News by Subject Biology

Clinical signs such as gastrointestinal problems may be better predictors of mortality in neonatal calves with diarrhea than blood pH levels and other laboratory findings, suggests a new study co-written by University of Illinois veterinary medicine dean Peter Constable; Florian M. Trefz and Annette Lorch, both of the Center of Veterinary Clinical Medicine at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich; and Ingrid Lorenz, of the Bavarian Animal Health Service.

Researchers at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, with colleagues from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and Fox Chase Cancer Center, have determined that a specific region of the small bowel, called the duodenal-jejunal flexure or DJF, shows a high frequency of gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs) with mutations of the NF1 gene.

Chemical engineers at the University of Notre Dame have discovered a catalytic process that could help curb emissions of nitrogen oxides from diesel-powered vehicles, a priority air pollutant that is a key ingredient in smog.

Avian flu can be transmitted from birds to humans; transmission among humans, however, is limited. The reason may be an eggshell-like mineral layer that the virus acquires due to the high calcium concentration in the intestines of birds. As reported by Chinese researchers in the journal Angewandte Chemie, these mineralized viruses are significantly more infectious and, in addition, more robust and heat stable than the native viruses.

A theory that has gained considerable attention in international media, including Newsweek and the CBS broadcast 60 minutes, suggest that antidepressant drugs, such as the SSRIs, do not exert any actual antidepressant effect. A research group at the Sahlgrenska Academy has now analyzed data from clinical trials and can rebut this theory.