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Nature Medicine
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A biomedical research journal devoted to publishing the latest and most exciting advances in biomedical research for scientists and physicians.
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The biology of infertility: research advances and clinical challenges
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Opposing effects of HLA class I molecules in tuning autoreactive CD8+ T cells in multiple sclerosis
Although major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II alleles and CD4+ T cells have been implicated in multiple sclerosis, Friese et al. provide here the first direct evidence incriminating MHC class I genes and CD8+ T cells in the pathogenesis of this autoimmune disorder (pages 1150?1151).
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Suppressed NFAT-dependent VEGFR1 expression and constitutive VEGFR2 signaling in infantile hemangioma
Bjorn Olsen and his coworkers shed light on the molecular mechanisms underpinning the proangiogenic properties of endothelial cells in hemangiomas, tracing these properties to decreased activity of a signaling pathway involving NFAT transcription factor regulation of VEGFR1 receptor expression. They also identify germline mutations in genes encoding elements of this signaling pathway in a subset of individuals with hemangioma and suggest that interventions in this pathway could have therapeutic effects (pages 1147?1148).
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Niemann-Pick disease type C1 is a sphingosine storage disease that causes deregulation of lysosomal calcium
Niemann-Pick type C1 is a lysosomal storage disease caused by mutations in the NPC1 gene. The authors show that NPC1 regulates calcium levels in the lysosome, and calcium dysregulation could be the proximal event in inducing the accumulation of lipids that characterizes the disease.
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5?-triphosphate-siRNA: turning gene silencing and Rig-I activation against melanoma
siRNA is used to silence expression of a specific gene and, if modified by a triphosphate at the 5? end, will also activate the helicase Rig-I, leading to interferon production. Poeck et al. now combine both of these activities in a single siRNA to kill melanoma cells by crippling a crucial tumor cell survival pathway and triggering an interferon-dependent antitumor immune response (pages 1152?1153).
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Virus-specific T cells engineered to coexpress tumor-specific receptors: persistence and antitumor activity in individuals with neuroblastoma
The promise of engineered T cells for treating cancer has been mitigated by their poor persistence when transferred to patients. Pule et al. now show that dual-specific T cells that recognize an Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) antigen and a tumor antigen survive longer in individuals with neuroblastoma. Engineering virus-specific T cells to recognize tumor antigens may improve the efficacy of this immunotherapy in latently infected cancer patients (pages 1148?1150).
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The miR-15a?miR-16-1 cluster controls prostate cancer by targeting multiple oncogenic activities
Two microRNAs, miR-15a and miR-16, localize to a chromosome region that is frequently deleted in cancer. Bonci et al. now show that these microRNAs have tumor suppressive effects in prostate cancer cells and regulate the expression of crucial oncogenic targets.
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HIT: a versatile proteomics platform for multianalyte phenotyping of cytokines, intracellular proteins and surface molecules
There is a pressing need for better methods to analyze specific proteins in a high-throughput manner. Current approaches involve studying only a few markers at a time. Here Kattah and his colleagues describe a new technology for multiplexed protein detection called high-throughput immunophenotyping using transcription (HIT). Use of this multianalyte, antibody-based protein array platform is demonstrated for profiling cytokines in serum, intracellular signaling molecules and cell surface markers.
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Engineering microRNA responsiveness to decrease virus pathogenicity
Kelly et al. offer a method for controlling the tropism of replicating viruses. Viral replication in a specific target tissue is inhibited by incorporation of tissue-specific microRNA targets within the viral genome. Using an oncolytic picornavirus that causes myositis in tumor-bearing mice, they show the virus is unable to replicate in muscle but still retains oncolytic activity, with implications for the clinical use of oncolytic viruses and vaccine development.
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Nobel decision stirs viral dismay
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Better tests boost IVF success
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My mother's keeper
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Publication is positively skewed
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Safer stem cells
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Straight talk with...Ray Moynihan
The relationship between pharmaceutical companies and medical professionals has become too close for comfort, say many experts. They fear that the situation can breed conflicts of interest that lead to the creation of new, poorly defined concepts of illnesses?so called 'disease mongering'. The problem is a growing one, according to Ray Moynihan, honorary lecturer on topics such as 'medicine and the media' at the School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle in Callaghan, Australia and co-author of the book Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All into Patients. Genevive Bjorn talked with Moynihan, who helped organize the first world conference on disease mongering, about how this phenomenon affects health priorities.
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As obesity epidemic grows, research shows fitness benefits fetal development
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Graft-versus-host disease: suppression by statins
Two big challenges of transplantation biology are controlling the reaction of the graft to the host after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and preventing rejection of donor organs by the host. Raewyn Broady and Megan K. Levings discuss the first challenge, examining studies suggesting that statins might be helpful to control graft-versus-host disease. Kathryn Wood tackles the second challenge in the context of the 'Edmonton protocol', a procedure that can restore the ability to control blood glucose in people with type 1 diabetes?but only in the short term.
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Advances in fertility preservation for female cancer survivors
A method using tissue engineering principles for the culture of immature ovarian follicles followed by fertilization of oocytes in vitro has been presented by Xu et al.. This methodology is a great step forward toward new technology for fertility preservation in female cancer patients.
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Funding for research in reproduction in the European Union
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Interventions might offer a pregnant pause in addiction
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