Study urges caution in contaminant source tracking
...residents and officials naturally want to find the cause and fix it -- quickly. But several testing methods using E. coli to identify the sources of fecal contamination were less accurate in field application than previously reported, according to a recent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report published in...Red wine lovers, take heart: More evidence points to the drink's cardiac heath benefits
...iseases such as hypertension and heart failure can cause fibrosis, a hardening or stiffening of the heart t...t for the heart. Overactive cardiac fibroblasts cause fibrosis of the heart tissue, which then loses its ability to efficiently pump blood, said Joshua Bo...New weapon in germ warfare: 'Jamming' bacteria signals stops cholera
...eed Delisea pulchra can prevent the bacteria that cause cholera from switching on their disease-causing me... effect on many other bacteria, such as those that cause food poisoning and cystic fibrosis-related infections. Furanones do not kill such microbes but s...Yale and Pfizer launch visiting professorship pilot program
...r colleagues have discovered that the signals that cause cancer cells to grow are different from the signals that cause normal cells to grow. These "short circuits" in cancer cells can be used as drug targets to specific...NIDCR launches unique initiative on oral biofilm
... are predictive of periodontal diseases, a leading cause of tooth loss that affects millions of Americans. ... identify the subsets of microbes that interact to cause oral infections. Gill said previous sequencing projects of medically important microbes, such as the...Researchers discover direct link between agricultural runoff and massive algal blooms in the sea
... in the Sea of Cortez. Red tides, for example, can cause outbreaks of life-threatening diseases, such as pa...ure. It is possible that agricultural runoff could cause additional stress if it does lead to toxic blooms or hypoxia." She and her colleagues plan to conduc...New approach studying protein structure could advance drug development
...anges in proteins. Ligands are molecules that can cause the creation of complex compounds in protein structure. The results Argonne scientists achieved using WAXS are comparable to the already accepted predictions of protein structures provided by X-ray crystallography, and are easier and quicker to obtai...First analysis of chicken genome offers many new insights
...al genes, including genes linked to disorders that cause limb loss or deformity, were found in what the authors call ultraconserved regions--large, identical regions of DNA found in the genomes of chickens, mammals and humans. "Because it's so easy to look at and manipulate gene activity as an em...What have scientists learned since Mount St. Helens erupted?
... potential, we may well expect Mount St. Helens to cause additional disturbances to the surrounding landscape during this next century," Crisafulli explains. "Since 1980, the volcano has made a great template to study disturbance. More than 100 physical and life scientists have studied the 1980 eruption an...Carbon sink or carbon source? Aerosols play role in shifts
...s the lack of shade and increased temperatures may cause plants to slow the rate of photosynthesis, causing...radiation, additional increases do not necessarily cause increased photosynthesis. It doesn't matter how much more radiation you add, the plant is not going ...US researchers warn of possible fertility risk to men using laptop computers on their laps
...ufficient recovery time between heat exposures may cause irreversible or partially reversible changes in ma...affect testicular function. Also, frequent use may cause intermittent temperature rises, which could significantly increase a single heating effect. ...New tuberculosis antibiotic may shorten treatment time, fight drug-resistant strains
..., tuberculosis is second only to AIDS as a leading cause of death from infectious disease, causing approximately two million deaths per year. The tuberculosis and HIV epidemics fuel one another; at least 11 million adults are infected with both pathogens, according to the Global Alliance for TB Drug Develo...Dream home: Malaria parasite renovates to suit its tastes
... to complete its 48-hour life cycle, multiply, and cause severe infection without detection by the immune system. "Adhesion of parasite-infected erythrocytes to host cells is a major factor in the pathology of malaria," Cowman explained. "If the parasite didn't stick to the host erythrocyte, it would be d...Genetic defect confers risk of major depression, resistance to SSRI drug therapy
...g with implications not only for understanding the cause and development of depression, but also its treatment and management," added R. Ranga Krishnan, chairman of psychiatry at Duke and an investigator on the study. "Depression can seriously impact a person's functioning, both at work and with their fami...Gene therapy reduces skin cancer to sunburn in mouse model
...uman genes involved in DNA repair is sufficient to cause XP. One of these genes is XPA. Humans with mutati...e may soon be applicable to all the mutations that cause XP in humans. "XP is a disease that lends itself well to gene therapy, for a variety of rea...Scientists solve the mystery of how Botox attacks nerves and eliminates wrinkles
...xposure to large amounts of botulinum bacteria can cause a paralytic, sometimes-fatal disease called botulism. Last month, several Floridians were hospitalized with botulism after receiving injections of an anti-wrinkle treatment that authorities suspect was a cheap, non-FDA-approved imitation of Botox. Th...Researchers show how botulism toxin ensnares its target
...receptor. The new studies show how the toxins that cause botulism and tetanus can recognize and attack part...urnal Nature . The neurotoxins from bacteria that cause the paralysis associated with both botulism and tetanus contain enzymes called proteases that cleave...Strange ocean wave patterns raise questions about beach erosion
...east coast shoreline. The finding could ultimately cause researchers to re-examine ideas about beach erosion and the repair of beaches that are damaged by tropical storms. "It could just be that the physics of the system is a little different than we thought," said Thomas Lippmann, a research scientist in ...Discovery about Vitamin C explains its metabolic value
...tamin C, and found some reaction products that can cause DNA damage. These test tube studies suggested that vitamin C could actually form "genotoxins" which damage genes and DNA, the types of biological mutations that can precede cancer. But that study, while valid, does not tell the whole story, the OSU ......of macular degeneration in humans, the most common cause of blindness in the elderly. Shedding and debris collection must be precisely synchronized to maintain proper rod and cone cell function. How this synchronous cycle of uptake and digestion is maintained is not completely clear. Nandrot and colleague...