BioData Blogs

Our weekly compilation of science news for the week of September 20, 2009.

Antigen could speed HIV vaccine creation: U.S. scientists say they have created the first antigen that induces protective antibodies capable of blocking strains of the human immunodeficiency virus.

Changing charges make for squid rainbow: Study finds how proteins self assemble to reflect different wavelengths of light.

Fish fend off invading germs with an initial response similar to the one found in people: New similarities identified between the zebrafish and human response to viruses and bacteria suggest that this small fish could help us understand how humans battle infectious disease.

How good are tests for E. coli in streams?: Unexpected research findings show resource managers and researchers may have to rethink how they determine if water will make people sick.

Duris, J., Haack, S., & Fogarty, L. (2009). Gene and Antigen Markers of Shiga-toxin Producing E. coli from Michigan and Indiana River Water: Occurrence and Relation to Recreational Water Quality Criteria Journal of Environmental Quality, 38 (5), 1878-1886 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2008.0225

Icy rings at equinox: Cassini portraits reveal new details of Saturn’s rings.

Linking obesity with leukemia relapses: Fat may offer sanctuary for cancerous cells, a study in mice shows.

Behan, J., Yun, J., Proektor, M., Ehsanipour, E., Arutyunyan, A., Moses, A., Avramis, V., Louie, S., Butturini, A., Heisterkamp, N., & Mittelman, S. (2009). Adipocytes Impair Leukemia Treatment in Mice Cancer Research DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-09-0800

Plant converts cow manure to electricity: A plant that turns cow manure into electrical power has opened in Washington state, developers said.

Researchers identify new brain pathway for regulating weight and bone mass: Contrary to the prevailing view, the hormone leptin, which is critical for normal food intake and metabolism, appears to regulate bone mass and suppress appetite by acting mainly through serotonin pathways in the brain.

Trimming rabies shots: A new vaccine might achieve protection against the virus with fewer injections, a study in monkeys finds.

Cenna, J., Hunter, M., Tan, G., Papaneri, A., Ribka, E., Schnell, M., Marx, P., & McGettigan, J. (2009). Replication?Deficient Rabies Virus–Based Vaccines Are Safe and Immunogenic in Mice and Nonhuman Primates The Journal of Infectious Diseases, 200 (8), 1251-1260 DOI: 10.1086/605949

UCLA scientists make paralyzed rats walk again after spinal-cord injury: UCLA researchers have discovered that a combination of drugs, electrical stimulation and regular exercise can enable paralyzed rats to walk and even run again while supporting their full weight on a treadmill.

BioData and BioKM extend our best wishes to all hardworking Postdocs on this first National Postdoc Appreciation Day.

For more information and to find events in your area, visit the National Postdoctoral Association website.

How are you celebrating?

Our weekly compilation of science news for the week of September 13, 2009.

Birds fly the coop when climate shifts: Biologists studying birds in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains have found that 48 out of 53 species have adjusted to climate change over the last century by moving to sites with more favorable temperature and precipitation conditions.

Tingley, M., Monahan, W., Beissinger, S., & Moritz, C. (2009). Biogeography, Changing Climates, and Niche Evolution Sackler Colloquium: Birds track their Grinnellian niche through a century of climate change Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0901562106

Diabetes drugs don’t fight inflammation: Two popular treatments lower blood sugar but may not prevent heart disease.

‘Jumping genes’ use bacteria to go viral: A small piece of foreign DNA recognizes when and where to slip into a bacterium’s genetic code, allowing bacteria to genetically adapt to their environment—and develop resistance to antibiotics—a team of researchers has found.

Parks, A., Li, Z., Shi, Q., Owens, R., Jin, M., & Peters, J. (2009). Transposition into Replicating DNA Occurs through Interaction with the Processivity Factor Cell, 138 (4), 685-695 DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2009.06.011

Master disease gene is identified: British scientists say they’ve identified the master gene that causes blood stem cells to turn into disease-fighting immune cells.

Gascoyne, D., Long, E., Veiga-Fernandes, H., de Boer, J., Williams, O., Seddon, B., Coles, M., Kioussis, D., & Brady, H. (2009). The basic leucine zipper transcription factor E4BP4 is essential for natural killer cell development Nature Immunology DOI: 10.1038/ni.1787

Radiation belt found around a Saturn moon: NASA says its Cassini spacecraft’s magnetospheric imaging instrument has detected a new, temporary radiation belt around the orbit of one of Saturn’s moons.

