A group of scientists has discovered a new class of anti-HIV drugs, which apparently are able to better deal with the effects the virus has in human bodies. The real breakthrough is that patients have not yet been exposed to this class of drugs, which means that their body hasn't yet developed an immunity to it. In other words, it could be possible even for those who are currently ill to have their conditions medicated without side effects. Actually, test results show bright perspectives, as doctors try to figure out ways to combine this new drug, called maraviroc, with other medications that have the ability to slow the progress of HI... [read more >>] Many men cannot maintain an erection even for a few seconds. Others cannot get rid of it. Priapism is prolonged penile erection in the absence of sexual arousal; the penis does not return to its flaccid state, even if there is no excitation, within about four hours. Even kings have been affected by this, like Carol II of Romania. A new research has connected priapism to adenosine, a molecule involved in energy transfers inside the cell. You could say "What a lucky guy!", but the condition is often painful. Moreover, it is considered a medical emergency, which must be treated immediately by a qualified medical practitioner.Priapism can be co... [read more >>] One day, man's job in the family may be just to cut the lawn and change the light bulb when necessary. This is because researches like this one made at the University of Newcastle could put them out of the reproductive business. The team led by Professor Karim Nayernia has now created spermatogonia (the cells from which sperm cells come, in other words, proto-sperms), starting with human female bone marrow cells! Previously, the team had managed to do this by starting from male bone marrow. In this case, the lesbian couples would conceive their own children, possessing DNA 100% coming from both women, not 50% from one of them and 50% c... [read more >>] Soon, we could make barbecue during nighttime, as the pigs of the future seem to be fluorescent. The protein named aequorin, from the luminescent jellyfish Aequorea victoria and many other marine organisms, produces a blue glow in the presence of Ca2 ions, due to a chemical reaction, that's why it has been used to image calcium flow in cells in real time. In December 2006, a team at the Northeast Agricultural University, in Harbin (China), managed to successfully breed partially-green fluorescent pigs in order to boost stem cell research, using the Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) gene from this jellyfish. The researchers managed to br... [read more >>] In nature, only fireflies and marine creatures (like jellyfish, abyssal squids and fish, and others) are fluorescent, but now, after researchers managed to obtain fluorescent pigs, rabbits, butterflies and tank fish, based on genes from these creatures, now we have fluorescent cats, too. This was achieved by a South Korean team by inserting in the cat genome a fluorescent protein gene, through a procedure that could help develop treatments for human genetic diseases. The researches changed a skin gene and used a virus in order to carry the fluorescent genes coming from jellyfish into the eggs of the mother. The genetically engineered cat... [read more >>] The 2004 South Korean claim regarding human cloning proved false. Meanwhile, a team at the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Portland could have achieved the cloning of monkey embryos and the extraction of stem cells from them, a huge step towards human cloning. The research could be published soon in the scientific journal Nature and could give much hope for patients waiting for a transplant tissue. Stem cells achieved from cloned embryos could generate all types of tissue, 100 % genetically identical with the owners', those not prone to immune rejection and this could be the step towards treating conditions from diabetes to ... [read more >>] Some play God and play it tough. The famous US scientist Craig Venter is going to create the first ever artificial life form. He has managed to build a synthetic chromosome employing chemicals obtained in the lab and the new achievement could lead to new energy sources to fight off the negative effects of global warming, but also it would theoretically be "a very important philosophical step in the history of our species," Venter told The Guardian. Of course, engineering artificial life forms has sparked great controversy over the ethics and potential applications.This is "a chassis on which you could build almost anything. It could be a c... [read more >>] This newly engineered amphibian could save thousands of frogs from massacre worldwide, no matter if for dissections in biology classes or medical research. A Japanese team succeeded in producing see-through frogs, so you can see their organs, blood vessels and eggs without the need of removing skin and muscles. "You can see through the skin how organs grow, how cancer starts and develops," said the lead researcher Masayuki Sumida, professor at the Institute for Amphibian Biology of Hiroshima University."You can watch organs of the same frog over its entire life as you don't have to dissect it. The researcher can also observe how toxins... [read more >>] This is one of the greatest discoveries since the emergence of genetics: the first individual human genome ever sequenced, a complete personal DNA blueprint. The famous researcher Craig Venter has found a much higher genetic variation among humans than scientists had previously believed. "The 2.8 billion contiguous bits of genetic code will also hasten advances in preventative medicine," said Venter, also co-author of the research. "Within five years, faster and cheaper sequencing techniques could produce complete genomes for 10,000 people, laying the foundation for an era of individualized genomics. Once we have those, we will basically b... [read more >>] Till now, it was real only in the science fiction movies. Now it's a fact: the first child has been born from a lab matured, frozen, thawed and then fertilized egg. In Canada. Three other moms are pregnant due to the same method. This special healthy baby girl was brought to life by one of 20 patients with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) involved in a trial at McGill Reproductive Center, Montreal, Canada. "To date, the pregnancies reported have been the result of fertilization of frozen and then thawed oocytes that had been collected after ovarian stimulation. Unfortunately, some patients seeking fertility preservation may not have ... [read more >>] | 
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