Curing Death by Curing Aging - September 2009 Archives

Your eyes may be a window to heart disease (9/30/2009)

For centuries eyes have been seen as windows to the soul. But medical researchers now believe the eyes may also offer vital clues to your risk of heart disease and stroke. Importantly, this research could lead to optometrists and ophthalmologists playing a key diagnostic role in identifying signs of life threatening health problems. ...> Full Article

Researchers xamine use of toad venom in cancer treatment (9/29/2009)

Huachansu, a Chinese medicine that comes from the dried venom secreted by the skin glands of toads, has tolerable toxicity levels, even at doses eight times those normally administered, and may slow disease progression in some cancer patients, say researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. ...> Full Article

Certain cancers more common among HIV patients than non-HIV patients (9/29/2009)

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that non-AIDS-defining malignancies such as anal and lung cancer have become more prevalent among HIV-infected patients than non-HIV patients since the introduction of anti-retroviral therapies in the mid-1990s. ...> Full Article

1 in 8 strokes is preceded by 'warning stroke' (9/29/2009)

One out of every eight strokes is preceded by a "warning stroke," which is a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mild stroke, according to research published in the September 29, 2009, print issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. ...> Full Article

Does Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy prevent gastric cancer? (9/28/2009)

A research team from Japan investigated whether eradication of H. pylori in peptic ulcer patients prevented gastric cancer. They found that eradication did not significantly reduce the incidence of cancer in their patients, who had a mean age of 52.9 years at registration, after a mean follow-up period of 5.6 years. ...> Full Article

Shedding light on cancer cells (9/27/2009)

A new technique now makes it possible to observe live cancer cells in action, allowing scientists to see how they differ from healthy cells. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify genes linked to Lou Gehrig's disease (9/26/2009)

Their discovery could provide scientists with valuable clues as they search for a cure. It can't come any too soon. Lead researcher Shuanglin Zhang started showing symptoms of the disease himself four years ago. ...> Full Article

Novel 'on-off switch' mechanism stops cancer in its tracks (9/26/2009)

A tiny bit of genetic material with no previously known function may hold the key to stopping the spread of cancer, researchers at Yale School of Medicine and Sichuan University in Chengdu, China report in two papers in the September 7-11 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. ...> Full Article

Is inhaled insulin delivery still a possibility? Why has it been a commercial failure? (9/26/2009)

The commercial failure of Exubera, the first inhaled insulin product to come to market, led other companies such as Eli Lilly-Alkermes to halt studies of similar drug delivery in development intended to compete for a share of the lucrative diabetes market. Does this signal defeat for efforts to deliver insulin via the lungs? ...> Full Article

New blood tests promise simple, cost-effective diagnosis of gastrointestinal cancers (9/25/2009)

Promising results from two new blood tests that can aid in the early identification of patients with gastrointestinal cancers will be presented at Europe's largest cancer congress, ECCO 15 -- ESMO 34, in Berlin on Monday September 21. The tests will make GI cancer detection simpler, cost-effective, and more acceptable to patients than current methods, the researchers say. ...> Full Article

New chemically-activated antigen could expedite development of HIV vaccine (9/25/2009)

Scientists working to develop a vaccine for the human immunodeficiency virus report they have created the first antigen that induces protective antibodies capable of blocking infection of human cells by genetically-diverse strains of HIV. The new antigen differs from previously-tested vaccines by virtue of its chemically-activated property that enables close sharing of electrons and produces strong covalent bonding. Researchers used a mouse model to generate the antibodies. ...> Full Article

Experimental drug lets B cells live and lymphoma cells die (9/24/2009)

An investigative drug deprived non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells of their ability to survive too long and multiply too fast, according to an early study published recently in the journal Experimental Hematology. ...> Full Article

Can an over-the-counter vitamin-like substance slow the progression of Parkinson's disease? (9/24/2009)

Rush University Medical Center is participating in a large-scale, multi-center clinical trial in the US and Canada to determine whether a vitamin-like substance called coenzyme Q10, in high doses, can slow the progression of Parkinson's disease. ...> Full Article

