Scientists identify 'missing link' in process leading to Alzheimer's disease
...hways along which "synapse" replacement parts move rapidly in the nerve cell from where they are made to where they are needed. Synapses are connections between nerve cells, and in the brain they are the structural basis of memory and cognition. When nerve cells in the brain lose their microtubules they also...Woven scaffolds could improve cartilage repair
...we can build a human tissue that can be integrated rapidly into the body, representing a new approach in the field of tissue engineering," Moutos said. "Once implanted, the cartilage cells will grow throughout the scaffold, and over time the scaffold will slowly dissolve, leaving the new cartilage tissue" ...Nanotechnology key to China's future economic success
...f Commerce official recently claimed that China is rapidly "gaining on" the United States in nanotechnology. ...ng years, there is the real potential for China to rapidly advance in making new nanotech scientific discoveries that lead to commercializing new, innovative n...Researchers discover master metabolism regulator with profound effect on fat metabolism
...ing normal amounts of carbohydrates and fats, they rapidly shut down fat synthesis in the liver and mobilize their stored fat deposits. Their bodies are literally tricked into a starvation mode." The experiments conducted by Guo and Cavener had striking and unexpected results. After 17 days of a leucine-...Scientists identify pancreatic cancer stem cells
...ant to traditional therapy designed for cells that rapidly turn over because stem cells don't, according to some researchers. Thus, they remain after tumors shrink and may be responsible for cancer recurrence and metastasis. This study confirms at least one of those concepts, the researchers said. "Our stu...Investigating the invisible life in our environment
...urally occurring types do not grow in the lab. The rapidly growing field of environmental DNA sequencing, called metagenomics, now helps to overcome this problem. Instead of analysing the genome of a specific organism, scientists sequence all the DNA they find in environmental samples, ranging from seawater ...Scientists see DNA get 'sunburned' for the first time
...the timescale that the unwanted bonds form, even a rapidly moving DNA molecule would essentially appear frozen. That means that whether or not two thymine bases are damaged depends on the position of the DNA during the extremely brief time required for it to absorb UV light. Either two thymine bases are li...'Electric' fish shed light on ways the brain directs movement
...ired the fish to swim back and forth more and more rapidly in order to remain inside the tubes. But as the frequency became higher, the fish gradually failed to keep up with the movement of the tubes. The team's detailed engineering analysis of the fish's adjustments under these conditions suggested that ...Whiteflies and plant viruses can help each other to speed up biological invasion
...The question remains how this pest can increase so rapidly and displace native biotypes of whitefly after it has been transported to new localities. The research compared development, survival, fecundity and population increase of the invasive B whitefly and an indigenous whitefly (called ZHJ1) on both vi...Low-pathogenic forms of bird flu do cause illness among birds
...tion. In this way the virus can spread itself more rapidly than previously thought." Acquiring more knowledge about mild but illness-causing avian influenza viruses is very important. Van Gils adds, "These mild virus-types always formed the origin of massive pandemics such as the Spanish Flu. Only such vir...Researchers probe health and safety impacts of nanotechnology
...udents, the UF Nanotoxicology Group, whose work is rapidly becoming more timely as manufacturers increasingly turn to the super-small tubes, cylinders and other nanoparticles at the heart of nanotechnology. There are already more than 400 companies worldwide that tap nanoparticles and other forms of nanote...Faster, low cost sequencing technologies needed to drive era of personalized medicine
...e (AFM), like a caffeinated speed reader, can then rapidly scan the surface of the chip to see where DNA from the sample has hybridized to the probes. Wherever sample DNA binds to the probes, the sequence is registered. "Traditional approaches to sequencing by hybridization are limited by the number of pr...Africa's farmers will have room to grow
...will give them the option to sell surpluses to the rapidly growing urban markets or to devote some of their land to other crops, in particular crops which contribute to restoring soil fertility and enhancing incomes. In either case the farmers overall risk is lessened and life and livelihoods improved. "Wi...New approach could lower antibiotic requirements by 50 times
...in-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) for example is rapidly spreading through hospitals, affecting more than 8,000 people in the UK every year. MRSA infection can lead to septic shock and death....DNA gets new twist: Carnegie Mellon scientists develop unique 'DNA nanotags'
...nsional DNA nanostructure, Armitage notes that the rapidly growing field of DNA nanotechnology is generating increasingly intricate three-dimensional nanostructures that should lead to further improvements in brightness. "We really feel that this is the tip of the iceberg and that nanotags 100 times brigh...JCI table of contents: January 25, 2006
...r tumors. However, doubling the activity of Ha-ras rapidly induced the growth of bladder tumors in all the mice analyzed, indicating that the extent of Ha-ras increased activity influences whether or not it induces the development of bladder tumors. The authors therefore suggest that targeting this molecule,...Turning a cellular sentinel into a cancer killer
...erapeutic window in which the cancer cells respond rapidly by one of these two mechanisms, whereas normal cells seem to tolerate reactivation of p53 quite well," he said. In the December 29, 2006, issue of the journal Cell, Gerard Evan at the University of California at San Francisco reported that p53 restor...Microwave oven can sterilize sponges, scrub pads
...s that cause food-borne illnesses sterilizes them rapidly and effectively. That means that the estimated 90-plus percent of Americans with microwaves in their kitchens have a powerful weapon against E. coli, salmonella and other bugs at the root of increasing incidents of potentially deadly food poisoning...Motor protein plays key role in connecting neurons
...and intestinal cells, and eggs or oocytes. The rapidly moving protein is easily degraded and needs tight regulation. "If you don't want to have dramatic changes in your neuron structure, you don't want this molecule," she says. In fact, she suspects the function of myosin X changes as the neuron develo......yme that controls thymine production, necessary in rapidly dividing cells. "Inhibiting the DHFR gene could help prevent the growth of neoplastic cancerous cells, ordinary cells which develop into tumour cells, such as in prostate cancer cells," explains Dr Akoulitchev. "In fact, the first anti-cancer drug...