Stanford gut check shows diversity of intestinal ecosystem
...ere surprised at the degree to which an individual determines the particular picture of microbial diversity that we see," said Relman. "Variation between individuals had been suspected, but our data proved to be a dramatic confirmation of this belief." An interesting corollary of this finding is that the abilit...3 questions may provide good clues to smoke exposure
...as possible to develop a three-question model that determines the child's ETS exposure risk category. "Many patients state that they smoke outdoors and/or smoke only a few cigarettes per day. We found that parental report of these factors did not impact on the child's actual exposure as measured by hair cotini...Soliciting organs over the Internet
...S, www.unos.org ), which maintains waiting lists, determines the priority of patients on the lists, and places available organs. Historically, UNOS has discouraged patients from soliciting organs from non-related donors, but the Internet now offers the potential to facilitate solicitation on a large scale. On...New fat is needed to clear old fat from the system
St. Louis, May 10, 2005 -- Where fat comes from determines whether the body can metabolize it effectively. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that the "old" fat stored in the body's peripheral tissues -- that is, around the belly, thighs or bottom -- can't be burn...Mayo Clinic researchers develop new treatment for incurable recurring form of adult brain cancer
...rotein is a key player in the chain of events that determines drug activity could be useful in screening patients to help determine the best candidates for the drug. Says Dr. Galanis, "This could allow us to customize drug administration to the patients most likely to benefit from it, and in that way, improve c...In those genetically predisposed, 'developmental reprogramming' could explain cancer risk
...t can permanently "reprogram" tissue in a way that determines whether tumors will develop in adulthood. While the study was conducted with rats that are susceptible to benign uterine tumors, and the compound used was diethylstilbestrol (DES), a banned estrogenic anti-miscarriage drug, the researchers say their ...UCI researchers create method for predicting most effective use of cancer-fighting drugs
... The method is based on a mathematical model that determines when a cancer becomes drug-resistant during therapy. It does this by estimating the probability of finding drug-resistant mutant cells at different stages of cancer progression and examining the fate of individual mutant colonies during therapy. It t...Genetic on-off switches pinpointed in human genome
...r brain. Controlled gene activity at certain times determines what function the cell will have in the body. To accomplish the genome-wide promoter survey, Bing Ren and his co-worker, Tae Hoon Kim, conceived and designed a novel experimental procedure based on cutting-edge microarray technology. UCLA's Yingnian ...Exercise program and special weighted back support improves balance in elderly
...ered below the shoulder blades. A patient's doctor determines the best weighting and placement of the device. Along with Dr. Sinaki, the principal investigator, Mayo Clinic researchers contributing to this study included Robert Brey, Ph.D., Christine Hughes, Dirk Larson and Kenton Kaufman, Ph.D. In an editorial...MRI better than FDG PET at detecting liver tumors
...ons in the liver is critical, because that is what determines treatment," said Dr. Sahani. "FDG-PET is currently very popular for looking for metastases, but it has deficiencies. Based on our results, we believe that contrast-enhanced MRI should be the imaging method of choice for determining if patients with ...Alternating rise and fall of SCF - NIPA levels act as switch regulating cell division
...eraction Partner of ALK) is the timing device that determines when SCFNIPA triggers mitosis. When a molecule of phosphate (PO4-) is attached to NIPA, it cannot bind to SCF. The level of cyclin B1 rises during this time, which occurs when the cell is completing the duplication of its DNA (S phase), as well as du...A new understanding of how immune system targets disease
...ied for the first time the chemical mechanism that determines immunodominance, and proved that it can be fine-tu...Mhc protein and a given epitope. Kinetic stability determines whether, in the face of competing reactions within the immune system, an epitope:Mhc complex can rem...New method rapidly detects potential bioterror agent
...infective than others, and the researchers' method determines not only the strain, but whether it's a Phase I or II strain depending on its ability to infect, Fernandez explained. "The next step is to fine tune our model and increase the number of strains we can identify," Fernandez said. "There is a library o...Yale procedure cuts recurrence of aggressive uterine cancer
...-New Haven Hospital. The procedure more accurately determines the complete stage and appropriate treatment and reduces the recurrence of the cancer. The incidence of UPSC has increased since it was first identified in 1981. About 160 to 170 new cases of uterine cancer per year are seen at Yale. About seven pe...Biomedical engineer shows how people learn motor skills
...e demonstrated that the richness of motor training determines not only what we learn but how we learn," Thorough... hypothesized that neuronal tuning of space, which determines generalization, should remained fixed during learning so that a combination of neuronal outputs can ...Big and fast growing infants at greater risk of later obesity
...ggest that future studies need to investigate what determines these patterns of growth, and to explore whether interventions to alter infant growth could be associated with other benefits or harms. It will also be important to assess whether factors influencing infant growth are amenable to change, to establis...Researchers show beneficial role of risk calculator in fighting progression of glaucoma
...k (STAR) a five-year glaucoma risk assessment tool determines an individual patient's overall risk of developing glaucoma. Physicians assess the six key risk factors and position their findings at various points on the tool, which can help them determine the risk of conversion from ocular hypertension to glauc...Heart attack death rates found higher in hospitals treating larger share of African Americans
...lity of care, more than racial differences per se, determines AMI outcomes. Based on the study findings, the investigators assert that targeted quality improvements at hospitals serving large shares of African Americans could enhance AMI care for all patients in those hospitals as well as potentially reduce bl...Research unveils new, reliable approach to drug delivery for cancer patients
...ay of quantifying the drug binding affinity, which determines the drug's efficiency," said Aleksandr Noy, a researcher in LLNL's Chemical Biology and Nuclear Sciences Division (CBDN), who along with CBDN postdoctoral student Todd Sulchek is the lead author of the paper that appears in the Proceedings of the Nat...Study broadens understanding of enzymes linked to tumor promoting molecule
...at the reaction produces, but where it occurs that determines the ultimate effects," said lead author Michael Maceyka, Ph.D., a Massey Cancer Center trainee in the Department of Biochemistry at VCU. "Understanding that SphK1 and SphK2 have opposite effects on cell growth may be helpful in creating more effectiv...