Curing Death by Curing Aging - October 2009 Archives

MicroRNA-mediated metastasis suppression (10/31/2009)

Metastases are responsible for over 90% of cancer deaths. In the upcoming issue of G&D, Dr. Robert Weinberg and colleagues lend molecular insight into how microRNAs suppress tumor metastasis. ...> Full Article

TGen seeks emergency FDA approval of new swine flu test (10/30/2009)

The Phoenix-based nonprofit Translational Genomics Research Institute announced today that, along with a business collaborator, it will submit a request to the US Food and Drug Administration for emergency use of a new test to diagnose the 2009 H1N1 swine flu virus. ...> Full Article

Scientists discover gene that 'cancer-proofs' rodent's cells (10/30/2009)

Despite a 30-year lifespan that gives ample time for cells to grow cancerous, a small rodent species called a naked mole rat has never been found with tumors of any kind -- and now biologists at the University of Rochester think they know why. ...> Full Article

Common weed could provide clues on aging and cancer (10/29/2009)

A common weed and human cancer cells could provide some very uncommon details about DNA structure and its relationship with telomeres and how they affect cellular aging and cancer, according to a team led by scientists from Texas A&M University and the University of Cincinnati. ...> Full Article

Rethinking the antibody-dependent enhancement dengue hemorrhagic fever model (10/28/2009)

Research published this week in PLoS Medicine challenges the dogma of the antibody-dependent enhancement model for the development of dengue hemorrhagic fever. ...> Full Article

Sperm may play leading role in spreading HIV (10/27/2009)

Sperm, and not just the fluid it bathes in, can transmit HIV to macrophages, T cells, and dendritic cells (DCs), report a team led by Ana Ceballos at the University of Buenos Aires. By infecting DCs, which carry the virus and potently pass it to T cells, sperm may play a leading role in spreading HIV. ...> Full Article

Team find way to protect healthy cells from radiation damage (10/24/2009)

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the National Cancer Institute, may be hot on the heels of a Holy Grail of cancer therapy: They have found a way to not only protect healthy tissue from the toxic effects of radiation treatment, but also increase tumor death. The findings appear today in Science Translational Medicine. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify specific markers that trigger aggressiveness of liver cancer (10/23/2009)

Researchers from Taipei Veterans General Hospital conducted the first study to provide a comprehensive profile of multiple epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and to demonstrate that Snail and Twist, but not Slug, are the major inducers of EMT in HCC. Results of the study are published in the November issue of Hepatology, a journal of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases. ...> Full Article

Added oxygen during stroke reduces brain tissue damage (10/22/2009)

Scientists have countered findings of previous clinical trials by showing that giving supplemental oxygen to animals during a stroke can reduce damage to brain tissue surrounding the clot. The timing of the delivery of 100 percent oxygen -- either by mask or in a hyperbaric chamber -- is critical to achieving the benefit, however. ...> Full Article

Melanoma treatment options 1 step closer (10/21/2009)

A targeted chemotherapy for the treatment of skin cancer is one step closer, after a team of University of Alberta researchers successfully synthesized a natural substance that shows exceptional potential to specifically treat this often fatal disease. ...> Full Article

Earlier flu viruses provided some immunity to current H1N1 influenza, study shows (10/20/2009)

University of California, Davis, researchers studying the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus, formerly referred to as "swine flu," have identified a group of immunologically important sites on the virus that are also present in seasonal flu viruses that have been circulating for years. These molecular sites appear to result in some level of immunity to the new virus in people who were exposed to the earlier influenza viruses. ...> Full Article

Bug barcode readers hold out promise of universal vaccines (10/20/2009)

Veterinary scientists have made a discovery that promises to deliver a new approach to fast development of cheap vaccines that are effective in all mammals -- not just humans or another particular species. ...> Full Article

Promising novel treatment for human cancer -- Chrysanthemum indicum extract (10/20/2009)

A research team from China investigated the effects of Chrysanthemum indicum extract (CIE) on inhibition of proliferation and on apoptosis, and the underlying mechanisms, in a human hepatocellular carcinoma MHCC97H cell line. They found CIE exerted a significant apoptotic effect through a mitochondrial pathway and arrested the cell cycle by regulation of cell cycle-related proteins in MHCC97H cells without an effect on normal cells. ...> Full Article

