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Science News Archive September 2006 - Page 8


Page 8 of 15

Upgrading donor lung quality to improve availability

Researchers enhanced donor lungs using clinical maneuvers, increasing transplant procedures without compromising recipient function. The San Antonio Lung Transplant protocol improved lung procurement rates by up to 50%, reducing lengthy wait times and potentially eliminating deaths among patients awaiting lung transplantation.

SourceAmerican Thoracic Society·JournalAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine·DateSep 15, 2006

Scientists get best look ever at water-life connection

Researchers at Ohio State University have made a groundbreaking discovery on how water molecules interact with proteins, revealing that they slow down to connect with proteins. The study provides an early result in explaining essential biological functions like protein folding and enzyme catalysis.

SourceOhio State University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateSep 15, 2006

Bacteria get off easy in sinus infections

In a study led by Johns Hopkins Medicine, researchers discovered that patients with chronic sinusitis who failed to respond to treatment had severely decreased immune function and lower production of key proteins. The findings suggest new treatment targets for this condition affecting an estimated 32 million Americans.

JCI table of contents: September 14, 2006

Researchers found that imatinib can block the development of disease in a mouse model of rheumatoid arthritis, providing hope for a new treatment. Additionally, studying adrenomedullin's effect on female mice revealed that reduced expression may severely decrease fertility. Meanwhile, a study on TNF-alpha discovered that it decreases e...

SourceJCI Journals·JournalJournal of Clinical Investigation·DateSep 14, 2006

Form determines function

A team of researchers has produced cyclopeptides that imitate the HNK-1 carbohydrate from human natural killer cells, stimulating axon growth in motor neuron cell cultures. These glycomimetics could be a promising starting point for developing treatments for spinal cord injuries.

SourceWiley·JournalAngewandte Chemie·DateSep 14, 2006

IAU names dwarf planet Eris

The International Astronomical Union has named the newly discovered dwarf planet Eris and its moon Dysnomia. The name Eris was proposed by Michael Brown and accepted unanimously by the Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature and the Committee for Small Body Nomenclature.

AM: A gene that affects female fertility

A study by Kathleen Caron and colleagues found that reduced expression of gene AM in female mice leads to severely decreased fertility and fetal growth issues. This suggests a potential link between altered AM expression in humans and impaired fertility.

SourceJCI Journals·JournalJournal of Clinical Investigation·DateSep 14, 2006

Stratospheric injections could help cool Earth, computer model shows

A new study suggests injecting sulfates into the stratosphere could slow down global warming and provide more time to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The approach has been shown to stabilize climate for up to 20 years, but geoengineering is not a panacea and mitigation alone can also address ocean acidification issues.

Flipping the angiogenic switch

Researchers discovered how Myc oncoprotein drives tumor angiogenesis in pancreatic cancer by inducing IL-1beta expression. Blocking IL-1beta activity can thwart tumor angiogenesis, offering experimental evidence for cancer drug therapies targeting this pathway.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalGenes & Development·DateSep 14, 2006

Battling breast cancer

Researchers discovered that estrogen receptor alpha (ERalpha) binds to a novel enhancer in the cyclin D1 gene (CCND1), promoting estrogen-responsive cell proliferation. This basic understanding may lead to the development of improved therapies for patients with breast cancer.

SourceCold Spring Harbor Laboratory·JournalGenes & Development·DateSep 14, 2006