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Researchers have identified a protein that transports the essential nutrient boron into cells

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have identified a protein that transports the essential nutrient boron into cells, where it is important for cell growth and bone development. The findings are in the Nov. 5 edition of the journal Molecular Cell and are online.

5 Nov 2004

Channeling through plasma to accelerate bright beams for science and medicine

Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have produced high quality electron beams in an accelerating structure of only a few millimeters long.

4 Nov 2004

An errant enzyme linked to bipolar disorder impairs awareness, perception and reasoning

The disturbed thinking, impaired judgment, impulsivity, and distractibility seen in mania, a destructive phase of bipolar disorder, may be traceable to overactivity of protein kinase C (PKC), suggests the study, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and National Institute on Aging (NIA), and the Stanley Foundation.

1 Nov 2004

New journal offering free access publishing and what is believed to be a unique development in the field of scientific publishing

Uniquely providing totally free access to scientific publications, and offering financial rewards for both authors and peer reviewers

19 Oct 2004

First sliver-sized sensor to monitor glucose level for diabetics and other bodily fluid levels

It's a good thing that the now eight-year-old son of Miklos Gratzl, a Case Western Reserve University biomedical engineer, got a splinter in his finger one day – at least for the sake of science. With apologies to his son – instead of an "Ouch!" moment, for Gratzl it was more of an "A-ha!" moment.

18 Oct 2004

Discovery might improve design, effectiveness of anti-cancer drugs

Working with an enzyme that degrades anti-cancer drugs in humans, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill biochemists and colleagues have made a discovery that they believe eventually could help improve such drugs’ design and effectiveness.

18 Oct 2004

Great breakthrough in cancer diagnostics

An amazingly sensitive method for selective analysis of amino acids, sugars, fatty acids, and other vital compounds has been developed by Russian scientists.

16 Oct 2004

Researchers have identified a protein in the inner ear that translates sound into the nerve impulses used by the brain

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and their colleagues report in the October 13 Nature advanced on-line edition that they have identified a protein deep in the inner ear that they believe translates sound into the nerve impulses used by the brain.

13 Oct 2004

MRI is useful, not just in diagnosing MS, but also in the monitoring of therapies in clinical trials

Progressive changes within the brain occur earlier in multiple sclerosis than previously supposed, according to a study presented October 4, 2004, at the 129th annual meeting of the American Neurological Association.

4 Oct 2004

Large-scale screening programme of tonsil tissue is the only way of identifying the true incidence of vCJD infection

A study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET describes how two different types of analysis used in conjunction on samples of tonsil tissue is the ‘gold standard’ method for confirming clinical variant CJD

30 Sep 2004

Gene responsible for a rare form of dystonia known as rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism identified

Investigators funded in part by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) have identified the gene responsible for a rare form of dystonia known as rapid-onset dystonia parkinsonism (RDP).

23 Sep 2004

New culprit behind the brain injury suffered by stroke victims

Researchers have uncovered a new culprit behind the brain injury suffered by stroke victims. Their new study, published in the Sept. 17 issue of Cell, links brain cell damage to a rise in brain acidity following the oxygen depletion, or ischemia, characteristic of stroke.

18 Sep 2004

New imaging technique may help cystic fibrosis sufferers

Now, Jefferson Lab scientists have used their expertise to build a small animal medical imager that's helping researchers develop a new gene therapy technique for cystic fibrosis.

15 Aug 2004

Trick illustrates life’s determination to survive hostile environments

Dipping your hands into 160-degree water is guaranteed to give you an immediate and severe scalding - unless you’re one of the few species of bacteria that manage to thrive in temperatures that would maim or kill the rest of the Earth’s inhabitants.

13 Aug 2004

Cyntellect issued patent covering LaserFect(TM) technology

Cyntellect a privately-held biotechnology company, has announced the issuance of U.S. Patent No. 6,753,161 covering the Company's LaserFect(TM) technology.

6 Aug 2004

Epilepsy, new therapeutic possibilities

To date epilepsy research has mainly concentrated on the transmission of the nerve cell signals to what are known as the synapses.

23 Jul 2004

HERCULES laser could revolutionize the way cancer is treated

University of Michigan researchers recently produced what is believed to be the highest-intensity laser pulse ever obtained.

26 Jun 2004

Bionomics and Nanogen reach milestone on the development of genetic tests for serious forms of childhood epilepsy

Bionomics Limited has announced that it had achieved a further milestone in its collaboration with Nanogen on the development of genetic tests for serious forms of childhood epilepsy

21 Jun 2004

Class of molecules that could lead to treatments for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, and heart disease

By making use of model compounds in drug design, chemists at the University of California, San Diego identified a class of molecules that could lead to treatments for a wide range of diseases, including cancer, arthritis, and heart disease.