The most important mechanism by which neutrophils inactivate bacteria was thought to be mediated by reactive oxygen species and myeloperoxidase-catalysed halogenation. But in March 21 Nature, Emer Reeves and colleagues from University College London show that the killing activity of neutrophils works through activation of proteases by potassium ions (Nature 2002, 416:291-297).Reeves et al. found that mice made deficient in neutrophil-granule proteases but with normal superoxide production and io

Small tumors need blood vessels for growth but it is not clear whether aggregates of malignant cells can induce vascularization or whether these cells grow by co-opting preexisting vessels. In March 15 Journal of Clinical Investigation Peter Vajkoczy and colleagues from University of Heidelberg, Germany, show that new vessels occur as a continuing process of growth and remodeling, starting very early in tumor progression (J Clin Invest 2002, 109:777-785).Vajkoczy et al. used intravital epifluore

Iron (Fe) is taken up from the diet and is used by the body for oxygen transport in blood, oxygen storage in muscle tissue, and as an enzyme cofactor in the liver. In March 15 Science Thomas Walczyk and Friedhelm von Blanckenburg from Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich and University of Berne, Switzerland show that isotopic analysis of human blood and liver and muscle tissue indicates that each individual bears a long-term iron (Fe) isotope signature in the blood.Walczyk and von Blanc

Antibodies to a ubiquitous cytoplasmic enzyme can provoke joint-specific autoimmune disease.

The development of rhythmic forms of movement such as crawling and breathing is dependant on groups of pattern generating neurons in the central nervous system, but the sensory inputs involved remain unclear. In March 14 Nature, Maximiliano Suster and Michael Bate from University of Cambridge, UK, show that sensory transmission is not required for the development of a central circuit that is adequate for producing rhythmic movements.Suster and Bate engineered Drosophila embryos and larvae that h

Pleiotrophin may be an effective marker for small cell lung cancer, and for measuring the response to therapy.

It is generally thought that losses of twin embryos in very early pregnancy are high, with figures that suggest that for every liveborn twin pair a further 10-12 twin pregnancies end up as a singleton birth. But, in March 14 Nature, Stephen Tong and colleagues from Monash University, Victoria, Australia, show that the presence of one embryo does not affect at all the intra uterine development of its twin.Tong et al. used ultrasound to identify and follow-up 48 pregnant women who had double-ovula

CD137 signaling induces a CTL response leading to the regression of established tumors.

bacteria in filarial parasites have a major role in the corneal pathology of river blindness.

Psoriasis is a chronic skin inflammation that may involve bacterial superantigens, but the inflammatory mechanisms and T cell responses remain poorly understood. In March 1 Journal of Clinical Investigation Thomas Zollner and colleagues from JW Goethe University of Frankfurt, Germany, show that proteasome inhibition reduces superantigen-mediated T cell activation and the severity of psoriasis in a SCID-hu model.Zollner et al. used human psoriatic skin tissue engrafted onto mice and observed that

Under drought conditions organisms including nematodes, can enter a state of suspended animation known as anhydrobiosis. This process enables nematodes to survive until rehydration but the precise molecular control mechanisms remain unclear. In March 7 Nature, John Browne and colleagues from National University of Ireland Maynooth, describe a plant desiccation gene that is also found in a nematode.Browne et al. identified a strongly induced 675 base transcript in the anhydrobiotic nematode Aphel

-galactosylceramide can boost vaccine induced cellular immunity.