EurekAlert! - Biology

Communication breakdown: what happens to nerve cells in Parkinson's disease

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(McGill University) A new study from The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital - The Neuro - at McGill University is the first to discover a molecular link between Parkinson's disease and defects in the ability of nerve cells to communicate. The study, published in the prestigious journal Molecular Cell and selected as Editor's Choice in the prominent journal Science, provides new insight into the mechanisms underlying Parkinson's disease, and could lead to innovative new therapeutic strategies.

Mescal 'worm' test shows DNA leaks into preservatives

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(International Barcode of Life) University of Guelph research team use the Mexican liquor mescal (the one with the worm) to prove that the DNA of a preserved specimen can be obtained from the preservative liquid.

Lymphoma Research Foundation announces publication of Mantle Cell report

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Lymphoma Research Foundation) Highlights from the Lymphoma Research Foundation 2009 Mantle Cell Lymphoma Consortium Scientific Workshop will be published in the March 2010 issue of Leukemia & Lymphoma. Traditionally accessible to subscribers for period of one year, Leukemia and Lymphoma has agreed to make this report available to the public for one month -- Mantle Cell Lymphoma: Report of the 2009 MCL Consortium Workshop.

New UC Davis study: Climate 'tipping points' may arrive without warning, says top forecaster

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of California - Davis) A new University of California, Davis, study by a top ecological forecaster says it is harder than experts thought to predict when sudden shifts in Earth's natural systems will occur -- a worrisome finding for scientists trying to identify the tipping points that could push climate change into an irreparable global disaster.

Adapting to clogged airways makes common pathogen resist powerful drugs

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Washington) Mutations of a common environmental pathogen that causes chronic lung disease in patients with cystic fibrosis are able to survive in oxygen-poor, nitrate-rich airway secretions. This same survival mechanism also enables the mutate bacteria to resist the effects of certain antibiotics -- even without any previous exposure to antibiotics.

Multicenter study finds little effect of soy isoflavones on bone loss in postmenopausal women

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Iowa State University) Results from a new multicenter clinical trial of 224 postmenopausal women questions the value of consuming soy isoflavone tablets to help lessen bone loss and minimize the effect of osteoporosis.

Cells can read damaged DNA without missing a beat

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Emory University) Under certain growth-limiting conditions, enzymes that read DNA can skim through damaged DNA without skipping any letters in the genetic "text." This suggests a mechanism that can allow bacteria to develop resistance to antibiotics.

Tulane receives $15 million NIH contract to develop vaccine and treatment for deadly fever

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Tulane University) The National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, has awarded a five-year contract totaling $15,254,919 to Tulane University for its ongoing efforts to treat and prevent Lassa fever, an often deadly viral disease that threatens hundreds of thousands of people annually in West Africa and is classified as a potential bioterrorism threat.

Great tits: birds with character

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Max-Planck-Gesellschaft) An important part of individual differences within species is due to variation in the underlying genes. One gene, the dopamine receptor D4 gene, however, is known to influence novelty seeking and exploration behaviour in a range of species, including humans and birds. Researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Seewiesen now show that the gene's influence on birds' behavior differs markedly between wild populations of great tits.

2 research projects at the Montreal Heart Institute receive $4.8M in financing

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(University of Montreal) Two research teams led by Dr. Christine Des Rosiers and Dr. John D. Rioux, both researchers at the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) and professors at the Université de Montréal, have been awarded grants of $2.5 million and $2.3 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

WPI, Colorado School of Mines found Center for Sustainable Metals Recovery and Recycling

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Worcester Polytechnic Institute) With National Science Foundation support, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and Colorado School of Mines have established the Center for Resource Recovery and Recycling, the nation's first research center dedicated to developing new technologies for maximizing the recovery and recycling of metals used in manufactured products and structures. By promoting a more sustainable approach to the use of metals, the center aims to dramatically reduce the energy usage and the carbon footprint associated with metals production.

Research could lead to way to halt deadly immune response

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Eastern Virginia Medical School) Scientists have published new details of their research into the complement reaction, an immune system response that kills thousands annually. The study is published in the journal Molecular Immunology.

