The sleeping beauty transposon (SB-Tn) system, an alternative for viral mediated gene therapy, could be an effective tool for correcting genetic defects responsible for sickle cell anemia, according to a research article published in the June 2007 issue of ACS’ Biochemistry. Using laboratory cell cultures, researchers Zhu and team demonstrated that the SB-Tn system can be used for transferring normal beta-globin genes, and concluded that the gene therapy tool was efficient in providing stable and prolonged erythroid specific expression of beta-globin genes.

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Brahma (BRM), a gene implicated in the development of cancer, can be ‘switched on’ using drugs, according to a research article published recently in Nature. Scientists Glaros and team from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, found that the BRM gene is silenced in many cancer cell lines, including pleural, esophageal, ovarian, bladder, colon and breast cancers cells. They were able to restore the expression of BRM gene by exposing the cancer cells to histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors.

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Botulism is one of the rare yet serious illnesses caused by Clostridium botulinum, a Gram positive, anaerobic bacilli. The disease may be food borne or water borne and is mainly caused by a neurotoxin produced by the bacteria that results in paralytic illness. Easwaran Ravichandran and Fetweh H. Al-Saleem from the Jefferson Medical College, Pennsylvania, have demonstrated that the trivalent vaccine against botulinum toxin serotypes A, B, and E can be administered via the mucosal route effectively.

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Obesity, diabetes, physical activity and alcohol intake can influence the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), according to a review article published by researcher Parsons JK in the June, 2007 issue of The Journal of Urology. BPH has been conventionally considered to be a normal part of aging, and symptomatic patients are offered medical and surgical treatments. However, recent studies suggest the existence of multiple lifestyle-related risk factors which promote hyperplasia of the prostate.

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A high meat and fat containing dietary pattern is associated with an increased risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin. This was revealed on the basis of a study by Ibiebele TI et al, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers evaluated the association of dietary patterns with basal cell (BCC) and squamous cell (SCC) carcinoma of the skin in 1360 participants, aged 25-75 years, from the community-based skin cancer study in Nambour, Australia, between 1992 and 2002.

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Colonoscopy has become one of the commonly used procedures for examination of the colon for the diagnosis of cancer, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, or any inflammatory disease of the boswel. Most of the colonoscopic procedures are performed under sedation, which can lead to potential complications as well as dissatisfaction among patients. Invendo Medical has now developed an instrument for sedationless colonoscopy, the Invendoscopeâ„¢ SC40. The Invendoscope reportedly reduces discomfort and pain caused during the procedure, and also lowers the risk of post-endoscopy infection.

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Until recently it was believed that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) was the main component to which Cytomegalovirus bound to before its entry into vertebrate cells. But scientists Isaacson, Feire, and Compton from the University of Wisconsin have now demonstrated that EGFRs are not the components that facilitate the entry of the virus into the cell.

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Reduced expression of “death-associated” protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) is linked to the development of familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), according to a research article published in the latest issue of Cell. Researcher Raval has identified a single nucleotide mutation that enhances the binding affinity of transcription factor HOXB7, leading to the down regulation of DAPK1 transciption.They also suggested that epigenetic silencing due to abnormal promoter methylation of DAPK1 occurs in most cases of sporadic CLL.

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Using hair straighteners does not increase the risk of breast cancer in African American women, according to a study from the May 2007 issue of Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention.

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Although Escherichia coli with K1 capsule is one of the major organisms responsible for Gram-negative meningitis, its pathogenesis is still not fully understood. Recently, scientists Parthasarathy, Yao, and Kim from the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Johns Hopkins University, published the findings of their study in Infection and Immunity, in which they highlight the role of the organism’s flagella during its invasion of human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs).

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