Researchers discover major diabetes susceptibility gene
...e human genome. This minute alteration of the DNA acts in a recessive manner; individuals who inherit two copies of the "G" version have increased risk for diabetes. "Finding a significant mutation in an intron is almost, but not entirely, unheard of," noted Bell. There are other examples. One was fo...UI researchers develop test indicating cystic fibrosis lungs are infected with bacterial biofilms
... the lungs of CF patients looks like a biofilm and acts like a biofilm, until now there has not been an objective test available to confirm that it is a biofilm. The researchers also did not know what proportion of the P. aeruginosa might be in a biofilm in the lung. "We needed a way to show that the Ps...Scientists Scientists detect mom's influence on obesity and diabetes
...ry) report that an animal's 'maternal environment' acts together with genetics to increase the risk of obesity and obesity-related diabetes. Type II diabetes particularly afflicts obese individuals. Numerous genes and environmental factors, like sedentary lifestyle, interact to produce a predisposition f......t can be used to rapidly and accurately respond to acts of bioterrorism. BMSI addresses a national need ...nd other public health organizations to respond to acts of bioterrorism. The CDC and AHRQ are part of the Department of Health and Human Services. Accordi...Singing silently during sleep helps birds learn songs
...ed. "If we can describe the rules by which sleep acts on song learning, these lessons may apply to learning in other animals, including humans," said Margoliash. "Neurobiologists have often found that lessons learned from weird and wonderful animals apply to all animals. The beautiful songs of birds cou......lops into a fluorescent secondary head. That HEADY acts as a developmental switch to pattern the apical-basal axis of Hydra provides the first insight into how initial asymmetry is specified in lower metazoan animals. Furthermore, it supports the view that peptides have played a key role as developmental ...Tiny RNA may be universal regulator of developmental timing in animals
... makes a strong case that the let-7 regulatory RNA acts universally in animal development to trigger a major temporal transition, from larval to adult forms, in many species. While humans and other mammals do not have larval stages, it is possible that their let-7 RNA genes could regulate such developmen......in function caused by the disease. The fragment acts through the same mechanisms as its larger parent protein. However, a drug based on the fragment would be small enough to pass from the bloodstream into the brain, the researchers said. These findings were presented today (November 8) in New Orlean...Fossil teeth of extinct North American rhinos reveal an aquatic lifestyle similar to modern hippos
...nteresting consequences. Evaporation, for example, acts preferentially to remove water molecules containing the common, light isotope of oxygen. The water left behind, whether in a puddle or in the body of an animal, ends up with a higher proportion of heavy oxygen isotopes. The Teleoceras study grew ou...Mammalian telomere maintenance
...t the case. Hsu and colleagues determined that Ku acts in a unique way at the mammalian telomere. Ku specifically binds a telomere binding protein, and is required to prevent telomere end fusion. Mouse cells that lack Ku develop numerous chromosome fusions. Ku works at the mammalian telomere in a func......adjust to new circumstances. The neurotransmitter acts by stimulating a receptor on target cells containing a protein known as the NMDA receptor, which serves to strengthen, or reinforce, the neural circuits between nerve cells that store memory. Glutamate enables the brain to develop, language to be...UC Davis study shows spirulina boosts immune system
...n the secretion of interleukin-1b, a cytokine that acts on nearly every cell of the body to promote inflammation, works to support the overall immune response. To evaluate the effects of spirulina on the immune system, the UC Davis immunologists collected blood samples from 12 healthy volunteers, separat...Vanderbilt neuroscientists identify 'oops center' in the brain
...ee distinct types of neurons in the area. One type acts when the monkey realizes that it has made the correct decision and will be rewarded. Similar reward or reinforcement neurons have been reported in other parts of the brain. The second type, which they have dubbed the oops or error neurons, reacts whe...Scientists suspect new genetic risk factor for late onset Alzheimer's disease
...y, suggesting that the new AD susceptibility locus acts to elevate A42. Rudolph E. Tanzi, Ph.D., Harvard Medical School, and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health; Johns Hopkins University Medical Institutions; and the University of Alabama School of Public Health Tanzi and colleagues also...Enzyme is crucial for production of plant growth hormone
...e plant. And since the tryptamine that this enzyme acts on comes from the tryptophan-dependent pathway for auxin biosynthesis, this shows that in yucca , auxin biosynthesis proceeds via a tryptophan-dependent pathway." However, she added, the picture of auxin biosynthesis is complicated by the fact that......y express CPY26. This data established that CPY26 acts to metabolically degrade RA in vivo. The Cpy26 mu...kovich and colleagues have demonstrated that CPY26 acts to protect the developing mammalian embryo from the deleterious effects of excessive RA activity. T...New Brookhaven Lab study shows how ritalin works
...rder (ADHD), shows for the first time how the drug acts in the human brain and why it is so effective. The findings are reported in the January 15 issue of the Journal of Neuroscience by researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory. The publication can be found on the We...Economic costs of extreme weather, state by state
...paringstates and regions." He hopes the Sourcebook acts as a catalyst formore attention to the societal impacts of weather. He also warns thathistorical costs cannot predict what future damage might be....Novel protein is both ion channel and enzyme
...d. "It contains a domain whose opening and closing acts as a gate for calcium and a domain that acts as a kinase. "The finding is also important because, although there are channels known to have vari...Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, January 2001
...ction. During CPR, its not known whether the heart acts as a pump or as a passive conduit for valveless pumping. This research, which uses computational fluid dynamics, could help scientists and the medical profession better understand the mechanism of blood flow during CPR. That knowledge could lead to t...