Curing Death by Curing Aging - May 2007 Archives

Mutant Parasites, Unable To Infect Hosts, Highlight Virulence Genes (5/31/2007)

With a single approach, microbiologists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have identified dozens of clues to how human parasites may infect their hosts. ...> Full Article

Stem Cell Coaxed Into Becoming Insulin Producing Cells (5/31/2007)

University of Alberta researchers are the first in the world to transform embryonic stem cells into insulin-producing cells, an achievement that could one day lead to an endless source of islet cells for Type 1 diabetics. ...> Full Article

Researchers Develop Tuberculosis Vaccine (5/31/2007)

A Colorado State University research team has developed a novel vaccine to prevent tuberculosis, one of the world's most deadly diseases. The vaccine triggers the body's immunity in a novel way by activating specific immune system functions that enhance the response to the bacterium that causes tuberculosis. ...> Full Article

Red Wine Protects The Prostate (5/31/2007)

Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine, reports the June 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch. In addition, red wine appears particularly protective against advanced or aggressive cancers. ...> Full Article

Lithium Eases Symptoms of Fatal Neurological Disorder (5/30/2007)

Studies in mice have shown that lithium, a drug widely used to treat mood disorders in humans, can provide relief from the crushing symptoms of a fatal brain disease, according to researchers at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) at the Baylor College of Medicine. ...> Full Article

Avian Influenza Survivors' Antibodies Effective At Neutralising H5N1 Strain (5/30/2007)

Adults who have recovered from the potentially deadly H5N1 strain of avian influenza may hold the key to future treatments for the virus, according to an international team of researchers including those at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam. In a study published today http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040178 in the open access journal PLoS Medicine http://medicine.plosjournals.org, the researchers have shown how specific antibodies taken from avian flu survivors in Vietnam can be reproduced in the laboratory and prove effective at neutralising the virus in culture vitro and in mice. ...> Full Article

Human Antibodies Protect Mice From Avian Flu (5/29/2007)

An international team of scientists, including researchers from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, report using antibodies derived from immune cells from recent human survivors of H5N1 avian influenza to successfully treat H5N1-infected mice as well as protect them from an otherwise lethal dose of the virus. ...> Full Article

Scientists Use Gene Therapy to Reverse Heart Failure in Animals (5/28/2007)

Heart researchers at the Center for Translational Medicine at Jefferson Medical College have used gene therapy to reverse heart failure in animals. In addition, they found that this gene therapy strategy had 'unique and additive effects' to currently used, standard heart failure drugs called beta-blockers. ...> Full Article

New Mouse Model Closely Mimics Human Cancers (5/28/2007)

Scientists say development will enhance cancer gene discovery in humans ...> Full Article

Scientists' Studies Combat Health Threats (5/28/2007)

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 was a loud wake-up call for researchers studying infectious diseases. SARS infected more than 8,000 people, killed 10 percent of those infected and weakened most with pneumonia. ...> Full Article

Researchers Home In On Possible New Breast Cancer Gene (5/28/2007)

Researchers at the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute of the University of Pennsylvania and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute describe in this week's issue of Science a new candidate breast-cancer susceptibility gene. The Rap80 gene is required for the normal DNA-repair function of the well-known breast cancer gene BRCA1. ...> Full Article

Veterans Exposed To Agent Orange Have Higher Rates Of Prostate Cancer Recurrence (5/27/2007)

Veterans exposed to Agent Orange have a 48 percent increased risk of prostate cancer recurrence following surgery than their unexposed peers, and when the disease comes back, it seems more aggressive, researchers say. ...> Full Article

Quantum Dot Nanotechnology Targeting Cancer Biomarkers (5/27/2007)

Bioconjugated quantum dots -- luminescent nanoparticles linked to biological molecules -- have shown great promise as tools for disease diagnosis and treatment, but their medical use has been limited by the lack of specific instructions for clinicians. Now, new clinical protocols detailing how to prepare, process and quantify these tiny particles will arm laboratory physicians with the information they need to track biomarkers in cells and tissues. ...> Full Article

Researcher Lays Out Benefits of Aspirin to Prevent Colon Cancer (5/27/2007)

Sanford Markowitz, MD, PhD, a colon cancer researcher at the Ireland Cancer Center of University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) has laid out the roadmap for how medical researchers should employ aspirin and aspirin-like drugs to prevent colon cancer in certain high-risk individuals. ...> Full Article

