Curing Death by Curing Aging - May 2009 Archives

Carbohydrate restriction may slow prostate tumor growth (5/31/2009)

Restricting carbohydrates, regardless of weight loss, appears to slow the growth of prostate tumors, according to an animal study being published this week by researchers in the Duke Prostate Center. ...> Full Article

The vulnerable cancer cell (5/31/2009)

New studies reveal broad, hidden network that lets tumors thrive ...> Full Article

Study may aid efforts to prevent uncontrolled cell division in cancer (5/31/2009)

Researchers from the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a remarkable property of the contractile ring, a structure required for cell division. Understanding how the contractile ring works to divide the cell may facilitate development of therapies to prevent uncontrolled cell division in cancer. ...> Full Article

Cancer cells need normal, nonmutated genes to survive (5/30/2009)

Cancer cells rely on normal, healthy genes as much as they rely on mutated genes. Using a technique called RNA interference, researchers dialed down the production of thousands of normal proteins to determine which were required for cancer cells to survive. They found that cancer cells growing in a dish rely heavily on many normal proteins to maintain their deviant state. When some of these protein levels drop, cancer cells die, but normal cells often survive. ...> Full Article

Hitting cancer where it hurts (5/30/2009)

Two studies in the May 29 issue of Cell, a Cell Press publication, have taken advantage of new technological advances to search for and find previously unknown weaknesses in a hard to treat form of cancer. The discoveries lend new hope in the fight again tumors that are today considered "undruggable." ...> Full Article

Cottonseed-based drug shows promise in treating severe brain cancer (5/30/2009)

Potent compound overcomes the abnormal growth patterns of glioblastomas ...> Full Article

Targeting the more lethal form of the cancer rhabdomyosarcoma (5/29/2009)

Embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma (ERMS) and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) are the most common forms of an aggressive muscle cancer that mostly affects children. Although ARMS is less common than ERMS, it is associated with a much higher rate of mortality. New research, showing that the protein ILK promotes the growth of ARMS cells but suppresses the growth of ERMS cells, provides hope that developing a therapy tailored to the ARMS form of the cancer might be possible. ...> Full Article

Why some prostate cancer returns (5/29/2009)

A study being presented this week at ASCO finds that men with a low oxygen supply to their tumor have a higher chance of the prostate cancer returning, as found by increasing prostate-specific antigen levels following treatment. ...> Full Article

Green tea extract shows promise in leukemia trials (5/28/2009)

Mayo Clinic researchers are reporting positive results in early leukemia clinical trials using the chemical epigallocatechin gallate, an active ingredient in green tea. ...> Full Article

Study finds dramatic increase in metastatic colon cancer survival (5/28/2009)

Better surgical interventions, new chemotherapeutic and biological agents increase 5-year survival from 8 to 30 percent ...> Full Article

Activated stem cells in damaged lungs could be first step toward cancer (5/28/2009)

Stem cells that respond after a severe injury in the lungs of mice may be a source of rapidly dividing cells that lead to lung cancer, according to a team of American and British researchers ...> Full Article

Researchers lead the way in blood clotting discovery (5/27/2009)

A Monash-led research team has discovered an entirely new mechanism that promotes blood clot formation -- a major breakthrough that will impact on treatment and prevention of heart disease and stroke. ...> Full Article

How superbugs control their lethal weapons (5/27/2009)

It appears some superbugs have evolved to develop the ability to manipulate the immune system to everyone's advantage. A team of researchers at the University of Western Ontario, led by Joaquin (Quim) Madrenas of the Robarts Research Institute, has discovered some processes that reduce the lethal effects of toxins from superbugs, allowing humans and microbes to co-evolve. This discovery, published online in the journal Nature Medicine, may lead to novel alternatives to antibiotics. ...> Full Article

New model suggests role of low vitamin D in cancer development (5/27/2009)

In studying the preventive effects of vitamin D, researchers at the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego, have proposed a new model of cancer development that hinges on a loss of cancer cells' ability to stick together. The model, dubbed DINOMIT, differs substantially from the current model of cancer development, which suggests genetic mutations as the earliest driving forces behind cancer. ...> Full Article

