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Jumping genes play significant role in gene regulatory networks

Research performed in the Center for Biomolecular Science & Engineering (CBSE) at the University of California, Santa Cruz, suggests that mobile repetitive elements--also known as transposons or "jumping genes"--do indeed affect the evolution of gene regulatory networks.

16 Feb 2009

Neural wiring hints at nervous system gene limits

Genetics may play a surprisingly small role in determining the precise wiring of the mammalian nervous system, according to painstaking mapping of every neuron projecting to a small muscle mice use to move their ears.

16 Feb 2009

Nanoscopic changes to pancreatic cells reveal cancer

A team of researchers in Chicago has developed a way to examine cell biopsies and detect never-before-seen signs of early-stage pancreatic cancer, according to a new paper in the Optical Society (OSA) journal Optics Letters.

16 Feb 2009

New understanding of health implications of nanoparticles

The smallest nano-sized silica particles used in biomedicine and engineering likely won't cause unexpected biological responses due to their size, according to work presented today.

16 Feb 2009

Mouse model mimics hyperglycemia, aids in diabetes research

UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers have genetically engineered a laboratory mouse in which pancreatic beta cells can regenerate after being induced to die.

16 Feb 2009

Molecular motors in cells work together in close coordination

Even within cells, the left hand knows what the right hand is doing.

16 Feb 2009

Molecules self-assemble to provide new therapeutic treatments

Researchers in the laboratory of Samuel I. Stupp at Northwestern University have an interesting approach for tackling some major health problems: gather raw materials and then let them self-assemble into structures that can address a multitude of medical needs.

16 Feb 2009

New insights into human genetic makeup

Genetic diseases and genetically mixed populations can help researchers understand human diversity and human origins according to a Penn State physical anthropologist.

16 Feb 2009

Are insulin pens safe for blind people?

Ann Williams, a National Institute of Health-supported postdoctoral fellow at Case Western Reserve University, understands what it means to live with diabetes.

16 Feb 2009

Higher blood sugar levels linked to lower brain function in diabetics

Results of a recent study conducted by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and colleagues show that cognitive functioning abilities drop as average blood sugar levels rise in people with type 2 diabetes.

16 Feb 2009

Funding injection for spinal injury research

Three of the projects are ambitious multi-centred trials involving an array of different interventions including electrically-stimulated exercises for the paralysed muscles and computer-based training for the quadriplegic hand.

16 Feb 2009

Vegetables and fruits eaten daily reduce diabetes risk

Eating just one serving of green leafy vegetables or three servings of fruit a day reduces the risk of developing Type II diabetes, say researchers at Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Harvard School of Public Health.

16 Feb 2009

First immune danger receptor' found

Cancer Research UK scientists have found the first biological receptor that alerts the immune system to 'dangerous' or abnormal cell death, according to research published in Nature.

16 Feb 2009

New device decreases wait times for patients needing immunotherapy

Researchers from the Children's Cancer Hospital at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have created a device that significantly decreases the time needed to produce genetically manipulated T cells in preclinical tests for leukemia.

16 Feb 2009

Common gene variants increase risk of hypertension, may lead to new therapies

A new study has identified the first common gene variants associated with an increased incidence of hypertension - a significant risk factor for heart attack, stroke and kidney failure.

16 Feb 2009

Caregivers not receiving the help they need, study shows

Caregivers of children with special health care needs often do not get the respite care they need, according to the findings of a recent study by researchers at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center.

16 Feb 2009

Breast cancer rates fall as women abandon HRT

Breast cancer rates among women in their 50s are falling at the same time as the number of women under 60 receiving prescriptions for hormone replacement (HRT) has halved according to Cancer Research UK.

16 Feb 2009

Avosentan shows prmoise for diabetic kidney disease

A new drug called avosentan significantly lowers urinary protein excretion-an important marker of kidney disease progression-in patients with diabetic kidney disease, according to an international clinical trial appearing in the March 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Society Nephrology (JASN).

16 Feb 2009

Artificial cells, simple model for complex structure

A simple, chemical materials model may lead to a better understanding of the structure and organization of the cell according to a Penn State researcher.

16 Feb 2009

Air pollution dangerously high around some U.S. schools

Air pollution is dangerously high around schools near some U.S. industrial plants, according to a recent study involving researchers from the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins University.

16 Feb 2009