Tiny Genes May Increase Cancer Susceptibility (5/27/2007)

New evidence indicates that small pieces of noncoding genetic material known as microRNAs (miRNAs) might influence cancer susceptibility. Differences in certain miRNAs may predispose some individuals to develop cancer, say researchers collaborating in a joint study at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia, Ohio State University Medical Center in Columbus and Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo. ...> Full Article

Ohio State Chosen for Revamped HIV Clinical Trials Network (5/26/2007)

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has awarded a seven-year, multimillion-dollar grant to the Ohio State University Medical Center to continue testing new AIDS treatments, vaccines and prevention methods. ...> Full Article

Study Reveals Aspirin's Colorectal Cancer Prevention Mechanism (5/26/2007)

Prevention restricted to tumors expressing COX-2, may help identify those most likely to benefit ...> Full Article

Life Long Vegetarian Diet Reduces The Risk Of Colorectal Cancer (5/26/2007)

According to new research presented at Digestive Disease Week ® 2007 a vegetarian diet may have a significant impact on the gastrointestinal (GI) system, affecting the risk for certain diseases. ...> Full Article

Stem Cells May Mimic Cancer Cells (5/26/2007)

Call it the cellular equivalent of big glasses, a funny nose and a fake mustache. ...> Full Article

New Study Finds HIV In Breastmilk Killed By Flash-Heating (5/25/2007)

A simple method of flash-heating breast milk infected with HIV successfully inactivated the free-floating virus, according to a new study led by researchers at the Berkeley and Davis campuses of the University of California. ...> Full Article

Study Identifying Alteration in Gene Associated with Uterine Cancer Lays Groundwork for More Targeted Therapies (5/25/2007)

Collaboration led by TGen and Washington University School of Medicine may accelerate therapeutic development ...> Full Article

Stem Cells Provide Clues To Cancer Spread (5/25/2007)

Scientists have made an important discovery in understanding how cancers spread in what could lead to new ways of beating the disease. ...> Full Article

Study Shows Exercise May Reverse Aging Process (5/25/2007)

A new study provides more evidence of how exercise can pump up your quality of life as you age, and even help reverse the aging process. ...> Full Article

Chronic Gum Disease Linked to Risk of Tongue Cancer (5/25/2007)

Researchers at the University at Buffalo and Roswell Park Cancer Institute have shown for the first time that an association exists between long-standing periodontitis, or gum disease, and risk of tongue cancer. ...> Full Article

Immunization Against Type 1 Diabetes Works On Mice (5/25/2007)

Researchers in France and Germany have successfully treated type 1 diabetic mice with a vaccination. The vaccine they designed in this model included structures that the immune system mistakenly attacks in type 1 diabetes. ...> Full Article

Altering Bugs Effective Way To Help Eradicate Disease (5/24/2007)

Releasing genetically modified male mosquitoes could eliminate the danger of dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases within a year in communities of up to a million people, according to a research paper released this week. ...> Full Article

Moderate Drinking Lowers Women's Risk of Heart Attack (5/24/2007)

Women who regularly enjoy an alcoholic drink or two have a significantly lower risk of having a non-fatal heart attack than women who are life-time abstainers, epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo have shown. ...> Full Article

Brain Tumor Vaccine Developed By Stanford Researcher To Be Tested At 20 Sites Nationally (5/24/2007)

An experimental vaccine developed by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine to treat a rapidly fatal brain tumor called glioblastoma will be tested in 20 U.S. sites including Stanford. ...> Full Article

Vaccine Hope For Malaria (5/24/2007)

One person dies of it every 30 seconds, it rivals HIV and tuberculosis as the world's most deadly infection and the vast majority of its victims are under five years old. Now, just over 100 years since Britain's Sir Ronald Ross was awarded the Nobel Prize for finally proving that malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes, researchers at The University of Nottingham believe they have made a significant breakthrough in the search for an effective vaccine. ...> Full Article

HIV's Effect On White Blood Cells Questioned By New Research (5/24/2007)

Scientists have refuted a longstanding theory of how HIV slowly depletes the body's capacity to fight infection, in new research published today. ...> Full Article

Possible New Therapy to Stop The Spreading Of Tumors (5/24/2007)

