science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Σάββατο 22 Μαρτίου 2014

Science News SciGuru.com

Humans Can Distinguish at Least One Trillion Different Odors
Investigational drug evaluated in newborns to treat rare disorder
CDK4 cancer trial drugs can promote B cell lymphomas
New study links irritable bowel syndrome to defective gene and heart disease

Humans Can Distinguish at Least One Trillion Different Odors

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 08:08 AM PDT

In a world perfumed by freshly popped popcorn and exhaust fumes, where sea breezes can mingle with the scents of sweet flowers or wet paint, humans are capable of discriminating at least one trillion different odors. Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) scientists determined that our sense of smell is prepared to recognize this vast olfactory palette after testing individuals' ability to recognize differences between complex odors mixed in the laboratory.

Investigational drug evaluated in newborns to treat rare disorder

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 07:44 AM PDT

Children with a rare genetic disorder that causes missing and malformed teeth, sparse hair and the inability to perspire are born without a protein thought to be key to such development.

A clinical trial now underway at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis aims to see if the void can be filled with replacement-protein therapy.

CDK4 cancer trial drugs can promote B cell lymphomas

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 07:35 AM PDT

Caution is urged in pursuing use of CDK4 inhibitors as a broad spectrum cancer therapy following a new study showing that CDK4 can promote some B cell lymphomas. The study, led by researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center is published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

New study links irritable bowel syndrome to defective gene and heart disease

Posted: 21 Mar 2014 07:27 AM PDT

An international study, including researchers from Karolinska Institutet, reveals potential new pathogenetic mechanism for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), which involves functional defects in the voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.5 in the gastrointestinal smooth muscle and pacemaker cells.

Approximately 15 to 20 percent of the Western world has IBS. It is a common disorder that affects the large intestine. Most patients with the disorder commonly experience symptoms of cramping, abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation.