Curing Death by Curing Aging - November 2008 Archives

Scientists show how a protein that determines cell polarity prevents breast cancer (11/30/2008)

Proteins that control cell shape are a new class of molecules that regulate cancer ...> Full Article

Researchers identify novel approach for suppressing prostate cancer development (11/30/2008)

Inactivation of a specific protein associated with cancer development halts prostate tumor progression in animal model ...> Full Article

Genomic signature of colon cancer may individualize treatment (11/29/2008)

Researchers in the Duke Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy have developed a model for predicting risk of recurrence in early stage colon cancer patients, and have used the model to also predict sensitivity to chemotherapy and targeted therapy regimens. ...> Full Article

Cancer cell 'bodyguard' turned into killer (11/29/2008)

If you're a cancer cell, you want a protein called Bcl-2 on your side because it decides if you live or die. It's usually a trusted bodyguard, protecting cancer cells from programmed death and allowing them to grow and form tumors. But sometimes it turns into their assassin. Scientists knew it happened, but they didn't know how to actually cause such a betrayal. Now they do and it may lead to the development of new cancer-fighting drugs. ...> Full Article

Vitamin K linked to insulin resistance in older men (11/29/2008)

A Tufts University study of 355 non-diabetic elderly men and women found men who took a vitamin K supplement had less progression of insulin resistance over a period of three years compared to men not receiving vitamin K. Vitamin K did not appear to protect supplemented women from age-related increases in insulin resistance. ...> Full Article

Researchers enlist a new recruit in battle of the bulge (11/28/2008)

In the battle against obesity, Yale University researchers may have discovered a new weapon -- a naturally occurring molecule secreted by the gut that makes rats and mice less hungry after fatty meals. ...> Full Article

Studies show novel device may enhance chemotherapy treatment in brain tumors (11/28/2008)

NovoCure Ltd. presented results yesterday evaluating the Novo-TTF device in vitro and in a pilot clinical trial that showed the device enhanced the efficacy of standard chemotherapy treatment in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme patients. When used in combination with standard chemotherapy, the Novo-TTF, a noninvasive medical device that uses low intensity alternating electric fields to destroy cancer cells, enhanced the anti-tumor effects of standard chemotherapy, thus prolonging time to disease progression and extending survival. ...> Full Article

Old flies can become young moms (11/28/2008)

A fly can have it all: Frequent breeding and long life, new study by USC biologists finds ...> Full Article

Ants may help researchers unlock mysteries of human aging process (11/28/2008)

NYU School of Medicine researcher receives prestigious Howard Hughes Institute of Medicine Collaborative Innovation Award ...> Full Article

Study shows Peregrine's bavituximab can cure lethal virus infections (11/27/2008)

PS-targeting antibodies may represent a new class of drugs with broad potential to treat viral infections ...> Full Article

Research scientists identify blood component that turns bacteria virulent (11/27/2008)

Findings may provide basis for new drug development ...> Full Article

A simple blood test for colon cancer (11/27/2008)

A new early warning test from Tel Aviv University detects polyps before cancer sets in. ...> Full Article

Preventing tumor cells from refueling: A new anti-cancer approach? (11/27/2008)

Not all cells in a tumor are equal. New data, generated in mice, now suggests that targeting one set of tumor cells (specifically those in regions of the tumor rich in oxygen) can limit the growth of other tumor cells (specifically those in regions of the tumor deprived of oxygen). This approach decreased tumor growth in two models of cancer and rendered the remaining cells sensitive to irradiation. ...> Full Article

New platinum-phosphate compounds kill ovarian cancer cells (11/26/2008)

Agents bind to different targets than conventional drugs ...> Full Article

Mechanisms of cardiovascular disease and cancer give clues to new therapies (11/26/2008)

Cardiovascular conditions leading to heart attacks and strokes are treated quite separately from common cancers of the prostate, breast or lung, but now turn out to involve some of the same critical mechanisms at the molecular level. ...> Full Article

