Amphibian mortality linked to global climate change
...to learn whether a thicker blanket of water better protects the eggs from the damaging effect of ultraviolet radiation. "We have found that water levels are shallower during years when there is less snow, which exposes the eggs to more ultraviolet light and makes them susceptible to disease outbreaks," says ...Scientists seek genetic clues to emphysema and chronic bronchitis
...erson's genes cause them to produce a protein that protects their lungs against smoke-induced damage, or one that makes them more susceptible to damage by smoke," said National Jewish pulmonologist Barry Make, M.D. "We are looking for genetic differences between people who appear susceptible to COPD and those...Eating less may protect nerve cells
...study finds that cutting calories by about a third protects nerve cells from damage caused by interrupted blood flow. Blocking blood flow to the eye, in rats, mimicked the shortage of blood in the brain that causes the most common type of stroke. "Whether an observation in rats will apply to humans is not k...Common genetic differences affect vulnerability to childhood leukemia, new study shows
..."Now we have shown that the low-functioning allele protects against the MLL leukemia subtype. It is likely tha...his case a second low-functioning variant of MTHFR protects against this leukemia subtype, probably by altering a second biochemical pathway by which folic acid...MGH researchers shed new light on how pain killers work
...x-1 is normally expressed in the stomach, where it protects against acid damage, and in platelets, where it is involved in clotting. Cox-2, while not normally found in the skin or joints, is produced in these sites after inflammation occurs. Cox-2 is necessary in manufacturing a chemical called prostaglandi...UNC to test virus treatment for recurrent head and neck cancer
...tes the tumor suppressor gene, p53, which normally protects the cell from adenovirus infection. "Unless p53 is inactivated, adenoviruses cannot replicate," explained Wendell G. Yarbrough, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology/head and neck surgery at UNC-CH. "About 50% of malignant head and neck tumors ar...New prime-boost HIV vaccine strategy shows promise in monkeys
...al weeks," says Dr. Moss, "but a vaccine that only protects for a short time is not very helpful. We extended the post-vaccination time to check long-term efficacy." Dr. Moss also stresses another important feature of their vaccine strategy: the monkeys were infected by applying the virus in the rectum. "T...Weizmann Institute scientists block loss of eyesight in animals with a glaucoma-like disease
...t reacts with cells that respond to self-proteins, protects the damaged optic nerve from neuronal degeneration. Copaxone was developed at the Institute by Dr. Dvora Teitelbaum, Prof. Ruth Arnon and Prof. Michael Sela as a drug for multiple sclerosis. In the present study, the scientists sought to e...A paradox helps explain how aspirin works
...ssing IL-4 with aspirin may be one reason the drug protects against both conditions....Dried cells, tissues could solve biological materials storage, transport problems
...bilities. Nostoc produces a unique biopolymer that protects the cells from heat, desiccation, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Potts and Helm have isolated genes involved in these responses for transfer to sensitive cells. They have dried mouse cells and, most recently, human kidney cells for as long as ...Searching for a genetic needle in a genome haystack
There is no single gene that determines or protects from alcoholism. Specific genes interact with one another to confer increased or decreased risk for alcoholism. Genes also interact with the environment to influence an individual's susceptibility to alcohol. The key to future research is under...UK researchers find critical link for estrogens neuroprotective effects
...s demonstrated that estradiol, a type of estrogen, protects against brain injury (including injury from stroke), neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. The UK College of Medicine research team examined whether estrogen receptors are critical for estrogens neuroprotective effects. The team focused on two...Human disease gene survey yields underlying principles
...e scientists, because the mothers metabolic system protects the fetus from enzyme deficiencies until birth. Metabolic deficiencies are usually identified after birth. The scientists found that diseases caused by genes that encode enzymes are primarily recessive, while those caused by genes whose proteins inf...Screensavers of the world, unite!
...terest,`` the authors say. Pande carefully protects the privacy of his Folding@home volunteers, but he says that many of them are in health professions. ``We get a lot of people in medicine, in hospitals - people who are just interested in biology,`` he says. Another important point, writ...Team identifies first drug therapy for rare, precancerous stomach illness
...c epithelial cells, suppresses acid production and protects against injury to the stomach lining, most likely by increasing mucous levels - all features found in patients with Mntrier's disease. To investigate their suspicion that enhanced EGF receptor signalling was a cause, Coffey's team also studied tissu...Recombinant yeast as an antifungal vaccine
...at live WI-1- yeast provoke a T cell response that protects inoculated animals from infection with wild-type B. dermatitidis. Crucially, this protection applies not only against yeast that are isogenic to the attenuated strain, but also to several unrelated pathogenic isolates. The authors also show that fu...American Society for Microbiology news tips for November 2000
...hich the immune system attacks the insulation that protects nerve fibers and promotes nerve impulse transmission. The exact cause of the disease is not known but some recent studies had found high levels of C. pneumoniae in the CNS of patients with MS suggesting that the organism may play a role in the devel......k of a heart attack. "We know that aspirin protects against heart disease," says Michael Miller, M.D., F.A.C.C., director of the Center for Preventive Cardiology at the University of Maryland Medical Center and associate professor of Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "So we p......monkeys. GDNF is a nutrient that strengthens and protects brain cells that would normally die in this disease. GDNF also increases production of the chemical neurotransmitter dopamine, which sends signals in the brain that enable people to move smoothly and normally. The loss of dopamine in the brain caus...