slows in Biological News

Lack of large-scale experiments slows progress of environmental restoration

Madison, Wisc. - September 23, 2008 A new study finds that environmental restoration research using large experimental tests has been limited. The study, published in Restoration Ecology, maintains that for restoration to progress as a science and a practice, more research should be done on who...

Synthetic cocoa chemical slows growth of tumors in human cell lines

Washington, D.C. A synthetic chemical based on a compound found in cocoa beans slowed growth and accelerated destruction of human tumors in laboratory studies, and should be tested further for cancer chemoprevention or even treatment, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. "We...

Gene therapy slows progression of fatal neurodegenerative disease in children

New Rochelle, NY, May 13, 2008Gene therapy to replace the faulty CLN2 gene, which causes a neurodegenerative disease that is fatal by age 8-12 years, was able to slow significantly the rate of neurologic decline in treated children, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the May 2...

Researchers uncover details about how dietary restriction slows down aging

University of Washington scientists have uncovered details about the mechanisms through which dietary restriction slows the aging process. Working in yeast cells, the researchers have linked ribosomes, the protein-making factories in living cells, and Gcn4, a specialized protein that aids in the e...

Tumor-targeting viral therapy slows neuroblastoma, malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors

CINCINNATI Researchers in a multi-institutional study led by Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center slowed the growth of two particularly stubborn solid tumor cancers neuroblastoma and peripheral nerve sheath tumors without harming healthy tissues by inserting instructions to inhibit tissue...

Agent slows aging in mice

Aspirin didn’t pan out. Neither did two other potential anti-aging agents. But a synthetic derivative of a pungent desert shrub is now a front- runner in ongoing animal experiments to find out if certain chemicals, known to inhibit inflammation, cancer and other destructive processes, can boost th...

Protein found that slows hepatitis C growth in liver cells

Biomedical researchers have identified a cellular protein that interferes with hepatitis C virus replication, a finding that ultimately may help scientists develop new drugs to fight the virus. The anti-hepatitis C activity of the protein, called “p21-activated kinase 1?(PAK1), was discovered by ...

Diabetes slows nerve recovery after heart transplant

Diabetes has a detrimental effect on a person's ability to recover from a heart transplant, notes a study in the September Journal of Nuclear Medicine. "Using positron emission tomography (PET) and the transplanted heart as a very specific model to study the regenerative capacity of the heart's ...

Cell therapy slows progression of an inherited neurological disease; Improves motor skills in mice

In an important discovery, scientists have demonstrated that the progression of a type of genetic brain disease is slowed and symptoms are improved in mice that received cell transplants. The new study, published in the March 22 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience , may have implications for de...

Stress substantially slows human body's ability to heal

The stress a typical married couple feels during an ordinary half-hour argument is enough to slow their bodies' ability to heal from wounds by at least one day, a new study has shown. Moreover, if the couple's relationship is routinely hostile toward each other, the delay in that healing process...

Cancer drug slows poxvirus in mice

Mice given a relatively new cancer drug can survive an otherwise lethal dose of vaccinia virus, a relative of smallpox virus, report scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health. The findings, say the investigat...

Axel Ullrich named winner of 2009 Dr. Paul Janssen Award for Biomedical Research

... player in the signaling system (called vascular endothelial growth factor receptor or VEGFR) suppresses the generation of blood vessels in tumors and slows down cancer cell growth. Years later, a small molecule inhibitor of the VEGFR2 kinase function was developed, from which a derivative was approved in...

Lack of happiness hormone serotonin in the brain causes impaired maternal behavior in mice

... A lack of serotonin, commonly known as the "happiness hormone", in the brain slows the growth of mice after birth and is responsible for impaired maternal behavior later in life. This was the result of research conducted by Dr. Natal...

The battle for CRTC2: How obesity increases the risk for diabetes

...leagues to suspect that fasting-induced glucose production was only half the story. "When a cell starts to sense stress a red light goes on, which slows down the production of proteins," explains Montminy. "This process, which is known as ER stress response, is abnormally active in livers of obese indi...

