Filtered By:
Specialty: Biology

This page shows you your search results in order of relevance. This is page number 20.

Order by Relevance | Date

Total 656 results found since Jan 2013.

Surpassing Mt. Everest: extreme flight performance of alpine bumble-bees.
Abstract Animal flight at altitude involves substantial aerodynamic and physiological challenges. Hovering at high elevations is particularly demanding from the dual perspectives of lift and power output; nevertheless, some volant insects reside and fly at elevations in excess of 4000 m. Here, we demonstrate that alpine bumble-bees possess substantial aerodynamic reserves, and can sustain hovering flight under hypobaria at effective elevations in excess of 9000 m, i.e. higher than Mt. Everest. Modulation of stroke amplitude and not wingbeat frequency is the primary means of compensation for overcoming the aerodyna...
Source: Biology Letters - February 8, 2014 Category: Biology Authors: Dillon ME, Dudley R Tags: Biol Lett Source Type: research

Aging and regeneration in vertebrates.
Abstract Aging is marked by changes that affect organs and resident stem cell function. Shorting of telomeres, DNA damage, oxidative stress, deregulation of genes and proteins, impaired cell-cell communication, and an altered systemic environment cause the eventual demise of cells. At the same time, reparative activities also decline. It is intriguing to correlate aging with the decline of regenerative abilities. Animal models with strong regenerative capabilities imply that aging processes might not be affecting regeneration. In this review, we selectively present age-dependent changes in stem/progenitor cells th...
Source: Current Topics in Developmental Biology - February 15, 2014 Category: Biology Authors: Sousounis K, Baddour JA, Tsonis PA Tags: Curr Top Dev Biol Source Type: research

IUPUI researchers use computers to 'see' neurons to better understand brain function
(Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis School of Science) A study from the Department of Computer and Information Science at the School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis reveals new information about the motor circuits of the brain that may one day help those developing therapies to treat conditions such as stroke, schizophrenia, spinal cord injury or Alzheimer's disease.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - March 6, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Effects of vitamin E on peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ and nuclear factor-erythroid 2-related factor 2 in hypercholesterolemia induced atherosclerosis.
Abstract Atherosclerosis and associated cardiovascular complications such as stroke and myocardial infarction are major causes of morbidity and mortality. We have previously reported a significant increase in mRNA levels of the scavenger receptor CD36 in aortae of cholesterol fed rabbits and shown that vitamin E treatment attenuated increased CD36 mRNA expression. In the present study, we further investigated the redox signaling pathways associated with protection against atherogenesis induced by high dietary cholesterol and correlated these with CD36 expression and the effects of vitamin E supplementation in a ra...
Source: Free Radical Biology and Medicine - February 26, 2014 Category: Biology Authors: Bozaykut P, Karademir B, Yazgan B, Sozen E, Siow RC, Mann GE, Ozer NK Tags: Free Radic Biol Med Source Type: research

Research findings link post-heart attack biological events that provide cardioprotection
(UT Southwestern Medical Center) Heart attack and stroke are among the most serious threats to health. But novel research at UT Southwestern Medical Center has linked two major biological processes that occur at the onset of these traumatic events and, ultimately, can lead to protection for the heart.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - March 13, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Rapid Experience-Dependent Plasticity following Somatosensory Damage.
Abstract Studies in nonhuman primates have provided evidence of rapid neural reorganization in somatosensory cortex after brain damage [1] and amputation [2]. Furthermore, there is also evidence of experience-dependent plasticity in both human [3-5] and nonhuman primates [6] that is induced by repetitive tactile stimulation. Given the evidence of plasticity subsequent to both neural damage and tactile experience, we hypothesized that somatosensory damage could lead to increased levels of experience-dependent tactile plasticity. To examine this hypothesis, the tactile localization judgments of two individuals wit...
Source: Current Biology - March 4, 2014 Category: Biology Authors: Medina J, Rapp B Tags: Curr Biol Source Type: research

