Cellular stress can induce yeast to promote prion formation It's a chicken and egg question. Where do the infectious protein particles called prions come from? Essentially clumps of misfolded proteins, prions cause neurodegenerative disorders, such as mad cow/Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, in humans and animals. Prions trigger the misfolding and aggregation of their properly folded protein counterparts, but they usually need some kind of "seed" to get started. [News Source]

Cellular stress can induce yeast to promote prion formation Biochemists have identified a yeast protein called Lsb2 that can promote spontaneous prion formation. Prions can cause neurodegenerative disorders, such as mad cow/Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, in humans and animals. [News Source]

Ukraine to check mad cow disease monitoring system in Denmark Ukraine's State Veterinary Medicine and Biosecurity Service is to audit a system for carrying out inspections, monitoring and preventing mad cow disease (Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE) in Denmark. [News Source]

Mad cow patient is refused support by NHS. Andy da Silva, 57, suffers from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (mad cow disease) and requires round-the-clock help at his flat in Highbury Grove, Highbury. The family is considering legal action, as the National Health Service has is not providing care for his form of the disease. [News Source]

Beef radiation scare recalls mad cow fiasco. The mounting cases of beef containing high levels of cesium recall the 2001 domestic outbreak of mad cow disease, in that slow government action and poor communication have once again been blamed for exacerbating the damage, industry experts say. [News Source]

Western researchers receive $600,000 to study Prion diseases and Alzheimer’s ( University of Western Ontario ) A team of researchers from The University of Western Ontario has received $600,000 from PrioNet Canada to study Prion diseases and Alzheimer's. Prion diseases are fatal, infectious and transmissible neurodegenerative diseases affecting both humans and animals including mad cow disease or bovine spongiform encephalopathy, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in humans, and ... [News Source]

Beef radiation scare recalls mad cow fiasco The mounting cases of beef containing high levels of cesium recall the 2001 domestic outbreak of mad cow disease, in that slow government action and poor communication have once again been blamed for exacerbating the damage, industry experts say. Some 650 cattle fed hay tainted with radioactive cesium have been distributed to the market, with some of the meat already having been sold to consumers. [News Source]

‘Colossal blunder’ on radioactive cattle feed. Officials of the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Ministry have admitted they did not consider the possibility of cattle ingesting straw contaminated by radioactive substances emitted from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant. [News Source]

Reading, writing and acting Residency #142 at the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach runs through Sunday and features collaborating playwrights Annie Baker , Dael Orlandersmith and Heather Woodbury , all of whom appeared last week at Mad Cow Theatre to discuss their craft. Highlight of a fascinating evening: All three women stressed the importance of reading. [News Source]

Brain wasting disease research gets $2.9M in funding Canadian researchers will receive $2.9 million to investigate prion diseases such as mad cow and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. [News Source]