 |
|||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Research Notes From DNA to outer space, what's new and noteworthy in Rutgers research Archived article from Jan 25, 2002
New approach to treating AIDS Bonnie L. Firestein is charting a new course in the search for an effective AIDS treatment. Firestein and her colleagues have identified a protein known as HP68 that is critical to the formation of the AIDS virus's capsid, or outer shell. Treatments that target this protein could stop HIV production while avoiding the severe side effects found with current treatments. Firestein, an assistant professor in Rutgers' department of cell biology and neuroscience, and Jaisri Lingappa, assistant professor of pathobiology at the University of Washington, are the co-principal investigators on this project. "In order for HIV to be infectious, a number of processes must occur, one of which is the assembly of Gag (group-specific antigens) proteins into a shell or capsid that protects the HIV," Firestein explained."When the cell is infected with HIV, HP68 temporarily associates with the Gag protein and helps it to form the capsid. If HP68 is mutated or absent, HIV capsids do not form and, hence, HIV cannot infect other cells. "The identification of HP68 will allow us to develop drugs that interrupt its interaction with Gag and therefore stop HIV production," said Firestein. "Since we may be able to develop drugs that are specific for HP68, we may be able to avoid the intolerable side effects found with the drugs currently used in other courses of treatment." — Joseph Blumberg Learning and the brain What areas of the brain are activated during the process of learning, and how does the pattern of activation change as learning proceeds? Brain-imaging studies conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in collaboration with scientists at Rutgers–Newark are revealing that brain systems known to be involved in learning seem to compete with one another, with the type of learning involved determining which system is dominant. In a study appearing in Nature, the researchers describe how increased activity in one brain system is associated with decreased activity in another system during learning of a simple skill. The findings, which suggest how the brain mediates between the need to store and access a wide range of information and the need for virtually automatic responses in key situations, may eventually lead to new strategies for dealing with learning disorders or for diagnosing Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and other brain disorders. In the current study, healthy volunteers were given a simple learning task while undergoing functional MRI scans, which reveal the level of activity in various areas of the brain. Mark Gluck, associate professor at the Center for Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience on the Newark campus and a principal co-investigator on the project, notes that the results provide the "first functional neuroimaging data to support theories developed at Rutgers. As our models predicted, the hippocampus was activated in the earliest stages of learning, when we expect new encodings to be established, but not in later learning when the encodings are used by other brain structures, such as the basal ganglia." The research was supported by grants from the Alafi Family Foundation, the Athinoula Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging and the National Science Foundation. Genes for longevity Researchers have found the location of genes in DNA that appear to give certain people the ability to live to 100 and beyond. Tara Matise, associate research professor of genetics, is a co-author of the study led by Louis Kunkel of Children's Hospital in Boston and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and Thomas Perls of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. The study appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The researchers were led to the discovery after they recorded the medical history of centenarians and found that many of them had long-lived siblings. When the scientists analyzed the centenarians' DNA for the regions on chromosomes that might account for disease resistance and survival advantage, they found a location on chromosome 4 that harbors a gene or genes that appear to confer longevity. — Kevin Hyland Toward a cleaner river A Rutgers-led team of scientists has discovered that nature may be slowly scrubbing the lower portion of the Hudson River free of pollution in a "washing machine" of its own making. The findings were presented at the 113th meeting of the Geological Society of America. In a yearlong study of the lower Hudson River estuary, the portion of the river where saltwater and fresh water mingle, scientists from the Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences found that dangerous organic and inorganic pollutants are not lying immobile in sediment on the river bottom. Instead, tidal forces, storms, rain and spring runoff are powering a cycle in which polluted sediment is stirred up and suspended in the water column, then redeposited on the river floor. Repeated over and over again, the process ulti-mately releases many dangerous contaminants out of the sediment and moves them out to sea, the scientists said. Contaminants include mercury, zinc, chromium, cadmium and lead. The sediment continues to leak some pollutants back into the river each time it gets stirred up, but over the long term, said the researchers, the river may slowly clean itself. "In some regions of the river, there's been, on average, about a 10-fold cut in pollutants over 30 years; the sediments are approaching the levels where they were 30 years ago," said Assistant Professor Yair Rosenthal, a principal investigator in the study. "They are still not clean, but they are getting clean." Other fellow principal investigators on the project were Associate Professor Rob Sherrell and researcher Paul Field. — Kevin Hyland Smart drugs An oral or injected "smart" drug carrier that seeks out targeted diseased cells in the body has been developed by a team of scientists from Rutgers, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The system, based on polymer (plastic) technology, was announced at the 2001 American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists' annual meeting. The "smart" polymer, taken orally as a pill or injected, can be targeted to release its drugs in specific organs or cells by means of "ligands," a variety of compounds that interact only with the receptors on certain types of cells, said Patrick J. Sinko, chair of the department of pharmaceutics at the College of Pharmacy. "We attach the drug or drugs to the polymer and then we attach the ligand," explained Sinko. "The ligand is like the address on a package, making sure the polymer with its drug or package of drugs goes directly to the diseased cell." When it reaches its destination, the ligand hooks up to the cell surface and permits the polymer and its drug cargo to pass into the cell, the researcher said. Sinko and his collaborators have also shown that without the targeting ligands, the drug-polymers are unable to penetrate cells. — Kevin Hyland Probable pulsar A team of astronomers led by Associate Professor John P. Hughes has made an important new discovery using NASA's orbital Chandra X-ray