Curing Death by Curing Aging - July 2007 Archives

Researchers Watch Antibiotics, Bacteria Meet At Atomic Level (7/31/2007)

A new understanding of an enzyme important for the transfer of genetic information in bacteria may help scientists improve current antibiotics and also create antibiotics that are less vulnerable to resistance. ...> Full Article

Diabetes Drugs Increase Risk of Heart Failure, Research Shows (7/31/2007)

A class of drugs commonly used to treat type 2 diabetes may double the risk of heart failure, according to a new analysis by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and colleagues. ...> Full Article

Preventing Blindness in Diabetic Patients Is Goal of Cutting-Edge Eye Exams (7/31/2007)

Although they have a greater than average risk of developing retinal problems and blindness, many people with diabetes never visit their eye doctor. ...> Full Article

Hepatitis C Helicase Unwinds DNA In A Spring-Loaded, 3-Step Process (7/31/2007)

The process by which genes are duplicated is mysterious and complex, involving a cast of characters with diverse talents and the ability to play well with others in extremely close quarters. A key player on this stage is an enzyme called a helicase. Its job is to unwind the tightly coiled chain of nucleic acids - the DNA or RNA molecule that spells out the organism's genetic code - so that another enzyme, a polymerase, can faithfully copy each nucleotide in the code. ...> Full Article

Treating HIV-Infected Infants Early Helps Them Live Longer (7/30/2007)

Hundreds of thousands of babies around the world are born each year with HIV-more than half a million in 2006 alone. Caring for these children is complicated by the fact that their immune systems are not fully developed in the first year of life, which makes them especially susceptible to rapid HIV disease progression and death. The current standard of HIV care in many parts of the world is to treat infants with antiretroviral therapy-but only after they show signs of illness or a weakened immune system. ...> Full Article

New Findings may help prevent the Onset of Lung Disease (7/30/2007)

A study published by Wiley-Blackwell in the journal Acta Pharmacologica Sinica has identified the protein that plays a significant role in the development of lung disease - signaling that medical practitioners may potentially be able to isolate and prevent the onset of the disease in the near future. ...> Full Article

More Power to Population Studies in Pancreas Cancer Research (7/30/2007)

UCSF clinicians and researchers are joining with counterparts far and wide to conduct large studies that will yield the statistical power necessary to clearly identify factors associated with risk for pancreas cancer. ...> Full Article

Degenerative Changes that Mimic Parkinson's Linked to Reduced Dopamine Storage (7/29/2007)

Emory University neuroscientists have discovered what could serve as a model for slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative condition that affects more than 1 million people in the U.S. ...> Full Article

First Detailed View of Molecular Structure May Usher in New Class of Cancer Drugs (7/29/2007)

High resolution views of a receptor molecule that is implicated in cancer offer a clear target for the development of a new class of cancer drugs, Yale School of Medicine researchers report July 27 in Cell. ...> Full Article

New Study Finds Infant Hearing Test Results May Predict Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (7/29/2007)

One of the greatest medical mysteries of our time has taken a leap forward in medical understanding with new study results announced by Dr. Daniel D. Rubens of Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. ...> Full Article

Researchers Identify Gene Involved In Breast Cancer (7/28/2007)

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a gene linked to the development of an aggressive form of breast cancer. ...> Full Article

Throttling Up Tiny Power Plants May Protect Nerve Cells (7/28/2007)

Revving up the "mini-energy factories" in central nervous system cells appears to help insulate them from damage caused by reactive oxygen species, which are believed to be prime culprits in aging. That is one of the findings from a new study conducted at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. ...> Full Article

Study Evaluates Brain Bypass Surgery to Reduce Stroke Risk (7/28/2007)

Joan Soltysik's right arm was numb and she had difficulty verbalizing her thoughts. But she managed to hide her symptoms from family and co-workers for days. ...> Full Article

Study Confirms That Aspirin Can Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk (7/27/2007)

A study of Medicare patients with osteoarthritis provides additional evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Earlier investigations of the drugs' impact on tumor development could not rule out the possibility that an observed protective effect was caused by other preventive health care measures. The current study, led by a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physician, appears in the August 2007 Journal of General Internal Medicine. ...> Full Article

Using Sound And Bubbles To Treat Stroke And Cancer (7/27/2007)

Combining sound and bubbles to help treat major killers like stroke and cancer has won £1.25m of funding for Dr Constantin Coussios in Oxford's Institute for Biomedical Engineering. ...> Full Article

A Novel Molecular Dictator 'with A Conscience' Discovered (7/27/2007)

UNSW researchers have uncovered an important naturally occurring mechanism in the body where "bad" cells that cause blockages in our blood vessels are kept under strict growth control, while "good" cells that keep our blood vessels free of clots and growths are left unaffected. ...> Full Article

Sex, Drugs and HIV (7/27/2007)

The rise in the number of Australian HIV cases in the past seven years is likely to be related to risky sexual behaviour in men having sex with men, according to work co-authored by UNSW researchers. ...> Full Article