Scientists in Portugal and Germany report of research that suggest a new therapy to control the spread of tumour cells to new tissues, a process known as metastasis and that is associated with high risk of a fatal outcome. The research, to appear in 'Human Molecular Genetics', describe how the chaotic, increased motility of some tumour cells, known to be crucial for metastases, can be linked to the aberrant activation of a molecule called epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). It also shows how inhibition of this activation reverts high motile cells into a normal benign pattern of motility. The research suggests that EGFR inhibitors, which are readily available in the market, could be a potential new therapy in the control of metastases in some type tumours. ...> Full Article

Decoding Gene Expression in Cancer Tumors Using Non-Invasive Imaging (5/24/2007)

By correlating images of cancerous liver tissue with gene expression patterns, a research team led by a radiologist at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine has developed tools that may some day allow physicians to view a CT image of a cancer tumor and discern its genetic activity. The study, designed to help doctors obtain the molecular details of a specific tumor or disease without having to do an invasive biopsy procedure, will be published online on May 21 in Nature Biotechnology. ...> Full Article

Engineered Protein Effective Against Staphylococcus Aureus Toxin (5/23/2007)

A research team led by the University of Illinois has developed a treatment for exposure to enterotoxin B, a noxious substance produced by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. The team engineered a protein, which was successfully tested in rabbits, that could one day be used to treat humans exposed to the enterotoxin. ...> Full Article

New Approach to Treating Precancerous Esophagus Condition (5/23/2007)

The use of concentrated radio waves appears to be a safe and effective way to "burn" away abnormal cell growth in the esophagus that can be a precursor of cancer. ...> Full Article

Genetic Research Increases Understanding Of Autoimmune Disease Risk (5/23/2007)

Geneticists have identified a link between the number of copies of a specific gene an individual has and their susceptibility to autoimmune diseases like lupus. Research using DNA has revealed that people who have a below average number of copies of a gene, known as FCGR3B, have an increased risk of developing diseases caused when the body's immune system attacks its own tissue. ...> Full Article

Cure for Hepatitis C Announced by Researcher (5/23/2007)

Disease is leading cause of cirrhosis, liver cancer and the need for transplants ...> Full Article

New DNA Tests Advance Diagnosis/Early Treatment of Lysosomal Storage Diseases (5/23/2007)

A new set of laboratory tests using gene sequencing is able to help confirm 24 lysosomal storage diseases, providing physicians and patients the tools for much more accurate and rapid diagnosis. Lysosomal storage diseases are a group of more than 40 inherited and potentially life-threatening disorders that cause enzymes to malfunction in cellular compartments called lysosomes. This leads to the accumulation of waste products that damage organs and tissues. ...> Full Article

Team ID's Cell Mechanics Of Hallmark Malaria Protein (5/23/2007)

During the first 24 hours of invasion by the malaria-inducing parasite Plasmodium falciparum, red blood cells start to lose their ability to deform and squeeze through tiny blood vessels--one of the hallmarks of the deadly disease that infects nearly 400 million people each year. Now, an international team of researchers led by an MIT professor has demonstrated just why that happens. ...> Full Article

Majority Of U.S. Parents Not In Favor Of HPV Vaccine Mandates (5/23/2007)

C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health finds only 44 percent of parents support a school mandate for the HPV vaccine ...> Full Article

Fighting Cancer with Salmonella (5/22/2007)

Disease-causing bacteria can help in the fight against cancer. This may sound a little far-fetched at first, but in future bacteria could form the basis for innovative tumor therapies. Researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research in Braunschweig have succeeded in planting "remote-controlled" salmonella in the tumors of cancer-bearing mice. The genetically modified microbes can produce substances on command. "Perhaps at some point," hopes Helmholtz scientist Dr. Holger Loessner, "we will be able to make these bacteria secrete cell toxins precisely where they are needed: in the middle of cancerous tissue." ...> Full Article

Genetic Marker Linked To Aggressive Prostate Cancer (5/22/2007)

Northwestern University researchers have discovered that a recently identified genetic marker for prostate cancer is linked to a highly aggressive form of the disease. ...> Full Article

Kidney Cancer Shuts Down Protein Destruction Complex (5/21/2007)

New evidence shows that Wilms tumor - a rare kidney cancer that affects children - promotes its own growth agenda by taking over a genetic program used by normal cells during development. The studies demonstrate that Wilms tumor exploits the same signaling pathway that is targeted by colorectal cancer cells, but it goes about hijacking that pathway in an entirely different way. The finding suggests that drugs targeting this pathway may be effective against a variety of cancers. ...> Full Article

