An emerging species of yeast, Candida parapsilosis is causing increasing numbers of infections because it spreads easily from medical devices into the blood stream of patients. Science Foundation Ireland has recently awarded almost €1 million to Dr. Geraldine Butler of the Conway Institute of Biomolecular and Biomedical Research, Dublin for her pioneering studies of this yeast.

As the yeast grows on the plastic surface of catheters, heart valves or intravenous lines, it forms a thin film ca

A collaboration of scientists mainly from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and at the University of Washington (Seattle) has made an important discovery linking the powerful cancer-causing oncogene, myc, with the gene behind the premature aging disease, Werner syndrome. Their finding reveals that the MYC oncoprotein turns-on Werner syndrome gene expression, and posits the Werner syndrome gene as a potentially important participant in MYC-induced tumorigenesis.

Werner syndrome is a rare gen

Physicians at the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital are using a new technology to treat patients with brain aneurysms. Matrix© coils provide better stabilization of the aneurysms and promote faster healing of the lesion. So far, two patients have received the Matrix© coil treatment at the MNI/H. The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital is one of three centres in Canada chosen to use the new Matrix© coil. The others are Toronto Western and Foothills Hospital in Calg

Scientists are working to understand what controls flowering time and maturity in soybean production
Scientists from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada are investigating the importance of flowering and how to control it. Early flowering and maturity reduces the risk of frost damage and this is an important variety trait for soybeans grown in areas with short growing seasons.

Flowering time in soybeans is controlled by day length. Soybean plants will flower early during short days a

DNA repair enzymes do a much better job of repairing damaged genes if they are facing in one direction instead of the other. This and other details of how DNA repair is performed are reported in the online version of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by researchers at Washington State University and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

According to the new study, the repair enzymes “distinguish” between various positions and may be two to three

Clearest-Ever Evidence from VLT Spectra of Powerful Event

A very bright burst of gamma-rays was observed on March 29, 2003 by NASA’’s High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE-II), in a sky region within the constellation Leo.

Within 90 min, a new, very bright light source (the “optical afterglow”) was detected in the same direction by means of a 40-inch telescope at the Siding Spring Observatory (Australia) and also in Japan. The gamma-ray burst was designated GRB 030329, acco