Duke Researchers Discover Central Role Of Nitric Oxide In Hemoglobin Action
...inside of vessel walls where it migrates to nearby muscle cellsand relaxes them, opening the vessel and lowering blood pressure. At the same time, researchers observed that this free nitric oxide was inactivatedby hemoglobin, as the iron molecule in hemoglobin essentially consumes NO. Adding these...Dangerous Chemical Combination Presents Possible Scenario For Gulf War Illnesses
...erve-cell overstimulation,contributing to tremors, muscle spasms and other symptoms of increased nerve-cellactivity. The research team is conducting a follow-up study analyzing blood samplesfrom veterans with and without symptoms to determine if low enzymatic activityis associated with signs of illness.......higher than averageheart rates, blood pressure and muscle tension as well as greater pupildilation and higher levels of norepinephrine, a brain chemical producedduring stress. Twin studies are uniquely useful for sorting out the complexinteraction of environment and genetics in language developmen...A Sensor, A Switch, A Zipper: Protein Engineers Design Potential Tool
...rocesses as diverse as gene transcription, muscle contraction, viral attack, and cell division. Please acknowledge partial funding for this work from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), a component of the National Institutes of Health dedicated to ...New Nonviral Gene Therapy System Could Help Fight Cancer
...NA and T7 RNApolymerase into a region of tissue or muscle containing diseasedcells. The DNA is taken up by the cells, and the genes begin toexpress in the cytoplasm. The problem with most gene therapy techniques is gettingthe corrective genes inside the nucleus of diseased cells, saidXandra Breakefield...Duke University Students Devise Devices For The Disabled
...d up his leg muscles, and allow him accessto other muscle groups by sitting off the ground instead of squatting," "It has also improved his baseball throwing and catching since hecan now shift his weight more naturally." Devices for the Disabled draws on Duke therapists "to suggest andsupervise projects t...Overweight Cats Risk Disease And Premature Death, Cornell Study Finds
...ess, caused by joint diseases such as arthritis or muscle injuries, compared to optimal weight cats. Heavy cats are three times more likely to suffer lameness. Obese cats are three times more likely to be presented to veterinarians for non-allergic skin conditions, probably because the cats cannot reach a...Cell-Membrane Proteins Appear To Play Key Role In Squid's Swiftness
...rane-channel proteins in the signaling of nerveand muscle cells, was surprised by the findings: "I was trained tothink sodium channels were all big and fast. It was difficult to think anythingas noble as a sodium channel could have anything to do with sluggardly behavior,even in slugs." A squid's faster so...Purdue Study Aims To Boost MRI Capabilities
...lds, causing sensations such as tingling or a weak muscle contraction," Bourland says. Nyenhuis says such effects may be caused by rapid changes in the intensity of the gradient magnetic fields, a process that is necessary to obtain images from MRI scanners. "These magnetic fields are key to obtaining a thr...New Vaccine Blocks Viral Entry In Cattle, May Have Implications For Human Vaccines
...tract." However, most vaccines are injected into muscle where they are supposed to mimic an actual infection, priming the immune system so it responds quickly when the real virus enters an animal or person. "When you inject a vaccine into a muscle, the immune system in a lymph node nearby makes antibodi...Calorie Restriction Reduces Age-Related Muscle Loss
...iction solate in an animal's life could reduce the muscle changes that occurregularly with aging," said UW M...ssor of medicine RichardWeindruch. "Age-associated muscle degeneration is seen in mostmammals, including humans." The new findings add to a growing body of e...Early Menarche Puts Young Girls In Peril
...have become so worried about their shape, size and muscle tone and discusses "breast buds," brassieres, figure control, dieting, clothes shopping, body piercing and genital piercing. "In a culture, where everything is 'up close and personal,' it should not surprise us that some young women today regard the...MGH-Led Team Finds Gene For Crippling Neurologic Disorder
...erm that generally refers to sustained,involuntary muscle contractions that can twist and contort parts of the body. Early-onset dystonia, usually appearing before the age of 11, is the most common and severe hereditary form of the disorder, affecting about 50,000 people in North America. Symptoms usually ...Purdue Research Shows Omega-3S Benefit Bone
...h chemicals are in your body to carry signals from muscle to bone. And one of the chemicals we need is the group of fats called omega-3 fatty acids. "This is most important for the young, whose bones are growing and changing at a rapid rate," Watkins says. He stresses that young children especially need to ...Scientists Use IGF-I To Grow New Membranes Around Neurons
... Because they stimulate growth of nerves, bone and muscle tissue, growth factors have been the subject of intensive research for the past decade. Scientists believe understanding how growth factors affect neural development could lead to new treatments for neurodegenerative diseases like diabetic neuropath...Experimental Trial Combines DNA Vaccine With Triple-Drug Therapy To Stop HIV
...ne. With the vaccine, viral DNA is introduced into muscle cells, which thenproduce HIV gene products, and muscle cells are not normally involved in an HIVinfection. According to the protocol for the new t...Transgenic Mice Created By Researchers May Shed Light On Human Heart Disease
...ic agents." Myosin is a major component of muscle tissue and "molecular motor"that creates the energ...mosomes. In humans and mice, healthy heart muscle is very organized anddensely packed with structural protein that allows it to contract, shesaid. Bu...Duke Researchers Develop First Treatment For Rare Muscle Disease
...les don't function normally. Usually, an important muscle proteinis missing or defective. Many doctors have been unsure if it is even possible toregenerate muscle tissue that has been damaged in these muscle-wasting diseases.Chen has now shown it is possible in p...Females' Siren Song Initiates Courtship Duets In African Frogs, Columbia Biologists Find
...ations. Connections betweenmale vocal neurons and muscle fibers is weak, but strengthen with use. Dr.Tobias had demonstrated that an isolated male vocal organ can be stimulated toproduce the advertisement call. Though the researchers understood the neuraland anatomical basis for frog songs, they had no i......body weight --was directly injected into the heart muscle near the blockage. Prior to using the treatment in humans, the scientists performed severalseries of animal experiments, most specifically in ischemic rat hearts. Havingfound that the FGF-I injection worked in those animal models, the r...