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A.
A Protein Linked to an Inherited Form of Alzheimer's
Disease
Narrator:
This is Science Today. Researchers studying a rare,
inherited early-onset form of Alzheimer's disease
have uncovered a protein involved, which may lead
to new therapies and prevention methods. Neurobiologist
Frank LaFerla of the University of California, Irvine,
says the protein is linked to an imbalance of calcium
in brain cells.
LaFerla:
It's not related to dietary calcium - we're
talking about very specific release of calcium from
sub-cellular sites. So we don't want people to go
on and develop osteoporosis because they're stopping
taking their calcium. The processes that we're talking
about are not dietary-related.
Narrator:
The rare form of Alzheimer's Disease that LaFerla
and his colleagues are studying can strike patients
in their twenties.
LaFerla:
You might ask, why study a form of Alzheimer's Disease
that's so rare? And the reason for doing that is
it gives you now a molecular handle to chart out
some of the earliest and hopefully the first pathological
steps in the cascade that leads to neurodegeneration.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
Working Towards an Alternative, Environmentally Friendly
Fuel Source
Narrator:
This is Science Today. As gas prices continue to soar
in parts of the country - the prospect of an alternative,
environmentally friendly fuel source is welcome news.
And that's just what researchers at the University
of California, Berkeley are working on. Tasios Melis,
a plant biologist, says he and his colleagues have
discovered a way to trigger green algae to produce
large quantities of hydrogen gas - a discovery that
may greatly impact the future.
Melis: There is a concerted
effort by the U.S. Department of Energy to develop
what is called now hydrogen technologies. That entails
not only the production of hydrogen, but also storage
of hydrogen, transportation of hydrogen, utilization
of hydrogen to power cars, to generate electricity.
Narrator: So far, the limitations of
hydrogen production have been that it's done in a
non-renewable manner.
Melis:
So I think
that's where our contribution is significant, because
we have a process based on the biology of green algae
and this process permits the production and accumulation
of significant amounts of hydrogen.
Narrator:
For
Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
A Geriatrics Study Looks into Biomarkers for Health
Narrator:
This is Science Today. A UCLA-led geriatrics study
is looking into how biological markers in the blood
may serve as an early identification of disease and
functional decline in older, at-risk populations.
Dr. David Reuben, chief of UCLA geriatrics, says they're
looking at two biomarkers in particular.
Reuben:
The first is serum albumin. Serum albumin is
a protein that everybody has and it's the same albumin
that's in your egg whites. The important thing about
this protein is that it's a very, very good predictor
of four-year mortality or decline in function.
Narrator:
The other biomarker is a cytokine called IL-6 that
can predict the presence of inflammation, which is
a possible indication of disease.
Reuben:
I'm not sure that it's justified in terms of the screening
yet at this point and certainly the IL-6, which is
a pretty expensive test, would not be justified for
screening purposes yet. But that doesn't mean that
sometime in the future this might not be the case.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
An Intelligent Car Sharing Program
Narrator:
This is Science Today. An automated car-sharing system
using electric powered vehicles for short trips is
being used and tested by researchers at the University
of California, Riverside. Electrical engineer Matt
Barth says one of the issues they're looking into
is keeping the IntelliShare Community Vehicle Project
in balance.
Barth:
That we don't have too many vehicles at one station
and not enough at another. And these system management
techniques we've developed does indeed keep our system
in a well-distributed fashion where it continues to
function properly throughout the day.
Narrator:
Each vehicle has a small microcomputer on board that
makes it easy to keep track of its whereabouts and
system status.
Barth:
Probably the reason it hasn't been so popular as of
yet is it adds an extra burden to the user to try
to use these types of systems. When there is an added
amount of convenience with this technology, then people
are going to be able to embrace that and use it much
more often.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
A Call to Refine Current Guidelines For Colon Cancer
Screening
Narrator:
This is Science Today. The American Cancer Society
recommends colon cancer screening for anyone age fifty
or older - and younger for those with a family history
of the disease. But Charles Theuer, an assistant professor
of surgery at the University of California, Irvine,
recently conducted a study aimed to refine some of
these guidelines.
Theuer:
We realized certain racial and ethnic groups
are actually at higher risk than others. And our study
attempted to define exactly when we should start screening
people based on their ethnicity or racial make up.
Narrator:
Their study - which looked at African-Americans, Asians,
Caucasians and Latinos - found that African-Americans
were at greatest risk of developing colorectal cancer
and would benefit most from earlier screening.
Theuer:
In our study, we found that at age forty-two, screening
for colorectal cancer in black Americans was still
cost-effective. Meaning that the money spent was more
than justified by the number of lives that would be
saved if blacks engaged in screening at age forty-two.
Narrator:
For
Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
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