Fluid in Biological News

Amniotic fluid may provide new source of stem cells for future therapies

(WASHINGTON, March 31, 2009) - For the first time, scientists have shown that amniotic fluid (the protective liquid surrounding an embryo) may be a potential new source of stem cells for therapeutic applications. The study was prepublished online on February 12, 2009, in Blood , the official jour...

Study: Fluid buildup in lungs is part of the damage done by the flu

COLUMBUS, Ohio In a fight against respiratory infections, the body typically produces a little fluid to help the lungs generate a productive cough. But new research suggests that the influenza virus can tip the balance toward too much fluid in the lungs, interfering with the supply of oxygen to t...

Animal and biological science highlights: San Antonio Fluid Dynamics Conference, Nov. 23-25

November 13, 2008 -- From dolphins to clams to flying creatures like hummingbirds and bats, many of nature's most fascinating creatures exhibit forms of fluid flow. When the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Physical Society (APS) Division of Fluid Dynamics takes place from November 23-25 at the...

Protein 'fingerprint' in spinal fluid could spot Alzheimer's disease

Scientists collaborating at Cornell University in Ithaca and Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City have identified a panel of 23 protein biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid that acts as a neurochemical "fingerprint," which doctors might use someday to identify patients living with Alzheimer'...

Cells from amniotic fluid used to tissue-engineer a new trachea

Pediatric surgeon looks to fetal cells to repair birth defectsResearchers at Children's Hospital Boston report using tissue engineering to reconstruct defective tracheas (windpipes) in fetal lambs, first using cells from the amniotic fluid to grow sections of cartilage tube, and then implanting the...

Holding breath for several minutes elevates marker for brain damage

...ure of the increase in S100B among the divers probably indicates the blood-brain barrier has been compromised, allowing the protein to escape from the fluid in the brain into the circulation. The blood-brain barrier controls what passes between the brain and the circulation. S100B would normally remain in ...

August 2009 Geology and GSA Today media highlights

...as hydrogen sulfide should be relatively low. Such fluid behavior appears to be consistent with characteris...ones related to alteration halos. Elevated fluid pressure and extreme mechanical weakness of a plat...eted to result from invasion of the pyrite-forming fluid by magmatic vapors. The close association of arsen...

Iron isotopes as a tool in oceanography

...ea, is important and that it should help future interpretations of the rock record. "Additionally," they say, "the unique isotopic fingerprint of pore fluid iron in continental shelf settings is confirmed, highlighting the potential for iron isotopes to trace the inputs of continental shelf-derived iron in...

'Microfluidic palette' may paint clearer picture of biological processes

... into a second layer. These channels deliver test chemicals to the chamber. fluid flow in and out of the short arms of each Y at constant pressure assures a ...o so almost entirely by diffusion. Therefore, as long as a constant flow of fluid is maintained through the Y's, the gradients in the chamber can be maintain...

Jet-propelled imaging for an ultrafast light source

...he Advanced Light Source beamline 9.0.1, managed by Berkeley Lab's Stefano Marchesini. The test was done with protein microcrystals extracted from the fluid in which researchers were attempting to grow larger crystals. These are the smallest protein nanocrystals from which diffraction patterns have ever be...

Experimental treatment halts hypoxic-ischemic brain injury in newborns

...he enzyme inhibitor was injected into the intracerebroventricular region of the brain, which includes a system of canals that distribute cerebrospinal fluid throughout the organ. The researchers found that injection of PAI-1 greatly reduced the activity of both tPA and another brain enzyme, urokinase-ty...

Technology improves salmon passage at hydropower dams

...ry fish near The Dalles Dam, thanks in part to a detailed 3-D computational fluid dynamic model created by researchers at PNNL and the Corps' Portland Distri...ile Salmon Egress Conditions in The Dalles Dam Tailrace Using Computational fluid Dynamics. Authors: Marshall C. Richmond, PhD, Cindy L. Rakowski, William Pe...

Music is the engine of new U-M lab-on-a-chip device

...researchers often use dozens of air hoses, valves and electrical connections between the chip and a computer to move, mix and split pin-prick drops of fluid in the device's microscopic channels and divots. "You quickly lose the advantage of a small microfluidic system," said Mark Burns, professor and ch...

