They may look drab to us in daylight, but like so many ravers, damselfish take on a new look under black light. The tiny fish have distinctive, species-specific ultraviolet-reflective facial markings that can be used by other fish for identification. Lab Anim. (NY) 39, 93 (2010). view full text (login required)
Category Archives: research news
Activating apoptosis to treat rheumatoid arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, destructive inflammation, primarily of the joints, that affects up to 1% of the world’s population. The cause of the disease is not known, but its progression is autoimmune: immune cells called macrophages, which normally die after attacking an invader, instead persist and collect in the cartilage and bone, where theirContinueContinue reading “Activating apoptosis to treat rheumatoid arthritis”
VLP vaccine for Chikungunya
Chikungunya virus is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that causes severe arthritis. Since re-emerging in 2004, it has infected millions of people. Attempts to develop vaccines had only limited success until recently, when researchers developed a vaccine using virus-like particles (VLPs). The VLP vaccine protected macaques from Chikungunya viral infection. Lab Anim. (NY) 39, 63 (2010).ContinueContinue reading “VLP vaccine for Chikungunya”
NO treatment for septic shock
Septic shock occurs when acute inflammation, low blood pressure and blood clotting cause blood delivery to the organs to slow dangerously, resulting in lack of oxygen followed by progressive organ failure. Septic shock is the leading cause of death in intensive care units; mortality rates may exceed 70%. The mechanisms underlying development of septic shockContinueContinue reading “NO treatment for septic shock”
Fats help the nervous system sort things out
For human health, dietary fat is frequently considered an enemy. But current research is beginning to focus on the positive effects of dietary fats. Two specific dietary fats, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), belonging to the group of omega-3 fatty acids, have been associated with prevention of cancer and cardiovascular disease and withContinueContinue reading “Fats help the nervous system sort things out”
No oxygen, no problem for naked mole rats
In most mammals, oxygen deprivation, even for short periods of time, causes injury to the brain tissue and potential long-term damage. But the naked mole rat (Heterocephalus glaber), a small, subterranean rodent native to eastern Africa, seems to weather hypoxia quite well. Naked mole rats have drawn a good deal of scientific attention lately, asContinueContinue reading “No oxygen, no problem for naked mole rats”
Dirty living breeds better immune health
Conventional wisdom holds that exposure to dirt and germs is bad for one’s health: after all, ‘cleanliness is next to godliness.’ More recently, the high prevalence of immune-mediated diseases in industrialized countries (with relatively high standards for cleanliness and sanitation) has called this notion into question. The ‘hygiene hypothesis’ proposes that the increasing incidence ofContinueContinue reading “Dirty living breeds better immune health”
New chromosome, new species
The formation of new species is typically driven by environmental adaptation. But a recent investigation of neighboring populations of threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) has now shown, for the first time, that creation of a new sex chromosome can contribute to speciation. Lab Anim. (NY) 38, 341 (2009). view full text (login required)
Estrogen helps make mice male
Sexual dimorphism is the presence of different behaviors and characteristics in males versus females. Its development relies on an intricate interplay of genetic, chromosomal and hormonal factors, particularly during certain stages of development. In mammals, sexual dimorphism is thought to result from exposure to sex hormones during the perinatal stage of development. In male rats,ContinueContinue reading “Estrogen helps make mice male”
Better cloning for zebrafish
Zebrafish are popular models for studies of genetics, development and diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disorders. To increase their utility in biomedical research, scientists have worked to develop methods of gene manipulation in zebrafish. Previous attempts have had limited success, but Jose Cibelli and colleagues (Michigan State University, East Lansing) have now refined aContinueContinue reading “Better cloning for zebrafish”
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