| Pathogen: Temperature influences gene expression, life cycle in vibrio cholerae Posted: 21 May 2016 04:15 AM PDT Vibrio cholerae infects roughly four million people annually, worldwide, causing severe diarrheal disease, and killing an estimated 140,000 people. Its success as a pathogen belies the challenges this bacterium faces. The waters this bacterium inhabits when it's not infecting H. sapiens can be 40 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than our normal body temperature. Now a team of investigators provides new insights into how different temperatures in the bacterium's environment control expression of genes required for life at those temperatures. |
| Neutrons probe structure of enzyme critical to development of next-generation HIV drugs Posted: 21 May 2016 04:14 AM PDT Medical researchers used neutron analysis to better understand a protein implicated in the replication of HIV, the retrovirus that causes AIDS. The enzyme, known as HIV-1 protease, is a key drug target for HIV and AIDS therapies. The multi-institutional team used neutron crystallography to uncover detailed interactions of hydrogen bonds at the enzyme's active site, revealing a pH-induced proton 'hopping' mechanism that guides its activity. |
| Low-salt diets may not be beneficial for all, study suggests Posted: 21 May 2016 04:14 AM PDT A large worldwide study has found that, contrary to popular thought, low-salt diets may not be beneficial and may actually increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death compared to average salt consumption. The study suggests that the only people who need to worry about reducing sodium in their diet are those with hypertension (high blood pressure) and have high salt consumption. |
| Bacteria in branches naturally fertilize trees Posted: 21 May 2016 04:12 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that poplar trees growing in rocky, inhospitable terrain harbor bacteria within them that could provide valuable nutrients to help the plant grow. |
| Lingcod meet rockfish: Catching one improves chances for the other Posted: 21 May 2016 04:12 AM PDT Researchers found that selectively fishing for lingcod in protected areas actually avoided hampering the recovery of other fish, including rockfish species listed as overfished. |
| Nanotubes are beacons in cancer-imaging technique Posted: 21 May 2016 04:12 AM PDT Strong LED light, a unique detector and targeted nanotubes combine to offer a new way to pinpoint the location of cancer tumors, according to scientists. |
| Breaking down cancer cell defenses Posted: 21 May 2016 04:12 AM PDT The mistaken activation of certain cell-surface receptors contributes to a variety of human cancers. Knowing more about the activation process has led researchers to be able to induce greater vulnerability by cancer cells to an existing first-line treatment for cancers (mainly lung) driven by a receptor called EGFR. |
| Tiny packages may pack powerful treatment for brain tumors Posted: 21 May 2016 04:12 AM PDT A study using nanotechnology to treat brain tumors got such good results, the researchers initially questioned themselves. But further testing showed the results held up. |
| Chemists settle longstanding debate on how methane is made biologically Posted: 21 May 2016 04:12 AM PDT Like the poet, microbes that make methane are taking chemists on a road less traveled: Of two competing ideas for how microbes make the main component of natural gas, the winning chemical reaction involves a molecule less favored by previous research, something called a methyl radical. Reported today the work is important for understanding not only how methane is made, but also how to make things from it. |
| World report on fertility treatments reveals high use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection Posted: 21 May 2016 04:12 AM PDT Experts have attacked the rising use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) for the treatment of infertility, following publication of the latest world report on assisted reproductive technologies. |
| Sudden shifts in the course of a river on a delta may be predicted, thanks to new study Posted: 20 May 2016 11:29 AM PDT Scientists studying deltas show how they may be able to predict where destructive changes in a river's course may occur. |
| Probiotic bacteria could provide some protection against cadmium poisoning Posted: 20 May 2016 11:29 AM PDT Oral administration of certain probiotics reduced uptake of the heavy metal, cadmium, in the intestines of mice, and in a laboratory experiment using human intestinal cells. The research might ultimately be applied to improving public health in areas of heavy metal contamination. |
| Fukushima nuclear accident is 'wake-up call' for US to improve monitoring of spent fuel pools Posted: 20 May 2016 09:06 AM PDT The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident should serve as a wake-up call to nuclear plant operators and regulators on the critical importance of measuring, maintaining, and restoring cooling in spent fuel pools during severe accidents and terrorist attacks, says a new report. |
| An all-on-chip method for testing neutrophil chemotaxis Posted: 20 May 2016 08:04 AM PDT An all-on-chip method enables rapid neutrophil chemotaxis assay directly from a few microliters of blood for both cell migration research and clinical sample test. |
| Rich coral communities discovered in Palamós Submarine Canyon in the Northwestern Mediterranian Sea Posted: 20 May 2016 07:19 AM PDT A scientific team has found in La Fonera canyon, also known as the Palamós canyon in the Northwestern Mediterranian Sea, deep-water coral communities, a marine ecosystem which is very vulnerable to human activity. |
| Global spread of Zika 'of utmost concern' say experts Posted: 20 May 2016 07:19 AM PDT World Federation of Neurology Working Group on Zika are developing guidelines for diagnosing Zika-related neurological complications. |
| Confidence: how has it achieved ‘cult’ status in the 21st century? Posted: 20 May 2016 07:16 AM PDT How has the notion of 'confidence' infiltrated consumer body culture and discussions about gender and work? Researchers pitch the idea that there is a new "cult(ure) of confidence" in contemporary society, in which almost whatever the question, the solution posed will be 'improve women's confidence.' The study questions, 'What is the confidence cult, and why has it achieved such affective force in the early twenty-first century?' |
| Researchers demonstrate size quantization of Dirac fermions in graphene Posted: 20 May 2016 07:10 AM PDT Physicists have demonstrated size quantization of charge carriers, i.e. quantized conductance in nanoscale samples of graphene. |