Researchers Explore New Method For Early Disease Diagnosis (7/26/2007)

Purdue University researchers worked with the Indiana University School of Medicine to establish a technique that provides a new approach for detecting a number of genetic disorders found in infants and young children. ...> Full Article

Effective Insecticide-Repellent For Use Against Malaria Transmitting Mosquito's (7/26/2007)

The mosquitoes responsible for malaria transmission to humans belong to the Anopheles genus. One of the best known and most extensively studied is Anopheles gambiae, Africa's principal malaria vector. The protection recommended by the World Health Organization for people at risk from this devastating disease is the use of mosquito nets impregnated with pyrethroids, of low toxicity for mammals and highly active against mosquitoes. ...> Full Article

Researchers Find Way To Starve Tuberculosis (7/26/2007)

Sleuthing through soil has led UBC researchers to a key discovery about the world's most lethal infection -- tuberculosis (TB). ...> Full Article

Breakthrough Approach Matches Tumor Profiles to Best Possible Anticancer Treatments (7/25/2007)

Cancer patients don't have time to waste. Many go through several different treatments, however, to find one that is more effective against their particular type of tumor. ...> Full Article

Sperm Banking Preserves Fertility In Young Male Cancer Patients (7/25/2007)

A Hamilton study proves that sperm freezing and banking is an effective way to preserve fertility in adolescents and young adult males with cancer. ...> Full Article

Scientists Find Key HIV Protein Makes Cell Membranes Bend More Easily (7/25/2007)

Carnegie Mellon University scientists have made an important discovery that aids the understanding of why HIV enters immune cells with ease. The researchers found that after HIV docks onto a host cell, it dramatically lowers the energy required for a cell membrane to bend, making it easier for the virus to infect immune cells. The finding, in press in Biophysical Journal, will provide vital data to conduct future computer simulations of HIV dynamics to help further drug discovery and prevent deadly infections. ...> Full Article

First Genome-Wide Study of Infectious Disease Opens New Avenues for HIV Treatment, Vaccines (7/24/2007)

The first genome-wide association study of an infectious disease, conducted by an international group of researchers through the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI), has yielded a new understanding of why some people can suppress virus levels following HIV infection. "The clearer picture of host responses to the virus achieved through this examination of genomes could lead to improved HIV therapies and provides new targets for vaccine developers," says Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CHAVI, which is led by Barton Haynes, M.D., of Duke University, Durham, N.C., was established in 2005 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH. ...> Full Article

Molecular Detectors May Refine Cancer Treatment (7/24/2007)

University of Florida researchers have successfully used molecular probes to detect subtle differences in leukemia cells from patient samples, an achievement that could lead to more effective ways to diagnose and treat cancer. ...> Full Article

Leptin Role in Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer Studied (7/24/2007)

Although scientists have long recognized that the hormone leptin plays an important role in obesity, Emory University researchers in separate studies are focusing on precisely how the hormone leads to weight gain as well as its relatively newfound role in cardiovascular disease and cancer. Produced in the fat cells, leptin is involved in a wide range of biological activities including appetite regulation, bone formation, reproduction and blood vessel formation. ...> Full Article

Study Reveals Surge in Male-Factor Infertility Technique (7/23/2007)

A national study reveals that the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI -- an assisted reproductive technology used to treat male-factor infertility -- has increased dramatically in the United States since 1995, while the proportion of patients receiving treatment for male-factor infertility has remained stable. ...> Full Article

Study Looks To Find If Soap Is Best For Cleaning Wounds (7/23/2007)

When broken bones pierce the skin, the chance of infection is a doctor's number one concern. ...> Full Article

Reducing Insulin Signaling In The Brain Can Prolong Lifespan (7/23/2007)

Study explains the physiologic benefits of diet and exercise ...> Full Article

Protein Protects Anti-Cancer Gene From Chemical Shutdown (7/23/2007)

A protein that is largely absent in one type of skin cancer protects an important gene in a cell's defense against harmful mutations from being silenced, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the July 20 edition of Molecular Cell. ...> Full Article

Scientists Lift Lid On Genetics Of Coronary Artery Disease (7/23/2007)

Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how our genetic make-up can lead us to develop heart disease and to predicting who is most at risk. In a study published today, they have confirmed six new genetic variants that increase the likelihood of developing coronary artery disease. Heart disease is the UK's largest killer, accounting for 105,000 deaths annually. ...> Full Article

White Blood Cell Booster May Help Cancer Patients Avoid Deadly Complications (7/23/2007)

Cancer patients who receive a drug that stimulates the growth of infection-fighting white blood cells may be significantly less likely to die from a chemotherapy-related complication characterized by fever and low white blood cell levels, according to a multi-institutional study led by researchers from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. ...> Full Article

Gene Therapy For Parkinson's Hitches Ride On Virus (7/22/2007)

OHSU is one of nine sites studying whether CERE-120 reduces symptoms of disorder ...> Full Article

Protein Suppresses Spread Of Prostate Cancer (7/22/2007)

A protein whose function is lost in a broad array of cancers normally suppresses the spread of prostate cancer, MIT researchers and colleagues have shown. As a result, testing for loss of the protein, called Protein 4.1B, could help clinicians predict which cancers are likely to spread, or metastasize. ...> Full Article

Potential New Target for Cancer Found (7/22/2007)

By bypassing a well-known gene implicated in almost one-third of all cancers and instead focusing on the protein activated by the gene, Duke University Medical Center researchers believe they may have found a new target for anti-cancer drugs. ...> Full Article

New Therapy Is Effective For Patients With Crohn's Disease, According To Studies (7/22/2007)

Mayo Clinic researchers have found that certolizumab pegol is an effective treatment for adults with Crohn's disease, according to two new studies. These findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Certolizumab pegol blocks tumor necrosis factor, an important cause of inflammation in Crohn's disease. ...> Full Article

Obesity Found To Be A Risk Factor For Multiple Myeloma (7/22/2007)

An obese person is more likely than a lean person to develop multiple myeloma, according to researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, and Harvard School of Public Health. ...> Full Article

Enzyme Eliminated By Cancer Cells Holds Promise For Cancer Treatment (7/21/2007)

An enzyme that cancer cells eliminate, apparently so they can keep proliferating, may hold clues to more targeted, effective cancer treatment, scientists say. ...> Full Article

Gene Discovered for Type 1 Diabetes in Children (7/21/2007)

Pediatrics researchers at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and McGill University in Montreal have identified a gene variant that raises a child's risk for type 1 diabetes, formerly called juvenile diabetes. As investigators continue to pinpoint genes contributing to diabetes, they have their eyes on providing a scientific basis for designing better treatments and preventive measures for the disease. ...> Full Article

Connecting Diabetes And Inflammation (7/21/2007)

It has long been known that type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease. The body attacks the islet cells in the pancreas that produce insulin. In recent years, the immune system has also been implicated in type 2 diabetes - in particular imbalances in cytokines, an immune system component that causes inflammation. These imbalances become especially marked as people become obese. Dr. Jerry Nadler and his colleagues are investigating the role of a key gene - 12/15-LO (12/15-lipoxygenase ) - that has been implicated in the immune-system induced inflammatory effects linked to both forms of diabetes and their complications. ...> Full Article

Universal Flu Vaccine Being Tested On Humans (7/21/2007)

A universal influenza vaccine that has been pioneered by researchers from VIB and Ghent University (Belgium) is being tested for the first time on humans by the British-American biotech company Acambis. This vaccine is intended to provide protection against all 'A' strains of the virus that causes human influenza, including pandemic strains. ...> Full Article

Gene Identified For Crohn's Disease In Children (7/21/2007)

Pediatrics researchers have identified a gene variant that raises a child's risk of Crohn's disease, a chronic and painful condition attributed to inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract. ...> Full Article

Clues to Future Evolution of HIV Come From African Green Monkeys (7/21/2007)

Monkey viruses related to HIV may have swept across Africa more recently than previously thought, according to new research from The University of Arizona in Tucson. ...> Full Article

Investigating The Causes Of Parkinson's Disease (7/21/2007)

A University of Nottingham researcher has been awarded more than £440,000 by the Parkinson's Disease Society (PDS) to investigate the causes of the condition. ...> Full Article

Brain Discovery Could Fight Deadly Tumors (7/21/2007)

MIT researchers have identified a critical link between two proteins found in brain tumors, a discovery that could eventually help treat a form of brain cancer that kills 99 percent of patients. ...> Full Article

Researchers Identify New Combination Therapy that Promotes Cancer Cell Death (7/20/2007)

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine identified a combination therapy as a way to sensitize resistant human cancer cells to a treatment currently being tested in clinical trials. They propose that the therapy may help to selectively eliminate cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact, providing a cancer treatment with fewer side effects. The Penn team reports their findings in the July issue of Cancer Cell. ...> Full Article

Researchers Discover Key Mechanism to Emergence of Deadly Strep Bacteria (7/20/2007)

The incidence of serious strep infections has risen dramatically in the last three decades, and this increase is largely attributed to the spread around the globe of a single strain of strep known as the invasive M1T1 clone. Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine and the University of Wollongong in Australia have discovered that, 30 years ago, a virus infected the strep bacteria - creating a deadly strain of 'flesh-eating'¯ bacteria that has evolved to produce serious human infections worldwide. ...> Full Article

Flavonoids in Orange Juice Make It a Healthy Drink, Despite the Sugar (7/20/2007)

Orange juice, despite its high caloric load of sugars, appears to be a healthy food for diabetics due to its mother lode of flavonoids, a study by endocrinologists at the University at Buffalo has shown. ...> Full Article

Diabetics Experience More Complications Following Trauma (7/20/2007)

Individuals with diabetes appear to spend more days in the intensive care unit, use more ventilator support and have more complications during hospitalization for trauma than non-diabetics, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...> Full Article

Phase I Clinical Trials Offer New Avenue For Pediatric Cancer Patients (7/20/2007)

