News tip: Duke marine biologist calls for whale-proof fishing gear
...ss the problem include weak links in the anchoring line that will give way if a whale is ensnarled, or lines that decompose when exposed to the sun, he says. Read, who is based at Duke's Marine Laboratory in coastal Beaufort, N.C., was on an expedition several years ago that disentangled a humpback wha...Failure of DNA repair mechanism precedes final stage of deadly leukemia, new Penn study shows
...the amounts of damaged to un-damaged DNA in a cell line when the oncogene was turned "on" and "off." DNA damage was linked to the protein ATR and measured using comet assays. "If blocking DNA repair proves to be the cause of blast crisis, then we may be able to prevent CML from progressing to its final s...New approach limits damage after heart attack and improves survival, say Scripps Research scientists
...endothelial cells, which adhere to one another and line the body's blood vessels like bricks lining a subterranean tunnel. Through the work of Cheresh and other basic science researchers over the past decades, a number of the adhesion molecules that hold these endothelial cells together and the signali...Germ-free transparent fish open new window into gut development
...he zebrafish's immune system. Also, the cells that line the intestine were not renewed as rapidly. Because the lining of the gut is continuously exposed to potentially toxic substances, this process of renewing the gut lining is critical for maintaining health. To begin to decipher the mechanisms underlyi...Gene links hereditary intestinal disorder with stroke danger
...venile polyposis -- in which as many as 500 polyps line the large bowel and rectum or, less commonly, the stomach and small intestine -- is caused by a defect in one of two different genes, earlier research has shown. Left untreated, patients with the disease have a 50 percent risk of developing colon can...Duke study gives first worldwide measure of sea turtle casualties by longline fishing
...ut they're sometimes hooked in a flipper or have a line wrapped around their flippers," he said. Using National Marine Fisheries Service bycatch mortality figures, the study estimated that "tens of thousands" of the total hooked or entangled turtles ultimately died from those encounters. The authors espec...NETs protect against pathogenic bacteria
... immune system, such as neutrophils, are the first line of defense against invading bacteria. They take up and destroy pathogenic microorganisms. New data from the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin show that neutrophils also have another, until now unknown defense mechanism: They can "s...Study examines role of helicobacter pylori in esophageal cancer development
...ll carcinoma (cancer that arises in the cells that line the esophagus) by stimulating the production of cancer-causing nitrosamines. To investigate the relationship among H. pylori infection, gastric atrophy, and three types of cancer--esophageal adenocarcinoma, esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma, and gas...JCI table of contents, March 1 2004
...cific gene expression in synovial fibroblasts that line the surfaces of joints. The authors were able to analyze the signaling cascades involved in the differentiation of synovial fibroblast cells into chondrocytes the cells responsible for secreting cartilage material by expressing constitutively activ...Tony Hunter and Raymond N. DuBois awarded Landon-AACR Prizes for Cancer Research
...ch research that formed the underpinnings for this line of studies, and he then carried his findings into clinical trials. Several COX-2 inhibitor drugs, which suppress inflammation in the body, have either been approved or are being tested in patients to combat tumor formation and growth. "I was surpris...Pacific leatherback turtle could go extinct in 10 years
...ce in which ships extend up to 90 miles of fishing line with as many as 8,000 hooks, many of which unintentionally capture and kill sea turtles instead of their intended targets of fish. "The Pacific leatherbacks currently face an annual mortality rate of up to 30 percent," said James R. Spotila, Drexel U...Save The Tiger Fund announces alliance with the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
..."Collaboration among donors and those in the front line is essential for larger, landscape-level programs," said Jorgen Thomsen, CEPF executive director and senior vice president of Conservation International. "Save The Tiger Fund's unique way of investing in conservation leaders and allied efforts has ma...Veterinarians, wildlife experts applaud China's ban of wild bird trade
...ces, including reducing crop pests. "The bottom line is that whenever you bring wild and domestic birds, or other species, from wide ranging locations together, then keep them in cramped, stressful conditions, you will always run the risk of disease outbreaks," said Dr. William Karesh, Director of WCS'...What are your odds of surviving into your hundreds?
... serum cholesterol below a critical threshold." In line with these findings, the researchers showed that patients suffering from heart disease as a consequence of having high low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were less likely to have one or more short variants of the APOB gene region, compared to...Models help estimate children's exposure to toxins
...ter and oil. No one knows if the compound, used to line microwaveable bags, poses any risk. For now Leckie has no plans to forgo one of his favorite snacks. ''The human animal is pretty tough,'' Leckie said. ''But the problem is that we're pretty ingenious, too, when it comes to designing synthetic compou...Neurologists create a font of human nerve cells
...ell found in the spinal cord a self-renewing cell line that offers a limitless supply of human nerve cell... only specific types of neurons. The outcome was a line of immortal progenitor cells, capable of churning out human spinal neurons indefinitely. While stem...Immerge reports PERVs most infectious to human cells not part of germ-line DNA of mini-swine
...ous for human cells are not components of the germ line DNA of miniature swine, as previously thought. This is a crucial discovery with regard to developing modes of eliminating these viruses from pigs being developed for clinical xenotransplantation. It suggests that lengthy breeding programs, which were...Brookhaven Lab expects $30 million to support life sciences
...ightest x-ray light at the NSLS. Another, the beam line where MacKinnon performed his research, will be upgraded to produce even brighter light. Lonny Berman, an NSLS physicist, will manage the upgrade. In addition, Sweet's group will use the funds to develop techniques that allow experimenters to work...European researchers launch 10 million euro collaborative technology project
...oard or under construction, are scheduled to go on line by 2006 or 2007. BIOXHIT calls for them to begin using the platform from their first day of operations. One immediate effect of BIOXHIT will be a significant reduction in the time involved in obtaining each structure. Robots, for example, can perform......doesn't take too much to push them off. The bottom line is that more than one-third of the populations that were once known are now gone," said Epps. From 1901 to 1987, the mean annual temperature in the deserts of the southwestern United States increased by about 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which is consider...