UCI scientists successfully target key HIV protein; breakthrough may lead to new drug therapies
Irvine, Calif., Sept. 23, 2004 -- In what may be a first step toward expanding the arsenal against HIV, UC Irvine researchers have successfully targeted an HIV protein that has eluded existing therapies. ... ...Researchers targeted Nef, a protein responsible for accelerating the development of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, or AIDS. Nef was targeted with small molecules synthesized by the re...Reducing allergens in the home helps inner-city children with asthma
DALLAS Sept. 9, 2004 A study designed to reduce the levels of indoor allergens conducted in the homes of inner-city children with asthma resulted in fewer asthma exacerbations and unscheduled visits for asthma during a two-year period, according to a UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas researcher who participated in the multicenter study. ... ...The National Institutes of Health study,...Medication reconciliation, pharmacist involvement vital to reducing medication errors, study finds
CHICAGO Obtaining complete and accurate medication histories of patients and instituting a medication reconciliation program are vital to reducing medication errors, a new study conducted at Northwestern Memorial Hospital has shown. The study demonstrated that when hospital pharmacists perform medication reconciliation, taking steps to ensure patients receive the correct medication and accurate...The telomere crisis: A crucial stage in breast cancer
BERKELEY, CA -- Telomere crisis is an important early event in the development of breast cancer, and its occurrence can be identified with precision, according to recent findings by a team of scientists at the Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California at San Francisco. Their report is now available through advance online publication of Nature Ge...Early clinical treatment can halt progression of Alzheimer's disease, UCI researchers find
Irvine, Calif. -- UC Irvine neurobiologists have provided the first evidence that early clinical treatment of brain lesions can halt the progression of Alzheimer's disease....... Working on genetically modified mice, the researchers found that using specific antibodies to clear a certain type of brain lesion reversed abnormalities arising from a second type of brain lesion, which halted the progr...UCI study reveals gene linked to breast cancer can suppress tumors
Irvine, Calif., July 28, 2004 -- A UC Irvine researcher has found a novel tumor- suppressor function for a gene that, when mutated, often triggers breast cancer in women. ...... The work also provides further evidence about how estrogen helps activate a disease that afflicts thousands of American women each year....... Dr. Ellis Levin, a professor of medicine, biochemistry and pharmacology at UCI...Growing new breed of vaccine-producing plants to fight human diseases worldwide
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA -- At his presentation at the annual meeting of the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB) here July 24, 2004, Arizona State University Professor Charles J. Arntzen explained the newest advances in his research on plant-producing vaccines. ... ...The development and introduction of new vaccines to improve global public health faces many challenges, Arntzen...Rutgers chemist uses NMR to elucidate protein-DNA interaction
NEWARK — Determining exactly how proteins connect with specific DNA sequences in human cells has eluded researchers and scientists for years. While it has been possible to record the speed at which a protein could bond with DNA, little was known about how proteins located and connected with a specific pattern of DNA to allow genes to express themselves in the form of traits such as facial ap...UNC scientists uncover crucial mechanism for blood vessel development
CHAPEL HILL -- New research at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill provides insights into the fundamental mechanisms controlling blood vessel formation and may have implications for therapies such as non-surgical restoration of circulation....... The study findings appear in the June 15 issue of the journal Blood....... Blood vessel formation, or angiogenesis, is an integral part of n...Researchers get to the root of cassava's cyanide-producing abilities
COLUMBUS, Ohio Cassava is the third-most important food... source in tropical countries, but it has one major problem: The roots... and leaves of poorly processed cassava plants contain a substance... that, when eaten, can trigger the production of cyanide....... That's a serious problem for the 500......Dartmouth engineers closer to mass-producing therapeutic proteins
Hanover, N.H. -- Dartmouth engineers are one step closer to mass-producing therapeutic proteins desperately needed by today's pharmaceutical industry. ... ...Reported in today's early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy Of Sciences, the researchers have achieved a major milestone in their efforts to effectively produce human therapeutics using a yeast-based protein expressio...New compound 'highly efficacious' at reducing human tumour growth
Innsbruck, Austria: Treatment with a new dual cell cycle and angiogenesis pathway inhibitor blocks VEGF-induced vascular permeability, inhibits tumour angiogenesis and induces apoptosis in human tumour models said Dr. Gerhard Siemeister of Schering AG, Corporate Research, Berlin speaking at the 18th meeting of the European Association of Cancer Research today (Tuesday 6 July, 2004).... ...Loss of...Japanese researchers develop novel method of introducing transgenes into animals
Reproductive biologists at Kyoto University have succeeded in producing the first animal offspring with transgenic material carried directly from sperm stem cells "infected" by a retrovirus. Some of the resulting transgenic mice reproduced and passed on the new genetic material to their offspring....... The team of researchers, headed by Dr. Takashi Shinohara, injected the retrovirus into the sem...When combining new oral anti-cancer agents with standard chemotherapy, timing may be crucial
