The discovery of a relationship between two cell enzymes and their role in keeping the cell’s energy generating machinery working smoothly could provide a new target for development of therapies for Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Research led by Dr L.Miguel Martins of the MRC Toxicology Unit at the University of Leicester and Dr Julian Downward of the Cancer Research UK London Research Institute has shown that the products of two genes called HtrA2 and PINK1 co-operate in preventing breakdown of cell function that could otherwise lead to Parkinson’s symptoms. The research is published online in Nature Cell Biology.

Dr Martins explained: ‘‘It is already known that mutations in genes linked to the mitochondria, the powerhouse of the cell, can make a person susceptible to PD.

Daily television viewing for two or more hours in early childhood can lead to behavioral problems and poor social skills, according to a study of children 2.5 to 5.5 years of age conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

The Hopkins researchers found that the impact of TV viewing on a child’s behavior and social skills varied by the age at which the viewing occurred. More importantly, heavy television viewing that decreased over time was not associated with behavior or social problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under age 2 watch no television while children age 2 and older are limited to no more than two hours of daily viewing. The study is published in the October 2007 issue of Pediatrics.

It sounds creepy but fetal microchimerism, fetal cells that persist in a woman’s body long after pregnancy, may reduce the woman’s risk of breast cancer, say researchers at the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

Their findings are presented in the October 1 issue of Cancer Research.

The ability of cells from a growing fetus to take up long-term residence within its mother has been implicated as a mechanism of autoimmune disease but the researchers say it may also benefit mothers by putting the immune system on alert for malignant cells to destroy.

It used to be common to hear criticism about the FDA not approving new drugs fast enough, usually something that had been 'used in Europe' without issue.

That changed in 2004 with the Clinical Trials Directive, which came into force in May of that year in order to create a harmonized framework for clinical drug research across Europe, and some academics say it will make European schools also-rans in the research community.

Many sponsor organisations, commercial and non-commercial alike, have criticised the Directive for the enormous increase in administrative burdens and cost that complying with it imposes.

Sociology studies often contend that crime rate and budget alone do not account for the size of an area’s police force.

Police forces tend to be larger in areas where blacks comprise a larger percentage, and many sociologists have attributed this to racial attitudes, specifically the white population’s perceptions of threat.

A new study attempts to empirically examine this premise and concluded that while direct measures of anti-black prejudice are not correlated to police size, whites’ fear of crime and perceived economic threat still somehow account for more than one-third of the effect of the proportion of black residents on police force size. No evidence but they are still sure it must be true?

Welcome to modern sociology.

A report(1) released today by the Eurasian Harm Reduction Network (EHRN)(i) highlights the significant inconsistencies that exist in hepatitis C (HCV) diagnosis and treatment across Europe and beyond. In recognition of World Hepatitis Awareness Day, patient groups around the globe are united in their call for action.

The report indicates that in some European countries it is estimated that more than 90% of people who are infected with HCV have not been diagnosed (Germany 90%; Poland 98%)(ii). Not only does this put many people at risk of long-term liver damage, it also means that they may unknowingly transmit the virus to others.

The first step in the development of colon cancer is the formation of benign tumours, called adenomas, in the intestine. Over time, these tumours may progress to produce colon cancer if they undergo a series of mutations and genetic alterations.

Researchers at IRB Barcelona under the direction of Eduard Batlle, ICREA researcher and head of IRB Barcelona’s Oncology Programme, have discovered a new mechanism by which the benign tumour cells receive instructions to grow in confined compartments, and no to invade other areas of the tissue. The description of this new tumour suppression mechanism is reported in Nature Genetics.

Tiny pieces of genetic material called microRNA (miRNA), better known for its roles in cancer, could be a key to unlocking the secrets of how HIV, the AIDS virus, evades detection, hiding in the immune system. Researchers at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia have shown that when an individual infected with HIV receives a powerful cocktail of antiviral agents called HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy), the virus calls on miRNAs to help it remain quiet and practically undetectable, temporarily shutting down its ability to replicate and infect.

The work may also have implications for new treatment strategies against the virus.

Countries where the main religion is Protestant Christianity have higher employment rates than those where other religions are dominant, according to University of Bath research published in the American Journal of Economics and Sociology.

These countries, which include the USA, the UK and Nordic countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Norway, have employment rates that are approximately six percentage points higher than countries where other religions are practiced by the largest proportion of the population.

The study, which is based on data from 80 countries, also showed that female employment rates are approximately 11 percentage points higher in Protestant countries.