A novel marker of colorectal carcinoma (5/26/2009)

A research group from China determined if TSPAN1 overexpression is associated with clinicopathological and prognostic factors in human colorectal adenocarcinoma. They found the expression of TSPAN1 gene is increased in colorectal carcinoma, suggesting that TSPAN1 might serve as an independent prognostic factor. ...> Full Article

TB - hiding in plain sight (5/26/2009)

Current research suggests that Mycobacterium tuberculosis can evade the immune response. The related report by Rahman et al., "Compartmentalization of immune responses in human tuberculosis: few CD8+ effector T cells but elevated levels of FoxP3+ regulatory T cells in the granulomatous lesions," appears in the June 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology. ...> Full Article

Is there any association between COX2 and colon cancer? (5/26/2009)

A research group from the United States evaluated the association of variations in the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and uridine diphosphate glucuronosyltransferase 1A6 (UGT1A6) genes and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) use with risk of colon cancer. They did not observe the association of any variant with risk of colon cancer, nor did they observe that variation in these genes altered the protective effect of NSAIDs. ...> Full Article

Regulating the sugar factory in diabetes (5/25/2009)

Scientists in Sydney and Boston believe they may have identified a gene that controls abnormal production of sugar in the liver, a very troublesome problem for people with diabetes.The liver is the sugar factory for the body -- when blood sugar (glucose) levels fall, the liver makes and releases more. In people with diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, the liver doesn't stop making sugar when it should, so blood sugar levels can rise overnight while they sleep even though they haven't eaten. ...> Full Article

Mutant genes in high-risk childhood leukemias identified (5/25/2009)

A research team has pinpointed a new class of gene mutations, which identify cases of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia that have a high risk of relapse and death. The finding suggests specific drugs that could treat this high-risk leukemia subtype in children, particularly because such drugs are already in clinical trials for similar blood diseases in adults. ...> Full Article

Why do people with Down syndrome have less cancer? (5/24/2009)

Research in mice and human stem cells suggests new therapeutic targets ...> Full Article

Breakthrough in radiotherapy promises targeted cancer treatment (5/24/2009)

A new development in radiotherapy will enable a far more precise and accurate treatment for cancerous tumors by using real-time images to guide the radiation beam. ...> Full Article

TB vaccine gets its groove back (5/24/2009)

Modifications could improve TB vaccine, offer platform for other vaccines ...> Full Article

Protein from algae shows promise for stopping SARS (5/23/2009)

A protein from algae may have what it takes to stop severe acute respiratory syndrome infections, according to new research. A recent study has found that mice treated with the protein, Griffithsin, had a 100 percent survival rate after exposure to the SARS coronavirus, as compared to a 30 percent survival for untreated mice. ...> Full Article

Popular cancer drug linked to often fatal brain virus (5/22/2009)

Drug also used for anemia, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and multiple sclerosis ...> Full Article

Genetically engineered MSCs kill metastatic lung cancer cells in mice (5/22/2009)

Researchers in London have demonstrated the ability of adult stem cells from bone marrow (mesenchymal stem cells, or MSCs) to deliver a cancer-killing protein to tumors. The genetically engineered stem cells are able to home to the cancer cells, both in culture and in mouse models, and deliver TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand, destroying the tumor cells while sparing normal cells. ...> Full Article

New tool helps researchers identify DNA patterns of cancer, genetic disorders (5/21/2009)

A new tool will help researchers identify the minute changes in DNA patterns that lead to cancer, Huntington's disease and a host of other genetic disorders. The tool was developed at North Carolina State University and translates DNA sequences into graphic images, which allows researchers to distinguish genetic patterns more quickly and efficiently than is possible using computers. ...> Full Article

New lead on malaria treatment (5/21/2009)

Variation of natural compound cures malaria in mice ...> Full Article

Computer model predicts brain tumor growth and evolution (5/21/2009)