Students Invent Protective Pouch to Enhance Cell Therapy (5/21/2007)

Johns Hopkins undergraduates have invented a device to improve cell therapy for diabetes patients by anchoring transplanted insulin-producing cells inside a major blood vessel. ...> Full Article

Olive Leaf Extract May Protect Against Cardiovascular Diseases (5/21/2007)

RMIT University researchers have described the promising cardioprotective effects of an Australian olive leaf extract at the American Heart Association's 7th Annual Conference in Denver, USA. ...> Full Article

Change In Neuroticism Tied To Mortality Rates (5/21/2007)

While mellowing with age has often been thought to have positive effects, a Purdue University researcher has shown that doing so could also help you live longer. ...> Full Article

National Clinical Trial To Uncover Long-term Effects Of West Nile Virus Begun (5/21/2007)

UT Southwestern Medical Center has joined a national clinical trial to identify the long-term health effects of West Nile virus infection and to learn more about the disease's progression, symptoms and mortality. ...> Full Article

Study Finds Strong Anti-Cancer Properties In Cruciferous Veggie (5/20/2007)

It turns out Mom was right – you should eat your broccoli. But what Mom may not have known is why broccoli is so healthy, and how its lesser known, younger offshoot may be a powerful anti-cancer agent. ...> Full Article

Study Breaks Link between Lycopene and Prostate Cancer Prevention (5/20/2007)

Tomatoes might be nutritious and tasty, but don't count on them to prevent prostate cancer. In the May issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers based at the National Cancer Institute and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center report that lycopene, an antioxidant predominately found in tomatoes, does not effectively prevent prostate cancer. In fact, the researchers noted an association between beta-carotene, an antioxidant related to lycopene, and an increased risk for aggressive prostate cancer. ...> Full Article

Pediatric Cancer Stem Cell Identified: Understanding The Origin Of ERMS (5/20/2007)

As published in the June 1 issue of Genes & Development, Dr. Leonard Zon (Children's Hospital Boston) and colleagues have identified the cancer stem cell for rhabdomyosarcoma, the most common soft-tissue sarcoma of childhood. ...> Full Article

Study Of Unexplained Respiratory Infections Leads Researchers To New Virus (5/19/2007)

An ongoing effort to identify the microorganisms that make us sick has discovered a new virus potentially linked to unexplained respiratory infections. ...> Full Article

Soy Estrogens And Breast Cancer: Researcher Offers Overview (5/19/2007)

Are soy products healthy additions to a person's diet, safe alternatives to hormone-replacement therapy or cancer-causing agents? The answer, according to University of Illinois food science and human nutrition professor William Helferich, is, 'It depends.' ...> Full Article

Research Says Boiling Broccoli Ruins Its Anti Cancer Properties (5/19/2007)

Researchers at the University of Warwick have found that the standard British cooking habit of boiling vegetables severely damages the anticancer properties of many Brassica vegetables such as broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cauliflower and green cabbage. ...> Full Article

Study To Investigate Gene's Effect On Bone Loss In Breast Cancer Patients (5/18/2007)

Women with estrogen-responsive breast cancer are often prescribed a drug that reduces their estrogen levels. But because estrogen is important to bone health, there is widespread concern about how the estrogen-reducing drugs - called aromatase inhibitors - affect bones. ...> Full Article

Implanting Dopamine Generators In Brain Reduces Parkinson's Symptoms In Monkeys (5/18/2007)

Implanting dopamine generators (dopaminergics) in brain cells has produced improvement in the symptoms in Parkinson's, according to the results of tests carried out with monkeys by the Navarra University Hospital, led by Dr MarĂ­a Rosario Luquin Piudo, neurologist at the Hospital and at the other Navarra University-based medical centre, CIMA (the Research Centre for Applied Medicine). ...> Full Article

Learning How Insulin-Producing Cells Develop Could Help Fight Against Diabetes (5/18/2007)

A key aspect of how embryos create the cells which secrete insulin is revealed in a new study published tomorrow (18 May) in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. The researchers hope that their findings will enable the development of new therapies for diabetes, a condition caused by insufficient levels of insulin. ...> Full Article

Cork Tree Extract Reduces Prostate Cancer In Mice (5/17/2007)

