Biology

Olympus introduces world's smallest GI scope to offer 4-way angulation and Narrow Band Imaging TM

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | yesterday

( GolinHarris International ) Olympus today introduced the world's smallest gastrointestinal videoscope to offer four-way angulation and Narrow Band Imaging™ (NBI) to detect upper gastrointestinal abnormalities. These features provide greater flexibility to obtain remarkably clear views and visual contrast which can help to distinguish anatomical structures and fine capillary patterns that are...

Geneticists coordinate action to fight against traffic in human beings

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | yesterday

( University of Granada ) One of the keys is to gain agreement on genetic data collection and treatment. Work guidelines established in Granada might help to deter human trafficking. Commitments undertaken in the First DNA -- Prokids meeting (DNA-Program for Kids Identification with DNA Systems) will allow having standard techniques to fight against this crime: Use of shared protocols for DNA sample...

Drought resistance explained

Physorg (Free subscription) | yesterday

Much as adrenaline coursing through our veins drives our body's reactions to stress, the plant hormone abscisic acid (ABA) is behind plants' responses to stressful situations such as drought, but how it does so has been a mystery for years. Scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Grenoble, France, and the Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) in Valencia,...

• Drought Resistance Explained - Red Orbit
• Drought resistance explained - Eurekalert

How Life-Forms are Like Legos

the evolving mind (Free subscription) | yesterday

If biological life in its wildly varied forms on this planet is akin to huge number of constructions made with one Lego set, the basic building block would be proteins. These are truly wonder-molecules. Over this past summer I read some research of the molecular biology type that highlighted the above fact. Scientists at [...]

Scientists explain binding action of 2 key HIV antibodies; could lead to new vaccine design

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009

( Duke University Medical Center ) A very close and detailed study of how the most robust antibodies work to block the HIV virus as it seeks entry into healthy cells has revealed a new direction for researchers hoping to design an effective vaccine.

Scientists successfully reprogram blood cells

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009

( Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center ) Researchers have transplanted genetically modified hematopoietic stem cells into mice so that their developing red blood cells produce a critical lysosomal enzyme -- preventing or reducing organ and central nervous system damage from the often-fatal genetic disorder Hurler's syndrome.

FDA-approved drugs eliminate, prevent cervical cancer in mice

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009

( University of Wisconsin-Madison ) Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health have eliminated cervical cancer in mice with two FDA-approved drugs currently used to treat breast cancer and osteoporosis.

Now hear this: Mouse study sheds light on hearing loss in older adults

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009

( University of Wisconsin-Madison ) Becoming "hard of hearing" is a standard but unfortunate part of aging: A syndrome called age-related hearing loss affects about 40 percent of people over 65 in the United States, and will afflict an estimated 28 million Americans by 2030.

Stem cells restore cognitive abilities impaired by brain tumor treatment, UCI study finds

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009

( University of California - Irvine ) Human embryonic stem cells could help people with learning and memory deficits after radiation treatment for brain tumors, suggests a new UC Irvine study.

Population movement can be critical factor in dengue's spread

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/09/2009

( Public Library of Science ) Human movement is a key factor of dengue virus inflow in Rio de Janeiro, according to results from researchers based at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil. The results, based on data from a severe epidemic in 2007-2008, contribute to new understanding on the dynamics of dengue fever in the second largest city in Brazil. Details are published November 10 in the open-access...

Magnetic nanoparticles to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009

( Institute of Physics ) The future for magentic nanoparticles (mNPs) appears bright With the design of "theranostic" molecules. mNPs could play a crucial role in developing one-stop tools to simultaneously diagnose, monitor and treat a wide range of common diseases and injuries.

Blood test identifies women at risk from Alzheimer's

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009

( University of Gothenburg ) Middle-aged women with high levels of a specific amino acid in their blood are twice as likely to suffer from Alzheimer's many years later, reveals a thesis from the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. This discovery this could lead to a new and simple way of determining who is at risk long before there are any signs of the illness.

We spend more on products with detailed nutritional information

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009

( FECYT - Spanish Foundation for Science and Technology ) People would be willing to pay more for products that carry detailed nutritional information than for the so-called light items. Thus it has been confirmed by researchers from the University of Santiago de Compostela and the Center for Agro-Food Research and Technology of Aragón (CITA) in a new study on the nutritional labeling of breakfast...

Brown professor to lead $6-million NIH grant to study rare brain disease

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009

( Brown University ) Walter Atwood, professor of medical science, will lead research efforts to determine how the JC virus, which can cause a rare brain disease known as PML, attaches to host cells. He will collaborate with research teams at Dartmouth College and the University of Tübingen in Germany.

Possible help in fight against muscle-wasting disease

Eurekalert (Free subscription) | 11/06/2009

( University of Oregon ) A compound already used to treat pneumonia could become a new therapy for an inherited muscular wasting disease. A five-member team of researchers from University of Oregon and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry report that pentamidine might be adapted to counter genetic splicing defects in RNA that lead to type 1 myotonic dystrophy.

Indian Nobel Prize Winner in Chemistry , Venkatraman Ramakrishnan wins Nobel prize for Chemistry

sorapedia | 10/07/2009

Tamil Nadu-born Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, a senior scientist at the MRC Laborartory of Molecular Biology at Cambridge, has been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for 2009 along with two others, the Nobel Committee announced today.

Is this a horsefly?

annym38 | 02/11/2009

Horse fly Horse Fly biology, identification, image, control tips and products for eliminating … Horse flies feed by sucking blood and cause a painful and … Horse … http://www.pestproducts.com/ho… Read more̷...

Systems Biology: Exploring Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs) Space of Drug Candidates

abhishektiwari | 01/28/2009

Pharmaceutical companies are facing ultimate challenge to increase efficiency of drug discovery pipeline to keep up with market demands. Failure of clinical candidates as well as withdrawal of approved and marketed drugs due the undesired effects , or so-called adverse drug reactions (ADRs)- are forcing companies to look on where they can fill the gap. A recent paper in Journal of Chemical Information