Will The Loss Of Biodiversity Alter Ecosystem Functioning?
...ntial importance of soil biodiversity in buffering against stress andhighlight the need for more studies of the diversity of soil organisms. Dr. J.Roy and his collegues from CNRS, Montpellier, France will show that the abilityof the mediterranean grasslands to recover from heat stress is closely relatedto th...Change In HIV May Precipitate AIDS
...iphtheria toxoid (which are used to immunizepeople against tetanus and diphtheria), and they do so with much greaterefficiency than isolated immune cells, underscoring the importance of the cell'senvironment to the cell's proper functioning. With the help of these cultured, immunologically responsive...Simplified Therapy To Prevent TB Proven Effective In Developing Countries
...only two months provided similar overallprotection against tuberculosis in HIV-infected, PPD-positive adults. The study was published in the March 14, 1998 issue of Lancet. Leadauthor Neal Halsey, MD, professor, International Health, said, "We need tolook for innovative and practical ways to preve...Late Blight Battle Goes Online, Marking 150 Year Struggle Since Irish Potato Famine
...fungus(Phytophthora infestans). The latest battle against this devastating fungus,however, isn't taking place in a lab or out in a potato field, instead theAmerican Phytopathological Society (APS) is taking the late blight battle onlineoffering a clearinghouse of the most comprehensive information available...UNC-CH Researchers Discover Key Cancer Control Mechanism
... as MDM2 and in the process helps protect the body against cancer,University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine researchers havediscovered. The mechanism appears to be one of the most potent natural ways offighting tumor development, the scientists say. After more research, it might ...... had high HDL levels, which are thought to protect against heart attack, werestill found to be at higher risk for heart disease because of their triglyceridelevels." The American Heart Association says that changes in life habits --cutting down on calories, reducing saturated fat and cholesterol in ...Growth Factors Shown To Increase Vitamin C In The Immune System
...tamin plays an essential role in thebody's defense against disease. Immune cells, for example, are known toaccumulate and retain high levels of vitamin C, but just how this processoccurs, has largely remained a mystery. Now, researchers at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have foundthat the same class ...RNA-Dendritic Cell Combo Shows Promise As A Universal Cancer Vaccine
...njected into thepatient to elicit an immune system against cancer in their body. Using a patient's own RNA to produce red-flag antigens leaps a majorhurdle that has halted other attempts at devising an effective and widelyapplicable cancer vaccine, Gilboa said. It produces antigens that are specific...Caribbean Lizards Evolve Independently
...that entire communities have converged. This goes against the grain ofmost evolutionary thought which stresses that random events -- a meteoritestriking Earth or a hurricane wiping out island species , for example -- playunpredictable roles that send evolutionary diversification down differentpathways. ...Pitt Researchers Develop Strategy To Use Dendritic Cells To Treat And Prevent Tumors
...es an immunogen that can stimulate immuneresponses against the tumor, but based on these results it appears t...ith pre-treated DC's provideslong-term protections against tumor recurrence, as well. In fact, three monthsafter these mice were injected with either fused DC...Rapid Progress Reported On New Class Of Anti-Cancer Drugs
...inamides). These inhibitors showed invivo activity against breast, colon and lung cancer cells in culture, he said. Ronald Doll, of Schering-Plough Research Institute, who disclosed forthe first time the structure-activity data of a series of selective, orallyactive FTase inhbitors. These inhib...Can The Economic Promise Of Drug Discovery Continue To Preserve The Suriname Forest?
...est plants' activity, says Kingston, is to test it against itsintended application. "If you have a plant that the shamans say promotes woundhealing, you test it for that benefit. But we have not done that because wedon't have tests that mimic whole-body responses." Pharmaceutical companies are intere...Researchers Discover Ways The Ulcer/Cancer Bug Can Trigger Disease
...onse. Gurugenoticed that the mouse made antibodies against H. pylori carbohydrates when thebacterium attached to the stomach lining. As it turned out, these bacterialcarbohydrates resembled carbohydrates that a mouse's own acid-producing parietalcells normally produce. Faced with this molecul...... that induces protective inflammatory reactions against bacteria such as Salmonella and kills tumor cells,...itors could act as effective therapeutic agents against arthritic lesions and might increase the rate of survival in various endotoxin-induced septic sho...Adults Need To Increase Intake Of Folate; Some Women Should Take More
...ise,data showing that increased folate may protect against colorectal cancer do notprovide conclusive evidence of a benefit, the report says. Upper Levels Set The committee set the tolerable upper intake level for vitamin B6 at 100milligrams per day for adults. Intakes above this amount could cause sensor...Scientists Discover A Secret Of Bacterial Communication
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The war against bacteria rages on, but a new battle plan hasbeen drawn. Bacteria existing together in a structure called biofilm are often moreresistant to attack by antibiotics and the immune system than they are asindividual cells. This resistance presents a diffi...Spinal Cord Injury Treatment May Improve With New Findings On Nervous System Damage
... soonmight be possible to test their effectiveness against central nervous systeminjury. "Preserving the function of just a small fraction of the damaged longcables that go down the spinal cord could provide meaningful improvement inday-to-day function for people who sustain spinal cord injury," says...Possible Trigger For Heart Failure Identified In Lab Animal Studies
...mmatory cascade," or immune reaction, thatmay turn against the heart and weaken it, resulting in congestive heart failure,according to scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centerin Dallas and Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. One study also found thatTNF is produced not just by wh...From The Home Front To The River Front, USGS Updates Water-Quality Information
... also provide an extensive baseline of information against which planners and water managers can measure the success of strategies for reduction of nutrients and toxics in tributaries to Chesapeake Bay. Fish, streambed-sediment, and water samples were used to assess the occurrence of contaminants. Contaminan......alrelevant scientific information in support of or against the petition to delistsaccharin" because the three reviews split in their recommendations. Twoscientific reviews favored removing saccharin from the Report but an October30-31 advisory panel -- the NTP Board of Scientific Counselors Subcommittee f...