en-us http://www.discover8.com DiscoveR8: Science is news http://www.discover8.com/article/HWI_scientist_first_in_world_to_unravel_structure_of_key_breast_cancer_target_enzyme_0 The molecular details of Aromatase, the key enzyme required for the body to make estrogen, are no longer a mystery thanks to the structural biology work done by the Ghosh lab at the Hauptman-Woodward Medical Research Institute (HWI) in Buffalo, New York. Dr. Debashis Ghosh's solution of the three-dimensional structure of aromatase is the first time that scientists have been able to visualize the mechanism of synthesizing estrogen.In fact, the Ghosh lab has determined the structures of all three of the enzymes involved in controlling estrogen levels that can serve as drug targets for estrogen-dependent tumors in breast cancer. This work is so significant, the world-renowned journal Nature will be publishing the structure of aromatase at 2.90 angstrom resolution in an upcoming issue. The other two enzyme structures determined by the Ghosh lab as part of this project were estrone sulfatase (2003) and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (1996). All three enzymes control the levels of estradiol in different tissues."This is a dream come true," Dr. Debashis Ghosh, an HWI senior research scientist and a principal investigator who also holds a joint faculty appointment at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI), said. "Scientists worldwide have been trying for thirty-five years to crystallize this membrane-bound enzyme and we are the first to succeed. Now that we know the structures of all three key enzymes implicated in estrogen-dependant breast cancers, our goal is to have a personalized cocktail of inhibitors customized to the specific treatment needs of each patient. Our knowledge about these three enzymes will enable us to develop three mutually exclusive inhibitors customized to each patient's needs which will work in harmony together with minimal side effects." http://www.discover8.com/article/HWI_scientist_first_in_world_to_unravel_structure_of_key_breast_cancer_target_enzyme_0 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:30:42 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Control_of_blood_vessels_a_possible_weapon_against_obesity_0 Mice exposed to low temperatures develop more blood vessels in their adipose tissue and metabolize body fat more quickly, according to a new study from Karolinska Institutet. Scientists now hope to learn how to control blood vessel development in humans in order to combat obesity and diabetes.The growth of fat cells and their metabolism depend on oxygen and blood-borne nutrients. A possible way to regulate the amount of body fat in order, for instance, to combat obesity can therefore be to affect the development of blood vessels in the adipose tissue.A team of researchers at Karolinska Institutet have now demonstrated the rapid development of blood vessels in the adipose tissue of mice exposed to low temperatures. This is followed in its turn by a transformation of the adipose tissue from white fat to brown fat, which has higher metabolic activity and which breaks down more quickly."This is the first time it's been shown that blood vessel growth affects the metabolic activity of adipose tissue rather than vice versa," says Professor Yihai Cao, who led the study. "If we can learn how to regulate the development of blood vessels in humans, we'd open up new therapeutic avenues for obesity and metabolic diseases like diabetes." http://www.discover8.com/article/Control_of_blood_vessels_a_possible_weapon_against_obesity_0 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 09:29:57 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Lost_in_translation_0 The enzyme machine that translates a cell's DNA code into the proteins of life is nothing if not an editorial perfectionist.Johns Hopkins researchers, reporting this week in Nature, have discovered a new proofreading step during which the suite of translational tools called the ribosome recognizes errors, just after making them, and definitively responds by hitting its version of a delete button.It turns out, the Johns Hopkins researchers say, that the ribosome exerts far tighter quality control than anyone ever suspected over its precious protein products which, as workhorses of the cell, carry out the very business of life."What we now know is that in the event of miscoding, the ribosome cuts the bond and aborts the protein-in-progress, end of story," says Rachel Green, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and professor of molecular biology and genetics in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "There's no second chance." Previously, Green says, molecular biologists thought the ribosome tightly managed its actions only prior to the actual incorporation of the next building block by being super-selective about which chemical ingredients it allows to enter the process. http://www.discover8.com/article/Lost_in_translation_0 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 04:46:25 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Pneumococcal_Vaccine_Does_Not_Appear_To_Protect_Against_Pneumonia_0 Commonly used pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccines do not appear to be effective for preventing pneumonia, found a study by a team of researchers from Switzerland and the United Kingdom. http://www.discover8.com/article/Pneumococcal_Vaccine_Does_Not_Appear_To_Protect_Against_Pneumonia_0 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:07:20 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Muscle_Cells_That_May_Hold_a_Key_to_Repairing_Young_Hearts_0 No, this isn't a reminder that today -- the 12th day of Christmas -- is the traditional day to pack away the tree ornaments. These brilliant orbs are actually a layer of fluorescently stained muscle cells designed to encourage the growth of stem cells that may one day replace pacemakers in children and keep young hearts beating on time, according to Doug Cowan, an assistant professor of anesthesia at Children's Hospital Boston. http://www.discover8.com/article/Muscle_Cells_That_May_Hold_a_Key_to_Repairing_Young_Hearts_0 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:56:44 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Hepatitis_A_vaccine_gives_long_lasting_protection_0 Hepatitis A infections, usually transmitted via contaminated food, can cause debilitating illness, but protection afforded by the hepatitis A vaccine last more than a decade, a new study shows. http://www.discover8.com/article/Hepatitis_A_vaccine_gives_long_lasting_protection_0 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:52:34 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Bulimia_Tied_to_Brain_Differences_0 Women with bulimia nervosa may be particularly impulsive because of their brain activity patterns, a new study shows.The study, published in January's