news archive April 2005

• Exercise Slows Development of Alzheimer’s-Like Brain Changes in Mice
  Physical activity appears to inhibit Alzheimer's-like brain changes in mice, slowing the development of plaque-forming beta-amyloid protein fragments.
  
• Combination Monoclonal Antibody Therapy and Chemotherapy for Cancer Treatment
  Clinical trial shows that HER-2 positive invasive breast cancer patients with early-stage breast cancer who received Herceptin® (trastuzumab) in combination with chemotherapy had a significant decrease in risk for breast cancer recurrence.
  
• Promising New West Nile Therapy Cures Disease in Mice
  An antibody that mimics one that successfully fends off the West Nile virus has been developed.
  
• Neurological Problems for Farmers Exposed to Insecticides
  New research shows that farmers who used agricultural insecticides experienced increased neurological symptoms, even when they were no longer using the products.
  

• Genes Reveal Britain's Viking Ancestry
  The more secure settlements close to colonial strongholds seem to have been founded by families, whilst the more distant ones fit the popular image of male invaders.
  
• A Mechanism For Stress
  French researchers describe a molecular pathway in the brain by which stress enhances the response of mice to negative experiences.
  
• Rapid Exits
  Immune cells traveling in the bloodstream can abruptly stop at signs of trouble.
  
• Dengue Fever Susceptibility
  A novel susceptibility gene for dengue fever is reported.
  
• Genetic Basis Of Autoimmune Diseases
  A gene associated with susceptibility to a group of autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease and lupus, is identified.
  
• A New Therapeutic Strategy For HIV
  Research identifies a protein that can be specifically inhibited in order to block HIV growth.
  
• An Uncommon Insight Into Common Mutations
  A common, sex-dependent mutation underlies vulnerability to Hirschsprung disease.
  
• Anti-Cancer Barrier Found
  Two papers offer insights into how cells can fight off the earliest stages of cancer.
  
• Retrovirus Envelope Protein Induces Lung Tumours In Mice
  A sheep retrovirus envelope protein is enough to trigger tumour formation in the lungs of immunodeficient mice.
  
• Novel Breast Cancer Therapy Found
  Two groups of scientists show that another enzyme involved in DNA repair, called poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), becomes essential in cells that lack a working form of BRCA1 or BRCA2.
  
• Gene Linked To Tuberculosis Susceptibility
  Study provides insight into a novel aspect of TB pathogenesis.
  
• Gene Therapy for Retinal Diseases Advances
  New Viral and Capsule Mechanisms to Place Genes Directly in Eye
  
• Muscle DNA Damage Initiates Physical Aging
  Decline can begin in your 30s
  
• Scientists develop new color-coded test for protein folding
  Gold nanoparticles as a colorimetric sensor for protein conformational changes
  

• Combination Monoclonal Antibody Therapy and Chemotherapy for Cancer Treatment
  Bevacizumab, a Monoclonal Antibody, Combined With Chemotherapy Improves Progression-Free Survival for Patients With Advanced Breast Cancer
  
• New Medical Uses for Sodium Nitrite
  NHLBI Study: The Promise of New Medical Uses for Sodium Nitrite for Heart Attack and Organ Damage
  

• How Ebola Virus Infects Cells
  Finding Could Lead to Treatments for Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
  

• Asthma: Symptom-Driven Therapy May Be Sufficient For Some Adults
  Some adults with mild persistent asthma may be able to adequately control their asthma by taking corticosteroids only when needed, instead of taking anti-inflammatory medication daily.
  
• Childhood’s Most Common Eye Can Be Treated in Older Children
  Clinical trial shows that many children age 7 through 17 with amblyopia (lazy eye) may benefit from treatments that are more commonly used on younger children.
  

• COMT and cannabis interact to increase risk of psychosis
  Adolescent cannabis smokers who possess a common variant of the COMT gene are at increased risk of developing adult psychosis
  

• NICHD Launches Project to Treat Infant Asphyxia In Lower Income Countries
  This project will train midwives and traditional birth attendants in resource poor countries on how to treat newborn asphyxia, a major cause of infant death.
  
• “Gene Deserts” - New Clues to Ancestral Chromosome Fusion Event
  NHGRI-Supported Researchers Analyze Chromosomes 2 and 4.
  
• ALLHAT Study Findings for Racial Sub-groups Show Diuretics Work Better than Newer Medicines for High Blood Pressure
  This is the first large scale trial to compare diuretics, calcium channel blockers, and ACE inhibitors as initial therapies in a population with a substantial number of black participants.
  
• National DNA Day - April 25th
  Students to Chat Online With Leading Genome Researchers For National DNA Day. Virtual Celebration Encourages Exploration of Genomic Careers.
  

• Germ Warfare In Cancer
  Article describes how evidence is accumulating to suggest that bacteria that cause persistent infections can directly promote tumour formation.
  
• Lose The Addiction, Keep The Reward
  New research suggests a potential way to decrease the appeal of drugs without affecting motivation for normal rewarding activities, such as eating.
  
• Regulatory T Cells Checks The Immune System
  The April 2005 issue of Nature Immunology examines the state-of-the-art understanding in the biology of regulatory T cells and how they may directly affect many conditions.
  
• Preeclampsia Susceptibility
  A gene associated with susceptibility to preeclampsia is identified, explaining why this condition runs in families.
  
• Predicting Stroke Risk In Sickle Cell Anemia
  A new study provides a predictive model that can identify sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients at risk of stroke with greater accuracy and faster than current methods allow, which may be useful as a prognostic test.
  
• Wnt Signals Two Ways To A Healthy Gut
  The same signal that ensures that there are cells available to keep your intestine replenished also controls a cell type that is required to defend against bacterial infection.
  
• Human Genes Corrected
  Scientists demonstrate a new way to correct disease-causing mutations in human DNA; this could herald an alternative to gene therapy.
  
• Single Gene Prevents Cartilage Destruction
  Two research groups have shown that shutting down a single gene can prevent cartilage destruction in a mouse model.
  
• New Structural Insights Into RNA Interference
  The structural features important for silencing target genes by an RNA-induced silencing complex are reported for the first time by two research groups.
  
• DNA Repair Enzyme Caught In The Act
  Researchers report the chemical structure of an enzyme vital for repairing routine damage to our DNA that is caused by oxidative damage.
  
• New Insights Into Breast Cancer Predisposition
  Mutations in the BRCA2 gene can inhibit the functioning of a mechanism that regulates the activity of the protein encoded by this gene.
  
• Cause Of Blood Disorder Found
  The cause of polycythaemia vera, a blood cell disease linked to leukaemia, is revealed.
  
• HIV's Early Victims Revealed
  Two papers, published online, shed crucial light on the earliest events in the human body after an HIV infection.
  

• BIOS - Biological Innovation for Open Society
  is a new initiative to extend the metaphor and concepts of open source and distributive innovation to biotechnology and other forms of innovation in biology.
  

• Immunotherapy for Treatment of Melanoma
  NCI Researchers Confirm the Effectiveness of Immunotherapy Approach to Treating Melanoma
  
• Blocked Arteries in Brain - Aspirin Safer than Warfarin
  For the first time, clinical trial shows that aspirin works as well as warfarin with fewer side effects for treating blocked arteries in the brain.
  

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