Regulatory B Cells Exist -- And Pack A Punch
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have uncovered definitive evidence that a small but potent subset of immune system B cells is able to regulate inflammation.Using a new set of scientific tools to identify and count these cells, the team showed that these B cells can block contact hypersensitivity, the type of skin reactions that many people have when they brush against poison ivy.
Leiden Scientists Sequence First Female DNA
Geneticists of Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC) are the first to determine the DNA sequence of a woman. She is also the first European whose DNA sequence has been determined. This has been announced by the researchers this morning, during a special press conference at 'Bessensap', a yearly meeting of scientists and the press in the Netherlands.
Traces Of Explosives Revealed By Glowing Films Developed By UC San Diego Chemists
New spray-on films developed by UC San Diego chemists will be the basis of portable devices that can quickly reveal trace amounts of nitrogen-based explosives.Contaminated fingerprints leave dark shadows on the films, which glow blue under ultraviolet light.
Challenging The Origin Of Cells For Connective Tissues Of Skull And Face
With improved resolution, tissue-specific molecular markers and precise timing, University of Oregon biologist James A. Weston and colleagues have possibly overturned a long-standing assumption about the origin of embryonic cells that give rise to connective and skeletal tissues that form the base of the skull and facial structures in back-boned creatures from fish to humans.
NCI Scientists Visualize Gene Regulation In Living Cells
A research team led by scientists at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has applied advanced imaging methods and computer simulations to be able to glance at the regulation of a cancer-related gene in a living cell.
Unlocking The Promise Of Clinical And Translational Science
If you were sick, wouldn't you prefer a customized medical treatment that works specifically for you? Or a treatment that prevents you from ever getting sick in the first place? The emerging field of clinical and translational science provides the bridging force that transforms lab discoveries into customized, patient-specific therapy.
Bioeffects Consensus Report Featured In Journal Of Ultrasound In Medicine
The April 2008 issue of the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine (JUM) includes an important special feature, the "AIUM Consensus Report on Potential Bioeffects of Diagnostic Ultrasound, " which addresses issues related to the bioeffects of diagnostic ultrasound and is intended for use in assessing its risks and benefits.
Gold Nanoparticles Give Failed HIV Drug A Second Chance
Researchers at North Carolina State University have discovered that adding tiny bits of gold to a failed HIV drug rekindle the drug's ability to stop the virus from invading the body's immune system.The addition of gold nanoparticles to a modified version of a drug designed in the 1990s to combat HIV - but discarded due to its harmful side effects - creates a compound that prevents the virus from gaining a cellular foothold, say Dr.
Fluorescent Nano-Barcodes Could Revolutionise Diagnostics
A new technology with research and clinical application including the early detection of disease has been invented and developed by University of Queensland researchers. Dr Krassen Dimitrov, from UQ's Australian Institute for Bioengineering & Nanotechnology, has developed fluorescent "barcodes" called nanostrings, offers greater sensitivity and accuracy than current detection methods.
Andalusian Scientists Study Fly's Ovary To Go Deeply Into Stem Cells
A group of scientists of the Centro Andaluz de Biologia del Desarrollo (CABD) are trying to go further in the stem cells field as they study a type of fly called Drosophila melanogaster. The reproductive system of this insect will be a model to understand stem cells better and make progress in their future use to treat certain human pathologies.