Highlights of American Chemical Society national meeting in Philadelphia, Aug. 22-26
... ...PHILADELPHIA -- Advancements in national meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world's largest scientific soci...NJIT chemist speaks Aug. 25 about compound derived from pine tree
NEWARK, Aug 17 --Using a compound derived from a pine tree, chemists at New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) have produced a new environmentally-friendly class of synthesized chemical compounds called chiral ionic liquids. These solvents are salts that are liquid at room temperatures, can be tailored to dissolve coal, crude oil, inks, plastics, DNA, and even rocks. ......The researchers wil...Other highlights in the August 18 JNCI
...... A new study has identified five chromosomal regions that are likely to harbor prostate cancer susceptibility genes....... Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death among men in the United States. Family history is one of the most well-established risk factors for the disease, but no genes that confer prostate cancer susceptibility have been found to date....... In an ana...JCI table of contents, 16 August, 2004
... ...Under conditions of stress, molecular mechanisms stop cells from consuming their source of energy, ATP, and trigger them to begin to produce ATP. This is done by inducing cells to stop any biochemical pathways that use energy and by turning on processes that take up glucose and free fatty acids from their surroundings in order to rebuild their ATP reservoir. The main protein involved in...Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, August 2004
To arrange for an interview with a researcher, please contact the Communications and Community Outreach staff member identified at the end of each tip....... ...... The way growing piles of sand behave -- with bursts of energy that result in large and small avalanches -- has served as a model for fusion researchers seeking insight into the way magnetically confined plasmas behave in fusion reacto...Other highlights in the August 4 JNCI
...... Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol--the "good" cholesterol--are associated with an increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer in overweight and obese women, according to a new study....... Low HDL cholesterol is a component of metabolic syndrome, which is also characterized by obesity, glucose intolerance, and hypertension. Both metabolic syndrome and breast canc...JCI table of contents, 2 August, 2004
...... Stroke is the second largest cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of long-term neurological disability. Therapies for stroke victims are improving, but remain hampered by the limited repair capacity of nerves in the brain and the unique properties of brain vasculature. Akihiko Taguchi and colleagues, of the National Cardiovascular Center in Japan, make great strides in providi...Virginia Tech's smelly 'corpse plant' due to bloom Aug. 4
Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech has a second Amorphophallus titanum, or "corpse plant," ready to bloom and emit its intensely powerful stench. People are invited to tie bandanas over their noses and come see the rare and unusual plant....... The horticulture greenhouse containing the plant is open to visitors Monday through Friday, July 26-30, and August 2-6, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The likely date f...LA BioMed Medical/Research Briefs, July/August 2004
... ... ... ... ... ...In coalition with major health and business groups throughout California, LA BioMed has indicated its support for the California Stem Cell Bond Issue Initiative that recently qualified for November's ballot. The initiative will allocate money from a $3 billion bond to fund promising, California-based stem cell research. ... ...The initiative will distribute an average of...Colorado River Conference Aug. 26
Issues affecting the Colorado River, the major river of the American Southwest, will be discussed Thurs. Aug. 26 at the University of Utah's Heritage Center.... ... Titled "Water Management in the Colorado River Basin," the conference is sponsored by the Southwest Center for Environmental Research (SCERP), a consortium of five U.S. universities and several Mexican research institutes. The Utah E...New multidisciplinary research tops chemists' meeting Aug. 22-26
From the lab bench to the supermarket and even into space, scientists will present new multidisciplinary research at the 228 national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Philadelphia, Aug. 22-26....... The meeting will be held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch St., and surrounding hotels. More than 12,000 scientists are expected to attend. Approximately 7,000 presentations...Harvard Stem Cell Institute hosts inaugural symposia
Cambridge, MA (April 23, 2004)--Seven Harvard schools, seven Harvard-affiliated teaching hospitals, and close to 100 researchers and scientists are banding together in an ambitious new institute with a simple goal: to explore the promising area of stem cell research. ... ... The Harvard Stem Cell Institute holds its inaugural symposia today comprised of a day-long series of presentations for the...Gene chips help gauge chemotherapy's effectiveness in adult leukemia patients
