Total E-Clips

Total E-Clips No. 1947: November 20, 2009

TOTAL E-CLIPS Complete news and information delivered to your inbox every business day from the Foundation for Biomedical Research. No. 1947: November 20, 2009 To receive an HTML version of E-Clips, please e-mail subscribe@fbresearch.org and write “subscribe HTML” in the subject line. In the body, please provide your name, title, and company. FEATURE==================================== NEW 'SKIN' FROM STEM CELLS Embryonic stem cells, which can turn into a variety of cells in the body, can produce temporary skin that could help burn victims while they're waiting for skin grafts, new research with mice suggests. HealthDay News, 11/20. http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/healthday/2009/11/19/new-skin-from-stem-cells.html RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS========================== STEM CELLS 'COULD GIVE SIGHT BACK TO YOUNG' The first human trials of a stem cell therapy for an eye disease that causes blindness in young people could start next year. Studies with rats and mice have found that the therapy prevents further vision loss without adverse side effects. The Telegraph (UK), 11/20. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6610503/First-human-trials-for-stem-cell-blindness-therapy.html BREAST CANCER STUDY 'IDENTIFIES TUMOR-CAUSING ENZYME' Scientists have identified an enzyme that is crucial for turning breast tissue into tumors, according to a mouse study published in the journal Cell. BBC, 11/20. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8369377.stm UNRAVELING THE EVOLUTION OF THE BOX JELLYFISH Researchers have unraveled the evolutionary relationships among the various species of box jellyfish, thereby providing insight into the evolution of their toxicity. “By determining the relationships among the different box jellyfish, some of which are capable of killing a healthy human, this study can help in the future development of anti-venoms and treatments for their stings,” said the lead researcher. RedOrbit, 11/20. http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1788835/unraveling_the_evolution_of_the_box_jellyfish/index.html?source=r_science ANNOUNCEMENTS============================= VOTE TO SUPPORT FBR ON FACEBOOK! The Chase Bank Community Giving program is donating $5,000,000 to charities around the USA via Facebook. The Foundation for Biomedical research is one of the charities chosen to be in the running for a $25,000 donation. If you’re on Facebook, please vote for FBR at http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1074877?src=wallpost&ref=mf ACTIVIST NEWS=========================== Animal extremists at the North American Animal Liberation Front Press Office (NAALPO) and the blog Negotiation Is Over (NIO) have started their own new venture, the “Alliance for Progressive Science”, to counter the most recent efforts by pro-research groups such as FBR to educate the public about the importance of humane and responsible animal research. For more information about this new endeavor by the extremists, please contact info@fbresearch.org. EDITORIAL POLICY=========================== Total E-Clips is a news service from the Foundation for Biomedical Research, provided to subscribers strictly for informational purposes. Its objective is to provide subscribers with relevant and timely news articles of interest to the biomedical research community, particularly those dealing with the use of animals in research. Total E-Clips is compiled by conducting keyword searches. Generally, selections are chosen from major and medium market newspapers when they mention significant health- or research-related issues. We also monitor web sites and listservs maintained by animal activists and pass along items of interest. You may always write to the Foundation to obtain a copy of the original articles included in this service. Inclusion of an item in Total E-Clips does not in any way represent or imply an endorsement by FBR of the contents and or editorial comments contained therein. FBR does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of articles included in Total E-Clips. We welcome your comments at subscribe@fbresearch.org.

