Guest guest Posted March 26, 2002 Report Share Posted March 26, 2002 NON-TEXT REMOVED > ------------------------------------------- > AOL users: look for your links at the bottom of the page. > ------------------------------------------- > > THE MYSTERIES OF THE ‘FACTORY OF LIFE’ > > Two molecular biologists have come up with a solution to a > 50-year-old puzzle. Lake, professor of molecular, > cell and developmental biology, and Anne Simonsno, a grad- > uate student, have gotten a peek at how the “factory of > life” works. The University of California, Los Angeles, > scientists gleaned the synthesis of proteins and the intri- > cacies of ribosomes. These are small particles in cells on > which proteins are synthesized. " The ribosome is like a > computer-driven protein factory that has been cloaked in > secrecy, " Lake said. " We knew the shape of the factory, > and we could see the trucks going in, but we couldn't peer > beyond the factory gate. We knew the names of the employ- > ees, but we didn't know what they did. Now we have a hypo- > thesis of how the employees move in and of different rooms > to get their work done, and even what they have for lunch. > Our hypothesis of how protein synthesis works may be re- > fined, but we are confident that the central parts are cor- > rect.” Ribosomes -- central to life -- are in every living > organism, from the smallest bacterium to humans, he said. > > PREDICTING EVOLUTION’S NEXT STEP > > It’s hard enough to trace the course of evolution over the > eons; now University of Rochester scientists are attempting > to predict its future. Barry Hall, professor of biology, > has shown how a model of evolution developed in the labora- > tory accurately reproduces natural evolution. The research, > published in the journal Genetics, shows the model is so > accurate it can be used to predict how a strain of bacteria > will become resistant to antibiotics. Such insight can give > researchers a possible tool to create drugs to which bac- > teria cannot adapt.. " Antibiotic-resistant bacteria were a > perfect target on which to test the model because we have > examples of antibiotic resistance genes that first appeared > 40 years ago, " Hall said. " We know how those genes evolved > in nature during the last 40 years, so if we apply the > model to those genes and the model predicts those same > evolutionary outcomes as happened in nature, we can be con- > fident that the model works. " > > REDUCING DEATH WITH IMPLANT > > Half of all heart attack survivors run the risk of sudden > death. In this group, an implantable cardioverter defibril- > lator can cut that risk by 31 percent, scientists said at > the American College of Cardiology's 2002 meeting in > Atlanta. Led by Dr. Arthur Moss at the University of > Rochester Medical Center, the study included 1,232 patients. > The results of the four-year survey, reported in The New > England Journal of Medicine, apply to some 3 million to 4 > million Americans with heart disease, scientists said. The > research is the first to show the preventive value of the > implantable cardioverter defibrillator, the authors said. > The medical device about the size of a pager is implanted > in the chest. The device detects irregular and potentially > fatal heartbeats and shocks the heart back into a normal > rhythm. Introduced some 20 years ago, the device had been > used in only a small group of patients who had survived a > cardiac arrest. The device " sets new standards for therapy > to save lives and improve survival, " Moss said. " Currently > there is no other preventive treatment for people at risk > of dying suddenly from heart rhythm disorders. " > > COSTLY CANCER TREATMENT FALLS SHORT > > A study calls into question a long-held view that children > with acute lymphoblastic leukemia might suffer less heart > damage if treated with longer-lasting infusions of chemo- > therapy. Each treatment requires a child to spend at least > two days in the hospital, at a total cost of millions of > dollars each year, the authors noted in the Journal of > Clinical Oncology. Some 7,000 U.S. children are diagnosed > with cancer each year. For the thousands who receive chemo- > therapy, one of the possible side effects is heart damage. > For years, doctors have thought giving children with acute > lymphoblastic leukemia -- a common cancer in young children > -- a lower peak dose of the chemotherapy drug doxorubicin > might prevent cardiomyopathy. This weakening of the heart > muscle is often caused by the treatment. The new results > question that view, the study authors said. " In theory, > using this treatment method for children sounded great, " > said lead author, Dr. Lipshultz, chief of pediatric > cardiology at the University of Rochester. Now, " we don't > think continuous infusion for children should be used if > the primary reason is to reduce possible heart damage, " > he said. " We saw no sign that damage to the heart was min- > imized in anyway. " > > ************************************************************ AOL Links ************************************************************ > > <a href= " http://www.shagmail.com/sub/sub-health.html " >Subscribe</a> > <a href= " http://www.shagmail.com/unsub/health.html " >Unsubscribe</a> > <a href= " http://www.shagmail.com " >FREE Newsletters</a> > ____________________________________________________________ > > END OF HEALTH TIPS > Copyright 2002 by Pulse Direct, Inc. All rights reserved. > Feel free to forward this, in its entirety, to others. > > Copyright 2002 by United Press International. > All rights reserved. > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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