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Researchers have now revealed that vitamin B12 plays a pivotal role in cellular reprogramming and tissue regeneration. The research was focused on an experimental process known as cellular reprogramming which is thought to mimic the early phases of tissue repair. The team found that cellular reprogramming in mice consumes large amounts of vitamin B12. Indeed, the depletion of vitamin B12 becomes a limiting factor that delays and impairs some aspects of the reprogramming process. The researchers validated their findings in a model of ulcerative colitis, demonstrating that the intestinal cells initiating repair undergo a process similar to cellular reprogramming and...

Osteoarthritis is a wear-and-tear disorder marked by bone thickening and cartilage degeneration, an excruciatingly painful disability and a major cause of impaired mobility as people age. But scientists have begun viewing this form of arthritis differently with a deeper understanding of the disorder's causes and an eye toward personalized medicine as a treatment option. Although for decades medical experts have focused on problems such as the pain caused by bone thickening and the disappearance of cartilage, scientists say bone malalignment may play a critical role in osteoarthritis. In a novel clinical study, medical scientists demonstrate how the alignment problem can...

Few people who enter public life can ever hope to leave it casting as big of a shadow as Henry J. Hyde. The sixteen-term Congressman from Illinois sixth district is retiring this year, and he leaves behind a legacy as a passionate defender of conservative principles and also as one of the most fair-minded and equanimous members of Congress. Republican Peter Roskam is running to replace Mr. Hyde, and having worked for him back in the 1970's and then watched him in action over the years, he fully understands the size of the shoes he is seeking to fill. I'm...

Tomorrow is primary day in Illinois and there are three races to watch. The first, and biggest, is the GOP primary for Governor which has essentially boiled down to a two person race between moderate Judy Baar Topinka and conservative Jim Oberweis.Topinka is the only Republican currently holding statewide office (Treasurer) which demonstrates her appeal in a state where the GOP has basically been reduced to a smoldering heap of ruins. However, Topinka's longevity also has a downside; she has ties to the lowly-regarded Illinois political establishment and she served with former Governor George Ryan - who sits awaiting...

The speaker's inner circle is a political money-raising machine that provides a window on the way Washington worksWASHINGTON -- In his first campaign for the Illinois legislature nearly a quarter-century ago, Dennis Hastert had a problem. He had plenty of campaign posters, but no wooden stakes to make yard signs. His friend Dan Mattoon had the solution. Mattoon knew where former Rep. Tom Corcoran kept hundreds of wooden stakes and, as lore has it, he took them for Hastert without bothering to tell Corcoran. Since that time, Mattoon, 52, now one of Washington's most powerful lobbyists, and Hastert (R-Ill.), 63,...

Leading suburban Republicans said Tuesday the decision by veteran GOP U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde to not seek re-election next year could result in a torrent of candidates vying to replace him and create a potentially costly primary contest for a seat that Democrats are likely to aggressively target. Patrick Durante, a longtime Hyde aide who also is head of the Addison Township Republican organization, estimated a hard-fought primary contest in the 6th Congressional District could cost a contender $1 million or more to gain the name recognition and support necessary to win in March. And for some of the candidates...

U.S. Rep. Henry Hyde, the Illinois Republican who steered the impeachment proceedings against President Clinton and championed government restrictions on abortion funding, announced Monday that he will retire when his term ends in 2006. Hyde, who serves as chairman of the House International Relations Committee, made the announcement on his Web site on his 81st birthday. He was first elected to the House in 1974 from his Bensenville district near O’Hare International Airport. Hyde also serves on the House Judiciary Committee, which he chaired from 1995 to 2001. Aides to Hyde did not return phone calls seeking comment Monday. Andrew...