edition of the Archives of General Psychiatry, included twenty women with bulimia and twenty women without bulimia. The women's ages and BMI were similar in both groups.Each woman had her brain scanned using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while she took a brain function test. In the test, arrows pointing to the left or right popped up on the right or left side of a screen, and the women had to press a button to indicate the arrow's direction.That task is easier when the arrow's direction matches its position on the screen (such as a left-pointing arrow on the left side of the screen) than when there's a conflict (for instance, the left-pointing arrow on the right side of the screen).In the test, the arrows come and go quickly; participants' scores are based on accuracy and speed.The women with bulimia nervosa did worse on the test, particularly because they were more impulsive and inaccurate when the arrow's direction didn't match its screen location. And the women with the most severe bulimia symptoms had the least success on the test.The brain scans showed that the bulimic women had less activity in brain areas involved in self-regulation.The reasons for the different brain activity patterns aren't clear. The researchers, who included Rachel Marsh, PhD, of Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute, speculate that problems with the brain chemicals serotonin and dopamine may be involved.Because the women who took part in the study were in their mid-twenties on average, it's not clear if the findings apply to younger bulimia patients or men with bulimia. http://www.discover8.com/article/Bulimia_Tied_to_Brain_Differences_0 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:48:31 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Study_raises_hope_for_obesity_treatment_0 U.S. researchers may have found an obesity treatment that unlocks the fat-fighting promise of leptin, an appetite-suppressing hormone once hailed as the answer to the battle of the bulge. http://www.discover8.com/article/Study_raises_hope_for_obesity_treatment_0 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:45:31 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Old_gastrointestinal_drug_slows_aging_0 Recent animal studies have shown that clioquinol an eighty-year-old drug once used to treat diarrhea and other gastrointestinal disorders can reverse the progression of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Huntington's diseases. Scientists, however, had a variety of theories to attempt to explain how a single compound could have such similar effects on three unrelated neurodegenerative disorders.Researchers at McGill University have discovered a dramatic possible new answer: According to Dr. Siegfried Hekimi and colleagues at McGill's Department of Biology, clioquinol acts directly on a protein called CLK-1, often informally called "clock-1," and might slow down the aging process. The advance online edition of their study was published in Oct. 2008 in the Journal of Biological Chemistry."Clioquinol is a very powerful inhibitor of clock-1," explained Hekimi, McGill's Strathcona Chair of Zoology and Robert Archibald and Catherine Louise Campbell Chair in Developmental Biology. "Because clock-1 affects longevity in invertebrates and mice, and because we're talking about three age-dependent neurodegenerative diseases, we hypothesize that clioquinol affects them by slowing down the rate of aging."Once commonly prescribed in Europe and Asia for gastrointestinal problems like diarrhea and shigella, clioquinol was withdrawn from the market after being blamed for a devastating outbreak of subacute myelo-optic neuropathy (SMON) in Japan in the 1960s. However, because no rigorous scientific study was conducted at the time, and because clioquinol was used safely by millions before and after the Japanese outbreak, some researchers think its connection to SMON has yet to be proven.The exact mechanism of how clioquinol inhibits CLK-1 is still under investigation, Hekimi said. "One possibility is that metals are involved as clioquinol is a metal chelator," he explained. Chelation is a type of binding to metal ions and is often used to treat heavy metal poisoning.Hekimi is optimistic but cautious when asked whether clioquinol could eventually become an anti-aging treatment."The drug affects a gene which when inhibited can slow down aging," he said. "The implication is that we can change the rate of aging. This might be why clioquinol is able to work on this diversity of diseases that are all age-dependent."However, he admits to being concerned about how people may interpret his results."The danger is that you can buy a kilogram of this compound at a chemical wholesaler, but we don't want people to start experimenting on themselves. Clioquinol can be a very toxic substance if abused, and far more research is required." http://www.discover8.com/article/Old_gastrointestinal_drug_slows_aging_0 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 20:41:39 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/_Scrawny_gene_keeps_stem_cells_healthy_0 Stem cells are the body's primal cells, retaining the youthful ability to develop into more specialized types of cells over many cycles of cell division. How do they do it? Scientists at the Carnegie Institution have identified a gene, named scrawny, that appears to be a key factor in keeping a variety of stem cells in their undifferentiated state. Understanding how stem cells maintain their potency has implications both for our knowledge of basic biology and also for medical applications. The results will be published in the January 9, 2009 print edition of Science."Our tissues and indeed our very lives depend on the continuous functioning of stem cells," says Allan C. Spradling, director of the Carnegie Institution's Department of Embryology. "Yet we know little about the genes and molecular pathways that keep stem cells from turning into regular tissue cellsa process known as differentiation."In the study, Spradling, with colleagues Michael Buszczak and Shelley Paterno, determined that the fruit fly gene scrawny (so named because of the appearance of mutant adult flies) modifies a specific chromosomal protein, histone H2B, used by cells to package DNA into chromosomes. By controlling the proteins that wrap the genes, scrawny can silence genes that would otherwise cause a generalized cell to differentiate into a specific type of cell, such as a skin or intestinal cell.The researchers observed the effects of scrawny on every major type of stem cell found in fruit flies. In the experiments, mutant flies without functioning copies of the scrawny prematurely lost their stem cells in reproductive tissue, skin, and intestinal tissue. http://www.discover8.com/article/_Scrawny_gene_keeps_stem_cells_healthy_0 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:50:48 