links for 2010-01-27

• Iowa State University researcher discovers Ebola's deadly secret / Research News / News
  When most viruses invade a cell, they start to make RNA in order to replicate.

  When the healthy host cell senses the replicating RNA, the host cell starts to activate anti-viral defenses that halt replication and eventually help clear the viral infections.

  What Amarasinghe and his group have discovered is that Ebola virus encoded VP35 protein actually masks the replicating viral ribonucleic acid (RNA), so the cell doesn't recognize that there is an invading virus.

  One of the reasons Ebola, in particular the strain isolated from Zaire, is so deadly is that the host cells don't have any immune response when the virus enters the cell, said Amarasinghe.

  (tags: health science medicine research)
• Friendly Bacteria Love the Humble Apple / Research News / News
  16S rRNA is a molecule that is only found in bacteria and its make up is unique to each species or strain. "By working out the sequences of 16S rRNA molecules in the rats' intestines and matching these to known bacterial profiles of 16S rRNA, we could determine which microorganisms were abundant in each group of rats," explained Licht.

  So what was the verdict? "In our study we found that rats eating a diet high in pectin, a component of dietary fiber in apples, had increased amounts of certain bacteria that may improve intestinal health," said co-researcher Andrea Wilcks. "It seems that when apples are eaten regularly and over a prolonged period of time, these bacteria help produce short-chain fatty acids that provide ideal pH conditions for ensuring a beneficial balance of microorganisms. They also produce a chemical called butyrate, which is an important fuel for the cells of the intestinal wall."

  (tags: bacteria health food medicine)
• AUC Professor Awarded Distinguished Cultural Prize of Sultan Al Owais at AUC Now
  "Social critic and AUC economics professor, Galal Amin, has just been awarded the Distinguished Cultural Prize of Sultan Al Owais, which is presented annually by the Sultan Bin Ali Al Owais Cultural Foundation of the United Arab Emirates. Amin was chosen from nearly 400 nominees in the humanitarian and futuristic studies category."
  (tags: auc economics)