Body

In the May 15th issue of G&D, Dr. Ting-Fen Tsai (The National Yang-Ming University, Taiwan) and colleagues present a new animal model of human Wolfram Syndrome, and effectively link CISD2 gene function, mitochondrial integrity and aging in mammals.

Researchers are zeroing in on the genetic abnormalities predisposing to vesicoureteric reflux (VUR), one of the most common causes of urinary tract infections and kidney failure in children, reports a study in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN). "In this study, we accomplished a very critical step towards the identification of the VUR gene," says Ali G. Gharavi, MD (Columbia University, New York).

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The analysis of a termite entombed for 100 million years in an ancient piece of amber has revealed the oldest example of "mutualism" ever discovered between an animal and microorganism, and also shows the unusual biology that helped make this one of the most successful, although frequently despised insect groups in the world.

The findings were made by George Poinar, an Oregon State University researcher and international expert on life forms found in amber. It was just published in Parasites and Vectors, a professional journal.

Recommender systems like those at Amazon, Netflix, and Apple's iTune Store work against niche products and tend to direct customers to blockbuster hits, according to the Management Insights feature in the current issue of Management Science, the flagship journal of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS®).

Management Insights, a regular feature of the journal, is a digest of important research in business, management, operations research, and management science. It appears in every issue of the monthly journal.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Surgical removal of a tissue sample is now the standard for diagnosing cancer. Such procedures, known as biopsies, are accurate but only offer a snapshot of the tumor at a single moment in time.

Monitoring a tumor for weeks or months after the biopsy, tracking its growth and how it responds to treatment, would be much more valuable, says Michael Cima, MIT professor of materials science and engineering, who has developed the first implantable device that can do just that.

HOUSTON -(May 15, 2009) – Two enzymes called extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK1 and ERK2) are critical factors in a pathway that induces ovulation, maturation of the mammalian egg (oocyte) and other activities key to ovarian function and female fertility, said a group of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) in a report that appears today in the journal Science.

The potential contribution to sea level rise from a collapse of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) have been greatly overestimated, according to a new study published in the journal Science. Scientists estimate global sea level would rise 3.3 metres, not five or six, as previously thought. The Atlantic and Pacific seaboards of the US, even in the case of a partial collapse, would experience the largest increases, threatening cities such as New York, Washington DC and San Francisco.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The reason deadly infections like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and hepatitis C never go away is because these viruses disarm the body's defense system. Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have discovered that a key immunity protein must be present for this defense system to have a chance against chronic infection.

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health and other institutions have identified in mice two proteins essential for ovulation to take place.

The finding has implications for treating infertility resulting from a failure of ovulation to occur as well as for developing new means to prevent pregnancy by preventing the release of the egg.

The proteins, called ERK1 and ERK2, appear to bring about the maturation and release of the egg.

Research from the Johns Hopkins Children's Center reveals that the drug most commonly used in type 2 diabetics who don't need insulin works on a much more basic level than once thought, treating persistently elevated blood sugar — the hallmark of type 2 diabetes — by regulating the genes that control its production.

CINCINNATI—Two recent studies by researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) bring to light interesting findings about the diagnosis of the rare lung disease Lymphangioleiomyomatosis ( LAM) and the reasons LAM patients participate in research studies.

Brent Kinder, MD, Frank McCormack, MD, and Jared Hagaman, MD, working with colleagues in the division of pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine at UC, found that patients with LAM were more likely to participate in clinical trials because of a shared cause and a feeling of altruism, as opposed to personal benefit.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Genes trump environment as the primary reason that some adolescents are more likely than others to be victimized by crime, according to groundbreaking research led by distinguished criminologist Kevin M. Beaver of The Florida State University.

The study is believed to be the first to probe the genetic basis of victimization.

Rochester, Minn. – May 14, 2009 - Stem cells play a role in heart muscle rejuvenation by attracting cells from the body that develop into heart muscle cells. They have been successfully used to halt or reverse cardiac injury following heart attack, but not to prevent injury before it occurs.

Our genome is a patchwork of neighborhoods that couldn't be more different: Some areas are hustling and bustling with gene activity, while others are sparsely populated and in perpetual lock-down. Breaking down just a few of the molecular fences that separate them blurs the lines and leads to the inactivation of at least two tumor suppressor genes, according to researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies.

Time is short for scientists to respond to the call for comments on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) proposed guidelines for the use of human embryonic stem (ES) cell lines and their eligibility for federal funds. On May 26, the window to provide feedback will close, and the drafted rules leave the possibility that funding for almost all existing cell lines will disappear.