May in Biological News

Abnormal brain circuits may prevent movement disorder

MANHASSET, NY -- Most people who carry a genetic mutation for a movement disorder called dystonia will never develop symptoms, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists since the first genetic mutation was identified in the 1990's. Now, scientists at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research hav...

The way you eat may affect your risk for breast cancer

PHILADELPHIA How you eat may be just as important as how much you eat, if mice studies are any clue. Cancer researchers have long studied the role of diet on breast cancer risk, but results to date have been mixed. New findings published in Cancer Prevention Research , a journal of the Ameri...

'Microfluidic palette' may paint clearer picture of biological processes

The masterpieces that spring from the talents of Rembrandt, Van Gogh and other artists often begin with the creation of a gradient of colors on a palette. In a similar manner, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have created an innovative device called the "mic...

Maternal, paternal genes' tug-of-war may last well into childhood

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 28, 2009 -- An analysis of rare genetic disorders in which children lack some genes from one parent suggests that maternal and paternal genes engage in a subtle tug-of-war well into childhood, and possibly as late as the onset of puberty. This striking new variety of intr...

Placenta-derived stem cells may help sufferers of lung diseases

Tampa, Fla. (July 27, 2009) An Italian research team, publishing in the current issue of Cell Transplantation (18:4), which is now available on-line without charge at http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ct , has found that stem cells derived from human placenta may ultimately play a role...

Disease threat may change how frogs mate

Dr Amber Teacher, studying a post-doctorate at Royal Holloway, University of London, has discovered evidence that a disease may be causing a behavioural change in frogs. The research, published in the August edition of Molecular Ecology, has unearthed a surprising fact about our long-tongued fri...

Knee injuries may start with strain on the brain, not the muscles

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---New research shows that training your brain may be just as effective as training your muscles in preventing ACL knee injuries, and suggests a shift from performance-based to prevention-based athletic training programs. The ACL, or anterior cruciate ligament, is one of the f...

New drug may reduce heart attack damage

A novel drug that targets a master disease-causing gene can dramatically reduce heart muscle damage after a heart attack and may lead to significantly improved patient outcomes, researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have shown. The drug, known as Dz13, specifically targets and...

Short stressful events may improve working memory

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Experiencing chronic stress day after day can produce wear and tear on the body physically and mentally, and can have a detrimental effect on learning and emotion. However, acute stress -- a short stressful incident -- may enhance learning and memory. Researchers at the Unive...

Newly discovered gene fusion may lead to improved prostate cancer diagnosis

Researchers from NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have discovered a new gene fusion that is highly expressed in a subset of prostate cancers. The results may lead to more accurate prostate cancer testing and new targets for potential treatments. Experts believe that gene ...

Bad mitochondria may actually be good for you

Mice with a defective mitochondrial protein called MCLK1 produce elevated amounts of reactive oxygen when young; that should spell disaster, yet according to a study in this week's JBC these mice actually age at a slower rate and live longer than normal mice. Mitochondrial oxidative stress is a...

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis may pose neurological risks

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) has helped many couples conceive healthy children and is generally considered a safe practice. However, a new long-term analysis of PGD in mice suggests that this procedure may increase risks of weight gain and memory decline in adulthood. PGD is used al...

A 'heart healthy' diet and ongoing, moderate physical activity may protect against cognitive decline

Vienna, July 14, 2009 Eating a "heart healthy" diet and maintaining or increasing participation in moderate physical activity may help preserve our memory and thinking abilities as we age, according to new research reported today at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alz...

Climate change may spell demise of key salt marsh constituent

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] Global warming may exact a toll on salt marshes in New England, but new research shows that one key constituent of marshes may be especially endangered. Pannes are waterlogged, low-oxygen zones of salt marshes. Despite the stresses associated with global war...

Robo-bats with metal muscles may be next generation of remote control flyers

Tiny flying machines can be used for everything from indoor surveillance to exploring collapsed buildings, but simply making smaller versions of planes and helicopters doesn't work very well. Instead, researchers at North Carolina State University are mimicking nature's small flyers and developin...

Chemicals in common consumer products may play a role in pre-term births

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---A new study of expectant mothers suggests that a group of common environmental contaminants called phthalates, which are present in many industrial and consumer products including everyday personal care items, may contribute to the country's alarming rise in premature births. ...

Will IVF work for a particular patient? The answer may be found in her blood

Amsterdam, The Netherlands: For the first time, researchers have been able to identify genetic predictors of the potential success or failure of IVF treatment in blood. Dr. Cathy Allen, from the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland, told the 25th annual conference of the European Society of Human Re...

Discovery may provide new treatments for alcohol dependence

Researchers at the Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have discovered a new brain mechanism involved in alcohol addiction involving the stomach hormone ghrelin. When ghrelin's actions in the brain are blocked, alcohol's effects on the reward system are reduced. It is an importa...

Tryptophan deficiency may underlie quinine side effects

Researchers have found that the anti-malarial drug quinine can block a cell's ability to take up the essential amino acid tryptophan, a discovery that may explain many of the adverse side-effects associated with quinine. Once confirmed, these findings would suggest that dietary tryptophan suppleme...

New research shows dinosaurs may have been smaller than we thought

FAIRFAX, Va., June 24, 2009 For millions of years, dinosaurs have been considered the largest creatures ever to walk on land. While they still maintain this status, a new study suggests that some dinosaurs may actually have weighed as little as half as much as previously thought. In the stud...