Screening for colorectal cancer detects unrecognized disease (11/26/2008)

Test, episode, and program sensitivities of screening for colorectal cancer as a public health policy in Finland BMJ Online ...> Full Article

Gene required for radiation-induced protective pigmentation also promotes survival of melanoma cells (11/25/2008)

Scientists have new insight into the response of human skin to radiation and what drives the most aggressive and deadly form of skin cancer. The research, published by Cell Press in the November 21 issue of the journal Molecular Cell, may be useful in the design of new strategies for prevention of malignant melanoma. ...> Full Article

Researcher tricks immune system in diabetic mice (11/25/2008)

New strategy eliminates need for toxic drugs in islet transplant ...> Full Article

Fountain of Youth to be found in the anthill? (11/25/2008)

Aging -- we are all doing it. It is relentless and terminal. We stand in modern times with a span of a century to our name, at most. Technological wizardry abounds, so why do the factors that determine life span still elude us? If you ask Arizona State University researcher Juergen Liebig, he would point to his favorite study animal, the ant, to provide answers. ...> Full Article

Misreading of damaged DNA may spur tumor formation (11/24/2008)

Cells can turn on tumor-promoting growth circuits by falsely reporting critical genetic information during the process of transcription: making RNA from DNA.Damage to the DNA making up a gene can lead to a misreading of the gene as it is made into RNA, a process called transcriptional mutagenesis.Transcriptional mutagenesis could represent an additional way DNA damage contributes to tumor formation. ...> Full Article

Study investigates Gore-tex-type device to stop strokes and mini-strokes (11/24/2008)

A study is under way at Rush University Medical Center using a small, soft-patch device made of a Gore-tex-type material -- often used to make durable outerwear -- to close a common hole found in the heart called a patent foramen ovale in order to prevent recurrent strokes and transient ischemic attacks in adults. ...> Full Article

New imaging technique tracks cancer-killing cells over prolonged period (11/23/2008)

Coaxing a patient's own cells to hunt down and tackle infected or diseased cells is a promising therapeutic approach for many disorders. Now, for the first time, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have devised a way to obtain repeated "snapshots" of the location and survival of such cells in a living human patient months and possibly years later. ...> Full Article

Science teams identify 13 new tumor-suppressor genes in liver cancer (11/23/2008)

A powerful new approach to validate linkages between suspect genes and their functional contributions to cancer ...> Full Article

New technologies gearing up to meet rising demand for vital malaria drugs (11/23/2008)

Three emerging technologies have the potential to significantly improve supplies of drugs to combat malaria, according to a report published today. ...> Full Article

Stopping germs from ganging up on humans (11/22/2008)

Evolutionary theory points to a new approach to combat drug resistance in disease-causing organisms and in cancer, according to new research. Keeping germs from cooperating can delay the evolution of drug resistance more effectively than killing germs one by one with traditional drugs such as antibiotics. ...> Full Article

Exercise and rest reduce cancer risk (11/22/2008)

Exercise is good for more than just your waistline. A recent study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research suggests that regular physical activity can lower a woman's overall risk of cancer -- but only if she gets a good night's sleep. Otherwise, lack of sleep can undermine exercise's cancer prevention benefits. ...> Full Article

Lactic acid found to fuel tumors (11/22/2008)

A team of researchers at Duke University Medical Center and the Universite catholique de Louvain has found that lactic acid is an important energy source for tumor cells. In further experiments, they discovered a new way to destroy the most hard-to-kill, dangerous tumor cells by preventing them from delivering lactic acid. ...> Full Article

3 esophageal, stomach cancer subtypes linked to smoking - 1 associated with alcohol use (11/21/2008)

Researchers who have been following the health of more than 120,000 residents of the Netherlands for more than two decades have found that smoking is associated with two forms of esophageal cancer as well as a form of stomach cancer, and that drinking alcohol is strongly linked to one form of esophageal cancer. ...> Full Article

Study helps identify beachgoers at increased risk of skin cancer (11/21/2008)

