New drug blocks rheumatoid arthritis early on, with few side effects
... drug called etanercept dramatically slows or even stops the progress of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at the earliest stages of the disease, helping nearly three-quarters of those taking it. Etanercept also shows fewer side effects than the current best medicine. While the drug has been on the market for sev......ering damaged DNA, this duplicating enzyme usually stops in its tracks which is where the specialized "damage control" crews enter the scene. Prof. Livneh has recently discovered one of these DNA repair mechanisms, based on a previously unknown group of polymerase enzymes. While these enzymes also dup...Tumor cells made more sensitive to radiation by blocking a key cellular molecule
...from activating. Much like a car's brakes, IkappaB stops NF-kappaB from moving into the nucleus, the cell's master control room. The researchers also studied the effects of infusing tumor cells with a type of IkappaB that is a super-repressor of NF-kappaB. This super-repressor molecule when ferried into t...Plant's PICKLE gene may hold clue to cancer
...actor, which flips the biochemical off-switch that stops the expression of embryo characteristics. The two switches operate independently. In plants with an abnormal PICKLE gene, however, the plant can't make chromatin remodeling factor. Without that protein, it can't throw the off-switch to stop expre......ral frequency of the leg," says Wakeling. And this stops the leg resonating when the foot hits the floor. But this retuning requires energy, so the researchers designed a shoe that could do the job instead. Wakeling found that a relatively soft sole is best for damping the vibrations, and allows the muscl......ed and which may be missing or in use. Chemistry stops chromium contamination - Chromium contaminated soil - they're carting it up and carrying it away as part of cleanup projects at government and industrial sites throughout the United States. But researchers at Pacific Northwest have found a way to con...Compound that switches off appetite in mice discovered by Hopkins scientists
...rops sharply. "This gives us a good idea that C75 stops feeding by blocking NPY production in the brain," Kuhajda says. In the study, the researchers injected mice with a single dose of C75, then observed them for changes in behavior, weight or body chemistry. "The mice had a dramatic weight loss of up...Desktop biofactories? New microrobots might manipulate single cells, Science authors report
...e silicon is exposed, he explains, it oxidizes and stops working. In the new design, silicon provides a skeletal framework, which is encased and protected by gold and polypyrrole "micromuscles." The Swedish team's invention was etched into part of a four-inch silicon wafer, which allowed them to create sep...Mighty things from small beginnings
...re responsible for clotting. Clotting after injury stops bleeding; clotting within a blood vessel can obstruct blood flow to the heart muscle, leading to a heart attack. Alcohol may 'thin' the blood, thereby reducing the chances of vessel obstruction. The anticoagulant properties of alcohol are dose specif...Evidence suggests food preservatives may help prevent cavities
... back out. Without energy, the cell shuts down and stops producing acid. "The acid from these bacteria is what causes enamel to dissolve," says Marquis, professor of microbiology and immunology. "Fluoride and preservatives like benzoate prevent the bacteria from acidifying the plaque and causing c...UNC-CH bus brings mobile lab, high-tech science focus to underserved N.C. schools
...ir schools in Bladenboro and Halifax the first two stops the bus will make. Many science educators across North Carolina are hampered by a lack of ongoing professional development opportunities as well as access to equipment -- including laboratories, computers and the Internet -- that can help them more ...Manatees saved by ONR-supported technology
...s similar to a garage door opener that immediately stops if it senses someone or something beneath the door. At Port Canaveral, a break in the acoustic signal alerts the gates to stop closing, giving any manatees time to get clear of the gates. The ONR Materials Division initiated development of the piezo...Common algae can be valuable source of hydrogen fuel
... microalga growth medium." The absence of sulfur stops photosynthesis and thus halts the cell's internal production of oxygen. Without oxygen from any source, the anaerobic cells are not able to burn stored fuel in the usual way, through metabolic respiration. In order to survive, they are forced to acti...Revised model of protein-drug interactions could make job of drug designers a little easier
...t, when the enzyme binds to L-isocitrate the cycle stops dead in its tracks and generates no energy. This implies that the interaction between the enzyme and D-isocitrate evolved in the presence of magnesium ions. "This work shows how important metals are in molecular discrimination between mirror-image m...Researchers discover new vein of cancer-fighting agents
... of medicine at Harvard Medical School. "The agent stops them from multiplying by inducing programmed cell ...lial cells in established blood vessels. The tumor stops growing because it doesn't get any new blood supply or nutrients." During the process of angiogen...MGH study identifies new inhibitor of tumor angiogenesis and growth
...al tissues and, whenreintroduced into tumor cells, stops tumor growth," says Michael Detmar, MD, who led the study. Detmar notes that some of the other anti-angiogenesis factors currently being studied do not appear tobe involved in normal blood vessel development but instead are produced when other substa...African ants' self-defense takes a heavy toll on hosts
...n though itremoves all the host tree's flowers and stops the tree from reproducing,"Stanton said. "There can be a fine line separating a mutualistic interaction from aparasitic one." The study was funded by the National Science Foundation and the UC Davis BridgeGrant program....New machine may provide answers about leading cause of blindness
...the machine and adjusts a flickering lightuntil it stops flickering, then repeats the process with a flickering light in peripheral vision. By comparing thetwo measurements, researchers can determine how much light is absorbed by the macular pigment and thereforehow much macular pigment a pa...Images of enzyme suggest way to improve DNA sequencing
...te --ddC, ddG, ddA or ddT -- also is included, Taq stops copying when it incorporatesthat compound, like a train that halts on the track when it hits a rock.Therefore, the length of a new DNA chain indicates where that particularnucleotide occurred. After the copies are separated by size and reacted withfl...Researchers suggest new mechanism to explain DNA charge transfer process
...p to a few hundred Angstroms. The charge transfer stops when it encounters a specific pairing of the DNA structure known as a GG step -- the location where two guanine bases exist side-by-side. The chargetrapped at this location then oxidizes the guanine, causing damage that can lead to genetic mutations...