Test detects molecular marker of aging in humans

... very weak correlation between the biomarker and obesity as measured by body mass index (BMI) despite other data suggesting that caloric restriction slows aging. The data suggest the possibility that reduced exercise may actually be worse with regard to molecular age than a higher BMI." "Although we ...

A new mouse model provides insight into genetic neurological disorders

...ied are often lethal when transferred to a mouse. The lack of animal models slows progress in understanding and treating the diseases. By strategically alter...ied are often lethal when transferred to a mouse. The lack of animal models slows progress in understanding and treating the diseases. The researchers made...

Babies born to native high-altitude mothers have decreased risk of low birth weight

...he low-oxygen environment at altitude affects the uterine artery, reducing blood flow and oxygen delivery to the infant. Reduced blood flow and oxygen slows fetal metabolism and results in slower growth. The study predicted that this reduction in blood flow at altitude would be much less pronounced in ...

Mosquito parasite may help fight dengue fever

...behaviour and publish their results in the Journal of Experimental Biology on May 1 2009 at http://jeb.biologists.org . Knowing that Wolbachia slows down some insects' activity and speeds up others, the team decided to test how the parasite affects Ae. aegypti as they age and the infection takes ...

SIRT1 takes down tumors

...nt issue of the Journal of Cell Biology . The yeast and nematode equivalents of SIRT1 are fountains of youth that stretch lifespan. Whether SIRT1 slows aging in mammals isn't certain, but it's beneficial in other ways. The protein tunes up metabolism, reducing blood levels of glucose and insulin, and ...

Vitamin D may exacerbate autoimmune disease

...R dysregulation by chronic pathogens. Under such circumstances, supplementation with extra vitamin D is not only counterproductive but harmful, as it slows the ability of the immune system to deal with such bacteria. The team points out the importance of examining alternate models of vitamin D metab...

Doubling a gene in corn results in giant biomass

...this gene. And it can be done in one cross and we know exactly which gene does it." He noted that if you put too much of the Glossy 15 gene in, it slows down the growth too much and the frost kills the plant before it can grow. One advantage to growing sugar corn for biomass rather than switchgrass...

Liking sweets makes sense for kids

...hat children's heightened liking for sweet taste is related to their high growth rate and that sweet preferences decline as children's physical growth slows and eventually stops. Based on the results of sensory taste tests, children were classified according to their sweet taste preference into a 'high...

Doubling a gene in corn results in giant biomass

...this gene. And it can be done in one cross and we know exactly which gene does it." He noted that if you put too much of the Glossy 15 gene in, it slows down the growth too much and the frost kills the plant before it can grow. One advantage to growing sugar corn for biomass rather than switchgrass...

CSHL researchers identify gene that helps plant cells keep communication channels open

...edoxin-m3, which they found only in the meristems, as well as in the tissues dedicated to transport. There, it acts as an antioxidant a molecule that slows or prevents the formation of ROS. Thioredoxin-m3 is a member of a large family of small proteins that are ubiquitous in plant and animal cells, and...

Researchers identify a cell type that limits stroke damage

...hy cells, enlarging the damaged area of the brain and threatening certain brain functions. Researchers had suspected the existence of a mechanism that slows this harmful effect of immune cells in the brain, but no one had yet been able to demonstrate it. Treg cells, produced in the bone marrow and othe...

Irritable bowel syndrome can have genetic causes

...ut can only be prescribed with strict limitations due to its side effects. Alosetron inhibits the serotonin receptors in the intestinal tract and thus slows the movement of the bowels. "Currently, patients with irritable bowel syndrome are treated on a trial and error basis"", explains Dr. Beate Niesler...

Key to 'curing' obesity may lie in worms that destroy their own fat: McGill researchers

...dian Institutes of Health Research. In lean times, a normal Caenorhabditis elegans worm goes into a form of suspended animation called "dauer" that slows its metabolism and allows it to survive for extended periods without food. "When they go into dauer, these worms radically alter their metabolism,...