Researchers discover new anti-tuberculosis compounds (9/23/2009)

Attempts to eradicate tuberculosis are stymied by the fact that the disease-causing bacteria have a sophisticated mechanism for surviving dormant in infected cells. Now, a team of scientists led by researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College has identified compounds that inhibit that mechanism -- without damaging human cells. The results, described in the next issue of Nature and published online today, include structural studies of how the inhibitor molecules interact with bacterial proteins, and could lead to the design of new anti-TB drugs. ...> Full Article

Scientists illuminate how microRNAs drive tumor progression (9/23/2009)

UCSF researchers have identified collections of tiny molecules known as microRNAs that affect distinct processes critical for the progression of cancer. The findings, they say, expand researchers' understanding of the important regulatory function of microRNAs in tumor biology and point to new directions for future study and potential treatments. ...> Full Article

New rabies vaccine may require only a single shot... not 6 (9/22/2009)

A person, usually a child, dies of rabies every 20 minutes. However, only one inoculation may be all it takes for rabies vaccination, according to new research published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases by researchers at the Jefferson Vaccine Center. ...> Full Article

Genes controlling insulin can alter timing of biological clock (9/22/2009)

Many of the genes that regulate insulin also alter the timing of the circadian clock, a new study has found. Although insulin responses were known to follow daily rhythms, the finding that components of the insulin-control system can reset the body's clock surprised the study's authors and suggests new approaches to treating disorders such as metabolic syndrome that can result, at least in part, from chronic disruption of the sleep-wake cycle. ...> Full Article

Killing cancer like a vampire slayer (9/21/2009)

Dr. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro of Tel Aviv University's Sackler School of Medicine has developed a new drug carrier to deliver compounds straight to the cancer tumor, cutting off blood supplies to the tumor and improving the efficacy of anti-cancer drugs. ...> Full Article

Genetic hint for ridding the body of hepatitis C (9/21/2009)

More than seventy percent of people who contract hepatitis C will live with the virus that causes it for the rest of their lives, and some will develop serious liver disease including cancer. However, 30 to 40 percent of those infected somehow defeat the infection and get rid of the virus with no treatment. ...> Full Article

'Rising plague' of deadly bacteria kills thousands each year (9/21/2009)

Antibiotic-resistant microbes infect more than 2 million Americans, and kill over 100,000 each year. Astoundingly, as antibiotic resistant infections are skyrocketing in incidence -- creating a critical need for new antibiotics -- research and development of new antibiotics has ground to a halt. In "Rising Plague: The Global Threat From Deadly Bacteria and our Dwindling Arsenal to Fight Them," infectious disease expert Dr. Brad Spellberg explains this potentially grave public health crisis. ...> Full Article

Cases of liver cancer reduced in a younger population vaccinated for HBV (9/20/2009)

A 20-year follow-up study revealed a dramatic drop in liver cancer cases among 6- to 19-year-olds who were vaccinated for the hepatitis B virus at birth, according to a study published online September 16 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. ...> Full Article

Reactive oxygen's role in metastasis (9/20/2009)

Researchers at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have discovered that reactive oxygen species, such as superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, play a key role in forming invadopodia, cellular protrusions implicated in cancer cell migration and tumor metastasis. ...> Full Article

Scientists discover link between protein and lung disease (9/19/2009)

In a development that could lead to a novel approach to the treatment of a devastating lung disease, biochemists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston report they are the first to link the osteopontin protein to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Findings appear online and will be in the January 2010 print issue of the FASEB Journal, the journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. ...> Full Article

How HIV cripples immune cells (9/19/2009)

In order to be able to ward off disease pathogens, immune cells must be mobile and be able to establish contact with each other. The working group around Professor Dr. Oliver Fackler in the Virology Department of the Hygiene Institute of the Heidelberg University Hospital has discovered a mechanism in an animal model revealing how HIV, the AIDS pathogen, cripples immune cells: Cell mobility is inhibited by the HIV Nef protein. ...> Full Article

New 'adjuvant' could hold future of vaccine development (9/18/2009)

