Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in mice that the brain must create new nerve cells for either exercise or antidepressants to reduce depression-like behavior.

In a feat of biological prestidigitation likely to turn the field of regenerative medicine on its head, Harvard Stem Cell Institute co-director Doug Melton and post doctoral fellow Qiao "Joe" Zhou report having ...

(American Association for Cancer Research) Radiation from the atomic bomb blasts in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945, likely rearranged chromosomes in some survivors who later developed papillary thyroid cancer as adults, according to Japanese researchers.

AssayReady4U(TM) is an online based storefront which allows drug discovery researchers the ability to search, design and select compounds from a live physical collection of screening compounds. Then, using additional options, build their final assay by selecting the exact amount and concentration required to perform their own unique experiments.

Identifying the corn genes involved with plant cell wall generation and learning their function will help develop new, more productive sources of transportation biofuel, according to two Purdue university researchers. Nick Carpita and Maureen McCann will study genes involved in the formation of cell walls in the group of plants known as grasses, which includes corn.

A new method for studying prion diversity has been developed by noting the molecular features of a specifc type of sheep scrapie, according to an article published on August 28, 2008 in the open access journal PLoS Pathogens. A prion is an agent of infection that is composed entirely of protein. This makes it unusual in that it contains no DNA, which life-forms such as bacteria and animals need to function properly.

A brain chemical that plays a role in long term memory also appears to be involved in regulating how much people eat and their likelihood of becoming obese, according to a National Institutes of Health study of a rare genetic condition. Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is, as its name implies, produced in the brain. Studies of laboratory animals have suggested it also helps control appetite and weight.

New research strongly suggests that a mix of preventative agents, such as those found in concentrated black raspberries, may more effectively inhibit cancer development than single agents aimed at shutting down a particular gene. Researchers at the Ohio State university Comprehensive Cancer Center examined the effect of freeze-dried black raspberries on genes altered by a chemical carcinogen in an animal model of esophageal cancer.

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered in mice that the brain must create new nerve cells for either exercise or antidepressants to reduce depression-like behavior. In addition, the researchers found that antidepressants and exercise use the same biochemical pathway to exert their effects. These results might help explain some unknown mechanisms of antidepressants and provide a new direction for developing drugs to treat depression, said Dr.

Blood transfusions are a valuable treatment mechanism in modern medicine, but can come with the risk of donor disease transmission. Researchers are continually studying the biology of blood products to understand how certain diseases are transmitted in an effort to reduce this risk during blood transfusions.