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Appetite in infancy linked to childhood obesity risk

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Is your child a ‘hearty eater’ who finds it hard to resist tempting food and has difficulty knowing when they are ‘full’? Two studies in the journal JAMA Pediatrics suggest that childhood obesity could be related to these key aspects of appetite. The studies, led by researchers in the UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre in the UK, looked at weight gain in relation to both lower satiety responsiveness (a reduced urge to eat in response to internal 'fullness' signals) and higher food responsiveness (an increased urge to eat in response to the sight or smell of nice food). The studies suggested that both of these elements correlated with weight and risk of obesity.

Childhood obesity is a major public health concern in westernised nations, to the point of being termed an epidemic. Public health campaigns focus on trying to educate parents to pay attention to portion sizes, frequency of giving treats, avoiding sugary drinks and making sure children take enough exercise. The two current studies shed light on what elements of appetite place children at risk of developing obesity and stress that problems can be identified in infancy.

The first study examined non-identical, same-sex twins born in the UK in 2007. Twins were assessed for differences in their satiety responsiveness (SR) and food responsiveness (FR) at three months of age, then their growth was monitored up to fifteen months. It was observed that within a twin pair, the child with greater food responsiveness or lower satiety responsiveness grew faster than their twin, potentially increasing their chance of developing childhood obesity.

Professor Jane Wardle, the lead author on the study from the UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre said: "Identifying factors that promote or protect against weight gain could help identify targets for obesity intervention and prevention in future. These findings are extremely powerful because we were comparing children of the same age and same sex growing up in the same family in order to reveal the role that appetite plays in infant growth…It might make life easy to have a baby with a hearty appetite, but as she grows up, parents may need to be alert for tendencies to be somewhat over-responsive to food cues in the environment, or somewhat unresponsive to fullness. This behaviour could put her at risk of gaining weight faster than is good for her."

In the second paper, data from 2258 ten-year old children born in the UK between 1994 and 1996 was examined. Researchers calculated a ‘polygenic obesity risk score’ (PRS) to figure out genetic susceptibility of each individual child to obesity by adding up the number of obesity-risk alleles from a panel of 28 obesity-related genes. A high PRS indicated an increased genetic predisposition to obesity. The researchers then matched the PRS to children's satiety responsiveness and adiposity (body fatness) to figure out if these was any correlation. They found that children with higher PRS tended to have higher BMI and waist circumference. But even more importantly, they confirmed that higher PRS also correlated with lower satiety responsiveness.

Dr Clare Llewellyn, lead author from the UCL Health Behaviour Research Centre said: "This suggests that satiety sensitivity could be targeted for pharmacological and behavioural interventions, to prevent or treat obesity. For example, children with lower satiety sensitivity could be taught techniques that might improve their fullness signals when eating, such as slowing their eating speed. Another approach might be to provide better advice to parents and children about appropriate portion sizes, limiting access to 'second helpings' and ensuring tempting treats are out of sight between meals."

Sources

Press release: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...021414.php [Accessed 18 February 2014].

LLEWELLYN, C.H., TRZASKOWSKI, M., VAN JAARSVELD, C.M., PLOMIN, R. and WARDLE, J., 2014. Satiety Mechanisms in Genetic Risk of Obesity. JAMA Pediatr. 2014;(): doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4944

VAN JAARSVELD, C.M., BONIFACE, D., LLEWELLYN, C.H. and WARDLE J., 2014. Appetite and Growth: A Longitudinal Sibling Analysis. JAMA Pediatr. 2014;():. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2013.4951

ACS National Meeting | March 16-20 2014 | Dallas, Texas

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247th American Chemical Society (ACS) National Meeting & Exposition

Organisers: American Chemical Society

Dates: March 16th -20th, 2014

Location: Dallas, Texas, USA

Website: http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/meetin...-2014.html

The website gives all the necessary information on conference agenda, hotel, exhibitions and other important facts. The conference brochure including preliminary programme is attached.

Major theme
“Chemistry & Materials for Energy”

Reasons to attend?
 ACS meetings & expositions each year attract 11,000 to 13,000 chemists, chemical engineers, academicians, graduate and undergraduate students, and other related professionals.
 Scientists present new multidisciplinary research, hear the latest information in their areas of professional interest, and network with colleagues.
 Programming is planned by our 33 technical divisions that cover all scientific fields, secretariats that focus on multidisciplinary programming, and ACS committees.
 Each meeting will feature more than 7,000 presentations organized into technical symposia that highlight important research advances.