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Peering_Inside_Skull_Of_A_Mouse_To_Solve_Meningitis_Mystery_Immune_Cells_Implicated_In_Fatal_Seizures_0 NYU Langone Medical Center scientists and their collaborators at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, have discovered an unexpected cause for the fatal seizures seen in mice with viral meningitis, an infection of the central nervous system, according to a study published in the journal Nature. The finding may lead to a new way of thinking about how the human immune system responds to viral diseases.The NYU researchers, Michael L. Dustin, Ph.D., the Irene Diamond Professor of Immunology and Professor of Pathology at NYU School of Medicine, and Jiyun V. Kim, Ph.D., a scientist in Dr. Dustin's laboratory, employed intravital two-photon microscopy to peer inside the skulls of infected mice. This breakthrough technology allows scientists to take moving pictures of immune cells in action. The cells are tagged with a protein that glows fluorescent green when activated by infrared light, which is able to penetrate living tissue without damaging it.Drs. Dustin and Kim collaborated with Dorian McGavern, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Immunology and Silvia Kang, Ph.D., at Scripps Research Institute, who provided virology expertise and performed many critical experiments that supported the unexpected findings of the study. http://www.discover8.com/article/Peering_Inside_Skull_Of_A_Mouse_To_Solve_Meningitis_Mystery_Immune_Cells_Implicated_In_Fatal_Seizures_0 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 10:50:04 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Hope_of_insulin_cell_transplant_0 Scientists working towards pancreatic cell transplants as a cure for diabetes have taken the first step to getting around the problem of immune rejection. http://www.discover8.com/article/Hope_of_insulin_cell_transplant_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:54:31 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Ohio_State_Studies_Alzheimer_s_Vaccine_Effectiveness_0 Researchers at The Ohio State University Medical Center have begun studying the effects of a vaccine in slowing the onset of Alzheimer's disease or preventing it altogether. http://www.discover8.com/article/Ohio_State_Studies_Alzheimer_s_Vaccine_Effectiveness_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:46:20 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/A_Viral_Link_to_Glioblastoma_0 Circumstantial evidence hints that the cytomegalovirus, a common herpes virus, may play a role in aggressive brain cancer, but big questions remain. http://www.discover8.com/article/A_Viral_Link_to_Glioblastoma_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 20:01:01 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Viagra_s_other_talents_Help_a_signaling_protein_shield_the_heart_from_high_blood_pressure_damage_0 Johns Hopkins and other researchers report what is believed to be the first direct evidence in lab animals that the erectile dysfunction drug sildenafil amplifies the effects of a heart-protective protein. http://www.discover8.com/article/Viagra_s_other_talents_Help_a_signaling_protein_shield_the_heart_from_high_blood_pressure_damage_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:57:22 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Vaccine_to_Prevent_Breast_Cancer_Recurrence_May_Be_On_the_Horizon_0 A breast cancer vaccine to prevent recurrence may begin the first stages of clinical trial testing this spring. The new vaccine would not replace traditional cancer treatments but would rather present another option for breast cancer. Thanks to a six-year, $2.9 million dollar grant from the U.S. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, a new vaccine to prevent breast cancer recurrence may be on the horizon. With the grant, researchers with the University of Arkansas Medical Science (UAMS) were able to develop a peptide antigen mimicking carbohydrate antigens with which breast cancer cells reportedly are covered. With the vaccine, the body would hopefully be tricked into producing antibodies against the peptides in the vaccine, as well as against the carbohydrates they resemble on the breast cancer cells. Researchers developed an understanding of how different molecules worked together combating disease--the key to the development of the new vaccine--after a decade of studying the immune system, according to Thomas Kiebler-Emmons, director of basic breast cancer research at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. The team is hoping to begin trial testing of the vaccine this spring. The number of patients to be involved in the new study hasn't yet been determined, but the first two phases will involve Arkansas residents only, though future clinical trials may involve patients from around the country. According to Dr. Laura Hutchins, a UAMS professor of internal medicine and director of the division of hematology and oncology, who will be in charge of interacting with the patients involved in the trial testing. The initial phase will involve women who have breast cancer that is active and spreading, along with women who have relapsed after being in remission. It should last from four to six months, where women will receive five doses of the vaccine. The patients will receive immunizations for the first three weeks and then on the seventh and nineteenth weeks. Dr. Laura Hutchins, a UAMS professor of internal medicine and director of the division of hematology and oncology who will be in charge of interacting with the patients, said the initial phase will be looking for any side effects caused by the vaccine. Researchers hope to begin the second phase of testing four months after the conclusion of the first phase. The second phase will include women who have suffered from breast cancer previously and are in remission, but have a high risk of relapse. Participants must have completed chemotherapy at least six months prior to participating in the clinical trial. Almost one in every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer according to the National Cancer Institute. Even though treatment options have improved vastly over the last few decades as well as the probability of survival increasing, the CDC reported in 2004 that 40,954 women died of breast cancer and that 362 men also died. Women who are obese, especially those who are post-menopausal, those drinking more than two ounces of alcohol a day and those who smoke, have increased risks of developing breast cancer. According to the CDC, breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer in women, with the most common being skin cancer. Researchers hope through the clinical trials, the new vaccine will prove to be successful in warding off breast cancer recurrence, and breast cancer patients will soon have a new treatment option. http://www.discover8.com/article/Vaccine_to_Prevent_Breast_Cancer_Recurrence_May_Be_On_the_Horizon_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 