Scientists use gene therapy to improve memory and learning in animals
... wanted to see if the chimeric gene would actually alter the behavioral effects that we know stress hormones cause in live rats." Water maze To find out, Nicholas and her colleagues set up a Morris Water Maze experiment, a procedure widely used by neuroscientists to test spatial memory in rats. The maz...Hundreds of thousands of viral species present in the world's oceans
... viruses are minute, self-replicating bundles that alter microorganisms' genetic material and moderate their communities through predation and parasitism. Despite their small size, they are astoundingly abundant with about as many of them in a bucket full of seawater as there are humans on the planet. As a...Researchers link ocean organisms with increased cloud cover and potential climate change
...ing that can change global clouds can dramatically alter the impact of greenhouse gases on our changing climate. "It shows that there is still a lot we need to explore to better understand the delicate balance in nature," said Meskhidze. "It will require the cooperative efforts of researchers from many...Predicting PET imaging's future: Diagnosing and treating diseases ASAP
...PET Imaging Technology." Since nearly all diseases alter the body's biochemical processes, "this type of test could allow a doctor to compare a patient's results with those from previous years and flag a beginning disease process," added the director of the UC Davis Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging...U of M study shows treatment of periodontal disease does not decrease risk for preterm birth
...) disease in pregnant women does not significantly alter rates of preterm birth, low birth weight, or fetal growth restriction. The Obstetrics and Periodontal Therapy Trial (OPT), published in the Nov. 2, 2006, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, concluded that while treatment for periodontal di...Insect population growth likely accelerated by warmer climate
...because rates of population growth eventually will alter entire ecosystems, Frazier said. In addition, key ...atures by moving to cooler habitats, or they might alter their seasonal activity patterns. Others might not be able to adapt adequately and could become exti...Scientists convert modern enzyme into its hypothesized ancestor
...inding, that such a simple change can dramatically alter function, provides experimental support for the hypothesis that these two enzyme groups share a common origin."...Scientists discover two-component lantibiotic with therapeutic potential
...es. This offered us the opportunity to control and alter the structure of lantibiotics." In their latest work, to be published in PNAS, van der Donk and his collaborators describe a new two-component lantibiotic. These lantibiotic systems utilize two peptides that are each post-translationally modified to ...Modeling alien invasions: Plasticity may hold the key to prevention
...at evolved over millions of years. Invasions often alter food sources or introduce novel competitors or predators, requiring that a species modify corresponding traits (related to physiology, life history, or behavior, for example) to survive in the transfigured landscape. In a new study, Scott Peacor, Mer...The power behind insect flight: Researchers reveal key kinetic component
...orrecting mutations in proteins that detrimentally alter the speed at which heart muscle fibers contract. Since insects have been remarkably successful in adapting to a great range of physical and biological environments, in large part due to their ability to fly, the research also will interest scientist...NSF, NIH award Ecology of Infectious Diseases grants
...ollution, as well as a variety of interventions -- alter the risks of viral, parasitic and bacterial diseases emerging in humans and animals. These studies will contribute knowledge and analytical tools that will help public-health officials, wildlife managers, farmers and others to control the spread of ...Unique imaging uncovers the invisible world where surfaces meet
...ce can cause unusual molecular rearrangements that alter the way the materials behave. And most interactions of a solid with its environment take place at the surface. This kind of transformation is behind the process of corrosion in metals, for example. The aim of Hirschmugl's surface studies is to ex...Naturally occurring enzyme can break down key part of Alzheimer's plaques
...tic, Lee and his collaborators will use viruses to alter production of MMP-9 in the mouse model. Researchers want to learn if increasing levels of the enzyme present in the brain can delay onset of Alzheimer's....Former Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt to speak at Yale Dam Conference
... the habitats of fish and other aquatic organisms, alter river landscapes and displace entire communities. The conference will promote discussion between academics, technical experts, social justice advocates, politicians and engineers on domestic and international dam projects. On Saturday, Nov. 4,...HYPER-CEST MRI breaks new ground in molecular imaging
...e xenon biosensors can then be used to selectively alter MRI signals. In the new Science paper, the Pines and Wemmer collaboration combined the xenon biosensors with CEST technology, which was developed as a contrast method for boosting the MRI contrast from protons. CEST is based on the exchange of prot...JCI table of contents: October 19, 2006
...TLE: Hyperactivity of p21ras and PI3K cooperate to alter murine and human neurofibromatosis type 1haploinsufficient osteoclast functions AUTHOR CONTACT: D. Wade Clapp Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Phone: (317) 278-9290; Fax: (317) 274-8679; E-mail: dclapp@iupui.edu ....A salinity study in the Mobile Delta region
... is the case for the Mobile Bay Causeway, they can alter patterns of natural hydrography. Among the possible consequences of the Causeway is the reduction of water exchange between the fresh water in the lower reaches of Mobile-Tensaw Delta, and the saltier waters of the Gulf of Mexico. If true, this bar...NRC team uses new Quantum Technology to control molecules
...bert Stolow, the NRC team leader, the tool used to alter molecular landscapes has implications beyond the control of chemical reactions. One example already mentioned is in the area of quantum information either to directly encode molecular scale information or to control molecular scale switches. Another ...JCI table of contents: Oct. 12, 2006
...-inflammatory soluble factor IFN-gamma is known to alter the composition and function of the proteasome, generating the immunoproteasome, it is not known whether related soluble factors (type I INFs) released before IFN-gamma during viral infection can also generate the immunoproteasome. Now, in a study a...Structure of enzyme offers treatment clues for diabetes, Alzheimer's
...ang. "This makes us think that if we can slightly alter its shape, we can substantially boost its activity." The researchers are now searching for small molecules that can duplicate the effects of those mutations, shifting the balance toward the open rather than the closed state. "Such compounds," the ...