Attendees will have the opportunity to:
• Discover New Research and Publish Your Work
• Advance Your Career
• Network with your peers
• Learn about New Technologies

Meeting topics

The conference brochure, including preliminary programme is attached and includes information on symposia relevant to biotechnologists. Meeting topics will also include:
• Catalysis for clean energy technologies:
biomass conversion; reduced emissions;
electrocatalysts for batteries, fuel cells, and artificial photosynthesis
• Harnessing the energy of the sun:
photovoltaic; solar thermal; solar fuels; artificial
photosynthesis, biomass conversion
• Materials for extremes:
corrosion resistant materials; materials for high T/P; next generation lightweight materials for transportation and other applications (e.g., carbon fiber, polymers, etc.)
• Nuclear materials and fuels:
fuel cladding, fuel recycle, radiation resistant materials (structural materials and concrete)
• Energy storage materials:
batteries and capacitors
• New materials and systems for the grid:
superconductivity; rare earths (substitutes,
recovery); grid-scale storage; generation technologies
• Materials for energy efficiency:
thermoelectrics, solid state lighting, building materials (insulation, coatings, roofing, windows)
• New technologies for enhanced recovery of fossil fuels
• CO2 sequestration and conversion

.pdf  Final NBC CFP-PAAG.PDF (Size: 1.06 MB / Downloads: 1)

A walk a day can keep COPD patients out of the hospital

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A new study published in the journal Respirology shows that walking 3-6 km per day significantly reduced the risk of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) being hospitalised for exacerbations of their COPD. This is another demonstration of the benefits of even moderate physical activity for health.

COPD is a distressing respiratory condition resulting from long-term lung damage, for example due to cigarette smoking. The term includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. COPD patients eventually develop breathing difficulties and if symptoms become severe (eCOPD) can suddenly lose lung function altogether, which is life-threatening.

In the Respirology study, five hundred forty-three ambulatory clinic patients being treated for COPD were identified from five Spanish respiratory clinics. Subjects were included who were followed up for at least two years after study enrolment. The researchers monitored the patients’ exercise levels based on the distance they walked during the course of a week. They then matched this information to records on the database of Bilbao’s Hospital Galdakao-Usansolo to determine which patients were hospitalised due to eCOPD.

The results of the study showed that patients with a lower level of physical activity had an increased risk of being hospitalised for eCOPD, while patients who had the highest level of physical activity then decreased their physical activity in the follow-up also had an increasing rate of hospitalisations. Increasing physical activity to a higher level or maintaining a moderate or high level of physical activity over time, for example with low intensity activity such as walking for at least 3–6 km/day, reduced the rate of hospitalisations for eCOPD.

The lead author on the study, Dr. Cristóbal Esteban, concluded: “COPD patients are less likely to engage in regular physical activity than healthy individuals. However, regular exercise has been associated with reduced risk of hospitalization for exacerbated COPD and mortality among patients with COPD….Indeed, even a low level of physical activity such as walking a minimum of 2 hours per week has been associated with decreased risk of hospitalization for exacerbated COPD.”

Sources

http://eu.wiley.com/WileyCDA/PressReleas...10311.html [Accessed 18 February 2014].

ESTEBAN, C., AROSTEGUI, I., ABURTO, M., MORAZA, J., QUINTANA, J. M., AIZPIRI, S., BASUALDO, L. V. and CAPELASTEGUI, A., 2014. Influence of changes in physical activity on frequency of hospitalization in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Respirology. doi: 10.1111/resp.12239

Wellcome Trust funded digital resource for sharing the story of the science of life

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A new digital publication called ‘Mosaic’ will be launched on 4th March by the charitable foundation, the Wellcome Trust. ‘Mosaic’ aims to explore the science of life and will tell the story of biomedical research via features, articles and films to an audience interested in science, with or without specialised knowledge. ‘Mosaic’ articles will be free to read and text features will be published under a Creative Commons licence. This means they can be reproduced and freely distributed via other platforms such as paid-for websites and magazines and publications that are funded by advertising, as well as independent blogs.

The development of ‘Mosaic’ is partially in response to the lack of space in mainstream print publications. It aims to give a home to in-depth science writing, with scope for the contributing writers to explore their topic in depth over an article of up to several hundred words. The Wellcome Trust sees this as an opportunity to fill a gap in how science is conveyed in print to the general public and allow interested readers to learn more about a subject from different angles. The Creative Commons licencing arrangement is consistent with the Trust’s commitment to open access in science and biomedical publishing and will allow the content of ‘Mosaic’ to be available to the widest possible audience.

‘Mosaic’ has commissioned several well-known journalists and writers to contribute pieces. These include Carl Zimmer, Rose George, Virginia Hughes, Ed Yong and Jenny Diski. While Wellcome Trust funded research in the fields of biomedical science and medical humanities will be covered, the content of ‘Mosaic’ will not be limited to this research. Editorial policy will be established to ensure there is transparency if Trust-funded research is featured.

Mark Henderson, Head of Communications at the Wellcome Trust said: "The Wellcome Trust is committed to engaging the public with the areas of research we support and encouraging discussion around the contributions and challenges they bring. Digital technology now gives us the chance to do this by supporting great journalism and sharing it with the large but poorly-served general audience with an affinity for science. We hope Mosaic will help to give life science, and the many issues it raises, a more central place in the national and international conversation."

Source
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...021714.php [Wellcome Trust press release; accessed 19 February 2014].

Voyager: a new company tackling CNS disease via gene therapy

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A new biotechnology company called Voyager Therapeutics was launched this week with the goal of developing gene therapies for diseases of the central nervous system (CNS). The scientific founders of Voyager Therapeutics are experts in the fields of adeno-associated virus (AAV) gene therapy, RNA biology, including RNA interference, and neuroscience. They include the University of Massachusetts researchers Phillip D. Zamore, PhD and Guangping Gao, PhD, Mark Kay, MD, PhD of Stanford University and Krystof Bankiewicz, MD, PhD of the University of California.

