Fibril shape is the basis of prion strains and cross-species prion infection
...t when mouse prions were brought into contact with hamster prion amyloid fibrils, a new strain of mouse fibrils emerged with the ability to infect hamsters but not humans. The new mouse strain had the same amino acid sequence as the original mouse strain but completely different infectious capabilities. With...Cigarette smoke reduces transport of hamster eggs
...us types of cigarette smoke cause freshly ovulated hamster eggs, enveloped in a layer of cumulus cells, to st... by the smoke. When the infundibular region of the hamster oviduct was exposed to six types of cigarette smoke, eggs were 50% to 90% more likely to stick to th...Researchers find how one genetic variation may leave some people vulnerable to addiction
...ten-fold decrease in protein production inside the hamster ovary cells. The mu opioid receptor gene is the first of 20 or so genes implicated in drug addiction that Sadee and his colleagues want to study. Those other genes may play a role in addiction to various drugs, including alcohol and nicotine. "Drug a...Light exercise a tonic to keep the brain young
... it because it was entertaining, the same as a pet hamster on a running wheel. The results show that regular mild exercise can prevent oxidative damage. In people, that translates to a daily 30-minute walk or a light 1-mile run." Oxidative damage in the brain is believed to be a natural consequence of aging ...New study pinpoints epicenters of Earth's imminent extinctions
..., poison frogs, exotic parrots and hummingbirds, a hamster and a dormouse, a penguin, crocodiles, iguanas, monkeys, and a rhinoceros. Among the most intriguingly-named are: the Bloody Bay poison frog, the volcano rabbit, the Ruo River screeching frog, the Bramble Cay mosaic-tailed rat, the marvelous spatulet...Pall blood filtration technology removes prions that can cause TSEs
...njected into the brains of healthy hamsters. (The hamster is a typical model used to determine prion removal efficiency.) The results of this phase of the study found that the prion reduction filter removed 3.7 logs (over 99.9%) of the infectious prion. In the endogenous infectivity phase of the study, whi...Hamster study shows how our brains recognize other individuals
...think," he noted. In the latest experiment, a male hamster encountered two individuals that he knew equally w...ounters mimicked those that occur in the wild. The hamster fled from the winning male but was attracted to the neutral male -- suggesting that he both recogniz...Just like us, social stress prompts hamsters to overeat, gain weight
...e questions, the researchers placed an 11-week-old hamster (the subordinate intruder) into the cage of an older and larger hamster (the dominant resident). The intruder remained in the aggressor's cage for seven minutes per trial. ...Microchannels, electricity aid drug discovery, early diagnosis
...into the food supply. The researchers used Chinese hamster ovary cells inserted into the channel equipped with electrodes. A syringe pump continuously transported the liquid and the cells into the channel where they passed through the electrical field. The electroporation microfluidic device has the potentia...A surprise about our body clock
... activity. This, it was thought, explained why the hamster had a short day. But as it turns out, this idea w...nfluenced the mammalian body clock. The tau mutant hamster has a short day. When a simulation used the prevailing theory that the mutation decreased CK1 gene a...Dengue virus reveals its circular secret
...ted RNAs were then inserted into mosquito cells or hamster cells to see if the viral RNA would be copied. To their surprise, the scientists found that the stem-loop or SLA sequence is essential for viral replication. Changes in even one or two building blocks in this structure were enough to halt the repli...Biolex reports potential for more potent, efficacious antibodies in Nature Biotechnology
...m, specifically systems utilizing cultured Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Results were reported online on November 26 and in the December print issue of Nature Biotechnology, under the title "Glycan optimization of a human monoclonal antibody in the aquatic plant Lemna minor." Scientists at Medarex ...The power of one: A simpler, cheaper method for cell fusion
...onstrated the efficacy of his device using Chinese hamster ovary cells, which were chemically engineered to link prior to fusion. He said his technology could be developed to fuse different types of cells in the future. Purdue's Research Foundation provided funding for Lu's research, and Lu has submitted a...Active ingredient in common Chinese herb shown to reduce hypertension
...inone IIA caused widening of the arterioles in the hamster cheek pouch microcirculation via enhanced expressi...1.0 to 1.250.08 and 1.570.11, respectively, in the hamster cheek pouch. The increase in arteriolar diameter ratio was significant relative to the vehicle for e...Tips from the Journals of the American Society for Microbiology
...d Armenian hamsters and to Tg mice that express Sg hamster prion protein, say the researchers. The resulting rodent-adapted CWD models could be useful in comparative studies of TSE strains in vivo as well as for testing potential anti-TSE therapeutic agents. (G.J. Raymond, L.D. Raymond, K.D. Meade-White, ...