Unprecedented insight into fighting viral infections
This concerns a stuctural analysis of the viral RNA sensor RIG-1
Harnessing the Power of Metagenomics: Applications, Methods, and Real World Examples
Image via WikipediaThe term metagenomics has been in the lexicon of life scientists for a number of years now. More recently this field has been showing rapid progress, particularly as DNA sequencing technology advances in leaps and bounds. The power of metagenomics has been clearly demonstrated in its application to many diverse areas—including characterizing the microbiomes of the human gut, seawater samples, and soil samples—impacting human health, ecology, and agriculture/agronomy. All microbes in a particular specimen can now be catalogued—and useful biomarkers identified—without the need for culturing of these organisms. This type of analysis also provides a truer representation of the in situ conditions present when sampling occurred. This live, video webinar will introduce the viewer to the important field of metagenomics and provide insight into how it can be integrated into their research.
Scientists Discover a 'Master Key' to Unlock New Treatments for Autoimmune Disorders - ScienceNewsline
Image via Wikipedia
When chefs move the fruit: Want to double fruit sales in schools?
A Cornell University study shows it is as easy as putting the fruit in a colorful bowl. According to research presented this week at the American Dietetic Association Conference in San Diego, CA by Brian Wansink, Professor at Cornell University, "Moving the fruit increased sales by 104%." This is only one of the changes proposed through the Smarter Lunchrooms Movement of the Cornell Center for Behavioral Economics in Child Nutrition Programs (BEN). 
The Toxoplasma Blog: The first detection of Toxoplasma gondii DNA in environmental fruits and vegetables samples
Toxoplamosis , caused by T.Gondii, has been implicated in schizophrenia and several other diseases (see microbiome page) : Previously asssociated mainly with cats, this study detected the parasite in fruit and vegetables, suggesting an unsuspected route of infection.
Toward the blood-borne miRNome of human diseases : Nature Methods : Nature Publishing Group
Modified blood microrna profiles were observed in all tested diseases (Cancers and non-cancers); This profile correlated with the genomic location of disease-associated genetic variants and deregulated microRNAs.
Reactive oxygen species drive herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1-induced proinflammatory cytokine production by murine microglia
Reactive oxygen species drive herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1-induced proinflammatory cytokine production by murine microglia
Vitamin D Deficiency Promotes Skeletal Muscle Hypersensitivity and Sensory Hyperinnervation
Vitamin D deficiency can lead to selective alterations in target innervation, resulting in presumptive nociceptor hyperinnervation of skeletal muscle, which in turn is likely to contribute to muscular hypersensitivity and pain.
How Tiny Errors in Africa Led to a Global Triumph
Medicine might never have achieved its greatest triumph to date — eradicating smallpox — if small errors had not been made in a measles immunization program.
The bureacratic bungles and vested interests in this article also make interesting reading.
The bureacratic bungles and vested interests in this article also make interesting reading.
Air pollution impairs cognition, provokes depressive-like behaviors and alters hippocampal cytokine expression and morphology
Air pollution has also been associated with deprsssion and a number of other disorders in the clinical setting.
Depression genes and risk factors
Depression genes and risk factors
N-methyl D-Aspartate Channels Link Ammonia and Epithelial Cell Death Mechanisms in Helicobacter pylori Infection.
Helicobacter pylori is able to activate NMDA receptors in gastric epithelial cells. Glutamatergic overactivation in the brain , via NMDA (and other) receptors has long been known to play a role in neurotoxicity , playing a potential role in many degeneratative disorders. This is a new twist suggesting gastric cytotoxicity.
Helicobacter interactome
Helicobacter interactome
An estimate of the global reduction in mortality rates through doubling vitamin D levels.
This study estimated that global mortality rates, from a large number of conditions, could be reduced by 20% by doubling Vitamin D levels.
The diseases in which Vitamin D has been implicated include, Cardiovascular disease , cancer, respiratory infections, respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus , Alzheimer's disease, falls, meningitis, Parkinson's disease, maternal sepsis, maternal hypertension (pre-eclampsia) and multiple sclerosis and many others.
The diseases in which Vitamin D has been implicated include, Cardiovascular disease , cancer, respiratory infections, respiratory diseases, tuberculosis and diabetes mellitus , Alzheimer's disease, falls, meningitis, Parkinson's disease, maternal sepsis, maternal hypertension (pre-eclampsia) and multiple sclerosis and many others.