19:52:30 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Collagen_VI_may_help_protect_the_brain_against_Alzheimer_s_disease_0 Scientists from the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND), UCSF, and Stanford have discovered that a certain type of collagen, collagen VI, protects brain cells against amyloid-beta (Aβ) proteins, which are widely thought to cause Alzheimer's disease (AD). While the functions of collagens in cartilage and muscle are well established, before this study it was unknown that collagen VI is made by neurons in the brain and that it can fulfill important neuroprotective functions.The team of investigators led by GIND director Lennart Mucke, MD, reported in the current edition of the journal Nature Neuroscience, that collagen VI is increased in the brain tissues of Alzheimer's patients."We first noticed the increase in collagen VI in the brain of AD mouse models, which inspired us to look for it in the human condition and to define its role in the disease," said Dr. Mucke.The Gladstone team had profiled changes in gene expression using DNA microarrays, which provides an unbiased method for identifying key biological pathways. By comparing all of the genes that are active in disease and normal tissue, one can get valuable information on new pathways and potential therapeutic targets. http://www.discover8.com/article/Collagen_VI_may_help_protect_the_brain_against_Alzheimer_s_disease_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:49:33 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Scientists_can_now_differentiate_between_healthy_cells_and_cancer_cells_0 One of the current handicaps of cancer treatments is the difficulty of aiming these treatments at destroying malignant cells without killing healthy cells in the process. But a new study by McMaster University researchers has provided insight into how scientists might develop therapies and drugs that more carefully target cancer, while sparing normal healthy cellsMick Bhatia, scientific director of the McMaster Stem Cell and Cancer Research Institute in the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, and his team of investigators have demonstrated for the first time the difference between normal stem cells and cancer stem cells in humans.The discovery, published in the prestigious journal Nature Biotechnology today, could eventually help with the further customization and targeting of cancer treatments for the individual patient. It will immediately provide a model to discover drugs using robotic screening for available molecules that may have untapped potential to eradicate cancer. http://www.discover8.com/article/Scientists_can_now_differentiate_between_healthy_cells_and_cancer_cells_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 10:48:27 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/New_insight_into_aggressive_childhood_cancer_0 A new study reveals critical molecular mechanisms associated with the development and progression of human neuroblastoma, the most common cancer in young children. The research, published by Cell Press in the January 6th issue of the journal Cancer Cell, may lead to development of future strategies for treatment of this aggressive and unpredictable cancer.Neuroblastoma cells are derived from migratory neural crest cells that give rise to the peripheral sympathetic nervous system. During normal development, neural crest cells stop dividing and differentiate. However, neuroblastoma cells seem to have lost this capacity. Previous work has shown that amplification of the MYCN gene, which disrupts control of cell division and differentiation, is a strong predictor of poor prognosis in neuroblastoma."We speculated that genes that are expressed in a MYCN-dependent manner might be required specifically for the growth of MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas and that MYCN-amplified neuroblastomas might depend not only on N-Myc itself, but also on upstream regulatory factors or downstream target genes," explains senior study author, Dr. Martin Eilers, from the University of Wurzburg in Germany.Dr. Eilers and colleagues performed a genetic screen of nearly two hundred genes that are dependent on amplified MYCN in human neuroblastoma or are direct targets of Myc. The researchers found that the oncogene AURKA is required for growth of MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma cells, but not cells lacking amplified MYCN. http://www.discover8.com/article/New_insight_into_aggressive_childhood_cancer_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:32:46 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Team_finds_breast_cancer_gene_linked_to_disease_spread_0 A team of researchers at Princeton University and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey has identified a long-sought gene that is fatefully switched on in thirty to forty percent of all breast cancer patients, spreading the disease, resisting traditional chemotherapies and eventually leading to death.The gene, called "Metadherin" or MTDH, is located in a small region of human chromosome 8 and appears to be crucial to cancer's spread or metastasis because it helps tumor cells stick tightly to blood vessels in distant organs. The gene also makes tumors more resistant to the powerful chemotherapeutic agents normally used to wipe out the deadly cells.In identifying the genetic mechanism at play in the metastasis of breast cancer, the scientists may have answered one of the biggest mysteries in cancer research and paved the way for new drugs that could thwart the gene's diabolical actions. http://www.discover8.com/article/Team_finds_breast_cancer_gene_linked_to_disease_spread_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:25:59 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Merck_sells_vaccine_lab_to_PPD_in_research_deal_0 Pharmaceutical Product Development, a large contract research company, has purchased Merck & Co's vaccine testing laboratory as part of a collaboration with the drugmaker, PPD said on Monday.The deal is the latest between the pharmaceutical companies and contract research organizations, as drugmakers seek to cut costs and be more efficient with their huge research budgets.PPD bought Merck's 130,000 square-foot vaccine testing laboratory and related equipment in Wayne, Pennsylvania, and hired nearly 80 Merck workers who operate the facility. Financial terms of the deal, which closed on Dec 31, were not disclosed. http://www.discover8.com/article/Merck_sells_vaccine_lab_to_PPD_in_research_deal_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:15:36 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Pfizer_chief_open_to_acquisitions_0 Pfizer Inc., the world's biggest pharmaceutical group, is open to acquisitions, its chief executive Jeff Kindler told the Financial Times in an interview."The real goal is to grow revenues ... We are open to opportunities and constantly looking at those which are big, small and in-between," Kindler told the paper.Sales of Lipitor, Pfizer's $12 billion-a-year cholesterol fighter, are set to fall in 2011 when generic versions are slated to hit the market."We will advance strategies to generate new and diverse sources of revenue growth and cost structures to position us to be strong after Lipitor," Kindler told the paper. http://www.discover8.com/article/Pfizer_chief_open_to_acquisitions_0 Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:13:33 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Fusing_Embryonic_Stem_Cells_With_Adult_Cells_Using_Highly_Efficient_New_Fusing_System_0 MIT engineers have developed a new, highly efficient way to pair up cells so they can be fused together into a hybrid cell.The new technique should make it much easier for scientists to study what happens when two cells are combined. For example, fusing an adult cell and an embryonic stem cell allows researchers to study the genetic reprogramming that occurs in such hybrids.The researchers, led by a collaboration between Joel Voldman, associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science, and Rudolf Jaenisch, professor of biology and a member of the Whitehead Institute, report the new technique in the Jan. 4 online edition of Nature Methods. http://www.discover8.com/article/Fusing_Embryonic_Stem_Cells_With_Adult_Cells_Using_Highly_Efficient_New_Fusing_System_0 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:42:30 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/New_genetic_markers_for_ulcerative_colitis_identified_0 An international team led by University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine researchers has identified genetic markers associated with risk for ulcerative colitis. The findings, which appear today as an advance online publication of the journal Nature Genetics, bring researchers closer to understanding the biological pathways involved in the disease and may lead to the development of new treatments that specifically target them.Ulcerative colitis is a chronic, relapsing disorder that causes inflammation and ulceration in the inner lining of the rectum and large intestine. The most common symptoms are diarrhea (oftentimes bloody) and abdominal pain. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, another chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory disorder, are the two major forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)."Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic conditions that impact the day-to-day lives of patients," said senior author of the study Richard H. Duerr, M.D., associate professor of medicine and human genetics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Graduate School of Public Health. "IBD is most often diagnosed in the teenage years or early adulthood. While patients usually don't die from IBD, affected individuals live with its debilitating symptoms during the most productive years of their lives." http://www.discover8.com/article/New_genetic_markers_for_ulcerative_colitis_identified_0 Mon, 05 Jan 2009 09:43:40 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Scientists_Identify_New_Congenital_Neutropenia_Syndrome_and_Causative_Gene_Mutation_0 A team of scientists has discovered a new syndrome associated with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), a rare disorder in which children lack sufficient infection-fighting white cells, and identified the genetic cause of the syndrome: mutations in the gene Glucose-6-phosphatase, catalytic subunit 3 (G6PC3). The findings, which are published in the Jan. 1, 2009 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, were made by an international team of scientists, composed of fourteen researchers from the Medical School of Hannover in Germany and12 from other research institutions, including the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health."Our discovery will help facilitate genetic diagnosis in this newly defined group of severe congenital neutropenia patients," said Christoph Klein, M.D., Ph.D., Hannover Medical School, the principal investigator of the study. "Knowledge about the underlying genetic defect is an important first step in developing a targeted therapy."The research also identified a novel pathway that is critical in controlling the life and death of immune cells. "This may eventually open new horizons for the development of drugs interfering with that pathway, which is important not only for patients with SCN, but potentially also for patients with other blood disorders," said Kaan Boztug, M.D., Hannover Medical School, lead author of the study. http://www.discover8.com/article/Scientists_Identify_New_Congenital_Neutropenia_Syndrome_and_Causative_Gene_Mutation_0 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:16:53 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Cancer_Drug_Effectively_Treats_Transplant_Rejections_0 University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers have discovered a new therapy for transplant patients, targeting the antibody-producing plasma cells that can cause organ rejection.Results of the study are published in the Dec. 27, 2008, edition of the journal Transplantation.Steve Woodle, MD, and colleagues found that a cancer drugbortezomibused to treat multiple myeloma, or cancer of the plasma cells, is effective in treating rejection episodes caused by antibodies that target transplanted kidneys and reversing rejection episodes that did not respond to standard therapies.B-lymphocytes, or B cells, play a large role in the humoral immune response by making immune proteins that attack transplanted organs. http://www.discover8.com/article/Cancer_Drug_Effectively_Treats_Transplant_Rejections_0 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 05:10:28 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Common_Oral_Osteoporosis_Drugs_Linked_To_Serious_Jaw_Necrosis_0 Researchers at the University Of Southern California, School Of Dentistry release results of clinical data that links oral bisphosphonates to increased jaw necrosis. The study is among the first to acknowledge that even short-term use of common oral osteoporosis drugs may leave the jaw vulnerable to devastating necrosis, according to a new report. http://www.discover8.com/article/Common_Oral_Osteoporosis_Drugs_Linked_To_Serious_Jaw_Necrosis_0 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:08:38 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Antioxidants_Offer_Pain_Relief_in_Patients_With_Chronic_Pancreatitis_0 Antioxidant supplementation was found to be effective in relieving pain and reducing levels of oxidative stress in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), according to a study published in the January issue of the journal Gastroenterology. http://www.discover8.com/article/Antioxidants_Offer_Pain_Relief_in_Patients_With_Chronic_Pancreatitis_0 