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Scientists and clinicians address diagnosis and treatment for autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases

Autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases are a major health issue. The National Institutes of Health reports that up to 23.5 million Americans are afflicted. The American Autoimmune Related Diseases Association reports the number is closer to 50 million. Scientists and clinicians at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston can address the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions, as well as the latest advances in research.

8 Jan 2010

Business leaders should continue to monitor H1N1 risk management to alleviate major impact on costs and revenues

The swine flu pandemic may be off the media’s radar screen, but business executives can ill afford to rest easy. Experts from the National Center for Critical Incident Analysis (NCCIA), who have studied how to respond to pandemics and bioterrorism attacks, warn that executives need to continue to monitor and manage unknown risk factors that might cause the flu to have a major impact upon costs and revenues.

8 Jan 2010

Variants in CRP gene not associated with increased risk of cancer

Gene variants associated with increased circulating levels of C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation, are not associated with an increased risk of cancer, according to a new brief communication published online January 7 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

8 Jan 2010

Protein complex proves valuable for changing cell fate

The DNA contained within each of our cells is exactly the same, yet different types of cells - skin cells, heart cells, brain cells - perform very different functions. The ultimate fate of these cells is encoded not just in the DNA, but in a specific pattern of chemical modifications that overlay the DNA structure.

7 Jan 2010

Phase II clinical trial of Gilead Sciences' elvitegravir, GS 9350 and Truvada meets primary objective

Gilead Sciences, Inc. today announced that a Phase II clinical trial of its investigational integrase inhibitor-based, once-daily, fixed-dose “Quad” regimen of elvitegravir, GS 9350 and Truvada® (emtricitabine and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate) for the treatment of HIV-1 infection met its primary objective.

7 Jan 2010

WPI researchers lay groundwork for new generation of advanced prosthetic limbs

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have left a terrible legacy: more than 1,200 returning American soldiers have lost one or more limbs. To address this growing national need, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) are laying the groundwork for a new generation of advanced prosthetic limbs that will be fully integrated with the body and nervous system.

5 Jan 2010

Elusive human protein outsmarted

A team of researchers is being recognized for devising a new way to study a human protein that long has evaded close scrutiny by scientists investigating its role in the communication of important genetic messages inside a cell's nucleus to workhorse molecules found elsewhere.

5 Jan 2010

"Nanoworms" and doxorubicin loaded hollow nanoparticles to fight cancer

A team of researchers in California and Massachusetts has developed a "cocktail" of different nanometer-sized particles that work in concert within the bloodstream to locate, adhere to and kill cancerous tumors.

5 Jan 2010

Protein interaction linked to AMD

Researchers at University College London say they have gleaned a key insight into the molecular beginnings of age-related macular degeneration, the No. 1 cause of vision loss in the elderly, by determining how two key proteins interact to naturally prevent the onset of the condition.

5 Jan 2010

Research shows licorice root might be effective in fighting antibiotic-resistant infections

A team of scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch and Shriners Hospitals for Children show how a compound from licorice root (glycyrrhizin from Glycyrrhiza glabra) might be an effective tool in battling life-threatening, antibiotic-resistant infections resulting from severe burns.

5 Jan 2010

A 'cocktail' to kill cancerous tumors

5 Jan 2010

Discovery of key process in bacterial infection could lead to new drug targets to prevent infection

Bacteria can swim, propelling themselves through fluids using a whip-like extension called a flaggella. They can also walk, strolling along solid surfaces using little fibrous legs called pili. It is this motility that enable some pathogenic bacteria to establish the infections - such as meningitis - that cause their human hosts to get sick or even die.

4 Jan 2010

Small molecules reverse protein trafficking and mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease models

Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by tremors, muscle rigidity, and slowed movements. There is currently no cure for the disease, and current Parkinson's therapies only address disease symptoms, not the disease's cellular cause.

29 Dec 2009

Test tube experiments show slight changes in protein chemistry can eliminate Huntington's disease in mice

In Huntington's disease, a mutated protein in the body becomes toxic to brain cells. Recent studies have demonstrated that a small region adjacent to the mutated segment plays a major role in the toxicity. Two new studies supported by the National Institutes of Health show that very slight changes to this region can eliminate signs of Huntington's disease in mice.

28 Dec 2009

Enzyme dCK plays a profound role in normal lymphocyte development

Mice without the deoxycytidine kinase (dCK) enzyme have defects in their adaptive immune system, producing very low levels of both T and B lymphocytes, the major players involved in immune response, according to a study by researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

23 Dec 2009

WuXi PharmaTech announces winners of third Life Science and Chemistry Awards

WuXi PharmaTech, a leading pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical-device research and development outsourcing company with operations in China and the United States, today announced the winners of its third Life Science and Chemistry Awards, held on December 20, 2009, at the China World Hotel in Beijing.

23 Dec 2009

Guardian Technologies International meets and presents SM TBDx to Indian healthcare officials

Tuberculosis (TB) continues to be a serious global pandemic health threat with more than 9 million new cases diagnosed annually. TB is a leading cause of mortality in India, killing nearly 1,000 people each day.

23 Dec 2009

Tel Aviv University's new Genome Analyzer fuels research dreams and tomorrow's cures

To identify the hemophilia mutation that affected Queen Victoria and her European relatives, scientific detectives used a cutting-edge "deep sequencing tool." Able to trace rare genetic disease mutations, the tool can turn a single laboratory into a fertile genetic research center.

22 Dec 2009

Proline repeats make teeth strong and resilient

A simple amino acid that is repeated in the center of proteins found in tooth enamel makes teeth stronger and more resilient, according to new research at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

22 Dec 2009

Findings may help develop new antiviral drugs for influenza

Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), Mount Sinai School of Medicine (Mount Sinai), the Salk Institute for Biological Studies (Salk) and the Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) have identified 295 human cell factors that influenza A strains must harness to infect a cell, including the currently circulating swine-origin H1N1.

22 Dec 2009

Biochemistry News and Research

Scientists and clinicians address diagnosis and treatment for autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases

Business leaders should continue to monitor H1N1 risk management to alleviate major impact on costs and revenues

Variants in CRP gene not associated with increased risk of cancer

Protein complex proves valuable for changing cell fate

Phase II clinical trial of Gilead Sciences' elvitegravir, GS 9350 and Truvada meets primary objective

WPI researchers lay groundwork for new generation of advanced prosthetic limbs

Elusive human protein outsmarted

"Nanoworms" and doxorubicin loaded hollow nanoparticles to fight cancer

Protein interaction linked to AMD

Research shows licorice root might be effective in fighting antibiotic-resistant infections

A 'cocktail' to kill cancerous tumors

Discovery of key process in bacterial infection could lead to new drug targets to prevent infection

Small molecules reverse protein trafficking and mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease models

Test tube experiments show slight changes in protein chemistry can eliminate Huntington's disease in mice

Enzyme dCK plays a profound role in normal lymphocyte development

WuXi PharmaTech announces winners of third Life Science and Chemistry Awards

Guardian Technologies International meets and presents SM TBDx to Indian healthcare officials

Tel Aviv University's new Genome Analyzer fuels research dreams and tomorrow's cures

Proline repeats make teeth strong and resilient

Findings may help develop new antiviral drugs for influenza

Biochemistry eBook

Achieving and maintaining ISO/IEC 27001 and BS 10012 certifications

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

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