Goats could increase the risk of a rare lung cancer, researchers find
Image via WikipediaA sheep virus, the Jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus, is able to produce pulmonary adenocarcinoma Martineau et al, 2011
XMRV accelerates cellular proliferation, transformational activity, and invasiveness of prostate cancer cells by downregulating p27(Kip1).
It's not over yet - despite the rageing polemic concerning the XMRV virus , this study shows that it accelerates the growth of prostate cancer cells.
OpenHelix: Tutorials and resources
Access over 100 tutorial suites on web-based bioinformatics and genomics resources
- Quickly learn how to use a resource when you need it.
- Save time teaching a resource with prepared training materials
- Know you'll be using the most proven-effective training available
- Have the confidence you have the best, most updated information
- Have piece of mind you are using materials created by experts
About - DAnCER - Wodak Lab: Disease Annotated Chromatin Epigenetic Resource
Epigenetics plays a key role in DNA replication, transcription and repair, and its disruption is implicated in the development of many forms of cancer and other diseases. As a result, there is now a growing number of projects dedicated to the study of chromatin modification - a crucial component of epigenetic processes. Similarly to other cellular processes, chromatin modification is carried out by groups of physically interacting proteins, and anomalies in protein interactions often lead to disease phenotypes. Yet there remains a dearth of public databases and analysis tools that explore the relationship between chromatin machinery and human disease, especially in the context of protein-interaction networks. DAnCER's goal is to fill this gap. I
Mice lacking major brain gangliosides develop parkinsonism.
Gangliosides are components of the cell membrane.
Prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in Parkinson's disease.
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth was shown to be very common in Parkinson's disease . Gastrointestinal motility abnormalities might explain this association:
One might also consider the influence of the microbiome.
Regulation by Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3 of Inflammation and T Cells in CNS Diseases.
Glycogen synthase kinase GSK3B, blocked by lithium , is involved in a raft of diseases (Alzheimer's .bipolar disorder, schizophrenia , among others), many characterised by inflammation and immune activation. Its effects on T cells may offer an important clue.
Related articles
Related articles
EGAN: Exploratory Gene Association Networks. Leverage organic intelligence.
EGAN is a software tool that allows a bench biologist to visualize and interpret the results of high-throughput exploratory assays in an interactive hypergraph of genes, relationships (protein-protein interactions, literature co-occurrence, etc.) and meta-data (annotation, signaling pathways, etc.). EGAN provides comprehensive, automated calculation of meta-data coincidence (over-representation, enrichment) for user- and assay-defined gene lists, and provides direct links to web resources and literature (NCBI Entrez Gene, PubMed, KEGG, Gene Ontology, iHOP, Google, etc.).
Obese now outnumber hungry: Red Cross
This links to the Red Cross report: Obesity now outumbers hunger in the human population - a sad indictement .
Over-the-counter dietary supplement may lower risk of diabetes, metabolic syndrome / UCLA Newsroom
The supplement is GABA, the inhibitory neurotransmitter , which, when given orally to obese diabetic mice, was able to suppress the inflammatory immune response.
Immunolocalization of influenza A virus and markers of inflammation in the human Parkinson's disease brain.
The Influenza virus was identified within neuromelanin granules as well as on tissue macrophages in the Pars compacta of the Substantia nigra in Parkinson's disease .
Parkinson's disease risk factors
Parkinson's disease risk factors
Researchers discover how 'promiscuous parasites' (T.Gondii) hijack host immune cells
One of the T.Gondii proteins ROP16 suppresses inflammatory responses and lowers cytokine production.
Solve Puzzles for Science | Foldit
This is the Foldit game that allowed gamers to solve the structure of a monomeric retroviral protease from the Mason-Pfizer monkey virus, that had resisted scientific research for 15 years. Turn over your incomprehensible data to them.
IgM-mediated autoimmune responses directed against multiple neoepitopes in depression: New pathways that underpin the inflammation...
Inflammation and immune activation appears to be present, and pathogens implicated in most diseases : There is surely a link.
Depression genes risk factors and pathways
Depression genes risk factors and pathways
Expression Profiling of Autism Candidate Genes during Human Brain Development Implicates Central Immune Signaling Pathways.