New chromosomal abnormality identified in leukemia associated with Down syndrome (10/19/2009)

Researchers identified a new chromosomal abnormality in acute lymphoblastic leukemia that appears to work in concert with another mutation to give rise to cancer. This latest anomaly is particularly common in children with Down syndrome. ...> Full Article

Unusual bacteria help balance the immune system in mice (10/19/2009)

Medical researchers have long suspected that obscure bacteria living within the intestinal tract may help keep the human immune system in balance. An international collaboration co-led by scientists at NYU Langone Medical Center has now identified a bizarre-looking microbial species that can single-handedly spur the production of specialized immune cells in mice. ...> Full Article

Skin cells may provide early warning for cancer risk elsewhere in body (10/18/2009)

If susceptibility to cancer is the result of inherited genetic mutations, then DNA in all the body's cells should have these mutations. UC Berkeley cell biologist Harry Rubin argues that, since skin cells are easy to culture, it may be possible to observe the behavior of skin cells in a Petri dish and detect those mutations involving growth that increase our cancer risk. ...> Full Article

Bioluminescence imaging used for eye cancer detection (10/17/2009)

At the moment, doctors rely on biopsy analysis to determine the progression of eye cancer. However, researchers now believe that a new technology, bioluminescence imaging, will allow doctors to detect tumors earlier and quickly choose a method of treatment that doesn't necessarily involve eye surgery. ...> Full Article

Gene mutation may reveal clues for treating lung diseases (10/16/2009)

A genetic mutation found in four children born with multiple abnormalities may provide insight into potential treatments for newborn lung distress and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. ...> Full Article

Intensive care procedure saves lives: Swine flu study (10/15/2009)

A research team has warned medical experts in the Northern Hemisphere not to underestimate the serious impact of the H1N1 virus with a new report showing that many patients who were critically ill with the virus required prolonged life support treatment with heart-lung machines. ...> Full Article

Loss of tumor supressor gene essential to transforming benign nerve tumors into cancers (10/14/2009)

Researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center showed for the first time that the loss or decreased expression of the tumor suppressor gene PTEN plays a central role in the malignant transformation of benign nerve tumors called neurofibromas into a malignant and extremely deadly form of sarcoma. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify common HPV genotypes in northern India, encourage vaccination (10/13/2009)

Although a wide spectrum of human papillomavirus is seen across the population of India, HPV-16 and HPV-18 are the most common types and a vaccination targeting these types could eliminate 75 percent of the cervical cancers in the region, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research Meeting. ...> Full Article

Researchers report benefits of new standard treatment study for rare pediatric brain cancer (10/13/2009)

A team of researchers led by the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center unveiled results today from the largest-ever collaborative study addressing the treatment of a rare pediatric brain tumor. The findings suggest a new standard protocol could improve survival nearly two-fold for pediatric patients with choroid plexus tumors, as reported at the 41st Annual Meeting of the International Society of Pediatric Oncology. ...> Full Article

Parasite growth hormone pushes human cells to liver cancer (10/12/2009)

Scientists have found that the human liver fluke (Opisthorchis viverrini) contributes to the development of bile duct (liver) cancer by secreting granulin, a growth hormone that is known to cause uncontrolled growth of cells. Details are published Oct. 9 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens. ...> Full Article

Rare head and neck cancer linked to HPV, study finds (10/12/2009)

An increase in cases of a rare type of head and neck cancer appears to be linked to HPV, or human papillomavirus, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. ...> Full Article

Immune cell entry into the pancreatic islets key to understanding type 1 diabetes origins (10/12/2009)

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital investigators have discovered how destructive immune cells gain access to insulin-producing cells and help cause diabetes. ...> Full Article

Genes signal late-stage laryngeal cancer, poorer outcome (10/12/2009)

Researchers at Henry Ford Hospital have identified tumor-suppressing genes that may provide a more accurate diagnosis of disease stage and survival for laryngeal cancer patients than current standards. The study finds genetic abnormalities of the ESR1 gene and the HIC1 gene are predictors of late-stage laryngeal cancer and shorter survival, respectively, for patients with the disease. ...> Full Article

Stem cells which 'fool immune system' may provide vaccination for cancer (10/11/2009)

