Rotational motion detected in gates controlling nerve impulses
...or channels - that regulate the flow of sodium and potassium ions," said Paul Selvin, a professor of physics at...e."To detect distances between specific sites in a potassium channel, graduate student Albert Cha at UCLA, graduate student Gregory Snyder at the U. of I., Bezan...Calcium not the only key to bone health in older women
...s. The best overall sources of zinc, magnesium and potassium in the average diet include baked potato with skin, green peas, bananas, enriched cereal, and beef....Gene mutation alters feeding behavior
...ation in the gene exp-2 caused an abnormality in a potassium channel so that it remained open rather than openi..., the muscle used to eat. The opening of the potassium channel, called EXP-2, causes muscle relaxation. Normally the muscle relaxes a fifth of a second aft...Millennium and Wyeth-Ayerst announce the discovery of key potassium ion channel modulating proteins
...ssociate with and regulate the activity of certain potassium ion channels, called "A-type" channels. The study,...yeth-Ayerst Research and Millennium. These A-type potassium channels are thought to be involved in the control of the electrical signals of the brain and other ...New link uncovered in nerve cell mechanism thought to power learning and memory
...its allow sodium (Na+) ions to flow into cells and potassium (K+) ions to flow out of cells. To follow with precision the fate of AMPA receptor subunits, the scientists overexpressed just the GluR1 subunit. AMPA receptors that contain GluR1 but lack GluR2 only allow the inward flow of sodium ions. This propert...Studies of clumsy flies yield molecule important in balance, hearing
...en a bristle is deflected. When the channel opens, potassium and sodium flow into a neuron, causing an electrical "depolarization" that triggers a nerve impulse. Ion channels are typically large, teepee-shaped proteins that nestle in the cell membrane and control the passage of ions into the cell. "Previous ......mes used in dietary supplements and of a chemical, potassium ferricyanide, used in photo processing. The dietary ingredients proposed for testing are chitosan, a natural product derived from marine organisms and sometimes used to promote weight loss, and the chemical juglone, which is found in walnuts and use...Alcohol and thiamine deficiency together: a dangerous combination?
...utrients and minerals such as thiamine, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. When nutrients disappear, tissues slowly deteriorate. Thiamine deficiency contributes to two clinical conditions along the alcoholic's path toward dementia. The first 'phase' is called Wernicke's Encephalopathy (WE), in which people......n Göttingen, Germany, have identified a novel potassium current activated by intracellular calcium that sh...led mapping of the expression of calcium-activated potassium channels (SK channels) in the brain (Mol. Cell. Neurosci., ACADEMIC PRESS), their findings contribut...Novel test pinpoints location of rare insulin disorder to guide surgical cure in newborns
...tinguished by gene mutations affecting enzymes and potassium channels that govern insulin secretion. The partic...e current study involves mutations that affect the potassium channel in beta cells, the cells in the pancreas that secrete insulin. The acute insulin response t...High-resolution image illuminates catalytic engine of the ribosome
...k to understand how the multitude of magnesium and potassium ions and water molecules integrate into the ribosome and stabilize it. "We're certainly not done with the scientific challenges presented by the ribosome," said Steitz. "Although I must say I do feel as if we're standing on Mount Everest at the mome...Tiny channels carved in plastic enable medical tests on a CD
...for example. It could measure the concentration of potassium or sodium, or any substance of interest to doctors or hospitals, he said. The tool is also being investigated for use in the discovery process of new drugs.In one new development, the researchers crafted a sensor calibration unit into the surface of ......nt sensors that measure pH and detect chloride and potassium ions. These can be inserted into a plant's tissues, or placed on its roots, to measure its condition and whether enough nutrients are available to it. Right now the sensors are a few millimetres wide and almost a centimetre long, but the ultimate goa...The first schizophrenia gene is discovered
... electric currents along neurons. Mutations in the potassium channel KCNA1, another ion channel which is remotely related to WKL1, cause episodic ataxia, a rare movement disorder lacking psychotic episodes. In the mutated form of WKL1, a leucine amino acid residue is replaced by a methionine within one of seve......e balance in the body. This activity may increase potassium levels in some patients. Therefore, it is recommen...oblems. Patients taking drugs that could increase potassium should consult their health care professional before taking YASMIN. The launch of YASMIN continues ......l the entry and exit of substances such as sodium, potassium and calcium into the body's cells. In electrically excitable cells, such as those in the brain and the heart, ion channels help drive the electrical system that runs the body and generate electrical signals between cells. At one time, scientists tho...Structural studies reveal how potassium channels are inactivated
Researchers have discovered how potassium channels can slam shut, a control mechanism that a...n. The studies not only settle the question of how potassium channels manage to close milliseconds after opening, but also offer new insights that will aid in de...Nuclear waste disposal: A safer solution?
...ry to make compounds in which either a sodium or a potassium ion is exchanged, and then we do the crystal structure," says Clearfield. "We try to exchange a given ion species with these crystals and then we do the crystal structure again, and we see what has happened to the ingoing and outgoing species. It can...Researchers discover new route to high blood pressure
...n of salt by the kidneys and impaired secretion of potassium and hydrogen ions. Although the disorder seemed to...rity of people with hypertension, and the abnormal potassium and acidity levels are variable. This complicated unraveling the genetics." After attempting to trac...New study shows oral contraceptive may be effective in treating severe form of premenstrual syndrome
..., liver or adrenal disease because it may increase potassium levels. Patients taking drugs that could increase potassium should consult their health-care professional before taking Yasmin. It is important to educate women...