May 17, 1997

Found: Mouse Circadian Rhythm Gene

Investigators have found the first gene involved in the mammalian biological clock, the internal timepiece that regulates activities ranging from sleeping to eating.

References:

Antoch, M.P., et al. 1997. Functional identification of the mouse circadian clock gene by transgenic rescue. Cell 89(May 16).

Crosthwaite, S.K., et al. 1997. Neurospora wc-1 and wc2: Transcription, photoresponses, and the origins of circadian rhythmicity. Science 276(May 2):763.

King, D.P., et al. 1997. Positional cloning of the mouse circadian clock gene. Cell 89(May 16).

Further Readings:

Kay, S. 1997. PAS, present and future: Clues to the origins of circadian clocks. Science 276(May 2):753.

Reppert, S.M., and D.R. Weaver. 1997. Forward genetic approach strikes gold: Cloning of a mammalian clock gene. Cell 89(May 16).

Computer triumphs over human champion

Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Garry Kasaprov in a six-game match.

Further Readings:

Newborn, M. 1997. Kasparov versus Deep Blue: Computer Chess Comes of Age. New York: Springer-Verlag.

Peterson, I. 1996. The soul of a chess machine. Science News 149(March 30):200.

______. 1996. Chess champion sinks Deep Blue's figuring. Science News 149(Feb. 24):119.

Wolff, P., and M. Fisher. 1997. The Complete Idiot's Guide to Chess. New York: MacMillan.

Additional information about the match between Deep Blue and Garry Kasparov is available at http://www.chess.ibm.com/.

Can preventive mastectomies prolong lives?

A computer model suggests that preventive mastectomies for some women carrying a breast cancer gene may add to their life expectancy.

References:

Hartmann, L., et al. 1997. Prophylactic mastectomy -- A preliminary retrospective cohort analysis. Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research 38(April).

Healy, B. 1997. BRCA genes -- Bookmaking, fortunetelling, and medical care. New England Journal of Medicine 336(May 15):1448.

Schrag, D., et al. 1997. Decision analysis -- The effects of prophylactic mastectomy and oophorectomy on life expectancy among women with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations. New England Journal of Medicine 336(May 15):1465.

Further References:

Seachrist, L. 1995. Team nabs second breast cancer gene. Science News 148(Dec. 23&30):420.

______. 1995. Unraveling role of the breast cancer gene. Science News 148(Sept. 2):149.

Travis, J. 1996. Genetic flaw causes double trouble. Science News 149(May 11):297.

Health may succumb to grief reaction

A particularly severe form of bereavement known as traumatic grief appears to increase the likelihood of physical and mental problems as many as two years after a spouse's death.

References:

Prigerson, H., et al. In press. Traumatic grief: A case of loss-induced trauma. American Journal of Psychiatry.

______. 1997. Traumatic grief as a risk factor for mental and physical morbidity. American Journal of Psychiatry 154(May):616.

Further Readings:

Bower, B. 1995. Grief sometimes heads down a grievous path. Science News 147(Jan. 14):22.

Grim prospects for flood-ravaged R&D

Many researchers in Grand Forks, N.D., are tallying staggering -- and, in some cases, long-term -- losses.

Further Readings:

Raloff, J. 1997. The cost of too little magnesium. Science News 151(May 3):279.

______. 1985. Tracing disease to trace minerals. Science News 127(June 8):357.

Checking out Hubble's new eyes

Two new instruments installed aboard the Hubble Space Telescope last February are proving their mettle.

Further Readings:

Cowen, R. 1997. More Hubble trouble. Science News 151(May 3):272.

Impurities give crystals that special glow

Crystal structure and impurities may explain why some materials give off light when fractured.

References:

Sweeting, L.M., et al. 1997. Crystal structure and triboluminescence 2. 9-anthracenecarboxylic acid and its esters. Chemistry of Materials 9(May):1103.

Further Readings:

Monastersky, R. 1996. The light at the bottom of the ocean. Science News 150(Sept. 7):156.

Peterson, I. 1987. A flash in the crystalline pan. Science News 131(June 6):360.

Raloff, J. 1988. The electric Life Saver effect. Science News 134(July 30):78.

A price tag on the planet's ecosystems

References:

Costanza, R., et al. 1997. The value of the world's ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature 387(May 15):253.