Older Prostate Patients: The case for doing nothing: A new study adds to the evidence that for older prostate cancer patients, choosing the conservative, “watchful waiting” approach to treatment may be the best option.

Study finds why plants are carnivorous: U.S. scientists say they’ve discovered why some plants are carnivorous, relying on animal prey such as flies or other insects for sustenance.

Study shows common pain cream could protect heart during attack: New research shows that a common, over-the-counter pain salve rubbed on the skin during a heart attack could serve as a cardiac-protectant, preventing or reducing damage to the heart while interventions are administered.

UT scientists discover link between protein and lung disease: In a development that could lead to a novel approach to the treatment of a devastating lung disease, biochemists report they are the first to link the osteopontin protein to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

We are excited to announce a new BioKM™ feature, our Project Reporting Tool.

This feature allows you to view, save, and print a quick overview of your project. All milestones, experiments, comments and any results can now be easily viewed in one PDF file. (see sample below)

BioKM’s Project Reporting Tool allows for easy collaboration between your lab and it external collaborators. Simply create the report and send it to your research peer.

Researchers leaving the lab can use the BioKM Project Reporting Tool to export their work to a PDF.

Over the next few weeks we will be adding this feature to other parts of BioKM.

Our weekly compilation of science news for the week of September 6, 2009.

After Hubble repair, new images from Space: The pictures and observations from the Hubble telescope were the first since a crew replaced, refurbished and rebuilt its vital components in the spring.

Breakthrough discoveries of Alzheimer’s genes: Fifteen years since the last discovery of its kind, scientists have finally identified a new set of genes that may contribute to Alzheimer’s disease.

Dopamine primes kidneys for a new host: Transplant patients may fare better if brain-dead organ donors receive an infusion of the compound before surgery

JAMA: the journal of the American Medical Association, 302 (10), 1067-75 PMID: 19738091

Dozens of new species found in island crater: A chance discovery by a BBC documentary team on the island of Papua New Guinea reveals dozens of new species, including a housecat-size rat and a frog with fangs.

Endothelin receptor may play role in sickle cell pain: Researchers believe vaso-occlusion is caused by a blockage of the blood vessels that occurs when sickle shaped red cells attempt to pass through the round blood vessels. Research team suggests that a naturally occurring chemical in the body, endothelin may lead to pain.

Eyes see trouble coming before brain notices: Newly discovered eye cells can warn us that an object is coming nearer, and do so without the brain’s help.

Münch, T., da Silveira, R., Siegert, S., Viney, T., Awatramani, G., & Roska, B. (2009). Approach sensitivity in the retina processed by a multifunctional neural circuit Nature Neuroscience DOI: 10.1038/nn.2389

First stem cell drug fails 2 late-stage clinical trials: The failure of Prochymal, from Osiris Therapeutics, is a setback for the use of adult stem cells to fight organ rejection.

New biosensor can detect bacteria instantaneously: A research group has developed a biosensor that can immediately detect very low levels of Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever.

Zelada-Guillén, G., Riu, J., Düzgün, A., & Rius, F. (2009). Immediate Detection of Living Bacteria at Ultralow Concentrations Using a Carbon Nanotube Based Potentiometric Aptasensor Angewandte Chemie International Edition DOI: 10.1002/anie.200902090

One coral alga explodes with temperature increase: When Caribbean coral reefs are in hot water, one alga takes advantage of the situation — and possibly comes to the rescue.

Pandemic flu can infect cells deep in the lungs, says new research: Researchers say this may explain why people infected with the pandemic strain of swine-origin H1N1 influenza are more likely to suffer more severe symptoms than those infected with the seasonal strain of H1N1.

Nature Biotechnology, 27 (9), 797-799 DOI: 10.1038/nbt0909-797

Potato famine pathogen packs unusual, sneaky genome: Quick-changing zones may be key to the microbe’s vexing adaptability.

Study spells out spread of brain illness in animals: The infectious agent that leads to chronic wasting disease is spread in the feces of infected animals long before they become ill, new research indicates.