New study on smallpox in monkeys reveals tactics of a killer
...er attack by the virus. It also reveals changes in levels of gene expression and expression of some proteins in the blood of monkeys when they are infected with smallpox virus. In their PNAS paper, Dr. Relman and colleagues suggest possible mechanisms by which the virus subverts host defenses. Uncovering th...Estrogen protects male rats from aortic aneurysms
...e rats were shown to be responsible for the higher levels of the MMP-9 enzyme. In a second group of experiments, U-M scientists surgically transplanted aortas from male to male rats, from female to male, and from female to female. After the rats were treated with elastase to stimulate aneurysm formation, sc...Study in Royal Society journals presents evidence for inherited factors in homosexuality
...an integral role in the immune system and the high levels of variability found among its genes may be of particular importance for the health of populations. We examined the level of diversity at three MHC class II loci in the wolf population of Scandinavia, a population naturally recolonised with a genetic...UNC scientists identify sticky protein in sickle cell red blood cells
... Reticulocytes are found at considerably higher levels in the blood of sickle cell patients than healthy patients, and so the likelihood of sticky patches or blockages forming on a blood vessel wall is greatly increased.The blockages lead to problems including strokes, pneumonia, recurring infections and...Technique for genetically modifying blood stem cells brings cure for blood diseases closer
...HbF. This vector did not consistently produce high levels of gamma-globin, according to Derek Persons, M.D.,...ified with mLar-beta-delta-gamma-V-5 had total HbF levels of 17 to 33 percent, which led to significant improvement in their disease. This contrasted with the...Health, food, new technologies featured during ACS meeting Oct. 17-20 in Peoria, Ill.
... Dark honey is generally thought to contain higher levels of antioxidants than the lighter varieties, accord...kies to fried snacks and thought to cause elevated levels of bad cholesterol, will be the focus of an afternoon symposium entitled Applications of Edible Oils...Channel protein converts vibrations to electrical signal
...f current flowing through the channels. With lower levels of TRPA1, current flow was diminished. In zebrafis..., and found that this, too, was reduced when TRPA1 levels were low. Given the evidence that TRPA1 plays an integral role in the conversion of a mechanical st...Gladstone researchers resolve key Huntington's disease mystery in Nature cover story
...tering mutant huntingtin protein, thereby reducing levels of the protein elsewhere in the neuron, and thus p...n into inclusion bodies, as well as to monitor the levels of intracellular huntingtin protein, and the length of survival of thousands of individual cells ove...Anti-cholesterol drug treats Alzheimer's disease in mice
...yme regulating cholesterol drastically reduces the levels of brain-clogging amyloid plaque in mice engineere... treatment of the normal mice markedly reduced the levels of the storage form of cholesterol in their brains. And in the transgenic animals, the treatment red...Flies have morning and evening clocks
...ayered system that has emergent properties at many levels of organization. Drosophila workers, who have be...y where we have a chance to understand at multiple levels how different sets of neurons communicate with each other -- including understanding the wiring rule...Laboratory test of evolutionary theory confirms importance of links between populations
...es of bacteria and viruses with different nutrient levels in a series of chemostats--glass culture tubes tha... more rapidly in the chemostats with high nutrient levels than in those with low nutrients. That's because the microbes multiplied more rapidly in the high-nu......brains of people with severe depression have lower levels of several related molecules that are key to the d...onal in a given tissue. The researchers found that levels of molecules called fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), and two of the receptors that bind to them, we...Researchers find protein that makes long-term memory possible
...at the brains of Alzheimer's patients have reduced levels of mBDNF or plasmin. ...Scientists identify new cause of obesity
...n and environmental factors that include decreased levels of exercise and increased access to foods high in fat," Vaisse said. "The importance of the genetic predisposition is thought to be larger in patients with a more severe obesity." Extreme obesity affects about five percent of people in the U.S. Resea...Multi-species herbivore outbreak follows El Nio drought in Panama
...d not occur or have the same effect where rainfall levels were more constant. "This outbreak was unusual because it involved a dozen insect species, and followed a drought associated with one of the most severe El Nio events experienced here. We don't know how common outbreaks like this are in the tropics ...Study confirms link between head and neck cancer and common Asian nut
...indicates factors that may have different exposure levels in different birth cohorts and require prolonged time to manifest their effects on the body. Period effects, on the other hand, usually reflect factors that affect all age groups equally at a given period of time, such as introduction of new diagnos...Delay in cutting the cord helps premature babies
...d quickly. "The acceptable range of red blood cell levels or blood pressure in preterm infants is so narrow that even seconds can make an important difference," Raju says. Despite this importance, evidence is sparse. "Clamping time is seen as so unimportant that it's not even recorded on hospital charts, wh...New version of tumor-suppressor linked to progression of childhood cancer
...its oncogenic properties in human NB cells. TrkIII levels are elevated in advanced stage NB tumors, suggesting that the molecule may play a role in cancer progression. The researchers found that the level of TrkIII resulting from altered splicing of TrkA transcripts is controlled in part by hypoxia, a condi...Biomedical engineers at case develop first sliver-sized sensor to monitor glucose levels
...glucose level for diabetics and other bodily fluid levels with the help of simple color changes. Colors in... glucose levels) to green and then to dark blue as levels increase. A deep, darker blue signifies the highest glucose level that can occur in diabetics. Gratz...UT Southwestern researchers uncover process for sugar-induced fat formation
...at. Even when fed a normal diet, the mice had high levels of glucose in their bloodstreams. Called glucose intolerance, this condition is often seen in patients with diabetes. The researchers then fed the mutant mice a high-carbohydrate diet. Unable to convert the large excess of sugar into fat, th...