Pimm, S. 1997. The value of everything. Nature 387(May 15):231.

Research Notes:

Astronomy

More planets

Astronomers have deduced the presence of additional planets orbiting nearby stars.

References:

Mattox, J., et al. 1997. Fourth Compton conference on high-energy astrophysics. Williamsburg, Va.

Gamma-ray burst mystery continues

A new interpretation of a recent pair of Hubble Space Telescope images has revived controversy about the origin of a gamma-ray burst detected in late February.

References:

Caraveo, P.A., et al. 1997. International Astronomical Union Circular (April 17):6629.

Further Readings:

Cowen, R. 1997. Shedding light on a gamma-ray mystery. Science News 151(March 22):174.

Biology

What good is the cystic fibrosis gene?

Researchers suggest cystic fibrosis is widespread because the genetic mutations that produce the disease can also offer protection against typhoid fever.

References:

Pier, G., et al. 1997. Annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiolgy. Miami Beach, Fla.

Further Readings:

Quinton, P. 1994. What is good about cystic fibrosis. Current Biology 4(August):742.

Bacteria that don't say no to cocaine

An enzyme isolated from bacteria that feed on cocaine may one day serve as a simple sensor of the drug.

References:

Bresler, M.M., and N.C. Bruce. 1997. Annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. Miami Beach, Fla.

Archeology

Urban planning in ancient Near East

Excavations at a 4,000-year-old city in Turkey have uncovered a planned community of dwellings that bears a strong resemblance to modern urban settings.

Further Readings:

Bower, B. 1990. Civilization and its discontents. Science News 137(March 3):136.

Biomedicine

Death zone for stroke

A 153-county area in the southeastern United States has a particularly high incidence of stroke.

References:

Howard, G., et al. 1997. Evaluation of social status as a contributing factor to the stroke belt region of the United States. Stroke 28(May):936.

Vaccine shields chimps from AIDS

A DNA vaccine protects chimps from HIV infection.

References:

Boyer, J., et al. 1997. Protection of chimpanzees from high-dose heterologous HIV-1 challenge by DNA vaccination. Nature Medicine 3(May):526.

Further Readings:

Travis, J. 1996. DNA vaccine set to tackle HIV infection. Science News 149(Feb. 17):100.

Articles:

Those Old Dioxin Blues

Some small fry are exquisitely sensitive models of dioxin vulnerability

In studying the hitherto largely unrecognized toxicity of dioxinlike compounds in fish, scientists stumbled onto a new model for probing the pollutants' effects in higher animals.

References:

Cantrell, S.M. . . .D.E. Tillitt, and M. Hannink. 1996. Embryotoxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD): The embryonic vasculature is a physiological target to TCDD-induced DNA damage and apoptotic cell death in Medaka (Orizias latipes). Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 141(November):23.

Cook, P.M., E.W. Zabel, and R.E. Peterson. In press. The TCDD toxicity equivalence approach for characterization of trout early life stage mortality risks associated with exposures to TCDD and related chemicals. In Chemically Induced Alterations in the Functional Development and Reproduction of Fishes, R.M. Roland, ed. Pensacola, Fla.: SETAC Press.

Giesy, J.P., L.L. Feyk, and E.M. Snyder. In press. Xenobiotic modulation of endocrine function in fish. In Principles and Processes for Evaluating Endocrine Disruptors in Wildlife, R.J. Kendall, et al., ed. Pensacola, Fla.: SETAC Press.

Guiney, P.D. . . .R.E. Peterson, and J.J. Stegeman. 1997. Correlation of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induction of cytochrome P4501a in vascular endothelium with toxicity in early life stages of lake trout. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 143(April):256.

Hahn, M.E. . . .J.J. Stegeman. 1994. Photoaffinity labeling of the Ah Receptor: Phylogenetic survey of diverse vertebrate and invertebrate species. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics 310(April)218.

Henry, T.R. . . .R.E. Peterson. 1997. Early life stage toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in zebrafish (Danio rerio). Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 142(January):56.

Hewitt, L. Mark. 1996. Use of an MFO-directed toxicity identification evoluation to isolate and characterize bioactive impurities from a lampricide formulation. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 15:894.

