In a recent clinical trial, researchers report a significant reduction of tooth decay in toddlers treated with the topical syrup xylitol, a naturally occurring non-cavity-causing sweetener.

Researchers reported that nearly 76% of the children in the group who received xylitol were free of tooth decay by the end of the study, compared with 48% of the children in the group that did not receive the substance.

Xylitol is FDA approved as a food additive, and is classified as safe. For the purpose reported here, it can be administered in the form of chewing gum, lozenges, or syrup.

Source (pdf file)

Parkinson's disease is characterized by nerve cell death brought about brought about by protein-clumping. While there is no treatment available to alter the course of the disease, researchers continue to elucidate the said mechanism leading to Parkinson's.

Clinicians do not fully understand the process and cause of Parkinson's disease. However, researchers believe that a protein called alpha-synuclein misfolds and clumps in many forms of the disease, and that this process is intimately tied to the selective death of dopamine-producing neurons that results in Parkinson's disease.

Now a team from University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have identified a protein from baker's yeast that they have found prevented the said protein clumping. Such were the findings when yeast protein Hsp104 was introduced into animal models of Parkinson's disease.

In this study, researchers found that Hsp104 could partially reverse alpha-synuclein aggregation in test-tube experiments. Remarkably, rats expressing Hsp104 showed lower levels of alpha-synuclein aggregation and alpha-synuclein-induced toxicity of neurons.

Findings were reported online August 14 at The Journal of Clinical Investigation.

If Hsp104 works in further investigation, this may lead to potential therapies in order to prevent or maybe protect against the progression of Parkinson's disease

Find more details from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Using rats as animal models, scientists have been able to demonstrate that extracts derived from the Central and South American-native plant Tabebuia impetiginosa (also known as Pink Ipê or Pink Lapacho) can block dietary fat absorption, and thus reduce the risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

Dr Roos and his team have shown that Tabebuia extract can reduce levels of triglycerides, a breakdown product of fat, in rats after they have been fed a fatty meal. "This result shows the extract may have a potential use in treating obesity," he observes. "However, as coronary heart disease and diabetes have also been shown to be associated with higher triglyceride levels after eating, we believe a food-supplement based on Tabebuia could reduce the incidence of these diseases as well. What is more, as obesity in developing countries is also on the increase, such extracts, taken as a capsule or added to food, may be a cheaper alternative for the rural population to pharmaceuticals."

The data has been presented at the Society for Experimental Biology's Annual Meeting in Marseille last month and a paper is currently in press. The researchers say that futher studies will be conducted to identify the active compounds in the extracts. Source

Scientists have identified a compound called largazole, produced by cyanobacteria that grow on coral reefs off the coast of Key Largo, that may have potentials as an anti-cancer drug.

Largazole, discovered and named by Luesch for its Florida location and structural features, seeks out a family of enzymes called histone deacetylase, or HDAC. Overactivity of certain HDACs has been associated with several cancers such as prostate and colon tumors, and inhibiting HDACs can activate tumor-suppressor genes that have been silenced in these cancers.

Following promising results in initial laboratory tests, animal tests are currently being planned.

Biomedical engineers from Tuft's University have developed a novel silk-based optics that may be used in devices such as sensors which would combine sophisticated nanoscale optics with biological readout functions. In addition, silk optics offer further advantages in that they are biocompatible and biodegradable, and can be manufactured and stored at room temperatures without use of toxic chemicals.

To form the devices, Tufts scientists boiled cocoons of the Bombyx mori silkworm in a water solution and extracted the glue-like sericin proteins. The purified silk protein solution was ultimately poured onto negative molds of ruled and holographic diffraction gratings with spacing as fine as 3600 grooves/mm. The cast silk solution was air dried to create solid fibroin silk films that were cured in water, dried and optically evaluated. A similar process was followed to create lenses, microlens arrays and holograms. Film thicknesses from 10 to 100 µm were characterized for transparency and optical quality.

The Tufts team embedded three very different biological agents in the silk solution: a protein (hemoglobin), an enzyme (horseradish peroxidase) and an organic pH indicator (phenol red). In the hardened silk optical element, all three agents maintained their activity for long periods when simply stored on a shelf. "We have optical devices embedded with enzymes that are still active after almost a year of storage at room temperature. This is amazing given that the same enzyme becomes inactive if forgotten and left unrefrigerated for a few days," said Omenetto."

This research was published in the journal Biomacromolecules (you may download a copy here).

New Zealand-based fruit science company HortResearch and Genesis Research and Development Corporation Limited have released over 130,000 kiwifruit gene sequences referred to as expressed sequence tags (ESTs). These are the active genes in the plant that govern such characteristics as flavour, colour, shape, vitamin content and aspects of fruit development such as ripening and storage life.

The researchers say these data will be utilized in the development of new kiwifruit varieties through marker assisted selection (MAS).

In a MAS breeding programme, breeders use traditional crossing techniques to breed new varieties - which are then assessed for their commercial potential by searching their DNA for markers that indicate the presence of genes linked to desirable fruit traits. ESTs are essential in helping scientists identify the genes they're looking for.

"Our breeding programme with ZESPRI generates many thousands of seedlings every year. Without MAS, we would have to plant out each of those seedlings, wait years until they bear fruit and then assess which plants we wanted to commercialise or use for further breeding. With MAS, we can quickly "scan" the seedlings and find out right-away which ones are likely to have the type of fruit we want."

The genetic data have been published in BMC Genomics.

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