Resistant wheat goes for the gut to protect against Hessian flies

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Purdue University) Resistant wheat plants stave off attacks by Hessian fly larvae by essentially destroying the fly's midgut and its ability to absorb nutrients, according to a study by Purdue University and the US Department of Agriculture.

SAGE to publish the Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(SAGE Publications) SAGE has partnered with The Histochemical Society (HCS) to publish its official journal, the Journal of Histochemistry & Cytochemistry, beginning with volume 59 in 2011. John R. Couchman, Ph.D., the Danish National Research Foundation Professor at the University of Copenhagen, will assume the Editor-in-Chief position of the Journal at the same time.

The biggest loser: Maternal obesity puts a load on her offspring that lasts a lifetime

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology) As if there are not enough reasons for obese people to lose weight, a research report recently published online in The FASEB Journal, adds several more. In a study involving rats, Duke University researchers found that obesity in mothers causes cellular programming in utero that predisposes offspring to inflammation-related disorders (such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, type 2 diabetes, stroke, heart disease and more) from birth, regardless of whether or not the offspring are obese themselves.

Comprehensive study using bioinformatics predicts the molecular causes of many genetic diseases

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Buck Institute for Age Research) It is widely known that genetic mutations cause disease. What are largely unknown are the mechanisms by which these mutations wreak havoc at the molecular level, giving rise to clinically observable symptoms in patients. Now a new study using bioinformatics, led by scientists at the Buck Institute for Age Research, reports the ability to predict the molecular cause of many inherited genetic diseases. These predictions have led to the creation of a web-based tool available to academic researchers who study disease.

Certain genetic profiles associated with recurrence-free survival for non-small cell lung cancer

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(JAMA and Archives Journals) An analysis of genetic and clinical data for nearly 800 patients with non-small cell lung cancer has identified differences in genetic characteristics that are associated with age and sex specific patterns of increased or decreased recurrence-free survival, according to a study in the Feb. 10 issue of JAMA.

Drinking milk during pregnancy may lower baby's risk of MS

Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(American Academy of Neurology) Drinking milk during pregnancy may help reduce your baby's chances of developing multiple sclerosis as an adult, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10-17, 2010.

Study challenges bird-from-dinosaur theory of evolution - was it the other way around?

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Oregon State University) A new study just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences provides yet more evidence that birds did not descend from ground-dwelling theropod dinosaurs, experts say, and continues to challenge decades of accepted theories about the evolution of flight.

NTU wins three out of five inaugural Environment Technology and Research Programme grants

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Nanyang Technological University) Nanyang Technological University (NTU) has won three out of the five inaugural Environment and Technology Research Programme grants awarded by the National Environment Agency (NEA). Awards reaffirm NTU as a leader in environmental engineering and urban sustainability.

A study reveals how respiratory tubes and capillaries form

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona)) Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) and CSIC report on the formation of the small-diameter respiratory tubes of the fly Drosophila, a process that resembles the development of the finest blood vessels, the capillaries, in mammals. These tubes or capillaries, formed by a single cell, connect the main tubes of the respiratory system with organs and tissues, thereby providing oxygen. The study has been published in the journal Current Biology, part of the Cell group.

New research report of the Max-Delbrück Center published

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(Helmholtz Association of German Research Centres) The Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch, Germany, has published its new research report. In the 284-page book, 54 research groups at the MDC give an overview of their work in 2008 and 2009. Research at the MDC focuses on cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, cancer, and neurosciences.

Hebrew U. researcher creates 'boutique' fish farms to combat Lake Victoria's depleted fish supplies

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) In a unique project to combat depleted fish supplies in Lake Victoria, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Makerere University in Kampala, have established 'boutique' fish farms in small villages around the Lake's shore in Uganda.

60th Annual British Microcirculation Society Meeting

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry) Delegates from all over the world will attend the 60th Annual British Microcirculation Society Meeting (ABMSM), which is to be held at the Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, UK, on 19th and 20th April this year.

Chocoholic mice fear no pain

Mon, 08 Feb 2010 00:00:00 EST

(BioMed Central) Ever get a buzz from eating chocolate? A study published in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience has shown that chocolate-craving mice are ready to tolerate electric shocks to get their fix.