News & Opinion Articles | The Scientist Magazine®| Page 540

The first photosynthesis was purple

By William Wells(wells@biotext.com) | September 15, 2000

Molecular phylogenies of bacteria are mostly built on the analysis of conserved molecules such as 16S ribosomal RNA. But there is evidence for horizontal gene transfer of photosynthesis genes, so any debate about the origin of photosynthesis must look directly at the evolution of that gene group, independent of its bacterial host. This is what Xiong et al. undertake in the September 8 Science, using 100 kb of newly generated sequence that identifies many genes for photosynthetic pigment synthesi

0 Comments

vCJD could be transmitted through blood transfusions

By (medwire@sciencenow.com) | September 15, 2000

A study in sheep shows that BSE can be transmitted between individuals of the same species by whole blood transfusion.

0 Comments

Evidence that teaching hospitals have better survival outcomes

By (medwire@sciencenow.com) | September 14, 2000

Quality of care for acute MI patients is better in teaching hospitals, perhaps because they practice evidence-based medicine.

0 Comments

Stem cell transplant shrinks tumour metastases

By (medwire@sciencenow.com) | September 14, 2000

LONDON, 14 September (SPIS MedWire). Stem cell transplantation may offer hope to patients with advanced kidney cancer - usually considered an incurable illness. According to a report in today's New England Journal of Medicine, 19 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, which had not responded to conventional therapy, received low-dose chemotherapy and immunosuppression followed by stem cell transplantation from a related donor. In seven patients there was shrinkage of metastases, and thre

0 Comments

Bacterium or organelle?

By William Wells(wells@biotext.com) | September 13, 2000

In the 7 September Nature Shigenobu et al. report the complete sequence of Buchnera, an obligate resident of aphid cells (Nature 2000, 407:81-86). The sequence suggests that this bacterium is on its way to becoming an organelle. Buchnera looks most like Escherichia coli, but with a genome one seventh the size. It lacks genes for most regulatory proteins and for the biosynthesis of nonessential amino acids, cell-surface components (including lipopolysaccharides and phospholipids), and crucial DNA

0 Comments

Better chips through chemistry

By William Wells(wells@biotext.com) | September 13, 2000

Two papers in the September 8 Science are a testament to the speed at which biological chip formats and standards are evolving. Taton et al. expand on their established method for detecting DNA hybridization using gold nanoparticles attached to a probe (Science 2000, 289:1757-1760). The previous system took advantage of a color change induced upon nanoparticle aggregation, but a new method of nanoparticle-promoted reduction of a silver(I) substrate allows for signal amplification and detection u

0 Comments

Cracking cell signalling by sharing - not publishing

By Andrew McLaughlin | September 13, 2000

A new research programme is encouraging researchers to forgo publishing their results in academic journals and instead post them straight on the web.

0 Comments

MODY-fying gene expression in diabetes

By Jonathan Weitzman(jonathanweitzman@hotmail.com) | September 13, 2000

Identification of genes that are regulated by the transcription factor HNF1alpha may explain its involvement in MODY3 diabetes.

0 Comments

Smoking reduces myocardial flood flow; vitamin C restores flow

By (medwire@sciencenow.com) | September 13, 2000

A new study provides evidence that the damaging effect of smoking is at least in part accounted for by an increased oxidative stress.

0 Comments

Inflammation linked to reduced vasodilatation

By (medwire@sciencenow.com) | September 12, 2000

LONDON, September 11 (SPIS MedWire). Elevated levels of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) - indicative of systemic inflammation - are associated with a blunted systemic endothelial vasodilatation, report a team from Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt. Their findings, published in Circulation, add further credibility to the theory that the link between inflammation and cardiovascular risk is mediated by endothelial dysfunction. Fichtlschere et al measured forearm blood flow responses to

0 Comments