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:04:44 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Many_studies_needed_to_tie_genes_to_cancer_0 Many genes linked to various cancers do not appear to raise the risk of getting cancer after all, according to an analysis of hundreds of studies published on Tuesday. http://www.discover8.com/article/Many_studies_needed_to_tie_genes_to_cancer_0 Sun, 04 Jan 2009 00:00:31 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Weight_loss_surgery_improves_sexual_function_in_men_0 Sexual dysfunction that commonly occurs in morbidly obese men improves after weight loss surgery, according to a new study. http://www.discover8.com/article/Weight_loss_surgery_improves_sexual_function_in_men_0 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:58:33 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Antibiotics_before_infections_save_lives_0 Giving antibiotics to patients in intensive care units as a precaution saves lives, according to a major Dutch study published Wednesday. http://www.discover8.com/article/Antibiotics_before_infections_save_lives_0 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 23:56:30 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Safer_fetal_test_for_genetic_diseases_on_horizon_0 Using just a drop of the mother's blood, scientists can now tell if the fetus has a disorder like cystic fibrosis it could soon spell the end for invasive techniques http://www.discover8.com/article/Safer_fetal_test_for_genetic_diseases_on_horizon_0 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 06:18:43 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/NASA_Report_Details_Columbia_Disaster_0 Seat restraints, pressure suits and helmets of the doomed crew of the space shuttle Columbia didn't work well, leading to "lethal trauma" as the out-of-control ship lost pressure and broke apart, killing all seven astronauts, a new NASA report says. At least one crew member was alive and pushing buttons for half a minute after a first loud alarm sounded, as he futilely tried to right Columbia during that disastrous day Feb. 1, 2003. http://www.discover8.com/article/NASA_Report_Details_Columbia_Disaster_0 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 06:17:16 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Beer_marinade_cuts_steak_cancer_risk_0 IF YOU are frying a steak and mindful of your health, then marinate it in either beer or red wine. So say food scientists who measured amounts of a family of carcinogens found in fried steaks after steeping them in booze.Cooking food increases levels of cancer-causing compounds called heterocyclic amines (HAs). Fried and grilled meat are particularly high in these compounds, because fiery temperatures convert the sugars and amino acids in muscle tissue into HAs. Various substances can reduce HA content: an olive oil, lemon juice and garlic marinade cut HAs in grilled chicken by ninety percent, while red wine reduces HAs in fried chicken.Now Isabel Ferreira and colleagues at the University of Porto in Portugal have looked at the effects of beer and red wine marinades on fried steak. Six hours of marinating in beer or red wine slashed levels of two types of HA by up to ninety percent compared with unmarinated steak (Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, DOI: 10.1021/jf801837s).For a third type of HA, beer was more efficient at reducing its content than wine, cutting levels significantly in four hours, while wine took six. Beer contains more water-retaining sugars than wine and Ferreira says that may hinder the transport of water-soluble molecules to the steak's surface, where high heat converts them into HAs. Tasters also preferred the smell, taste and appearance of beer-marinated steak. http://www.discover8.com/article/Beer_marinade_cuts_steak_cancer_risk_0 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 06:06:31 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Mystery_stone_circles_may_point_to_water_on_Mars_0 Using cameras on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Matt Balme of the Open University in Milton Keynes, UK, and his colleagues mapped the Elysium Planitia, a region near the equator. They saw rings up to twenty-three meters across made up of stones sorted by size into concentric bands. http://www.discover8.com/article/Mystery_stone_circles_may_point_to_water_on_Mars_0 Sat, 03 Jan 2009 05:47:14 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Scientists_Pull_Protein_s_Tail_To_Curtail_Cancer_0 When researchers look inside human cancer cells for the whereabouts of an important tumor-suppressor, they often catch the protein playing hooky, lolling around in cellular broth instead of muscling its way out to the cells membranes and foiling cancer growth.This phenomenon of delinquency puzzled scientists for a long time until a cell biologist in the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine felt compelled to genetically grab the protein by the tail and then watched as it got back to work at tamping down disease.It was curious that when we removed its tail, the protein suddenly was unhindered and moved out to the membrane and became active, says Meghdad Rahdar, a graduate student in pharmacology. http://www.discover8.com/article/Scientists_Pull_Protein_s_Tail_To_Curtail_Cancer_0 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:31:32 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Bright_lights_not_so_big_pupils_0 A team of Johns Hopkins neuroscientists has worked out how some newly discovered light sensors in the eye detect light and communicate with the brain. The report appears online this week in Nature. These light sensors are a small number of nerve cells in the retina that contain melanopsin molecules. Unlike conventional light-sensing cells in the retinarods and conesmelanopsin-containing cells are not used for seeing images; instead, they monitor light levels to adjust the body's clock and control constriction of the pupils in the eye, among other functions. "These melanopsin-containing cells are the only other known photoreceptor besides rods and cones in mammals, and the question is, 'How do they work?'" says Michael Do, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in neuroscience at Hopkins. "We want to understand some fundamental information, like their sensitivity to light and their communication to the brain."Using mice, the team first tested the light sensitivity of these cells by flashing light at the cells and recording the electrical current generated by one cell. They found that these cells are very insensitive to light, in contrast to rods, which are very sensitive and therefore enable us to see in dim light at night, for example. According to Do, the melanopsin-containing cells are less sensitive than cones, which are responsible for our vision in daylight. http://www.discover8.com/article/Bright_lights_not_so_big_pupils_0 