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Using X-ray crystallography, researchers have "seen" the structural basis for antibiotic resistanc

Using X-ray crystallography, researchers at Yale have "seen" the structural basis for antibiotic resistance to common pathogenic bacteria, facilitating design of a new class of antibiotic drugs, according to an article in Cell.

22 Apr 2005

Exposure to air pollutants increases the risk of fatal myocardial infarction

Cardiovascular diseases are the most common cause of death in Sweden and other Western European countries. Known risk factors include age, gender, hereditariness, smoking, hypertension and high blood lipid levels.

22 Apr 2005

Researchers make gains in understanding antibiotic resistance

Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers chiseling away at the problem of antibiotic resistance now have a detailed explanation of how the drugs' main cellular target in bacteria evolves to become resistant to some of these medications.

22 Apr 2005

Genetic variation linked to alcohol dependence

The same gene that accounts for part of a genetic risk for developing alcoholism in a U.S. population is found in a Russian population, according to a published study by a Yale School of Medicine researcher.

22 Apr 2005

Scientists weaponize an antibody to deliver continuous attacks on cancer cells

In a recent study published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science paired the active ingredient of a garden remedy with advanced bio-technology to deliver a powerful punch against cancer. The cancer killing effectiveness lies in their technique of arming a cancer-targeting antibody with the destructive potential of the dietary molecule otherwise known as "allicin."

22 Apr 2005

Propensity for obesity, diabetes may occur in utero

The adage "You are what you eat" should be rephrased to include "and so are your children," based on metabolic research pioneered by researchers at the University at Buffalo.

22 Apr 2005

New strategy to identify differences between non-metastatic and highly metastatic breast cancer cells

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego have used a new strategy to identify differences between non-metastatic and highly metastatic breast cancer cells. The article by Valerie Montel et al., "Expression profiling of primary tumors and matched lymphatic and lung metastases in a xenogeneic breast cancer model," appears in the May 2005 issue of The American Journal of Pathology and is accompanied by a commentary.

22 Apr 2005

First time video capture of chemical signals that traverse human cells messaging

Researchers at UCSD and UC Irvine have captured on video for the first time chemical signals that traverse human cells in response to tiny mechanical jabs, like waves spreading from pebbles tossed into a pond. The scientists released the videos and technical details that explain how the visualization effect was created as part of a paper published in the April 21 issue of Nature.

21 Apr 2005

Body's 24-hour internal clock linked to obesity and diabetes

Obesity and diabetes in both adults and children are rising at alarming rates and a wide range of culprits -- super-sized food portions, lack of exercise due to television, computers, suburban sprawl and loss of gym classes, high-fat and fast foods, sugar-laden drinks and psychological trauma -- have been blamed.

21 Apr 2005

Strongest evidence yet that infectious misformed proteins cause mad cow disease

Researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) have produced the strongest proof yet that the mysterious and devastating brain diseases known as "transmissible spongiform encephalopathies" (TSEs) are transmitted by an infectious agent composed only of a malformed protein, and not a virus.

21 Apr 2005

Gene may boost schizophrenia risk

Clues about how a suspect version of a gene may slightly increase risk for schizophrenia are emerging from a brain imaging study by the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). The gene variant produced a telltale pattern of activity linked to production of a key brain messenger chemical.

21 Apr 2005

Genes influence how heart failure patients respond to drugs

Genes dictate the color of our hair and eyes. They factor into whether we get cancer or heart disease. And, scientists increasingly recognize, they also ensure some patients will benefit from a prescription drug, while others develop adverse reactions or simply fail to respond at all.

21 Apr 2005

Golfers "yips" possibly a movement disorder

Researchers have found that a not uncommon condition among some golfers, Yips, a term used to denote a strong tendency to flinch or twitch during putting, may be a task-specific movement disorder akin to writer's cramp and musician's cramp.

21 Apr 2005

Dundee Diabetes Research Centre in Scotland

In a joint venture between two faculties with a common interest in Diabetes research, a facility, the Dundee Diabetes Research Centre has been launched reinforcing the city's standing as one of the world's key hubs of research into the disease.

21 Apr 2005

Overweight not as bad as once thought

Being overweight may not be very good for you but it now seems it is nowhere near as big a killer as the US government once thought.

20 Apr 2005

Inherited variations in mitochondrial DNA linked to renal and prostate cancer

More than 20 million men in the United States with a particular signature set of inherited characteristics and mutations in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are at significantly increased risk for developing renal and prostate cancers, according to research at Emory University.

20 Apr 2005

Soccer players most at risk of injury

Soccer players are far more likely to have injuries than other athletes including swimmers, tennis players and gymnasts, according to research published this week in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

20 Apr 2005

Trusts perform better on chemical incidents but protective suits and tents still imperfect

Trusts are far better prepared to deal with patients injured in chemical incidents following national training but the design and distribution of chemical protective suits and shelters are still a problem, says research published this week in Emergency Medicine Journal.

20 Apr 2005

Researchers study radiation blockers while conducting nuclear imaging of Iodine uptake in mouse tissues

Scientists have found that a dose five times higher than the FDA-recommended dosage of potassium iodide in the event of a nuclear accident is needed to protect small animals effectively from radioactive iodide in medical imaging procedures. The long-term animal nuclear imaging project is being conducted by a collaboration of biology and physics researchers from the Department of Energy's Jefferson Lab and The College of William & Mary (CWM).

20 Apr 2005

Eating lots of fish during and after pregnancy reduces daughters' risk of developing breast cancer

Mothers who eat foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids during pregnancy and while nursing, and who continue to feed their babies such a diet after weaning, may reduce their daughters' risk of developing breast cancer later in life dramatically, according to research presented here today at the 96th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.

20 Apr 2005