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    Category Biology/Biotechnology

    Dietary Iron Intake, equivalent to Heavy Red Meat consumption, Suppresses Leptin, a hormone that regulates Appetite

    August 25, 2015, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Serum leptin and adipocyte leptin mRNA levels decrease with dietary iron...

    Serum leptin and adipocyte leptin mRNA levels decrease with dietary iron overload. (A) Iron levels measured by ferrozine-based colorimetric assay in mice fed low normal– and high-iron diet (n = 4 mice/group). (B) Tfrc mRNA levels quantified by qPCR and normalized to cyclophilin A in adipose tissue from mice fed different levels of dietary iron (n = 6 mice/group). (C) Serum leptin levels from the mice (n = 6 mice/group). (D) Intracellular leptin levels by Western blotting. Data are representative of 3 experiments with n = 4 per replicate. (E) Quantification of leptin protein levels from D normalized to tubulin (n = 4 mice/group). (F) Leptin mRNA levels quantified by qPCR and normalized to cyclophilin A in adipose tissue from mice fed different dietary iron (n = 6 mice/group)...

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    Genetic Study finds Association between Reduced Vitamin D and Multiple Sclerosis Risk

    August 25, 2015, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Vitamin D pathway. In blue are the genes containing, or in proximity to, SNPs that were genome-wide significant for 25OHD level in SUNLIGHT (n = 33,996). The p-values for the association with 25OHD level were 1.9 × 10−109 for GC, 2.1 × 10−27 for DHCR7, 3.3 × 10−20 for CYP2R1, and 6.0 × 10−10 for CYP24A1. Note that each gene plays an independent role in modulating the level of 25OHD. Kidney and liver images credit: https://openclipart.org/. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001866.g002

    Vitamin D pathway. In blue are the genes containing, or in proximity to, SNPs that were genome-wide significant for 25OHD level in SUNLIGHT (n = 33,996). The p-values for the association with 25OHD level were 1.9 × 10−109 for GC, 2.1 × 10−27 for DHCR7, 3.3 × 10−20 for CYP2R1, and 6.0 × 10−10 for CYP24A1. Note that each gene plays an independent role in modulating the level of 25OHD. Kidney and liver images credit: https://openclipart.org/. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001866.g002

    Genetic findings support observational evidence that lower vitamin D levels are associated with increased risk of multiple sclerosis...

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    Another Milestone in Hybrid Artificial Photosynthesis

    August 25, 2015, Categories  Environment/Geology, Physics, Technology/Electronics, Chemistry/Nanotechnology, Biology/Biotechnology

    Artificial photosynthesis used to produce renewable molecular hydrogen for synthesizing carbon dioxide into methane. Credit: Berkeley Lab

    Artificial photosynthesis used to produce renewable molecular hydrogen for synthesizing carbon dioxide into methane. Credit: Berkeley Lab

    Researchers using a bioinorganic hybrid approach to artificial photosynthesis have combined semiconducting nanowires with select microbes to create a system that produces renewable H2 and uses it to synthesize CO2 into methane, the primary constituent of natural gas.

    “By generating renewable hydrogen and feeding it to microbes for the production of methane, we can now expect an electrical-to-chemical efficiency of better than 50% and a solar-to-chemical energy conversion efficiency of 10% if our system is coupled with state-of-art solar panel and electrolyzer.”

    The concept in the 2 studies is essentially the same – a membrane of semiconductor nanowires t...

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    New Optical Raman Spectra Blood Test for Colon Cancer improves colonoscopy screening results

    August 24, 2015, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    A novel test shows a difference in the Raman spectra of the blood plasma of people without colon cancer compared to those with precancerous or cancerous polyps. Credit: Haishan Zeng, BC Cancer Agency

    A novel test shows a difference in the Raman spectra of the blood plasma of people without colon cancer compared to those with precancerous or cancerous polyps. Credit: Haishan Zeng, BC Cancer Agency

    It shows the simple fingerprint for cancerous growth and precancerous polyps. It may yield a cheaper and less invasive initial screening test for colon cancer that could complement colonoscopy, though further clinical trials will need to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of the blood test before it is routinely used.

    “This is a screening technology you can use on anybody,” said Haishan Zeng, BC Cancer Agency, who led the study...

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