Voyager Therapeutics will exploit the expertise of the founders by focusing on an AAV approach to gene therapy. This may transform treatment for a range of devastating CNS disease by allowing one-time therapies. The company will concentrate on sometimes problematic areas in AAV research including vector optimization and engineering, dosing techniques, and process development and production. The company already has multiple clinical and preclinical product programmes underway for CNS diseases, for example an on-going collaborative Parkinson’s disease Phase 1b study with researchers at the University of California and preclinical programmes for a monogenic form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Friedreich’s ataxia.

AAV has emerged over the past decade as a promising gene therapy approach, with good safety profiles and effectiveness as a delivery vehicle. Development of AAV vectors that facilitate delivery to the brain and spinal cord means it is well placed for development of CNS disease therapies. AAV production has also become more commercially attractive in recent times, with developments in scalability and cost effectiveness of production.

Voyager’s proposed suite of gene therapies will include both gene replacement and gene knockdown techniques, depending on the disease to be targeted. These techniques can either increase or decrease production of relevant target proteins as appropriate. Thus, the therapy gets to the heart of the disease’s underlying biology.

Mark Levin, interim chief executive officer of Voyager and partner at Third Rock, is optimistic about the future of gene therapy in general. He says: “We believe the time is right for gene therapy, and we have assembled the expertise, technology and strategies to translate the promise of AAV gene therapy into breakthrough treatments for patients with these devastating CNS diseases.”

Voyager’s future will be bolstered by licencing agreements with the University of Massachusetts, the University of California and Stanford University, which allows the fledgling company to access relevant technology and data. This includes intellectual property on RNA interference technology discovered at the University of Massachusetts, Parkinson’s disease clinical data from the University of California and AAV intellectual property at Stanford.

Source
http://www.umassmed.edu/news/2014/resear...apies.aspx [UMass Medical School press release; accessed 19 February 2014].

Duckweed: tiny plant with big biofuel potential

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Duckweed, a ‘forever young’ tiny floating plant with one of the smallest known plant genomes, may be about to become big in the field of biofuel production. The complete genome of Greater Duckweed (Spirodela polyrhiza) has this week been detailed and analysed in comparison to other plants such as rice and tomatoes, in a publication from researchers in institutions in the USA and Germany. The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.

Duckweed, a tiny floating plant with a few thin, underwater roots and a single small kidney-shaped leaf, is generally considered to be an annoyingly difficult-to-control weed, growing in ponds and small lakes. It is very fast-growing and can double its population over the course of a couple of days if conditions are favourable. However, it has also been commercially exploited to clean contaminated water and as a pharmaceutical source to produce pharmaceuticals. Its rapid growth, the lack of any need to hold itself upright or transport water from its roots to its leaves and its small content of woody materials like lignin and cellulose make it an ideal candidate for biofuel production. Added to that is its ease of harvesting compared to biofuel-producing microbes.

The sequencing of the Spirodela polyrhiza genome has revealed it to have one of the smallest known plant genomes. There are about 158 million base pairs containing fewer than 20,000 protein-encoding genes. The plant has what senior author Joachim Messing of Rutgers University describes as “a forever-young lifestyle” in which as they mature, they continuously produce cotyledon leaves, that is embryonic leaves inside plant seeds. This prolonging of juvenile traits is called "neoteny." The genome sequencing project revealed that S. polyrhiza had fewer genes to promote and more genes to repress the switch from juvenile to mature growth. This arrest in development allowed the research team to “uncover regulatory networks that are required for differentiation and development," according to Dr Messing.

Importantly in terms of biofuel production, the genome analysis also revealed the molecular basis of the low woody material content of duckweed. The plant lacked many of the genes responsible for cellulose and lignin production in land dwelling plants and had fewer copies of the ones that were present. Meanwhile, genes for compounds associated with cell wall and root growth, called "expansins", were also reduced. Among genes which were retained were those for starch production, probably used for creation of starch-filled turions. These are buds which aquatic plants use to allow them to dwell at the bottom of ponds during winter and revive in warmer weather. Interestingly, S. polyrhiza has more copies of genes for enzymes involved in nitrogen absorption and metabolism than in other plants despite its overall tiny genome. This would contribute to the plant's ability to clean up contaminated water by utilising excess nitrogen.

Overall, the genome analysis will contribute to thorough understanding of the genome and cellular mechanisms of S. polyrhiza and hence to current efforts to recruit duckweed as a biofuel source. Dr Messing estimates that duckweed will be a viable biofuel source as soon as in the next five years. Indeed, he points out that a New Jersey company called Ceres Energy Group is already producing electricity from duckweed. Genome analysis will allow exploitation of traits that are advantageous in biofuel production, such as reduced cellulose or increased starch, in development of new duckweed varieties.

Dr Messing concludes that: "The sequencing of this genome opens new frontiers in the molecular biology of aquatic plants….This publication represents the single largest advance in this field and a new milestone in plant molecular biology and evolution, as previous studies were either classical botany or biochemistry of photosynthesis. The placement of the Spirodela genome as a basal monocot species will serve as a new reference for all flowering plants."

Sources

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...021414.php [DOE/Joint Genome Institute press release; accessed 19 February 2014].