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:23:56 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/The_gold_standard_Biodesign_Institute_researchers_use_nanoparticles_to_make_3_D_DNA_nanotubes_0 Arizona State University researchers Hao Yan and Yan Liu imagine and assemble intricate structures on a scale almost unfathomably small. Their medium is the double-helical DNA molecule, a versatile building material offering near limitless construction potential. In the January 2, 2009 issue of Science, Yan and Liu, researchers at ASU's Biodesign Institute and faculty in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, reveal for the first time the three-dimensional character of DNA nanotubules, rings and spirals, each a few hundred thousandths the diameter of a human hair. These DNA nanotubes and other synthetic nanostructures may soon find their way into a new generation of ultra-tiny electronic and biomedical innovations. Yan and Liu are working in the rapidly proliferating field of structural DNA nanotechnology. By copying a page from nature's guidebook, they capitalize on the DNA molecule's remarkable properties of self-assembly. When ribbonlike strands of the molecule are brought together, they fasten to each other like strips of Velcro, according to simple rules governing the pairing of their four chemical bases, (labeled A, C, T and G). From this meager alphabet, nature has wrung a mind-bending multiplicity of forms. DNA accomplishes this through the cellular synthesis of structural proteins, coded for by specific sequences of the bases. Such proteins are fundamental constituents of living matter, forming cell walls, vessels, tissues and organs. But DNA itself can also form stable architectural structures, and may be artificially cajoled into doing so. http://www.discover8.com/article/The_gold_standard_Biodesign_Institute_researchers_use_nanoparticles_to_make_3_D_DNA_nanotubes_0 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:23:04 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Dormant_cancer_cells_rely_on_cellular_self_cannibalization_to_survive_0 A single tumor-suppressing gene is a key to understanding, and perhaps killing, dormant ovarian cancer cells that persist after initial treatment only to reawaken years later, researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the December Journal of Clinical Investigation.The team found that expression of a gene called ARHI acts as a switch for autophagy, or self-cannibalization, in ovarian cancer cells. Often a mechanism for cancer cell death, in this case "self-eating" acts as a survival mechanism for dormant cancer cells. "Prolonged autophagy is lethal to cancer cells, but a little autophagy can help dormant cancer cells survive, possibly by avoiding starvation," said senior author Robert Bast, M.D., vice president for translational research at M. D. Anderson."Dormant cells are a major problem in ovarian cancer, breast cancer and other malignancies," Bast said. "We often see ovarian cancer removed, leaving no remaining sign of disease. After two or three years, the cancer grows back. If any remaining cancer cells had continued to grow normally, the disease should have returned in weeks or months."So the assumption is that some cells remain dormant without dividing and without developing a blood supply, but the mechanism for this has not been well understood," Bast said. http://www.discover8.com/article/Dormant_cancer_cells_rely_on_cellular_self_cannibalization_to_survive_0 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:22:06 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Structure_Of_New_Botulism_Nerve_Toxin_Subtype_Revealed_0 Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have determined the atomic-level structure of a third subtype of botulinum neurotoxin a deadly toxin produced by certain bacteria that causes the disease botulism. It is also used in cosmetic and therapeutic applications such as reducing wrinkles and calming a hyperactive bladder.The detailed structure, published online December 22, 2008, by the Journal of Molecular Biology, reveals a unique arrangement of the active components that may help explain why botulinum neruotoxin subtype E (one of seven distinct subtypes) is faster-acting than other subtypes previously studied at Brookhaven Lab and may have implications for improving vaccines and/or therapeutic agents. http://www.discover8.com/article/Structure_Of_New_Botulism_Nerve_Toxin_Subtype_Revealed_0 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:21:14 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Nothing_To_Sneeze_At_Real_time_Pollen_Forecasts_0 Researchers in Germany are reporting an advance toward development of technology that could make life easier for millions of people allergic to plant pollen. It could underpin the first automated, real-time systems for identifying specific kinds of allergy-inducing plant pollen circulating in the air.In the study, Janina Kneipp and colleagues explain that current pollen counts and allergy warnings are based on visual identification of the specific kind of pollen by examining pollen grains under a microscope. That procedure takes time, making it impossible for allergy-sufferers to know the kinds of pollen that are airborne on an hour-by-hour basis.The researchers describe using a common laboratory procedure to identify chemical structures in pollen grains that distinguish oak and maple pollen, for instance, from maple and other kinds. They obtained these chemical "signatures" for 15 different kinds of tree pollen with the procedure, termed Raman spectroscopy. The researchers say that it could provide the basis for a real-time pollen detection and warning system to help allergy sufferers. http://www.discover8.com/article/Nothing_To_Sneeze_At_Real_time_Pollen_Forecasts_0 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 23:20:06 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Climate_the_weather_and_jet_engines_0 After the September 11 grounding of commercial traffic over the U.S., scientists and the public alike toyed with the idea that contrails and other side effects of air travel could affect the weather. New analyses, however, suggest that we may have jumped the gun and that the variations in temperature that were recorded on those days could be accounted for by other factors.It isn't that contrails don't have an effect on climate, say scientists, but that their effect on those three particular days may have been exaggerated. Contrails (condensation trails) may look like exhaust but they're actually clouds that form when the moisture-rich air from a jet engine's compressor hits the dry, frigid upper atmosphere. Structurally, they're very much like natural cirrus clouds. They can both reflect sunlight back into space and trap heat escaping from the ground, but they're believed to have a net warming effect, as well as tempering highs and