Identifying the sun-protection practices and risk profiles of beachgoers may help determine those who would benefit from targeted interventions intended to reduce the risk of skin cancer, according to a study in the November issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. ...> Full Article

'Let the sunshine in' to protect your heart this winter (11/20/2008)

Loyola researchers find sunshine deficit may diminish vitamin D levels and harm cardiovascular health ...> Full Article

Researchers find clue to stopping breast-cancer metastasis (11/20/2008)

If scientists knew exactly what a breast cancer cell needs to spread, then they could stop the most deadly part of the disease: metastasis. New research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine takes a step in that direction. ...> Full Article

Breaking BubR1 mimics genetic shuffle seen in cancer cells (11/20/2008)

Offers opportunity to 'force cancer's hand,' say Fox Chase researchers ...> Full Article

Researchers identify toehold for HIV's assault on brain (11/18/2008)

Scientists have unraveled in unprecedented detail the cascade of events that go wrong in brain cells affected by HIV, a virus whose assault on the nervous system continues unabated despite antiviral medications that can keep the virus at bay for years in the rest of the body. ...> Full Article

No protective effect on cancer from long-term vitamin E or vitamin C supplementation (11/18/2008)

Data from a large-scale prevention trial presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research show no protective effect from vitamin E on prostate cancer or vitamin C supplementation on total cancer. ...> Full Article

Breakthrough in cell-type analysis offers new ways to study development and disease (11/18/2008)

Research demonstrates new method for identifying proteins that give a cell type its unique identity ...> Full Article

Novel 4-drug combination proves safe for lung cancer treatment (11/18/2008)

Study first to combine 2 chemotherapies and 2 targeted therapies ...> Full Article

The relative risk of brain cancer (11/18/2008)

Research says "Tell your doctor if tumors run in the family" ...> Full Article

Tiny sacs released by brain tumor cells carry information that may guide treatment (11/17/2008)

Exosomes deliver factors that promote tumor growth and may serve as blood biomarkers ...> Full Article

Proton therapy and concurrent chemotherapy may reduce bone marrow toxicity in advanced lung cancer (11/17/2008)

First study to examine the benefits of proton therapy versus standard treatment for lung cancer ...> Full Article

Protein compels ovarian cancer cells to cannibalize themselves (11/17/2008)

Level of PEA-15 in tumor is associated with overall survival ...> Full Article

Researchers develop a new way to study how breast cancer spreads (11/17/2008)

For the first time, cancer cells can be viewed for days at a time in mice ...> Full Article

Scientists find cell pathway driving a deadly sub-type of breast cancer (11/17/2008)

Discovery may lead to new targeted therapies for hard-to-treat cancer ...> Full Article

New clue emerges for cellular damage in Huntington's disease (11/16/2008)

Huntington's disease is caused by a single mutated gene that creates proteins with abnormally long repeats of the amino acid glutamine. These proteins misfold and clump together, damaging and eventually killing neurons. Yet the steps that trigger cell death have not been clarified. This study reports one early trigger: The misfolded proteins interfere with the cell's ability to move proteins marked for degradation out of the endoplasmic reticulum (a cell compartment that folds and processes proteins). ...> Full Article

Calcium may only protect against colorectal cancer in presence of magnesium (11/16/2008)

According to data presented at the Seventh Annual American Association for Cancer Research International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, an understanding of the relationship between calcium and magnesium may lead to new avenues of personalized prevention for colorectal cancer. ...> Full Article

How eating red meat can spur cancer progression (11/16/2008)

have shown a new mechanism for how human consumption of red meat and milk products could contribute to the increased risk of cancerous tumors. Their findings, which suggest that inflammation resulting from a molecule introduced through consumption of these foods could promote tumor growth ...> Full Article

Researchers ID molecule linked to aggressive cancer growth, spread (11/16/2008)

Researchers have found a genetic marker that controls an enzyme present in aggressive and metastatic cancer. ...> Full Article