A natural, over-the-counter herbal supplement on the market to help joint inflammation also shows robust ability to curb prostate cancer, according to a rodent study described by researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. ...> Full Article

Heavy Multivitamin Use May Be Linked To Advanced Prostate Cancer (5/17/2007)

While regular multivitamin use is not linked with early or localized prostate cancer, taking too many multivitamins may be associated with an increased risk for advanced or fatal prostate cancers, according to a study in the May 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. ...> Full Article

Gene Thought to Assist Chemo May Help Cancer Thrive (5/17/2007)

A gene thought to be essential in helping chemotherapy kill cancer cells, may actually help them thrive. In a new study of chemo patients, scientists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Ovarian Cancer Institute found that 70 percent of subjects whose tumors had mutations in the gene p53 were still alive after five years. Patients with normal p53 displayed only a 30 percent survival rate. The findings raise the possibility of a new strategy for fighting cancer - namely, developing drugs to disable the functioning of this gene in the tumors of patients undergoing chemotherapy. The results appear in the May 16 edition of the open access journal PLoS ONE. ...> Full Article

Agent Protects Cells From Lethal Effects Of Radiation Even If Given After Exposure (5/16/2007)

No drugs exist to protect the public from the high levels of radiation that could be released by a "dirty" bomb or nuclear explosion. Such excessive exposure typically causes death within weeks as the radiation kills blood cells vital to clotting and fighting infection, along with the stem cells needed to replenish their supply. But now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis report they have developed an agent that protects cells from the lethal effects of radiation, regardless of whether it is given before or after exposure. ...> Full Article

Decoding Protein Structures Helps Illuminate Cause Of Diabetes (5/16/2007)

Any photographer can vouch for the difficulty of capturing a clear picture of a moving target. ...> Full Article

Effect On Breast Tumors Of Dna Alternations In 3 Genes Described (5/16/2007)

Cancer epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo have identified specific genes that are most likely to become cancer promoters when exposed to a process called DNA promoter hypermethylation. ...> Full Article

Team Unearths Genetic Risk Factors For Diabetes (5/16/2007)

Three novel regions of the genome influence the risk of type 2 diabetes ...> Full Article

Researchers Create Model of Cancer-Preventing Enzyme (5/15/2007)

Proline dehydrogenase is important because it plays a role in apoptosis, the process of cell death, by enabling the creation of superoxide, a highly reactive electron-rich oxygen species. Superoxide is involved in the destruction of damaged cells and therefore is important in preventing the development and spread of cancer. The protein proline dehydrogenase "opens up to allow oxygen to 'steal' electrons" and create a superoxide, said Tommi A. White, an MU doctoral student in biochemistry. ...> Full Article

Toxoplasmosis Infection Trick Revealed By Scientists (5/15/2007)

Scientists have provided new insight into how the parasite which causes toxoplasmosis invades human cells, says new research published today in The EMBO Journal. ...> Full Article

Inherited Genes Linked To Toxicity Of Leukemia Therapy (5/15/2007)

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have discovered inherited variations in certain genes that make children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) susceptible to the toxic side effects caused by chemotherapy medications. The researchers showed that these variations, called polymorphisms, occur in specific genes known to influence pharmacodynamics (how drugs work in the body and how much drug is needed to have its intended effect). ...> Full Article

DNA Repair Proteins Monitored At Double-Strand Break (5/14/2007)

Investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital had a molecule's eye view of the human cell's DNA repair kit as it assembled on a double-strand break to link together the broken ends. Double-strand breaks are ruptures that cut completely across the twisted, ladder-like structure of DNA, breaking it into two pieces. ...> Full Article

Scientists Identify Cancer Virus' Genetic Targets (5/14/2007)

University of Florida researchers have identified specific human genes targeted by a virus believed to cause Kaposi's sarcoma, a rare form of cancer associated with AIDS and with organ transplants that causes patches of red or purple tissue to grow under people's skin ...> Full Article

Scientists Equip Bacteria With Custom Chemo-Navigational System (5/14/2007)

Using an innovative method to control the movement of Escherichia coli in a chemical environment, Emory University scientists have opened the door to powerful new opportunities in drug delivery, environmental cleanup and synthetic biology. Their findings are published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and will be published in a future print issue. ...> Full Article

An Aspirin A Day Keeps Colon Cancer Away (5/13/2007)

