New study shows hope for treating inhalant abuse
...at vigabatrin (a.k.a. gamma vinyl-GABA or GVG) may block the addictive effects of toluene, a substance found in many household products commonly used as inhalants. These results broaden the promise of GVG as a potential treatment for a variety of addictions. The study will be published in the December 1, 2...Researchers determine genetic cause of Timothy syndrome
...channel revealed that it did not react properly to block calcium flow at the appropriate time. This abnormality could explain the lethal cardiac arrhythmias in Timothy syndrome patients, said Keating. Further genetic analyses of the particular mutation also showed why it occurred in the same plac...Cigarette smoke causes breaks in DNA and defects to a cell's chromosomes, Pitt study finds
...sed cells with different antioxidants, agents that block formation of reactive oxygen species, prevented most occurrences of anaphase bridge formation and significantly reduced genomic imbalances. "Unfortunately, no amount of scientific evidence arguing against smoking will get everyone to stop or not be...Safety of isoflavones in dietary supplements targeted by Illinois initiative
...st cancer. He recently found that isoflavones can block the effectiveness of tamoxifen in reducing estrogen-induced tumor growth. His lab will focus on low-level chronic exposure to soy isoflavones and their influence on the progression of breast cancer from estrogen dependent to estrogen independent tum...Wisconsin scientists develop quick botox test
...son's toxic action. "We can screen for (agents) to block any one of those steps," explains Chapman. "We could screen one million drugs at a time, and you can do all the screening using live cells." The potential upshot of such a screening technology could be the development of drugs that act like a prophyl...Marijuana use could cause tubal pregnancies
...n the oviduct. It is not known whether drugs that block or, in the case of marijuana, over-stimulate the CB1 receptor can cause ectopic pregnancy in humans. However, "our results raise caution for women of reproductive ages regarding the chronic use of marijuana for recreation or pain alleviation," the re...Anthrax enzyme images reveal secrets of antibiotic resistance, suggest new drug design
...d a new molecule that appears likely to be able to block the enzyme's activity without triggering resistanc... need to survive. Sulfa drugs are antibiotics that block pABA from binding to the enzyme, and thus block folate production. The St. Jude findings give impor...Cannabis may help combat cancer-causing herpes viruses
...es a high, delta-9 tetrahydrocannbinol or THC, may block the spread of several forms of cancer causing herpes viruses, University of South Florida College of Medicine scientists report. The findings, published Sept. 15 in the online journal BMC Medicine, could lead to the creation of antiviral drugs base...Experimental drug shown to block mutant protein causing blood disease
...he study shows the potential utility of drugs that block mutant tyrosine kinases, and that these drugs are opening more doors to treating cancers," explains Stone. Tyrosine kinases are molecules that act as biological switches inside cells, regulating processes including cell division and growth. Abnormal ...Targeted therapy knocks out pediatric brain cancer in mice
...that the development of compounds that selectively block Shh may be an appropriate direction for designing effective, nontoxic treatments for medulloblastoma. "Ultimately, it is likely that success in treating cancer will require the use of several compounds in concert that target distinct pathways importa...New anti-inflammatory strategy for cancer therapy identified by UCSD researchers
...s which reduce inflammation-associated toxicities, block inflammation-induced tumor growth and clear the way for TRAIL to initiate tumor killing. The latter approach can be accomplished by the use of NF-kB inhibitors, together with anti-TNFα drugs, the researchers contend. These drugs should be used ...New way to protect brain from stroke damage
...e team reports, rats injected with agents known to block ASICs--including the venom of a tarantula spider--..., we found that existing pharmacologic agents that block those channels can dramatically reduce the amount of brain injury." In the United States, stroke is ...First glimpse of DNA binding to viral enzyme
...lready being used to design new antiviral drugs to block this interaction. "We were quite surprised to see...alter Mangel, a co-author on the paper. "If we can block this interaction, we should be able to prevent the virus from replicating, and thereby thwart infect...A probable cause for high blood pressure identified - shows links with diabetes
... therefore therapeutic, much larger concentrations block release, a condition that produces diabetes. Thus ...from these imidazol(in)e receptors which will then block the ribotide's hypertensive effect," said Dr. Prell. "To date these drugs have been problematic beca...Researchers identify distinctive signature for metastatic prostate cancer
...o regenerate. However, the scientists were able to block this regeneration by giving the animals cyclopamine or a Hedgehog-neutralizing antibody. In additional studies of cultures of cells that closely resemble these prostate progenitor cells, the researchers found that switching on the Hedgehog pathway c...Images of 'tail' of protein needed for cell multiplication suggest anticancer drug targets
...gned to disrupt the tail, the groove or both might block the ability of the NEDD8 pathway to accelerate replication of cancer cells." The extensive study required a variety of techniques to tease apart the structure formed by the bonding of the E2 tail to E1. For example, the St. Jude team showed that dele...Proteins show promise for mosquito control
...Lan and her colleagues reasoned that if they could block the carrier protein, it would disrupt the uptake of cholesterol by the mosquito. Screening what she calls "a small chemical library of 16,000 compounds," Lan and her team found 57 compounds that inhibited the cholesterol-binding capacity of SCP-2. ...'Defensive' action by influenza viruses demonstrated by Hebrew university researcher
...archers to develop new and more effective means to block influenza and other viruses in the future. Influenza, Prof. Arkin emphasizes, is a major killer, even though many people tend to shrug it off as an unpleasant seasonal nuisance. In the U.S. it is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases, c...Identifying tick genes could halt disease, bioterrorism threat
... of this project may be development of vaccines to block transmission of microbes that cause tick-borne illnesses, said Hill, who spearheaded efforts to gain National Institutes of Health backing for the initial stages of the tick genome venture. Hill and her Purdue researchers are preparing materials tha...Optimizing protein's 'death domain' halts leukemia in laboratory study
...tion, unable to enter cells, and left powerless to block the antideath BCL-2 protein. Walensky's goal was to return the isolated amino acid helix to its original shape after its removal from the BH3-containing protein. Drawing on his dual background in chemistry and cell biology, and applying a strategy de...