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February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Scientists unveil new step in less-controversial stem-cell efforts
By Mark Johnson
When issues of morality confront the advancement of science, morality will always win. We just need to work hard to find solutions
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
By fusing mouse and human cells, scientists at Stanford have uncovered part of the mechanism involved in reprogramming skin cells back to their embryonic origin, and in doing so have shed light on the critical role played by a protein.
In a paper published in Nature, the researchers explained that they fused mouse embryonic stem cells to the cells in human connective tissue and achieved reprogramming far more rapidly and efficiently than had been done previously.
The new work allows scientists to begin understanding the crucial "how" of a revolution in cell biology launched in 2006 when Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka reprogrammed mouse cells. That breakthrough, which raised the possibility of creating embryonic stem cells that would not set off an ethical debate, was extended a year later when human cells were reprogrammed by Yamanaka in Japan and James Thomson at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Yamanaka and Thomson induced ordinary skin cells to return to their embryonic origin by inserting different four-gene combinations into the cells.
"It's sort of a mystery. You put in four factors. You wait two to three weeks. And .1 percent of the cells are reprogrammed," explained Helen M. Blau, director of the Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology at Stanford University School of Medicine. "It's amazing that it works but there's something missing that we don't understand."
The small number of reprogrammed cells returns to the embryonic state and regain the ability to become any cell in the body, a power that scientists call pluripotency.
"This provides the first real insight into the mechanism of how these cells become pluripotent," Stephen Duncan, a stem cell scientist at the Medical College of Wisconsin, said of the Nature paper. "From a science perspective, it's a really nice piece of work."
Fusing cells from different species allowed scientists to identify which proteins were made by human cells and which by mouse cells and therefore to determine that the human cell was reprogrammed.
Moreover, the experiment pulled back the curtain on another aspect of reprogramming, a process called demethylation. To understand the process, imagine traffic lights in a city. Strands of DNA contain methylation marks, which prevent genes from being turned on. It is as if all of the traffic in a city had been halted by a perpetual red light. The red light keeps the cell frozen in one identity — a bit of blood, or skin, or nerve.
The Nature paper shows that once methylation marks have been established they can still be removed, allowing the red light to switch to green. A green light frees the cell to move toward pluripotency, to that embryonic state when anything is possible.
The Stanford scientists found that a protein called AID, or activation-induced cytidine deaminase, is involved in the process of demethylation. Previously the protein had been known mostly for its role in generating antibodies for the immune system.
"We found a whole new function for it," Blau said, describing the protein as "a critical component in DNA demethylation.
When the Stanford team fused the human and mouse cells, 70 percent switched on the crucial genes that confer the power of an embryonic stem cell. And it did not take weeks, as other methods have, but rather, days.
Blau called the method "a powerful system" for examining how the reprogramming of cells works.
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© 2010, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services
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