BOSTON Taking a "snapshot" of gene activity can help doctors to determine which adult leukemia patients are likely to benefit from therapy and how long their remission is likely to last, researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the University "La Sapienza" in Rome have found. ......In a study to be published in the April 1 issue of Blood, researchers used "gene expression analysis" to mea...ANN ARBOR, Mich.---An experiment which forced E. coli bacteria to adapt or perish showed that, in a pinch, they were capable of improvising a novel molecular tool to save their skins.... ..."The bacteria reached for a tool that they had, and made it do something it doesn't normally do," said James Bardwell, an associate professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University...JCI Table of Contents, 15 August 2003
... ...In an unusual paradox, asthmatics that are chronically treated with bronchodilating beta-agonist medications such as albuterol, ventolin, and salbutamol may ultimately develop increased sensitivity to airway constriction and experience exacerbation of their condition. A new study by Stephen Liggett and colleagues at the University of Cincinnati in the August 15 issue of the Journal of Cl...Science picks: Leads, feeds and story seeds for August 2003
Dog days of summer got you down? Here are a host of summer science story ideas sure to refresh your slow summer stories like a tall, cold glass of sweet tea. This monthly collection of science stories can help you cover ongoing earth and natural science research and investigations at USGS---photos and web links are provided to enhance your story. ...... ... ...... ... Last year, USGS unveiled a...World Congress on Huntington's Disease to meet in Toronto, August 16-19, 2003
(Toronto, Ontario, Canada) -- Huntington's disease (HD) researchers, clinicians, and members of the HD community from around the world will convene August 16-19 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada for the World Congress on Huntington's Disease. A scientific program will feature presentations on the genetics and mechanisms of HD, as well as recent discoveries and experimental treatments. Research clinicia...Cancer could be caught before it develops
An article published in the journal BMC Medical Informatics and Decision Making describes the creation of the first comprehensive listing and classification of precancers, drawn from the medical literature. Using this classification, the precancers have been organized into groups that share similar biologic profiles and, hopefully, similar treatments. ...... Precancers precede invasive cancers....Biotechnology taught as a tool for teaching
Blacksburg, Va. -- The global threat of Ebola Virus, biologically-inspired materials development at NASA, and work toward enhancing the nutrient value of foods through transgenics are among topics to be discussed at the 8th Biotechnology Educators' Conference at Virginia Tech July 16 to 19.... ...These presentations by nationally recognized experts will cap the East Coast's premier biotechnology...Monkey's memory cells caught in the act of learning
NIH-funded scientists have detected direct evidence of individual brain cells signaling the formation of new memories. Neurons they call "changing cells" in the hippocampus, the brain's memory hub, emit telltale signals as a monkey learns an associative memory task, the researchers have discovered. While past studies established that new associative memories such as learning the name of a new ac...Caught sleeping: Study captures virus dormant in human cells
Princeton scientists have taken an important step toward understanding a virus that infects and lies dormant in most people, but emerges as a serious illness in transplant patients, some newborns and other people with weakened immune systems....... The virus, called human cytomegalovirus, enters the bone marrow and can hide there for a lifetime. Until now, however, scientists had not been able to...Michael B. Sporn, M.D., to receive inaugural cancer prevention award
Michael B. Sporn, M.D., a pioneering cancer researcher who laid the foundation for the field of chemoprevention, has been selected the inaugural recipient of the AACR-Cancer Research Foundation Award for Excellence in Cancer Prevention Research. ...... The international award, to be given annually by the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and the Cancer Research Foundation of America...(Little Rock) Back in the mid-1980s, W. Sue T. Griffin, Ph.D., had a wild idea: What if functions of immune molecules in the brain contributed to Alzheimer's disease?... ...She has come a long way. Today, scientists widely accept the theory that first met with laughter. Moreover, Dr. Griffin has moved on from explaining how Alzheimer's disease occurs and predicting who will get the disease to fin...Other highlights in the August 21 issue of JNCI
...The incidence of AIDS-associated Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is going down, according to a study of U.S. cancer incidence patterns between 1973 and 1998. The findings appear in the August 21 issue of the .... ... Cases of KS and NHL rose dramatically in the United States in the 1980s, mainly because of the onset of the AIDS epidemic. However, during the 1990s, the...Netting the NET: An anorexia nervosa gene is caught!