Patients who suffer from recurrence of childhood cancer now have another option. The New Therapies for Pediatric Cancer Program at Comer Children's Hospital makes Phase I clinical trials available to youths with certain refractory or relapsed cancer. ...> Full Article

Metabolic Syndrome Not Caused By Abdominal Fat (7/19/2007)

Abdominal fat, the spare tire that many of us carry, has long been implicated as a primary suspect in causing the metabolic syndrome, a cluster of conditions that includes the most dangerous heart attack risk factors: prediabetes, diabetes, high blood pressure, and changes in cholesterol. ...> Full Article

Scientists Take Next Step In Understanding Potential Target For Ovarian Cancer Treatment (7/19/2007)

A traffic cop protein in the cell may have an even more important role: transporting a messenger protein that tells components in the nucleus to stop cell growth. The discovery of this additional role may lead to diagnostic tools and earlier treatments for ovarian cancer. ...> Full Article

New Use For A Cell Toxin Found To Inhibit Survival Proteins In Cancer Cells (7/19/2007)

Findings could lead to new drug to lower resistance to cancer therapies ...> Full Article

Repeated Sessions Of Exercise Burn More Fat Than A Single, Long Session (7/19/2007)

Taking a break in the middle of your workout may metabolize more fat than exercising without stopping, according to a recent study in Japan. Researchers conducted the first known study to compare these two exercise methods-exercising continually in one long bout versus breaking up the same workout with a rest period. The findings could change the way we approach exercise. Who wouldn't want to take a breather for that? ...> Full Article

Better Sleep May Put Huntington's Disease Sufferers Back On Track (7/19/2007)

Mice carrying the genetic mutation that causes Huntington's Disease (HD) showed marked improvements in alertness and their ability to learn after they were given drugs that put them to sleep. ...> Full Article

Scientists To Research 'Resurrection' Plants (7/18/2007)

A group of University researchers led by John Cushman, professor and director of the graduate program in biochemistry and molecular biology, recently received a competitive National Research Initiative grant from the United States Department of Agriculture. The group, including lead researchers from the University of Missouri, Columbia, was awarded $450,000 for a three-year project on resurrection plants. ...> Full Article

Tumor Painting Revolutionizes Fight Against Cancer (7/18/2007)

A tumor paint developed by researchers at Seattle Children's Hospital Research Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will help surgeons see where a tumor begins and ends more precisely by illuminating the cancerous cells. ...> Full Article

Immune System 'Escape Hatch' Gives Cancer Cells Traction (7/18/2007)

Scientists at Johns Hopkins and elsewhere say they have mapped out an escape route that cancers use to evade the body's immune system, allowing the disease to spread unchecked. ...> Full Article

Bak Protein Sets Stressed Cells On Suicide Path (7/18/2007)

When a cell is seriously stressed, say by a heart attack, stroke or cancer, a protein called Bak just may set it up for suicide, researchers have found. ...> Full Article

Diet Very High In Fruit, Vegetables And Fiber And Low In Fat Does Not Appear To Reduce Risk Of Breast Cancer Recurrence (7/18/2007)

Women with early stage breast cancer who adopted a diet very high in vegetables, fruit and fiber and low in fat did not have a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence compared to women who followed a diet of five or more servings a day of fruit and vegetables (the "5-A-Day" diet), according to a study in the July 18 issue of JAMA. ...> Full Article

Cancer Center Studies New Chemo Pill for Lymphoma (7/18/2007)

Rochester Is First Site To Offer Therapy For Patients With Few Choices ...> Full Article

Cancer Cures Could Work For Canines And Humans (7/17/2007)

One of the major issues associated with longer life expectancy in man and his best friend is an increase in the incidence of cancer. Even though they cannot talk it seems dogs might be able to tell us why and how certain cancers develop. In turn that could lead to better treatments for both canine and human cancer patients. ...> Full Article

Heavy Hearts And The Risk Of Sudden Death (7/17/2007)

OHSU's Cardiac Arrhythmia Center has received a $2 million federal grant to find clues to the identity of those who are at greatest risk of sudden cardiac arrest ...> Full Article

Killer Cells May Actually Be Picky Eaters (7/17/2007)

Biology textbooks are blunt--neutrophils are mindless killers. These white blood cells patrol the body and guard against infection by identifying and destroying any bacteria or fungi that cross their path. But new evidence, which may lead to better drugs to fight deadly pathogens, indicates that neutrophils might actually distinguish among their targets. ...> Full Article

Gene Test to Detect Deadly Childhood Disease (7/17/2007)

Rochester has become one of only a handful of communities around the world to offer a genetic test to detect Batten disease, a deadly inherited disorder. ...> Full Article

Selenium Supplements May Increase the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes (7/16/2007)

Selenium, an antioxidant included in multivitamin tablets thought to have a possible protective effect against the development of type 2 diabetes, may actually increase the risk of developing the disease, an analysis by researchers at the University at Buffalo has shown. ...> Full Article

Major Breakthrough In Understanding How Hiv Interferes With Infected Cell Division (7/16/2007)

