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. Scientists at VIB and Ghent University in Flanders, Belgium have found an unexpected ally for the treatment of septic shock, the major cause of death in intensive care units. By inducing the release of nitric oxide (NO) gas in mice with septic shock, researchers Anje Cauwels and Peter Brouckaert discovered that the animal's organs showed much less damage, while their chances of survival increased significantly. That's contrary to all expectations, since it is generally assumed that nitric oxide is responsible for the potentially lethal drop in blood pressure in septic shock. http://www.physorg.com/news180096790.html Medicine & Health Tue, 15 Dec 2009 11:20:03 EST news180096790 (PhysOrg.com) -- A new study by Cornell researchers uncovers the details of how the world's toughest bacterium survives lethal radiation exposure. http://www.physorg.com/news175197704.html Biology Mon, 19 Oct 2009 19:03:16 EST news175197704 (PhysOrg.com) -- In the air, it is a serious pollutant. In the body, it plays a role in heart rate, blood flow, nerve signals and immune function. http://www.physorg.com/news173109068.html Chemistry Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:10:01 EST news173109068 An innovative drug-delivery system - nanoparticles encapsulating nitric oxide or prescription drugs - shows promise for topical treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED), according to a new study by scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University. http://www.physorg.com/news172562185.html Nanotechnology Sat, 19 Sep 2009 06:57:39 EST news172562185 In the air, it is a serious pollutant. In the body, it plays a role in heart rate, blood flow, nerve signals and immune function. Nitric oxide, a gas well known to scientists for its myriad functions, has proven challenging to measure accurately outside the laboratory. http://www.physorg.com/news172497785.html Technology Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:50:06 EST news172497785 New research at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston suggests that ancient Chinese herbal formulas used primarily for cardiovascular indications including heart disease may produce large amounts of artery-widening nitric oxide. Findings of the preclinical study by scientists in the university's Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM) appear in the Sept. 15 print issue of the journal Free Radical Biology & Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news169832814.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:20:02 EST news169832814 Elevated levels of the enzyme arginase contribute to vascular eye damage and Medical College of Georgia researchers say therapies to normalize its levels could halt progression of potentially blinding diseases such as diabetic retinopathy. http://www.physorg.com/news169811215.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Aug 2009 11:00:03 EST news169811215 (PhysOrg.com) -- Drugs that block the formation of new blood vessels that feed tumor growth are helping some cancer patients enjoy longer lives. http://www.physorg.com/news168620186.html Medicine & Health Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:56:59 EST news168620186 Chemists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have developed novel compounds that show promise for photodynamic cancer therapy, which uses light-activated drugs to kill tumor cells. http://www.physorg.com/news164377656.html Chemistry Tue, 16 Jun 2009 14:00:01 EST news164377656 More and more, scientists are getting a better grip on the nitrogen cycle. They are learning about sources of nitrogen and how this element changes as it loops from the nonliving, such as the atmosphere, soil or water, to the living, whether plants or animals. Scientists have determined that humans are disrupting the nitrogen cycle by altering the amount of nitrogen that is stored in the biosphere. http://www.physorg.com/news163344321.html Space & Earth Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:28:56 EST news163344321 Robert Furchgott, a Nobel prize-winning pharmacologist whose work with the gas nitric oxide helped develop the anti-impotency drug Viagra, has died at the age of 92, The New York Times reported Sunday. http://www.physorg.com/news162397019.html Medicine & Health Sun, 24 May 2009 15:17:22 EST news162397019 (PhysOrg.com) -- Biologists have long wondered why the embryonic heart begins beating so early, before the tissues actually need to be infused with blood. Two groups of researchers from Children's Hospital Boston, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and the Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) -- presenting multiple lines of evidence from zebrafish, mice and mouse embryonic stem cells -- provide an intriguing answer: A beating heart and blood flow are necessary for development of the blood system, which relies on mechanical stresses to cue its formation. http://www.physorg.com/news161439308.html Medicine & Health Wed, 13 May 2009 13:15:45 EST news161439308 New evidence of how the elevated glucose levels that occur in diabetes damage blood vessels may lead to novel strategies for blocking the destruction, Medical College of Georgia researchers say. http://www.physorg.com/news161269678.html Medicine & Health Mon, 11 May 2009 14:09:29 EST news161269678 Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have combined their revolutionary new drug-delivery system with a powerful antimicrobial agent to treat potentially deadly drug-resistant staph infections in mice. The study is published this month in the online version of the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. http://www.physorg.com/news160330557.