Scientists from Brown University, the University of Texas and elsewhere have developed a computational computer model that tracks brain tumor growth virtually and can be matched to real tumors. The new computer model could lead to specific, targeted treatments for individualized therapy. Details are in the May 15 edition of the journal Cancer Research. ...> Full Article

Researchers make discovery in colon cancer prevention (5/20/2009)

A new study finds that individuals who have low expression of the "Celebrex gene," 15-PGDH, are actually resistant to Celebrex treatment when used to prevent colon cancer. ...> Full Article

Triglycerides implicated in diabetes nerve loss (5/20/2009)

A common blood test for triglycerides may for the first time allow doctors to predict which patients with diabetes are more likely to develop the serious, common complication of neuropathy. A new study suggests that diabetes patients with neuropathy should control lipid counts as rigorously as they do glucose levels. ...> Full Article

Quick test for prostate cancer (5/19/2009)

A new three-minute test could help in diagnosing prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK, according to scientists. ...> Full Article

Heart disease patients carrying extra pounds do better, live longer (5/19/2009)

Being overweight or obese is a leading contributor to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and associated risk factors; however, in patients with established CVD, obesity appears to play a protective role. In fact, data suggest obese patients with heart disease do better and tend to live longer than leaner patients with the same severity of disease, according to a review article published in the May 26, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. ...> Full Article

Herpes medication does not reduce risk of HIV transmission (5/18/2009)

Study demonstrates modest reduction in HIV disease progression, leads to new insights about HIV transmission ...> Full Article

Environmental exposures may damage DNA in as few as three days (5/18/2009)

Exposure to particulate matter has been recognized as a contributing factor to lung cancer development for some time, but a new study indicates inhalation of certain particulates can actually cause some genes to become reprogrammed, affecting both the development and the outcome of cancers and other diseases. ...> Full Article

HudsonAlpha investigator develops rapid response swine flu test (5/18/2009)

Dr. Jian Han, faculty investigator at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, has completed development of a rapid response, molecular-level assay for swine flu, the current strain of the H1N1 family of the influenza virus. The test, which can confirm swine flu in less than six hours, will be incorporated into a viral respiratory panel that will detect the current strain of swine flu, as well as Influenza A, Influenza B and other viruses. ...> Full Article

Long-term study shows low oxygen levels in prostate tumors can predict recurrence (5/18/2009)

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have discovered that low-oxygen regions in prostate tumors can be used to predict a rise in prostate-specific antigen levels, a marker of tumor recurrence in prostate cancer. ...> Full Article

Human nose too cold for bird flu, says new study (5/18/2009)

Avian influenza viruses do not thrive in humans because the temperature inside a person's nose is too low, according to research published today in the journal PLoS Pathogens. The authors of the study, from Imperial College London and the University of North Carolina, say this may be one of the reasons why bird flu viruses do not cause pandemics in humans easily. ...> Full Article

Genetic marker may predict early onset of prostate cancer (5/18/2009)

Fox Chase Cancer Center researchers have identified a genetic marker that is associated with an earlier onset of prostate cancer in Caucasian men who have a family history of prostate cancer. ...> Full Article

Immune exhaustion driven by antigen in chronic viral infection (5/17/2009)

During a chronic viral infection, exhaustion depletes the ability of immune cells to respond to the infecting virus. Exhaustion occurs when large amounts of virus, or pieces of the virus (known as antigens), are seen by cells of the immune system over a prolonged period. ...> Full Article

Gene signature may predict patient response to therapy for gastrointestinal stromal tumors (5/16/2009)

Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center uncovered a genetic pattern that may help predict how gastrointestinal stromal tumor patients respond to the targeted therapy imatinib mesylate. ...> Full Article

Study points toward relationship between cancer stem cells and prognosis in primary breast cancer (5/16/2009)

First such prospective study to identify cancer stem cells, indicates need for novel biological therapies, micro-metastasis research ...> Full Article

A surprise 'spark' for pre-cancerous colon polyps (5/15/2009)

Study pinpoints protein in polyp formation: more effective treatments possible ...> Full Article

Ginger quells cancer patients' nausea from chemotherapy (5/15/2009)