Dr. Eric A. Cohen and his team will publish on Friday, July 13, in PLoS Pathogens a discovery that could lead to the development of a new class of drugs to combat HIV. ...> Full Article

High Blood Pressure May Mask Potentially Deadly Heart Condition (7/15/2007)

New research published in Psychophysiology finds a relationship between increased blood pressure and decreased pain perception in a variety of circumstances, including among individuals with heart disease. This phenomenon extends to those who typically suffer chest pain during exercise, and may be correlated with a potentially deadly heart condition. ...> Full Article

A Gene That Protects From Kidney Disease (7/15/2007)

A combination of mice and patient studies sheds light on cause and possible new therapies of kidney diseases ...> Full Article

Study Finds Western-Style Diet Increases Risk of Breast Cancer in Postmenopausal Asian Women (7/15/2007)

A new study finds that the more "western" the diet -- marked by red meat, starches and sweets -- the greater the risk for breast cancer among postmenopausal Chinese women. According to researchers who conducted the analysis at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Harvard University, Shanghai Cancer Institute, and Vanderbilt University, the findings mark the first time a specific association between a western diet and breast cancer has been identified in Asian women. ...> Full Article

Major Advance In Colon Cancer Genetics (7/14/2007)

A 10-year study involving thousands of Israeli Jews and Arabs, led by researchers from American and Israeli institutions, has yielded important new information in the search for the genes that make a person more likely to develop colon cancer. ...> Full Article

Biodesign Institute Leads Innovative Project to Prevent Breast Cancer (7/14/2007)

$7.5 million Department of Defense award ramps up ASU, Mayo Clinic collaboration to develop cancer vaccine ...> Full Article

Gene's Activity Points to More Lethal Subtype of AML (7/14/2007)

A new study shows that the activity of a particular gene can identify people who have a more lethal form of acute myeloid leukemia, singling out those patients who should receive more intense therapy. ...> Full Article

Neuroscientist Comments On Stem Cell Study's Success In Helping Primates With Parkinson's (7/13/2007)

A University of South Florida neuroscientist reports that the cutting-edge research study of human stem cells in primates with Parkinson's disease is compelling on several fronts – particularly how the transplanted cells did their job of easing disease symptoms. ...> Full Article

Scientists Follow Familiar 'TRAIL' To New Cancer Therapy (7/13/2007)

A new study identifies a combination therapy that may sensitize human cancer cells to a promising treatment currently being used in clinical trials. The research, published in the July issue of the journal Cancer Cell, published by Cell Press, provides a pharmacological method for enhancing the potency and effectiveness of a tumor necrosis factor (TNF) death receptor ligand against a variety of human cancers. ...> Full Article

Tiny Tweezers And Yeast Help Show How Cancer Drug Works (7/13/2007)

The annoying bulges of an over-wound telephone cord that shorten its reach and limit a caller's motion help to explain why drugs called camptothecins are so effective in killing cancer cells, according to investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and Delft University of Technology. ...> Full Article

New Way To Target And Kill Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Found (7/13/2007)

Putting bacteria on birth control could stop the spread of drug-resistant microbes, and researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found a way to do just that. ...> Full Article

Researchers Discover How Immune Cells Catch Pathogens With Immune Cells' Tentacles (7/12/2007)

Researchers discover dynamic properties of immune cells' tentacles ...> Full Article

Hormone Inhibitor Promising For Hard-to-Treat Prostate Cancer (7/12/2007)

For prostate cancer patients whose tumors have continued to grow despite medical or surgical castration, a new drug candidate that inhibits production of male hormones anywhere in the body is showing promise in early trials ...> Full Article

Gene Therapy Eradicates Pancreatic Cancer in Preclinical Trial (7/12/2007)

A molecularly engineered therapy selectively embeds a gene in pancreatic cancer that shrinks or eradicates tumors, inhibits metastasis, and prolongs survival with virtually no toxicity, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the July 9 edition of Cancer Cell. ...> Full Article

Study Links Colon and Prostate Cancer (7/12/2007)

A study led by researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC has found that one of seven genetic risk factors previously identified as increasing the probability of developing prostate cancer also increases the probability of developing colorectal cancer. ...> Full Article

Nanobubbles Deliver Targeted Cancer Drugs Using Ultrasound (7/12/2007)

A new targeted drug delivery method uses ultrasound to image tumors, while also releasing the drug from "nanobubbles" into the tumor. ...> Full Article

Activated Immune System Attacks Brain After Stroke (7/11/2007)

Research showing that the body's own natural defences can actually worsen the brain damage caused by a stroke is due to be presented at a major biomedical conference today (Tuesday, July 10). ...> Full Article

Oncologists Show Breast Cancers to be More Aggressive in African American Women (7/11/2007)

A study of more than 2,200 women at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia shows that African American women have more advanced breast cancer at the time of diagnosis than Caucasian women. In addition, African American women tend to have breast cancer tumor types that are more aggressive and have poorer prognoses. The findings, the researchers say, are in line with other recent studies and provide more powerful evidence of the continuing need for early breast cancer screening for African American women and the development of individual treatment strategies. ...> Full Article