Researchers design first model motor nerve system that's insulated and organized like the human body

..., depending on where the cells are located in the body. In the central nervous system (CNS), the spinal cord and brain are surrounded by cerebrospinal fluid that contains only trace amounts of protein. This system now allows for both the PNS and CNS to be studied in the same defined system. The UCF team...

University of Miami receives stimulus funds for study of hurricane impacts on structures, ecosystems

...anes. This innovative experimental test bed will also contribute to the knowledge needed for the development of the next generation of high-resolution fluid dynamic models, which help forecasters and emergency response planners throughout the hurricane season. In a truly interdisciplinary manner, the f...

Slotted buses keep passengers cool

... side windows is inadequate for comfort in the hottest parts of the world on a crowded bus. Kale's team has now carried out an aerodynamic study of fluid flow in a 1:25 model. Their findings suggest that a few simple modifications to conventional design could significantly boost cooling airflow with non...

Researchers achieve major breakthrough with water desalination system

...the chemical, electrical and civil engineering departments with expertise in control theory and optimization, process design/monitoring, computational fluid dynamics, thermodynamics, and software development. ...

Results from trials of DHA in Alzheimer's disease and age-related cognitive decline

...ncreased blood levels of DHA, and also appeared to increase brain DHA levels, based on a measured increase of DHA in study participants' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). However, DHA treatment did not slow the rate of change on tests of mental function (ADAS-cog), global dementia severity status (CDR-SOB), activ...

PNNL scientist garners early career presidential award

...es originally developed to understand the formation of stars and applied them to subsurface flow. The gases of a young star whirl around each other in fluid motion; so too do fluids meander through the subsurface. Down below, the fluids made of gases and liquids -- air and water, for example -- react c...

Plastics chemical retards growth, function of adult reproductive cells

... single egg cell surrounded by layers of cells and fluid which support the egg and produce steroid hormones... including urine, blood, breast milk, the amniotic fluid of pregnant women and the antral fluid of mature follicles. A national survey conducted b...

Brain malformations significantly associated with preterm birth, Wake Forest research shows

...es of preterm birth were hydrocephaly, an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the ventricles of the brain (65.2 percent); anencephaly, a defect ...ebral hemispheres are absent and replaced by sacs filled with cerebrospinal fluid (38.5 percent). "There are a lot of preterm births where there are no ...

First riser-drilling research operations undertaken

...oor. The riser pipe guides the drill pipe as it reenters the well. Drilling fluid is pumped up and down between the riser pipe and the drill pipe. fluid circulation and use of the blow-out preventer (BOP) help to maintain pressu...

Dolphins get a lift from delta wing technology

...ke modern engineered aerofoils. Defining the flippers' shapes as triangular, swept pointed or swept rounded, the team used computer simulations of the fluid flows around the flippers and found that sweptback flippers generate lift like modern delta wing aircraft. Calculating the flippers' efficiencies, the...

Research explores interactions between nanomaterials, biological systems

...t natural environmental contexts. When nanomaterials enter a biological fluid for example, blood, plasma or interstitial fluid the materials' surface may be coated with proteins. Understanding how thes...

3 to 6 months to lose weight gained in pregnancy is normal

... Gaining weight in pregnancy is not only normal, it is necessary. The mother's body has to nourish the growing baby. Her body needs to take on more fluid to support the extra circulation the placenta and baby need. Some of this added weight will usually be lost as soon as the baby is born. "Often, the e...

UCLA cancer researchers develop model that may help identify cancer stem cells

...usions, a condition in which an abnormal amount of fluid collects between the thin layers of tissue lining ...which the tumor grows as possible. By using the fluid from the pleural effusions, Batra hoped to be able...o the cells that accompany the tumor cells and the fluid they are living and growing in," Batra said. "This...

New study finds lowfat chocolate milk is effective post-exercise recovery aid for soccer players

...active people at all fitness levels to help make the most of a workout and stay in top shape for the next exercise bout. Sweating not only results in fluid losses, but also important minerals including calcium, potassium and magnesium. The best recovery routine should replace fluids and nutrients lost in ...