How Insect Flight Steering Muscles Work
by Anders Hedenström Insights into how exactly a fly powers and controls flight have been hindered by the need to unpick the dynamic complexity of the muscles involved. The wingbeats of insects are driven by two antagonistic groups of power muscles and the force is funneled to the wing via a very complex hinge mechanism. The hinge consists of several hardened and articulated cuticle elements called sclerites. This articulation is controlled by a great number of small steering muscles, whose function has been studied by means of kinematics and muscle activity. The details and partly novel function of some of these steerin...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 25, 2014 Category: Biology Authors: Anders Hedenström Source Type: research

Researchers identify new protein markers that may improve understanding of heart disease
(Intermountain Medical Center) Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah, have discovered that elevated levels of two recently identified proteins in the body are inflammatory markers and indicators of the presence of cardiovascular disease. These newly identified markers of inflammation, GlycA and GlycB, have the potential to contribute to better understanding of the inflammatory origins of heart disease and may be used in the future to identify a heart patient's future risk of suffering a heart attack, stroke, or even death.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - March 30, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Researchers reveal a new pathway through the sodium pump
(Rockefeller University Press) The ubiquitous sodium pump appears to be more versatile than we thought. In addition to its role as a sodium and potassium ion transporter, researchers now show that the pump can simultaneously import protons into the cell. The study not only provides evidence of 'hybrid' function by the pump, it also raises important questions about whether the inflow of protons through sodium pumps might play a role in certain pathologies, including heart attack and stroke.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - March 31, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Northwestern study tests drug against Parkinson's disease
(Northwestern University) Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health to conduct a $16 million phase III national study of the safety and efficacy of the drug isradipine as a potential neuroprotective agent in Parkinson's disease. This is the only phase III Parkinson's neuroprotective study currently funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at NIH.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - April 1, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Eavesdropping on brain cell chatter
(NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Everything we do -- all of our movements, thoughts and feelings -- are the result of neurons talking with one another, and recent studies have suggested that some of the conversations might not be all that private. Brain cells known as astrocytes may be listening in on, or even participating in, some of those discussions. But a new mouse study suggests that astrocytes might only be tuning in part of the time -- specifically, when the neurons get really excited about something.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - April 16, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Scientists target receptor to treat diabetic retinopathy
(Medical College of Georgia at Georgia Regents University) Like a daily pill to lower cholesterol can reduce heart attack and stroke risk, an easy-to-use agent that reduces eye inflammation could help save the vision of diabetics, scientists say.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - April 21, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Study finds long-term survival of human neural stem cells transplanted into primate brain
(Cell Transplantation Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair) Human neural stem cells (hNSCs) labeled with magnetic nanoparticles were followed by MRI after transplantation into the brains of primates. The study evaluated the long-term survival and differentiation of hNSCs. The hNSCs differentiated into neurons at 24 months and did not cause tumors. Researchers concluded that hNSCs could be of great value as a source for cell replacement and gene transfer for treating Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Alzheimer's disease, ALS, spinal cord injury and stroke.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - April 23, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news

Coupling of Lever Arm Swing and Biased Brownian Motion in Actomyosin
In this study, we address the long-standing controversy between the lever-arm hypothesis and the Brownian motion hypothesis through in silico observations of an actomyosin system. We study a system composed of myosin II and actin filament by calculating free-energy landscapes of actin-myosin interactions using the molecular dynamics method and by simulating transitions among dynamically changing free-energy landscapes using the Monte Carlo method. The results obtained by this combined multi-scale calculation show that myosin with inorganic phosphate (Pi) and ADP weakly binds to actin and that after releasing Pi and ADP, my...
Source: PLoS Computational Biology - April 24, 2014 Category: Biology Authors: Qing-Miao Nie et al. Source Type: research

Preliminary results show improvement in MS symptoms
(NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) Combining the estrogen hormone estriol with Copaxone, a drug indicated for the treatment of patients with relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis, may improve symptoms in patients with the disorder, according to preliminary results from a clinical study of 158 patients with relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis. The findings were presented today by Rhonda Voskuhl, M.D., from the University of California, Los Angeles, at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Philadelphia.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - April 29, 2014 Category: Biology Source Type: news