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Understanding RNA biology in dendrites may inform neurological and psychiatric illness therapeutics
Date: Sep-30-2013Protein synthesis in the extensions of nerve cells, called dendrites, underlies long-term memory formation in the brain, among other functions. "Thousands of messenger RNAs reside in dendrites, yet the dynamics of how multiple dendrite messenger RNAs translate into their final proteins remain elusive," says James Eberwine, PhD, professor of Pharmacology, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and co-director of the Penn Genome Frontiers Institute...
Folic acid deficiencies associated with spina bifida, heart defects and placental abnormalities persist through multiple generations
Date: Sep-30-2013Folic acid deficiency can cause severe health problems in offspring, including spina bifida, heart defects and placental abnormalities. A study out today reveals that a mutation in a gene necessary for the metabolism of folic acid not only impacts the immediate offspring but can also have detrimental health effects on the next several generations. The new research, which also sheds light on the molecular mechanism of folic acid (also known as folate) during development, was published in the journal Cell...
Researchers explain for the first time the 'Jekyll-and-Hyde' nature of E2F in cancer
Date: Sep-30-2013The mood changes of a 'Jekyll-and-Hyde' protein, which sometimes boosts tumour cell growth and at other times suppresses it, have been explained in a new study led by Oxford University researchers. The researchers in Britain, with collaborators in Singapore and the USA, carried out a comprehensive biological study of the protein E2F, which is abnormal in the vast majority of cancers. They were able to explain the dual natures it can take up in cells in the body, and indicate how it could be a potent target for developing new cancer drugs...
Critical regulator identified for directing pluripotent stem cells to make blood-forming stem cells
Date: Sep-30-2013Stem cell scientists have moved one step closer to producing blood-forming stem cells in a Petri dish by identifying a key regulator controlling their formation in the early embryo, shows research published online in Cell. The work was reported by Dr. Gordon Keller, Director of the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, and Senior Scientist at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, both at University Health Network. Dr. Keller is also Professor in the Department of Medical Biophysics at the University of Toronto and holds a Canada Research Chair in stem cell biology...
True burden of rheumatic heart disease vastly underestimated
Date: Sep-30-2013A paper in the RHD special issue of Global Heart, the journal of the World Heart Federation, analyses the burden of disease and suggests that numbers published to date (ranging from at least 233,000 deaths per year upwards) could be substantial underestimates for a variety of reasons, most commonly lack of high quality (or in some cases any) data from high-prevalence countries and regions...
New research study of 'sister' stem cells uncovers cancer clue
Date: Sep-30-2013Scientists have used a brand new technique for examining individual stem cells to uncover dramatic differences in the gene expression levels - which genes are turned 'up' or 'down'- between apparently identical 'sister' pairs. The research, published in Stem Cell Reports, was conducted and funded by The Institute of Cancer Research, London. It provides the latest evidence that despite having identical DNA, sister stem cells can display considerable differences in their molecular characteristics...
Common patterns shared by different tumor types suggest new cancer treatment options
Date: Sep-30-2013Cancer encompasses a complex group of diseases traditionally defined by where in the body it originates, as in lung cancer or colon cancer. This framework for studying and treating cancer has made sense for generations, but molecular analysis now shows that cancers of different organs have many shared features, while cancers from the same organ or tissue are often quite distinct...
Poisonous mushrooms: serious illnesses, foraging on the rise
Date: Sep-30-2013Experts from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School in the US have warned that the growing popularity of foraging for mushrooms in the wild may lead to increased hospitalizations and serious illness as a result of poisoning from the fungi. According to the experts, poison control centers nationwide answer around 6,000 calls nationwide from people who have consumed poisonous mushrooms. Around 2,500 of these cases are treated in health care facilities, while more than 500 cases lead to serious illness...
Important wound-healing process discovered
Date: Sep-30-2013Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have discovered an important process by which special immune cells in the skin help heal wounds. They found that these skin-resident immune cells function as "first responders" to skin injuries in part by producing the molecule known as interleukin-17A (IL-17A), which wards off infection and promotes wound healing...
Study, "Sexual assault resource availability on Texas higher education campuses"
Date: Sep-30-2013While research consistently estimates that one in every four women in higher education will experience rape or attempted rape during their college careers, limited proactive approaches to address the issue are found on Texas college campuses, according to the Crime Victims' Institute at Sam Houston State University. A study of 74 two-and four-year institutions of higher education in Texas, published by the Crime Victims' Institute, found that while campuses have made strides in addressing sexual assault, efforts continue to be necessary to prevent and respond to the issue...
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