Background MUC2 mucin produced by intestinal goblet cells is the major component of the intestinal mucus barrier. The inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis is characterized by depleted goblet cells and a reduced mucus layer, but the aetiology remains obscure. In this study we used random mutagenesis to produce two murine models of inflammatory bowel disease, characterised the basis and nature of the inflammation in these mice, and compared the pathology with human ulcerative colitis....

In this episode of MicrobeWorld Video we ask some leading researchers, education specialists, and public health officials about the state of HIV/AIDS education in America and ideas they have to support the teaching of microbial evolution using the latest HIV/AIDS research ó all while instilling innovative prevention strategies. Filmed at a forum for educators on February, 11, 2008 at the Koshland Science Museum in Washington, D.C. and at San Diego State University, this episode features...

Many emerging RNA viruses of public health concern have recently been detected in bats. However, the dynamics of these viruses in natural bat colonies is presently unknown. Consequently, prediction of the spread of these viruses and the establishment of appropriate control measures are hindered by a lack of information. To this aim, we collected epidemiological, virological and ecological data during a twelve-year longitudinal study in two colonies of insectivorous bats (Myotis myotis)...

Human land use of forested regions has intensified worldwide in recent decades, threatening long-term sustainability. Primary effects include conversion of land cover or reversion to an earlier stage of successional development. Both types of change can have cascading effects through ecosystems; however, the long-term effects where forests are allowed to regrow are poorly understood. We quantify the regional-scale consequences of a century of Euro-American land use in the northern U.S. Great...

This video is courtesy of EU-IndiaGrid and shows the setup of a simple simulation using BEMuSE, software for faster folding of proteins using grid computing. (http://euindia.ictp.it/bemuse/video-tutorials/)

This video shows:

* The structure of the restarts
* The configuration of a simulation
* The submission of the jobs

Resonance is the quality of transmitting even tiny signals between systems that are tuned to the same frequency. Given that cycles of common period are found pervading many different disciplines, perhaps an explanation may be found in resonance. An example is the 160 minute (and associated 80 minute cycle) cycle, found in biological systems, outer planetary spacings, the rotation rates of planets, asteroids and binary stars, solar oscillation and flux and galactic cores. A cosmic pervading...