Hornung, M.W., E.W. Zabel, and R.E. Peterson. 1996. Toxic equivalency factors of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxin, dibenzofuran, biphenyl and polyhalogenated diphenyl ether congeners based on rainbow trout early life stage mortality. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 140(October):227.

Schlezinger, J.J., R.D. White, and J.J. Stegeman. 1997. Oxidative inactivation of CYP1A1 by 3,3',4,4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl and release of active oxygen from hepatic microsomes stimulated by slow CYP1A1 substrates. The Toxicologist 36(March):Abstract 692.

Walker, M.K., P.M. Cook. . . .E. Peterson. 1996. Potency of a complex mixture of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin, dibenzofuran, and biphenyl ocngeners compared to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in causing fish early life stage mortality. Fundamental and Applied Toxicology 30:178.

Zabel, E.W., and R.E. Peterson. 1996. TCDD-like activity of 2,3,6,7-tetrachloroxanthene in rainbow trout early life stages and in a rainbow trout gonadal cell line (RTG-2). Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 15(December):2305.

Zabel, E.W., R. Pollenz, and R.E. Peterson. 1996. Relative potencies of individual polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin, dibenzofuran, and biphenyl congeners and congener mixtures based on induction of cytochrome P450aA mRNA in a rainbow trout gonadal cell line (RTG-2). Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 15(December):2310.

Further Readings:

Guiney, P.D., P.M. Cook. . . .R.E. Peterson. 1996. Assessment of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induced sac fry mortality in lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) from different regions of the Great Lakes. Canadian Journal of Aquatic Sciences 53:2080.

Hahn, M.E., and S.I. Karchner. 1995. evolutionary conservation of the vertebrate Ah (dioxin) receptor: Amplification and sequencing of the PAS domain of a teleost Ah receptor cDNA. Biochemistry Journal 310:383.

Hornung, M.W., E.W. Zabel, and R.E. Peterson. 1996. Additive interactions between pairs of polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxin, dibenzofuran, and biphenyl congeners in a rainbow trout early life stage mortality bioassay. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 140(October):345.

Raloff, J. 1996. Lamprey: A taste treat from prehistory, and Westward ho the lamprey. Science News Online(Aug. 10).

______. 1996. Dioxins: New attempts to smoke them out. Science News 149(June 22):390.

______. 1995. Did evolution really anticipate dioxin? Science News 147(May 6):277.

______. 1994. The problem with tallying 'dioxin'. Science News 146(Sept. 24):206.

______. 1992. Perinatal dioxin feminizes male rats. Science News 141(May 30):359.

______. 1988. This 'nontoxic' dioxin isn't. Science News 133(April 23):269.

Schmidt, K.F. 1992. Dioxin's other face. Science News 141(Jan. 11):24.

Thomas, V.M., and T.G. Spiro. 1996. The U.S. dioxin inventory: Are there missing sources? Environmental Science & Technology 30(February):82A.

Walker, M.K., R.S. Pollenz, and S.M. Smith. 1997. Expression of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) and AhR nuclear translocator during chick cardiogenesis is consistent with 2,3,7,8,-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-induced heart defects. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 143(April):407.

Wilson, P.J., and D.E. Tillitt. 1996. Rainbow trout embryotoxicity of a complex contaminant mixture extracted from Lake Michigan lake trout. Marine Environmental Research 42:129.

Zabel, E.W. . . .R.E. Peterson. 1995. Interactions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin, dibenzofuran, and biphenyl congeners for producing rainbow trout early life stage mortality. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 134:204.

Proliferation of Pills

Antibiotics don't fight many infections well, yet doctors continue to prescribe them

As resistance to antibiotics grows, doctors scramble for new ways to deal with tougher bugs.

References:

Buchem, F.L., et al. 1997. Primary-care-based randomised placebo-controlled trial of antibiotic treatment in acute maxillary sinusitis. 1997. Lancet 349(March 8):683.

Kaiser, L., et al. 1996. Effects of antibiotic treatment in the subset of common-cold patients who have bacteria in nasopharyngeal secretions. Lancet 347(June 1):1507.

Gold, H., et al. 1996. Antimicrobial drug resistance. New England Journal of Medicine 335(Nov. 7):1445.

Table of Contents - 5/17/97