Shows in Biological News

Antibody targeting of glioblastoma shows promise in preclinical tests, say Lombardi researchers

Washington, DC Cancer researchers at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have successfully tested a small, engineered antibody they say shuts down growth of human glioblastoma tumors in cell and animal studies. Glioblastoma is the deadliest of brain cancers; there is no e...

Research shows rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled

WINSTON-SALEM Rates of severe childhood obesity have tripled in the last 25 years, putting many children at risk for diabetes and heart disease, according to a report in Academic Pediatrics by an obesity expert at Brenner Children's Hospital, part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Cente...

Study shows cancer vaccines led to long-term survival for patients with metastatic melanoma

Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian today announced promising data from a clinical study showing patient-specific cancer vaccines derived from patients' own cancer cells and immune cells were well tolerated and resulted in impressive long-term survival rates in patients with metastatic melanoma wh...

LSUHSC shows for first time infant inhalation of ultrafine air pollution linked to adult lung disease

New Orleans, LA Stephania Cormier, PhD, Associate Professor of Pharmacology at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans, has shown for the first time that early exposure to environmentally persistent free radicals (present in airborne ultrafine particulate matter) affects long-term lung function. S...

Scripps-led study shows ocean health plays vital role in coral reef recovery

The new research study led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego suggests that by improving overall ocean health, corals are better able to recover from bleaching events, which occur when rising sea temperatures force corals to expel their symbiotic algae, known as z...

UA pharmacy research shows prescribers miss potentially dangerous drug pairs

Tucson, Ariz.Research led by The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy has found that medication prescribers correctly identified fewer than half of drug pairs with potentially dangerous drug-drug interactions. These findings raise concern because of the high number of drugs Americans take...

Research shows that 'invisible hand' guides evolution of cooperative turn-taking

It's not just good manners to wait your turn it's actually down to evolution, according to new research by University of Leicester psychologists. A study in the University's School of Psychology sought to explain how turn-taking has evolved across a range of species. The conclusion is that the...

Report shows the power of US cities to mitigate climate change and steps they need to take to adapt

U.S. municipal governments are showing leadership by voluntarily accounting for and reducing greenhouse gas emissions resulting from their operations. They also recognize the huge potential to influence long-term reductions from the residents and businesses in their communities, according to a ne...

Nitrogen research shows how some plants invade, take over others

Biologists know that when plants battle for space, often the actual battle is for getting the nitrogen. Now, research at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln gives important new information on how plants can change "nitrogen cycling" to gain nitrogen and how this allows plant species to invade an...

Clinical trial shows quadriplegics can operate powered wheelchair with tongue drive system

An assistive technology that enables individuals to maneuver a powered wheelchair or control a mouse cursor using simple tongue movements can be operated by individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries, according to the results of a recently completed clinical trial. "This clinical trial ha...

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...

Study on keeping nuclear bombs from US ports shows misplaced fear over cargo scanning cost

A two-tiered scanning-protocol for inspecting all containers at international ports could be the most affordable approach to ensuring containers moving through the global transportation system are not carrying nuclear bombs, according to a paper being presented at a services special interest group...

Study shows Chronix technology using serum DNA can identify early presence of disease

San Jose, California, June 23, 2009 Chronix Biomedical today reported that a new study in a peer-reviewed journal further confirms the potential diagnostic and prognostic utility of using circulating fragments of DNA to detect early stage disease. These DNA fragments, referred to as serum DNA, a...

CU-Boulder study shows Maya intensively cultivated manioc 1,400 years ago

A University of Colorado at Boulder team has uncovered an ancient and previously unknown Maya agricultural system -- a large manioc field intensively cultivated as a staple crop that was buried and exquisitely preserved under a blanket of ash by a volcanic eruption in present-day El Salvador 1,400...

Study shows transfer of heavy metals from water to fish in Huelva estuary

A team of researchers from the University of Cadiz has confirmed that zinc, copper and lead are present at high levels in the water and sediments of the Huelva estuary, and have studied how some of these heavy metals are transferred to fish. The study shows that zinc, cadmium and copper accumulate...

Colon cancer screening technique shows continued promise in new study

Recent clinical trials show that a new colon cancer screening technique created by Northwestern University researchers has a high enough sensitivity that it could potentially be as or more successful than a colonoscopy in screening for colon cancer. The technique uses optical technology, called...

CU-Boulder study shows 53 million-year-old high Arctic mammals wintered in darkness

Ancestors of tapirs and ancient cousins of rhinos living above the Arctic Circle 53 million years ago endured six months of darkness each year in a far milder climate than today that featured lush, swampy forests, according to a new study led by the University of Colorado at Boulder. CU-Boulder...

The coming of biofuels: Study shows reducing gasoline emissions will benefit human health

President Barack Obama and Energy Secretary Steve Chu are consistent in their message that when it comes to transportation fuels, carbon-neutral biofuels as an alternative to gasoline are coming. While the focus of a shift from gasoline to biofuels has been on global warming, such a shift could al...

Study shows CGM devices also benefit people with type 1 diabetes

NEW YORK, May 27, 2009 People with type 1 diabetes who have already been successful in achieving recommended blood sugar goals can further benefit from using continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices, according to results of a major multi-center clinical trial by the Juvenile Diabetes Research ...

Preclinical work shows how one gene causes severe mental retardation

Durham, N.C., and Chapel Hill, N.C. -- Researchers at Duke University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina have discovered in mice how a single disrupted gene can cause a form of severe mental retardation known as Angelman syndrome. In a study published in the journal Nature N...

Pfizer shows support for open access

Pfizer today announced details of a membership agreement with BioMed Central to cover publication costs for research articles published by its researchers. Pfizer's BioMed Central membership arrangement means that Pfizer will centrally cover the publication fees for any researcher employed or f...

