monicascicom

Lack of sleep impairs courtship in flies

Many young animals, whether human, rat or fruit fly, need lots of sleep. The existence of this trait across diverse taxonomic groups implies some fundamental importance, and some scientists are intrigued enough to take a closer look. What mechanisms allow young animals to sleep so much? And what happens if they sleep less? To addressContinueContinue reading “Lack of sleep impairs courtship in flies”

Stopping the spread of measles

Despite the availability of a potent vaccine, outbreaks of measles continue to occur around the world. Two major factors contribute to this prevalence. First, the measles virus is highly transmissible and may be spread through the air in droplets produced by breathing, sneezing and coughing. Within 2 weeks of exposure to the virus, about 90%ContinueContinue reading “Stopping the spread of measles”

AACR Annual Meeting 2014

The 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) brought together researchers, patient advocates and other cancer professionals from around the world to address the theme of “Harnessing Breakthroughs—Targeting Cures.” The gathering in San Diego set a new attendance record, with a 2% increase in registered attendees over last year’s conference inContinueContinue reading “AACR Annual Meeting 2014”

All ears

Chinchillas have served as animal models for investigating the pathology and treatment of both Chagas disease and cholera. But they are most commonly used in auditory research, in part because of the similarity between human and chinchilla hearing anatomy and sensitivity. The chinchilla has a sizeable middle ear with large auditory bullae and a conductiveContinueContinue reading “All ears”

Silk strong enough to bind broken bones

To repair fractured bone, screws made of metal alloys are the gold standard. But these devices can impair bone remodeling and healing and may also corrode, causing pain and inflammation and necessitating their removal. Biodegradable alternatives eliminate some of these concerns but present their own disadvantages: they can trigger inflammation, they are not strong enoughContinueContinue reading “Silk strong enough to bind broken bones”

Reformulating lithium to reduce toxicity

Lithium has been used treat neuropsychiatric illnesses for many years. Formulated as lithium carbonate, it is effective in treating mania in bipolar disorder and in reducing suicides in depressive phases of the disease. But use of lithium carbonate is associated with toxic effects such as hand tremors, diarrhea, vomiting, weight gain and decreased thyroid function.ContinueContinue reading “Reformulating lithium to reduce toxicity”

Snail venom speeds pain relief

Cone snails, such as Conus magus, or the magical cone, are predatory marine mollusks that use venom to paralyze their prey. The venom has properties that make it potentially useful to humans, too. Scientists have derived a compound called ziconotide from the venom of C. magus that has painkilling power up to three orders ofContinueContinue reading “Snail venom speeds pain relief”

Small molecule, big advance against Marburg virus

Marburg virus, like other filoviruses, causes hemorrhagic fever and has a fatality rate as high as 90%. Filoviruses are normally transmitted between individuals by blood or body fluids but are also infectious in aerosol form, which means they pose the risk of becoming a global health threat as well as being used as agents ofContinueContinue reading “Small molecule, big advance against Marburg virus”

Fishing for insight into leukemia relapse

Single-cell analyses have shown that individual cancer cells can acquire mutations that make them more aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy. Thus, in some cases, even if chemotherapy seems to have been effective, a particularly aggressive cancer cell may survive and then cause a relapse in the future. The specific mutations that drive cancer progression andContinueContinue reading “Fishing for insight into leukemia relapse”

Mutation of MDA5 in autoimmunity

MDA5 is an intracellular viral receptor that detects picornaviruses and other invaders and elicits immune responses accordingly. It has been implicated in autoimmune disorders such as type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis and systemic lupus erythematosus, but no mechanistic link has been identified. To learn more about its potential role in autoimmunity, Takashi Fujita (KyotoContinueContinue reading “Mutation of MDA5 in autoimmunity”