WANG,W., HABERER, G., GUNDLACH, H., GLÄßER, C., NUSSBAUMER, T., LUO, M.C., LOMSADZE, A., BORODOVSKY, M., KERSTETTER, R.A., SHANKLIN, J., BYRANT, D.W., MOCKLER, T.C., APPENROTH, K.J., GRIMWOOD, J., JENKINS, J., CHOW, J., CHOI, C., ADAM, C., CAO, X.H., FUCHS, J., SCHUBERT, I., ROKHSAR, D., SCHMUTZ, J., MICHAEL, T.P., MAYER, K.F.X. and MESSING, J., 2014. The Spirodela polyrhiza genome reveals insights into its neotenous reduction fast growth and aquatic lifestyle. Nature Communications, Vol. 5 (19 February 2014), doi:10.1038/ncomms4311

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E.coli mRNA breakdown results in dramatic improvements in recombinant protein produc

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MazF is an E.coli enzyme that degrades cellular mRNA in a targeted fashion, at the "ACA" sequence. By modifying all "ACA" triplets in the target gene, a study showed that induction of MazF toxin caused degradation of E.coli cellular mRNA but the recombinant gene transcription and protein synthesis continued, causing significant accumulation of high quality target protein.

For years, GenScript has been the industry leader in synthetic DNA technology. As performed in this study, we codon-optimize the target gene to eliminate any unnecessary sequence elements which also helps achieve high levels of soluble expression. With its robust gene-to-protein service offerings, GenScript will be a reliable partner throughout your protein production campaign.



BacPower™ Customized service – what's included
> State-of-the-art OptimumGene™ gene design technology
> Sub-cloning and expression optimization
> Pilot scale protein expression and purification
> Protein characterization

E.coli mRNA breakdown results

biotechnlogy laborarotory courses

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Hi,
I have BSc in Biotechnology, but no experience, what courses, certificates are useful for employers ? I want to work in laboratory so I'm looking for courses like ISO 17025 etc. do you know any in UK? what would I need to work in lab in UK?

porn .

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Protein C Tag Antibody (HPC4)

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Protein C (HPC4) tag encodes residues 6 through 17 of the protein C heavy chain. Compared with the His tag, Protein C tag can capture higher purity proteins from

Escherichia coli, yeast, Drosophila, and HeLa extracts.
GenScript has developed highly specific and sensitive Protein C tag antibodies for detection and analysis of fusion proteins with Protein C tag.

(Yesterday 06:34 PM)Genscriptlorraine Wrote:  Protein C (HPC4) tag encodes residues 6 through 17 of the protein C heavy chain. Compared with the His tag, Protein C tag can capture higher purity proteins from

Escherichia coli, yeast, Drosophila, and HeLa extracts.
GenScript has developed highly specific and sensitive Protein C tag antibodies for detection and analysis of fusion proteins with Protein C tag.

GenScript has developed highly specific and sensitive Protein C tag antibodies for detection and analysis of fusion proteins with Protein C tag.
http://www.genscript.com/antibody/A01774...c=backlink

Nanoparticles as ‘Trojan horses’ to tackle inflammatory disease

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A new study has described how albumin nanoparticles loaded with an anti-inflammatory drug can be targeted to neutrophils which cause injury by building up at the site of injury while sparing circulating neutrophils. The study from the University of Illinois in Chicago was published online in Nature Nanotechnology on February 23rd. The study could point the way forward to resolve the problem of targeting anti-inflammatory medication effectively to the cells causing damage while allowing other immune cells to remain in circulation to come into play when needed.

Neutrophils are circulating granulocytic cells that accumulate in response to signals at the site of infection and/or injury. When there, they engulf microbes and debris in a process known as phagocytosis, as well as releasing mediators that can help resolve the infection and promote healing. However, in some cases neutrophils can have a damaging effect, for example in chronic and acute inflammatory disease conditions. In these cases, neutrophils can accumulate at the blood vessel wall, sticking both to each other and the endothelium. This can be problematic particularly in some respiratory conditions, for example in the case of acute lung injury when it can lead to severe breathing difficulties and can be fatal if ineffectively treated.

Nanoparticles have risen in prominence in recent years as a way to target therapies in a variety of conditions including some cancers. In this case, the researchers exploited the fact that adhesive neutrophils express cell surface Fcɣ receptors which circulating neutrophils lack or express at a much reduced level. The researchers used a mouse model treated with an inflammatory cytokine called tumour necrosis factor to induce vascular inflammation. The albumin nanoparticles in the study could adhere to the Fcɣ receptors, targeting them to the adherent neutrophils and they were labelled with a fluorescent dye so their location could be studied in real time. The nanoparticles were loaded with an anti-inflammatory tyrosine kinase inhibitor called piceatannol. When delivered to the adherent neutrophils, this drug interfered with the integrin-mediated adhesive signalling pathways inside the neutrophils, causing them to become detached and released into the circulation.

Dr Asrar Malik, senior author on the paper, is confident that this type of nanoparticle technology can improve therapy in inflammatory diseases, which is currently reliant on corticosteroids and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. These are unselective, broad-range drugs with significant side-effects. Dr Malik concluded: "The nanoparticle is very much like a Trojan horse….It binds to a receptor found only on these activated, sticky neutrophils, and the cell automatically engulfs whatever binds there. Because circulating neutrophils lack these receptors, the system is incredibly precise and targets only those immune cells that are actively contributing to inflammatory disease."

