higher levels of markers of inflammation, and of organ injury, were measured in annexin 1 deficient animals. Altogether, these findings implied that the protective effects of the annexin 1 pathway were activated in the first few hours following toxin administration. In fact, when annexin 1 knockout mice ...

Disease progression model of pancreatic cancer developed by Penn researchers

...son. The frequency of metastases to these various organ sites was also highly similar to that seen in humans. In human patients, 60 to 80 percent develop metastases to the liver; and 50 to 60 percent develop metastases to the lungs. In the genetically modified animals, 63 percent displayed liver metastase...

Gov't Creates Gene Database of Normal Human Tissues

... resource for the research community." The normal organ database uses a technology known as gene expressio...ts as those done within a single lab**. The normal organ database takes that one step further, enabling scientists and clinicians to compare the gene express...

Precise Timing Enabled Pig-to-rat Transplants To Cure Diabetes

...m cells and other embryonic cell clusters known as organ primordia. Unlike embryonic stem cells, which can ...ansplants had suggested that a second unsuccessful organ transplant can "wake up" the immune system and lead it to reject an earlier successful transplant of...

A probe, not an echo

...he Viterbi School, presented HUTT images of animal organ tissue in San Diego at the 28th International Acoustical Imaging Symposium, held March 20-23. According to Marmarelis, HUTT offers nearly order-of-magnitude improvement in resolution of structures in soft tissue (i.e., 0.4 mm, compared to 2 mm for t...

Circulating stem cells play small role in lung repair

...on in this area," Zander said. "It's a challenging organ to study because the air-tissue interfaces make it difficult to separate different cell types." Applying advanced research techniques that previously had been used to analyze liver and bone marrow transplant recipients, the team found that nine of 2...

Candida albicans Genome Fully Annotated

...on in this area," Zander said. "It's a challenging organ to study because the air-tissue interfaces make it difficult to separate different cell types." Applying advanced research techniques that previously had been used to analyze liver and bone marrow transplant recipients, the team found that nine of 2...

Certain fish have a special mating preference

... genitalia, who lose out because the size of their organ slows them down, making them ripe for capture by l...ary sexual trait ?which is the actual reproductive organ itself, simply meant to transfer sperm. Historically, genitalia were not believed to be subject to s...

Stem cell therapy successfully treats heart attack in animals

... have the same potential to develop into different organ tissues, as do embryonic stem cells, whose use is more controversial. ...

IMF Launches World’s First DNA Database for Myeloma Patients

... genitalia, who lose out because the size of their organ slows them down, making them ripe for capture by l...ary sexual trait ?which is the actual reproductive organ itself, simply meant to transfer sperm. Historically, genitalia were not believed to be subject to s...

Study: Well-known protein helps stem cells become secretory cells

...etion in the salivary gland, the largest glandular organ in the fruit fly embryo, approximately six years ago. In humans and in fruit flies, the gland secretes saliva, a fluid containing water, mucus, electrolytes, and food-dissolving enzymes, into the mouth, and is important to the digestive system. In t...

Researchers grow stem cells from human skin

...tient's own skin, there would not be problems with organ or tissue rejection." The research team grew mesenchymal stem cells, a type of stem cell normally found in bone marrow. Using tissue samples from 15 donors who had routine circumcisions, the scientists were able to isolate single stem cells, which t...

One hit of crystal meth causes birth defects

...c stage through the later fetal period, times when organ structures and mental functions develop. "People usually think the last trimester of pregnancy is when developing brain function is most susceptible to damage, but in this case the brain is also affected by methamphetamine even in the earlier embryo...

New tool reveals secrets of migrating cells

...to the native environment while keeping the intact organ alive and make movies of migrating cells." With two-photon imaging, Witt and Robey identified thymus cells they dubbed beeliners moving nearly two centimeters - almost an inch - per hour, which is fast in the realm of cell movement. They think that ...

Discoveries by UAB and Florida scientists may help transplanted organs survive longer

...ientists may have found a way to dramatically slow organ transplant rejection by as much as several years. ...e principal problems for kidney transplantation is organ availability," said Mark A. Atkinson, Ph.D., a study co-author and director of the Center for Immuno...

New type of rejection blocker protects kidneys after transplant

...ing the immune system's reaction to a transplanted organ without hampering the body's ability to fight dise...eir promise, they will usher in a new paradigm for organ transplantation," Vincenti said. Instead of sending patients home with a collection of medications t...

Insulin pulses keep the liver lean

...wly discovered role for insulin may explain how an organ frequently flooded with the fat-building hormone normally stays trim and also suggests new dietary strategies and treatments to avoid fatty liver, a growing healthcare epidemic, said the researchers. Insulin produced by the pancreas allows cells to ...

Hybrid grass may prove to be valuable fuel source

...ss or E-grass, grows from an underground stem-like organ called a rhizome. Miscanthus, a crop native to Asia and a relative of sugarcane, drops its slender leaves in the winter, leaving behind tall bamboo-like stems that can be harvested in early spring and burned for fuel. Rhizomatous grasses such as Mis...

