ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Microscopic 'Clutch' Puts Flagellum In Neutral Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT A tiny but powerful engine that propels the bacterium Bacillus subtilis through liquids is disengaged from the corkscrew-like flagellum by a protein clutch, scientists have learned. Scientists have long known what drives the flagellum to spin, but what causes the flagellum to stop spinning -- temporarily or permanently -- was unknown.

Lifestyle Can Alter Gene Activity, Lead To Insulin Resistance Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT A Finnish study of identical twins has found that physical inactivity and acquired obesity can impair expression of the genes which help the cells produce energy. The findings suggest that lifestyle, more than heredity, contributes to insulin resistance in people who are obese. Insulin resistance increases the chance of developing diabetes and heart disease.

New Findings On Immune System In Amphibians Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) genes produce proteins that are crucial in fighting pathogen assault. Researchers characterized genetic variation and detected more than one MHC class II locus in a tailed amphibian. Unlike mammals, not much has been known until now about the immune defense of amphibians.

New Discoveries Get To The Heart Of Cardiovascular Disease Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT Even if you eat right and exercise regularly, chances are high that you'll still die of a heart attack or stroke. But thanks to new findings the odds may finally shift in your favor. Two unrelated studies on atherosclerosis that have the potential to save millions of lives.

World's Only Captive Hairy-nosed Otter Gets New Home Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT The world's only captive hairy-nosed otter is given a chance for survival in a new home. Thought to be extinct in the 1990s, the hairy-nosed otter is known to survive only in a few regions of Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Sumatra. Otters in Asia are increasingly threatened by the illegal international fur trade. They are also captured for pets or killed for use in traditional medicines. Another growing threat is loss of habitat, due in part to impacts from global climate change.

Intimate Examinations Should Not Be Performed Without Consent, Editorial Argues Posted: 23 Jun 2008 10:00 AM CDT Intimate examinations, performed by medical students on anesthetised patients, are often carried out without adequate consent from patients, but this violates their basic human rights and should not be allowed, claims an editorial.

DNA Study Unlocks Mystery To Diverse Traits In Dogs Posted: 23 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT New research reveals locations in a dog's DNA that contain genes that scientists believe contribute to differences in body and skull shape, weight, fur color and length -- and possibly even behavior, trainability and longevity.

Drug Reverses Mental Retardation Caused By Genetic Disorder; Hope For Correcting How Autism Disrupts Brain Posted: 23 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT A new UCLA study shows that the FDA-approved drug rapamycin reverses mental retardation in mice with a genetic disease called tuberous sclerosis complex. Because half of TSC patients also suffer from autism, the findings offer a possible mechanism for addressing learning disorders due to autism.

DNA Knot Keeps Viral Genes Tightly Corked Inside Shell, Scientists Discover Posted: 23 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT A novel twist of DNA may keep viral genes tightly wound within a capsule, waiting for ejection into a host, a high-resolution analysis of its structure has revealed. Using electron microscopy and three-dimensional computer reconstruction, biologists and chemists have produced the most detailed image yet of the protein envelope of an asymmetrical virus and the viral DNA packed within.

Gene Mutation Improves Leukemia Drug's Effect, Study Shows Posted: 23 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Gene mutations that make cells cancerous can sometimes also make them more sensitive to chemotherapy. People with acute myeloid leukemia whose leukemic cells have mutations in the RAS gene are more likely to be cured when treated after remission with high doses of the drug cytarabine. It also suggests that testing for RAS mutations might help doctors identify which AML patients should receive high-dose cytarabine as their post-remission therapy. The findings could change how doctors manage these patients.

The Time Is Ripe For An Apple That Tastes Like Berries And One That Doesn't Brown Posted: 23 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Mention an apple and most people will immediately associate the word with a crisp, juicy, sweet-tart red fruit. But ask Cornell fruit geneticist Susan Brown about apples, and she'll share visions of deep red flesh or skin patterned like feathers on a bird's back, of flavors like anise, berries or roses. She'll talk of apples loaded with cancer-preventive antioxidants or as much vitamin C as an orange, that don't brown when cut or go soft in storage.

Sexually Transmitted Disease, Urinary Tract Infections May Be Bad Combination For Birth Defect Posted: 23 Jun 2008 07:00 AM CDT Women who reported having both a sexually transmitted disease and urinary tract infection just before or during early pregnancy were four times more likely to have babies with gastroschisis -- a severe birth defect in which infants are born with their intestines and other internal organs outside the abdomen.