Sources:

Wang,Z., Li, J., Cho, J. and Malik, A.B., 2014. Prevention of vascular inflammation by nanoparticle targeting of adherent neutrophils. Nature Nanotechnology (2014); doi:10.1038/nnano.2014.17

Press release from University of Illinois; available from: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...022114.php [Accessed 24 February 2014].

Human evolution in the genomic era | 1-4 April 2014 | Leicester UK

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Human evolution in the genomic era: Origins, populations and phenotypes

Organisers: EMBO; contact Chiara Batini or Mark Jobling (University of Leicester) embo2014humanevolution@gmail.com

Dates: April 1st- 4th, 2014

Location: College Court Conference Centre, Leicester, UK

Website: http://events.embo.org/14-human-evo/
The website gives all the necessary information on abstract submission, fees, registration, conference agenda, hotel, exhibitions and other important facts.

Purpose of the conference

“Molecular studies of human evolution have undergone an extraordinary transformation in the last decade. The analysis of human genetic diversity has shifted from locus-specific to genome-wide, with new molecular techniques and informatic methods, and their application in large-scale collaborative projects. This revolution is providing new insights into the human past, into mutation rates and recombination processes, and into adaptation and the molecular and evolutionary basis of genetic disease. This EMBO Conference aims to provide an accessible opportunity for early-career researchers and PhD students to exchange ideas and knowledge with each other, and with key senior investigators who have contributed some of the major advances. The meeting represents a dynamic and stimulating forum for discussing the state of the art and future of this field.”

Topics:
• Human genome sequence variation
• New frontiers in sequencing technologies
• Processes shaping human genome diversity
• Making inferences from genome diversity
• Humans as apes
• What genetic changes made us human?
• The function of the human genome
• Origins of modern humans
• Crossing disciplinary boundaries
• The global distribution of genome diversity
• Migrating out of Africa
• The impact of agriculture
• Into new-found lands
• Phenotypic variation among humans
• Evolutionary aspects of simple and complex disease
• The personal genome

Confirmed Speakers

Guido Barbujani, Universita' di Ferrara, Italy
Ewan Birney, European Bioinformatic Institute, UK
Carlos Bustamante, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA
Lounes Chikhi, CNRS Toulouse, France
Vincenza Colonna, Institute of Genetics and Biophysics - ABT, Italy
Graham Coop, UC Davis, USA
Anna Di Rienzo, University of Chicago, USA
Richard Durbin, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, UK
Pascal Gagneux, UC San Diego, USA
Garrett Hellenthal, University College London, UK
Brenna Henn, Stony Brook University, USA
Turi King, University of Leicester, UK
Tomas Marques-Bonet, Institut Biologia Evolutiva (Universitat Pompeu Fabra/CSIC), Spain
Joanna Mountain, 23andme, US
Mark Pagel, University of Reading, UK
Sohini Ramachandran, Brown University, USA
Aylwyn Scally, University of Cambridge, UK
Mark Shriver, Pennsylvania State University, USA


Who are the organisers?

This is an EMBO conference. The local organisers are Prof Mark Jobling and Dr Chiara Batini of the Department of Genetics in the University of Leicester. They can be contacted at the email address given above. Further details on the organisers and co-organisers can be accessed via the conference website given above.

Melanoma early detection method patented

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The University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) have announced that researchers in their Cell Biology and Histology Department have patented a method for diagnosis and prognosis of cutaneous melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. This method should assist in earlier diagnosis of melanoma and help in developing personalised treatments. The patent has been filed with the Spanish Patents and Trademarks Office, reference P10196ES00.

Melanoma arises from transformation of melanocytes, which are the melanin-synthesising cells of the body. Melanin is essential for protection from harmful effects of solar radiation. Melanoma is one of the less common skin cancers but it has the highest mortality rate due to its high metastatic potential. The key to successful treatment is early diagnosis, as “patients with early-stage melanoma have a survival rate of 95%, while 5-year survival falls to 50% in patients with metastasis,” according to Dr Yoana Arroyo, one of the researchers contributing to the patented method.

The patented method arose from research in the Tumour Markers and New Therapies research group of the Department of Cell Biology and Histology in UPV/EHU. The group were interested in identifying markers which could reliably distinguish between melanoma cells versus normal, untransformed melanocytes. An approach was adopted based on comparing gene expression data, mutational analysis and epigenetic data.

The group were able to confirm that the melanoma cells have characteristic patterns of gene and protein expression which distinguished tumour versus non-tumour status. Furthermore, they have developed a method to identify cells with higher invasive capacity which are most likely to metastasise. Thus the patented method includes new molecular biomarkers that are relevant in melanoma diagnosis, prognosis and susceptibility.

Dr Arroyo concluded: “This diagnosis method is a way of identifying those patients who are more likely to develop metastasis, so that their treatment and survival can be improved. This study could also open up new avenues of research for the development of new, more personalised treatments.”

Source

UPV/EHU press release; available at: http://www.basqueresearch.com/berria_ira...wttJLavnIU [Accessed 24 February 2014].