Observatory. The astronomers have found what appears to be a pulsar at the center of the exploded remains of a 1,600-year-old supernova. Pulsars, first discovered in 1967, are known to be rapidly rotating neutron stars formed in supernova explosions. They emit regular bursts or pulses of radio waves, X-rays and optical light. "For the first time, we have an oxygen-rich supernova remnant close enough for detailed study, with almost incontrovertible evidence for the existence of an associated pulsar," said Hughes. "Based on the pattern of elements now revealed by Chandra throughout this remnant, we will be able to ascertain the mass and composition of the star that gave rise to what we now see. This will allow us to make a much closer connection between pulsars and the massive stars from which they formed." A full account of the discovery can be found in "A Pulsar Wind Nebula in the Oxygen-Rich Supernova Remnant G292.0+1.8," published in the Oct. 1 issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters. — Joseph Blumberg 10,000 steps to a healthier heart Nurse researchers from the College of Nursing on the Newark campus have created an innovative exercise program that enabled 23 black women in Elizabeth to decrease hypertension levels, reduce heart-disease risk and improve their level of physical fitness despite minimal weight loss. The customized exercise program was developed as part of a two-year, $50,000 grant from the American Heart Association. The Trinitas Health System and Cardiology Services, both of Elizabeth, also provided financial assistance. The 50 women originally enrolled were at high risk for heart disease. Most were overweight, all had elevated blood pressure and all led sedentary lives, said Joanne Stevenson, professor of nursing and principal investigator. According to Stevenson, the program, conducted at Rutgers' Elizabethport Community Health Center, focused on minority women because studies have shown that the death rate from cardiovascular diseases, including strokes and heart disease, is 69 percent higher in black women than in white women. Twenty-three of the 50 women who started the program completed it. The women participated in 12 to 30 minutes of aerobic exercise three times a week for 16 weeks. Between sessions, the women wore devices that recorded the number of steps taken each day. Their goal was to reach 10,000 steps per day. Stevenson said that final study findings showed significant decreases in blood pressure, increases in stamina and energy, improvement in cardiac efficiency and lower ratios of body fat to muscle. — Michael Olohan
Medical myrrh Rutgers researchers have identified a compound in myrrh, a bitter-tasting, fragrant resin used for thousands of years in ointment, perfume, incense and embalming fluid, that they believe could be developed into a potent anticancer agent. The compound, which kills cancer cells in the laboratory, shows particular promise for the prevention and treatment of breast and prostate cancer, according to the researchers. The finding, published in the Journal of Natural Products, is the first to identify an anticancer compound in myrrh, they said. "It's a very exciting discovery," said Mohamed M. Rafi, one of the co-researchers in the study and an assistant professor in the department of food science. "I'm optimistic that this compound can be developed into an anticancer drug." The researcher cautioned, however, that the compound has not yet been tested in animals or humans. According to Rafi, the active component in myrrh belongs to the class called sesquiterpernoids. The compound appears to kill cancer cells by inactivating a specific protein, called Bcl-2, which is overproduced by cancer cells, particularly in the breast and prostate. Overproduction of this protein is believed to promote the growth of cancer cells and make cells more resistant to chemotherapy. As cancer is influenced by many mechanisms, the investigators are now in the process of trying to determine whether the compound also has other mechanisms of inhibitory action against cancer cells.
— Michele Hujber
New Jersey's new Family Care health insurance program, which offers no- or low-cost insurance to low-income families, dramatically improves access to health care, according to a recent study. Under the auspices of the Rutgers–Camden Center for Children and Childhood Studies, Dan Hart, a professor of psychology, and his associate, Nancy Southerland, together with Robert Atkins of Temple University, conducted a series of interviews with parents who had recently enrolled in the Family Care program. Their research showed that when provided with health insurance, these parents prove to be effective managers of their children's health care. Compared to children from affluent families, children from poor families are more likely to suffer from a variety of chronic and subacute health problems, including dental decay, asthma and spotty immunizations, Hart said. One source of the health differences between rich and poor may be access to health care. The families of poor children often lack health insurance and the money to pay for medical care. With the introduction of Family Care, however, the researchers found that access to medical care has markedly improved for the low-income population. Their conclusion: The New Jersey Family Care Program is a success. — Caroline Yount
Have you ever wondered why sometimes you can't pull yourself away from the television set? Are you among the one in 10 adults who ruefully label themselves "TV addicts"? Researchers are uncovering how and why television and other modern media hold our attention, according to an article in next month's issue of Scientific American. In February's cover story, "Television Addiction Is No Mere Metaphor," Robert Kubey assembles a growing body of scientific evidence that people can become dependent on TV. Kubey is director of the Center for Media Studies and a professor of journalism and media studies at the School of Communication, Information and Library Studies. The article says there are scientific explanations for why we watch as much as we do. Kubey and co-author Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a psychology professor at Claremont Graduate University in California, have found that TV viewers are consistently reinforced to continue watching. "Viewers know almost unconsciously that they will feel less relaxed if they turn the set off, and so they continue to view. This is one of the ways the habit develops," Kubey writes. Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi show that some of the same criteria used to diagnose substance dependence can be applied to people's media habits. For example, some people report that they give up social, family or occupational activities in order to use the media, a situation often found with substance dependence. They also experience withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety and nervousness, if cut off from television or e-mail connections. To control the television habit, Kubey and Csikszentmihalyi suggest:
— Patricia Lamiell
|
|
For questions or comments about this site, contact Greg Trevor Last Updated: May 30, 2006 © 2012 Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. All rights reserved. 
|
Keep a log of how much TV you watch for one week and what you're getting out of your viewing.
