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Missing gene a potential risk factor for birth defects

Mouse embryos missing a gene that aids in the repair of DNA damage are at greater risk of developing birth defects, say scientists. The finding has implications for research into the cause of birth defects in humans. The gene, also found in humans, produces an important protein called ATM which senses DNA damage caused by reactive oxygen species and directs other proteins to repair it. Reactive oxygen species are a normal product of the body’s production of energy but can jump to toxic levels when cells are exposed to certain drugs, environmental chemicals and agents such as ionizing radiation.

Vaccine Protects Against SARS Virus Infection in Mice

An experimental vaccine prevents the SARS virus from replicating in laboratory mice, according to a new report in the April 1 issue of Nature. Scientists at the Vaccine Research Center (VRC) of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National Institutes of Health, developed the vaccine. The vaccine was tested in a mouse model of SARS infection recently validated by other NIAID investigators.

Rock art depicting commanches, horses clad in leather armor discovered

Several new rock art discoveries by a University of Colorado at Boulder researcher depict mounted warriors, likely Comanche, astride horses clad in leather armor and created around 1700 to 1750, the first such petroglyphs found in the state. The lead researcher said Plains Indians like the Comanche probably acquired horses from the Spanish in northern New Mexico beginning about 1650 through raiding or trading. The idea of leather-armored horses and riders to deflect spears and arrows probably came from American Indians seeing armored Spanish horse soldiers in the Southwest or Mexico.

New marking process traces spammers, pirates and hackers

Penn State researchers have proposed a new marking process for Internet messages to make it easier to trace the originators of spam, illegal copyrighted material or a virus attack. The new marking scheme produced less than one percent false positives per 1000 attacking addresses in simulated distributed denial of service attacks and even fewer false positives and zero missed detections tracing addresses transferring copyrighted material in another simulation.

Scientists compare rat genome with human, mouse

An international research team, supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced it has completed a high-quality, draft sequence of the genome of the laboratory rat, and has used that data to explore how the rat’s genetic blueprint stacks up against those of mice and humans. In a paper published in the April 1 issue of the journal Nature, the Rat Genome Sequencing Project Consortium describes its efforts to produce and analyze a draft sequence of the Brown Norway strain of the laboratory rat (Rattus norvegicus). The project, led by the Human Genome Sequencing Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, was primarily funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), $58.5 million, and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), $60 million.

Popular chewing gum eliminates bad breath bacteria

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago have found that Big Red — the popular cinnamon-flavored chewing gum made by Wrigley’s — reduced bacteria in the mouth that cause bad breath. Given that the gum contains cinnamic aldehyde, a plant essential oil used for flavoring, the result was not surprising, said Christine Wu, professor of periodontics and associate dean for research at the UIC College of Dentistry. Wu, who searches for natural antibacterial agents from plant sources that suppress oral pathogens, had tested several plant essential oils and found that they inhibited the growth of bacteria responsible for cavities and periodontal infections. Wrigley’s funded the study.

Vitamins good for some older women, bad for others

A simple blood test could determine whether older women with diabetes would benefit from–or be harmed by–vitamin doses designed to protect their ailing hearts, according to researchers in Israel. The test screens for genetic variations in a blood protein called haptoglobin. Diabetic, post-menopausal women who carry two copies of the variation known as haptoglobin-2 increase their risk of atherosclerosis, or narrowed arteries, if they take doses of the antioxidant vitamins C and E.

Nanoparticle shown to cause brain damage in fish

Researchers have found that a type of buckyball–a carbon nanoparticle that shows promise for electronic, commercial and pharmaceutical uses — can cause significant brain damage in fish. The small preliminary study, the first to demonstrate that nanoparticles can cause toxic effects in an aquatic species, could point to potential risks in people exposed to the particles, they say.

Erectile dysfunction has devastating effect on morale

The launch of sildenafil (Viagra) had an adverse effect on the morale of men who found it did not work, according to new research. It also reveals that men are more distressed by impotence than has generally been realised. Researchers interviewed a random sample of 40 men prescribed sildenafil who had attended a men’s health clinic in the year before the study. Erectile dysfunction caused serious distress to all those men who experienced it, with marked effects on their self-esteem and wellbeing. Personal relationships were badly affected, with almost a quarter of men thinking that they were “letting down their partners.” Misery was generally suffered alone as many men felt unable to talk about it to their partners, friends, or colleagues.

Invisible light and special goggles may improve brain tumor surgery

Some day “night vision” goggles and beams of near infrared light may be able to detect tiny tumors and areas of cancerous tissue in the brain that surgeons can’t normally see, say investigators at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer. They say their advance, successfully tested in animals, is designed to help neurosurgeons define tumor “margins” — the area where a tumor ends and normal tissue begins — when they operate on patients with brain tumors.

Coal source of jet fuel for next generation aircraft

New fuel for the next generation of military aircraft is the goal of a team of Penn State researchers who are demonstrating that jet fuel can be made from bituminous coal. “On a pilot scale, we have produced thermally stable coal-based jet fuel,” says Dr. Harold H. Schobert, professor of fuel science and director of Penn State’s Energy Institute. “This coal-based fuel can absorb significant amounts of heat and remain stable to 900 degrees Fahrenheit.” The new fuel will not decompose at high temperatures to create the deposits of carbon, which foul valves, nozzles and other engine parts.

Powerful stem cells harnessed to search for cancer metastasis

Stem cells that act as seek-and-destroy missiles appear to be able to find cancer wherever it hides out – at least, so far, in animals. This novel approach at gene therapy, reported by researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, may have use in a wide variety of both solid and blood cancers. “This addresses our great need for cancer gene therapies aimed at curbing the metastatic spread of cancer cells,” says Michael Andreeff, M.D., Ph.D., professor in the Departments of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Leukemia. “It is exciting because it is an entirely new way of thinking about gene therapy and not just a twist of an old idea.”