Source- The Pawtucket Times 

2/22/02                               

Wheat Stops Colon Cancer 

Scientists at Kansas State University compared 150 different types of wheat for their effect on cancer cells. They found that wheat with high amount of antioxidants caffeic acid and ferulic acid were the best cancer cell fighters.  The gene for the types of wheat most effective in inhibiting cancer cells has been identified.

Antioxidants neutralize charged particles, known as free-radicals, which contribute to many diseases. Studies on mice susceptible to developing colon cancer showed that those fed the wheat rich in caffeic and ferulic acid were 60 percent less likely to develop colon cancer compared to the controls.

According to Dr. Heber, professor of medicine and director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains that contain antioxidants is the best way to prevent many diseases during the aging process.

Source- BBC News 

2/25/02                                 

Defective Gene in Fibroid

Researchers have found a defect in a certain gene that contributes to the development of fibroids.

Fibroids can affect either the skin or the womb, and is run in families. In the womb, fibroids are connective tissue growths that develop from the uterine wall or cervix. Female hormones affect the size of fibroids.

Large fibroids can cause miscarriage. They are the most common reason for hysterectomies.

Mutations in the fumarate hydratase (FH) gene cause fibroids. FH plays an important role in energy production for the cells. Reduced or absence of FH activity in certain cells causes the fibroid growth to develop.

The identification of mutations in FH should provide valuable information for developing treatment and prevention of fibroids.

Source- Reuters Online 

2/14/02                               

A Cat Is Cloned

A two-month old kitten, called “Cc:” is a product of cloning done at Texas A&M University in College Station. The kitten was vigorous at birth and appears to be completely normal, according to the scientists.

“Cc:” is a calico-and-white shorthair that resembles closely to its genetic mother, but is not identical. The researchers said that her coating color was unique. Both genetics and conditions in the womb contributed to the kitten’s color.

The kitten was cloned from a cumulus cell, which nurtures the developing egg. It took scientists 188 tries to get “Cc:”.  In addition, they produced 82 embryos, but only one cat became pregnant with one kitten.

Scientists worry about the health of cloned animals. Many cloned farm animals often have abnormal placentas leading to abnormally large fetus that often dies. Most cloned mice die from liver and lung problems.

Source- Boston Globe Online 

2/07/02                               

"The Proteome Project"

A new federally-funded project called "The Proteome Project" is in the works at several institutions around the country.  

The goal of the project is to identify the thousands of proteins in the human body.  Genes code for ~35,000 proteins that are essential for normal function and homeostasis of the body.  A defective protein can cause disease.  By learning more about proteins, drugs can be designed to repair damaged ones.  

One of the centers involved in the field of proteomics is Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago, where scientists have identified protein structures using state-of-the art technologies. 

The National Academy of Sciences is planning a meeting of 150 experts in Washington on February, 25 to discuss the Proteomic Project and its funding.  

Source- BBC.com

1/29/02                               

Crossing Pigs With Spinach

Scientists in Japan have successfully implanted spinach gene into pigs. The pigs carry the spinach gene, FAD2. The pigs with FAD2 gene produced less fat than normal. 

The method involved inserting FAD2 into a fertilized pig egg, then implanting in a female pig’s womb to produce piglets carrying the new gene. The FAD2 converted about fifth of the piglets’ saturated fatty acids into healthier linoleic acids. 

According to Professor Iritani, only about 1% of genetically modified piglets survived after being born, however, breeding among them would ensure that the FAD2 gene is passed on.

Source- Unisci.com

1/28/02                               

Virus Fighting Resistant Bacteria

Scientists at the National Institute of Health have developed viral therapies to treat mice experimentally infected with vancomycin-resistant infection. 

The virus used is known as bacteriophage. It attacks and kills bacteria without causing disease. 

The researchers infected mice with a strain of vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and injected them with bacteriophage at different times. Mice that did not receive treatment, died within 5 hours of infection and 50% of those treated 24 hours after infection survived.

Source- Japan Today.com      

1/17/02                               

Mapping of the “flesh-eating” Bacteria

Scientists in Japan were able to decode the DNA for the bacteria, Clostridium perfringes.  

The bacterium is found with other normal flora in the intestines of humans and animals. However, virulent strains can cause several serious conditions, such as food poisoning and gas gangrene. The latter, occurs when a wound gets infected and gas produced by the bacterium restricts blood flow to the body’s tissue, causing death to the affected tissue. Infections can occur as a post-surgical complication. 

Mapping C. perfringes should lead to a greater understanding of how virulent forms of the bacterium operate in the body. “To understand how this bacterium survives in the host-possibly by getting nutrients from host tissue-will lead to new strategies for treating and preventing C. perfringes growth and infection in the human body,” Dr. Shimizu said.

Source- Smalltimes.com      

1/16/02                               

Radio-Controlled DNA Could Deliver Drugs and Diagnose Disease

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have developed a way to “speak” to DNA molecules with radio waves.  

When researchers attached a tiny radio antenna to DNA and transmitted radio-frequency magnetic field to the antenna, the DNA molecule was zapped with energy and responded. The ultimate goal is to instruct biological materials to do specific tasks, such as deliver drugs, diagnose illness, and assemble computer components.  

The researchers sent a radio signal to a piece of double-stranded DNA and got the strands to unwind- or separate- a process known as “dehybridization”.  The switching did not affect neighboring molecules, and should work on proteins, and other large molecules as well.  

According to Dr. Mehta, a doctor could inject drug molecules into a sore joint of a patient and then activate them by radio signal.

Source- The Baltimore Sun      

1/04/02                               

A Gene Involved in Grooming

Scientists at the University of Utah School of Medicine have discovered that a gene, known as Hoxb8, when removed from mice by genetic engineering, the animals spent twice as long licking and biting themselves compared to normal mice. In addition, when the mutant mice were placed in the same cage as normal mice, they began tearing out their cage mates' fur too.

The study shows that genes, in addition to environmental influences, are involved in grooming.

Obsessive compulsive disorders affect about 3 percent of the U.S. population. Affected individuals exhibit excessive grooming, scrubbing their hands for hours, sometimes until they bleed. Discovering genes that affect grooming may open the door to therapeutic interventions.

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