Other highlights in the May 19 JNCI
...e sclerosis and young-adult-onset Hodgkin lymphoma cluster together in families supports a decades-old theory that the diseases share similar causes. Multiple sclerosis and Hodgkin lymphoma share some characteristics: they often have an onset in young adulthood, they both have been associated with socioecono...Stem cells toward sperm cells and back again
...made by a system that consists of a raspberry-like cluster of sperm-making stem cells centered around a "hub....s now lacked spermatogonia, and the raspberry-like cluster of stem cells essentially touched the spermatocytes in the researchers' microscopic pictures. Howev...Analysis uncovers critical stretches of human genome
...erved elements that are not in genes still tend to cluster in groups at certain places on the chromosomes. Th...bryonic development. The conserved elements in the cluster can be up to a million bases away from the gene, however. "The fact that conserved elements are han...UNC study finds protein in male reproductive tract kills bacteria, may improve fertility
...dy found homologues in monkeys, mouse and rat. The cluster of genes we're studying is 100 million years old," he said. "Do they have multiple functions or the same function? Are there differences in their mechanisms of action? Across species, we still have no data on function, or on what species of bacteria...Scientists report how protons induce water cages
...form these cages, the scientists first weighed the cluster (after the proton was added), and then monitored changes in the infrared absorption that occurred upon addition of each new water molecule. "The idea was brought to my attention by John Fenn, Yale Professor Emeritus of Chemical Engineeri...S.C. hospitals and universities form statewide health research collaborative
...we need to create a true statewide health sciences cluster that can result in world-class research, breakthrough technology, and the creation of high-skilled, high paying jobs." While certain details of the SCHSC have yet to be determined, all of the parties see the day's announcement as a starting point. ...Carnegie Mellon U. develops microgel to recover enzymes for manufacturing, research assays
...g the temperature causes the microgel particles to cluster together and precipitate from solution. To test these enzymatic microgel particles, the Carnegie Mellon chemists used an analogue of lactose that changes color when broken down by the microgel enzyme. When the investigators added this substrate to ...Creating polymers that act like biomolecules
...da says. "As the temperature goes up, the micelles cluster together more, forming a polymer gel. A similar reaction takes place as pH rises - the hydrophobicity of the cationic blocks increases which also helps in gel formation." As temperature and/or pH drops, the process reverses itself and the ge...Heinz Maier-Leibnitz prizes 2004
...te the geometries of larger molecules such as gold cluster ions. In these largely theoretical projects, Filipp Furche frequently seeks to work closely with groups conducting experimental work. He has attracted much international attention for his innovative and groundbreaking research in the area of time-dep...A new way to see DNA (and other tiny molecules)
...microscopy. A blurry, pixilated FLIM image shows a cluster of florescence-tagged DNA molecules about one micrometer long. When FLIM is combined with an AFM technique that employs a gold-tipped silicon wand that can probe a sample without harming it, the molecule's structure is revealed. The gold tip, Hu expl...Tissue cells can revert to stem cells
...transformation. Through a series of 4 divisions a cluster of 16 cells forms--an immature egg with 15 accompa... directly test this and found conditions where the cluster cells reverted to a stem-cell state and functioned throughout the entire life of the adult. We don'...Gene variants may increase susceptibility to type 2 diabetes
... and Ashkenazi Jewish populations. All four SNPs cluster in the regulatory region of a single gene, hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 alpha (HNF4A), a transcription factor that acts as a "master switch" regulating the expression of hundreds of other genes. HNF4A turns genes on and off in many tissues, including...Biology behind homosexuality in sheep, study confirms
...n, as well as sexually unique versions of the same cluster of brain cells in males and females. "Same-sex att...s discovered an irregularly shaped, densely packed cluster of nerve cells in the hypothalamus of the sheep brain, which they named the ovine sexually dimorphic...Key gene identified for development of inner-ear structure required for balance
...nse motion in the same way. When our heads move, a cluster of crystalline structures known as otoconia in the inner ear moves somewhat independently. This shearing motion stimulates underlying nerve endings to create the sensation of motion. The scientists found the head-tilt mice have no otoconia, but oth......wo thioredoxin protein molecules. This iron-sulfur cluster was shown to be necessary for the new enzyme to fo...on at U-M, showed exactly what kind of iron-sulfur cluster was involved. Bardwell likens the new pathway for disulfide bond formation to engineering. "Peopl...JCI table of contents, February 2, 2004
... and Regional Medical Center in Seattle identify a cluster of genes that encode an antibiotic efflux pump, which facilitates the active removal of a variety of antibiotics from the organism so that any intracellular antibiotic concentrations are too low to be effective at the target site. Efflux was enhanced...Genomic changes reveal evolution of SARS virus
... virus away with them. Cases following the hotel cluster fall into the late phase. Although most of the kno...ersion associated with Hong Kong. From the hotel cluster to the end of the epidemic in August, viruses with a different motif dominate. "Surprisingly few ge...'Grey goo' misconceptions could harm poor in developing world
...ows a surprising level of activity underway. They cluster developing countries into three groups based on their activity level: 'front-runners' (China, South Korea, India); 'middle ground' (Thailand, Philippines, South Africa, Brazil, Chile); and 'up and comers' (Argentina, Mexico). The authors call for...Inhibition of Borrelia burgdorferi protein may reduce Lyme disease transmission
...st named in 1977, when arthritis was observed in a cluster of children in Lyme, Connecticut. The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected deer ticks and in 2002 caused more than 23,000 infections in the United States, mostly localized to California and states in the nor......st named in 1977, when arthritis was observed in a cluster of children in Lyme, Connecticut. The bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi is transmitted to humans by the bite of infected deer ticks and in 2002 caused more than 23,000 infections in the United States, mostly localized to California and states in the nor...