Tissue Regeneration: New Source Of Heart Stem Cells Discovered Posted: 23 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers have pinpointed a new, previously unrecognized group of stem cells that give rise to cardiomyocytes, or heart muscle cells. These stem cells, located in the surface of the heart, or epicardium, advance the hope of being able to regenerate injured heart tissue.

New Weight Loss Diet Recommends High-carb And Protein Big Breakfast Posted: 23 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT Researchers have found a possible way to overcome the common problem of dieters eventually abandoning their diet and regaining the weight they lost. Eat a big breakfast packed with carbohydrates and protein, then follow a low-carb, low-calorie diet the rest of the day, the authors of a new study recommend. Only five percent of carbohydrate-restrictive diets are successful after two years, one of the researchers said. Most carbohydrate-restrictive diets, she said, do not address addictive eating impulses.

Urologists Identify Seven Biomarkers That May Help Pinpoint Prostate Cancer Recurrence Posted: 23 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT A simple blood test may help doctors better predict whether prostate cancer will recur or spread in patients who have undergone surgery for the disease, researchers have found.

Testosterone Replacement Benefits Older Men With Low Testosterone, Studies Suggest Posted: 23 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT In older men with low testosterone levels, testosterone replacement therapy improves their risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, according to two new studies.

Heritage Of A Deadly Disease Pinpointed With Help From Iceland's Genealogical Database Posted: 23 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT Scientists have used Iceland's genealogical database to trace the ancestors of patients suffering from hereditary cystatin C amyloid angiopathy. Analysis shows that the deadly mutation in the cystatin C gene, L68Q, derives from a common ancestor born roughly 18 generations ago, around 1550AD.

'Feeling Fat' Is Worse Than Being It, German Study Finds Posted: 23 Jun 2008 04:00 AM CDT The quality of life of adolescents who think they are too fat is worse than for adolescents who really are obese. This was a result of the all Germany Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS) of the Robert Koch Institute, as presented by Bärbel-Maria Kurth and Ute Ellert in the current edition of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International.

Hypertension Treatment Effective In Reversing Vascular Damage, Study Suggests Posted: 23 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT A hypertension medication called olmesartan medoxomil is effective in reversing the narrowing of the arteries that occurs in patients with high blood pressure. One of the study's lead investigators and director of the Hypertension and Vascular Research Center at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, said, "We believe the data add to the growing evidence for the role of angiotensin receptor blockers in preventing or reversing vascular damage at many stages during this disease process."

Lack Of Certain Gene Expression Sets Stage For Breast Cancer Posted: 23 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT Scientists have identified key steps in breast-tissue cell division that go awry when CHFR's action is low or absent. The gene's expression is missing in more than a third of breast cancers. The findings could make it possible to identify which patients are more likely to benefit from taxanes, a class of widely used cancer drugs which includes paclitaxel and docetaxel.

Potential Protein Biomarkers For Growth Hormone Identified Posted: 23 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT Scientists have identified several proteins in mice that might act as biomarkers for growth hormone. The research could be the first step to finding a more reliable way to detect recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH), which some athletes and teenagers use illegally to in an effort to boost muscle and reduce fat.

New Web Resource To Improve Crop Engineering Posted: 23 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT The Carnegie Institution's Department of Plant Biology has announced the launch of a new web-based resource that promises to help researchers around the world meet increasing demands for food production, animal feed, biofuels, industrial materials, and new medicines.

Family Stress And Child's Temper Extremes Contribute To Anxiety And Depression In Children Posted: 23 Jun 2008 01:00 AM CDT Small children who grow up in a family where the mother has psychological distress, the family is exposed to stress or is lacking social support, are at higher risk of developing anxious and depressive symptoms in early adolescence. Girls are more vulnerable than boys, and very timid or short-tempered children are more vulnerable than others to develop emotional problems. This is shown in a new doctorate study from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health.

Stroke Study Reveals Key Target For Improving Treatment And Suggests That Gleevec May Help Posted: 21 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT For over a decade, the drug called tPA has proven its worth as the most effective emergency treatment for the most common kind of stroke, but bleeding risks and a limited time window for treatment have held it back. Now, a new study reveals why tPA has these limitations and gives tantalizing evidence about how those problems might be overcome, if a stroke victim first takes a drug currently used to treat leukemia.

A Plane With Wings Of Glass? Posted: 21 Jun 2008 11:00 PM CDT Glass is actually a "jammed" state of matter that moves very slowly. Like cars in a traffic jam, atoms in a glass can't reach their destination because the route is blocked by their neighbors, so it never quite becomes a "proper" solid. Now scientists have revealed that glass "fails" to be a solid due to the special atomic structures that form in a glass when it cools.

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