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 17:16:19 EST news160330557 Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham) have demonstrated that attacks on the mitochondrial protein Drp1 by the free radical nitric oxide -which causes a chemical reaction called S-nitrosylation -mediates neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease. Prior to this study, the mechanism by which beta-amyloid protein caused synaptic damage to neurons in Alzheimer's disease was unknown. These findings suggest that preventing S-nitrosylation of Drp1 may reduce or even prevent neurodegeneration in Alzheimer's patients. The paper was published in the April 3 issue of the journal Science. http://www.physorg.com/news157900580.html Medicine & Health Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:16:44 EST news157900580 Relying on principles similar to those that cause Jell-O to congeal into that familiar, wiggly treat, University of Michigan researchers are devising a new method of detecting nitric oxide in exhaled breath. http://www.physorg.com/news157018879.html Chemistry Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:22:48 EST news157018879 Estrogen may be a new postnatal therapy to improve lung function and other outcomes in preterm infants, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found in an animal study. http://www.physorg.com/news156060657.html Medicine & Health Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:11:28 EST news156060657 Too little activity by gene regulators called PPARs appears to be a major player in the irreversible lung damage that can occur in children with heart defects, researchers say. http://www.physorg.com/news155473873.html Medicine & Health Thu, 05 Mar 2009 11:11:33 EST news155473873 (PhysOrg.com) -- Two compounds developed by Northwestern University chemists have been shown to be effective in pre-clinical trials in protecting against cerebral palsy, a condition caused by neurodegeneration that affects body movement and muscle coordination. http://www.physorg.com/news154784556.html Medicine & Health Wed, 25 Feb 2009 11:43:16 EST news154784556 (PhysOrg.com) -- ESA`s Venus Express spacecraft has observed an eerie glow in the night-time atmosphere of Venus. This infrared light comes from nitric oxide and is showing scientists that the atmosphere of Earth`s nearest neighbour is a temperamental place of high winds and turbulence. http://www.physorg.com/news154706058.html Space & Earth Tue, 24 Feb 2009 13:54:52 EST news154706058 The phenomenon of light emission by living organisms, bioluminescence, is quite common, especially in marine species. It is known that light is generated by chemical reactions in which oxygen molecules play an important part. In the animal world, these chemical reactions take place in special luminescent cells called photocytes. These are aggregated into complex light organs, in which the intensity of light is regulated by nerve impulses, and in which light can be modulated with the help of reflectors, lenses and filters. By these means, organisms can adjust the wavelength, diffusion and intensity of light according to need. But the exact mechanisms behind these processes remain shrouded in mystery. http://www.physorg.com/news154618501.html Biology Mon, 23 Feb 2009 13:35:34 EST news154618501 AUGUSTA, Ga. - Knocking out one gene that contributes to insulin resistance appears to prevent much of the cardiovascular damage typically associated with obesity, researchers say. http://www.physorg.com/news153578790.html Medicine & Health Wed, 11 Feb 2009 12:49:21 EST news153578790 A research group from Sweden investigated the mechanisms underlying the reduction in gastric blood flow induced by a luminal water extract of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). They found that the H. pylori water extract reduces gastric mucosal blood flow acutely through iNOS- and nerve-mediated pathways. http://www.physorg.com/news151754929.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Jan 2009 10:09:20 EST news151754929 (PhysOrg.com) -- Researchers long ago established a link between inflammation, cancer and the compound nitric oxide, which may be produced when the immune system responds to bacterial infections, including those of the colon. However, the exact nature of the relationship was unknown -- until now. http://www.physorg.com/news151680304.html Medicine & Health Tue, 20 Jan 2009 13:25:20 EST news151680304 The level of nitric oxide (NO) in an asthmatic's exhaled breath can portend worsening asthma symptoms, and may even signify an imminent attack linked to underlying airway inflammation. This has made the monitoring of NO levels, particularly in children, of significant interest as a potential way to help clinicians fine-tune medications and improve treatment outcomes. However, a recent multi-center prospective study found that calibrating medications based on daily monitoring of the fractional exhaled nitric oxide (FENO) and symptoms in asthmatic children showed no significant improvement over medicating based on daily symptom monitoring alone. http://www.physorg.com/news150537448.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 07:57:28 EST news150537448 Nitric oxide gets neurons together. And it seems to do it backward. Work by Nikonenko et al. suggests that a protein called PSD-95 prompts nitric oxide release from postsynaptic dendritic spines, prompting nearby presynaptic axons to lock on, and develop new synapses. The study will appear in the December 15, 2008 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology (JCB). http://www.physorg.com/news148563012.html Biology Mon, 15 Dec 2008 11:30:12 EST news148563012 Research from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester shows that nitric oxide (NO) can change the computational ability of the brain. This finding has implications for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's Disease and our understanding of brain function more generally. http://www.physorg.com/news146922415.html Medicine & Health Wed, 26 Nov 2008 11:46:55 EST news146922415 Obese people who don't have high cholesterol or diabetes might think they're healthy - despite the extra pounds. But new Ohio University research suggests that obesity raises levels of the hormone leptin, which can be as big a threat to the cardiovascular system as cholesterol. http://www.physorg.com/news145543187.html Medicine & Health Mon, 10 Nov 2008 12:39:47 EST news145543187 St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have discovered a mechanism by which intracellular pathogens can shut down one of the body's key chemical weapons against them: nitric oxide. The researchers found that the microbes block nitric oxide production by subverting the biochemical machinery used by immune cells called macrophages to produce the chemical. http://www.physorg.com/news144946838.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 Nov 2008 15:00:38 EST news144946838 A University of Iowa study suggests that the prolonged fatigue after mild exercise that occurs in people with many forms of muscular dystrophy is distinct from the inherent muscle weakness caused by the disease. http://www.physorg.com/news144249601.html Medicine & Health Sun, 26 Oct 2008 14:20:01 EST news144249601