"Science and Biotechnology Books Made Simple" |
"Science and Biotechnology Books Made Simple" |
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theglobeandmail.com-Health.
6/23/03 Organ Regeneration with Stem Cells Canadian scientists injected stem cells into mice with pancreatic damage, the organs repaired themselves within seventeen days. In the embryo, stem cells give rise to specialized cells that make up the different tissues and organs of the body. Stem cells in the bone marrow give rise to new blood cells. The researchers injected mice with a diabetes-like disease, stem cells that were extracted from bone marrow of adult mice. Animals affected with diabetes cannot produce beta cells that make insulin. Insulin is an important blood-sugar regulator. The injected cells stimulated the damaged pancreas to repair itself, which then produced beta cells. Within seventeen days, the blood-sugar levels were similar to those of normal mice. According to the scientists, bone-marrow transplantation may be an approach for treating patients with pancreatic damage, or for repairing other damaged organs and tissues. The above study was published in Journal Nature Biotechnology. Source-
Associated
Press-
Work published in Nature
6/19/03 Y Chromosome has a Repair Mechanism Scientists at the Whitehead Institute and the Washington University in St. Louis have discovered that the Y chromosome found only in males, has a gene-fixing technique that repairs its own genes. This procedure is unlike the standard technique that involves cooperation between chromosomes. Males carry both chromosomes X and Y, while females have two copies of the X chromosomes. Since chromosomes are inherited from each parent, they can swap corresponding pieces of themselves, allowing the organism to get rid of damaged genes. Chromosome Y does not pair with another Y. However, it carries backup copies of important genes, and uses one copy to fix broken/damaged genes found in the other. According to Dr. Page, when Y chromosome makes a mistake during the procedure, it can delete stretches of DNA which can cause male infertility in one in every few thousand boys. Source-
ScienceDaily
Magazine 6/9/03 Human Stem Cells’ Rapid
Growth in Mouse Bone Marrow, a Scientists with University
Health Network in The new stem cells were detected within a week or two after a batch of stem cells were injected directly into the bone marrow of mice. Cancer and transplant patients are very vulnerable to infections, and it takes several weeks for their blood system to recover using the traditional intravenous injection method. These rapidly growing cells will allow the patients’ blood system to recover much faster, thus enabling them to fight off infections better. Source-
People's Daily Picture Source: www.cptigers.org/animals/ civet.html 5/25/03 SARS Virus Traced to Animals in China Chinese scientists have discovered that the virus severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is similar to a virus found in the civet cat and the raccoon dog found in the wild. Six Himalayan palm civets and a raccoon were tested using a PT-PCR test known as reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. There was 99.8 percent homology between the genetic code of the human SARS and the animals. Nucleotide sequence showed only 80 differences in the 29,780 base-pairs and amino-acid substitutions between the virus in humans and the palm civet cats. This is a significant breakthrough in the fight against SARS that has plagued many Asian countries and Toronto in Canada. Source-
BBC Online
Study was published in Lancet Medical Journal 5/9/03 Genetic Test Helps Predict Breast Cancer Spread Scientists at Duke University Medical Center in North Carolina developed a screening test that shows whether a breast tumor has spread to the lymph nodes. The new method analyzes a large cluster of 50-100 genes with similar characteristics. These clusters, known as metagenes, appear to control how a tumor will behave and if it will respond to treatment. The method proved to be 90% accurate in predicting which women would have a recurrence of the cancer within three years. Professor Alan Ashworth said that "this paper provides a new method, using powerful microarray technology to predict who is likely to relapse so they can be given more aggressive treatment.." Source-
Health-Reuters
Study was published in PNAS 2003 4/29/03 Bacterial Meningitis Risk is Linked to Your Gene Scientists at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA have identified a genetic variation in a gene that plays a role in higher susceptibility to bacterial meningitis infections. Bacterial meningitis is caused by a family of bacteria known as meningococcal or other bacteria that cause an inflammation of the meninges in the brain. The meninges is a protective membrane that surrounds the brain spinal cord. Infection with the bacterial can be life threatening and urgent treatment with antibiotics is necessary. The rare genetic mutation is in the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), one of ten proteins involved in signaling the immune system to attack invading agents. These receptors are found on the surface of immune cells, muscle cells of the heart, and cells that line blood vessels. The researchers compared 169 children, ages 1 to 17 years, who were diagnosed with meningococcal infections with more than 300 adults and children who did not have the infection. Those infected were 27 times more likely to have the mutation compared to those without the infection. Source-
CNN.com
4/14/03 Human Genome DNA Sequence Completed An international consortium of scientists have completed the sequence of the human after three years of announcing the working draft of the three billion base pairs that make up the genome. The Human Genome Project helped scientists in discovering a mutation that causes skin cancer and helped the search for genes involved in other diseases, such as diabetes and leukemia. According to researchers, there are fewer genes than expected which are involved in building tissues and regulation of body function. However, the process is far more complex. Scientists also identified more than 1.4 million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) within the human DNA. Source-
Reuters News (from PNAS
2003; 10. 1073)
4/9/03 Gene Mutation of Abnormal Skin AND Hair Growth in Mice Mice with mutations in the gene known as Slc27a4 showed abnormal very tight and thick skin and impairment of hair growth. The gene which codes for a protein, known as fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4), was used as an obesity drug target in mice. Miner, the researcher working on the project, hopes that the study will shed light on a rare human genetic skin condition known as restrictive dermopathy, which mimics the tight-skin disorder seen in mice. Scientists are currently looking for mutations in the human version of the gene in patients with restrictive dermopathy. The disorder causes severe breathing difficulties in newborns and subsequent death. __________________________________________________
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