Sat, 03 May 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/ PostNuke Powered Site en-au http://www.naturallythere4you.com/images/logo.gif http://www.naturallythere4you.com/ kocham@naturallythere4you.com http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4887.html UPPSALA, Sweden, -- Swedish scientists have developed a new method of filming and also directing blood vessel cells so they move in accordance with targeted signals. Researchers at Uppsala University said the method can also be used to study how migration of cancer cells and nerves can be controlled. "Our study shows that a simple gradient from a signal protein is sufficient to tell the blood vessel cell in which direction it is to move. We have also been able to show that the form of the gradient governs the way in which the cell moves," said Irmeli Barkefors, a postgraduate student at Uppsala University. The researchers are now developing the method further in order to study targeted migration in complicated organ culture systems, whereby interaction between different cell types can be studied. "The method can basically be adapted to facilitate study of all types of cells. It is particularly important to study the mechanisms that determine whether or not cancer cells spread," said Johan Kreuger, who has been heading the project. The findings are to appear in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Sat, 03 May 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4886.html HOUSTON, -- U.S. scientists said they have discovered a receptor's role as a cause of certain eye diseases, including glaucoma. The researchers at the Texas A&M University's Institute of Biosciences and Technology said their finding might lead to development of new eye disease treatments. "Gprotein coupled receptors (GPCRs) regulate a variety of physiological functions, from vision, olfaction, taste and reproductive biology to cardiovascular functions," said Professor Mingyao Liu, senior author of the study. "GPCRs are the largest membrane receptor family in the human genome. Our study focuses on Gpr48, a new hormone receptor in animals and humans." The scientists found Gpr48 plays an important role in anterior segment development and is also key in various physiological functions throughout the body. Deletion of the Gpr48 receptor in mice resulted in various forms of anterior segment dysgenesis, including microphthalmia (small eyes), iris hypoplasia (underdeveloped iris), iridiocorneal angle malformation (irregular angle of the iris and cornea), cornea dysgenesis (clouding of the cornea) and cataracts. Future research could validate Gpr48 as a potential therapeutic target, Liu said. The research is to appear in a future issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and is currently available at the journal's Web site. Fri, 02 May 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4885.html BETHESDA, Md., -- U.S. government researchers said they have started the first comprehensive database of the microbes that inhabit human mouths. The scientists from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research -- part of the National Institutes of Health -- are compiling the first comprehensive database of the approximately 600 distinct micro-organisms known to live in the mouth. The researchers said their free online compendium called the Human Oral Microbiome Database provides detailed biological entries for each species and an extensive catalog of the thousands of genes that the microbes express. "The HOMD fills a critical research need," said NIDCR director Dr. Lawrence Tabak. "The oral microbiome is extremely rich in data, and HOMD becomes the essential search engine for scientists to view and retrieve this information, generate novel hypotheses, make comp- utational discoveries and ultimately develop more biologically sound therapies to control oral diseases." The site, managed by scientists at the Forsyth Institute in Boston and King's College London in Britain is located at http://www.homd.org. Thu, 01 May 2008 21:45:01 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4884.html EVANSTON, Ill., -- U.S. scientists have reversed gene therapy procedures to develop an experimental technique for preventing and treating disease linked with genetic defects. In gene therapy, a working gene is inserted into a cell to replace a faulty or absent gene. But now a team led by Northwestern University Assistant Professor of physics Adilson Motter has developed a counterintuitive approach -- the targeted removal of genes to restore function in cells with genetic defects, such as mutations. The study grew from Motter's work on the U.S. power grid -- a complex system that has many similarities with biological systems. After the largest power outage in U.S. history occurred in 2003, experts determined the event could have been reduced or avoided by instigating small intentional blackouts in the system during the initial hours of instability. "And the same could be valid in biology, where a defective gene may trigger a cascade of 'failures' along the cellular network," said Motter. "Our recent research shows that what's true in power networks is also true in biological networks. Inflicting a small amount of damage can control what otherwise would be much more significant damage." The study appears online in the journal Molecular Systems Biology. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4883.html PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A study has identified which U.S. women are most likely to use a microbicide to prevent sexual transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus. Researchers at Miriam Hospital and Brown University in Providence, R.I., found women who have used protective methods in the past, and those with casual sexual partners, were more willing to use a microbicide compared with their peers. "The results may seem to be an obvious finding but they are important because science has very little direct evidence of what characteristics and situations in women's lives would make them more likely to want to use a microbicide to prevent HIV infection," said psychologist Kathleen Morrow, the study's lead author and an assistant professor at Brown. Morrow and her team designed the "Willingness to Use Microbicides" scale. The scale consists of a series of questions about particular situations, such as, "Would you have wanted to use a microbicide the last time you had sex with your partner?" The scale also includes product-related questions, such as, "If a microbicide costs about as much as a male condom, would you have used it?" The research was detailed in the journal Healthy Psychology. Thu, 24 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4882.html LOS ANGELES, -- A U.S.-led international study has described for the first time the mechanisms by which variants of the gene CAPON can disrupt normal heart rhythm. The researchers from the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, Johns Hopkins University and the China Medical University and Hospital in Taiwan said CAPON, until recently, wasn't suspected of existing in heart tissue or playing a role in heart function. The study, conducted in guinea pigs, not only confirmed CAPON naturally exists in the heart's ventricles but also showed CAPON interacts with a signaling molecule in heart muscle to influence signaling pathways and modify cell-to-cell interactions that control the heart's electrical currents. The research, led by Dr. Eduardo Marban, director of the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute, appeared in a issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4881.html PHILADELPHIA, -- U.S. biologists studying the genomes of viruses infecting the bacteria E. coli, P. aeruginosa and L. lactis found many of them exhibit codon bias. The researchers at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University said codon bias is the tendency to preferentially encode a protein with a particular spelling. They analyzed patterns of codon usage across 74 bacteriophages and their findings extend the translational theory of codon bias to the viral kingdom, demonstrating the viral genome is selected to obey the preferences of its host. "The host bacterium is exerting a strong evolutionary pressure on the virus," said Joshua Plotkin, lead author and an assistant professor at Penn. "This happens because a virus must hijack the machinery of its host in order to reproduce. We are seeing that viruses are forced to adopt the particular codon choices preferred by the bacterium they infect. "Like a bee and a flower, an example of co-evolution between two large organisms, the same fundamental biological processes operate between two small organisms, as reflected in their genome sequences," Plotkin added. The study that included Grzegorz Kudla at Penn and Julius Lucks and David Nelson at Harvard appeared in the journal PLoS Computational Biology. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4880.html MEMPHIS, -- U.S. medical scientists have identified the signaling system that halts the growth of medulloblastoma tumors -- a childhood brain cancer. Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital discovered proteins BMP2, BMP4 and BMP7 inhibit the growth of medulloblastoma tumors, while inducing malignant cells to develop into normal neurons. The researchers say their findings might lead to safer treatments for the rare, but often fatal, childhood brain tumor. "We think we have identified a pathway that can be used to prevent tumor formation and a potential target for therapy," said Martine Roussel of the St. Jude Department of Genetics and Tumor Cell Biology. A report on the work appears in the journal Genes & Development. Mon, 21 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4879.html ST. LOUIS, -- U.S. scientists have discovered patients and caregivers experience relief, not anxiety or depression, when told of a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. John Morris and Professor Brian Carpenter of Washington University in St. Louis studied 90 individuals who came to the University's Alzheimer's Disease Research Center for an evaluation. Of those, 69 percent were diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Patients and caregivers were interviewed before and after the diagnosis. "The major finding is that both patients and their families feel relief, not increased anxiety, upon learning the diagnosis," said Morris, who noted anxiety among both patients and caregivers decreased substantially, and no significant changes in depression were noted. Carpenter said the study was conducted to generate data to convince physicians that most people don't become depressed, upset or suicidal. "So, this fear that (physicians) have about telling them and disturbing them is probably not legitimate for most people," added Carpenter. Although nobody wants to hear a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, Morris said at least having the diagnosis allows people to make plans for the future, including treatment as appropriate. The study appears in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4878.html CHICAGO, -- A U.S. research firm said the immune-system drug Gammagard may reduce the risk of contracting Alzheimer's disease. A study of medical claims data by Surveillance Data Inc. shows that patients treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, marketed as Gammagard by Baxter International, were less likely to develop Alzheimer's and related disorders, the Chicago Tribune said Thursday. The report looked at 847 patients who were treated with Gammagard and 84,700 who were not. Dementia was diagnosed in 2 percent of treated cases, compared with 4.2 percent for the untreated control group. The newspaper said researchers are looking at the possibility that Gammagard can clear the brain of a protein fragment known as beta-amyloid that is thought to be a key in the development and progression of Alzheimer's. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4877.html BERKELEY, Calif., -- U.S. scientists said researchers may soon be able to use brain-scanning instruments to read someone's mind. Dr. Jack Gallant, a neuroscientist at the University of California in Berkeley, said his team has figured out how to use functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to tell what someone is looking at based on brain activity. A report, published online in the journal Nature, said it is the first step to being able to see the contents of someone's visual experiences. "When the deck of cards, or photographs, has about 120 images, we can do better than 90 percent correct," Gallant said. He said the next step is to interpret what someone is seeing without having the subject select from known images. The research team said a device that can read out the brain's activity could be used to assess damage from strokes, the effect of drug treatments or to help diagnose conditions such as dementia. Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4876.html SEATTLE, -- Scientists in Seattle plan to pay people to catch malaria in order to test the safety and efficacy of new vaccines. The Seattle Biomedical Research Institute and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative are collaborating to build a Human Challenge Center at SBRI to test new interventions against the deadly malaria parasite. "This center will allow us to greatly increase our ability to evaluate whether a new vaccine formulation should advance to testing in clinical trials in malaria-endemic populations," Dr. Christian Loucq of MVI said Wednesday in a statement. The laboratory's Malaria Clinical Trials Center will be one of only a handful of facilities of its kind in the world. Volunteers inoculated with a malaria vaccine candidate will be deliberately infected with malaria through the bite of malaria-infected mosquitoes to assess whether or not the candidate vaccine can prevent or delay malaria infection. The Seattle Times said the strain of malaria used in the testing is a cloned strain that can be quickly cured. More than 900 people have participated in similar tests at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. There are also labs in Britain and the Netherlands, the newspaper said. Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4875.html ATLANTA, -- U.S. researchers have created a sensor necklace that someday may help people remember the last time they took their pills. The MagneTrace records the exact time and date when specially designed pills are swallowed and lets the user know if any doses are missed, Maysam Ghovanloo of the Georgia Institute of Technology said Wednesday in a news release. The necklace contains an array of magnetic sensors that can detect when pills containing a tiny magnet passes through a person's esophagus. The sensors also can be incorporated into a patch attached to the chest. "Forgetfulness is a huge problem, especially among the elderly, but so is taking the medication at the wrong time, stopping too early or taking the wrong dose," Ghovanloo said. "Studies show that drug noncompliance costs the country billions of dollars each year as a result of re-hospitalization, complications, disease progression and even death." The research was published in the IEEE Sensors Journal. Fri, 11 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4874.html NEW YORK, -- A U.S. researcher suggests gastrointestinal by-pass operations may effectively cure Type 2 diabetes. Dr.-Francesco Rubino of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center said rerouting the gastrointestinal tract through gastric bypass can cause diabetes remission independent of any weight loss, even in subjects who are not obese., The findings are published in the journal Diabetes Care, the medical center said Wednesday in a news release. Rubino, chief of gastrointestinal metabolic surgery, said gastrointestinal bypass procedures control diabetes by by-passing the upper small intestine -- the duodenum and jejunum. "It should not surprise anyone that surgically altering the bowel's anatomy affects the mechanisms that regulate blood sugar levels, eventually influencing diabetes," Rubino said in a statement. He said the operation may work by reversing abnormalities of blood glucose regulation. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4873.html WASHINGTON, -- Drug counterfeiters may have added an ingredient into Chinese shipments of Baxter's blood-thinner heparin, linked to 19 deaths, a U.S agency said. A foreign substance similar to heparin's chemical composition was found in as much as 25 percent of the material in the nine suspect lots of the drug, Dr. Janet Woodcock, acting director of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's center for drug evaluation and research, said Wednesday. Conventional quality and safety testing performed by Baxter and its supplier, Scientific Protein Laboratories, didn't uncover any variation because the substance was similar to heparin, the Chicago Tribune reported. "It acts like heparin in this test, so it looks like everything is fine in the test," said Woodcock, who didn't reveal how the material was discovered. The contaminant was present in the active pharmaceutical ingredient originating from Scientific Protein's plant in China, the FDA said, adding it was possible the substance could have been added at the company's Waunakee, Wis., plant or at Baxter's Cherry Hill, N.J., processing facility. In a statement, Baxter said the cause "may be associated with the crude heparin, sources from China, or from subsequent processing of that product before it reaches Baxter." Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4872.html COPENHAGEN, Denmark, -- An antibiotic-resistant bacteria called Extended Spectrum Beta Lactamase is killing people and swine in Denmark. Nyhedsavisen newspaper said the bacteria, which has infected more than 350 people in Denmark since 2003, has been implicated in the deaths of several cancer and liver disease patients, the Copenhagen Post reported. Hvidovre Hospital hospital outside Copenhagen said eight patients were diagnosed as having the ESBL bacteria in 2006 and the number jumped 50 percent last year. Denmark's health officials said the bacteria is being transmitted to humans through pigs but they're not sure how farmers and veterinarians who are not eating infected meat are becoming infected. "There's no proof that they are being infected on the farms, but where else would they get it?" Luca Guardabassi of the University of Copenhagen said. "It's very worrying that the increased use of antibiotics in agriculture has allowed these resistant strains to spread." Tue, 08 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4871.html WASHINGTON, -- A House oversight panel voted to subpoena the president of Hallmark/Westland Meat Co. to testify about the United States' largest recall of beef last month. The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations unanimously voted to subpoena Steve E. Mendell to answer questions about the recall of 143 million pounds of beef, some of which was used in school lunch programs, the committee said in a release Wednesday. "Millions of pounds of recalled meat arrived in schools across the country and the American people deserve to know what led to this," said Rep. John D. Dingell, D-Mich., chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee. "Mr. Mendell's testimony will add an important piece to the puzzle." The subcommittee's subpoena directs Mendell to testify March 12, said Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich."The unanimous support of Democrats and Republicans," Stupak said, "should send a clear message to Mr. Mendell that he cannot ignore congressional authority on this important issue which has already caused enormous problems for so many school districts, businesses and senior facilities." Mon, 07 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4870.html LONDON, -- A British report suggests a link between radiation exposure and heart disease for workers at nuclear power plants. A research team studied nearly 65,000 workers at four British power stations and found nuclear plant workers were more likely to die of a heart attack than of cancer caused by occupational radiation, The Daily Telegraph reported Tuesday. The finding, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, said the incidence of heart attacks and other problems were highest among workers with the highest levels of exposure. Researchers, however, said the study did not rule out the possibility that diet, exercise, socioeconomic status, shift work and stress may also be a factor. The Guardian newspaper said some of the workers began work in the industry as far back as 1946, with those who worked at nuclear sites before 1980 exposed to higher levels of radiation. Sun, 06 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4869.html COTTAGE GROVE, Minn., -- Exposure to the artificial acid C8 may increase death risks from stroke and prostate cancer in chemical plant workers, a study in Minnesota found. In a study submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, high death rates were found among 4,000 workers at 3M's chemical plant in Cottage Grove, Minn., The Charleston (W.Va.) Gazette reported. Employees exposed to C8 did not show a high risk of death when compared to the overall Minnesota population, but did show an increase when compared to other plant employees with little to no exposure. The study showed the "risk of death from prostate cancer and (stroke) was elevated for workers with higher estimated exposure." Two hundred percent more deaths than statistically expected were found in highly exposed workers, the report said. Results of the study reportedly confirm the findings of a 1993 study 3M claimed was inaccurate, and contribute to an increasing collection of research that questions the safety of C8. Sat, 05 Apr 2008 03:34:03 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4868.html LOS ANGELES, -- U.S. scientists have discovered biomarkers that predict which patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer will better respond to specific treatments. The researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center said the biomarkers predict which such patients will respond to a combination treatment of the anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex and the growth factor receptor blocker Tarceva. The scientists said their finding might help oncologists personalize treatment, prescribing drugs they know patients will respond to and sparing them from therapies that won't work. Dr. Steven Dubinett, senior author of the study, said the findings, if confirmed, would provide personalized drug combos as an alternative therapy. "We need good predictors of response to targeted therapy in lung cancer so individual patients receive the specific therapy that targets the particular molecular abnormalities of their tumors," said Dubinett. The research appears in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4867.html HELSINKI, Finland, -- Researchers in Finland found that when stroke patients listen to music for a couple of hours a day, their verbal memory and focused attention recover better. The study, published in the journal Brain, also said stroke patients who listened to music had a more positive mood than patients who did not listen to anything or who listened to audio books. First author Teppo Sarkamo, a doctoral student at the University of Helsinki and at the Helsinki Brain Research Centre, focused on patients who had suffered a stroke. The researchers recruited 60 patients to the single-blind, randomized, controlled trial from March 2004 to May 2006. They worked with the patients as soon as possible after they had been admitted to the hospital. Most of the stroke patients had problems with movement and with cognitive processes, such as attention and memory. Some were assigned to listening to music -- pop, classical, jazz or folk -- some to audio books and one group was the control. All received standard stroke rehabilitation. Three months after the stroke, verbal memory improved by 60 per-cent in music listeners, 18 percent in audio book listeners and 29 percent in the control group, the study said. