Why do aneurysms form? New studies suggest leading role for white blood cells
... Recently, new ideas about why aneurysms form have begun to take shape. "We're finding that in general, an aneurysm is an inadequate response to injury," Upchurch explains. "Something happens to damage elastin fibers in the blood vessel wall and, for some reason, the immune system's normal healing response...Recent developments on the genetics of alcohol use
...dence has been difficult. Many investigators have begun to examine alcohol dependence in relation to its component parts called phenotypes to better understand the genetic bases of alcohol use and dependence. Proceedings of a symposium on the genetics of alcohol-related phenotypes at the Congress for t...Ferry-linked water monitoring system becomes new model for United States
...an Francisco Bay and Washington's Puget Sound have begun designing, and in some cases already using, comparable systems, said Paerl, William R. Kenan professor at UNC's Institute of Marine Sciences. "This effort, which we see as vital, has been working flawlessly, and we can't say enough about how helpful ...Discovering an ecosystem beneath a collapsed Antarctic ice shelf
...ystem to disturbances and debris that have already begun to bury the delicate mats and mollusks established within the underwater environment. He added that there may be a sense of urgency to investigate the unusual seafloor ecology below the Larsen shelf because of the likelihood of increased sediment dep...OT, VP studied as novel psychiatric drug sources; consider gender-specific drug models
...ion. Over the past few years, neuroscientists have begun reporting evidence solidifying the possible roles ...prisingly, drug companies relatively recently have begun to "reexamine their extensive experience with targeting the hormonal actions of these hormones and w...Scientists characterize proteome of human cornea
...tial research, Dr. Enghild and his colleagues have begun proteomic studies of corneas affected by granular and lattice corneal dystrophies, and are also planning on looking at other cornea diseases such as keratoconus and Fuchs' dystrophy....Scientists develop nanotech-laser treatment that kills cancer cells without harming healthy tissue
...esearcher in the Stanford School of Medicine, have begun a collaboration using laboratory mice with lymphoma. The researchers want to determine if shining near-infrared light on the animal's skin will destroy lymphatic tumors, while leaving normal cells intact. "It's a really interesting idea," says Felshe...Nerve cells' power plants caught in a traffic jam
...tochondria to properly store calcium. While he has begun to piece together several theories, Zinsmaier explained that it remains unclear exactly how the compensation occurs. "The real surprise is that there are mechanisms in place that can manage the system somehow," he said. "We didn't know about them." T...DDT-resistant insects have additional genetic advantage that helps resistance spread
...ased so rapidly that when a local spray program is begun now, most mosquitoes become resistant in a matter of months rather than years. Worryingly, some resistant strains also show 'cross-resistance' to a number of different compounds, so spraying with one insecticide can unexpectedly increase resistance ......t been observed, although more recent studies have begun to link acid rain and the reduced abundance of some bird species. Ralph Hames and James Lowe (Cornell University, US) will report the results of a study of avian biodiversity at 40 sites across New York in their talk, "Linking acid rain, soil propert...Nitrogen in the air feeds the oceans
... supply of nitrate." Capone said that his project, begun in 1994, has yielded "the mostrobust estimate" of the scale of nitrogen fixation. "It's providing a rigorous assessment of how quantitativelyimportant this process is," he said. The study, published recently in Global Biogeochemical Cycles,focused on...Carnegie Mellon rover heads to Atacama Desert for final mission in 3-year search for life
...of life on Earth. The search-for-life project was begun in 2003 under NASA's Astrobiology Science and Technology Program for Exploring Planets, or ASTEP, which concentrates on pushing the limits of technology to study life in harsh environments. Zo's abilities represent the culmination of three years of ...Are hurricanes increasing? Ask a Georgia pine tree
...ture of hurricane frequencies her team has already begun looking at and searching for more locations and ol...eeing more hurricanes and climate researchers have begun asserting that there's reason to believe global warming - at least partially human-influenced - may ...Nation's six most threatened national wildlife refuges named in 2005 State of the System Report
...he newly incorporated city of Elk Grove, which has begun to envelop the refuge's eastern border, is the second fastest-growing city in the nation, according to a U.S. Census report released in July. White River NWR (Arkansas): Rice, long a staple of the region, requires more water than many other crops....Brain tumors may originate with neural stem cells, researchers say
...tected until they are advanced, when symptoms have begun to develop, scientists have been unsure where, or what, initiates the process of uncontrolled cell replication that leads to the formation of the tumors. Dr. Parada and his research group, including former UT Southwestern postdoctoral researcher and ...Public collections of DNA and RNA sequence reach 100 gigabases
...Both of these databases were seeded by collections begun by far-sighted individuals: EMBL Bank by the collection of Kurt Stber, then based at the University of Cologne in Germany, and GenBank by the collection of Walter Goad at LANL. The two nascent databases began collaborating very early on, an interacti...Bacteria are key to 'green' plastics, drugs
HOUSTON, Aug. 23, 2005 -- Trials have begun in Kansas on a "green" production method for succinate, a key ingredient of many plastics, drugs, solvents and food additives. Developed at Rice University, the technology uses a genetically modified form of the bacteria E. coli that metabolizes gluc...Brain activity in youth may presage Alzheimer's pathology
...), scientists, including Buckner's HHMI team, have begun to map the activity of the brain in its different states, including the default state. Among the observations they are making is that when a person who has clinical Alzheimer's disease is asked to concentrate on a specific task, the default mode actu...USC researchers find drug is tough tumor fighter
...t. Over the past couple of years, researchers have begun to recognize that cyclooxygenase-2 can sometimes play a role in cancer; for instance, they've shown that the enzyme is overexpressed by multiple myeloma cells, and that this is a predictor of a poor outcome for the patient. Thus, it seemed clear that...Human muscle-derived stem cells effective in animal models of incontinence
...erived cell therapy for incontinence have recently begun in Toronto. Urinary incontinence affects 13 million Americans. Those with stress urinary incontinence involuntarily lose urine while doing activities that put stress on the abdomen, such as laughing, sneezing, coughing, lifting or walking. A result ...