Research demonstrates differing genetic makeup of lung cancer in African-American patients (11/15/2008)

Informs clinical development of EGFR inhibitor drugs ...> Full Article

'2-headed' antibody poses a double threat to breast cancer cells (11/15/2008)

A small, antibody-like molecule can successfully attack two separate molecules on the surface of cancer cells at the same time, halting the growth of breast cancer cells in laboratory tests, the researchers say. The molecule, nickname "ALM," might be a means of slowing cancer spread or, as the researchers believe, a guidance system for imaging the spread of cancer or delivering more aggressive drugs. ...> Full Article

Scientists study acute infection in end-stage kidney disease patients (11/14/2008)

New research could see a decrease in the rates of treatment failure among patients with end-stage kidney disease ...> Full Article

New technique to study the genetics of breast cancer (11/14/2008)

A new technique to study genetic changes that can lead to breast cancer could be one step closer. ...> Full Article

Battling bacteria in the blood: Researchers tackle deadly infections (11/14/2008)

Medicine, math and engineering combine to reveal how sepsis and less severe infections occur-- and what might be done to stop or prevent them ...> Full Article

New hope for HIV treatment: Cells exhausted from fighting HIV infection can be revitalized (11/13/2008)

Researchers have revealed ew hope for HIV treatment with the discovery of a way to 'rescue' immune cells that are exhausted from fighting off HIV infection ...> Full Article

Protein identified that turns off HIV-fighting T cells (11/13/2008)

T cells in HIV-infected individuals express a protein called TIM-3, which inactivates their virus killing capacity. ...> Full Article

Researcher invents molecule that stops SARS (11/13/2008)

Researcher has created a compound that prevents replication of the virus that causes SARS and could lead to a treatment for the disease. In addition to its ability to block the SARS virus, the molecular compound that inhibits the virus provides new insights into a group of proteins found in a range of diseases including childhood croup, herpes and cancer. ...> Full Article

Damage inflicted during cardiac attacks more widespread (11/13/2008)

Hurtful cholesterol crystals released in bloodstream after event ...> Full Article

Researchers discover Achilles' heel in pancreatic cancer (11/12/2008)

Starving cancer cells of arginine cuts proliferation in half ...> Full Article

Researchers aim to over-stress already taxed mantle cell lymphoma cells (11/12/2008)

Cancer cells are already stressed by the fast pace they require to grow and spread and scientists believe a little more stress just may kill them. ...> Full Article

Cancer drugs my build and not tear down blood vessels (11/12/2008)

Scientists have thought that one way to foil a tumor from generating blood vessels to feed its growth -- a process called angiogenesis -- was by creating drugs aimed at stopping a key vessel growth-promoting protein. But now the opposite seems to be true. ...> Full Article

Forced evolution: Can we mutate viruses to death? (11/11/2008)

Analysis reveals role of gene swaps in evolution of disease ...> Full Article

Researchers use chemical from medicinal plants to fight HIV (11/11/2008)

TAT2, used in Chinese herbal therapy, prolongs killer T-cells' ability to divide ...> Full Article

Could vitamin D save us from radiation? (11/10/2008)

A form of vitamin D could protect us against damage from low levels of radiation ...> Full Article

HIV's disguises no match for 'bionic assassins' (11/10/2008)

Implications for developing new treatments for AIDS ...> Full Article

Migraines associated with lower risk of breast cancer (11/10/2008)

Women who suffer from migraines may take at least some comfort in a recent, first-of-its-kind study that suggests a history of such headaches is associated with a significantly lower risk of breast cancer. ...> Full Article

Researchers find predictive tests and early treatment delay progression of blood cell cancer (11/10/2008)

Researchers say they have moved closer to their goal of providing personalized care for a common blood cell cancer. They have found that the use of predictive biomarkers along with two targeted treatments significantly delays the need for conventional chemotherapy in patients with early-stage, but high-risk, chronic lymphoid leukemia. ...> Full Article

Repairing DNA damage: Researchers discover critical process in cancer treatment (11/8/2008)