Industrial Applications of Paint Thinner

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paint thinner is a solvent used to thin oil based paints and they have a flash point of 40 Degree Celsius. Paint thinner has many similarities in chemical and physical properties with charcoal starter. Mineral spirits, acetone, mineral turpentine, dimethyl formamide and methyl ethyl ketone are some examples of paint thinners. Mineral spirits is petroleum derived liquor which is used in painting and decorating. It is a mixture of aliphatic as well as alicyclic hydrocarbon chemical compounds. Ethyl benzene and xylene are sometimes used in the production of paint thinners. White spirit is commonly used as an extraction solvent, degreasing solvent as well as an aerosol solvent. It is produced by hydrodesulphurization and hydrogenation of petroleum compounds. Acetone is another prominent paint thinner compound which is a colourless and flammable liquid. Acetone can be dissolved in water and is used for cleaning purpose in the laboratory. It is an ingredient of nail polish remover used in households. True turpentine is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resins and other chemical substances. Making paint thinner at home is very simple and it is a money saving option too. A hardware or home improvement store can render the service of paint thinning at affordable costs. Adding too much of thinning oil is not recommended for paint thinning chemical process. Let us look in detail how to make a paint thinner solution at home.

Steps Involved in Making Paint Thinner

Get a container for thinning paint

Add Paint to the container

Add paint thinner to the paint

Mix and evaluate the paint

Tamoxifen targets fungal infections: a new use for an old drug?

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A new use for the breast cancer drug tamoxifen could bring new hope for HIV/AIDS patients affected by the fungus Cryptococcosis. This fungus causes either pneumonia or the brain infection meningoencephalitis and manifests mainly in HIV/AIDS patients due to their immunosuppressed status. It causes more deaths in this population than, for example, tuberculosis. Overall, it is responsible for approximately 620,000 deaths internationally each year. The study, led by researchers in the laboratory of Dr Damian Krysan in the University of Rochester in the USA, was a response to the fact that therapies for this disease have not substantially advanced since the 1950s and that the gold standard treatment of amphotericin B and 5-flucytosine is not readily available in areas like sub-Saharan Africa where it is most needed. In these areas, fluconazole is standardly used for treatment of Cryptococcosis, being cheaper and more readily available, but unfortunately it is also much less effective.

The current study, to be published in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM.), follows a growing trend of re-examining old drugs to see if they are effective against targets different from their normal uses. Tamoxifen is a breast cancer drug, but in clinical microbiological tests Dr Krysan’s group discovered that it was effective in killing Cryptococcus. Importantly, it acted synergistically with fluconazole; combining the drugs resulted in four-times greater effectiveness than using either alone. The study also showed that tamoxifen uses a different strategy in killing Cryptococcus compared to how it works against breast cancer. It targets calmodulin-related proteins. This offers an important clue as to the types of strategies that may be important developing newer drugs to target Cryptococcus; the researchers found that if tamoxifen was modified to be more effective in interfering with calmodulin, it also became more effective in killing the fungus.

Dr Krysan concluded that: "This work sets the stage for additional animal studies to see if tamoxifen can be used as a drug in people and will allow us to design new drugs related to tamoxifen that are better antifungals".

Sources

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...020614.php

Perka miska

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Kodel Perkame miska?

Miskuprojektai Perku miska dar suteikia visas su miskininkyste susijusias paslaugas visoje valstybes rajonuose. Gailme garantija darbo darbo kokybe uzsakovo miske zaliuose plotuose, tai pasitiki Miskuprojektai stipreja, ir darbeliu apimtys sparciai auga.

Musu siekis – ilgas atnaujinimas i misko zaliuosius plotus, nesiekiant mazos pelno, o ivertinant visus zaliuju plotu teikiamus pliusus. Nors perkame miska yra vitik nauja bendrove, bet joje darbuojasi didelia darbo patirti eglynuose turincius jaunas ir verzlus kolektyvas. Tai paspartina musms visada buti priekyje ir uztikrinti palankias kainas ir susitartas salygas misko pardavejams.

[Image: perkumiska9.jpg]

Kas tai Perku miska?

Su zeme. miskelio pardavimas su zemele – tai juridinis susitarimas, kurio pasekoje tiek zaliavine mediena, tiek ir pati misko zemele palieka pirkejo zinia. Kuo tai naudinga pardavejams? Atskydamas paprastas – daugeliu momentu Jus nereikia moketi GPM (gyventoju pajamu mokescio), ir perleidziate prievole pasirupinti misko atauginimu ir su tuo susijusias islaidavimus. Dar daugiau – po misko kirtimo ir atzeldinimo nereiks ideti i mazo jaunuolyno prieziura bei skatinima ateityje. Ir, miskelio supirkimas su zeme suteikia Miskuprojektai, greiciau, operatyviau dar nedideliais sumomis suruosti ir suderinti kokybiska zaliuju plotu projekta, suteikti leidimus kirtimams.

