Osteosarcoma occurs spontaneously in humans (usually children) and in dogs with a disease course and severity that are difficult to predict. Some patients respond well to conventional therapies, have a less aggressive form of disease and may survive for decades without recurrence, whereas others respond poorly to treatment or experience recurrence and may survive lessContinueContinue reading “What dogs can teach us about bones”
Category Archives: research news
Steps toward a universal flu vaccine
Influenza A is a highly mutable virus that infects millions of people every year and can be fatal in severe cases. Human antibodies are effective against a few strains belonging to 2 of the 16 subtypes of influenza A, and new vaccines based on those antibodies are developed each year to match the evolved viruses,ContinueContinue reading “Steps toward a universal flu vaccine”
Feel better faster with ketamine
Several small clinical trials have shown that low doses of ketamine, an anesthetic drug, can act rapidly as an antidepressant. The quickness of its action meant that ketamine, or compounds that share its mechanism of action, could be a much-needed alternative to current antidepressant therapies, many of which require several weeks to take effect. Fast-actingContinueContinue reading “Feel better faster with ketamine”
Thirty-seven strawberries a day?
The old adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” may have a new star: strawberries. Thirty-seven of them, actually. That’s how many a person might need to eat each day to reap the benefits of the fruit, as reported recently in PLoS One (6, e21226; 2011. The report discussed how fisetin, a compoundContinueContinue reading “Thirty-seven strawberries a day?”
Quantifying abnormal behavior in captive chimps
Captive chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) may engage in various abnormal behaviors, including rocking, self-mutilation and urophagy or coprophagy. Although these and other abnormalities have been documented in laboratories and zoological parks, few studies have attempted to quantify such behavior. Researchers Lucy P. Birkett and Nicholas E. Newton-Fisher at the University of Kent (Canterbury, UK) recently reportedContinueContinue reading “Quantifying abnormal behavior in captive chimps”
Saving a species bedeviled by cancer
The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), the world’s largest surviving carnivorous marsupial, is endangered by a fatal transmissible disease called devil facial tumor disease (DFTD). DFTD is a naturally occurring infectious cancer first observed on the east coast of Tasmania in 1996. This cancer is rapidly spreading across the island, the devil’s only native habitat. DFTDContinueContinue reading “Saving a species bedeviled by cancer”
How low can worms go?
Bacteria-eating worms dwell in treasure caves deep below the earth’s surface, where only single-celled organisms were thought to exist. Although it may sound like the premise of a sci-fi masterpiece, this scenario is the major finding of a recent report in Nature. The report describes the discovery of four species of nematodes, or roundworms, in theContinueContinue reading “How low can worms go?”
Studies may underestimate exposure to bisphenol A
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical found in polycarbonate plastic and other food containers (including baby bottles and reusable water bottles). More than 8 billion pounds of BPA are produced each year, and the chemical can be detected in almost every water body. Human exposure to BPA, largely through diet, is practically unavoidable, and measurableContinueContinue reading “Studies may underestimate exposure to bisphenol A”
A surprise twist to ribosomes
About 65 years ago, at the National Cancer Institute (Bethesda, MD), a spontaneous mutation arose in a litter of inbred mice. Several of the offspring had abnormal skeletal features that included a short, kinky tail and an extra set of ribs in their neck vertebrae. Researchers at the time knew these ‘tail-short’ mutants could beContinueContinue reading “A surprise twist to ribosomes”
Clearer view of ‘acute’ glaucoma
Glaucoma is a common eye disease and leading cause of blindness. In glaucoma, intraocular pressure (IOP; fluid pressure within the eye) increases, damaging the optic nerve and causing vision loss. The familiar ‘chronic’ subtype of glaucoma develops slowly and may have few symptoms; many of those affected do not know they have the condition untilContinueContinue reading “Clearer view of ‘acute’ glaucoma”
Fluent in Science 