Exercise increases brain growth factor and receptors, prevents stem cell drop in middle age

...cells in the hippocampus of middle-aged mice was only 5% of that observed in the young mice. The researchers also found that exercise significantly slows down the loss of new nerve cells in the middle-aged mice. They found that production of neural stem cells improved by approximately 200% compared to t...

NOAA and NSF commission national study of ocean acidification

...sing carbon dioxide in seawater, shellfish and corals cannot absorb enough calcium carbonate to build strong skeletons and shells. The greater acidity slows the growth and even dissolves ocean plant and animal shells. The decline of these valuable species would drastically harm U.S. fisheries. Any decl...

Researchers identify Achilles heel of common childhood tumor

...ays of birthmost often as a single, blood-red lump on the head or facethen grow rapidly in the ensuing months. The development of infantile hemangioma slows later in childhood, and most tumors disappear entirely by the end of puberty. However, while the tumors are benign, they can cause disfigurement or cl...

Waste from gut bacteria helps host control weight, UT Southwestern researchers report

... lean or fatty, a research team, including scientists from UT Southwestern Medical Center, has found in a mouse study. When activated, the molecule slows the movement of food through the intestine, allowing the animal to absorb more nutrients and thus gain weight. Without this signal, the animals weigh ...

Food for thought -- regulating energy supply to the brain during fasting

...to body economics. CRTC2 acts as a rapid response unit to quickly produce high levels of glucose when it detects glucagon. Switching to FOXO1 later on slows down this production to more sustainable levels, while at the same time helping to produce ketone bodies, an alternative fuel the brain can use that d...

At risk for peripheral arterial disease? Simple quiz provides key so you can circulate better

...erosis, a condition that occurs when cholesterol and scar tissue build up, forming a substance called plaque, which narrows and clogs the arteries and slows blood flow to the legs. Since plaque blocks the smaller leg arteries first, PAD is considered a red flag for several life-threatening vascular disease...

Researchers link cocoa flavanols to improved brain blood flow

...r brain blood flow, offering future potential for the one in seven older Americans currently living with dementia. When the flow of blood to the brain slows over time, the result may be structural damage and dementia. Scientists speculate that maintaining an increased blood flow to the brain could slow thi...

Blood pressure response to daily stress provides clues for better hypertension treatment

...ctivating the precursor to nitric oxide, a powerful dilator of blood vessels. In the new studies, he'll control the rats' diet and see whether stress slows down sodium excretion. Preliminary evidence suggests it does. He'll also give the rats an endothelin antagonist, which blocks this hormone, and see if...

New research reveals why chili peppers are hot

...unds made by insects and destroys the seeds before they can be eaten and dispersed. Capsaicin, the chemical that makes the peppers hot, drastically slows microbial growth and protects the fruit from Fusarium. And while capsaicin deters local mammals, such as foxes and raccoons, from consuming the chilie...

Brain tweak lets sleep-deprived flies stay sharp

... St. Louis, July 31, 2008 Staying awake slows down our brains, scientists have long recognized. Mental performance is at its peak after sleep but inevitably trends downward throughout the day, and...

Scientists suspect omega-3 fatty acids could slow acute wound healing

...us studies, still might assist in the healing of chronic wounds at the local level. Chronic wounds are essentially stuck in an inflammatory stage that slows or prevents transition to the later stages needed for complete healing. That mechanism needs to be explored further, McDaniel said. "There's so muc...

Looking for the Founatain of Youth? Cut your calories, research suggests

...cess in rodents, one popular hypothesis is that it slows aging by decreasing a thyroid hormone, triiodothyronine (T3), which then slows metabolism and tissue aging. A new study in th...amount of debate about whether calorie restriction slows the aging process in humans," said Edward Weiss, P...

Weight Watchers vs. fitness centers

... Extension state fitness specialist. "It is advantageous to keep lean tissue because it is correlated with higher metabolism. Losing lean tissue often slows metabolism. What your body is made of is more important than what you weigh." The majority of other Weight Watcher studies had not considered body ...