Metreleptin wins FDA approval for lipodystrophy therapy

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The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved the drug metreleptin as a therapy for the rare metabolic disease lipodystrophy. Patients with lipodystrophy are deficient in the hormone leptin; meterleptin is a drug form of this hormone. Lipodystrophy is extremely rare, having been reported in 300-500 people internationally. It can be inherited or acquired and is characterised by almost complete absence of fat tissue either from birth or developing during childhood. Despite their extremely lean and muscular body shape, patients paradoxically suffer from diseases such as severe diabetes and high blood pressure due to elevations of triglyceride levels. This leaves them extremely susceptible to cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Standard treatment for lipodystrophy has up until now focused on high-dose insulin to tackle diabetes plus triglyceride- or lipid-lowering medications. The newly approved drug, metreleptin, works by curbing appetite and normalising metabolism. Dr. Abhimanyu Garg, Chief of the Division of Nutrition and Metabolic Diseases at University of Texas (UT) Southwestern initiated the first metreleptin trial in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health (NIH). He says: “Many lipodystrophy patients have benefited from leptin therapy. While it is not a cure, leptin does help manage complications that can include diabetes, high blood lipids, and accumulation of fat in the liver.” Dr Garg’s research first led to identification of mutations in the gene that lipodystrophy.

However, the potential therapeutic potential of leptin was discovered almost by accident due to serendipitous creation of a leptin-deficient mouse model of generalized lipodystrophy by Nobel Laureates Dr. Michael Brown and Dr. Joseph Goldstein while researching cholesterol metabolism. When these mice were injected with leptin, it was discovered that their appetite was suppressed and that their insulin resistance, diabetes, and fatty liver improved. This led to the suggestion that Dr Garg try leptin as a therapeutic in lipodystrophy in humans. The first clinical trial was carried out by UT Southwestern in collaboration with the NIH’s National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the pharmaceutical company Amgen. In 2002, the researchers reported that leptin therapy indeed controlled insulin resistance and triglyceride levels in lipodystrophy patients as well as decreasing build-up of fat in the liver. When used in human lipodystrophy patients, an appropriate dose can remove the need for insulin or at least for high-dose insulin treatment.

Dr. Garg, in collaboration with the NIH and Amgen, holds both U.S. and European patents in collaboration for use of leptin for lipodystrophy treatment. Bristpl-Myers Squibb acquired rights to the leptin molecular franchise in 2006 via their subsidiary, Amylin Pharmaceuticals. Dr Gard is currently a consultant for Bristol-Myers Squibb, who make metreleptin in partnership with AstraZeneca.

Source:
UT Southwestern Medical Centre press release; available at http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2...022514.php

Das Erste ' Barfuß ' Tactical Boot

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Nike Free Run online kaufen gefunden werden kann in Sie brauchen . Dieser Schuh ist für ist perfekt für Männer und Frauen und wird werde a großes Geschenk für Familie oder Freunde. Sie sind in der Lage, benutzerdefinierte Größe Ihrer Schuhe zu , auf diese Weise mit dieser Methode Sie werden auf jeden Fall erhalten ideal die beste Passform . Wenn man Nike auf der Website können Sie Sie sind in der Lage, mit Ihrem , diese Weise Sie wissen, wo Ihre Schuhe und nicht nicht andere Person ' s . Das ist besuchte mit vielen verschiedene Stile kostenlos Produktlinie . Dies bietet Ihnen wird Ihnen Auswahl für die genießen besten basierend auf für die Art, sie passen bestimmt durch sie können fit . Es ist schön, mit die Fähigkeit, entscheiden ein riesiger Auswahl von vielen verschiedenen Farben und Stilen und Moden , diese Strategie Schuh ist besonders nur durch und Möglichkeiten, in denen Sie erscheinen . Nike-Schuhe sind a die Haupt Hip -Hop-Kultur und es auch es ' s eine immer angenehm zu erleben a Schuh, der passt zu bekommen waren angewandt auf Ihr Outfit , ob es s Wahrnehmung oder vielleicht oder nur , weil .

Nike Free 5.0 herren schweiz hat erneut die Messlatte für Schuhtechnologie mit wegen ihrer top boot . Die Kombination nichts, was man vor gesehen habe gesehen alleinige Flexibilität mit ultra- Leichtbau und plus kühl und schnell trocknend oberen , damit wahrscheinlich die desert Boots auf dem Markt heute . Nicht nur Neben nur über die Stiefel, der SFB gehört zu den , dass man kaufen . Gewichtung in bei 15,9 Unzen es sein kann 54 können die Gewicht eines regulären Militärstiefel . Das Körpergewicht gefangen in diesem Buch erlaubt dem Träger Suche weiter und schneller wenn sie im Vergleich ein herkömmlicher Boot. Gewicht auf die um die manövrieren im Gegensatz bis gleiche Menge an woanders auf den menschlichen Körper . Schuhe|Jede Unze ist gefangen in in Mittel für mit dem Träger.

Phyllis ist Nike Free 3.0 kaufen 's Weiterentwicklung der auf der beliebten EVA ( vernetzte Schaum hergestellt aus Ethylen und Vinylacetat in Handarbeit ) das ist der zusammen t von Zellen Luft oder Gas enthalten ) . Da der beim Aufprall , Gas ist erforderlich dann nach Zellstruktur mit der auf dem Material . Doch im Laufe der Zeit wie die Zeit vergeht, Inhalt meisten seinen Widerstand und reagiert nicht zur gleichen Zeit . Phyllis ist zu vermuten, sollte sein a stärker und mehr beständige Ausführung der EVA . Diese Turnschuhe haben verwenden a separaten Gummisohle und Laufsohle macht die die macht steigert die verbessert das Gewicht. Die tiefen Flexkerben entlang der auf der RAISE|Flexibilität|Flexibilitätsbereich|Mobilität Flexionsbereich und Flexibilität. Dieser Schuh ist ideal für weil es reproduzieren versucht, die natürliches Gefühl von Barfußlaufen das ist werden heute recht weit verbreitet .