A study published in Stem Cells reveals the potential for human stem cells to provide a vaccination against colon cancer. ...> Full Article

Heart disease: B vitamin pills have no effect (10/11/2009)

B vitamin supplements should not be recommended for prevention of heart disease, say scientists. A Cochrane Systematic Review has shown these supplements do not reduce the risk of developing or dying from the disease. ...> Full Article

High-sensitivity bone marrow aspiration technology enhances leukemia cell detection (10/10/2009)

Scientists have created a viable technology to improve the detection of leukemia cells in bone marrow. ...> Full Article

Protein helps cells duplicate correctly, avoid becoming cancer (10/10/2009)

A Purdue University researcher has discovered that the absence of certain proteins needed for proper cell duplication can lead to cancer. ...> Full Article

Researchers identify gene that regulates breast cancer metastasis (10/10/2009)

Researchers at the Wistar Institute have identified a key gene (KLF17) involved in the spread of breast cancer throughout the body. They also demonstrated that expression of KLF17 together with another gene (Id1) known to regulate breast cancer metastasis accurately predicts whether the disease will spread to the lymph nodes. ...> Full Article

'Treason' by immune system cells aids growth of multiple myeloma (10/9/2009)

Scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute find Multiple myeloma cancer cells thwart many of the drugs used against them by causing nearby cells to turn traitor -- to switch from defending the body against disease to shielding the myeloma cells from harm. The new study is in the October issue of Cancer Cell. ...> Full Article

Future diabetes treatment may use resveratrol to target the brain (10/9/2009)

A new study accepted for publication in Endocrinology, a journal of the Endocrine Society, shows that the brain plays a key role in mediating resveratrol's anti-diabetic actions, potentially paving the way for future orally delivered diabetes medications that target the brain. ...> Full Article

Lung cancer risk increases with expression of specific genes (10/8/2009)

A recent study published in the October 2009 issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology determined that variations of specific genetic markers identified in previous research, or SNPs, may indicate a greater lung cancer risk in African Americans than in whites. The genes CHRNA3 and CHRNA5 may contribute to lung cancer risk due directly or through their association with nicotine dependence. Although their presence is less frequent in African-Americans, the risk for lung cancer may be greater when present. ...> Full Article

Light shed on the secret behind probiotic bacteria promoting health (10/8/2009)

Functional food is the food industry's fastest-growing product group, its leading products including dairy products which contain probiotics, that is, bacteria promoting health. Valio's Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG is the most frequently studied and used probiotic. International research team determined the genome sequences of LGG and a bacterium closely related to it. The results shed light on the origin of probiotic mechanisms and promote product development in the food industry. ...> Full Article

New type of genetic change identified in inherited cancer (10/7/2009)

Duke University Medical Center and National Cancer Institute scientists have discovered that a novel genetic alteration -- a second copy of an entire gene -- is a cause of familial chordoma, an uncommon form of cancer arising in bones and frequently affecting the nervous system. ...> Full Article

Study finds 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer (10/7/2009)

A Henry Ford Hospital study has identified 231 new genes associated with head and neck cancer, one of the most deadly cancers responsible for 2.1 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States. Results will be presented Sunday, Oct. 4, at the American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head & Neck Surgery Foundation Annual Meeting & OTO EXPO in San Diego. ...> Full Article

Recent, vigorous exercise is associated with reduced breast cancer risk (10/6/2009)

Post-menopausal women who engage in moderate to vigorous exercise have a reduced risk of breast cancer. This comes from researchers writing the open access journal BMC Cancer who investigated the link between breast cancer and exercise. ...> Full Article

Molecular imaging holds promise for early intervention in common uterine cancer (10/6/2009)

A promising new molecular imaging technique may provide physicians and patients with a noninvasive way to learn more information about a type of cancer of the uterus lining called "endometrial carcinoma" -- one of the most common malignant female tumors. ...> Full Article

New approach for the treatment of malignant brain tumors (10/6/2009)

Initial chemotherapy alone after surgery is just as successful as initial radiation therapy for patients from whom a very malignant brain tumor (anaplastic glioma) was removed. With this treatment, the patients survive on average more than 30 months without a recurrence. A study conducted by the Neurooncology Working Group of the German Cancer Society led by researchers from Heidelberg and Zürich showed that patients in primary therapy benefit to the same extent from chemotherapy alone as from radiation alone. ...> Full Article