Gene therapy to lower blood pressure just enough

...this reason it has promise in reducing some of the organ damage that occurs as a result of high blood pressure. One question that remains is whether the body will accept repeated injections of the viral vector or whether its immune system eventually react against it, said O'Malley. ...

Chemical 'band-aid' prevents heart failure in mice with muscular dystrophy

... muscle cells, and it turned out to be true at the organ level, also." The key to the U-M discovery was technology developed by Soichiro Yasuda, Ph.D., a post-doctoral fellow and co-first author of the study. He created a device to allow the simultaneous measurement of force and intracellular calcium conc...

New Lab Research May Help Those Deafened By Immune System Attack

...ound in the supporting cells that help make up the organ of Corti, a tiny but crucial structure inside the cochlea, or inner ear. Inside the organ of Corti are the ultra-sensitive hair cells, whose movement in response to vibrations creates the ne...

Monkeying around to improve organ transplantation

...ession of the T cells that attack the transplanted organ is needed. It was known that anergic T cells (imm...tigate whether this approach can induce indefinite organ allograft survival in vivo, in six rhesus monkeys. The authors stimulate recipient T cells from the...

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

... release of the hormone ecdysone from an endocrine organ called the prothoracic gland triggers larval molti...r new findings show that the prothoracic gland'the organ that releases ecdysone'itself acts as a size-sensing tissue. The researchers found that by manipulat...

Insight into our sight: A new view on the evolution of the eye lens

...stion in evolutionary biology: How could a complex organ with such special physical properties have evolved? In their new work, Shimeld and colleagues approached this question by examining the evolutionary origin of one crystallin protein family, known as the ?-crystallins. Focusing on sea squirts, invert...

AACR Favors 'full spectrum of stem cell research biology'

...ability to transform into the cells of every major organ system in the human body. If this characteristic can be controlled, then medical researchers could determine the signals that direct the development of human tissues, including cancers. # Bone marrow stem cells already have demonstrated their value ...

The very defensive caterpillar

...ere being produced by the so-called 'fat-body', an organ specialised in protein production. These proteins appear to be able to persist from the initial benign E. coli infection and then confer resistance against the second, usually lethal, infection by the pathogen. Using RNAi techniques workers at the Un...

No small feat: First ever gene therapy success for muscular dystrophy achieved

... of genes. And because CMD affects all muscles, an organ that accounts for 40 percent of body weight, gene therapy can only have real therapeutic benefit if it is able to reverse genetic defects in every cell of the body's 600 muscle groups. By using a miniature gene, similar in function to the one defect...

Stem cells bring fast direct improvement, without differentiation, in acute renal failure

...often simultaneously suffer failure of other major organ systems. The most serious form of ARF is caused b... particularly when severe ARF occurs with multiple organ failure," Christof Westenfelder from the University of Utah explained. "Our laboratory has therefore...

Genomics researchers discover protein deficit that causes drug toxicity

...s with childhood leukemia, autoimmune diseases and organ transplants. The Mayo researchers say their finding advances the field of pharmacogenomics, which tailors medicine to a patient's personal genetic makeup. In the current issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, (http://www.pnas....

Molecular mechanism of feather formation found

...two proteins, which tend to play off each other in organ development, also are involved in the embryonic development of limbs, lungs, teeth and the gut. In the current study, appearing in the Aug. 16 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS Online, Aug. 8), Fallon's team and collaborators sho...

Israeli scientists successfully transplant frozen-thawed ovaries in sheep

...zing techniques may have potential for other human organ transplants, which are currently done using only f... we have been able to demonstrate long-term intact organ cryopreservation with restored function following thawing and transplantation, in a large animal for...

Drugs from the deep blue

... affect calcium channels range from drugs given to organ transplant patients to suppress the immune system, to treatments for high blood pressure and heart disease. Pessah's research group works with calcium channel modulators and other biomolecules derived from plants and scorpion venom. But when Pessah ...

Tissue regeneration operates differently than expected

...are participating in the repair and maintenance of organ functions. The controversial idea is that adult s...that they are able to transmutate from one type of organ cell to another. If that is the case, bone marrow cells would be able to change into lots of differe...

Human brain is still evolving

... evidence that the human brain, the most important organ that distinguishes our species, is evolutionarily plastic," he said. Finding evidence of selection in two such genes is mutually reinforcing, he pointed out. "Finding this effect in one gene could be anecdotal, but finding it in two genes would make ...

New cell transplantation technique restores insulin production in diabetics

...s, fractures and amputations, destruction of major organ function (e.g., the kidneys) and cardiovascular disease that can result in complications such as heart attacks. Both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the disease. ...

Minimally Invasive Cancer Treatments Highlighted

...s delivering chemotherapy directly to the affected organ (chemoembolization), killing the tumor with heat (radiofrequency ablation) or freezing the tumor (cryoablation) to treat cancer locally, without harming the healthy cells in the body. Targeted delivery of gene- and immuno-therapies are new frontiers ...

Scientists develop nanotech-laser treatment that kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue

... on a local area of the skin or inside an internal organ using a fiber-optic device." Dai has applied for a patent on the procedure through Stanford's Office of Technology Licensing (OTL). He also has patented another technique that uses pulses of near-infrared light to shake the DNA molecule loose from t...