Skip this cocktail party

...Ottawa." Montie analyzed both the cerebrospinal fluid and the gray matter of the cerebellum in eleven ce...trations of hydroxylated PCBs in the cerebrospinal fluid of a gray seal. That is so worrisome for me. You r...ich has been found to be abundant in cerebrospinal fluid in mammals. This protein plays a role in thyroid h...

ExcellGene SA first company to offer contract manufacturing in 250 Liter OrbShake bioreactor

... assurance and production processes of the biopharmaceutical industry.  Its integrated solutions covering fermentation, filtration, purification, fluid management and lab technologies are supporting the biopharmaceutical industry around the world to develop and produce drugs safely, timely and economi...

Milestone in live microscopy focus of $2 million NIH grant

...rated into the design: a custom-built system to hold an ultra-thin layer of fluid containing the biological sample to be imaged; a short-exposure-time imagin...de, to avoid the blurring problem created when molecules move through their fluid medium; and a new generation of scientific instrumentation to deliver optim...

'Beating' heart machine expedites research and development of new surgical tools, techniques

...process to ensure that the use of live animals is necessary. So, researchers at NC State have developed a "dynamic heart system" a machine that pumps fluid through a pig heart so that it functions in a very realistic way. "Researchers can obtain pig hearts from a pork processing facility and use the syste...

System that regulates blood pressure is amiss in some healthy, young blacks

...ing abstract competition. The renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system helps regulate blood pressure, prompting the kidneys to hold onto more salt and fluid if it's too low and to get rid of salt when it's high. But when MCG researchers looked at the system's activity by measuring levels of the hormon...

Chemical found in medical devices impairs heart function

... researchers thought that the cyclohexanone in the fluid samples might have leached from the plastic. Altho...ne leaching from these devices varied greatly, all fluid samples contained at least some detectable level o...one exposure. Finally, the team observed increased fluid retention and swelling in the rats after cyclohexa...

Vanderbilt engineers play key role in new DOE energy frontier research center

...sistance of materials. That is the focus of a new multi-million-dollar Energy Frontier Research Center announced by the White House on April 27. The fluid Interface Reactions, Structures and Transport (FIRST) Center is one of two such centers that the Department of Energy is establishing at Oak Ridge Nat...

Drugs needed to preserve eggs for reproduction need to be given in stages

...e a cell membrane so high concentrations in the medium reduce the amount of fluid that moves inside the egg. Too much fluid causes the egg to swell and potentially burst. Almost paradoxically, becaus...

DNA barcoding of mosquito species deployed in bid to end elephantiasis

... called microfilariae. Symptoms often appear years after infection. The disease can permanently damage the lymph system and kidneys, which results in fluid collecting and swelling in the arms, breasts, legs, and, for men, the genital area. The disease also makes it difficult for the body to fight germs a...

Red pandas reveal an unexpected (artificial) sweet tooth

...mal was given access to both the sweet solution and water for 24 hours. The animal was said to prefer the sweet solution when it drank much more sweet fluid than water. DNA samples from each species were used to examine the structure of the sweet receptor gene Tas1r2, which codes for the T1R2 sweet ta...

American Chemical Society Weekly PressPac -- April 8, 2009

...he development of faster, more sensitive tests for detecting the deadly poison. One can detect one billionth of a gram of toxin in a single droplet of fluid in just five minutes, the scientists say. Reports on the tests the most sensitive to date for detecting ricin appear in ACS' Analytical Chemistry ,...

Better living through chemistry

...ye of the University of Georgia managed to collect fluid samples from the crater of an active, bubbling mud...and may then fill with high-salinity, high-density fluid that has ascended, along with oil and gas, from un...in the geochemistry and intensity and frequency of fluid expulsion between the sites," said Joye. Sele...

Compendium of pancreatic cancer biomarkers established as strategic approach to early-detection

...y. Pandey's ultimate goal is to ferret out the best protein biomarker for pancreatic cancer a molecule that reveals itself in an accessible bodily fluid and therefore can be detected with ease and accuracy just like the protein biomarker that's made early on by a developing fetus and is exploited by a...