An Oxford University study shows that taking a 300mg tablet of aspirin a day for five years can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 74 per cent in the subsequent 10-15 years, or by 37 per cent overall. ...> Full Article

HPV Infection Linked To Throat Cancers (5/13/2007)

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have conclusive evidence that human papillomavirus (HPV) causes some throat cancers in both men and women. ...> Full Article

Study Confirms Health Benefits of Whole Grains (5/12/2007)

A diet high in whole grain foods is associated with a significantly lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke, according to an analysis conducted by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. ...> Full Article

Researchers Find A Peptide That Encourages HIV Infection (5/11/2007)

UCLA AIDS Institute researchers have discovered that when a crucial portion of a peptide structure in monkeys that defends against viruses, bacteria and other foreign invaders is reversed, the peptide actually encourages infection with HIV. ...> Full Article

Spreading Viruses As We Breathe (5/11/2007)

Keeping at arm's length won't protect you from catching an infectious disease, according to new research by Queensland University of Technology which reveals airborne viruses can spread far and wide. ...> Full Article

Cells Make Meal Of Huntington's Disease (5/11/2007)

University of Cambridge researchers have developed a novel strategy to tackle neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease: encouraging an individuals own cells to "eat"ť the malformed proteins that lead to the disease. ...> Full Article

Targeting Sugar On Blood Vessels May Inhibit Cancer Growth (5/10/2007)

In a study that could point to novel therapies to prevent cancer spread, or metastasis, researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have targeted a sugar that supports blood vessel growth in the tumor. ...> Full Article

Beta Cells Create Themselves Instead Of Via Stem Cells (5/9/2007)

Diabetes researchers, investigating how the body supplies itself with insulin, discovered to their surprise that adult stem cells, which they expected to play a crucial role in the process, were nowhere to be found. Many researchers had proposed that adult stem cells develop into insulin-producing cells, called beta cells, in the pancreas. ...> Full Article

Research Suggests Possible End to Fat-free Diets (5/9/2007)

A new study in mice raises a tantalizing possibility - that humans may one day be able to eat any kind of fat they want without raising their risk of heart disease. ...> Full Article

Extra Chromosomes in Childhood Leukemia Show Pattern (5/8/2007)

A new study of childhood acute leukemia shows that the extra numbers of specific chromosomes present in the diseased cells arise according to a predictable pattern. ...> Full Article

Cancer Cells Reprogram Energy Needs To Grow And Spread (5/8/2007)

Studying a rare inherited syndrome, researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that cancer cells can reprogram themselves to turn down their own energy-making machinery and use less oxygen, and that these changes might help cancer cells survive and spread. ...> Full Article

Why Wounds Are Slow To Heal In Diabetics (5/7/2007)

Individuals with diabetes often experience slow or limited wound healing. Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs), which derive from bone marrow, normally travel to sites of injury and are essential for the formation of blood vessels and wound healing. ...> Full Article

Anthrax Paralyzes Immune Cells With Lethal Toxin (5/7/2007)

University of Florida researchers have revealed how the inhaled form of anthrax paralyzes the body's defenses and prevents immune cells from reaching the site of infection. ...> Full Article

Inflammatory System Genes Linked To Cognitive Decline After Heart Surgery (5/7/2007)

Variants of two genes involved in the inflammatory system appear to protect patients from suffering a decline in mental function following heart surgery. ...> Full Article

Researchers Discover Link Between Parkinson's And Narcolepsy (5/7/2007)

Parkinson's disease is well-known for its progression of motor disorders: stiffness, slowness, tremors, difficulties walking and talking. Less well known is that Parkinson's shares other symptoms with narcolepsy, a sleep disorder characterized by sudden and uncontrollable episodes of deep sleep, severe fatigue and general sleep disorder. ...> Full Article

Scientists Discover Rare Gene-For-Gene Interaction That Helps Bacteria Kill Their Host (5/7/2007)

Scientists have discovered that a cousin of the plague bacterium uses a single gene to out-fox insect immune defences and kill its host. ...> Full Article

Vitamin Extends Life In Yeast May Apply To Humans (5/7/2007)

Imagine taking a vitamin for longevity! Not yet, but a Dartmouth discovery that a cousin of niacin prolongs lifespan in yeast brings the tantalizing possibility a step closer. ...> Full Article

Maggots Rid Patients Of MRSA (5/7/2007)

