http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. As a new year approaches, the University of Notre Dame's John J. Reilly Center for Science, Technology and Values has announced its first annual list of emerging ethical dilemmas and policy issues in Science and Technology for 2013. http://phys.org/news274985570.html Other Sciences Mon, 17 Dec 2012 16:52:58 EST news274985570 The immune system recognizes and neutralizes or destroys toxins and foreign pathogens that have gained access to the body. Autoimmune diseases result when the system attacks the body's own tissues instead. One of the most common examples is multiple sclerosis (MS). MS is a serious condition in which nerve-cell projections, or axons, in the brain and the spinal cord are destroyed as a result of misdirected inflammatory reactions. It is often characterized by an unpredictable course, with periods of remission being interrupted by episodes of relapse. http://phys.org/news220449964.html Medicine & Health Sun, 27 Mar 2011 13:06:43 EST news220449964 A research team from China characterized the differentially expressed gene profiles in livers from biliary atresia (BA) patients. They found that RRAS gene and its related MAPK pathway are important regulatory modules in the pathogenesis of BA, which may serve as a novel prognostic marker for BA. http://phys.org/news218813930.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:30:01 EST news218813930 In the Old West, camps sent smoke signals across distances to share key developments or strategy. Likewise, two important signaling molecules communicate across nerve cells to regulate electrical and chemical activity, neuroscientists from the UT Health Science Center San Antonio reported today. http://phys.org/news213640497.html Chemistry Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:35:27 EST news213640497 A scientist from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute has devised a new method of analyzing and quantifying changes in proteins that result from a common chemical process. The new findings could provide new insights into the effects of a highly destructive form of stress on proteins in various disease models, particularly cancer. http://phys.org/news213530926.html Chemistry Thu, 06 Jan 2011 10:09:13 EST news213530926 The last two decades have seen tremendous progress in understanding the genetic basis of human brain disorders. Research developments in this area have revealed fundamental insights into the genes and molecular pathways that underlie neurological and psychiatric diseases. In a new series of review articles published by Cell Press in the October 21 issue of the journal Neuron, experts in the field discuss exciting recent advances in neurogenetics research and the potential implications for the treatment of these devastating disorders. http://phys.org/news206796481.html Medicine & Health Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:28:26 EST news206796481 (PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from the Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research (FMI) restore vision in retinitis pigmentosa using an archaebacterial protein. Introducing halorhodopsin into the remaining but nonfunctional cone photoreceptors of the retina of mice not only reactivates the cone cells' ability to interact with the rest of the visual system, it also prompts sophisticating visually guided behavior. http://phys.org/news198350972.html Medicine & Health Wed, 14 Jul 2010 20:00:02 EST news198350972 A research team from China focused on the effects of the chemokine stromal cell-derived factor-1 receptor (CXCR4) antagonist AMD3100 on the intestinal epithelial barrier. They found that CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 exerts therapeutic effects on experimental colitis by inhibiting colonic inflammation and enhancing epithelial barrier integrity. http://phys.org/news196596611.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Jun 2010 17:10:01 EST news196596611 Anti-inflammatory drugs appear to help block the rapid kidney destruction that can occur with hypertension, Medical College of Georgia researchers report. http://phys.org/news192792837.html Medicine & Health Tue, 11 May 2010 10:50:04 EST news192792837 New research provides exciting insight into the molecular mechanisms associated with addiction and relapse. The study, published by Cell Press in the March 11 issue of the journal Neuron, uncovers a crucial mechanism that facilitates motivation for alcohol after extended abstinence and opens new avenues for potential therapeutic intervention. http://phys.org/news187449503.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:30:02 EST news187449503 Scientists discover a gene in anthrax-causing bacteria may help defend against this form of bio-warfare. http://phys.org/news171628177.html Biology Tue, 08 Sep 2009 11:40:01 EST news171628177 Barrow Neurological Institute researchers have identified a novel receptor in the brain that is extremely sensitive to beta-amyloid peptide (AB) and may play a key role in early stages of Alzheimer's disease. http://phys.org/news166975011.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:57:12 EST news166975011 Researchers at NYU Langone Medical Center may have discovered a new targeted intervention for Barth Syndrome (BTHS). BTHS, a sometimes fatal disease, is a serious genetic disorder occurring predominantly in males that leads to infection or heart failure in childhood. The new study entitled, "Role of calcium-independent phospholipase A2 in the pathogenesis of Barth syndrome", was recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shows the benefits of targeted intervention with an iPLA2-VIA inhibitor that prevents a major symptom of the disease- cardiolipin deficiency. http://phys.org/news155227141.html Medicine & Health Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:42:30 EST news155227141