Scientists at Oregon State University have developed a new "adjuvant" that could allow the creation of important new vaccines, possibly become a universal vaccine carrier and help medical experts tackle many diseases more effectively. ...> Full Article

Possible genetic factor for male infertility identified (9/18/2009)

Findings may lead to development of novel approach for male contraception ...> Full Article

New insights into cardiac aging (9/17/2009)

Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research have found that the conserved protein d4eBP modulates cardiac aging in Drosophila (fruit flies). The team also found that d4eBP, which binds to the protein dEif4e, protects heart function against aging. ...> Full Article

Lung cancer suppresses miR-200 to invade and spread (9/17/2009)

Primary lung cancer shifts to metastatic disease by suppressing a family of small molecules that normally locks the tumor in a noninvasive state, researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the September 15 edition of Genes and Development. ...> Full Article

Study shows common pain cream could protect heart during attack (9/16/2009)

New research from the University of Cincinnati shows that a common, over-the-counter pain salve rubbed on the skin during a heart attack could serve as a cardiac-protectant, preventing or reducing damage to the heart while interventions are administered. ...> Full Article

Diabetes drug kills cancer stem cells in combination treatment in mice (9/16/2009)

In tumors formed by human breast cancer cells in mice, a diabetes drug was more effective than chemotherapy alone in prolonging remission. Mice appeared tumor-free for the two months after treatment before the end of the experiment. The drug, metformin, appears to selectively kill cancer stem cells in culture dishes and in mice. ...> Full Article

Overexpressed protein converts noninvasive breast cancer into invasive disease (9/15/2009)

Active, but non-invasive breast cancer is set free to roam as invasive breast cancer when an overexpressed protein converts it to a different cell type, scientists at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the Sept. 9 issue of the journal Cancer Cell. ...> Full Article

Autoimmune response can induce pancreatic tumor rejection (9/15/2009)

Immune responses are capable of killing tumors before they can be directed toward normal body tissue, according to new scientific findings published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. ...> Full Article

Enzyme inhibitor takes an unexpected approach toward blocking cancer-promoting protein (9/15/2009)

Scientists at Fox Chase Cancer Center have discovered a unique method of attack that may be used to inhibit signaling enzymes called kinases, which often have a role in sustaining drug-resistant cancerous cells. They have confirmed that IPA-3, a small molecular inhibitor of a kinase called PAK1, targets the enzyme's regulatory domain, mimicking how enzymes are naturally regulated within cells. ...> Full Article

Lapatinib shows minimal effect against liver cancer (9/14/2009)

Use of the molecularly targeted agent lapatinib to delay tumor growth and improve the survival of patients with inoperable hepatocellular carcinoma, or liver cancer, only benefited certain subgroups of patients. While results of this study were largely negative, patients that exhibited toxicity from the drug in the form of a skin rash appeared to have a greater tumor response and longer survival. ...> Full Article

A new protein partnership that leads to pediatric tumor regression (9/14/2009)

Weizmann Institute scientists have discovered that the cell receptor TrkA may be involved in the spontaneous regression of some pediatric cancers. Further research towards a better understanding of the mechanism of action might hopefully lead, in the future, to the development of drugs that will be able to induce regression of certain tumors. ...> Full Article

New type of adult stem cells found in the prostate may be involved in prostate cancer development (9/14/2009)

A new type of stem cell discovered in the prostate of adult mice can be a source of prostate cancer, according to a new study by researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. ...> Full Article

New research confirms potential deadly nature of emerging new monkey malaria species in humans (9/14/2009)

Researchers in Malaysia have identified key laboratory and clinical features of an emerging new form of malaria infection. The research, funded by the Wellcome Trust, confirms the potentially deadly nature of the disease. ...> Full Article

Toward a nanomedicine for brain cancer (9/13/2009)

In an advance toward better treatments for the most serious form of brain cancer, scientists in Illinois are reporting development of the first nanoparticles that seek out and destroy brain cancer cells without damaging nearby healthy cells. The study is scheduled for the Sept. 9 issue of ACS' Nano Letters, a monthly journal. ...> Full Article