Total E-Clips No. 1946: November 19, 2009

TOTAL E-CLIPS Complete news and information delivered to your inbox every business day from the Foundation for Biomedical Research. No. 1946: November 19, 2009 To receive an HTML version of E-Clips, please e-mail subscribe@fbresearch.org and write “subscribe HTML” in the subject line. In the body, please provide your name, title, and company. FEATURE==================================== BOOSTING COGNITION IN DOWN SYNDROME Boosting the level of a brain chemical reverses learning impairments in a mouse model of Down syndrome, researchers report. The work adds to emerging evidence that cognition-enhancing drugs may one day help humans with Down syndrome lead more independent lives. Science, 11/18. http://sciencenow.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/2009/1118/3 RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS========================== DISCOVERY OF FAT GENE IN MICE MAY HELP HUMANS A new report suggests Stuart Little may one day want to toss his calorie counter. Mice apparently have a fat gene, that when deactivated, keeps rodents on high-fat diets thin. Detroit News, 11/19. http://detnews.com/article/20091119/METRO/911190367/Paper-Chase--Discovery-of-fat-gene-in-mice-may-help-humans ELDERLY WORSE HIT BY VIRUSES AS BODY 'FIGHTS TOO HARD' Elderly people succumb to viruses more often than the young because their natural defenses work too hard. Far from being weaker, older people's immune systems tend to overreact when they come into contact with an infection, a study with mice has suggested. The Telegraph (UK), 11/19. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6597860/Elderly-people-succumb-to-viruses-because-their-immune-systems-work-too-hard.html DRUG STUDIED AS POSSIBLE TREATMENT FOR SPINAL INJURIES Researchers working with guinea pigs have shown how an experimental drug might restore the function of nerves damaged in spinal cord injuries by preventing short circuits caused when tiny "potassium channels" in the fibers are exposed. Purdue University, 11/19. http://news.uns.purdue.edu/x/2009b/091119ShiSpinal.html WHAT A MOUSE WITH ‘GOLDEN EARS’ CAN TELL US ABOUT OLDER BRAINS In new research published in the Neurobiology of Aging, scientists have created a mouse model that is comparable to an older adult who has the ears of a healthy 20-year-old but the brain of that 20-year-old’s great-grandmother. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, 11/18. http://www.nidcd.nih.gov/news/releases/09/11_18_09.htm LYME DISEASE VACCINE? TICK SALIVA FOUND TO PROTECT MICE FROM LYME DISEASE A protein found in the saliva of ticks helps protect mice from developing Lyme disease, researchers have discovered. Yale University, 11/19. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111410.htm TEEN BRAIN WIRED DIFFERENTLY Researchers say magnetic resonance imaging scans in mice show teen brains do differ from adult brains. UPI, 11/19. http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2009/11/19/Study-Teen-brain-wired-differently/UPI-22111258653872/ ANNOUNCEMENTS============================= NIGMS 'CHALLENGE' AREAS GET MILLIONS IN RECOVERY ACT FUNDS The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS), part of the National Institutes of Health, has invested $16.4 million of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) funds to jump-start a range of research projects that address critical gaps in the basic biomedical and behavioral sciences. National Institutes of Health, 11/19. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2009/nigms-19.htm VOTE TO SUPPORT FBR ON FACEBOOK! The Chase Bank Community Giving program is donating $5,000,000 to charities around the USA via Facebook. The Foundation for Biomedical research is one of the charities chosen to be in the running for a $25,000 donation. If you’re on Facebook, please vote for FBR at http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1074877?src=wallpost&ref=mf ACTIVIST NEWS=========================== ACTIVIST INDICTED FOR ALLEGED ROLE IN SPENCE LABS VANDALISM A federal grand jury has indicted a Minnesota activist for conspiracy for his alleged role in causing nearly half a million dollars in damage to a University of Iowa laboratory in 2004. Iowa City Press-Citizen, 11/19. http://www.press-citizen.com/article/20091119/NEWS01/91119005/1079/Activist-indicted-for-alleged-role-in-Spence-Labs-vandalism EDITORIAL POLICY=========================== Total E-Clips is a news service from the Foundation for Biomedical Research, provided to subscribers strictly for informational purposes. Its objective is to provide subscribers with relevant and timely news articles of interest to the biomedical research community, particularly those dealing with the use of animals in research. Total E-Clips is compiled by conducting keyword searches. Generally, selections are chosen from major and medium market newspapers when they mention significant health- or research-related issues. We also monitor web sites and listservs maintained by animal activists and pass along items of interest. You may always write to the Foundation to obtain a copy of the original articles included in this service. Inclusion of an item in Total E-Clips does not in any way represent or imply an endorsement by FBR of the contents and or editorial comments contained therein. FBR does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of articles included in Total E-Clips. We welcome your comments at subscribe@fbresearch.org.

