Blocking immune inhibitor improves response to HIV-like virus, prolongs survival in monkeys

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By blocking PD-1 (programmed death-1), an immune receptor molecule known to inhibit the immune response to chronic viral infections, scientists have safely and significantly reduced the plasma viral load and also prolonged survival of rhesus macaque monkeys severely infected with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), the nonhuman primate version of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The therapeutic strategy worked by boosting the function of anti-viral killer cells (CD8 T cells) and improving antibody response to the virus.

Our DNA may set AIDS time bomb ticking

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HOW quickly HIV turns into AIDS might depend on an individual's DNA. Some variations in the DNA in mitochondria, the parts of cells that generate energy, seem to make AIDS develop twice as fast as others.

Stephen O'Brien from the National Cancer Institute in Frederick, Maryland, and colleagues examined data from five long-term studies tracking a total of 1833 people with HIV during the 1980s and early 1990s. This was before antiretroviral therapy (HAART) was commonly used, so the team could follow the disease's development without intervention.

Great Indian Ocean earthquake of 2004 set off tremors in San Andreas fault

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In the last few years there has been a growing number of documented cases in which large earthquakes set off unfelt tremors in earthquake faults hundreds, sometimes even thousands, of miles away.

New research shows that the great Indian Ocean earthquake that struck off the Indonesian island of Sumatra on the day after Christmas in 2004 set off such tremors nearly 9,000 miles away in the San Andreas fault at Parkfield, Calif.

Obesity among state's low-income teens nearly triple that of more affluent peers

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California's low-income teenagers have a lot in common: Sugary soda. Fast-food restaurants. Too much television. Not enough exercise. The result: Low-income teenagers are almost three times more likely to be obese than teens from more affluent households, according to new research from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

'Fly guy' makes memory breakthrough

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Dr. Francois Bolduc keeps more than 300,000 fruit flies in a basement laboratory, where he manipulates their genes and then tests their mental abilities. He's called the "fly guy," and he may sound like a comic book villain, but Bolduc is no mad scientist.

Chemist tames longstanding electron computation problem

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When the University of Chicago's David Mazziotti talks about chemistry, perhaps he is thinking about how the behavior of all of the electrons in a molecule can be anticipated from the behavior of just two of its electrons.

Memory study on mice offers new insights into understanding autism, NYU, Baylor scientists conclude

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Researchers at New York University's Center for Neural Science and the Baylor College of Medicine have identified a protein that when removed from mice results in behaviors that are akin to those with autism and obsessive-compulsive disorders. Their findings, which appear in the latest issue of the journal Neuron, may enhance our understanding of these and other neurological disorders.

Examination of widely used antimicrobial compound reveals new strategies to fight malaria

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Scientists working on a common antimicrobial compound with antimalarial activity have discovered a range of new therapeutic strategies to combat malaria. The research, published by Cell Press in the December 11th issue of the journal Cell Host and Microbe, provides valuable insight into how the human malaria parasite's requirement for fatty acids can be exploited as it progresses through the distinct stages of its complex life cycle.

Determining responsibility and assigning punishment governed by different brain systems

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A new study reveals that humans use different neural mechanisms for determining criminal responsibility and assigning an appropriate punishment. The research, published by Cell Press in the December 11th issue of the journal Neuron, provides fascinating insight into brain systems that may explain how thousands of years of reliance on human sanctions to enforce social norms gave rise to our current criminal justice system.

Brain deletion of FK506-binding protein enhances repetitive behaviors in mice

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A new study reveals a link between dysregulation of a common signaling pathway and repetitive behaviors similar to those associated with multiple neurological and neurodegenerative disorders including, autism spectrum disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, and Huntington's disease. The research, published by Cell Press in the December 11th issue of the journal Neuron, identifies a critical role for a molecule linked to immunosuppression in learning, memory, and repetitive behavior and may lead to the development of new treatments for perseverative behaviors.