University of Manchester researchers are ridding diabetic patients of the superbug MRSA - by treating their foot ulcers with maggots. ...> Full Article

Common Genetic Variation Is Linked To Substantial Risk In Heart Attack (5/7/2007)

A common genetic variation on chromosome 9p21 is linked to a substantial increase in risk for heart attack, according to a new international research study. The findings are published in the online edition of Science, and will appear in an upcoming printed edition of the journal. ...> Full Article

Scientists Discover How AIDS Infects Cell (5/7/2007)

Scientists provide new information about how HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, enters the nucleus of an infected cell. This study could help devise a new way to fight AIDS. ...> Full Article

Research Shows That Diabetes Damages Dna In Men's Sperm And May Affect Fertility (5/7/2007)

Scientists have found that sperm from diabetic men have greater levels of DNA damage than sperm from men who do not have the disease. They warn that such DNA damage might affect a man's fertility. ...> Full Article

New Technology to Locate and Treat Tumors (5/6/2007)

Research teams at Yale University and the University of Rhode Island have demonstrated a new way to target and potentially treat tumors using a short piece of protein that acts like a nanosyringe to deliver 'tags' or therapy to cells, according to a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Tart Cherries Affect Heart And Diabetes Risk Factors (5/5/2007)

Tart cherries may be good for more than just making pie, according to new data from an animal study conducted by University of Michigan Health System researchers and presented today at a major scientific meeting. ...> Full Article

Molecular Marker May Help Identify Pancreatic Cancer And Possibly Predict Survival Time (5/4/2007)

Preliminary research suggests that the expression pattern of microRNA (a short RNA molecule) may be useful in differentiating between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer and may be able to distinguish long and short term survival time for patients with pancreatic cancer, according to an article in the May 2 issue of JAMA. ...> Full Article

Biomarker Discovery Bodes Well for Better Cancer Diagnostics And Personalized Medicine (5/4/2007)

While new findings from Ohio State University scientists suggest a genetic marker that could help distinguish between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer and gauge who will do well with cancer treatment, a pharmacologist at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia sees the discovery as much more. ...> Full Article

Insulator Helps Silence Genes in Dormant Herpes Virus (5/4/2007)

By adulthood, most people have suffered at least one bout of painful cold sores brought on by the Herpes simplex virus 1, also known as HSV-1. After the initial infection, the virus usually remains in the body, hiding out in nearby nerve cells where the victim's immune defenses cannot reach it, causing no symptoms at all. ...> Full Article

Researchers Discover First Gene That Specifically Links Calorie Restriction To Longevity (5/3/2007)

In studies going back to the 1930's, mice and many other species subsisting on a severely calorie-restricted diet have consistently outlived their well-fed peers by as much as 40 percent. But just how a diet verging on the brink of starvation extends lifespan has remained elusive. ...> Full Article

Study Tests Topical Honey As A Treatment For Diabetic Ulcers (5/3/2007)

Researchers conducting the first randomized, double-blind controlled trial of honey for diabetic ulcers. ...> Full Article

Peramivir Protects Mice From Lethal H5N1 Infection (5/3/2007)

The antiviral drug peramivir might offer humans significant protection during a pandemic of the avian influenza virus H5N1, according to results of mouse studies conducted by investigators at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. ...> Full Article

Pancreatic Cancer Markers Identified (5/2/2007)

Scientists have discovered a way to distinguish pancreatic cancer from non-cancerous tissue, new research shows. ...> Full Article

Rheumatoid Arthritis And The Impact Of Genetic Factors On Mortality (5/1/2007)

A chronic autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is marked by inflammation that takes a progressive toll on not only the joints, but also various organs and the whole body. RA sufferers, as many studies have shown, tend to face a high risk for early death, increasing with the severity of their symptoms. ...> Full Article

Pomegranate Juice May Help Fight Lung Cancer (5/1/2007)

Researchers are adding to the list of cancer types for which pomegranates seem to halt growth. A recent study at the University of Wisconsin - Madison using a mouse model shows that consuming pomegranates could potentially help reduce the growth and spread of lung cancer cells or even prevent lung cancer from developing. ...> Full Article

Arming The Fight Against Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria (5/1/2007)

In 1928, Alexander Fleming opened the door to treating bacterial infections when he stumbled upon the first known antibiotic in a Penicillium mold growing in a discarded experiment. ...> Full Article