Researchers have identified a new biochemical pathway which controls DNA repair. ...> Full Article

Parasites that live inside cells use loophole to thwart immune system (11/8/2008)

A study from St. Jude scientists shows how microbes can block nitric oxide production-a chemical key to the immune system -- and offers hints for fighting bacteria ...> Full Article

Therapy may block expansion of breast cancer cells (11/8/2008)

Breast cancer stem cells are known to be involved in therapy resistance and the recurrence of cancerous tumors. A new study appearing in Clinical and Translational Science shows the mechanisms governing stem cell expansion in breast cancer (called Notch activity), and finds that therapy targeting a protein called cyclin D1 may block the expansion of cancerous stem cells. ...> Full Article

Proteomics study yields clues as to how tuberculosis might be thwarting the immune system (11/7/2008)

A link between the immune system and the self-cleaning system by which biological cells rid themselves of obsolete or toxic parts may one day yield new weapons in the fight against tuberculosis and other deadly infectious diseases. Berkeley Lab researchers have discovered proteins residing in both systems that point to "cross-talk" between them. ...> Full Article

Protein 'tubules' free avian flu virus from immune recognition (11/7/2008)

A protein found in the virulent avian influenza virus strain called H5N1 forms tiny tubules in which it "hides" the pieces of double-stranded RNA formed during viral infection, which otherwise would prompt an antiviral immune response from infected cell ...> Full Article

Scientists first to sequence genome of cancer patient (11/7/2008)

For the first time, scientists have decoded the complete DNA of a cancer patient and traced her disease -- acute myelogenous leukemia -- to its genetic roots. A large research team at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sequenced the genome of the patient -- a woman in her 50s who ultimately died of her disease -- and the genome of her leukemia cells, to identify genetic changes unique to her cancer. The study is reported Nov. 6 in Nature. ...> Full Article

Tackling a hard-to-treat childhood cancer by targeting epigenetic changes (11/6/2008)

Blocking a histone-modifying enzyme may calm down gene expression driving some leukemias ...> Full Article

Liver transplant recipients have higher cancer risk (11/6/2008)

A new Canadian study comparing cancer rates of liver transplant patients to those of the general population has found that transplant recipients face increased risks of developing cancer, especially non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and colorectal cancer. ...> Full Article

Spatial and temporal clustering of dengue virus transmission in Thai villages (11/6/2008)

In a new study investigated the spread of dengue virus infection in rural Thai villages. ...> Full Article

Researchers uncover clue in spread of 'superbugs' (11/5/2008)

A discovery has put scientists are one step closer to finding a defense against dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria, sometimes called "superbugs." ...> Full Article

Cholesterol-lowering drugs may also lower PSA, but whether they cut cancer risk is still not known (11/5/2008)

Popular cholesterol-busting drugs -- statins -- appear to lower men's PSA values along with their cholesterol levels ...> Full Article

Study finds aggresive, personalized treatment increases kidney cancer patient survival (11/5/2008)

Study will allow doctors to better predict which patients will do well and select those who may respond to targeted therapies ...> Full Article

How did glycine significantly decrease liver injury? (11/5/2008)

...> Full Article

Simple blood test predicts obesity (11/5/2008)

Study opens doors to new tests to identify those at risk ...> Full Article

Pakistan introduces vaccine to prevent top child killer (11/5/2008)

5 million children each year to receive their first shot of pentavalent vaccine ...> Full Article

New journal shows half-broken gene is enough to cause cancer (11/4/2008)

Tumor suppressor genes do not necessarily require both alleles to be knocked out before disease phenotypes are expressed. Research published in BioMed Central's new open access journal PathoGenetics reveals that only one allele of SMAD4 has to be damaged to put a person at risk of pancreatic and colorectal cancer. ...> Full Article

Human diet gives deadly bacteria a target (11/4/2008)

Team thas uncovered the first example of a bacterium causing disease in humans by targeting a molecule that is incorporated into our bodies from our diet. ...> Full Article

