news archive genetic news - June 17, 2003

June 17, 2003

your information resource in human molecular genetics

-	NHGRI Study May Help Scientists Design Safer Methods For Gene Therapy Researchers Map Integration Sites of Retroviral Vectors in Human Genome
-	Antifungal Drug Helps Kids With Immune Disorder Avoid Hospitalization The antifungal medication itraconazole is well tolerated and effectively prevents fungal infections in children who have chronic granulomatous disease (CGD).
-	Web-Based Exhibit On Genetics Research Now Available An on-line exhibit on genetics research, sponsored by the Office of NIH History, is now available on the World Wide Web
-	Researchers Identify Shift Towards More Treatable AIDS-Related Lymphomas Results of study suggest that the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) has caused a shift in the majority of AIDS-related lymphomas to a type that usually responds well to chemotherapy.
-	Mouse Study Identifies Protective Mechanism Against Alcohol-Induced Embryo Toxicity Researchers have identified a mechanism by which the eight amino acid peptide NAP, an active fragment of a neuroprotective brain protein, protects against alcohol-induced embryo toxicity and growth retardation in mice.
-	Brain Changes In The Blind The activity seen in primary visual cortex may be important for verbal memory in the blind.
-	Deconstructing Dengue Fever Scientists have discovered why people with Dengue hemorrhagic fever often get sicker the second time they are infected.
-	New Class Of Stem Cells May Pave The Way For Therapies Canadian researchers describe a novel class of human stem cells that can rapidly generate blood cells.
-	Bacterial Sensor Gets The Nod This finding has implications not only for infectious diseases but also for treating Crohn’s disease.
-	Human Carcinogen Has New Mode Of Action Scientists identify a different mode of action for cadmium, an environmental hazard and known carcinogen.
-	Virus Therapy Attacks Cancer Cells Researchers have come up with an ingenious means of engineering a virus so that it selectively replicates in and destroys tumor cells.
-	Safeguard For Genetic Modification Therapy By substituting an essential survival gene in the bacterium with the therapeutic gene (interleukin-10), scientists engineer an organism that delivers IL-10 to fight inflammatory bowel disease, but is hampered from persisting outside of the body.
-	Receptors Mediate Antidiabetic Effects The identification of adiponectin receptors will aid the design of drugs for obesity-linked diseases, such as diabetes and atherosclerosis.