Researcher uncovers potential key to curing tuberculosis (10/6/2009)

Researchers at Iowa State University have identified an enzyme that helps make tuberculosis resistant to a human's natural defense system. Researchers have also found a method to possibly neutralize that enzyme, which may someday lead to a cure for tuberculosis, a contagious disease that kills 1.5 to 2 million people worldwide annually. ...> Full Article

Scientists find new way to classify gastric cancers (10/5/2009)

An international team of scientists has discovered a new way to classify stomach cancers, and researchers say it may be an important step toward designing more effective treatments and improving long-term survival. ...> Full Article

Treatment of severe burn injuries (10/5/2009)

Almost three-quarters of patients with extensive burns die of the consequences of a severe infection. In the current edition of Deutsches Arzteblatt International, Timo A. Spanholtz of the Cologne-Merheim Burn Center and his coauthors discuss the acute therapy and follow-up care of burn disease. ...> Full Article

Social isolation worsens cancer (10/5/2009)

Using mice as a model to study human breast cancer, researchers have demonstrated that a negative social isolation causes increased tumor growth. The work shows -- for the first time -- that social isolation is associated with altered gene expression in mouse mammary glands, and that these changes are accompanied by larger tumors. This novel finding may begin to explain how the environment affects human susceptibility to other chronic diseases: central obesity, type 2 diabetes and hypertension. ...> Full Article

Scientists decipher missing piece of first-responder DNA repair machine (10/5/2009)

Berkeley Lab's Advanced Light Source uncovers how key molecule mends DNA breaks, which could lead to improved cancer treatment ...> Full Article

Research puts a 'Fas' to the cause of programmed cell death (10/5/2009)

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute researchers have put an end to a 10-year debate over which form of a molecular messenger called Fas ligand is responsible for killing cells during programmed cell death (also called apoptosis). ...> Full Article

Severe stress can cause stroke (10/4/2009)

Many patients urgently admitted to hospital with cerebral infarction state that they were under great stress over a prolonged period prior to suffering their stroke, is shown in a unique patient study conducted in cooperation between the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg and Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden. ...> Full Article

First human gets new antibody aimed at rabies virus (10/4/2009)

MassBiologics of the University of Massachusetts Medical School today announced the beginning of a Phase 1 clinical trial in India, testing the safety and activity of a human monoclonal antibody developed to neutralize the rabies virus. The World Health Organization estimates that at least 10 million people are exposed to rabid animals each year, resulting in some 55,000 deaths. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover a new antibacterial lead (10/3/2009)

A promising discovery by McMaster University researchers has revealed an ideal starting point to develop new interventions for resistant infections ...> Full Article

Calcium scans may be effective screening tool for heart disease (10/3/2009)

A simple, non-invasive test appears to be an effective screening tool for identifying patients with silent heart disease who are at risk for a heart attack or sudden death. Coronary artery calcium scans can be done without triggering excessive additional testing and costs, according to the multi-center EISNER study, led by investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Heart Institute. ...> Full Article

Australian study sheds light on kidney repair and disease (10/2/2009)

A study by Monash University researchers has shed new light on the microscopic antennas in the kidney that are involved in the organ's repair process. The work may be a crucial step towards a cure for polycystic kidney disease, a potentially fatal disease that affects more than one in 1000 people. ...> Full Article

Study in Spain and Romania confirms radon as second leading cause of lung cancer (10/2/2009)

Exposure to radon gas in homes is the second leading cause of lung cancer after smoking, according to a study carried out by researchers from the University of Cantabria and the Babes-Bolyai University in Romania. The team has studied data on exposure to this element in a uranium mining area in Transylvania and in an area of granite in Torrelodones, Madrid. ...> Full Article

Researchers create microchip that can detect type and severity of cancer (10/1/2009)

U of T researchers have used nanomaterials to develop a microchip sensitive enough to quickly determine the type and severity of a patient's cancer so that the disease can be detected earlier for more effective treatment. ...> Full Article

New perspectives on cancer surgery (10/1/2009)

A German-Hungarian research team has developed a mass-spectrometry-based technique by which malignant tumor cells and the surrounding healthy tissue can be distinguished in real time during cancer surgery. ...> Full Article