High Blood Levels of Urate Linked to Lower Risk of Parkinson's Disease (7/11/2007)

In a new, large-scale, prospective study exploring the link between levels of urate in the blood and risk of Parkinson's disease, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) have found that high levels of urate are strongly associated with a reduced risk of the disease. The findings were published online on June 20, 2007 in The American Journal of Epidemiology and will appear in an upcoming print issue of the journal. ...> Full Article

Genetics Research Advances Possibility Of HIV Vaccine (7/10/2007)

A pioneering collaborative study has discovered how the HIV virus evades the human body's immune system. The research collaborative - involving scientists from the British Columbia Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), Microsoft Research and Los Alamos National Laboratory - used highly computer-intensive, cutting-edge statistical research methods to investigate how the HIV virus mutates to escape the body's immune system. ...> Full Article

Researchers Identify Genetic Mutation That May Alter Patients' Response To Cancer Therapeutics (7/10/2007)

Recurring mutation found in breast, colorectal and ovarian cancers ...> Full Article

Why Liver Cancer Is More Prevalent in Males than in Females (7/10/2007)

Production of a protein that promotes inflammation appears to be linked to the higher incidence of liver cancer in men than in women, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have determined in mouse studies. Their discovery that female mice produce far less of the protein called interleukin-6 (IL-6) in response to liver injury than males do, and that production of this protein is suppressed by estrogen, may point the way to therapies to reduce the incidence of liver cancer in males. ...> Full Article

Removing A Sugar Turns Protective Antibodies Into Attackers (7/10/2007)

In autoimmune diseases like arthritis and lupus, proteins whose job it is to recognize and fight foreign invaders somehow stop recognizing the body as "self" and begin to attack. But exactly what happens to these antibody proteins to transform them into pathological "autoantibodies" capable of causing tissue damage and disease has remained a puzzle to immunologists. New research from Rockefeller University is slowly putting some of the pieces in place. ...> Full Article

Link Between Immune System And Mammary Gland Could Shed Light On Breast Cancer (7/10/2007)

Scientists at the University of Cambridge have published new research in the journal Development showing an unexpected link between a fundamental part of the immune system and the cells that produce milk in the breast during lactation. ...> Full Article

Drug Derived From Gila Monster Saliva Helps Diabetics Control Glucose, Lose Weight (7/9/2007)

Exenatide, a drug that is a synthetic form of a substance found in Gila monster saliva, led to healthy sustained glucose levels and progressive weight loss among people with type 2 diabetes who took part in a three-year study. ...> Full Article

Research Reveals Missing Link In Parkinson's Disease And Suggests New Therapeutic Target (7/9/2007)

Canadian researchers have identified a novel enzyme that may explain the link between Parkinson's disease and toxic cellular by-products called reactive oxygen species. Dr. David Park and his team at the University of Ottawa and the Ottawa Health Research Institute found that the anti-oxidant enzyme Prx2 is inactivated by a chemical that induces Parkinson's disease in mice, and restoring the active enzyme provides significant protection. The group also detected high levels of inactive Prx2 in brain tissue from human Parkinson's patients compared to tissue from normal patients, suggesting that this enzyme may play a role in the human disease as well. The results will be published in the July 5, 2007 edition of the journal Neuron. ...> Full Article

When Tissue Repair Backfires (7/9/2007)

A new molecular link between inflammation and cancer, discovered through experiments with mice, has revealed how the body's natural repair response to tissue injury can actually spur tumor growth. ...> Full Article

Malaria-Resistant Mosquitoes Battle Disease With 'Molecular Warhead' (7/9/2007)

A team led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has discovered why some mosquitoes are resistant to malaria, a finding that may one day help fight a disease that afflicts and kills millions of people. ...> Full Article

Scientists Work To Develop Simple Bladder Cancer Test (7/9/2007)

University of Florida researchers have identified a set of proteins that appear to signal the presence of bladder cancer, a discovery they hope will lead to a simple, fast and noninvasive test that can detect the disease early. ...> Full Article

First Baby Is Born After Oocytes Were Matured In The Lab And Frozen (7/8/2007)

The first baby to be created from an egg that had been matured in the laboratory, frozen, thawed and then fertilised, has been born in Canada. Three other women are pregnant by the same process. The research was presented to the 23rd annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology today (Monday 2 July). ...> Full Article

Gene Variations Directly Link Inflammation to an Increased Risk for Lung Cancer (7/8/2007)

Variations in two genes related to inflammation may be a major risk factor for developing lung cancer, according to a team of scientists from the National Cancer Institute and the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The effect of these genes is especially strong among heavy smokers, suggesting that the inflammatory response is important in modulating the damage caused by tobacco smoke. ...> Full Article

Research Predicts HIV Drug Reaction (7/8/2007)

Specialists at Leicester's hospitals are taking part in research that is improving care for people living with HIV. ...> Full Article