People with cancer can reduce post-chemotherapy nausea by 40 percent by using ginger supplements, along with standard anti-vomiting drugs, before undergoing treatment, according to scientists at the University of Rochester Medical Center. ...> Full Article

Cholesterol-busting bug with a taste for waste (5/15/2009)

A novel species of bacteria with cholesterol-busting properties has been discovered by scientists at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain. Dr Oliver Drzyzga and colleagues isolated the new bug, called Gordonia cholesterolivorans, from sewage sludge. Their findings are reported in the current issue of the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology. ...> Full Article

Novel therapy may prove effective in treatment of 30 percent of cancers (5/15/2009)

Ground-breaking Canada-wide clinical trial deemed very successful ...> Full Article

Swine flu: Early findings about pandemic potential reported in new study (5/14/2009)

Early findings about the emerging pandemic of a new strain of influenza A (H1N1) in Mexico are published today in Science. Researchers from the MRC Center for Outbreak Analysis and Modeling at Imperial College London, working in collaboration with the World Health Organization and public health agencies in Mexico, have assessed the epidemic using data to the end of April. ...> Full Article

Worldwide success in treatment of liver tumors (5/13/2009)

A Leicester consultant surgeon who has developed a pioneering technique using microwaves to destroy liver tumors has treated more than 100 patients in the UK and other patients are now being treated internationally. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify gene in breast cancer pathway (5/13/2009)

Findings could guide treatment and lead to new therapies ...> Full Article

Study finds iron levels not predictive of survival for form of blood cancer (5/13/2009)

Iron-chelating drugs have been heavily promoted for use in patients with primary myelofibrosis, a form of blood cancer often treated with blood transfusion. These drugs, however, which withhold available iron in the body, are highly expensive and potentially toxic. ...> Full Article

Scientists discover how smallpox may derail human immune system (5/13/2009)

University of Florida scientists describe how they looked at all of the proteins produced by the smallpox virus in concert with human proteins, and discovered one particular interaction that disables one of the body's first responders to injury -- inflammation. ...> Full Article

Biologists join world experts in experiment to explore flu origins (5/12/2009)

Biologists begin international forum to share developing theories on the influenza outbreak. ...> Full Article

Swine flu: What does it do to pigs? (5/12/2009)

The effects of H1N1 swine flu have been investigated in a group of piglets. Scientists writing in BioMed Central's open-access Virology Journal studied the pathology of the virus, finding that all infected animals showed flu-like symptoms between one and four days after infection and were shedding virus two days after infection. ...> Full Article

More evidence for the benefit of exercise in cardiovascular disease -- and even in heart failure (5/11/2009)

In one study, exercise is associated with better survival rates than PCI ...> Full Article

Bacteria play role in preventing spread of malaria (5/9/2009)

Microbes in mosquito's gut stimulate immune response against malaria parasite ...> Full Article

Probiotics may be able to help you keep fit and slim (5/9/2009)

Researchers from LIFE -- Faculty of Life Sciences at University of Copenhagen are working on a promising research project that seems to indicate that probiotics have a slimming effect ...> Full Article

Researcher develops vaccine for H1N1 flu virus in swine (5/9/2009)

The H1N1 virus has now been found in a Canadian swine herd, and an Iowa State University researcher has developed an H1N1 flu vaccine for pigs. ...> Full Article

Genes found to play a role in breast cancer's spread to the brain (5/9/2009)

New research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center identifies three genes that specifically mediate the metastasis, or spread, of breast cancer to the brain and illuminates the mechanisms by which this spread occurs. The study was published online today in Nature. ...> Full Article

Researchers neutralize tumor growth in embryonic stem cell therapy (5/8/2009)

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered a method to potentially eliminate the tumor-risk factor in utilizing human embryonic stem cells. Their work paves the way for further progress in the promising field of stem cell therapy. ...> Full Article

Swine flu genes dissimilar to past pandemics (5/8/2009)

Some genetic markers of influenza infection severity have been identified from past outbreaks. Researchers have failed to find most of these markers, described in the open access journal BMC Microbiology, in samples of the current swine-flu strain. ...> Full Article

