Female Fireflies Lure Males For Defense Chemical
...udy insects, the more we find them taking chemical defenses from plants and from other insects. And plants are 'experts' at gleaning useful chemicals from microorganisms. "We humans are slow learners, but we're starting to catch on," Eisner added. "There's a world of natural products out there with many che...Diet, Antioxidant Status, And Smoking Habits In French Men
...plasma indexes of oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses inFrench adults. Food and nutrient intakes of 459 healthy men aged 23--57 y were estimated by thediet history method and analyzed by smoking status. Plasma alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, andcarotenoids were measured as antioxidants and malondialdeh...B-Vitamins Lower Homocysteine Levels In The Blood; May Reduce Vessel Damage In Stroke Patients
... C-thrombomodulin system,one of the body's natural defenses against inappropriate or excessive bloodclotting. Increased thrombomodulin in the blood is considered a marker ofendothelial-cell damage. The reduction in thrombomodulin seen in the peoplegetting the B vitamins indicated a reduction in damage to th...Plants Thrive With Insect-Induced Immune Responses
...nformationabout the evolution and ecology of plant defenses and for development ofnon-chemical pest-control systems. Early research elsewhere has identified ahormone that appears to trigger the biochemical chain reaction that constitutesan immune response in plants. One product that makes use of this chemic...Insect Taste Buds Target Of Control Method
...otoxins and must make it past all of the insect's defenses before they can effect the central nervous system," says Mullin. "Usually, hundreds of times more pesticide must be applied outside the insect so that a lethal dose can arrive at the proper location inside the insect." To circumvent this proble...New Test Opens Window On Corrosive Free-Radical Activity In Individuals
..., some of whom may possess highly effective inborn defenses againstfree-radical damage while others may be largely unprotected without vitamins orother external aid. Existing studies based on these necessarily indirecttechniques have produced sometimes contradictory results, leading to debate andspeculation a...Eviction From Scum Home Makes Disease-Causing Microbe Vulnerable
...uses. The tiny rod-shaped germ targetspeople whose defenses are already weakened: burn victims, peoplewho have had surgery, cancer patients on chemotherapy, orpatients on ventilators or with IV tubes or catheters. Altogetherit's the single most common cause of infections acquired bypatients during their stay ...Social Stress Shortens Lives Of Monkeys With AIDS
...icions that emotional stress can weaken the body's defenses against AIDS-type viruses and even hasten death. Psychologist John Capitanio and colleagues found that in monkeys with an AIDS-like illness, those allowed to form stable social relationships lived longer than those whose social groups continually cha...Fetal Lead Exposure May Reduce Immunity
...elopment, when the immune system is assembling its defenses and disruption by lead could produce persistent damage to immune defenses. In addition to Dietert, the lead studies were conducted by Capt. Thomas E. Miller, USAF, a Cornell graduate student at the time of the experiments; Karen A. Golemboski, se...Scientists ID A Protein With Punch As Infection-Inflammation Fighter
...red into action. Thus,it's the body's own cellular defenses that account for reperfusion injury. "It's really an unhappy accident of physiology," Ross added. The most prominent cell that contributes to the tissue damage is called theneutrophil, and it produces the toxic oxygen products. They are ordinarily us...Ecological Consequences Of Jasmonate-Induced Responses For Plants In Native Populations
...to reduce food quality and to increase chemical defenses and other traits responsible for herbivore resi...ogy in Jena/Germany demonstrated that inducible defenses allow plants to forgo the costs of defense when not needed (PNAS, vol. 95, July 7, 1998). ...Clever Chemistry Protects Beetle Babies
... atoms forming one single large ring.With no other defenses than this, the beetle pupae are rarely disturbed. Hungryants, for example, are quickly repulsed by the pupal chemicals and franticallyclean the noxious substances from their antennae with special brushes on theirforelegs. Within a few days, the pup...Pool Of Latently Infected, "Resting" Cells Established Early In HIV Infection
...re likely to ultimately becontrolled by the immune defenses of the patient," adds Dr. Fauci. The NIAID investigators and others are pursuing studies to identify peoplerecently exposed to HIV and to treat them before the viral burst, which probablydisseminates the virus widely throughout the body. Such stud...Wistar Institute Professor Named First Koprowski Professor
...e and adaptive immunity work together to establish defenses againstdisease. His early work focused on Natural Killer (NK) cells, which destroyinfected and cancerous cells and influence the outcome of adaptive immunity. In1989, his laboratory discovered IL-12, which is produced within a few hours ofinfection...Researchers Probe New Depths In Plant Communications
... underlying complex plants and couldlead to better defenses against crop diseases. The Davis team, led by professor of plant biology WilliamLucas, is one of only a few worldwide that are unraveling howplants transport many important internal cargoes, includinggenetic messages that govern growth and flowering....Rockefeller University Scientists Receive Prestigious Awards For Cancer Research
... cells' mastergenes, and one of the most important defenses against many forms of cancer. Over the past decade, scientists have determined that p53 abnormalities areassociated with more than half of all human cancers. As a result, p53 is amajor focus of research in laboratories around the world. Dr. Levine p...Breakthrough On Microbial Disease Published In Science
...all has been sounded," said Mahan. "Our microbial defenses arecrumbling as superior pathogens have emerged th...eria work as a vaccine since they stimulate immune defenses todefend against subsequent infections." Vaccines and antibiotics developed out of this disc...Biologists work to preserve rainforests endangered plants
...nd a way to utilize and enhance the plant'snatural defenses against drying, it should improve the surviability of the plantsamples they collect. Dunford, who normally conducts plant physiology experiments in the laboratory,said she was awed by the beauty of the tropical reainforest and a bitintimidated by the...Caterpillars foiled when tomato plants summon parasitic wasps
...sprayed onto fields of plants to stimulate natural defenses -- we may beable to reduce the use of traditional ...can be sprayed onto the plant to stimulate natural defenses provide a safe andeffective means of pest control," she said. Further research is needed todetermin......ess success obtaining seeds,making the pine cones' defenses even more effective. "The most significant element of this study," says the researcher, "is theintegration of experimental results and analysis of evolutionary development. Combining these elements allows us to more effectively answer ecologicalquest...