Link found between common sexual infection and risk of aggressive prostate cancer (9/13/2009)

A new study from Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers has found a strong association between the common sexually transmitted infection, Trichomonas vaginalis, and risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer in men. ...> Full Article

How manuka honey helps fight infection (9/13/2009)

Manuka honey may kill bacteria by destroying key bacterial proteins. Dr. Rowena Jenkins and colleagues from the University of Wales Institute -- Cardiff investigated the mechanisms of manuka honey action and found that its antibacterial properties were not due solely to the sugars present in the honey. The work was presented this week at the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh. ...> Full Article

Large-scale study probes how cells fight pathogens (9/12/2009)

Researchers reconstruct a key molecular circuit in mammalian immune cells; genome-scale methods offer a practical model for future studies ...> Full Article

Designing probiotics that ambush gut pathogens (9/12/2009)

At the Society for General Microbiology's meeting at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, today (Sept. 8), Professor James Paton and colleagues from the University of Adelaide explained how they had made probiotics by adding molecular mimics of host cell receptors onto the surface of harmless bacteria. These can bind to the toxins produced by bacterial infections in the human gut, preventing the toxins from interacting with receptors on host intestinal cells and causing disease. ...> Full Article

2 new antibodies found to cripple HIV (9/12/2009)

Findings reveal an Achilles heel on the virus for AIDS vaccine researchers to exploit ...> Full Article

Lead in bone associated with increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease in men (9/11/2009)

In a new study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Michigan School of Public Health found that bone lead was associated with a higher risk of death from all causes, particularly from cardiovascular disease. It is the first study to analyze the association between bone lead and mortality. ...> Full Article

'Dung of the devil' plant roots point to new swine flu drugs (9/11/2009)

Scientists in China have discovered that roots of a plant used a century ago during the great Spanish influenza pandemic contains substances with powerful effects in laboratory experiments in killing the H1N1 swine flu virus that now threatens the world. Their report is scheduled for the Sept. 25 issue of ACS' Journal of Natural Products, a monthly publication. ...> Full Article

Gene variant heightens risk of severe liver disease in cystic fibrosis (9/11/2009)

A UNC study, which appears in the Sept. 9 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, could lead to earlier detection and diagnosis of cystic fibrosis liver disease and better treatment options for the patients affected by the disease. ...> Full Article

New biosensor can detect bacteria instantaneously (9/10/2009)

A research group from the Rovira i Virgili University in Tarragona has developed a biosensor that can immediately detect very low levels of Salmonella typhi, the bacteria that causes typhoid fever. The technique uses carbon nanotubes and synthetic DNA fragments that activate an electric signal when they link up with the pathogen. ...> Full Article

Researchers find first evidence of virus in malignant prostate cells (9/10/2009)

In a finding with potentially major implications for identifying a viral cause of prostate cancer, researchers at the University of Utah and Columbia University medical schools have reported that a type of virus known to cause leukemia and sarcomas in animals has been found for the first time in malignant human prostate cancer cells. ...> Full Article

Diabetes advance: Researchers find gene that causes resistance to insulin (9/9/2009)

Discovery is first gene known to affect how insulin works, not how it is produced ...> Full Article

Hedgehog trial results suggest antitumor activity in basal cell skin cancer (9/9/2009)

Study results published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicate effectiveness of the drug GDC-0449 for advanced skin cancer, as well as potential use for other cancers. The Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare in Scottsdale, Ariz., was lead site for the "Hedgehog" clinical trial. Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, chief scientific officer at Scottsdale Healthcare and physician-in-chief at Translational Genomics Research Institute, was principal investigator and lead author of the paper. ...> Full Article

Scientists move closer to a safer anthrax vaccine (9/8/2009)

Future vaccine could benefit military and others at high risk ...> Full Article

MicroRNAs circulating in blood show promise as biomarkers to detect pancreatic cancer (9/7/2009)

A blood test for small molecules abnormally expressed in pancreatic cancer may be a promising route to early detection of the disease, researchers at the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the September edition of the journal Cancer Prevention Research. ...> Full Article