Total E-Clips No. 1945: November 18, 2009

TOTAL E-CLIPS Complete news and information delivered to your inbox every business day from the Foundation for Biomedical Research. No. 1945: November 18, 2009 To receive an HTML version of E-Clips, please e-mail subscribe@fbresearch.org and write “subscribe HTML” in the subject line. In the body, please provide your name, title, and company. FEATURE==================================== UGANDA: OUT OF THE WILD PBS' Frontline program features an excellent episode focused on a wildlife reserve in Uganda, discussing how diseases spread from animals to humans, and vice versa. PBS, 11/18. http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/uganda901/video_index.html RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS========================== NANOPARTICLES CAUSE GENETIC DAMAGE IN MICE A new study has shown titanium dioxide nanoparticles found in numerous household items can cause systemic genetic damage in mice. UPI, 11/17. http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2009/11/17/Nanoparticles-cause-genetic-damage-in-mice/UPI-25751258490530/ MORPHINE MAY HELP TUMORS SPREAD IN CANCER PATIENTS Two new studies, one with mice, add to growing evidence that morphine and other opiate-based painkillers may promote the growth and spread of cancer cells. HealthDay News, 11/18. http://www.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=633194 NEW ON-OFF 'SWITCH' TRIGGERS AND REVERSES PARALYSIS IN ANIMALS WITH A BEAM OF LIGHT In an advance with overtones of Star Trek phasers and other sci-fi ray guns, scientists are reporting development of an internal on-off "switch" that paralyzes animals when exposed to a beam of ultraviolet light. American Chemical Society, 11/18. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/acs-no111809.php SIGHT GONE, BUT NOT NECESSARILY LOST? Researchers find that when some cells in the mouse retina are not properly fed by blood vessels, they can remain alive for many months and can later recover some or all of their normal function, suggesting that similar conditions in people may also be reversible. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 11/18. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091031002323.htm RESEARCHERS ADVANCE UNDERSTANDING OF STEM CELLS Researchers working with mice have identified a gene that tells embryonic stem cells in the brain when to stop producing nerve cells called neurons. North Carolina State University, 11/17. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091117102034.htm SURVIVORS: ANIMAL RESEARCH HELPS ANIMALS===================== WILL VACCINE KEEP YOUR PET FROM GETTING SICK AS A DOG? You can get vaccinated against influenza, and now Fluffy and Spot can, too - but vets disagree on whether pets should get flu shots. North Platte Telegraph (Neb.), 11/18. http://www.nptelegraph.com/articles/2009/11/18/news/60004681.txt ANNOUNCEMENTS============================= VOTE TO SUPPORT FBR ON FACEBOOK! The Chase Bank Community Giving program is donating $5,000,000 to charities around the USA via Facebook. The Foundation for Biomedical research is one of the charities chosen to be in the running for a $25,000 donation. If you’re on Facebook, please vote for FBR at http://apps.facebook.com/chasecommunitygiving/charities/1074877?src=wallpost&ref=mf ACTIVIST NEWS=========================== PETA has sent out an action alert claiming that the organization will be protesting against a new NASA radiation study with monkeys. The protest is scheduled for 11am on Thursday, November 19 at NASA Headquarters, 300 E Street, SW, in Washington, DC. EDITORIAL POLICY=========================== Total E-Clips is a news service from the Foundation for Biomedical Research, provided to subscribers strictly for informational purposes. Its objective is to provide subscribers with relevant and timely news articles of interest to the biomedical research community, particularly those dealing with the use of animals in research. Total E-Clips is compiled by conducting keyword searches. Generally, selections are chosen from major and medium market newspapers when they mention significant health- or research-related issues. We also monitor web sites and listservs maintained by animal activists and pass along items of interest. You may always write to the Foundation to obtain a copy of the original articles included in this service. Inclusion of an item in Total E-Clips does not in any way represent or imply an endorsement by FBR of the contents and or editorial comments contained therein. FBR does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of articles included in Total E-Clips. We welcome your comments at subscribe@fbresearch.org.