Anorexia nervosa mainly afflicts young women. The sufferers become obsessed with the importance of losing weight to the point where they become skeletal. A fatal outcome is all too common in this serious disorder. To decrease their weight, sufferers either restrict their eating only (restricting anorexia nervosa), or vomit what they eat....... Stress and anxiety are emotions experienced intensely...ASPB Annual Meeting, August 3-7, media tip sheet
The American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) annual meeting in Denver, Colorado August 3-7, 2002 will include presentations on the most recent major findings in plant research. Special guest Dr. Norman Borlaug, Nobel Peace Prize Laureate and Father of the Green Revolution, will speak on "Prospects for World Agriculture in the 21st Century." All programs will be presented in the Adam's Mark H...AAAS awards the Philip Abelson Prize to 'Green Revolution' champion Norman Borlaug
BOSTON, MASS. - What began as a "quiet" wheat revolution in Mexico took on global proportions in the 1960s, when the "Green Revolution" averted millions of people from the threat of famine. Norman Borlaug, often credited with establishing this potent increase in crop production in developing countries over a short period of time, receives the American Association for the Advancement of Science (A...APS August/September journal hot picks
... ...Children with burn injuries and exercise, cloning a 200-million year old vertebrate for research on newborn liver disease, asthma and allergy sufferers and their bronchial responses, exercise studies on elite athletes, differences among black and white females exercisers, and effective techniques for teaching science are among the current research ...highlights published by the American...Mothers transmit DNA through daughters only
Scientists have argued whether or not the often-studied mitochondrial DNA molecule is clonally inherited. It is with assuming clonal inheritance this type of DNA has been used to track the origin of modern human as well as to draw pictures of genetic relationships among other animals and plants. The conflict has now been solved by two evolutionary geneticists from Uppsala University in Sweden, w...American Chemical Society meeting features cutting-edge research August 26-30 in Chicago
... ... ... ...CHICAGO More than 6,000 cutting-edge research findings will be presented at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society, August 26-30, in Chicago. Nearly 10,000 scientists are e...Designer diets: ACS symposium will explore relationships between diet and genes, August 28-29
...The old adage, "you are what you eat," faces an update as a prescription to "eat what you are." If researchers are correct, the diet of the future may be custom-tailored to the shape of our personal genetic profiles. Scientists believe the emerging science of nutrigenomics, which studies interactions between genes and diet, may lead to better treatments for diseases including diabetes, cance...American Chemical Society meets August 26-30 in Chicago
The latest research involving the role diet may play in cancer prevention, the safety of herbal foods, advances in forensic techniques and contaminants of the Great Lakes region are among the topics scheduled for discussion at the 222nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society August 26-30 in Chicago.... ...The world's largest scientific society expects approximately 10,000 scientists to...UNC Center for Genome Sciences to inaugurate new seminar series with help of national experts
CHAPEL HILL -- The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hills new Center for Genome Sciences will kick off a seminar series on functional genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics Aug. 27 with a talk by Dr. Oliver Smithies, one of the universitys most distinguished scientists.... More than a dozen other national experts in those fields will follow during the 2001-2002 academic year. ...Smithies...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology: August 2001
... ... A genetically engineered poliovirus vaccine appears to be an effective new strategy for an AIDS vaccine in women. Researchers from the University of California system and the National Cancer Institute report in the August 2001 issue of the Journal of Virology a poliovirus-based vaccine that protects monkeys from a highly virulent strain of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV).... The vac...August media highlights GEOLOGY and GSA TODAY
BOULDER, Co. The Geological Society of America has just released the August issue of GEOLOGY which contains a number of newsworthy items. Highlights from GEOLOGY and a summary of the science article for the August GSA TODAY are provided below. ... ...Please discuss articles of interest with the authors before publishing stories on their work, and please make reference to GEOLOGY or GSA TODAY in...9,000-mile coastline voyage will include much-anticipated ...repatriation of sacred artifacts removed in 1899 ... ...NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--Just over a century ago, industrialist and railroad magnate Edward Harriman chartered a ship to take his family on a pleasure cruise to Alaska, one of the last remaining expanses of unexplored wilderness and open space on the North American continent. ...What...Pooling worldwide data about childhood tumors helps researchers gauge aggressiveness of treatment
.Philadelphia, Pa.Sorting types of cancer into higher- and lower-risk groups is not merely a matter of scientific interest, but a matter of life and death. Undertreating a highly aggressive cancer could lead to the preventable death of a child, whereas overtreating a less aggressive form may subject a child to unnecessary side effects and complications. With some children, what is left undone ma...Heat kills inoperable liver tumors without initiating onslaught of harmful hormones
.By Melanie Fridl Ross .Gainesville, FL --- The hottest new weapon in the surgeon's arsenal against liver cancer uses heat instead of cold, a shift that could put the freeze on what until now has been the standard therapy for inoperable tumors. What's more, it's easy, cheap and considerably less risky to perform than surgery or using cold to zap malignancies. . Now University of Florida resea.... No self-respecting parent would raise a new baby on a diet of sugar alone. Instead, good parents are careful to give mothers milk or to mix formula containing all the energy and nutrients baby needs to grow.. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is not such a doting parent. In a study to be published in the November 30 issue of Nature, Arizona State University ecologist Jim Elser and his colleagues (....If you think that global warming is some far-off problem for future generations to worry about, consider what George Somero has to say. . As acting director of Stanford`s Hopkins Marine Station, Somero has to walk only a few dozen steps from his lab to the waters of Monterey Bay, where he and other marine biologists have found disturbing signs that higher ocean temperatures have transformed wil...