Große Überraschung

GenScript Launches GenPlus™ Next-Generation Gene Synthesis Technology, achieving mont

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GenScript, the world’s largest provider of synthetic genes, has launched a new GenPlus™ Next-Generation Gene Synthesis service, which offers unmatched capacity and cost-efficiency for custom gene synthesis.
Building upon over a decade of experience as the leading gene synthesis supplier in the US, GenScript has developed a new breakthrough technology: GenPlus™ Next-Generation Gene Synthesis. GenPlusTM combines the powers of parallel synthesis and automation to achieve a production capacity of over 100 million base-pairs per month, while maintaining GenScript’s commitment to providing 100% sequence fidelity and research-ready deliverables.
“We are very excited to launch this new platform of next generation gene synthesis. It catapults the global capacity of gene synthesis into a new level that has never before been reached,” said Frank Zhang, Ph.D., the CEO of GenScript. “We invite the world’s life science and biomedical research community to partner with us to explore the new research opportunities that are opened up with this unprecedented gene synthesis capacity.”
GenPlus™ offers an efficient high-capacity process that brings down the cost for research projects which require high-volume synthesis of hundreds or thousands of unique DNA sequences. As such, GenPlus™ expands researchers’ access to powerful research strategies. Large gene variant libraries enable efforts to engineer enzymes, metabolic circuits, genomes, and entirely new organisms. Rational design or random mutagenesis of DNA sequences can be used to systematically probe structure-function relationships and gene regulatory mechanisms. As a breakthrough in gene synthesis technology, GenPlusTM promises to spur innovation in disease therapeutics, agricultural technology, and energy, and to deepen our understanding the fundamental principles of biological systems.

About GenScript
Founded in 2002, GenScript is a leading biology CRO specializing in customized biology research services including gene and peptide synthesis, protein expression, antibody generation and drug discovery/development. GenScript is headquartered in Piscataway, NJ, with subsidiaries in Europe, Japan, and China all dedicated to providing biology research services to 86 countries worldwide. Learn more at http://www.genscript.com.

GenScript Launches GenPlus™ Next-Generation

A new Twist in the tale of triple-negative breast cancer

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A new study published in the journal Cancer Cell suggests that a nuclear protein known as Twist may point to a potential way forward in treatment of the clinically aggressive triple-negative form of breast cancer. Triple-negative breast cancer is characterised by an activated programme of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a process that allows cells to adapt to stressful environments. This is positive when contributing to processes such as embryonic development and wound healing but is unfortunately ‘hijacked’ by tumour cells to facilitate metastasis to secondary sites. It also makes tumour cells resemble stem cells, effectively ‘hiding’ them from therapeutic interventions. Twist is an accelerant of EMT, prompting the interest of researchers in the University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Centre to study it with respect to triple-negative breast cancer.

Triple-negative breast cancer is a particularly unpleasant form of this cancer, featuring high incidence of recurrence and metastasis to sites such as the brain and lung, factors which impact negatively on five year survival statistics. There is a lack of effective therapies for this form of breast cancer, making studies to elucidate its mechanisms even more important.

While Twist was known to be a transcriptional activator of EMT, the mechanism by which Twist exerts this activation was unclear. The Cancer Cell study revealed that Twist acts in an analogous manner to DNA viruses such as papillomaviruses. When these viruses enter the cell, they hijack host cell machinery for their own purposes to allow them to replicate and synthesis their viral DNA and proteins. A favourite target of DNA viruses is a nuclear transcriptional regulator called BRD4. Results of the Cancer Cell study showed that Twist similarly targets BRD4. Twist contains a histone H4-like domain which can bind to a bromodomain of BRD4. This creates a transcription-activating complex (Twist/BRD4/P-TEFb/RNA-Pol II) which targets transcription of the gene WNT5A. This in turn directs production of the protein Wnt-5a, which is implicated in oncogenesis. This process enhanced invasion and stem cell properties of triple-negative cancer cells. Pharmacological inhibition of BRD4 using the known inhibitors JQ1 and MS417 suppressed invasion, stem cell properties and tumourigenicity of these cells. Thus this study identifies a previously unrecognised interaction with BRD4 in directing oncogenic function of Twist in triple-negative breast cancer cells and provides a potential avenue for future drug development to treat this devastating disease. Dr Peter Zhou, the senior author of this paper, concluded that: "This finding has significant clinical ramification, because drugs that can target the Twist-BRD4 interaction provide a new hope for treating life-threatening triple-negative breast cancer."

Sources

University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center: http://uknow.uky.edu/content/new-uk-stud...st-cancers [Accessed 12 February 2014].

Shi, J. et al, 2014. Disrupting the Interaction of BRD4 with Diacetylated Twist Suppresses Tumorigenesis in Basal-like Breast Cancer. Cancer Cell, 25 (2) 10 February 2014, Pages 210–225
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