Total E-Clips No. 1944: November 17, 2009

TOTAL E-CLIPS Complete news and information delivered to your inbox every business day from the Foundation for Biomedical Research. No. 1944: November 17, 2009 To receive an HTML version of E-Clips, please e-mail subscribe@fbresearch.org and write “subscribe HTML” in the subject line. In the body, please provide your name, title, and company. FEATURE==================================== WORMS PREPARE FOR SPACE SHUTTLE MISSION ORBITING 200 MILES ABOVE EARTH Six NASA astronauts have blasted off into space on the shuttle Atlantis alongside some unlikely British guests - 4,000 microscopic worms. The tiny creatures are flying into space to help scientists better understand the effects of zero gravity on human muscles. London Times (UK), 11/16. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article6917965.ece RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS========================== TRANSGENIC RAT SHEDS LIGHT ON HUMAN MEMORY IMPROVEMENT Researchers have created a smart transgenic rat whose brain cells communicate a bit longer than usual, shedding light on the possibility of enhancing human memory. Xinhua Net (China), 11/17. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-11/17/content_12477920.htm NEW CAUSE OF OSTEOPOROSIS: MUTATION IN MICRORNA Many biological processes are controlled by small molecules known as microRNAs, which work by suppressing the expression of specific sets of genes. Researchers have now identified a previously unknown microRNA (miR-2861) as crucial to bone maintenance in mice and humans. Journal of Clinical Investigation, 11/17. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/joci-nco111209.php PROFILES====================================== HANS KEIRSTEAD CAN MAKE MICE WALK AGAIN (AND HUMANS, TOO?) Seven years ago, he used stem cells to make paralyzed rats walk again. Next year his stem cell elixir will be injected into humans. What's next? It's anyone's guess. Esquire, 11/17. http://www.esquire.com/features/best-and-brightest-2009/human-embryonic-stem-cell-research-1209 INSIDE THE BELTWAY====================================== NIH APPOINTS ERIC D. GREEN, M.D., PH.D. TO BE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL HUMAN GENOME RESEARCH INSTITUTE After an extensive national search, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), today announced the appointment of Eric D. Green, M.D., Ph.D., to be director of the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise NIH. It is the first time an institute director has risen to lead the entire NIH and subsequently picked his own successor. National Institutes of Health, 11/17. http://www.nih.gov/news/health/nov2009/nhgri-17.htm ACTIVIST NEWS=========================== PAIR TAKEN INTO CUSTODY AFTER FAILING TO TESTIFY Two people who appeared before a federal grand jury this morning were taken into custody after they refused to testify. The two believe the grand jury is investigating the Animal Liberation Front, which claimed responsibility for a 2004 break-in at a lab at the University of Iowa. Quad Cities Times (Iowa), 11/17. http://www.qctimes.com/news/local/article_efe6ca22-d388-11de-a0eb-001cc4c03286.html EDITORIAL POLICY=========================== Total E-Clips is a news service from the Foundation for Biomedical Research, provided to subscribers strictly for informational purposes. Its objective is to provide subscribers with relevant and timely news articles of interest to the biomedical research community, particularly those dealing with the use of animals in research. Total E-Clips is compiled by conducting keyword searches. Generally, selections are chosen from major and medium market newspapers when they mention significant health- or research-related issues. We also monitor web sites and listservs maintained by animal activists and pass along items of interest. You may always write to the Foundation to obtain a copy of the original articles included in this service. Inclusion of an item in Total E-Clips does not in any way represent or imply an endorsement by FBR of the contents and or editorial comments contained therein. FBR does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of articles included in Total E-Clips. We welcome your comments at subscribe@fbresearch.org.

