Humans and dolphins: If brain size is a measure, we're not that different
...om a small handful of fossils that provided a very limited record. Marino and her colleagues gathered data and tracked down fossils at the Smithsonian Institution and other museums. A total of 66 fossil crania were CT-scanned and measured. This subset was added to brain and body weight data from 144 modern c...Trojan-horse therapy blocks buildup of Alzheimer's plaque
...omes a major challenge in drug design namely, the limited ability of molecules small enough to enter a cell to interfere with interactions between much larger proteins. The researchers said it might also be possible to use this new approach to sabotage proteins central to pathogenic organisms, such as human...'Broken' gene reveals evolution of salt retention and possible ties to hypertension
...mans first appeared, available salt must have been limited and quickly lost through sweat. People who were better at retaining salt may have had a significant survival advantage. This advantage decreased as humans spread to cooler climates. The first suggestion that too much salt, rather than too little,...Research confirms that vCJD prions can be removed from blood
...assessment experts believe that the problem is not limited to the UK, where a majority of the early cases of vCJD have been identified, or to Europe, but is a potential global threat that includes the U.S. and Canada. They urge that in addition to maintaining existing precautionary measures, additional risk...Other highlights in the November 3 JNCI
...any biologic agents, such as interferon beta, have limited utility because of excessive toxicity when delivered systemically. In a new study, Michael Andreeff, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and colleagues demonstrated in a mouse model that mesenchymal stem c...Mayo researchers define celecoxib pathways and mechanisms for tumor reduction
...ss." She noted that in an experiment with a limited number of mice, celecoxib appeared to completely inhibit metastasis of the breast tumor. The study employed a mouse model system that closely resembles spontaneous breast cancer progression and metastasis in humans. "The MTag mouse mode...International marine survey of coral death
...ocean disease using land-bound methods. Even where limited inoculation is possible -- by including antibiotics in food for aquaculture fish, for example -- the treatment is problematic. "Spillover of antibiotics from fish pens can lead to low doses of antibiotic being delivered to the wider marine ecosystem,...Old riverbed keeps chemicals from entering Ohio River
...rise in water level in the river. From my limited experience with groundwater, I knew that groundwater systems respond to surface conditions at timescales of weeks to months, but I didn't realize that the response time could be shortened to hours, Krissek said. In this case, an important...Reduced fish stocks linked to increased bushmeat trade, wildlife declines in W. Africa
...hat in 14 local food markets, when fish supply was limited or its price increased, residents substituted bushmeat as an alternate source of affordable protein and the number of bushmeat hunters observed by rangers in parks increased. Overall, the wildlife harvest has contributed to a 76 per cent decline in t...More mobility for researchers in Europe
...the project has not yet begun, the transfer can be limited to one year. The possibility of transferring equipment and larger investments needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. It is important to note that while the EUROHORCs agreement is signed by all the participating organisations on a multilater...New findings may redirect strategies for treatment of prostate cancer
...particularly relevant because they may explain the limited success of Gefitinib, an EGFR inhibitor recently tested in clinical trials. Specifically targeting HER2, and not EGFR, may be a more effective strategy for treating hormone-refractory prostate cancer. "By precisely defining the kinases and phosphoryl...Delays in cutting greenhouse gasses could harm environment
...idespread loss of the world's coral reefs and more limited damage. Other scenarios could involve the difference between the disintegration or the stability of major ice sheets in Antarctica or Greenland, which would dramatically affect sea level. The researchers reported their findings in a paper to be publi...Ground-level ozone linked to increased mortality
...nd-level ozone is a national problem, which is not limited to a small number of cities or one region. Everyone needs to be aware of the potential health risks of ozone pollution," said Francesca Dominici, PhD, senior author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Biostatistics at the Bloomb......eceptors in these complexes was long thought to be limited to as a co-receptor for RET, but GFRs have recently been suggested to play other roles as well. The individual functions of the RET and GFR subunits in these receptor complexes, which are important in developmental milieux from peripheral neurogenes...Down Syndrome protein reduces tumor growth
...ase states in humans, including--but certainly not limited to--stroke, coronary artery disease, cancer and preeclampsia. An important goal in vascular research is to develop new strategies that inhibit endothelial cell dysfunction and abnormal blood vessel formation." Certain agonists, such as vascular endot...'Lighter than air' breathing more than doubles COPD patients' exercise endurance
...mostly due to limits on "breathing out" because of limited expiratory flow, and early onset of dyspnea. Heliox appears to positively change multitude of lung mechanics In the current study, the more than doubling in the time COPD patients could exercise "was associated with a sig...Study in Royal Society journal on possible genetic factors in social responsiblity
...odel was constructed that assumed that bees have a limited total number of wingbeats that the flight motor ca...strongly affects bee behaviour and bee lifespan is limited by the flight mechanism. Contact: Dr Andy Higginson, Animal Behaviour and Ecology Rese...Gene therapy shows promise in model of Parkinson's disease
...t and once diagnosed, it has no cure. Treatment is limited to ameliorating symptoms with a variety of therapies, including dopamine-based drug therapy. Only about 5-10 % of Parkinson's appears to be inherited, and to date five genes have been implicated in patients with a familial history of the dise...Novel AT2R gene transfer prevents hypertension-related enlarged heart, cardiac fibrosis
...rthermore, "all of these effects were seen despite limited transduction of cardiac tissue." In addition, the authors note, "this present study demonstrates a significant level of AT2R expression in cardiac tissue, although the expression was not uniformly distributed throughout the tissue. "Despite this, we ...NIH makes award to UNC for Genome Fingerprint Scanning program
...x." Current software for protein identification is limited mainly to those for which a gene or protein entry exists in one of the public databases. Protein identification cannot be effectively performed for organisms whose annotations are incomplete, missing, or incorrect. By contrast, the GFS program is c...