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Immune system B cells play crucial role in defence of pathogens

Immune system B cells play a crucial role in the defence of pathogens; when they detect such an intruder, they produce antibodies that help to combat the enemy.

13 Mar 2013

Advancement in re-engineering photosynthesis can transform plants into bio-factories

Scientists are reporting an advance in re-engineering photosynthesis to transform plants into bio-factories that manufacture high-value ingredients for medicines, fabrics, fuels and other products. They report on the research in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology.

8 Mar 2013

Improved bariatric surgery outcomes not due to restricted Medicare coverage

Substantial improvements in perioperative outcomes of bariatric surgery over the past decade are not attributable to a restriction in Medicare coverage to patients receiving the weight loss operation at centers of excellence, report researchers.

6 Mar 2013

Significant link between defective viruses and increased rate of transmission of major disease

Defective viruses, thought for decades to be essentially garbage unrelated to the transmission of normal viruses, now appear able to play an important role in the spread of disease, new research by UCLA life scientists indicates.

2 Mar 2013

Researchers elucidate how Fgf8 is controlled by multiple regulatory elements in mammal embryos

During embryo development, genes are dynamically, and very precisely, switched on and off to confer different properties to different cells and build a well-proportioned and healthy animal. Fgf8 is one of the key genes in this process, controlling in particular the growth of the limbs and the formation of the different regions of the brain. Researchers at EMBL have elucidated how Fgf8 in mammal embryos is, itself, controlled by a series of multiple, interdependent regulatory elements.

1 Mar 2013

Sole Miss. abortion clinic readies for license revocation hearing; N.Y. Gov.'s abortion bill criticized

Mississippi health department officials are challenging the license of the state's only abortion clinic, while critics of a proposal to expand abortion rights by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo say it would hurt women.

1 Mar 2013

Study identifies neural pathways tied to eating for pleasure

New research from the University of Georgia has identified the neural pathways in an insect brain tied to eating for pleasure, a discovery that sheds light on mirror impulsive eating pathways in the human brain.

1 Mar 2013

Blocking aPKC activity can stop growth of transplanted skin tumors resistant to vismodegib

Hailed as a major step forward in the effort to develop targeted cancer therapies, a recently approved drug for the most common type of skin cancer has been a mixed blessing for patients. Although the initial response is usually dramatic, the tumors often recur as the cancer becomes resistant to treatment.

28 Feb 2013

PEPFAR has helped millions, but 'hard work' lies ahead to sustain gains

PEPFAR, initiated in 2003, is "the largest global health initiative ever undertaken focused on a single disease," a Washington Post editorial writes, noting, "Now, after four years of work, some 400 interviews and visits to 13 nations, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences has provided [an] examination of this incredibly ambitious program."

27 Feb 2013

Restricting coverage to COEs not associated with improved outcomes for bariatric surgery

In an analysis of data on patients who underwent bariatric surgery 2004-2009, there was no significant difference in the rates of complications and reoperation for Medicare patients before vs. after a 2006 Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services policy that restricted coverage of bariatric surgery to centers of excellence, according to a study appearing in the February 27 issue of JAMA.

27 Feb 2013

Princeton metabolic model can predict how parasites would fare in altered climates

Knowing the temperatures that viruses, bacteria, worms and all other parasites need to grow and survive could help determine the future range of infectious diseases under climate change, according to new research.

27 Feb 2013

Researchers improve NanoVelcro device to better grab cancer cells as blood passes by them

Researchers at UCLA report that they have refined a method they previously developed for capturing and analyzing cancer cells that break away from patients' tumors and circulate in the blood. With the improvements to their device, which uses a Velcro-like nanoscale technology, they can now detect and isolate single cancer cells from patient blood samples for analysis.

26 Feb 2013

Experts analyse biological function of Shewanella-like protein phosphatase

Experts have disabled a unique member of the signalling proteins which are essential for the development of the malaria parasite. They have produced a mutant lackingthe ancient bacterial Shewanella-like protein phosphatase known as SHLP1 (pronounced shelph). This mutant is unable to complete its complex life cycle and is arrested in its development in the mosquito.

26 Feb 2013

ABCDE criteria non optimal for pediatric melanoma diagnosis

Conventional criteria for diagnosing melanoma may not be accurate in children and adolescents, suggest results published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

25 Feb 2013

Evidence could prove that humans have unique cortical brain networks

Our ancestors evolutionarily split from those of rhesus monkeys about 25 million years ago. Since then, brain areas have been added, have disappeared or have changed in function. This raises the question, 'Has evolution given humans unique brain structures?'. Scientists have entertained the idea before but conclusive evidence was lacking. By combining different research methods, we now have a first piece of evidence that could prove that humans have unique cortical brain networks.

25 Feb 2013

Researchers identify several genes associated with human neurological disorders

Scientists at the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) have identified several genes linked to human neurological disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and spinal cord injury, in the sea lamprey, a vertebrate fish whose whole-genome sequence is reported this week in the journal Nature Genetics.

25 Feb 2013

Blog posts examine different contraceptive methods

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog features an ongoing series titled "What's Your Method?" that provides posts about many of the contraceptive options for women and girls worldwide and how different organizations are working to ensure these methods become accessible options for women who want and need them.

24 Feb 2013

Evolution of PEPFAR necessary for continued success

PEPFAR has "met or even surpassed most" of its "bold goals," including "saving the lives of millions of people; supporting the scale-up of HIV prevention, care, and treatment; and strengthening systems and policies for the HIV response," Robert Black of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health writes in a Lancet opinion piece, noting the release of the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) "Evaluation of PEPFAR" on Wednesday.

22 Feb 2013

Researchers identify second B-cell attachment receptor for Epstein-Barr virus

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) affects more than 90 percent of the population worldwide and was the first human virus found to be associated with cancer. Now, researchers from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) have broadened the understanding of this widespread infection with their discovery of a second B-cell attachment receptor for EBV.

21 Feb 2013

J Cell Mol Med, Microbial Biotechnology join Wiley Open Access publishing program

John Wiley & Sons, Inc., announced today that Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Microbial Biotechnology have joined the Wiley Open Access publishing program. All articles in these two journals are now open access and free to view, download and share.

20 Feb 2013

Evolution News and Research

Immune system B cells play crucial role in defence of pathogens

Advancement in re-engineering photosynthesis can transform plants into bio-factories

Improved bariatric surgery outcomes not due to restricted Medicare coverage

Significant link between defective viruses and increased rate of transmission of major disease

Researchers elucidate how Fgf8 is controlled by multiple regulatory elements in mammal embryos

Sole Miss. abortion clinic readies for license revocation hearing; N.Y. Gov.'s abortion bill criticized

Study identifies neural pathways tied to eating for pleasure

Blocking aPKC activity can stop growth of transplanted skin tumors resistant to vismodegib

PEPFAR has helped millions, but 'hard work' lies ahead to sustain gains

Restricting coverage to COEs not associated with improved outcomes for bariatric surgery

Princeton metabolic model can predict how parasites would fare in altered climates

Researchers improve NanoVelcro device to better grab cancer cells as blood passes by them

Experts analyse biological function of Shewanella-like protein phosphatase

ABCDE criteria non optimal for pediatric melanoma diagnosis

Evidence could prove that humans have unique cortical brain networks

Researchers identify several genes associated with human neurological disorders

Blog posts examine different contraceptive methods

Evolution of PEPFAR necessary for continued success

Researchers identify second B-cell attachment receptor for Epstein-Barr virus

J Cell Mol Med, Microbial Biotechnology join Wiley Open Access publishing program

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

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

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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