ATLANTA — An enzyme viewed as an executioner, because it can push cells to commit suicide, may actually short circuit a second form of cell death, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered.
The finding could shift drug di…
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Jekyll and Hyde: Cells’ executioner can also stave off death
Research links 29 genome regions with common form of inflammatory bowel disease
An international team of researchers has made new links between 29 regions of the genome and ulcerative colitis — a common form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The new findings increase the total number of genome regions known to be associate…
New method for making large quantities of deuterium-depleted drinking water
Scientists in China are reporting development of a less expensive, more eco-friendly method for making deuterium-depleted drinking water, citing studies suggesting that it may be a more healthful form of water. Their report appears in ACS’ bi-weekly…
Sign languages help us understand the nature of metaphors
(Washington, DC) — A recent study of the use of metaphors in spoken language and various sign languages shows that certain types of metaphors are difficult to convey in sign language. The study, “Iconicity and metaphor: Constraints on metaphorical…
CCNY chemists design molecule that responds to stimuli
The venus flytrap plant captures its prey when it senses the presence of an insect on the tips of its leaves. An amphiphilic molecule designed by chemists at The City College of New York acts in a similar manner by changing its structure when heate…
New approaches to skin cancer prevention
The annual “Euromelanoma Day” campaign is designed to prevent skin cancer among the general public. While there has been considerable interest, it has proved difficult to reach out to some of the at-risk groups. As such, new ways of encouraging thes…
Benign envy sells iPhones, but malicious envy drives consumers to BlackBerries
People are willing to pay more for products that elicit their envy — but that’s only when they are motivated by a positive, benign form of envy, according to a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research.
“Our studies showed that people who had…
A dry AMD treatment?; some long-term diabetics escape PDR
CHICAGO — At the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) — Middle East-Africa Council of Ophthalmology (MEACO) Joint Meeting today, researchers report progress on two top eye disease challenges: treating advanced “dry” age-related macular degen…
Researchers Turn Off Severe Food Allergies in Mice
Johns Hopkins scientists have discovered a way to turn off the immune system’s allergic reaction to certain food proteins in mice, a discovery that could have implications for the millions of people who suffer severe [...]
Consumers will pay more for goods they can touch, Caltech researchers say
PASADENA, Calif. — We’ve all heard the predictions: e-commerce is going to be the death of traditional commerce; online shopping spells the end of the neighborhood brick-and-mortar store.
While it’s true that online commerce has had an impact on …
With HMGB1′s help, cells dine in
Like some people, cells eat when they are under pressure — but they consume parts of themselves. A multi-function protein helps control this form of cannibalism, according to a study in the September 6 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology (ww…
Delaying fat digestion to curb appetite
Institute of Food Research scientists have discovered an unexpected synergy that helps break down fat. The discovery provides a focus to find ways to slow down fat digestion, and ultimately to create food structures that induce satiety.
“Much of t…
Male Sex Hormones Cooperate With Breast Cancer Gene To Suppress Tumors
BRCA-2, a gene linked with breast and ovarian cancer, cooperates with male sex hormones to enhance its ability to activate transcription of genes, which may suppress tumor formation in normal cells, Salk Institute researchers have found. The study, published in the June 10 Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides details on how the normal form of the gene may work, and how mutant forms of BRCA-2 may malfunction and therefore likely contribute to the development of breast cancer. It also gives greater insight into the causes of male breast cancer. BRCA-2 is one of two genes (the other is BRCA-1) linked to at least 10 percent of all breast cancers; the mutant form appears in nearly all male breast cancers.
Thalidomide-like drug appears to help bone cancer patients
A drug similar to thalidomide has been found to be promising with fewer side effects for treating patients with recurrent multiple myeloma, an incurable form of bone marrow cancer, according to early data from a clinical study. The drug, an analog of thalidomide, was developed to be more potent than thalidomide, while reducing some of thalidomide’s dose limiting side effects. Laboratory studies have shown that CC-5013 not only kills myeloma cells by triggering their innate self-destruct mechanism but also inhibits the myeloma cells ability to localize and grow in the bone marrow. Moreover, it appears to have anti-angiogenic effects and stimulates the immune system to attack myeloma.
Cholestrol Drug Could Lead to New Therapy for Multiple Sclerosis
While cautioning that their findings still must be evaluated in humans, University of California, San Francisco and Stanford University Medical Center researchers report that the cholesterol-lowering drug atorvastatin (Lipitor) significantly improved, prevented relapses or reversed paralysis in mice with an experimental disease that closely resembles multiple sclerosis. The study, reported in the November 7 issue of Nature, was conducted in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the standard animal model for multiple sclerosis.