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GUCY2C gene mutation leads to familial diarrhea syndrome

When the intestines are not able to properly process our diet, a variety of disorders can develop, with chronic diarrhea as a common symptom. Chronic diarrhea can also be inherited, most commonly through conditions with genetic components such as irritable bowel syndrome. Researchers in Norway, India, and at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have identified one heritable DNA mutation that leads to chronic diarrhea and bowel inflammation.

22 Mar 2012

Alzheimer's may spread through connected neurons

Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia may spread within nerve networks in the brain by moving directly between connected neurons, instead of in other ways proposed by scientists, such as by propagating in all directions, according to researchers who report the finding in the March 22 edition of the journal Neuron.

22 Mar 2012

Anesthesia may affect organization of lipids in a cell's outer membrane

Why does inhaling anesthetics cause unconsciousness? New insights into this century-and-a-half-old question may spring from research performed at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

22 Mar 2012

Scientists create worm model of back-up telomere repair strategy

Rapidly dividing cancer cells are skilled at patching up damage that would stop normal cells in their tracks, including wear and tear of telomeres, the protective caps at the end of each chromosome.

22 Mar 2012

Simple and accurate test for peanut allergy

The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and University of Melbourne researchers discovered a two-pronged blood test will confirm peanut allergies instead of putting children through risky oral food challenge tests.

21 Mar 2012

Researchers identify mechanism involved in positioning nuclei in muscle fibres

In order to move, living beings need muscles, and, more specifically, skeletal muscles that are controlled by the nervous system. Skeletal muscles are composed of cylindrical muscle fibres with a multitude of peripheral nuclei. Until now, little was known about the mechanism used to position nuclei on the edge of muscle fibres. A team of French-American researchers has tried to better understand the reasons behind nuclei layout.

21 Mar 2012

Early disruptions in serotonin signaling may contribute to ASD

Early disruptions in serotonin signaling in the brain may contribute to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other "enduring effects on behavior," Vanderbilt University researchers report.

21 Mar 2012

New way to accurately test for peanut allergy

Researchers from Murdoch Childrens Research Institute and the University of Melbourne have identified a new way to accurately test for peanut allergy.

21 Mar 2012

OriGene releases UltraMAB Antibodies for IHC applications

OriGene Technologies today announced the release of a new line of ultra specific and extensively validated monoclonal antibodies under the UltraMAB brand.

21 Mar 2012

DIAN-TTU to receive $4.2M Alzheimer's Association research grant

The Alzheimer's Association announced today the awarding of its largest ever research grant – nearly $4.2 million dollars over four years – to the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network–Therapeutic Trials Unit (DIAN-TTU), based at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, to enable the program to move forward more quickly with innovative drug and biomarker trials in people with genetically-based, young-onset Alzheimer's disease.

21 Mar 2012

FKBP52 may prevent hyperphosphorylation of pathogenic Tau protein

New research in humans published today reveals that the so-called FKBP52 protein may prevent the Tau protein from turning pathogenic. This may prove significant for the development of new Alzheimer's drugs and for detecting the disease before the onset of clinical symptoms.

21 Mar 2012

New perspective on why the immune system makes us worse while trying to make us well

A new article in The Quarterly Review of Biology helps explain why the immune system often makes us worse while trying to make us well.

21 Mar 2012

Curcumin can help prevent clumping of proteins in Parkinson's

Curcumin, a compound found in the spice turmeric, is proving effective at preventing clumping of a protein involved in Parkinson's disease, says a Michigan State University researcher.

21 Mar 2012

Positive data from Aerpio's AKB-9778 Phase 1 trial on DME

Aerpio Therapeutics, a clinical‐stage biopharmaceutical company focused on advancing innovative therapies for the treatment of diabetic eye disease and inflammatory bowel disease, today announced positive data from its Phase 1 trial of AKB-9778 for the treatment of diabetic macular edema.

21 Mar 2012

Study identifies function of GlialCAM gene in brain edema

A study of the pathophysiology of this rare disease has uncovered one mechanism that destabilizes the homeostatic balance of brain cells causing edema.

20 Mar 2012

Chemists produce first high resolution structure of HCV viral RNA-inhibitor complex

Chemists at the University of California, San Diego have produced the first high resolution structure of a molecule that when attached to the genetic material of the hepatitis C virus prevents it from reproducing.

20 Mar 2012

Study determines why blood oranges develop anthocyanin pigments

The anthocyanin pigments that provide the "blood" color of blood oranges are not produced in significant amounts unless the fruit is exposed to cold conditions during its development or post-harvest. No cold exposure means poor anthocyanin production and the loss of the entire crop. This means that blood oranges can be grown in many areas of the world, but they are most likely to be exposed to the correct temperature conditions in only a few regions, including their major area of production in Sicily.

20 Mar 2012

New antibiotic shows promise against bovine mastitis

Food-borne diseases might soon have another warrior to contend with, thanks to a new molecule discovered by chemists at the University of Illinois. The new antibiotic, an analog of the widely used food preservative nisin, also has potential to be a boon to the dairy industry as a treatment for bovine mastitis.

20 Mar 2012

Hedgehog and mTOR pathway are active in esophageal cancer

Identification of a non-traditional pathway for spiriting a cancer-promoting protein into the cell nucleus points to a possible combination therapy for esophageal cancer and indicates a mechanism of resistance for new drugs that attack the Hedgehog pathway.

20 Mar 2012

Heptares exercises exclusive option to license new A2A antagonist for CNS disorders

Heptares Therapeutics, the leading GPCR drug discovery company, announces that an operating company of Shire PLC, the global specialty biopharmaceutical company, has exercised its exclusive option to license a novel adenosine A2A antagonist discovered by Heptares that is currently in preclinical development.

20 Mar 2012