News & Views in 1995

Family studies demonstrate population variation and genetic control in the CD4/CD8 ratio (pages 1279–1283).

It is difficult to show that patients' results on the most common quantitative test for sleepiness correlate with several factors associated with sleepiness.

A recently described mutation in the rod photoreceptor ion channel gene leading to retinitis pigmentosa suggests a mechanism for retinal degeneration.

Recent data suggest that deregulation of the restriction point in the cell-cycle G1 phase appears to be required for the development of neoplasias.

Computer simulations of theoretical models provide a way to elucidate mechanisms underlying neurological disorders and drug actions.

Cyclin D1 may be overexpressed in most breast cancers. Is this a critical early step in breast carcinogenesis (pages 1257–1260)?

Synthesis of the major xenogeneic antigen can be diverted towards production of an innocuous sugar by expression of a glycosyltransferase (pages 1261–1267).

Human and animal research suggests Crohn's disease is a heterogeneous group of disorders and implicates commensal bacteria in genetically determined mucosal T-cell dysregulation.

Cimetidine antagonizes histamine's effects on some cancers and improves survival when given in the perioperative period.

Monitoring blood glucose is a painful ritual for diabetics. Now, however, noninvasive measurement is possible (pages 1198–1201).

The scientific method depends on the thoughtful use of validated statistical methods.

Micrometastases in a murine lung carcinoma model have regressed or been prevented (pages 1179–1183).

It is now possible to quantify tenderness in musculoskeletal disorders by controlling the force of the examiner's palpating fingers.

Internalization of targeted therapeutics is often needed for efficacy, but also alters drug penetration of a tissue. A new model explores the trade-offs of intracellular drug trafficking.

The race isn't always to the swift, but that is no excuse for dragging one's feet (pages 1148–1154).

A tiny fish may provide a big clue to an important cardiovascular malformation (pages 1143–1147).

We now have a number of effective drugs for osteoporosis. However, close inspection of clinical trials results suggests we should aim for even better ones.

Advances in technology are improving the ability of physicians tononinvasively diagnose cardiovascular disease (pages 1086–1089).

A novel ganglioside-bound form of the amyloid β-protein is discovered in Alzheimer's disease (pages 1062–1066), but is it the long-sought initiator of the earliest brain lesions?

A new study suggests that stimulating TGF-β production protects against atherosclerosis (1067–1073). But other studies have shown that TGF-β overproduction can cause tissue fibrosis.