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Popular Articles

Another Mystery In B Lymphocyte Development Solved By NYU School Of Medicine Pathology Researchers
A new study published online in Nature Immunology ahead of the June 2009 print issue has found that homologous immunoglobulin (lg) alleles pair up in the nucleus at stages that coincide with V(D)J recombination of the heavy and light chain (Igh and Igk) loci. Researchers led by Jane A. Skok Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU School of Medicine and a member of the NYU Cancer Institute, showed that the V(D)J recombinase, which consists of the RAG1 and RAG2 proteins, mediates this pairing and helps ensure that only one allele undergoes recombination at a time (a process known as allelic exclusion).
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Personalizing Medical Care: An Inner 'Fingerprint'
Fingerprints move over. Scientists are reporting evidence that people have another defining trait that may distinguish each of the 6.7 billion humans on Earth from one another almost as surely as the arches, loops, and whorls on their fingertips. In a study scheduled for the Aug. 7 issue of ACS" monthly publication the Journal of Proteome Research, they report evidence from studies in humans for the existence of unique patterns in metabolism.
News of the day
Senate Begins Debate On Sotomayor's Supreme Court Confirmation
The Senate on Tuesday began its floor debate on the confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, the Wall Street Journal reports (Bravin, Wall Street Journal, 8/4). The debate will continue for the rest of the week before a final floor vote is held Thursday or Friday (Oliphant/Savage, Los Angeles Times, 8/5). Twenty-eight Republicans have said they will oppose her nomination. As of Tuesday, six Republicans were undecided (Stern, CQ Today, 8/4). In addition, at least six Republicans plan to vote for Sotomayor"s confirmation, while none of the 60 Democrats in the Senate have come out against her.Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), who has announced his opposition, said, "I have expressed the view since this process began that we are at a fork in the road," asking, "Will we continue to adhere to the classical idea of American jurisprudence? Or will we follow results-oriented judging in which judges cease to be committed to equal justice?" He also said that "certain aspects of her record troubled me, ... whether she is deeply committed to the ideal of objectivity and impartiality" (Los Angeles Times, 8/5). Sotomayor opponent Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) expressed concern about Sotomayor"s statement in a speech that "a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion" than a white male judge. Inhofe said, "Well, that"s pretty emphatic. There"s no other way you can interpret that," adding, "She thinks a woman with her experience can make a better conclusion than a white male," and "to me, I consider that racist" (CQ Today, 8/4).However, Sotomayor supporter Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said, "Those who struggle to pin the label of judicial activist on Judge Sotomayor are met by her solid record of judging based on the law." He added, "She is a restrained, experienced and thoughtful judge who has shown no biases in her rulings." Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said, "You can"t find a nominee with better experience than Judge Sotomayor. She has seen the law from all sides." Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) said, "When Judge Sotomayor takes her seat at the Supreme Court, America will have come of age" (Los Angeles Times, 8/4).
Diagnostics

New Test Kit Detects Melamine In Infant Formula And Other Food

Larry Wackett and Michael Sadowsky, members of the University of Minnesota"s BioTechnology Institute, developed an enzyme that is used in Bioo Scientific"s new MaxDiscovery™ Melamine Test kit, which simplifies the detection of melamine contamination in food. Melamine is an industrial chemical that killed six Chinese children and hospitalized 150,000 last year after it was added to milk to increase its apparent protein content. Some children may have life-long chronic kidney problems resulting from melamine exposure. Development of the test responds to a call from the World Health Organization (WHO) for a simple, inexpensive method to detect melamine contamination in infant formula and other liquids. Until now, melamine testing required expensive laboratory equipment and skilled personnel. This kit simplifies the testing and reduces the cost of melamine detection. The MaxDiscovery Melamine Test kit can detect melamine in milk, powdered milk, cream, ice cream and chocolate drink. Bioo Scientific has plans to adapt it to detect melamine in seafood and meat. Researchers at the BioTechnology Institute (BTI) developed the enzyme, melamine deaminase, used in the MaxDiscovery Melamine Test kit and the enzyme will be produced in the BTI Pilot Plant fermentation facilities. Melamine deaminase works by breaking one of the C-N bonds in melamine to release ammonia, which can be detected by a simple test that turns the liquid blue. Jennifer Seffernick, a research associate in Wackett"s lab, discovered the enzyme while conducting research on biodegradation of s-triazine herbicides. It is one of many examples of how basic research can lead to new technologies that benefit society. "Development of the melamine enzyme and the test kit is an example of how universities and industry can collaborate to foster basic science, education, and technology that benefits society," says Wackett, who is a Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the College of Biological Sciences. "Larry Wackett"s research has revealed the power of microbial enzymes to modify and destroy toxic substances in the environment," says Joe Krebs, director of Protein Chemistry and Engineering at Bioo Scientific. "Our new enzymatic detection method takes this work in a new direction to provide a better approach for the detection of melamine contamination in the global food supply." Research to develop the enzyme for the melamine test was supported by the University"s Biocatalysis Initiative. "This is an example of how a small but strategic investment in scientific research can make a big difference," says Robert P. Elde, dean of the College of Biological Sciences and interim director of the Biotechnology Institute. Melamine was originally used to make durable plastic for dishes and countertops. It is also a widely used additive to cement. But in recent years it has been misused as a food additive because it contains a large amount of nitrogen (a nutrient), is cheap, and is falsely recognized as protein by the most common chemical assay used to test for food protein. This has led to a practice of adding melamine to any food where its value is enhanced by increasing the apparent protein content. For example, melamine-tainted pet food killed nearly 1,000 U.S. pets during one episode in 2007. Patty Mattern University of Minnesota


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