New neurons take baby steps in the adult brain
...ld ones. The discovery is described in the Dec. 11 advance online section of Nature. "GABA is important during fetal development, but most scientists thought it would have the same role it has with adult neurons, which is to inhibit the cells' signals," says Hongjun Song, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the...Enzyme triggers plaque rupture in hardened arteries, causing heart attack and stroke
...troke. The results appear online on December 22 in advance of print publication in the January 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Atherosclerosis involves the slow buildup of fatty substances, cholesterol, collagen and elastin fibers, macrophages, and other molecules in the arterial lining,...Study sheds new light on causes of common STD
...a good interim step" whose findings "significantly advance the field," but points out that many important questions remain yet to be answered. The study provides important insight for both heterosexual and homosexual men, as it indicates that NGU may be caused by otherwise harmless organisms shared by monog...Structure of viral harpoon protein reveals how viruses enter cells
...tructure of this critical protein is truly a great advance in biomedical science," says Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., NIH director. Even though the basic concept of viral fusion has been understood for some time, the complete conformations of the structures of the before- and after-fusion forms of the F protein h...UCSD laser technique sheds light on strokes
...from stroke." Kleinfeld and Lyden attributed the advance to collaboration across traditional disciplinary boundaries. "Pat and I are coming from different worlds, but we had the same question at the back of our minds," said Kleinfeld. "Joining forces allowed us to crack a puzzle that either one of us could...Something in the air? ESA service warns asthma sufferers by mobile phone
...r people with asthma and other breathing problems, advance knowledge of air pollution levels is very importan... asthma or other vulnerable conditions, one day in advance of the elevated ozone levels. The YourAir service combines regional air quality forecasts from PRO...MCG gets technology to help optimize medicine dosage
...guiding decisions about medications is a very nice advance that has great potential. Any test that can help prevent somebody from getting side effects and even help predict whether a drug might be beneficial for them is a huge issue." "We are grateful to Drs. Peiper and Wang for their efforts to acquire this...Blockade of fat hormone helps halt and heal multiple sclerosis
.... In their study appearing online on January 12 in advance of print publication in the February 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Giuseppe Matarese and colleagues from Universit di Napoli "Federico II" suggest that leptin neutralization may be a potential way to both prevent and treat MS. ...Tool developed to silence genes in specific tissues using RNAi
...cific tissue or cell type represents a significant advance in the field," says the study's lead investigator, Miles Wilkinson, Ph.D., a professor in the Department of Immunology. For example, this method could potentially be used in humans "to knockdown the expression of mutant or overexpressed genes that ca...New cocoa evidence on why plant foods are beneficial to cardiovascular health
... gold standard methodologies, we have been able to advance our understanding of the relationship between the intake of certain flavanols present in cocoa, their absorption into the circulation, and their effects on cardiovascular function," said lead author Hagen Schroeter, PhD, faculty member at the Univers...Autism Speaks makes major funding commitment for unprecedented national autism database
... important first step in Autism Speaks' efforts to advance innovative autism research," said Mark Roithmayr, president of Autism Speaks. "The database project has the potential to create a powerful tool for thousands of families, educators and researchers across the country and around the world." The nation...Newest M.D. Anderson SPORE to fund breast cancer research
.... D. Anderson labs and now have the opportunity to advance much more rapidly," said Hortobagyi. "The projects...ill fund these five primary projects, all of which advance personalized risk assessment, detection and treatment: Molecular and epidemiologic classification ...One million people in medical gamble
...ligence, despite each volunteer not being aware in advance that this may happen. Some critics claim that these projects can never achieve their stated aims. "The Biobank project is based on the flawed idea that you have a single gene combining with a single environmental factor leading to a single disease," ...JCI table of contents: January 19, 2006
...bone. In a study appearing online on January 19 in advance of print publication in the February 2006 issue of.... In a new study appearing online on January 19 in advance of print publication in the February 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Akiyoshi U...Vitamin D signals to prevent bone loss during osteoporosis
...bone. In a study appearing online on January 19 in advance of print publication in the February 2006 issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Kyoji Ikeda and colleagues from the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology in Japan examine mice with severe osteoporosis and show that oral vitamin D t...End-of-life wishes vary among racial and ethnic groups, and between genders, study finds
.... It was important for them to have choices and an advance directive, and many were opposed to extensive measures to extend life. More so than the other groups, whites in the study were likely to want to know what to expect about pain and other effects of their conditions. In addition to Duffy, authors of th...Viral, gold nanoparticles can assemble themselves to potentially find and treat disease
...particles would go to these target addresses. This advance was only made possible, Pasqualini says, because she and Arap invited chemist Glauco Souza, Ph.D., the paper's first author, to work on the problem. "This was truly a multidisciplinary approach, and it brings together something chemists, physicists a...Tufts University receives federal grant to address occupational risks among immigrants
...titute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) to advance understanding of occupational health risks among a fast growing but vulnerable segment in the American workforce: immigrant workers. The grant will fund intervention efforts in the city of Somerville, Mass., to be developed by researchers from Tufts...First two research awards from university-industry partnership
... could provide preliminary proof that the work can advance treatment or improve diagnosis. Awards will consist of what is termed "no rights" grants, meaning that Johnson & Johnson will have no special rights to any discoveries or patents that arise from research supported by the agreement. All intellectual...Fitness counteracts cognitive decline from hormone-replacement therapy
... Illinois. The study appeared online this month in advance of regular publication in the journal Neurobiology of Aging. By using magnetic resonance imaging and voxel-based morphometry (VBM), researchers documented the combined effects on specific areas of the brain based on fitness of short- and long-term us...