Amino Acid News and Research

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Amino Acid is one of several molecules that join together to form proteins. There are 20 common amino acids found in proteins.

Gene identified that confers susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration

By combining the tools of high-throughput biology and statistical genetics, scientists at Rockefeller University, Yale University School of Public Health and the National Eye Institute have identified a gene that confers susceptibility to age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the most common cause of vision loss in the United Sates for those over 60.

14 Mar 2005

Protein sequenced from 75,000 year old Iraqi

An international team led by researchers at the Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Liepzig, Germany and Washington University in St. Louis, has extracted and sequenced protein from a Neanderthal from Shanidar Cave, Iraq dating to approximately 75,000 years old.

9 Mar 2005

Canadians alerted to the presence of acrylamide in some foods

In 2002, Health Canada alerted Canadians to the presence of acrylamide in some foods, following reports by scientists in Sweden. Since then, Health Canada scientists have participated in international research efforts aimed at understanding how acrylamide is formed in foods and the health implications.

7 Mar 2005

$Vitamin B12 after stroke reduces risk of hip fracture$

Vitamin B12 after stroke reduces risk of hip fracture

Patients who took folic acid and vitamin B12 after their stroke had a reduced risk of hip fracture compared to patients who took placebo, according to an article in the March 2 issue of JAMA.

1 Mar 2005

Differing forms of taste genes mean that we all live in our own unique taste world

A study published in the February 22 issue of Current Biology confirms the influential role of genetics in determining the wide range of human sensitivity to taste, ultimately impacting how we each perceive the world in a slightly different way.

22 Feb 2005

Gene dynamin 2 underlies one form of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

A gene that plays many fundamental roles in cells throughout the body has, for the first time, been implicated in human disease, according to researchers at the Duke Center for Human Genetics.

31 Jan 2005

Psychiatric illness drugs may protect the brain cells that die in people with Huntington's disease

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered that drugs commonly used to treat psychiatric illnesses and blood disorders in humans may protect the brain cells that die in people with Huntington's disease, possibly delaying the onset and slowing the progression of the disease.

31 Jan 2005

Molecular pathway turns a juvenile heart into an adult heart

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have discovered the molecular sequence of events in mice that turn a juvenile heart into an adult heart capable of responding to increased workloads.

17 Jan 2005

High levels of homocysteine, an amino acid in the blood, may indicate an increased risk of stroke

Observational studies measuring homocysteine concentrations in healthy individuals have found that, on average, those with high levels of homocysteine in their blood are more likely to have a stroke. But other factors that increase homocysteine concentration and stroke risk— such as smoking and socioeconomic class—may be responsible for the relationship observed in these studies, confounding the result.

13 Jan 2005

What makes an allergen an allergen?

An enduring mystery for allergy researchers has been the unpredictable distribution of allergens in plants. For example, being allergic to birch pollen can predispose a person to allergy from distantly related plant foods such as celery, apple or soy.

12 Jan 2005

Chamomile tea shown to boost the immune system and fight infections associated with colds

For centuries, people who’ve felt sick or stressed have tried drinking chamomile tea as a medicinal cure-all. Now, researchers in England have found new evidence that the popular herbal tea may actually help relieve a wide range of health ailments, including colds and menstrual cramps.

5 Jan 2005

Australia leads the way in new screening technology for babies

Australia is one of the first countries in the world to implement new screening technology across all States that will help detect an increased number of diseases in newborns.

21 Dec 2004

Findings could lead to new knowledge that could speed the development of drugs to block botulism or tetanus toxins more rapidly

The first detailed structure of a botulism toxin attached to its target protein reveals that the toxin snakes the protein around itself — a sort of “reverse anaconda” — to recognize the receptor.

13 Dec 2004

New malaria enzyme laid bare with help of computer calculations

Using only computers, a research team at Uppsala University in Sweden has managed to reveal both the structure and the function of a newly discovered enzyme from the most dangerous malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.

8 Dec 2004

Common ingredient in some shampoos (methylisothiazolinone) stunts developing neurons of rats

An antimicrobial agent found in some shampoos and hand creams and widely used in industrial settings inhibits the development of particular neuron structures that are essential for transmitting signals between cells.

6 Dec 2004

Genetic mutations and cellular modifications may provide clues to the associations between slight genetic abnormalities and often fatal diseases

Modern research is delving deep into the human genome to find the answers to medical mysteries and, hopefully, cures for the most deadly diseases. According to four new studies presented during the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology

5 Dec 2004

Study focused on patients with chemotherapy-related anemia

Findings from an interim analysis of a new study comparing the hemoglobin response rates of Epoetin alfa and darbepoetin alfa in the treatment of chemotherapy-related anemia were published in the November 15, 2004 issue of the Medical Journal 'Blood' as part of the American Society of Hematology 46th Annual Meeting and Exposition.

4 Dec 2004

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