Archives

Using computer simulations and lab experiments, physical biochemists have discovered how a small genetic mutation that's known to cause Wilson disease subtly changes the structure of a large, complex protein the body uses to keep copper from building up to toxic levels. The new study is available online from the Journal of Molecular Biology. Wilson disease, which affects about 150,000 people worldwide, is a genetic disorder that alters the copper-regulating protein.

Investigators have found that infusions of a particular bone marrow stem cell appeared to protect gastrointestinal tissue from autoimmune attack in a mouse model.

Researchers have discovered key details of how rheumatoid arthritis destroys bone, according to a study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The findings are already guiding attempts to design new drugs to reverse RA-related bone loss and may also address more common forms of osteoporosis with a few adjustments.

A new study suggests an unusual form of inheritance may have a role in the rising rate of diabetes, especially in children and young adults, in the United States.

Just one night without sleep can increase the amount of the chemical dopamine in the human brain, according to new imaging research in the Journal of Neuroscience. Because drugs that increase dopamine, like amphetamines, promote wakefulness, the findings offer a potential mechanism explaining how the brain helps people stay awake despite the urge to sleep. However, the study also shows that the increase in dopamine cannot compensate for the cognitive deficits caused by sleep deprivation.

The cost-effectiveness of vaccination in the US against human papillomavirus, a sexually transmitted virus that causes cervical cancer, will be optimized by achieving universal vaccine coverage in young adolescent girls, by targeting initial "catch-up" efforts to vaccinate women younger than 21 years of age, and by revising current screening policies, according to an analysis by Harvard School of Public Health researchers.

Odors from skin can be used to identify basal cell carcinoma, the most common form of skin cancer, according to new research. The findings may enable doctors in the future to diagnose skin cancer quickly and accurately by waving a handheld scanner or sensor above the skin. Earlier work identified almost 100 different chemical compounds coming from skin.

Chemists are reporting a discovery that could expand the palate of human tastes, such as sweet, sour or salty, to include a new flavor that could be called "calcium."

Alcohol use can cause reproductive dysfunctions for both teenage and adult females. A new study is the first to examine alcohol's effects on childbearing onset across reproductive development. Findings show that, for women, alcoholism is linked with delayed childbearing.

When virally infected cells in the brain called astrocytes come in contact with antiviral T cells of the immune system, they undergo a unique series of changes that dramatically reorganize their shape and function, according to researchers. Intriguingly, the new data indicate that astrocytes may defend themselves from attacking T cells by engulfing (gobbling up) the aggressors.