Genome-wide linkage analysis of congenital heart defects using MOD score analysis identifies two novel loci.

Background: Congenital heart defects (CHD) is the most common cause of death from a congenital structure abnormality in newborns and is often associated with fetal loss. There are many types of CHD. Human genetic studies have identified genes that are responsible for the inheritance of a particular type of CHD and for some types of CHD previously thought to be sporadic.

ACTYBOSS: activity, behavioral therapy in young subjects--after-school intervention pilot project on obesity prevention.

Aims: To test the feasibility of a school-based intervention, which combines an incentive-driven physical activity program with lifestyle lectures, and its potential beneficial outcome on children's metabolic parameters.

Methods: We conducted a 6-month pilot intervention in two high schools in Mallorca, Spain, consisting of a program which involved free supervised exercise sessions and nutritional lectures, where children received credit points as a reward for the hours spent exercising and attendance to the lectures. The credit-earned points obtained were exchanged for gifts.

Iron-chelating ability and antioxidant properties of phycocyanin isolated from a protean extract of Spirulinaplatensis.

The invitro scavenger activities of different reactive oxygen species (superoxide radical, hydroxyl radical, hydrogen peroxide, hypochlorous acid and peroxyl radical), the effects on lipid peroxidation and the iron-chelating ability of a Spirulinaplatensis protean extract and the biliprotein, phycocyanin, isolated from this microalga were studied. S. platensis protean extract inhibited the generation of hydroxyl radical (IC50=537μg/ml for the system with EDTA and 1500μg/ml without EDTA), the production of peroxyl radical (IC50=230μg/ml), and the lipid peroxidation process (IC50=2320μg/ml for the enzymatic system and 2180μg/ml for the non-enzymatic system).

MRS as endogenous molecular imaging for brain and prostate tumors: FP6 project "eTUMOR".

Molecular imaging has become during the last years in an important tool for supporting cancer diagnosis and prognosis. PET and SPECT are the most common molecular imaging techniques, although very promising and specific biological molecular agent contrast for CT and MRI are being recently developed. However, the above imaging techniques require exogenous contrast agents and usually a sole molecular image can be obtained at once.