Ability to literally imagine oneself in another's shoes may be tied to empathy

New research from Vanderbilt University indicates the way our brain handles how we move through spaceincluding being able to imagine literally stepping into someone else's shoesmay be related to how and why we experience empathy toward others. The research was recently published in the online s...

Toxic molecule may help birds 'see' north and south

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. Researchers at the University of Illinois report that a toxic molecule known to damage cells and cause disease may also play a pivotal role in bird migration. The molecule, superoxide, is proposed as a key player in the mysterious process that allows birds to "see" Earth's magneti...

Tumor suppressor gene in flies may provide insights for human brain tumors

SINGAPORE and DURHAM, N.C. In the fruit fly's developing brain, stem cells called neuroblasts normally divide to create one self-renewing neuroblast and one cell that has a different fate. But neuroblast growth can sometimes spin out of control and become a brain tumor. Researchers at Duke-NU...

Drinking milk in the morning may help stave off lunchtime hunger

Now there's a new reason for the weight-conscious to drink fat free milk at breakfast time, suggests a new study published in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition . Researchers in Australia found that drinking fat free milk in the morning helped increase satiety, or a feel...

Troubled waters: Low Apalachicola River flow may hurt gulf fisheries

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Reductions in the flow of the Apalachicola River have far-reaching effects that could prove detrimental to grouper and other reef fish populations in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, according to a new Florida State University study that may provide new ammunition for states e...

Green tea may affect prostate cancer progression

PHILADELPHIA According to results of a study published in Cancer Prevention Research , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, men with prostate cancer who consumed the active compounds in green tea demonstrated a significant reduction in serum markers predictive of prostate c...

New supplement may help slow sight loss in elderly

Queen's University Belfast academics have helped develop an antioxidant supplement which may slow down sight loss in elderly people. The supplement may help those affected by the leading cause of blindness in the Western World, a five-year research programme has found. Professor Usha Chakravar...

Discovery of the cell's water gate may lead to new cancer drugs

The flow of water into and out from the cell may play a crucial role in several types of cancer. Scientists at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have now found the gate that regulates the flow of water into yeast cells. The discovery, which will be published in the journal PLoS Biology , rais...

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

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, on a quest to find lung cancer stem cells, have developed a unique model to allow further investigation into the cells that many believe may be at the root of all lung cancers. If researchers could find a way to isolate and grow lung c...

Chemical in blood may explain susceptibility to bladder pain

COLUMBUS, Ohio A marker in the blood of both cats and humans that was identified in a recent study might signal both species' susceptibility for a painful bladder disorder called interstitial cystitis, a condition that is often difficult to diagnose. Follow-up studies of the chemicals that app...

Following the dietary guidelines may slow heart disease in women

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide guidance to promote health and reduce risk of chronic diseases. However, what evidence is there that following the DGA optimizes health? Is this advice useful for individuals already in poor health? To study these questions, researchers at the USD...

A tiny frozen microbe may hold clues to extraterrestrial life

A novel bacterium that has been trapped more than three kilometres under glacial ice in Greenland for over 120 000 years, may hold clues as to what life forms might exist on other planets. Dr Jennifer Loveland-Curtze and a team of scientists from Pennsylvania State University report finding th...

Pre-pregnancy depressed mood may heighten risk for premature birth

Researchers trying to uncover why premature birth is a growing problem in the United States and one that disproportionately affects black women have found that pre-pregnancy depressive mood appears to be a risk factor in preterm birth among both blacks and whites. Black women, however, have nea...

Hatchery fish may hurt efforts to sustain wild salmon runs

CORVALLIS, Ore. Steelhead trout that are originally bred in hatcheries are so genetically impaired that, even if they survive and reproduce in the wild, their offspring will also be significantly less successful at reproducing, according to a new study published today by researchers from Oregon S...

Recruitment of reproductive features into other cell types may underlie extended lifespan in animals

In the sense that organisms existing today are connected through a chain of life through their parents, grandparents and other ancestors almost a billion years back to the first animals of the pre-Cambrian era, an animal's reproductive cells can be considered to be immortal. These germline cells...

Simple drug treatment may prevent nicotine-induced SIDS: Study

A new study has identified a specific class of pharmaceutical drugs that could be effective in treating babies vulnerable to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), because their mothers smoked during pregnancy. According to researchers at McMaster University, exposure of the fetus to nicotine res...

Newly discovered reactions from an old drug may lead to new antibiotics

A mineral found at health food stores could be the key to developing a new line of antibiotics for bacteria that commonly cause diarrhea, tooth decay and, in some severe cases, death. The trace mineral selenium is found in a number of proteins in both bacterial cells and human cells called sele...

Temporary infidelity may contribute to the stability of ancient relationships

Fungus-farming ants have cultivated the same fungal crops for 50 million years. Each young ant queen carries a bit of fungus garden with her when she flies away to mate and establish a new nest. Short breaks in the ants' relationship with the fungus during nest establishment may contribute to the...

Scientists explain how 'death receptors' designed to kill our cells may make them stronger

It turns out that from the perspective of cell biology, Nietzsche may have been right after all: that which does not kill us does make us stronger. In a review article published in the June 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal ( http://www.fasebj.org ), scientists from the Mayo Clinic explain h...

American Chemical Society's weekly PressPac -- May 27, 2009

ARTICLE #1 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Bird flu virus remains infectious up to 600 days in municipal landfills Environmental Science & Technology Amid concerns about a pandemic of swine flu, researchers from Nebraska report for the first time that poultry carcasses infected with another thr...