Protein That Splices And Dices Genes Identified By Scientists

A novel finding, described Feb. 4 on the Science Express Web site by teams from the National Cancer Institute, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the University of Toronto, offers a clue as to how genes can have what you might call multiple personalities. Genes are long strings of DNA letters, but they can be cut and spliced to make different proteins, something like the word "Saskatchewan" can have its middle cut out to leave the word "Swan, " its front, middle and end deleted to leave the word "skate, " or its front and back chopped off to make the word "chew." Thi's discovery reveals that the protein MRG15, which previously had been known to affect cell growth and aging, also directs the gene-splicing machinery.

Heavy Rains Hit Tent Camps In Haiti

Heavy rains hit earthquake survivors in tent camps in Port-au-Prince on Thursday, "bringing a warning of fresh misery to come for the 1 million people living on the streets, " Reuters reports. "While the rain could wash away some of the dust from the hundreds of collapsed structures in the stricken city, it could also worsen a fierce blight of mosquitoes, " according to Reuters, which reports that Haiti is struggling to get all the earthquake survivors out of make-shift tents and into more substantial shelters (Loney, 2/11). The Los Angeles Times also looks at the possible impact of the upcoming rainy season. "Next month or in April, a punishing rainy season is certain to arrive, bringing with it the daily downpours that swamp this downtrodden capital city.

Medicaid And Budget Issues: California, Nevada Officials Outline Dire Scenarios For Health Services

Central Valley Business Times: "California is going to have to pay a $51.8 billion bill for health and dental benefits for state retirees, says state Controller John Chiang in a report to the Legislature Tuesday. 'Even as we try to claw our way out of the recession and provide needed cash to the state's coffers, we cannot ignore the promise that we made to pay health and dental benefits for current state employees and retirees, ' says Mr. Chiang" (2/9). The Associated Press/The San Jose Mercury News: "Chiang, a Democrat, suggested the state can reduce its obligation by switching from a pay-as-you-go formula to a full-funding approach, which involves setting aside more money now so the state can use investment income to pay for future benefits.

AMA Unhappy With Senate Plan For Medicare 'Doc Fix'

The American Medical Association is criticizing "a Senate plan for avoiding a proposed 21 percent cut in government payments to physicians who treat the elderly, calling the proposal a 'Band-Aid' measure, " Bloomberg/BusinessWeek reports. "The plan, part of an $80 billion job-creation proposal announced yesterday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, would block the Medicare payment cuts from taking place as scheduled March 1." But the AMA "urged a permanent repeal of Medicare's payment formula, which has led the government to propose annual fee cuts. While Congress has overridden the payment reductions each year so doctors would continue to treat elderly patients, the Chicago-based group backed a permanent fix in companion legislation to a proposed revamp of the U.

Development Of Dietary Formula That Maintains Youthful Function Into Old Age

Researchers at McMaster University have developed a cocktail of ingredients that forestalls major aspects of the aging process. The findings are published in the current issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine. "As we all eventually learn, ageing diminishes our mind, fades our perception of the world and compromises our physical capacity, " says David Rollo, associate professor of biology at McMaster. "Declining physical activity - think of grandparents versus toddlers - is one of the most reliable expressions of ageing and is also a good indicator of obesity and general mortality risk." The study found that a complex dietary supplement powerfully offsets this key symptom of ageing in old mice by increasing the activity of the cellular furnaces that supply energy - or mitochondria - and by reducing emissions from these furnaces - or free radicals - that are thought to be the basic cause of ageing itself.