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Scientists genetically modify male mosquitoes to express a glowing protein in their gonads - may help control the mosquito population

By providing a way to quickly sex mosquitoes, the advance paves the way for pooling large numbers of sterile males which could be used to control the mosquito population.

9 Oct 2005

Tissue engineering used to reconstruct defective tracheas (windpipes) in fetal lambs

Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston report using tissue engineering to reconstruct defective tracheas (windpipes) in fetal lambs, first using cells from the amniotic fluid to grow sections of cartilage tube, and then implanting these living grafts into the lambs while still in the womb.

9 Oct 2005

Brain needs the middle ear to track depth

When you jaywalk, your ability to keep track of that oncoming truck despite your constantly changing position can be a lifesaver. But scientists do not understand how such constant updating of depth and distance takes place

5 Oct 2005

New role for the blood protein serum amyloid P in the body's response to medical materials

Using a technique called proteomics, the researchers identified many of the blood proteins that stick (adsorb) to the surfaces of medical devices. Blood proteins that adsorb to the surfaces of materials unfold and can be recognized by the body, which then mounts a response against the device.

5 Oct 2005

Immature stem cells that proliferate to form brain tissues in mice can function for at least a year

New studies in mice have shown that immature stem cells that proliferate to form brain tissues can function for at least a year -- most of the life span of a mouse -- and give rise to multiple types of neural cells, not just neurons.

5 Oct 2005

Compounds secreted by frog skin are potent blockers of HIV infection

The findings could lead to topical treatments for preventing HIV transmission, and they reinforce the value of preserving the Earth's biodiversity.

3 Oct 2005

New insights that advance the current model of protein motility and muscle contraction

Scientists from the Burnham Institute for Medical Research and the University of Vermont have captured the first 3-dimensional (3D) atomic-resolution images of the motor protein myosin V as it "walks" along other proteins, revealing new structural insights that advance the current model of protein motility and muscle contraction.

3 Oct 2005

Scientists measure with unprecedented accuracy the strengths of hydrogen bonds in a protein

The scientists were then able to predict the function of different versions of the protein based on structural information, a novel outcome that was published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

3 Oct 2005

Computer model shows biochemical variations, or noise, leads to oscillations in gene regulation that couldn't otherwise be predicted

Geneticists have debated for decades the relative importance of nature versus nurture in determining how an animal looks and behaves, and now University of California, San Diego (UCSD) scientists report that noise could also be an important factor in determining phenotype.

3 Oct 2005

Rise in oxygen content corresponds exactly to a really rapid rise of large, placental mammals

The first, high resolution continuous record of oxygen concentration in the earth's atmosphere shows that a sharp rise in oxygen about 50 million years ago gave mammals the evolutionary boost they needed to dominate the planet, according to Paul Falkowski, Rutgers professor of marine science and lead author of a paper published Sept. 30 in the journal Science.

3 Oct 2005

The immune mechanisms of atherosclerosis

Scientists are depicting a novel scheme for atherosclerosis development, suggesting that this pathology might result from an imbalance between pro-inflammatory processes and calming ones.

28 Sep 2005

Clostridium botulinum exposed

A discovery by Institute of Food Research (IFR) scientists is set to improve the food industry’s ability to predict foodborne botulism.

28 Sep 2005

Seaweed extract, alginate, could be used to increase the fibre content of junk food

The highly-fibrous seaweed extract, alginate, could be used to increase the fibre content of cakes, burgers and other types of food which usually contain large amounts of fat and a low degree of healthy nutrients, say the team.

27 Sep 2005

New method to measure circadian cycles

Everyone knows morning people and late-night owls. The variation in individual circadian rhythms is an anecdotal as well as experimentally verified fact. But, until now, to systematically study circadian differences (and thereby hope to rout out the underlying genetic causes), scientists have had to rely on prolonged behavioural observation.

27 Sep 2005

Deep-sea sponges harbor toxins that potentially can act as powerful anti-cancer drugs

Vibrantly colored creatures from the depths of the South Pacific Ocean harbor toxins that potentially can act as powerful anti-cancer drugs, according to research findings from University of Wisconsin-Madison biochemists and their Italian colleagues.

26 Sep 2005

Scientists identifiy new type of pain-sensing neuron in rats

We all know that if you put your hand over an open flame it's very painful. What you may not know is that, for some people, just lying under a blanket is painful as well. They have neuropathic pain--annoying, chronic pain that comes from a diseased nerve cell rather than a specific stimulus. Feeling phantom pain in a missing limb is another, more famous, example.

26 Sep 2005

Medical Science News

Scientists genetically modify male mosquitoes to express a glowing protein in their gonads - may help control the mosquito population

Tissue engineering used to reconstruct defective tracheas (windpipes) in fetal lambs

Brain needs the middle ear to track depth

New role for the blood protein serum amyloid P in the body's response to medical materials

Immature stem cells that proliferate to form brain tissues in mice can function for at least a year

Compounds secreted by frog skin are potent blockers of HIV infection

New insights that advance the current model of protein motility and muscle contraction

Scientists measure with unprecedented accuracy the strengths of hydrogen bonds in a protein

Computer model shows biochemical variations, or noise, leads to oscillations in gene regulation that couldn't otherwise be predicted

Rise in oxygen content corresponds exactly to a really rapid rise of large, placental mammals

The immune mechanisms of atherosclerosis

Clostridium botulinum exposed

Seaweed extract, alginate, could be used to increase the fibre content of junk food

New method to measure circadian cycles

Deep-sea sponges harbor toxins that potentially can act as powerful anti-cancer drugs

Scientists identifiy new type of pain-sensing neuron in rats

Scientists eventually may be able to determine the structure of proteins from their genomic sequences

"Designer" rats help show how declining estrogen after menopause can affect hypertension

Israeli scientists successfully transplant ovaries in sheep and trigger early embryonic development

Simple organism can produce 10 trillion varieties of a single protein

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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