science newsletter: Science News SciGuru.com

Τρίτη 19 Νοεμβρίου 2013

Science News SciGuru.com

Scientists for the first time generate "mini-kidney" structures from human stem cells
Mutations of Immune System Found in Breast Cancers
Could drug therapy protect against chemical attack?
Obesity found to be major risk factor in developing basal-like breast cancer
Protein coding 'junk genes' may be linked to cancer
Scientists find that Mars, not Earth, shakes up some near-Earth asteroids

Scientists for the first time generate "mini-kidney" structures from human stem cells

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 02:07 PM PST

Diseases affecting the kidneys represent a major and unsolved health issue worldwide. The kidneys rarely recover function once they are damaged by disease, highlighting the urgent need for better knowledge of kidney development and physiology.

Now, a team of researchers led by scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies has developed a novel platform to study kidney diseases, opening new avenues for the future application of regenerative medicine strategies to help restore kidney function.

Mutations of Immune System Found in Breast Cancers

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:51 AM PST

Mutations in the genes that defend the body against cancer-related viruses and other infections may play a larger role in breast cancer than previously thought, according to a study at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Could drug therapy protect against chemical attack?

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:44 AM PST

A team of UIC researchers in medicine, engineering and pharmacy will study whether a therapy now used to treat drug overdoses may protect against chemical attack.

The researchers are investigating a high-fat liquid, called a lipid emulsion, already approved as a nutritional supplement and used off-label to treat overdoses of anesthetics, beta blockers, calcium-channel blockers and certain antidepressants.

Obesity found to be major risk factor in developing basal-like breast cancer

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:35 AM PST

Women who are obese face an increased risk of developing an aggressive sub-type of breast cancer known as 'basal-like', according to research conducted at the University of North Carolina.

Protein coding 'junk genes' may be linked to cancer

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 10:10 AM PST

By using a new analysis method, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Science for Life Laboratory (SciLifeLab) in Sweden have found close to one hundred novel human gene regions that code for proteins. A number of these regions are so-called pseudogenes, which may be linked to cancer. The expectation is now that this recently developed protein analysis method, published in the scientific journal Nature Methods, will open up a whole new field of research.

Scientists find that Mars, not Earth, shakes up some near-Earth asteroids

Posted: 18 Nov 2013 09:57 AM PST

For nearly as long as astronomers have been able to observe asteroids, a question has gone unanswered: Why do the surfaces of most asteroids appear redder than meteorites — the remnants of asteroids that have crashed to Earth?