science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τετάρτη 26 Σεπτεμβρίου 2012

Science News SciGuru.com

Melatonin and exercise work against Alzheimer's in mice
Making and breaking heterochromatin
Stem Cell Graft Restores Memory and Mood
Discovery May Shed Light on Why Some HIV-Positive Patients Have More Virus
Starting to snore during pregnancy could indicate risk for high blood pressure
Urban Coyotes Never Stray: New Study Finds 100 Percent Monogamy
Scientists uncover virus with potential to stop pimples

Melatonin and exercise work against Alzheimer's in mice

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 07:27 AM PDT

The combination of two neuroprotective therapies, voluntary physical exercise, and the daily intake of melatonin has been shown to have a synergistic effect against brain deterioration in rodents with three different mutations of Alzheimer's disease.

A study carried out by a group of researchers from the Barcelona Biomedical Research Institute (IIBB), in collaboration with the University of Granada and the Autonomous University of Barcelona, shows the combined effect of neuroprotective therapies against Alzheimer's in mice.

Making and breaking heterochromatin

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 07:20 AM PDT

To fit the two-meter long DNA molecule into a cell nucleus that is only a few thousandths of a millimetre in size, long sections of the DNA must be strongly compacted. Epigenetic marks maintain these sections, known as heterochromatin. Scientists of the Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics in Freiburg have now discovered two further mechanisms necessary for the formation of heterochromatin. The research group, led by Thomas Jenuwein, describes two novel enzymes, Prdm3 and Prdm16, which attach a methyl group to a particular packaging protein of the DNA.

Stem Cell Graft Restores Memory and Mood

Posted: 26 Sep 2012 04:49 AM PDT

Grafting stem cells from one part of the brain into another can restore important cognitive functions such as memory and mood after brain injury and also trigger the growth of new neurons, a U.S. research team has found. The study, published in the current issue of STEM CELLS Translational Medicine, was conducted by researchers from the Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Texas A&M Health Science Center, Duke University Medical Center and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in Temple, Texas, and Durham, N.C.

Discovery May Shed Light on Why Some HIV-Positive Patients Have More Virus

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 04:01 PM PDT

Biologists at UC San Diego have unraveled the anti-viral mechanism of a human gene that may explain why some people infected with HIV have much higher amounts of virus in their bloodstreams than others.

Starting to snore during pregnancy could indicate risk for high blood pressure

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 11:14 AM PDT

Women who begin snoring during pregnancy are at strong risk for high blood pressure and preeclampsia, according to research from the University of Michigan.

The research, published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, showed pregnancy-onset snoring was strongly linked to gestational hypertension and preeclampsia, says lead author Louise O’Brien, Ph.D., associate professor in U-M’s Sleep Disorders Center.

Urban Coyotes Never Stray: New Study Finds 100 Percent Monogamy

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 11:11 AM PDT

Coyotes living in cities don’t ever stray from their mates, and stay with each other till death do them part, according to a new study.

The finding sheds light on why the North American cousin of the dog and wolf, which is originally native to deserts and plains, is thriving today in urban areas.

Scientists uncover virus with potential to stop pimples

Posted: 25 Sep 2012 10:00 AM PDT

Watch out, acne. Doctors soon may have a new weapon against zits: a harmless virus living on our skin that naturally seeks out and kills the bacteria that cause pimples.

The new findings by scientists at UCLA and the University of Pittsburgh are published in the Sept. 25 online edition of the American Society for Microbiology's journal mBio.