Friday, October 14, 2011

Scientists correct sickle cell disease in mice

U.S. scientists have found a way to get mice with a form of sickle cell disease to make normal red blood cells, offering a potential new way to treat the blood disorder in people, they reported on Thursday.

U.S. Scientists Correct Sickle Cell Disease in Mice

In the latest study, published in the journal Science, the team looked to see what would happen if they blocked production of the BCL11A protein in mice with sickle cell disease.

They found that when the protein was disabled, the mice switched back to producing fetal hemoglobin. And mice that once exhibited symptoms of sickle cell disease improved.

25% of millionaires pay lower tax rates than many middle-class Americans, study says

According to the report, which was based on 2006 data, about a quarter of millionaires (about 94,500) paid less than 26.5 percent of their income in federal taxes, while about 10 percent of moderate-income taxpayers (about 10.4 million taxpayers) paid more than 26.5 percent in taxes. Moderate-income taxpayers were defined as those with an adjusted gross income less than $100,000.

Materialistic couples have more problems

"We thought it would be the incongruent or unmatched pattern that would be most problematic, where one's a spender and one's a saver," Carroll told LiveScience. "Our study found that it's the couples where both spouses have high levels of materialism that struggle the most.