Immune signaling through NFκB, Tnf, and Jnk was central to ASD networks at multiple levels Autism :
Intracerebral borna disease virus infection of bank... [PLoS One. 2011] - PubMed - NCBI
This study showed that Bornavirus RNA is capable of integrating into the host genome : This was previously thought to be restricted to retroviruses: No longer the case:
Emerging roles of pathogens in Alzheimer's disease
Global attention and action is needed to support this emerging field of research because dementia might be prevented by combined antibiotic, antiviral and anti-inflammatory therapy.
Related articles
Related articles
Researchers identify pathways leading to activation of good fat
Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have identified two molecular pathways that are critical to activating a type of "good" fat found in the body, a discovery that could play an important role in the fight against obesity and diabetes.
The Cardiac Organellar Protein Atlas Knowledgebase
The COPa knowledgebase is a resource of proteome biology configured specially for cardiovascular investigators. This project is developed under NHLBI proteomics center program with the partnership of Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI), European Bioinformatics Institute , Royal Institute of Technology (KTH), The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), the Zhejiang University (ZJU) and UCLA. We hope it will serve as a useful tool for advancing cardiovascular biology and medicine.
The innovations in proteome biology offer unprecedented opportunities towards translational medicine. Advancing cardiovascular medicine requires an understanding of cardiac function at the systems level but with sufficient molecular details at the same time. Proteomics technologies are large scale in nature and their datasets come in various forms. The integration of these resources inspires innovative insights and bridges data-driven discoveries with hypothesis-driven investigations. The effective and comprehensive characterization of proteome biology holds the promise to advance cardiovascular medicine.
Human genetics study identifies the most common cause of ALS and dementia
The gene is a repeat expansion" within the non-coding region of C9ORF72, whose function is not known.It is highly expressed in CD33 myeloid cells of the immune system BioGPS
Certain heavy metals boost immunity, study suggests
Zinc, a heavy metal that is toxic at high doses, is used by the cells of the immune system to destroy microbes such as the tuberculosis bacillus or E. coli.
Functional gene group analysis identifies synaptic gene groups as risk factor for schizophrenia.
Genes acting together exert a much greater effect than when tested alone.
Schizophrenia genes and risk factors
Schizophrenia genes and risk factors
Plant RNAs Found in Mammals | The Scientist
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World Alzheimer Report 2011 | Alzheimer's Disease International
The World Alzheimer Report 2011 shows that there are interventions that are effective in the early stages of dementia, some of which may be more effective when started earlier, and that there is a strong economic argument in favour of earlier diagnosis and timely intervention.
Abnormal activation of a protein may explain deadly link between high salt intake and obesity
When obese "salt-sensitive" rats were fed a high-salt diet, Rac1 activated the mineralocorticoid aldosterone receptor on the rats' kidney cells. This receptor is normally activated by the hormone aldosterone. Aldosterone promotes salt reabsorption
Childhood obesity:
Childhood obesity:
Dark Matter Of Life Sequenced - Science News - redOrbit
This is all about new technology that could be used to rapidly sequence microbiomes
Cell Symposia : Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Mechanisms to Therapies
The aim of this meeting is to bring together key researchers working on autism spectrum disorders at multiple levels, with a specific goal of considering how current basic research findings and candidate mechanisms can be directed towards therapies and treatments.
November 9-11, 2011 Sheraton National Hotel, Arlington, VA, USA
November 9-11, 2011 Sheraton National Hotel, Arlington, VA, USA
Advances and Controversies in B-Vitamins and Choline: B-Vitamins2012
Image via Wikipedia
Low-fat yogurt intake when pregnant linked to increased risk of child asthma and hay fever, study suggests
Milk intake during pregnancy protected against asthma development in the offspring. Women who ate low-fat yogurt with fruit once a day were more likely to have children who developed asthma by age 7, compared with children of women who reported no intake. They were also more likely to have allergic rhinitis and to display current asthma symptoms.
Worms, your unlikely allies | Science News
Certain parasites have developed the ability to turn down the immune system - an effect that may be put to use in autoimmune disorders.
Viruses and pathogens involved in human diseases from the Microbiome
Viruses and pathogens involved in human diseases from the Microbiome
Children with autism and gastrointestinal symptoms have altered digestive genes
The investigators found that children diagnosed with autism and gastrointestinal disturbances have abnormalities in levels of genes for enzymes that break down sugars and for molecules that transport them from the lumen of the intestine into the blood. These variations were also associated with changes in the bacterial composition of the intestine.
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