(NEW ORLEANS) -- Timing may be everything when it comes to combining the new-generation oral, molecularly targeted anti-cancer agents with standard chemotherapy drugs, UC Davis Cancer Center researchers reported Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncologists. ... ..."Many of the new molecularly targeted anti-cancer agents work by inhibiting cancer cell division an...Researchers identify gene linked to sperm-producing stem cells in mammals
Researchers have identified the first gene linked to the productivity of the stem cells that produce sperm in mammals. The discovery was made by applying the latest laboratory methods to a strain of mice restored from embryos frozen since the early 70s. The findings, which could someday have implications for infertility, contraception, and stem cell transplantation therapy, will be published in...Insulin-producing pancreatic cells are replenished by duplication
Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers at Harvard University have discovered that insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas that are attacked in type 1 diabetes are replenished through duplication of existing cells rather than through differentiation of adult stem cells. ...Although the experiments, which were done using mice, do not rule out the possibility that there are adult...Urban runoff poses increased health threat for surfers, other beach users, UCI study shows
Irvine, Calif., April 5, 2004 -- Surfing the beaches south of Los Angeles can make you sick to your stomach literally. ...According to a UC Irvine study of hundreds of surfers, urban beach water made surfers ill twice as often as did ocean surf in more rural areas. The findings suggest that widespread exposure to urban runoff at beaches in highly populated areas increases health risks to all swi...Crucial brain development gene identified
Scientists have identified a gene in mice that is necessary for normal brain development and may contribute to the most common form of primary brain tumors in children....... Dr. Valeri Vasioukhin and colleagues at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have discovered that a gene known as "lethal giant larvae 1" (a.k.a. Lgl1) plays a critical role in shaping cell behavior during embryonic br...Ancient DNA mutations permitted humans to adapt to colder climates, UCI researchers find
Irvine, Calif., Jan. 12, 2004 -- How did early humans who migrated from Africa survive in the colder climates of Europe, Asia and the New World? According to a new UC Irvine study, it may be the same reason some people today are more prone to obesity, Alzheimer's disease and the effects of aging. ... In the Jan. 9, 2004, issue of Science, a UCI research team reports that key mutations in the mito...Stem cells isolated from monkey eggs continue producing variety of other cells
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - A line of monkey stem cells, produced without the use of an embryo, has reproduced for more than two years and still retains the capability of differentiating into a variety of tissue types, a research team reports in the current on-line edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ... Kent Vrana, Ph.D., professor of physiology and pharmacology at Wake Fo...UNC researchers identify protein crucial to gene silencing
CHAPEL HILL -- A cellular protein identified by scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill may be the crucial molecular element for gene silencing.... ... The research findings, published Aug. 29 in the science journal Molecular Cell, add important knowledge to the understanding of epigenetic signals. These chemical signals affect the modulation of gene expression - activation...Scientists map signaling molecule crucial to survival, disease
A chemical sleight of hand by UCSF scientists has pinpointed for the first time where small molecules called phosphates bind to proteins in cells, allowing them to send signals and giving organisms a way to adapt to rapidly changing conditions.... ...Diabetes, hypertension and many cancers arise when these simple molecules bind incorrectly or not at all. Mapping their location on proteins sh...Researchers identify molecular signaling system that is crucial for plant fertility
University of Chicago researchers have found that a substance that functions as a neurotransmitter in humans also plays a crucial role in plant reproduction, guiding growth of the tube that transports sperm from a pollen grain on a flower's surface to the egg cells within a plant's ovules. ...... Their finding, published in the July 11, 2003, issue of the journal Cell, is a major step forward in...Estrogens as antioxidants reducing heart disease in younger postmenopausal women
HRT could be used to protect younger postmenopausal women from heart disease. An article published in the journal Lipids in Health and Disease shows that estrogens commonly used in HRT reduce the build up of harmful oxidised lipoproteins, which can lead to heart disease, by acting as antioxidants....... It is well known that high-density lipoproteins (HDL) protect against heart disease while low...Reducing the risk of frost damage to short-season crops
MADISON, WI, JUNE 23, 2003 Scientists from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are investigating the importance of flowering and how to control it. Early flowering and maturity reduces the risk of frost damage and this is an important variety trait for soybeans grown in areas with short growing seasons. ... ...Flowering time in soybeans is controlled by day length. Soybean plants will flower early...UCI biologist proposes trimming some branches
Irvine, Calif., June 18, 2003 -- In a new analysis of recent fossil findings, UC Irvine biologist Francisco J. Ayala concludes that our evolutionary tree is weighed down by too many branches.... ...Currently, there are as many as seven recognized groups or branches to the Hominid tree, which encompass the entire human lineage. Ayala, who received the 2002 National Medal of Science for advances in...High-producing dairy cows are not more susceptible to illness