Does new swine flu virus kill by causing a 'cytokine storm'? (5/8/2009)

The swine flu outbreak that began in Mexico and continues to spread around the globe may be particularly dangerous for young, otherwise healthy adults because it contains genetic components of the H5N1 avian influenza virus, which can induce a "cytokine storm," in which a patient's hyper-activated immune system causes potentially fatal damage to the lungs. ...> Full Article

Exercise programs may improve symptoms in non-small cell lung cancer patients (5/8/2009)

Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital found that exercise impacts the health and quality of life of patients with an advanced or incurable lung cancer diagnosis. Between October 2004 and August 2007, Dr. Temel and her team enrolled 25 lung cancer patients in a study to evaluate the feasibility, efficacy and safety of a structured, hospital-based exercise program in these patients. ...> Full Article

Scientists learn why the flu may turn deadly (5/7/2009)

As the swine flu continues its global spread, researchers from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Pa., have discovered important clues about why influenza is more severe in some people than it is in others. In their research study published online in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, the scientists show that the influenza virus can actually paralyze the immune systems of otherwise healthy individuals, leading to severe secondary bacterial infections, such as pneumonia. ...> Full Article

Cancer-causing virus associated with higher risk of new HIV infection (5/7/2009)

Infection with anal human papillomavirus, a virus that can cause anal and cervical cancers, is associated with a higher risk of new HIV infection in previously HIV-negative men who have sex with men, according to new UCSF research ...> Full Article

Novel antibody prevents infection by hepatitis C virus (5/7/2009)

Findings may lead to prevention of HCV infection in liver transplant patients ...> Full Article

Professor investigates estrogen, heart disease connection in women (5/7/2009)

A new study on old rats by a Penn State researcher will shed light on the connection between estrogen deficiency, heart disease and aging in women. ...> Full Article

Hypothyroidism in women associated with liver cancer (5/6/2009)

Women with a history of hypothyroidism face a significantly higher risk of developing liver cancer ...> Full Article

Virginia Tech virologist developing more potent vaccine technology (5/6/2009)

Virginia Tech virologist Chris Roberts is developing cell culture-based vaccine technology that is more rapid than the egg-based growth system presently used to create vaccines. He is introducing membrane-bound immune-system stimulatory molecules such as cytokines into cells in such a way that the virus will incorporate them as part of its envelope. ...> Full Article

Scientists show white blood cells move like millipedes (5/6/2009)

Weizmann Institute scientists have shown that rather than inching along blood vessel walls to reach injured tissue, white blood cells sprout hundreds of "legs" that grip the vessel walls and propel them, millipede-like, to the proper site. ...> Full Article

Small molecules might block mutant protein production in Huntington's disease (5/6/2009)

Molecules that selectively interfere with protein production can stop human cells from making the abnormal molecules that cause Huntington's disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. ...> Full Article

Personalized treatment for early lung cancer (5/5/2009)

Cancer vaccines and targeted therapies are beginning to offer new treatment options following surgery for patients with early stages of lung cancer, experts said at the first European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology in Lugano, Switzerland. ...> Full Article

Women more vulnerable to tobacco carcinogens, new results show (5/5/2009)

Women may be more vulnerable than men to the cancer-causing effects of smoking tobacco, according to new results reported this week at the European Multidisciplinary Conference in Thoracic Oncology, Lugano, Switzerland. ...> Full Article

Lithium may help radiation target cancer, spare healthy tissue (5/5/2009)

Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center investigators have uncovered a mechanism that helps explain how lithium, a drug widely used to treat bipolar mood disorder, also protects the brain from damage that occurs during radiation treatments. ...> Full Article

Late motherhood boosts family lifespan (5/4/2009)

Same genes linked to longevity and births after age 45 ...> Full Article

Single gene defect can cause stroke, other artery diseases (5/4/2009)

