Protein Misfolding, Not Mutant Gene, Key To Lethal Sleep Disorder
...inated from thebrain, so it gradually accumulates, causing untreatable sleeplessness, loss ofcoordination, loss of mental function and death, usually within less than twoyears. But SFI, the non-inherited version, occurs without the abnormal gene. "We found a disease that is indistinguishable from the genetic...'Cousin' Of Snake Venom Toxin Found In Mice
...alpha-neurotoxins shut down the diaphragm muscles, causing suffocation. While searching for genes that regulate brain development, Heintz andpostdoctoral associate Julie Miwa found lynx1. The investigators decided tocontinue studying lynx1 when experiments indicated that the gene is expressed inthe mouse br...Details of promising cancer therapy shows for the first time
... "on" position. Out of control growth thenensues, causing cancer. Since the gene's discovery in the early 1990s, the ras mutation has been linkedto 90 percent of pancreatic cancers, 50 percent of colon cancers, and 30 percentof lung cancers. Researchers hope that by attacking FPT, instead of cellreplicatio...Drug stops blinding blood vessel growth in mice
...row abnormally inthe eyes can leak fluid or blood, causing rapid and severe vision loss. Suchgrowth is the hallmark of diabetic retinopathy and age-related maculardegeneration, the leading causes of blindness in young and old people,respectively, in developed countries. Human trials of the drug, cal...Gene therapy could treat diabetic incontinence, suggest early studies at University of Pittsburgh
...it's time to urinate. As a result,urine backs up, causing the bladder to enlarge. The swollen bladder, whichoften becomes infected, is untreatable except with catheterization. Because patients with diabetes do not have a sufficient amount of a substancecalled nerve growth factor (NGF), which heals injured ...Cardiac surgery patients at higher risk
...electrical charge to conduct along a row of cells, causing the heart to beat.Hypokalemia results when the level of potassium in a person's blood becomes toolow. Hypokalemia is usually caused by gastrointestinal or renal problems orprolonged treatment with certain prescribed medications. Both low and highpota......l scientific support that exposure to thisagent is causing any degree of harm." Research continues on some "lingering concerns," the report says, andefforts to reduce exposures should continue. NIEHS said that the "strongest evidence" for health effects comes fromstatistical associ...Scientific team identifies gene critical in embryonic development
... DNA integrated withthe cells' own genetic coding, causing the loss of the SIL gene. The stem cellswere then injected into normal mouse embryos and the resulting offspring wereused to breed SIL-knock-out mice. The resulting embryos, which lacked the SIL gene, died in utero and showedstriking developmental ab......,called plaques, which have long been suspected of causing the memory loss anddisturbed thinking that characterize the disease. A correlation between cognitive decline and accumulation of A-beta in brainplaques has been reported by some researchers, but many other scientists havefailed to find such a relatio......"squeezed" as it passed through the narrow throat, causing thewater to boil or vaporize at that location. This led to the formation of abubble in the throat. As it expanded like a balloon into the wider channel, thebubble pushed fluid ahead of it. When the electrical current is stopped, the bubble shrinks. I...Scientists target microbe with sleeker antisense agent
... flourishes in people with impaired immunesystems, causing pneumonia and leaving its victims gasping for breath. More thanhalf of AIDS patients are infected by the microbe at some point in their lives,and more than 20 percent ultimately die from an infection; cancer patients andpeople who have received organ...Pre-delivery digital exams may increase in utero bacterial levels
...hecervix and the uterus and causing harm to the newborn, new re...orry about vaginal bacteria causing an infection in the cervix oruterus, these same bacteria can cause chorioamni...Agronomists offer alternative approaches to gulf pollution
... that it's not just the applied fertilizer that is causing thenitrate leaching into surface water. It's also the type and length of the croprotation. "Thirty or 40 years ago, most farms in the Midwest were in a longer croprotation system, which often included planting winter wheat and alfalfa. Nowmos...Researchers take major step in identifying gene differences
... gene changes that may be consideredcandidates for causing hypertension. In the first detailed, systematic analysis of how gene sequences, and the proteins they encode, vary among human beings, theresearchers studied 75 genes and found sequence changes in all but one gene. The genes studied are those in the ......ween them. If an increase in water temperatures is causing the algae to lose theirability to carry out photosynthesis, then do the algae die? "That really isn't known yet," said Warner. "We know that the algae areexpelled from the host coral, and perhaps it's because the host knows thatthe algae are no long...Human Genome Sciences announces the discovery of a novel immune stimulant
...tes the production of high levels of antibodies by causing the antibodyproducing cells, called B cells, to grow and produce abundant antibodies. Antibodies act to protect the body from infections such as bacteria and viruses. People deficient for B cells are at high risk for infection. BLyS may be a long s...Protein in eyes may be potential treatment for leading causes of blindness
...ferentiation ofthe cells in retinoblastoma tumors, causing them to resemble non-dividingneurons. "PED...nd,binding directly to the tumor cells themselves, causing them to differentiateand thus grow more slowly," Bouck said. This work grew out of a doctora...Burrowing mayfly swarms signal a healthier ecosystem, USGS scientists say
...ved into adjacent shallow areas occupied bynymphs, causing mass die-offs. The recovery of this one species may be good news for the entire Lake Erieecosystem, says Edsall. Burrowing mayflies play an important role in maintainingthe transfer of energy and nutrients across different levels of aquatic foodwebs,...Drug users, Native Americans susceptible to infectious diseases
...ely relatedto HTLV-I, a retrovirus responsible for causing leukemia and a progressivespinal cord disorder called myelopathy. Whereas HTLV-I is found primarily inJapan, Africa, and the Caribbean, HTLV-II occurs primarily in Amerindian tribesin South and Central America where incidence rates can reach 30 perc......s VAT, insulin, IGF andIGF-binding factors play in causing colorectal cancer, according to theinvestigators. Other researchers on the federally funded study includeCatherine M. Tangen, Ph.D., department of biostatistics, University ofWashington, Seattle; Gregory L. Burke, M.D., department of ...