Body

New technique boosts efficiency of blood cell production from human stem cells

Scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have developed an improved technique for generating large numbers of blood cells from a patient's own cells. The new technique will be immediately useful in further stem cell studies, and when perfected, could be used in stem cell therapies for a wide variety of conditions including cancers and immune ailments.

Precision gene targeting in stem cells corrects disease-causing mutations

FINDINGS: Using two distinct methods, Whitehead Institute researchers have successfully and consistently manipulated targeted genes in both human embryonic stem (ES) cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells (adult cells that have been reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell-like state). In one case, scientists employed proteins known as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) to change a single base pair in the genome, allowing them either to insert or remove mutations known to cause early-onset Parkinson's disease (PD).

Research links telomere length to emphysema risk

Telomeres, the body's own cellular clocks, may be a crucial factor underlying the development of emphysema, according to research from Johns Hopkins University.

"We found that in mice that have short telomeres, there was a significant increased risk of developing emphysema after exposure to cigarette smoke," said Mary Armanios, MD, assistant professor of oncology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The study appears online ahead of the print edition of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

New understanding of biomarkers could lead to earlier diagnosis of fatal diseases

A new research paper sheds light on the way antibodies distinguish between different but closely related 'biomarkers' - proteins which reveal information about the condition of the human body. This new understanding could enable pharmaceutical companies to develop new technologies for quickly diagnosing and treating fatal diseases.

Cod mislabeling 4 times more prevalent in Ireland than UK, study shows

28% of cod products in Ireland are mislabelled, as compared to 7% in the UK, according to research published today in the journal Fish and Fisheries.

This is the first time that researchers have compared the labelling of cod products sold in Ireland and the UK. Both countries operate under the same EU policies for seafood traceability and labelling.

Genome blueprint for horse and human vaccines

Two strains of Streptococcus bacteria, that have evolved to cause potentially fatal infections in either horses or humans, use the same box of tricks to cause disease. Exploiting their genetic similarities could lead to novel vaccines for both man and beast, according to a review published in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.

Roll out treatment as prevention now to stop HIV and AIDS

Vancouver, British Columbia and Rome (July 15, 2011): The Lancet, a leading global medical journal, published an editorial comment today that emphasizes the critical role of expanding access to HIV treatment under a "Treatment as Prevention" strategy to stop the HIV pandemic.

A new gene identified for restless legs syndrome

People suffering from restless legs syndrome (RLS) experience unpleasant sensations in the legs at night for which the only remedy is movement. Now, an international consortium from Europe, Canada and the US has identified new genetic risk factors for the disease. Carriers of these risk variants have an increased likelihood of developing RLS. This finding, which will be published on July 14th in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics, presents new opportunities for future research of this disorder.

UCSF confirms first adenovirus to jump between monkeys and humans

A novel virus that spread through a California monkey colony in late 2009 also infected a human researcher and a family member, UCSF researchers have found, the first known example of an adenovirus "jumping" from one species to another and remaining contagious after the jump.

Protein may help diagnose and treat lymphoma in people and dogs

A protein that appears to play a key role in the formation of lymphoma and other tumors by inhibiting a tumor-suppressing gene has been identified by a team of veterinary and human medicine researchers at the University of California, Davis.

The researchers suggest that the newly identified protein may be a potential target for diagnosing and treating lymphoma in humans and animals. They will report their findings July 15 in the journal Genes & Development.

Novel adenovirus confirmed to infect both humans and monkeys

A novel virus that spread through a California New World titi monkey colony in late 2009 has been shown to have also infected a human researcher and a household family member, in a documented example of an adenovirus "jumping" from one species to another and remaining contagious after the jump. Researchers at the UCSF Viral Diagnostics and Discovery Center, led by Dr. Charles Chiu, confirmed that the virus was the same in the New World monkeys and humans, and that the virus is highly unusual in both populations.

Stem cell study reveals complexity of glue molecule's role in cancer

A protein molecule that 'glues' cells together and so has a key role in cancer is also responsible for many other important functions of cells, a new study has found.

University of Manchester scientists say their unexpected findings are important because they could lead to a better understanding of why some cancer cells are difficult to eradicate in patients and lead to new cancer treatments.

Ready, go!

KANSAS CITY, MO—Just like orchestra musicians waiting for their cue, RNA polymerase II molecules are poised at the start site of many developmentally controlled genes, waiting for the "Go!"- signal to read their part of the genomic symphony. An assembly of transcription elongation factors known as Super Elongation Complex, or SEC for short, helps paused RNA polymerases to come online and start transcribing the gene ahead, found researchers at the Stowers Institute for Medical Research.

The unfolding 'SAGA' of transcriptional co-activators

KANSAS CITY, MO—Successful gene expression requires the concerted action of a host of regulatory factors. Long overshadowed by bonafide transcription factors, coactivators—the hanger-ons that facilitate transcription by docking onto transcription factors or modifying chromatin—have recently come to the fore.

Restaurant reviews: Can negative information have a positive effect?

If you read a number of positive reviews for a product or restaurant, one negative one might actually boost your regard, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research. That is true as long as the negative information only creates a minor blemish and if you can't think deeply about it.