Background:Ticks are obligate blood feeders. The midgut is the first major region of the body where blood and microbes ingested with the blood meal come in contact with the tick's internal tissues. Little is known about protein expression in the digestive tract of ticks. In this study, for analysis of global gene expression during tick attachment and feeding, we generated and sequenced 1,679 random transcripts (ESTs) from cDNA libraries from the midguts of female ticks at varying stages of feeding. Results:Sequence analysis of the 1,679 ESTs resulted in the identification of 835 distinct transcripts, from these, a total of 82 transcripts were identified as proteins putatively directly involved in blood meal digestion, including enzymes involved in oxidative stress reduction/antimicrobial activity/detoxification, peptidase inhibitors, protein digestion (cysteine-, aspartic-, serine-, and metallo- peptidases), cell, protein and lipid binding including mucins and iron/heme metabolism and transport.

Aneurysmal dilation of saphenous vein grafts is a relatively rare complication of the now common surgical procedure of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. The true prevalence of this condition is not clear, however, literature review by Jorgensen et. al. between 1975 and 2002 revealed only 76 published cases. Recent review of literature, utilizing OVID (search terms: saphenous vein, aneurysm, graft, pseudoaneurysm, coronary bypass) suggests a significantly higher prevalence with 14 such cases published in a variety of multinational journals during the period of 2006 to April 2007. The causes of this dramatic increase is likely multifactorial, however, in the author's opinion, likely reflects the increased sophistication and utilization of cross sectional imaging modalities.

Background:Alternative splicing of exons in a pre-mRNA transcript is an important mechanism which contributes to protein diversity in human. Arrays for detecting alternative splicing are available using several different probe designs, including those based on exon-junctions. In this work, we introduce a new method for predicting alternatively skipped exons from exon-junction arrays. Predictions based on our method are compared against controls and their sequences are analyzed to identify motifs important for regulating alternative splicing.Results:Our comparison of several alternative methods shows that an exon-skipping score based on neighboring junctions best discriminates between positive and negative controls.

People living with HIV/AIDS in China continue to experience discrimination based on public misconceptions of the disease, Bernhard Schwartlander, UNAIDS China country coordinator, said on Tuesday, Xinhuanet reports.

Certain antipsychotic medicines are being prescribed too frequently to children, and FDA should take action to discourage the drugs' growing use, a panel of federal drug experts told agency officials Tuesday, the New York Times reports.

Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chair Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) on Tuesday named committee members to lead three working groups that will target specific aspects of the health care system in writing overhaul legislation, including Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.

GenVec, Inc. (Nasdaq:GNVC) announced today top-line results of an interim analysis from its ongoing Phase III Pancreatic Cancer Clinical Trial with TNFerade™ (PACT) in patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer.

A recent study appearing in the November issue of Journal of American Geriatrics Society revealed that centenarian offspring (children of parents who lived to be at least 97 years old) retain important cardiovascular advantages from their parents compared to a similarly-aged cohort.

ImClone Systems Incorporated (NASDAQ: IMCL), a global leader in the development and commercialization of novel antibodies to treat cancer, today announced that its disease-directed randomized Phase 2 clinical trial of IMC-A12 in patients with previously treated HER2-expressing locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer has commenced patient enrollment.

Members bid farewell to Council chairman Council met on 20 November 2008 at the Durrants Hotel, London. The meeting was Rosie Varley's last as chairman, having served in the role for ten years.

DePuy Mitek, Inc., a leading orthopedics sports medicine company, today announced the launch of the HEALIX™ BR Dual Threaded Anchor System, the first suture anchor for arthroscopic rotator cuff repair made with the company's proprietary BIOCRYL® RAPIDE™ biocomposite material, shown in pre-clinical trials to resorb and promote bone formation within the implant profile2.

The GOC today announced that the annual retention fee for 2009/10 is rising from £169 to £219. This is the first time in four years that the cost of GOC registration has gone up. The new fee amount was agreed by Council at its November meeting, and applies to the next retention period, which runs from 1 April 2009 - 31 March 2010.