Anticancer compound found in American mayapple (9/7/2009)

A common weed called American mayapple may soon offer an alternative to an Asian cousin that's been harvested almost to extinction because of its anti-cancer properties. The near-extinct Asian plant, Podophyllyum emodi, produces podophyllotoxin, a compound used in manufacturing etoposide, the active ingredient in a drug used for treating lung and testicular cancer. Podophyllyum emodi is a cousin of the common mayapple weed found in the United States. ...> Full Article

Research team discovers switch that causes the body to produce cancerous cells (9/5/2009)

A team of Syracuse University researchers discovered a second molecular switch within the Mixed Lineage Leukemia protein complex that they believe could be exploited to prevent the overproduction of abnormal cells that are found in several types of cancer, including leukemia. ...> Full Article

Large thighs protect against heart disease and early death (9/5/2009)

Men and women whose thighs are less than 60cm in circumference have a higher risk of premature death and heart disease, according to research published on bmj.com today. The study also concluded that individuals whose thighs are wider than 60cm have no added protective effect. ...> Full Article

New hope for deadly childhood bone cancer (9/4/2009)

Surprising discovery made by studying so-called 'junk DNA' ...> Full Article

DNA mutations linked to diabetes (9/4/2009)

Genes that regulate the energy consumption of cells have a different structure and expression in type 2 diabetics than they do in healthy people, according to a new study from the Swedish medical university Karolinska Institutet published in Cell Metabolism. The researchers believe that these "epigenetic mutations" might have a key part to play in the development of the disease. ...> Full Article

Computational process zeroes in on top genetic cancer suspects (9/4/2009)

Johns Hopkins engineers have devised innovative computer software that can sift through hundreds of genetic mutations and highlight the DNA changes that are most likely to promote cancer. ...> Full Article

Scientists identify gene that predicts post-surgical survival from brain metastasis of breast cancer patients (9/3/2009)

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute have identified a gene that may play a role in breast cancer metastasis to the brain, according to a report in Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. ...> Full Article

Dynamic changes in DNA linked to human diabetes (9/3/2009)

A study in the September issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, may give new meaning to the adage, "You are what you eat." ...> Full Article

Biotransformed blueberry juice fights fat and diabetes (9/3/2009)

Juice extracted from North American lowbush blueberries, biotransformed with bacteria from the skin of the fruit, holds great promise as an anti-obesity and anti-diabetic agent. The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, was conducted by researchers from the Universite de Montreal, the Institut Armand-Frappier and the Universite de Moncton who tested the effects of biotransformed juices compared to regular blueberry drinks on mice. ...> Full Article

Researchers find high-dose therapy for liver disease not effective (9/2/2009)

A national team of researchers led by scientists at Mayo Clinic has found that a common treatment for primary sclerosing cholangitis, a chronic liver disease, is not helpful for patients, according to a study published this month in the journal Hepatology. ...> Full Article

How much omega-3 fatty acid do we need to prevent cardiovascular disease? (9/2/2009)

Scientists found the dose of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) that is "just right" for preventing cardiovascular disease in healthy men. In a research report appearing in the September 2009 print issue of the FASEB Journal, they show that 200 mg of DHA per day is enough to affect biochemical markers that reliably predict cardiovascular problems. This study is the first to identify how much DHA is necessary to promote optimal heart health. ...> Full Article

New developments in reproductive medicine (9/2/2009)

Three out of ten women who undergo polar body diagnosis go on to have a child. The extensive technique of polar body analysis is described by researchers in reproductive medicine at Lubeck in an article in the current edition of Deutsches Artzeblatt International, in which they present three successful cases and one failure. ...> Full Article

Immune defect is key to skin aging (9/1/2009)

Scientists have discovered why older people may be so vulnerable to cancer and infections in the skin. The team has shown in human volunteers that defective immunity in the skin is caused by an inability to mobilize essential defenses that would otherwise recognize threats and clear them before irreparable damage is done. This discovery could be important for preventing, managing or treating many age-related skin health problems. ...> Full Article