The locations at which joints arise during foetal development are essential for determining the final skeletal pattern and are also strongly implicated in a number of joint diseases. At present little is known about the complicated molecular mechanisms involved in joint formation. In the February Cell, researchers from the Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School suggest that Wnt-14 is essential in the initial steps of joint formation.Christine Hartmann and Clifford Tabin studied the early

Herpes simplex virus HSV1716 replicates in and kills melanoma tumour cells, suggesting a possible therapeutic use.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of conditions having an unknown cause, but with a genetic component clearly demonstrated by epidemiological and linkage studies. A link with chromosome 3 is suggested by observations of a gene, or perhaps multiple genes, involved in regulating immune function and inflammatory response that reside in this region of the genome.In the February issue of Gut, a team from the US, UK, Germany and the Netherlands published the results from a high resolution li

B in neutrophils may predict the risk of multiple organ dysfunction syndrome after major surgery.

The frequent ear infections suffered by some infants during the first two years of life can be difficult to treat. Most are caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, also responsible for chest infections in adults and for which there is already a vaccine. A team from the National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland tested the efficacy of the new conjugate pneumococcal vaccine in children and found that it can also be effective in the prevention of ear infections (N Engl J Med 2001, 344:403-409)

Portions of cyst-lining epithelia in the proximal tubules have lost the ability to endocytose and thus cannot reabsorb low-molecular-weight proteins.

Hyperthermia stimulates xanthine oxidase production of reactive oxygen species that limit heat tolerance by promoting circulatory and intestinal barrier dysfunction..

Inhalation of corn dust extract results in the development of chronic airway disease in mice sensitive to endotoxin but not in mice that are genetically hyporesponsive to endotoxi.

A new study concludes that MMR is not linked to autism because the incidence of autism continued to increase among boys from 1988 to 1993 while the MMR vaccine coverage in the UK was virtually constant.

and can be 97% sensitive and 92% specific for diagnosing specialised intestinal metaplasia.

PP1 suppression of Src tyrosine kinases can prevent the neuronal damage in strokes by influencing brain vessel permeability.The only established treatment for acute ischaemic stroke is thrombolysis, but this is associated with the risk of severe, sometimes life threatening haemorrhage. In the February issue of Nature Medicine researchers from The Scripps Research Institute in California suggest a potential new treatment for stroke.Tissue ischaemia results in an overproduction of vascular endothe

Raised baseline serum concentrations of mast-cell tryptase and mastocytosis are potential risk factors for severe allergic reactions to Hymenoptera venom.Anaphylactic reactions to honeybee and wasp stings (Hymenoptera stings) are common and vary in severity for reasons that are not clear. Systemic anaphylactic reactions are often accompanied by a temporary rise in tryptase concentrations that lasts for several hours. In 3 February Lancet Dagmar Ludolph-Hauser and colleagues from Ludwig-Maximilia