http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. In order to preserve our DNA, cells have developed an intricate system for monitoring and repairing DNA damage. Yet precisely how the initial damage signal is converted into a repair response remains unclear. Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have now solved a crucial piece of the complex puzzle. http://www.physorg.com/news180847999.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:50:01 EST news180847999 A new study establishes a molecular link that bridges two rare inherited disorders and explains why these diseases result in genetic instability. The research, published by Cell Press in the December 24th issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may lead to a better understanding of the complex mechanisms that enable cells to repair damaged DNA. http://www.physorg.com/news180845857.html Medicine & Health Thu, 24 Dec 2009 12:30:03 EST news180845857 Researchers have uncovered the complete genetic make-up of the cavity-causing bacterium Bifidobacterium dentium Bd1, revealing the genetic adaptations that allow this microorganism to live and cause decay in the human oral cavity. The study, led by Marco Ventura's Probiogenomics laboratory at the University of Parma, and Prof. Douwe van Sinderen and Dr Paul O'Toole of the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre at University College Cork, is published December 24 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. http://www.physorg.com/news180786938.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:00:01 EST news180786938 A preliminary study of the anticancer drug figitumumab has found that it has antitumour activity in Ewing's sarcoma -a cancer which affects mainly teenage boys. The results have led to the drug's progression to a Phase 2 trial in patients with Ewing's sarcoma, which has recently finished recruiting. These are the conclusions of an Article published Online First in the Lancet Oncology. The study is by Dr Johann S de Bono, The Institute for Cancer Research (ICR), Sutton, UK, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, Sutton, UK, and colleagues. http://www.physorg.com/news180786831.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:40:02 EST news180786831 (PhysOrg.com) -- It is not only people who feel the effects of short winter days - new research by the University of Edinburgh and the University of Warwick has shed light on how plants calculate their own winter solstice. http://www.physorg.com/news180810791.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:20:02 EST news180810791 Pediatric researchers have identified a novel gene involved in childhood asthma, in one of the largest gene studies to date of the common respiratory disease. Because the gene, called DENND1B, affects cells and signaling molecules thought to be instrumental in the immune system overreaction that occurs in asthma, the discovery may have singled out an important target for new treatments. http://www.physorg.com/news180786674.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:00:01 EST news180786674 (PhysOrg.com) -- If you have dry skin, wet it, if wet skin, dry it. This has been a general rule of dermatology for centuries, but scientists are working to develop more precise treatments for the dozen-plus inflammatory skin diseases that afflict people. New research details the fine genetic and immunological differences between two of the most common skin diseases, psoriasis and atopic eczema, presenting a new way to classify the disorders as well as possible novel therapeutics. http://www.physorg.com/news180805795.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:50:52 EST news180805795 A team of Columbia scientists have discovered two genes that, when simultaneously activated, are responsible for the most aggressive forms of human brain cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news180785735.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:20:01 EST news180785735 (AP) -- Eastman Kodak Co. said Wednesday that Samsung Electronics Co. has agreed to pay the camera maker an undisclosed sum as the two sides try to settle a dispute over patents used in Samsung's camera phones. http://www.physorg.com/news180798064.html Technology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:41:40 EST news180798064 The ability to make, test, and map the atomic structure of new anti-cancer agents has enabled a team of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute scientists to discover a compound capable of halting a common type of drug-resistant lung cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news180784894.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 13:40:02 EST news180784894 Antibiotic resistance in the natural environment is rising despite tighter controls over our use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture, Newcastle University scientists have found. http://www.physorg.com/news180790527.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:20:02 EST news180790527 When New Year's Eve rolls around and you're deciding whether to have another glass of champagne, your decision may be predicted by your perspective of the future. http://www.physorg.com/news180790022.html Medicine & Health Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:40:05 EST news180790022 University of Delaware researchers have uncovered a novel means of conquest employed by the common reed, Phragmites australis, which ranks as one of the world's most invasive plants. http://www.physorg.com/news180789982.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:26:43 EST news180789982 (AP) -- BlackBerry e-mail service in North America was restored for some users Wednesday morning following its second outage in less than a week. http://www.physorg.com/news180786104.html Technology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:21:58 EST news180786104 Details of the lifestyle of mink, which escaped from fur farms and now live wild in the UK, have been revealed through analysis of their whiskers. Research led by the University of Exeter reveals more about the diet of this invasive species and provides a clue to its whereabouts. There are now plans to use the findings to eradicate it from environments where it can be devastating to native species. http://www.physorg.com/news180784602.html Biology Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:10:04 EST news180784602