New technology shows promise against resistant staph infections

April 29, 2009 (BRONX, NY) Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have combined their revolutionary new drug-delivery system with a powerful antimicrobial agent to treat potentially deadly drug-resistant staph infections in mice. The study is published this month...

Satellite imagery shows fragile Wilkins Ice Shelf destabilized

Satellite images show that icebergs have begun to calve from the northern front of the Wilkins Ice Shelf indicating that the huge shelf has become unstable. This follows the collapse three weeks ago of the ice bridge that had previously linked the Antarctic mainland to Charcot Island. The ice ...

Microparticle immune response modifier shows broad effects against recurrent or metastatic cancer

DENVER, CO and AUCKLAND, NZ (April 21, 2009) MIS416, a novel microparticle-based immune response modifier, demonstrated the ability to significantly reduce the number and size of metastatic tumors in preclinical mouse models of lung and breast cancers, Innate Therapeutics (formerly Virionyx Corpo...

Lab study shows THC exposure as adolescents linked to negative effects of THC as adults

In earlier studies, researchers at Louisiana State University had found that estrogen or more precisely, having ovaries made adult rats exposed for the first time to THC, the primary ingredient in marijuana and hashish, less sensitive to THC's negative effects on tests of learning and memory. ...

New drug shows promise in treating drug-resistant prostate cancer

A new therapy for metastatic prostate cancer has shown considerable promise in early clinical trials involving patients whose disease has become resistant to current drugs. Chemists and biologists at UCLA and colleagues at several other institutions, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer...

Novel lung cancer vaccine shows promise in fighting early-stage lung cancer

CHICAGO - An experimental vaccine that triggers the patient's immune system to identify and attack specific tumor cells is showing new promise for the treatment of early lung cancer. Thoracic surgeons at Rush University Medical Center are researching the vaccine called MAGE-A3 Antigen-Specific Ca...

Brain building: Study shows brain growth tied to cell division in mouse embryos

How your brain grows might come down to how your cells divide. In the April 6 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology ( JCB ), Lake and Sokol report that mouse protein Vangl2 controls the asymmetrical cell division and developmental fate of progenitor neurons. Vangl2 (aka Strabismus in flies) is...

New simulation shows consequences of a world without Earth's natural sunscreen

The year is 2065. Nearly two-thirds of Earth's ozone is gone -- not just over the poles, but everywhere. The infamous ozone hole over Antarctica, first discovered in the 1980s, is a year-round fixture, with a twin over the North Pole. The ultraviolet (UV) radiation falling on mid-latitude cities l...

Pilot study shows effectiveness of new, low-cost method for monitoring hand hygiene compliance

San Diego, CA (March 18, 2009) Epidemiologists and computer scientists at the University of Iowa have collaborated to create a new low-cost, green technology for automatically tracking the use of hand hygiene dispensers before healthcare workers enter and after they exit patient rooms. This nove...

AJCN study shows moderate alcohol consumption related to stronger bones

The devastating effects of excessive alcohol consumption are undisputable, although some data suggest that moderate alcohol consumption may impart some health benefits. For instance, several studies have reported a positive association between alcohol intake and bone mineral density (BMD) in older...

New research shows high-quality protein in eggs contributes to power, strength and energy

Park Ridge, Ill. (February 17, 2009) A research review published recently in Nutrition Today (1) affirms that the high-quality protein in eggs makes a valuable contribution to muscle strength, provides a source of sustained energy and promotes satiety. High-quality protein is an important nutrie...

Trailblazing rural community shows green heating oil a viable option

Local schools and homes in the small Georgian town of Reepham in Norfolk are taking part in the groundbreaking 12-month trial, led by the University of East Anglia (UEA). Like two million homes across the UK and Ireland, the properties depend on heating oil for warmth and hot water, and the ai...

Genetic study shows direct link between vitamin D and MS susceptibility 'gene'

Researchers have found evidence that a direct interaction between vitamin D and a common genetic variant alters the risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS). The research, published on 6 February in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics , suggests that vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy and ...

Genome sequence shows sorghum's immense potential

Athens, Ga. Southerners may best know sorghum as sweet, biscuit-topping syrup. But the small grain's uses range from a dependable, drought-tolerant food crop to biofuel source, says a University of Georgia researcher who led a team that recently sequenced the plant's genome. "Sorghum's importa...

UC Davis research shows that newly discovered drug reduces heart enlargement

DAVIS--Researchers at the University of California, Davis have discovered that a prototype drug reduces heart enlargement, one of the most common causes of heart failure. Heart failure, which occurs when the heart can't pump enough blood throughout the body, affects 5 million people in the Un...

Research shows cell's inactive state is critical for effectiveness of cancer treatment

NEW YORK, January 9, 2009 A new study sheds light on a little understood biological process called quiescence, which enables blood-forming stem cells to exist in a dormant or inactive state in which they are not growing or dividing. According to the study's findings, researchers identified the ge...

Study shows California's autism increase not due to better counting, diagnosis

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) A study by researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute has found that the seven- to eight-fold increase in the number children born in California with autism since 1990 cannot be explained by either changes in how the condition is diagnosed or counted and the trend shows ...

California study shows shade trees reduce summertime electricity use

PORTLAND, Ore. January 5, 2009. A recent study shows that shade trees on the west and south sides of a house in California can reduce a homeowner's summertime electric bill by about $25.00 a year. The study, conducted last year on 460 single-family homes in Sacramento, is the first large-scale s...

Study shows competition, not climate change, led to Neanderthal extinction

In a recently conducted study, a multidisciplinary French-American research team with expertise in archaeology, past climates, and ecology reported that Neanderthal extinction was principally a result of competition with Cro-Magnon populations, rather than the consequences of climate change. T...