Conserved amino acids play both structural and mechanistic roles in sandwich-like protein
The question of whether amino acids in sandwich-like proteins are there to stabilize the structure or to speed up the protein-folding process is best answered by "all of the above," according to researchers at Rice University in Houston. This discovery, reported in today's issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could benefit future research on treatments for disease...Pair of cancer genes found to drive both cell migration and division
Johns Hopkins researchers have found that two genes already known to control cell movement are also needed for proper cell division. They report their findings in the April issue of Developmental Cell. The researchers discovered that the two genes are required for a dividing cell's halves to separate, raising the possibility that interfering with them could be helpful in stopping the uncon...Both alcoholism and chronic smoking can damage the brain's prefrontal cortex
University of Utah researchers will receive up to $10.3 million to help develop a new prosthetic arm that would work, feel and look like a real arm. The Utah work is a key part of a U.S. Department of Defense contract worth up to $55 million to develop the new device for soldiers and potentially others whose arms were amputated. "Imagine an artificial arm that moves naturally in response t...A Jekyll and Hyde of cytokines: IL-25 both promotes and limits inflammatory diseases
The same signal responsible for promoting the type of immune responses that cause asthma and allergy can also limit the type of inflammation associated with debilitating diseases like inflammatory bowel disease, arthritis and multiple sclerosis, according to researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. The researchers discovered how IL-25, a signaling protein kn...Queensland scientists identify molecule that links both sides of the brain
A Queensland Brain Institute-led team has identified a molecule that plays a key role in establishing the major nerve connections between each side of the adult brain. QBI neural migration laboratory head Associate Professor Helen Cooper said her group's research provided new clues regarding development of the corpus callosum, the main connecting nerve tract that shuttles information betw...The use of CypHer5 for receptor internalization studies in both a range of GPCRs and a non-GPCR
CypHer5 is a red-excited, pH-sensitive cyanine dye that is non-fluorescent at pH 7.4 and maximally fluorescent at pH 5.5. It is therefore ideally suited for monitoring internalization of cell surface receptors via acidic endosomal vesicles upon agonist stimulation (1, 2). <P >In the assay, the receptor can be epitop...Alcoholism Influenced By Both Genetics & Family Environment
In a study involving identical and non-identical twins, researchers conducted telephone interviews with 1,213 sets of male-male twins, average age 50.// The researchers’ goal was to better understand the hereditary and environmental effects on developing alcoholism -- not by studying the twins themselves, but by interviewing the twins’ children (ages 12 to 26) and the mothers of those chi...Diabetics Can Now Be Able To Control Both Blood Sugar And Their Weight
Type 2 diabetics can now control their blood sugar without gaining weight or increasing their insulin doses, say researchers according to a new study.// In an effort to achieve near normal control of blood sugar research has resulted in a variety of drugs that lower blood sugar levels while improving blood pressure and lipid levels in the blood. Despite these advances, diabetics have had...Vaginal Birth After C-section Dangerous For Both Mother And Baby
Women who opt for a vaginal birth after first delivering a child via cesarean section may be putting themselves and their newborns at risk,// say researchers based on findings of a recent study. Though the overall chance anything will go wrong is extremely small, uterine rupture is possible, as is injury to the newborn due to lack of oxygen (hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy). Women may als...Revolutionary Simple Pregnancy Blood Test Can Save Both Mother And Child
Pre-eclampsia is a disease that causes high blood pressure in 20th week// of Pregnancy and is a major cause of death of mother and infant in the world. Now a simple test that measures HLA-G levels in blood can predict women who are likely to develop the problem. Researchers in Canada may have discovered this simple blood test. "We're really excited about this finding," said Clifford L...Being together matters, both in marriage and smoking
The risk of stroke is high among couples who smoke according to a new study// which has reported a six times higher relative risk of total stroke than cigarette-smoking women with non-smoking spouses. The study recorded the smoking and marital status and the incidence of total stroke and ischemic stroke (a stroke caused by a blood clot blocking blood flow to the brain) among various gr...