Research shows aerobic exercise combined with resistance training improves glucose control in diabetics (11/4/2008)

Physical therapy is a cost-effective form of treatment for Americans with diabetes ...> Full Article

Severe gestational hypertension may protect against testicular cancer (11/4/2008)

Women who experience severe gestational hypertension may give birth to boys at lower risk for testicular cancer, although the exact reasons why are still unclear ...> Full Article

New research finds markers for esophageal cancer before it develops (11/4/2008)

Rhode Island Hospital researchers identify ways to determine the level of ...> Full Article

Substance tackles skin cancer from 2 sides (11/4/2008)

A single 'designer molecule' tackles malignant cells by 2 completely different routes ...> Full Article

Smaller mosquitoes are more likey to be infected with viruses causing human diseases (11/4/2008)

Smaller mosquitoes are more likely to be infected with viruses that cause diseases in humans. ...> Full Article

How HIV vaccine might have increased odds of infection (11/4/2008)

In September 2007, a phase II HIV-1 vaccine trial was abruptly halted when researchers found that the vaccine may have promoted, rather than prevented, HIV infection. A new study by a team of researchers at the Montpellier Institute of Molecular Genetics in France shows how the vaccine could have enhanced HIV infection. The study, lead by Matthieu Perreau, will be published online on Nov. 3 of the Journal of Experimental Medicine. ...> Full Article

HPV virus helps cervical and head and neck cancers resist treatment and grow and spread (11/4/2008)

The human papillomavirus allows infected cervical and head and neck cancer cells to maintain internal molecular conditions that make the cancers resistant to therapy and more likely to grow and spread, resulting in a poor prognosis for patients, researchers with UCLA's Jonsson Cancer Center found. ...> Full Article

Oral rinses used for tracking HPV-positive head and neck cancers holds promise for cancer screening (11/3/2008)

Research validates a non-invasive screening method with future potential for detection of human papillomavirus-positive head and neck cancers. ...> Full Article

Can your doctor correctly read a critical heart test? (11/3/2008)

Drive to improve accuracy of electrocardiogram interpretation ...> Full Article

Researchers identify mechanism, possible drug treatment for tumors in neurofibromatosis (11/3/2008)

Researchers studying neurofibromatosis type 1 -- a rare disease in which tumors grow within nerves -- have found that the tumors are triggered by crosstalk between cells in the nerves and cells in the blood. They also found that a drug on the market for treating certain kinds of blood cancer curbs tumor growth in a mouse model of neurofibromatosis type 1. ...> Full Article

A useful imaging modality for monitoring treatment response to hepatocellular carcinoma (11/3/2008)

In this study, the changes found in CT perfusion parameters in viable tumors were correlated to different responses of hepatocellular carcinoma to TACE. ...> Full Article

Cancer requires support from immune system to develop, UT Southwestern researchers report (11/2/2008)

Tumors that grow around nerves in a rare genetic disease need cooperation from cells from the immune system in order to grow ...> Full Article

Vigorous activity protects against breast cancer (11/2/2008)

Normal-weight women who carry out lots of vigorous exercise are approximately 30 percent less likely to develop breast cancer than those who don't exercise vigorously. ...> Full Article

Type-1 diabetes not so much bad genes as good genes behaving badly, Stanford research shows (11/1/2008)

Investigators combing the genome in the hope of finding genetic variants responsible for triggering early-onset diabetes may be looking in the wrong place, new research suggests. ...> Full Article

MYH9 gene variations help explain high rate of kidney disease in African-Americans (11/1/2008)

Possible new approaches to screening and prevention in African-American families ...> Full Article

Researchers discover a key to aggressive breast cancer (11/1/2008)

HER2 advances tumor growth by shutting down its own suppressor ...> Full Article

The upside to allergies: cancer prevention (11/1/2008)

Strong evidence that allergies are much more than just an annoying immune malfunction. They may protect against certain types of cancer. ...> Full Article