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4866.html HAIFA, Israel, -- An Israeli study said women who live in well-lighted neighborhoods are more likely to develop breast cancer than those who live in darker areas. The findings of the study, which combined satellite images with local breast cancer statistics, support the theory that too much light at night raises the risk of breast cancer by interfering with the production of melatonin, The Washington Post reported Wednesday. The findings are published in the online version of the journal Chronobiology International. Lead author Itai Kloog of the University of Haifa said satellite data showing how much light was emitted from neighborhoods throughout Israel was overlaid with local statistics on cases of breast cancer. The researchers found the breast cancer rate in areas with average night lighting to be 37 percent higher than in communities with the lowest amount of light. Epidemiological studies of nurses, flight attendants and others who work at night have found breast cancer rates 60 percent above normal and an arm of the World Health Organization recently decided to classify shift work as a "probable carcinogen," the newspaper said. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4865.html BOULDER, Colo., -- U.S. scientists have created a technique that analyzes a person's breath to detect trace compounds that might provide early warning signs of disease. A team led by Jun Ye, a physicist at JILA -- a joint facility of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado at Boulder -- demonstrated the optical technique for simultaneously identifying tiny amounts of a broad range of molecules in the breath, potentially enabling a fast, low-cost screening tool for disease. "It is exciting to imagine the potential of analyzing all major biomarkers in one's breath at once," said Ye. "For example, nitric oxide can indicate asthma but it also appears in breath with many other lung diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis. "However," he added, "if we simultaneously monitor nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, hydro-peroxide, nitrites, nitrates, pentane and ethane, all important biomarkers for asthma, we can be much more certain for a definitive diagnosis of this important disease." The research is reported in the journal Optics Express. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:05:00 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4864.html COLUMBIA, Mo., -- U.S. scientists have found a minimally invasive surgical technique to treat craniosynostosis --the premature fusion of an infant's skull -- is effective. Surgeons have used one of two procedures to correct the problem. One procedure was to make an incision from ear to ear, strip back the infant's scalp and reshape the skull by breaking the fused bones. The other procedure required a small incision near the point of the fused skull plates. In the new study, University of Missouri School of Medicine researchers found the minimally invasive technique is just as effective and results in a quicker recovery time than the old technique. With craniosynostosis, two or more of the skull plates fuse prematurely, restricting growth in the head for the brain. "Instead of exposing the skull as surgeons do with the old technique, we are able to make two small incisions and remove a small strip of bone," said Assistant Professor Dr. Usiakimi Igbaseimokumo, who said the procedure is not only successful in correcting the problem but is also as effective than the older procedure in the long term. Igbaseimokumo presented the findings during a recent meeting of the International Society of Pediatric Neurosurgeons. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:22:56 -0400 http://www.naturallythere4you.com/Article4863.html AUGUSTA, -- U.S. scientists have discovered if a muscle cell fails to produce the protein beta-catenin, its neuron doesn't develop or function properly. Medical College of Georgia researchers said their finding provides some of the first proof that in vertebrates retrograde communication --from the target cell back to the neuron -- is essential. "Previously, we thought signals flow mainly from neuron to muscle. This shows they can be produced from muscle," said Dr. Lin Mei, the Medical College of Georgia's chief of developmental neurobiology. "This is some of the first clear genetic evidence that when you disturb something in the muscle, you have a nerve problem." Mei's team knocked out beta-catenin in the muscle cells of a developing mouse. As a result, nerve terminals were misaligned. Release of neuro-transmitters was impaired and the mice died prematurely. "Theoretically the finding is very important in that it supports the retrograde hypothesis," said Mei. "We believe there is a retrograde signal downstream of beta-catenin or regulated by beta-catenin. If you don't have beta-catenin in the muscle, that signal may be missing and motor neurons are not happy." The research is detailed online in the journal Nature Neuroscience. Mon, 31 Mar 2008 00:05:00 -0400