Researchers have shown that sliding forces applied to cartilage surfaces prompt cells in that tissue to produce molecules that lubricate and protect joints, an important step toward their goal of eventually growing joint tissue for transplantation.
Scientists at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute and Duke University Medical Center have pinpointed a fungal gene that appears to play an important role in the development and virulence of Alternaria brassicicola, a destructive fungal pathogen that results in considerable leaf loss in many economically important crops worldwide, including canola, cabbage and broccoli.
The abusive boss has been well-documented in movies (“Nine to Five”), television (Fox’s “My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss”) and even the Internet. Now, a Florida State University professor and two of his doctoral students in Tallahassee, Fla. have conducted a study that shines some light on the magnitude of the problem and documents its effects on employee health and job performance.
The popular view is that DNA and genes control everything of importance in biology. The genome rules all of life, it is thought. Increasingly, however, scientists are realizing that among the diverse forms of RNA, a kind of mirror molecule derived from DNA, many interact with each other and with genes directly to manage the genome from behind the scenes.
A group of scientists at NYU School of Medicine have devised a way to reduce amyloid beta deposition by interfering with the deadly embrace of these proteins.
Scientists have discovered that mutations in a gene known as SOS1 account for many cases of Noonan syndrome (NS), a common childhood genetic disorder which occurs in one in 1,000-2,500 live births. NS is characterized by short stature, facial abnormalities and learning disabilities, as well as heart problems and predisposition to leukemia.
A study led by the University of Manchester’s Division of Psychiatry has found that schizophrenia patients respond just as well — and perhaps even better — to older psychiatric drugs as newer, costlier alternatives.
Dartmouth researchers report that three different steroid hormones all show similar responses to arsenic, suggesting a broader effect and a common mechanism of arsenic on how these hormones function.
Marijuana is not a “gateway” drug that predicts or eventually leads to substance abuse, suggests a 12-year University of Pittsburgh study. The study, which found that young men who chose to initiate their drug use with marijuana were no more likely to go on to abuse drugs or alcohol than those who smoked or drank first, calls into question the long-held belief that has shaped prevention efforts and governmental policy for six decades.
A database developed by a research team based at Massachusetts General Hospital — the first comprehensive list of emergency departments (EDs) across the country — shows that one-third of all EDs care for less than one patient each hour, on average. The database is the first step in a process that may lead to the development of an ED classification system, similar to what currently exists for trauma centers.