lows. http://www.discover8.com/article/Climate_the_weather_and_jet_engines_0 Fri, 02 Jan 2009 08:44:02 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Fat_cells_also_linked_to_prion_infection_0 Researchers have confirmed that adipose cells can carry prions, or at least that healthy test animals injected with infected fat cells become sick.Prions are small, non-living chunks of misfolded proteins that can cause diseases such as scrapie and mad cow disease. http://www.discover8.com/article/Fat_cells_also_linked_to_prion_infection_0 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:26:14 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Engineered_bacteria_create_high_energy_biofuel_0 Researchers have designed an entire molecular assembly line in bacterial cells that pieces together a kind of alcohol that isnt normally made by known living organisms. This alcohol could serve as a biofuel that, unlike ethanol, has a high energy density and could be used in gasoline and jet fuel.Researchers say that the bacteria aren't quite efficient enough to toss into tanks and use as fuel mules, but the fact that they have shown that bacteria can be tweaked into making molecules not usually associated with living beings shows huge promise for the future of synthetic fuels and alternative fuels. They also show potential as a base for plastics and fertilizers, for which we currently use petroleum.These bacteria produce alcohols that are more energy-dense than ethanol. The molecules in question have between five and eight carbons, while ethanol has only two. http://www.discover8.com/article/Engineered_bacteria_create_high_energy_biofuel_0 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:24:20 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Candy_cane_strategy_sweetens_life_for_goldenrods_0 A recent study shows that plants can duck their heads--well, their tips--a bit like a bent candy cane. While this doesn't make them agile enough to literally dodge attackers, it does reduce the amount of damage that they can do. http://www.discover8.com/article/Candy_cane_strategy_sweetens_life_for_goldenrods_0 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 10:20:19 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/An_Artist_Develops_a_New_Image_With_Aid_of_Bacteria_0 Nearly five years ago, molecular biologist Edward Marcotte recalls, a high school dropout walked into his office at the University of Texas (UT), Austin, to talk shop. Despite the visitor's unconventional background, which included a stint as a video game programmer, Marcotte says that Zack Booth Simpson "won me over instantaneously. He was so clearly intelligent." They ended up talking for hours on topics such as Marcotte's use of data mining to extract information about the protein networks that control cellular functions. http://www.discover8.com/article/An_Artist_Develops_a_New_Image_With_Aid_of_Bacteria_0 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:58:11 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/The_prevalence_of_gluten_sensitive_enteropathy_in_iron_deficient_anemia_patients_0 A research group from Iran investigated the prevalence of gluten-sensitive enteropathy (GSE) in a large group of patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) of obscure origin. They found that there is a high prevalence of GSE in patients with IDA of obscure origin. A gluten-free diet can improve anemia in GSE patients who have mild duodenal lesions without villous atrophy. http://www.discover8.com/article/The_prevalence_of_gluten_sensitive_enteropathy_in_iron_deficient_anemia_patients_0 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:48:43 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Is_bismuth_a_safe_medicine_for_the_treatment_peptic_ulcer_disease__0 Bismuth compounds have been used for centuries in medicine. The discovery of H. pylori in 1983 led to renewed interest in bismuth compounds, because these were found to successfully treat the infection in combination with antibiotics. However, in the 1970s bismuth salts, used at high doses for prolonged periods, were found to lead to neurotoxicity. However, there has been no summary of evidence for the toxicity of bismuth when used for short periods as part of H. pylori eradication therapy and some researchers think it might have applications in treating ulcers. http://www.discover8.com/article/Is_bismuth_a_safe_medicine_for_the_treatment_peptic_ulcer_disease__0 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 09:45:10 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/In_lung_cancer_silencing_one_crucial_gene_disrupts_normal_functioning_of_genome_0 While examining patterns of DNA modification in lung cancer, a team of international researchers has discovered what they say is a surprising new mechanism. They say that the "silencing" of a single gene in lung cancer led to a general impairment in genome-wide changes in cells, contributing to cancer development and progression.In the January 1, 2009, issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, they also report finding a strong link between modification of the key gene, MTHFR, and tobacco use by lung cancer patients even if the patient had smoked for a short period of time.The findings reinforce tobacco's link to lung cancer development, but show that deactivating one specific gene through a process known as hypermethylation causes systemic dysfunction, or hypomethylation, in many genes, said the study's senior investigator, Zdenko Herceg, Ph.D., head of the Epigenetics Group at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). http://www.discover8.com/article/In_lung_cancer_silencing_one_crucial_gene_disrupts_normal_functioning_of_genome_0 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:20:41 -0500 http://www.discover8.com/article/Study_Links_Molecule_To_Muscle_Maturation_Muscle_Cancer_0 Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that a molecule implicated in leukemia and lung cancer is also important in muscle repair and in a muscle cancer that strikes mainly children.The study shows that immature muscle cells require the molecule, called miR-29, to become mature, and that the molecule is nearly missing in cells from rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer caused by the proliferation of immature muscle cells.Cells from human rhabdomyosarcoma tumors showed levels of the molecule that were ten percent or less of those in normal muscle cells. Artificially raising the level of the molecule in the cancer cells cut their growth by half and caused them to begin maturing, slowing down tumor growth.MiR-29 is a type of microRNA, a family of molecules that helps regulate the proteins cells produce. Researchers say this study is unusual because it also sheds light on the how a microRNA itself is regulated. http://www.discover8.com/article/Study_Links_Molecule_To_Muscle_Maturation_Muscle_Cancer_0 Wed, 31 Dec 2008 06:19:45 -0500