New clues to the dark side of a key anti-tumor guardian
...nown to be a critical player in our body's natural defense against cancer--it is absent in many types of tumor cells--but it also represents an intriguing paradox when it comes to the broader roles this protein plays in our well being. Past work has shown that in animal models, hyperactivation of the p53 pro...Nanoparticles, nanoshells, nanotubes: How tiny specks may provide powerful tools against cancer
...but renders them "invisible" to the body's natural defense mechanism. Twenty hours after the nanoshells were injected, the researchers imaged their presence in the tumor by using a small hand-held optical coherence tomography (OCT) probe similar to that which dermatologists can use to find skin cancers. Acc...Genetic defenders protect crops from fungal disease
...Plant Biology, are the first to document how these defense genes team up in plants. The discovery could help ...he primary barrier to this invasion and one of the defense genes described in the current study, called PEN2, prevents the fungus from penetrating cell walls i...Scientists observe how a close bond activates the immune system
...cells, the body's most specific and potent line of defense against viruses, bacteria, and other pathogens, says Dr. Dustin who is also an investigator in the molecular pathogenesis program at NYU's Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine. The study, published in the November 18, 2005, issue of Science,...Tips from the journals of the American Society for Microbiology
... of the alpha/beta interferon system, is the first defense against controlling viral infections. These interferons are produced in response to viral infection and stimulate specific genes to produce antiviral compounds. These interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) are responsible for many of the bodies' innate...Innovative research set to push boundaries of cancer care
...od-brain barrier") and are also part of a cellular defense that is associated with a cancer cell's ability to become resistant to multiple drugs. Priebe, working with, Charles Conrad, M.D., associate professor of Neuro-Oncology, Timothy Madden, Pharm.D., associate professor of Pharmacology, and Izabela Fokt,...Olfactory system detects pheromones that control reproduction
... mating, social ranking, maternal, and territorial defense behaviors. In their experiments, Dulac and her colleagues sought to determine whether sensory neurons in the main olfactory epithelium and the VNO were connected to neurons in the brain that synthesize luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH). LH...Wild birds help to create human flu vaccine
...cer. "Effective teamwork on all levels is our best defense against this potential pandemic." The multidisciplinary, collaborative response to this latest outbreak reflects the WCS 'One World-One Health' approach to making informed, multidisciplinary decisions on global health crises that intersect human, wi...UV measurement tool aids defense against microbes in tap water
...ection to add UV reactors as an additional line of defense against pathogenic contaminants in the water supply, Linden said. The research was funded by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation. Linden is an associate professor in Pratt's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. "The...Gene that helps mosquitoes fight off malaria parasite identified
...immune-responsive serpin, SRPN6, mediates mosquito defense against malaria parasites" was written by Eappen G. Abraham, Sofia Pinto, Anil Ghosh, Dana L. Vanlandingham, Aidan Budd, Stephen Higgs, Fotis C. Kafatos, Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena and Kristin Michel. Abraham, Ghosh and Jacobs-Lorena are with the Johns Ho...A fatty acid found in milk may help control inflammatory diseases
...tem protects the body by fighting disease, but the defense comes at a price, Cook says, including inflammatio...s to kill bacteria and avoid activating the immune defense system, but this raises long-term concerns about developing antibiotic resistance," he adds. "You ca...Flu virus reported to resist drug envisioned for pandemic
...rug officials hope will serve as the front line of defense for a feared influenza pandemic. Scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, working with colleagues in Vietnam and Japan, report in a brief communication in next week's edition (Oct. 20, 2005) of the journal Nature that a young girl, provid...Seaweed yields new compounds with pharmaceutical potential
...ubanek explained. "The organisms' purposes include defense against predators, the ability to fight diseases, and the production of chemical cues, such as those used for sex recognition." Hay, Kubanek, and their colleagues collected baseball-sized samples of reef species that exhibit unusual growth and/or be...Biosafety facility to prepare first-responders for terrorist attacks
...rorist alerts and threats, the need for a stronger defense against biological attacks is paramount. Kent State will open its state-of-the-art Biosafety Training Lab, at 10 a.m., Wednesday, Oct. 12, as part of a national effort to teach procedures and protocols to those working with, and responding to, attack...Groundwater sampling goes tubular
...onitoring. The Hanford Site produced plutonium for defense during and after World War II and is the scene of the world's largest environmental cleanup project. Traditional sampling wells provide the bulk of information used to track contamination as it migrates from Hanford toward the river. But they could ...Greasing interferon's gears may pave way to greater therapeutic benefits, fewer side effects
...ron -- a critical protein that mediates the body's defense against a wide variety of infectious agents and tumors -- may soon have greater therapeutic value as the result of a new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. "Essentially, we found a way to grease the gears ...Researchers uncover E. coli's defense mechanism
...ase-causing bacteria may thwart the body's natural defense responses. The findings, which could ultimately lead to the development of more effective antibiotics, appear in the September 29, 2005 issue of the journal Nature. "Nitric oxide is produced by the body to fight infections. We discovered a mechanism ...Engineered molecule amplifies body's immune response
...twist may eventually be used to improve the body's defense against infection. Stat1 is involved in immune re...l of Medicine decided to try to improve the body's defense against infection without causing side effects that occur with interferon treatment by engineering a...Breakthrough in micro-device fabrication combines biology and synthetic chemistry
... for biomedical, computing, environmental cleanup, defense and numerous other applications. Conventional microfabrication processes, similar to methods used to make computer microchips, are expensive (i.e., capital equipment intensive) and not well-suited for directly producing large numbers of complex, thr...Researchers discover how compounds prevent viruses from entering cells
...ery provides a basic understanding of a first-line defense against such viruses as HIV and the influenza virus," said Duane Alexander, M.D., Director of the NICHD. "This finding may ultimately lead to new strategies for preventing viral illness, and to increased understanding of why some individuals are mor...