Bristol Herald Courier

Commenting on the launch of the Road Safety Compliance consultation published today (Thursday, 20th November 2008), BMA Head of Science and Ethics, Dr Vivienne Nathanson said: "There are a number of sensible ideas in this consultation which if adopted will help improve the nation's road safety.

Physicians in the U.S. are reporting a higher risk for certain types of cancers -- such as liver, head, neck and lung -- in people living with HIV/AIDS, raising concerns that a cancer epidemic is imminent in the population, the Baltimore Sun reports.

AARP has hired an outside investigator to look into sales of its limited-benefit health insurance plans after a Senate inquiry found evidence of deceptive marketing, the New York Times reports (Pear, New York Times, 11/19). AARP last week said it would suspend marketing and sales of the plans after Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said the plans are misleading and do not work in typical situations.

WaveMark and LUMEDX Partner to Provide Integrated RFID-Enabled ...

The following statement was issued today by Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) President and CEO Jim Greenwood following President-elect Barack Obama's nomination of former Senator Tom Daschle for Secretary of the U.S.

Microcapsules act as "roach motel" to kill harmful bacteria Researchers in New Mexico and Florida are reporting development of microscopic particles that act as chemical booby traps for bacteria. The traps attract and kill up to 95 percent of nearby bacteria, including microbes responsible for worrisome hospital-based infections.

Targanta Therapeutics Corporation (Nasdaq: TARG) today announced that oritavancin, the Company's investigational antibiotic therapy for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) caused by gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRS

Despite recent doubts about its effectiveness, the influenza vaccine does give valuable protection against illness, hospital admission and death caused by influenza, and people over 65 should have the flu jab this winter, say experts on bmj.com today. Several prominent media articles have suggested that the flu vaccination programme for the over 65s is not worthwhile.

Genetic science's potential to save lives may be compromised by anachronistic patent laws, according to a leading genetic cancer specialist and a patents lawyer who will make their case at a groundbreaking debate in Sydney today (20/11).

Adding to its recent endovascular aortic repair (EVAR) innovations, Medtronic, Inc. (NYSE: MDT), today announced the U.S. launch of the Talent Abdominal Stent Graft on the Xcelerant Hydro Delivery System. EVAR is a treatment for aortic aneurysm, a dangerous bulge or weakening in the body's main artery that can rupture with fatal consequences if left untreated.

A Queen's University study sheds new light on the way one of our cell enzymes, implicated in causing tissue damage after heart attacks and strokes, is normally kept under control.

In lean economic times, we may need to tighten our food budgets, but it is important to do so wisely. Processed foods are definitely cheap. A dollar buys 1,200 calories of cookies or potato chips, but only 250 calories of carrots; or 875 calories of soda, but only 170 calories of orange juice.

"Disability has to be addressed if the Millennium Development Goals are to be achieved," says Beth Fuller, Disability Program Coordinator of the University of Melbourne's Nossal Institute for Global Health. Ms Fuller will present the issue alongside other Australian and global health experts at the 4th annual Nossal Institute Global Health Forum held today at the University of Melbourne.

Professor Robert Nerem and Dr Joseph Vacanti, world leading researchers in tissue engineering and organ transplantation respectively, have been confirmed to deliver keynote talks at the UK National Stem Cell Network (UKNSCN) Annual Conference in Oxford, 6-8 April 2009. They will join the already announced Professor.

Six transalpine regions, representing five European countries, have just formalized the creation of the Alps Bio Cluster, a European cluster initiative that aims to unite research, industrial and training resources in the biotech and medtech sectors over an extended transalpine area.

When the CDC announced this summer that new HIV infections in the U.S. have been 40 percent higher annually than previously had been estimated, a key part of the equation was left out of the story: No vaccine or cure is in sight and, yet, new HIV infections are down from 130,000 annually from the peak of the epidemic with HIV prevention efforts having played a critical role in this reduction.