Unchecked DNA replication drives earliest steps toward cancer
Although not widely appreciated as a disease of the genes, cancer is always rooted in genetic errors or problems in gene regulation. Scientists have identified some of the first genetic triggers for cancer as mutations in specific oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes. Full-blown tumors and metastatic cancers, however, often exhibit many genetic mutations, sometimes dozens in a given tumor. An impo...UN environmental agency steps up battle against marine pollution
Coastal pollution, including plastic waste, discarded lead-acid batteries and used oils and lubricants, will come under renewed attack under a new agreement signed by the United Nations environmental agency and an international treaty body controlling hazardous wastes. The Memorandum of Understanding, signed last week in Nairobi, Kenya, by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Seas Program...Molecular steps involved in the creation of gene-silencing microRNAs identified
First discovered only a few brief years ago, microRNAs are small, remarkably powerful molecules that appear to play a pivotal role in gene silencing, one of the body's main strategies for regulating its genome. A scant 22 nucleotides in length, miRNAs appear to work by binding to and somehow interfering with messenger RNA, itself responsible for translating genes into proteins. But how do...Stem cells grown in lab mirror normal developmental steps
Assistant Professor Mark Pagani in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale and his colleagues mapped the first detailed history of atmospheric carbon dioxide between 45 - 25 million years ago based on stable isotopes of carbon in a National Science Foundation study reported in Science Express. "Through the energy we consume, each of us makes a contribution to increasing greenhouse...Stressed cells spark DNA repair missteps and speed evolution
When Dr. Susan Rosenberg, professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine, first published her finding that the mutation rate increased in bacteria stressed by starvation, sometimes resulting in a rare change that benefited the bacteria, it was controversial. In a report in the current issue of the journal Molecular Cell, she and her colleagues describe not only how...Hendee promoted to president of MCW Research Foundation; Gutterman steps up
T. Michael Bolger, the college's president and CEO, made the announcement on Friday. "Over the past 14 years, Bill Hendee has provided outstanding leadership...Online retailing "tango" is adding some steps
We've heard this for years, and most of us have adopted at least some of these changes (both good and bad) in the ways we disseminate and find information,...Five steps to buying the right package software
All this is combined with promises of a fast implementation and rela...Steps To Improve Quality Of Plant-Based Drugs
India has finally decided to get its act together on improving quality of plant-based drugs. It promises not only to get a large number of laboratories activated on testing them, but also seeks to start registering farmers who produce medicinal plants to ensure the raw material itself meets standards. The first meeting of a recently constituted Medicinal Plants Board listed a series of measures t...Few Simple Steps to Lower The Incidence Of SIDS
The incidence of sudden infant death syndrome or SIDS, could be significantly lowered by taking simple precautions // say researchers according to a recent study. Researchers conducted studies in 20 centers in Europe, looking at 60 variables from the medical records of 745 SIDS cases and 2,411 healthy infants to identify risks for SIDS. About 48 percent of all the SIDS cases were...Simple Steps To Help Fight Asthma
An intervention program designed to educate parents about allergens and tobacco smoke could help reduce symptoms of asthma in children // say researchers .More than 900 children with asthma were studied. The children were allergic to at least one indoor environmental allergen and lived in low-income areas. Previous research shows children who live in these areas suffer from the disease at a dis...WHO Steps Up To Create A Public Awareness About The Consequences Of Exposure To Radon
Radon is a chemically inert, naturally occurring radioactive gas// without odour, colour or taste. Radon is a natural radioactive gas that emanates from the ground into the air. Radon gas in the air is present worldwide, its concentration depending on the highly variable uranium content of the soil. Radon gas escapes easily from the ground into the air and emits heavily ionizing radiation called...Initial Steps In Spread Of Cancer Identified
Scientists have now discovered how cancer cells are able to spread to distant parts of the body. It was previously though that these cells spread to the target site via the blood or the lymph// and then started forming a new tumor there. It has now emerged that certain chemicals secreted by the tumors do the job of preparing the potential "landing" site by altering the conditions to mak...