Scientists Discover Key to Manipulating Fat (7/8/2007)

In what they call a "stunning research advance," investigators at Georgetown University Medical Center have been able to use simple, non-toxic chemical injections to add and remove fat in targeted areas on the bodies of laboratory animals. They say the discovery, published online in Nature Medicine on July 1, could revolutionize human cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery and treatment of diseases associated with human obesity ...> Full Article

Subset Of Dendritic Cells Could Be Used To Fight Infection (7/7/2007)

Although few people in the United States have reason to have heard of it, leishmaniasis is a parasitic disease that occurs in 88 different tropical and subtropical countries. Yet despite its prevalence, there is currently no vaccine to prevent transmission. Now, research by Rockefeller University scientists brings an effective vaccine one step closer, showing how it should be possible to recruit a specific subset of immune cells to do the lion's share of the work. ...> Full Article

Rethinking Therapeutic Cancer Vaccine Trials (7/7/2007)

Ongoing therapeutic cancer vaccine trials have yet to show evidence of vaccines spurring a patient's immune system to shrink tumors -- yet patients who receive these vaccines in trials tend to live longer and respond better to subsequent treatment. In the July 1 issue of Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, a team of National Cancer Institute researchers asks a fundamental question: are we looking at cancer vaccine trials the wrong way? ...> Full Article

Harnessing The Power Of The Immune System To Fight Cancer (7/7/2007)

Teaching the body's own immune system to seek out and destroy cancerous tumours represents a promising way to fight a disease that kills more than 70,000 Canadians a year. ...> Full Article

How a Genetic Roll of the Dice Paves the Way for Lymphatic Cancers (7/7/2007)

For most cells, keeping DNA in optimal condition is a high priority. Most cells do not hesitate to halt their usual life cycle while they fix anything that is amiss, even resorting to suicide to stop damage from spreading. But the immune system persistently gambles, putting organisms at risk for cancer and other diseases as it prepares to defend against potential pathogens. ...> Full Article

Extracting Eggs From Pre-pubertal Cancer Patients Brings Hope For Future Fertility (7/7/2007)

Scientists in Israel have been able to obtain and freeze eggs from the ovarian tissue of girls as young as 5 years old, the 23rd annual conference of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology was told today (Tuesday 3 July). Dr. Ariel Revel, from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel, said that the growing number of survivors of childhood cancers meant that such techniques would become increasingly important in preserving fertility in young patients. ...> Full Article

WFS1 Gene In More Common In People With Type 2 Diabetes (7/6/2007)

Researchers led by Cambridge scientists have defined a role for a gene called WFS1 in diabetes. Using their understanding of diabetes, they made educated choices about which genes might contribute. Their research, published in Nature Genetics today, hit gold with the revelation that a variant of WFS1 is more common in type 2 diabetes patients than in unaffected people ...> Full Article

Abnormal Insulin Test Levels Under Investigation (7/6/2007)

The patient safety team at the University of Chicago Medical Center is investigating two cases during May and early June in which blood tests showed insulin levels much higher than would normally be observed. Given these two instances and to ensure the highest level of patient safety, the Medical Center has notified appropriate regulatory, enforcement, and oversight agencies. ...> Full Article

Researchers Discover Method for Identifying How Cancer Evades the Immune System (7/6/2007)

One of the fundamental traits of a tumor - how it avoids the immune system - might become its greatest vulnerability, according to researchers from the University of Southern California. Their findings, demonstrated in human breast and colorectal cancers, indicate that a technique for determining a tumor's "immune signature," could be useful for diagnosing and treating specific cancers. ...> Full Article

Bed Nets May Be Key In Tackling Malaria (7/6/2007)

Protection using insecticide-treated bed nets may effectively combat malaria, research led by a Durham University expert has shown. ...> Full Article

How Cancer Evades the Immune System (7/5/2007)

USC researchers discover a way to determine which genes have been altered in a tumor, enabling it to avoid a body's defenses. ...> Full Article

Turning Stem Cells Taken from Fat Tissue into Personalized, Cancer-Targeted Therapeutics (7/5/2007)

Researchers in Slovakia have been able to derive mesenchymal stem cells from human adipose, or fat, tissue and engineer them into "suicide genes" that seek out and destroy tumors like tiny homing missiles. This gene therapy approach is a novel way to attack small tumor metastases that evade current detection techniques and treatments, the researchers conclude in the July 1 issue of Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. ...> Full Article

Scientists Describe How 1918 Influenza Virus Sample was Exhumed in Alaska (7/5/2007)

The effort to find preserved samples of the 1918 influenza virus has been a pursuit of both historical and medical importance. The 1918 influenza pandemic was the most devastating single disease outbreak in modern history, and examining the virus that caused it may help prepare for, and possibly prevent, future pandemics. When the complete sequence of the 1918 virus was published in 2005, it represented a watershed event for influenza researchers worldwide. ...> Full Article

Possible Relation Between Dairy Consumption And Mutations Of A Gene That Causes Pancreatic Cancer Uab Barcelona (7/5/2007)

