American Chemical Society's Weekly PressPac -- July 11, 2007
...ronmental Science & Technology A new noninvasive test could substantially increase scientists ability to monitor seabirds for contamination with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other persistent organic pollutants (POPs), scientists in Japan are reporting in an article scheduled for the July 15 issu...Vaccine trials inject hope into koala's future
...anned to begin before the end of the year and will test the vaccine's ability to induce a good immune response in the koala against chlamydia," he said. "Assuming that this first trial is successful, then future trials can determine if this immune response is able to protect the koalas against chlamydia...Immune system 'escape hatch' gives cancer cells traction
...k, who in 1993 developed several novel proteins to test how various antigens, such as those on cancer cell...neutralized, T-cell tolerance failed to develop in test tube studies, pinning down peroxynitrate as the culprit prohibiting immune cell binding to and marki...Accident-prone? Scientists link brain function to knee injuries
...all were assessed. For example, a color-matching test was used to measure reaction time and processing s...stling, fencing and softball. Then the preseason test results from the two groups of athletes were compared. In analyzing the data, the scientists found...Clues to future evolution of HIV come from African green monkeys
...Wertheim said. "So I set out to perform a rigorous test of that hypothesis." He extensively sequenced the mitochondrial DNA genes of the four species of African green monkeys. Mitochondrial DNA is passed from mother to child. The four green monkeys he studied are the sabaeus monkey, Chlorocebus sabae...A decisive step toward a cure for insulin dependent diabetes
...e high-density DNA microchip technology, which can test 550,000 genes in a single analysis, Drs. Polychronakos and Hakonarson have detected a new gene involved in type I diabetes. To date, only 4 of the genes responsible for this disease had been identifiedthis now makes 5. We believe there are approximat......, scientists developed a marker assisted screening test that used SNPs to determine whether or not plants were resistant to root-knot nematode. The basic objective of any breeding scheme is to identify elite individuals that can pass on their desirable characteristics, explained Bo-Keun Ha, lead author...ACMG recognizes progress made in newborn screening
...n technology have made it possible and feasible to test newborns for a number of serious or deadly disease...esting. For each of the core diseases, an accurate test is currently available and there are demonstrated benefits of early detection and treatment. Furthe...Bernese Mountain Dogs prone to Borrelia burgdorferi infection
...unosorbent assay (ELISA) as well as a Western blot test to see whether the dogs had developed antibodies against B. burgdorferi. Of the Bernese Mountain Dogs, 58 percent had developed antibodies against B. burgdorferi, compared with only 15 percent of the control dogs. Factors such as living in a rural ...Researchers discover human embryonic stem cells are the ultimate perpetual fuel cell
... past year to prove themselves wrong, but as every test confirmed their discovery, it was time to submit the work for international peer review from other experts. This will be critical for future developments involving drug and gene screening of human ES cells, that will be required before clinical use...QUT's top researchers honored with fellowships
...igious Smart State Fellowship to develop a genetic test that has the potential to revolutionise the diagno...esearch would lead to the development of a genetic test for diagnosis of schizophrenia and early detection. "Schizophrenia affects about one per cent of Q...Modified herpes virus keeps arteries 'free-flowing' following procedures
... proliferation of surviving cells. They wanted to test this effect in arteries following angioplasty ther...in humans. Human trials would be the next step to test this theory. ...Mild stress in the womb may worsen risk of cerebral palsy
...D, PhD, of Inserm in France, used a mouse model to test whether exposure to minimal but repeated stress throughout gestation would make the offspring more vulnerable to brain lesions similar to those observed in children with cerebral palsy. The findings are published in the July 11 issue of The Journal ...Study provides new data about the laws governing embryo development in organisms
... the stability of the system and has enabled us to test its robustness. This study shows that modelling is a highly useful tool for describing in silico new properties of a biological system and being able to corroborate them subsequently in vivo. In this regard, Buceta, who leads a group dedicated to ...MIT, BU team builds viruses to combat harmful 'biofilms'
...zyme known to disperse a variety of biofilms. To test the engineered T7 phage, the team cultivated E. coli biofilms on plastic pegs. They found that their engineered phage eliminated 99.997% of the bacterial biofilm cells, an improvement by two orders of magnitude over the phage's nonengineered cousin. ...It don't mean a thing if it ain't got that (modern) swing
...er flutter of the wings in a controlled laboratory test that Derryberry calls the "copulation solicitation assay." If they really liked it, in fact, they'd start the dance even before the 2-1/2-second song was over. "It's -- boom -- on," she said. Once the experiment was over, the females were returned ...Tiny tweezers and yeast help St. Jude show how cancer drug works
...triggered cell death, Bjornsti said. We decided to test this model by studying the effect of camptothecin on DNA in yeast cells during the process of gene expression. During gene expression, the DNA strands are separated so the cell can copy the genetic information into RNAa process called transcription. ...First all-African produced genetically engineered maize is resistant to maize streak virus
...ld trials are scheduled to begin soon, not only to test the effectiveness of the technology in the field but also to ensure that the GE maize variety has no unintended effects on beneficial organisms that may feed on it. The resistant maize will also be tested to ensure that the viral protein is digestib...U-M, Israeli scientists report major advance in search for genes associated with colon cancer
...d in cancer. While there is not yet a screening test for the genetic variation that was pinpointed in the study, Gruber and his co-authors emphasize that genetic testing is available for other known genetic variations linked to colorectal cancer. People with a strong family history of colon cancer, esp......y hope will lead to a simple, fast and noninvasive test that can detect the disease early. Working with ... Proteome Research. Developing a simple dipstick test that would better single out patients whose symptoms are linked to cancer would enable those who sim...