For the first time, scientists have discovered a single gene defect that causes thoracic aortic aneurysms and dissections as well as early onset coronary artery disease, ischemic stroke and Moyamoya disease. The research is led by scientists at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.The study, "Mutations in Smooth Muscle Alpha-Actin Cause Early Onset Coronary Artery Disease, Stroke and Moyamoya Disease, Along with Thoracic Aortic Aneurysms and Dissections," was published online April 30 in the American Journal of Human Genetics. ...> Full Article

Process controlling T cell growth and production identified (5/4/2009)

Identifying one of the processes that plays a role in naïve and memory T-cells' growth and production could one day lead to better vaccines and possibly more effective cancer immunotherapy, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's Hospital in a report that appears in the current edition of Nature Immunology, ...> Full Article

Experimental drug shows promise against head and neck cancer (5/4/2009)

A laboratory study by researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University suggests that an anti-cancer compound studied for treating blood cancers may also help in treating cancers of the head and neck. ...> Full Article

White tea - the solution to the obesity epidemic? (5/4/2009)

Possible anti-obesity effects of white tea have been demonstrated in a series of experiments on human fat cells (adipocytes). Researchers writing in BioMed Central's open access journal Nutrition and Metabolism have shown that an extract of the herbal brew effectively inhibits the generation of new adipocytes and stimulates fat mobilization from mature fat cells. ...> Full Article

Prostate cancer immunotherapy significantly prolongs survival in men with advanced prostate cancer (5/3/2009)

Sipuleucel-T (Provenge), an experimental immunotherapy improved survival in men with metastatic disease, according to new results to be presented April 28 at the American Urological Association Annual Scientific Meeting in Chicago. These data from the Phase 3 Immunotherapy for Prostate AdenoCarcinoma Treatment study were presented during the meeting's Late Breaking Science Forum. ...> Full Article

Study validates means to measure possible leukemia marker (5/3/2009)

Ohio State University cancer researchers show that a technology called liquid chromatography-mass spectroscopy can reliably and reproducibly measure variations in the composition of histone proteins in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells compared with their healthy counterparts, immune cells called B lymphocytes. These variations are a promising molecular biomarker that might improve the diagnosis and gauge response to therapy in CLL patients. The findings mean that the technology can measure histone variations in clinical research. ...> Full Article

Using a small stockpile of a secondary antiviral drug in a flu pandemic (5/2/2009)

In a global influenza pandemic, small stockpiles of a secondary flu medication -- if used early in local outbreaks -- could extend the effectiveness of primary drug stockpiles, according to research made available today ahead of publication in PLoS Medicine. ...> Full Article

Fat droplet nanoparticle delivers tumor suppressor gene to tumor and metastatic cells (5/2/2009)

Dr. Esther Chang describes the most recent developments in human trials of the first systemic, nonviral, tumor-targeted, nanoparticle method designed to restore normal gene function to tumor cells while completely bypassing normal tissue April 21 at an American Association of Anatomists scientific session at Experimental Biology 2009 in New Orleans. ...> Full Article

Matrix protein key to fighting viruses (5/1/2009)

A new approach could help scientists to intercept one of the viruses that cause respiratory disease and a third of common colds, before it begins spreading, according to new research. ...> Full Article

Avian flu research sheds light on swine flu outbreak (5/1/2009)

A new study by University of Maryland researchers suggests that the potential for an avian influenza virus to cause a human flu pandemic is greater than previously thought. Results also illustrate how the current swine flu outbreak likely came about. ...> Full Article

Topical cream studied as way to treat skin cancer without the knife (5/1/2009)

Saint Louis University researchers find that a topical drug shows promise in treating some types of skin cancer, potentially reducing the area needing surgery, managing the cancer and minimizing its recurrence. ...> Full Article

Combination of genetic and environmental 'hits' required for Parkinson's disease (5/1/2009)

New research finds that a complex interaction between separate factors underlies the pathology associated with Parkinson's disease (PD), reinforcing the concept that multiple therapeutic targets should be considered when designing treatment strategies. The findings, published by Cell Press in the April 30 issue of the journal Neuron, also help to explain why known risk factors do not predict PD in a straightforward manner. ...> Full Article