A scientific article published in the July issue of the English Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health suggests that there could be a relation between consuming dairy products and the mutations of a gene that is closely linked to pancreatic cancer. ...> Full Article

Key To Male Infertility (7/5/2007)

A factor in immune cells regulates human semen and seems to determine whether a man will be fertile, according to a new study. ...> Full Article

More Couples Travel Abroad For Embryo Testing (7/4/2007)

A new study has shown that increasing numbers of couples are travelling abroad for embryo testing, known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD), and that the main reason for this cross-border movement is the legal position in patients' countries of origin. ...> Full Article

Natural Signal Holds Promise For Psoriasis, Age-Related Skin Damage (7/4/2007)

The body may hold a secret to normalizing skin cell growth that is over zealous in psoriasis and non-melanoma skin cancers and too slow in aging and sun-damaged skin, researchers say. ...> Full Article

Research Says Sugar Coated Proteins Seal in a Memory of Diabetes (7/4/2007)

Researchers at the University of Warwick's Warwick Medical School have uncovered a process that locks the body's metabolism in a diabetic state after only relatively limited exposure to high glucose levels. ...> Full Article

Human Antibodies that Block Human and Animal SARS Viruses Identified (7/4/2007)

An international team of investigators has identified the first human antibodies that can neutralize different strains of virus responsible for outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The researchers used a mouse model and in vitro assays (lab tests) to test the neutralizing activity of the antibodies. The research team was led by scientists from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), both parts of the National Institutes of Health, and included collaborators from the U.S. Army (USAMRIID), academic institutions in the United States, Switzerland, and Australia. The research findings appear after July 2, 2007 in the early online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Loss Of Cell's 'Antenna' Linked To Cancer's Development (7/4/2007)

Submarines have periscopes. Insects have antennae. And increasingly, biologists are finding that most normal vertebrate cells have cilia, small hair-like structures that protrude like antennae into the surrounding environment to detect signals that control cell growth. In a new study published in the June 29 issue of Cell, Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers describe the strong link between ciliary signaling and cancer and identify the rogue engineers responsible for dismantling the cell's antenna. ...> Full Article

Critical Protein Prevents DNA Damage From Persisting Through Generations (7/3/2007)

A protein long known to be involved in protecting a cell from genetic damage has been found to play an even more important role in protecting the cell's offspring. New research shows that the protein, known as ATM, is not only vital for helping repair double-stranded breaks in the DNA of immune cells, but is also part of a system that prevents genetic damage from being passed on when the cells divide. ...> Full Article

'Modular' Leukemia Drug Shows Promise in Early Testing (7/3/2007)

A new type of engineered drug candidate has shown promise in treating chronic lymphocytic leukemia in both test tube and early animal tests, a new study shows. ...> Full Article

How Weight-Loss Prevents Breast Cancer Reoccurrence (7/3/2007)

Breast cancer is twice as likely to reoccur in women who are overweight or obese. Whether the process of weight loss provides protection against cancer, or if it is necessary to reach a healthy weight to reduce the reoccurrence of cancer is a key question addressed in a new study to be conducted by the Cancer Prevention Laboratory at Colorado State University. ...> Full Article

Research Suggests Omega-3s May Help Slow Prostate Cancer Growth (7/2/2007)

Research in mice suggests that a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and certain types of fish could potentially improve the prognosis of men who are genetically prone to develop prostate cancer. ...> Full Article

Gene Deficiency is a Protective Barrier to Obesity (7/2/2007)

A search for the molecular clues of longevity has taken Mayo Clinic researchers down another path that could explain why some people who consume excessive calories don't gain weight. The study, which was done in laboratory mouse models, points to the absence of a gene called CD38. When absent, the gene prevented mice on high-fat diets from gaining weight, but when present, the mice became obese. ...> Full Article

Virologists Show How Memory T Cells Curb the Spread of Viruses Throughout the Body (7/2/2007)

A scientific discovery by Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers helps explain how "memory" T cells protect the body from viral diseases. The research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Science Online Early Edition shows lymph nodes are not just organs where immune cells reside and proliferate, but also are the sites where a major fight against the spread of an invading virus occurs. ...> Full Article

Researchers Have Discovered A Treatment Which Slows The Growth Of Cancers Of The Colon And Liver (7/1/2007)

Leire GarcĆ­a Navarro, a researcher at the School of Pharmacy of the University of Navarra, has developed a new treatment which slows the growth of colon and liver cancers. ...> Full Article

Researchers Track Influence Of Cancer Inhibitor On Single DNA Molecule (7/1/2007)

Researchers in Delft University of Technology's Kavli Institute of Nanoscience in The Netherlands have cast new light on the workings of the important cancer inhibitor topotecan. Little had been known about the underlying molecular mechanism, but the Delft scientists can now view the effects of the medicine live at the levelin of a single DNA molecule. ...> Full Article

Type 1 Diabetes and Heart Disease - Heavier May Mean Healthier (7/1/2007)

Researchers find more fat equals less coronary artery calcification ...> Full Article