Total E-Clips No. 1943: November 16, 2009

TOTAL E-CLIPS Complete news and information delivered to your inbox every business day from the Foundation for Biomedical Research. No. 1943: November 16, 2009 To receive an HTML version of E-Clips, please e-mail subscribe@fbresearch.org and write “subscribe HTML” in the subject line. In the body, please provide your name, title, and company. FEATURE==================================== ANIMAL RESEARCH AND YOUR CHILD'S BEHAVIOR Psychologists who work with children and families tend to avoid mentioning to parents that the treatments they use are often based on research done on animals. Slate 11/12. http://www.slate.com/id/2234707/?wpisrc=eDialog RESEARCH BREAKTHROUGHS========================== NASA TO RESTART PRIMATE IRRADIATION TESTING If it goes ahead, the experiment will be the first NASA-funded primate project to begin in more than 30 years. What will the experiment do and what does NASA hope to learn? New Scientist, 11/16. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18156-nasa-to-restart-primate-irradiation-testing.html WHY PAIN SOMETIMES LINGERS A once-mysterious neural pathway may have a crucial role in making injured areas overly sensitive to touch, a study with mice suggests. Nature, 11/15. http://www.nature.com/news/2009/091115/full/news.2009.1084.html GENE LINKED TO BREAST CANCER MIGHT BOOST HEART HEALTH The over-activity of a gene known to boost a woman's risk for breast cancer may have a good side, making arteries healthier, a new study with mice suggests. HealthDay News, 11/16. http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20091116/hl_hsn/genelinkedtobreastcancermightboosthearthealth NEW COMBINATION THERAPY COULD DELIVER POWERFUL PUNCH TO BREAST CANCER A powerful new breast cancer treatment could result from packaging one of the newer drugs that inhibits cancer's hallmark wild growth with another that blocks a primordial survival technique in which the cancer cell eats part of itself, researchers working with mice say. Medical College of Georgia, 11/16. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-11/mcog-nct111609.php PROTEIN CHANGES IN HEART STRENGTHEN LINK BETWEEN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AND CHRONIC HEART FAILURE A team of scientists report evidence from studies in animals and humans supporting a link between Alzheimer's disease and chronic heart failure, two of the 10 leading causes of death in the United States. Johns Hopkins University, 11/16. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091115191009.htm OPINION====================================== MCENTEE: ANIMAL EXPLOITATION OR VITAL RESEARCH? Columnist Peg McEntee writes, "In so many ways, the PETA undercover operation into the University of Utah's biomedical research labs gets down to the ethical considerations and decisions of both sides -- and how we, the public, perceive them." Salt Lake Tribune, 11/14. http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_13784234 ACTIVIST NEWS=========================== EU ANIMAL TESTING RULES 'COULD HARM WELFARE' A change in European law threatens to worsen the suffering of laboratory animals in the UK, animal activists warned today. The Telegraph (UK), 11/16. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/6575142/EU-animal-testing-rules-could-harm-welfare.html EDITORIAL POLICY=========================== Total E-Clips is a news service from the Foundation for Biomedical Research, provided to subscribers strictly for informational purposes. Its objective is to provide subscribers with relevant and timely news articles of interest to the biomedical research community, particularly those dealing with the use of animals in research. Total E-Clips is compiled by conducting keyword searches. Generally, selections are chosen from major and medium market newspapers when they mention significant health- or research-related issues. We also monitor web sites and listservs maintained by animal activists and pass along items of interest. You may always write to the Foundation to obtain a copy of the original articles included in this service. Inclusion of an item in Total E-Clips does not in any way represent or imply an endorsement by FBR of the contents and or editorial comments contained therein. FBR does not make any representation as to the accuracy or completeness of articles included in Total E-Clips. We welcome your comments at subscribe@fbresearch.org.