http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=9026506
Sunday, November 8, 2009
China Sends Panda Expert to Taiwan to Aid Breeding
This article was published on November 8, 2009. A panda expert send by China to Taiwan to encourage mating by a pair of pandas. After inspecting the pandas at the Taipei Zoo on Sunday Zhang Hemin, the panda expert suggested a month or two separation between the two pandas might increased the feeling of attraction which will result in reproduction. Zhang suggested to the zoo that they set up wooden racks for the male panda so he can climb and strengthen his hind legs for the mating process. This is important because the pandas are threatened by a low reproduction rate and only about 1,600 pandas live in the wild. 120 pandas are in Chinese breeding facilities and zoos, and around 20 pandas live in zoos outside China.
Saturday, November 7, 2009
High PCB levels found in striped bass, bluefish caught off East Coast
Once a highly sought after natural resource flourishing on our coastlines, certain fish species are now unable to be eaten by most of our population due to the large amounts of the man-made organic chemicals known as PCB's that have made their way into our environment. These chemicals were mass produced and widely utilized from 1929 to 1979 in a variety of electrical equipment, oils, appliances and even household products. PCB's were so popular due to their desirable qualities such as non-flammability, chemical stability, high boiling point and electrical insulating properties. PCB's were banned in 1979 after they have been demonstrated to cause cancer, as well as a variety of other adverse health effects on the immune system, reproductive system, nervous system and endocrine system.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Engineers Strive To Make Algae Oil Production More Feasible
Two Kansas State University engineers are assessing systematic production methods that could make the costs of algae oil production more reasonable, helping move the U.S. from fossil fuel dependency to renewable energy replacements. This is a huge step, considering the fact that algae produces 120 times the amount that soybeans do.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091103144822.htm
Quadruplexes the Cure for Cancer?
Designers of anti-cancer drugs are aiming their arrows at mysterious chunks of the genetic material DNA that may play a key role in preventing the growth and spread of cancer cells, according to an article in the current issue of Chemical & Engineering News, ACS' weekly newsmagazine.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Bacteria 'launch a shield' to resist attack
Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the Technical University of Denmark along with other collaborators in Denmark and the US found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa can 'switch on' production of molecules that kill white blood cells – preventing the bacteria being eliminated by the body's immune system.
P. aeruginosa is responsible for many hospital-acquired infections and also causes chronic infections in those with pre-existing medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF). The bacteria cause persistent lung infections by clumping together to form a biofilm, which spreads over the lungs like a slime. Such biofilms are generally resistant to antibiotics as well as the host immune response.
The study showed that P. aeruginosa uses a well-studied communication system called quorum sensing (QS) to detect approaching white blood cells and warn other bacteria in the biofilm. In response to this signal, the bacteria increase their production of molecules called rhamnolipids. These molecules sit on the biofilm surface to form a shield that destroys any white blood cells that encounter it. Interrupting quorum sensing to halt the "launch a shield" response could be a way of treating these bacteria that can resist antibiotics as well as the host immune system.
P. aeruginosa is responsible for many hospital-acquired infections and also causes chronic infections in those with pre-existing medical conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF). The bacteria cause persistent lung infections by clumping together to form a biofilm, which spreads over the lungs like a slime. Such biofilms are generally resistant to antibiotics as well as the host immune response.
The study showed that P. aeruginosa uses a well-studied communication system called quorum sensing (QS) to detect approaching white blood cells and warn other bacteria in the biofilm. In response to this signal, the bacteria increase their production of molecules called rhamnolipids. These molecules sit on the biofilm surface to form a shield that destroys any white blood cells that encounter it. Interrupting quorum sensing to halt the "launch a shield" response could be a way of treating these bacteria that can resist antibiotics as well as the host immune system.
Pancreatic Cancer: Discovery Offers Potential New Treatment
New research to be presented in November at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) Annual Meeting in Los Angeles reveals that tumor-penetrating microparticles (TPM) have been specifically designed to break through hard-to-infiltrate barriers and deliver drugs more effectively and efficiently than the standard form of chemotherapy such as those injected through a vein. TPM are designed to treat cancer in the peritoneal cavity. The peritoneal cavity contains organs, including the pancreas, that are home to more than 250,000 new cases of cancer a year in the United States alone. "Pancreatic cancer cells are surrounded by specialized cells that protect them from chemotherapy," explains Dr. Au. "Our goal is to use TPM to pass this barrier and successfully deliver drugs to the tumor cells, which is currently the biggest hurdle a physician faces in pancreatic cancer treatment."
With just one TPM dose of drugs proving to be equally as effective as multiple injections of chemotherapy, TPM delivers less toxicity to patients, making it a safer option than the standard form of other therapies. "Based on the encouraging results in mice carrying implants of human pancreatic cancer, we are cautiously optimistic that TPM may provide benefits to patients with this disease," says Ze Lu, Ph.D., principal scientist and project leader. "TPM may prove to be especially helpful to patients with late stages of the disease." According to Dr. Lu, the researchers have been working on TPM for more than 10 years and look forward to receiving FDA approval for testing TPM in patients in 2010.
With just one TPM dose of drugs proving to be equally as effective as multiple injections of chemotherapy, TPM delivers less toxicity to patients, making it a safer option than the standard form of other therapies. "Based on the encouraging results in mice carrying implants of human pancreatic cancer, we are cautiously optimistic that TPM may provide benefits to patients with this disease," says Ze Lu, Ph.D., principal scientist and project leader. "TPM may prove to be especially helpful to patients with late stages of the disease." According to Dr. Lu, the researchers have been working on TPM for more than 10 years and look forward to receiving FDA approval for testing TPM in patients in 2010.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
"Moonlighting" molecules discovered
At the Johns Hopkins School of medicine has uncovered more than 300 proteins that have appeared to control genes. This article provides some explanation for human complexity and also changes what we previously knew about the protein functions. the study also explores which proteins are linked to certain DNA sequences.
The team found 367 new unconventional DNA binding proteins, which is almost double the number of known protein and DNA interactions. one of the factors discovered was the protein MAP Kinase which is a "protein long studied for its ability to control cell growth and development via its ability to add phosphate groups to other molecules.
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