Dutch research has dismissed the commonly held view that cows with a very high milk production are more susceptible to disease than cows with a lower milk production. PhD student Esther Kornalijnslijper will present the results behind this and other findings at the symposium 'Limits to Animal Welfare and Production' which will be held in Utrecht on 10 April 2003....... It was thought that cows wi...UCLA biologists elucidate fertilization process
UCLA graduate student Jeffrey Riffell and UCLA biology professor Richard Zimmer report the first experimental test on the role of small-scale physics as it influences the interactions between sperm and egg, and the consequences for fertilization, at the annual conference of the Association for Chemoreception Sciences in Sarasota, Fla., April 10. ......The physics of fluid motion has a profound co...Brain gliomas progress as function of crucial gene is lost
For the first time, researchers are characterizing the molecular processes that turn brain cancer deadly, and their work may result in a diagnostic test that can predict patient survival....... The research, by scientists at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center demonstrates that degree of loss of a crucial tumor suppressor gene, the AP-2( transcription factor, correlates with pro...Scientists find evidence for crucial root in the history of plant evolution
NEW ORLEANS, March 25 If ancient plants had not migrated from the shallow seas of early Earth to the barren land of the continents, life as we know it might never have emerged. And now it appears this massive floral colonization may have been spurred by a single genetic mutation that allowed primitive plants to make lignin, a chemical process that leads to the formation of a cell wall.... ...The...Bone marrow stem cells are a source of insulin-producing cells
In a finding that may open a new avenue to treating diabetes, researchers show that cells from the bone marrow give rise to insulin-producing cells in the pancreas of mice. These morphed cells actually produce the hormone insulin in response to glucose and display other characteristics demonstrating that they truly function as pancreas cells, according to a new study by researchers from NYU Schoo...Peoples' household dynamics crucial to biodiversity
EAST LANSING, Mich. A new study that examines the world's increasing number of households even where populations decline draws a strong link between the lifestyles of humans and the fates of animals such as pandas and crocodiles....... Michigan State University scientist Jianguo (Jack) Liu and colleagues at Stanford University, in the Jan. 12 Advanced Online Publication (www.nature.com) of the...UCI study offers blueprint for pinpointing sources of beach water pollution
Irvine, Calif., Jan. 9, 2003 -- A UC Irvine-led study has proved instrumental for significantly improving the quality of beach water at a popular California tourist destination. The same study also provides the blueprint for assisting similar beachside communities with an innovative approach for pinpointing the causes of water pollution....... The research was headed by UCI environmental engineer...A new approach holds promise for reducing cocaine craving
New understanding of the changes in brain chemistry caused by chronic cocaine use has suggested a novel treatment that could reduce the intense craving that forms the core of cocaine addiction.... ..."Our studies show that administration of an existing drug n-acetyl cysteine, which is used to treat cystic fibrosis and several other disorders reverses the changes in brain chemistry that appear t...Crucial gene found for embryonic stem cell maintenance
Scientists from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a gene necessary for the normal progression of early mammalian embryogenesis and the establishment of embryonic stem cell lines. This work represents a significant advance in our understanding of the complex genetic framework that supports early mammalian development and stem cell pluripotency....... Critical to the...Researchers elucidate machinery of major anti-cancer target
DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University Medical Center biochemists have reported the detailed function of an enzyme that is a key component of a signaling pathway important for about 30 percent of cancers. Their surprising findings about how the enzyme, called farnesyl transferase (FTase), works could help improve the FTase-inhibiting drugs that pharmaceutical companies are now testing to fight a broad s...Researchers characterize a crucial family of signaling proteins in the human genome
In this month's Genome Biology, Mitch Kostich and colleagues from the Schering-Plough Research Institute (NJ, USA) have identified and mapped an important group of molecules known as protein kinases. These molecules are central to the communication of information both within and between cells, in a process known as cell signaling. Defective protein kinases are associated with hundreds of human di...UCI Samueli School researchers to study wetlands impact on coastal water quality
Irvine, Calif., Aug. 13, 2002 -- A team of Southern California researchers led by Stanley B. Grant, an environmental engineer in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering at UC Irvine, has been awarded a $640,000 grant from the UC Office of the President to study how coastal wetlands affect the levels of fecal pollution along the Southern California coast. ...... Working with Grant on the project a...Scientists discover chromatin-modifying enzyme crucial for normal development
Over the past few years, covalent modifications of histone tails have emerged as an important mechanism of gene regulation in eukaryotes. Now, scientists have identified a major euchromatic histone methyltransferase in mammalian cells that is crucial for normal embryonic development, and possibly the prevention of cancer. ...... In a report published in Genes & Development, Dr. Yoichi Shinkai and...Corroding plumbing materials producing environmental problems
BLACKSBURG, Va., July 10, 2002 Many factors influence the quality of drinking water and a burgeoning new problem is raising concern. Metallic plumbing materials, capable of lasting for centuries, are occasionally corroding at a very fast rate. This deterioration is producing some extraordinary costs and environmental problems to consumers and to industry. ...... To address the resulting health c...