Body

Seattle, WA – December 4, 2013 – Researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have used Droplet Digital PCR (ddPCR™) to demonstrate for the first time the quantification of a special class of tumor-attacking immune cell known to improve cancer survival, a subpopulation of T-cells called tumor-infiltrating T-lymphocytes or TILs. The study, led by Dr.

SEATTLE – One way to predict survival of many types of cancer is by counting the number of tumor-attacking immune cells that have migrated into the tumor in an effort to eradicate it – a sign of the body's immune response to the cancer. However, quantifying these armies of immune cells has been difficult – until now.

New Rochelle, NY, December 4, 2013–Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers announced the publication of the World Stem Cell Report 2013, a special supplement to the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cells and Development. Dr. Graham Parker (Wayne State University School of Medicine) and Bernard Siegel (Genetics Policy Institute) serve as Co-Editors-in-Chief of the Report, joined by Rosario Isasi (McGill University) as Managing Editor.

Clamor about whether climate change will cause increasingly destructive tropical storms may be overshadowing a more unrelenting threat to coastal property — sea-level rise — according to a team of researchers writing in the journal Nature this week.

Using novel techniques to extract and study ancient DNA researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, have determined an almost complete mitochondrial genome sequence of a 400,000-year-old representative of the genus Homo from Sima de los Huesos, a unique cave site in Northern Spain, and found that it is related to the mitochondrial genome of Denisovans, extinct relatives of Neandertals in Asia. DNA this old has until recently been retrieved only from the permafrost.

In a technical tour de force, UC San Francisco (UCSF) scientists have determined, at near-atomic resolution, the structure of a protein that plays a central role in the perception of pain and heat.

Led by UCSF postdoctoral fellows Erhu Cao, PhD, and Maofu Liao, PhD, the new research will offer fresh insights to drug designers searching for new and better pain treatments, but it also is a watershed for the field of structural biology, which aims to discover how proteins are physically constructed in order to better understand their function.

A paper published in the December 6 issue of The Journal of Biological Chemistry announces the characterization of a new potent and selective PI3Kdelta inhibitor, GS-9820. The discovery was made by members of Western University's Bone and Joint Initiative with collaborators from Nihon University, the University of Calgary and Gilead Sciences, Inc.

New Orleans, LA – The first study of its kind, led by Melinda Sothern, PhD, CEP, Professor and Director of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans School of Public Health, reveals that the same pro-inflammatory proteins linked to obesity and the metabolic syndrome in adults appear to protect children prior to puberty. The findings are published online in the International Journal of Obesity in the Accepted Article Preview.

Scientists have discovered that some ring-tailed lemurs in Madagascar regularly retire to limestone chambers for their nightly snoozes, the first evidence of the consistent, daily use of the same caves and crevices for sleeping among the world's wild primates.

BOSTON -- In recent years, research has suggested that carbon monoxide, the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems, can be used to treat certain inflammatory medical conditions. Now a study led by a research team at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) shows for the first time that carbon monoxide may also have a role to play in treating cancer.

FROSTBURG, MD (December 4, 2013) –Mating with more than one male increases reproductive success for female prairie dogs, despite an increase in risks. This is according to a new study published in The Journal of Mammalogy by behavioral ecologist John Hoogland, Professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science's Appalachian Laboratory.

In a seemingly simple experiment, a scientist exposes rats to a certain pesticide over several days, and the rodents start showing symptoms remarkably similar to those seen in Parkinson's patients. But the scientific search for the causes of the disease, which affects 7 million to 10 million people worldwide, is nowhere near simple. An article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, dives into the potential pesticide-Parkinson's link.

Laxenburg, Austria - A new study published in the journal Demography shows that improvements in education levels around the world have been key drivers of economic growth in developing countries that has previously been attributed to declines in fertility rates.

Wasps, bees, ants and relatives comprise the megadiverse insect order Hymenoptera, the third most speciose animal group on Earth, far surpassing the number of known vertebrate species. All the four most diverse orders of animals (beetles, butterflies, wasps, and true flies) belong to the group of insects with complete metamorphosis, i.e. having a dormant pupa, jointly known as Holometabola. Other holometabolans are lacewings, alderflies, dobsonflies, snakeflies, scorpionflies, fleas, and caddisflies.

For some 5,000 years, cultivated silkworms have been spinning luxurious white silk fibers destined for use in the finest clothing. But current dyeing practices produce wastewater that contains potentially harmful toxins, so scientists are turning to a new, "greener" dyeing method in which they coax already-colored fibers from the caterpillars by feeding them dyed leaves. Their findings are published in the journal ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering.