Curing Death by Curing Aging Archives Page 66

Preventing Blindness in Diabetic Patients Is Goal of Cutting-Edge Eye Exams (7/31/2007)

Although they have a greater than average risk of developing retinal problems and blindness, many people with diabetes never visit their eye doctor. ...> Full Article

Hepatitis C Helicase Unwinds DNA In A Spring-Loaded, 3-Step Process (7/31/2007)

The process by which genes are duplicated is mysterious and complex, involving a cast of characters with diverse talents and the ability to play well with others in extremely close quarters. A key player on this stage is an enzyme called a helicase. Its job is to unwind the tightly coiled chain of nucleic acids - the DNA or RNA molecule that spells out the organism's genetic code - so that another enzyme, a polymerase, can faithfully copy each nucleotide in the code. ...> Full Article

New Findings may help prevent the Onset of Lung Disease (7/30/2007)

A study published by Wiley-Blackwell in the journal Acta Pharmacologica Sinica has identified the protein that plays a significant role in the development of lung disease - signaling that medical practitioners may potentially be able to isolate and prevent the onset of the disease in the near future. ...> Full Article

More Power to Population Studies in Pancreas Cancer Research (7/30/2007)

UCSF clinicians and researchers are joining with counterparts far and wide to conduct large studies that will yield the statistical power necessary to clearly identify factors associated with risk for pancreas cancer. ...> Full Article

Treating HIV-Infected Infants Early Helps Them Live Longer (7/30/2007)

Hundreds of thousands of babies around the world are born each year with HIV-more than half a million in 2006 alone. Caring for these children is complicated by the fact that their immune systems are not fully developed in the first year of life, which makes them especially susceptible to rapid HIV disease progression and death. The current standard of HIV care in many parts of the world is to treat infants with antiretroviral therapy-but only after they show signs of illness or a weakened immune system. ...> Full Article

Degenerative Changes that Mimic Parkinson's Linked to Reduced Dopamine Storage (7/29/2007)

Emory University neuroscientists have discovered what could serve as a model for slowing the progression of Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative condition that affects more than 1 million people in the U.S. ...> Full Article

First Detailed View of Molecular Structure May Usher in New Class of Cancer Drugs (7/29/2007)

High resolution views of a receptor molecule that is implicated in cancer offer a clear target for the development of a new class of cancer drugs, Yale School of Medicine researchers report July 27 in Cell. ...> Full Article

New Study Finds Infant Hearing Test Results May Predict Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (7/29/2007)

One of the greatest medical mysteries of our time has taken a leap forward in medical understanding with new study results announced by Dr. Daniel D. Rubens of Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle. ...> Full Article

Researchers Identify Gene Involved In Breast Cancer (7/28/2007)

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a gene linked to the development of an aggressive form of breast cancer. ...> Full Article

Study Evaluates Brain Bypass Surgery to Reduce Stroke Risk (7/28/2007)

Joan Soltysik's right arm was numb and she had difficulty verbalizing her thoughts. But she managed to hide her symptoms from family and co-workers for days. ...> Full Article

Throttling Up Tiny Power Plants May Protect Nerve Cells (7/28/2007)

Revving up the "mini-energy factories" in central nervous system cells appears to help insulate them from damage caused by reactive oxygen species, which are believed to be prime culprits in aging. That is one of the findings from a new study conducted at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. ...> Full Article

Study Confirms That Aspirin Can Reduce Colorectal Cancer Risk (7/27/2007)

A study of Medicare patients with osteoarthritis provides additional evidence that non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Earlier investigations of the drugs' impact on tumor development could not rule out the possibility that an observed protective effect was caused by other preventive health care measures. The current study, led by a Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) physician, appears in the August 2007 Journal of General Internal Medicine. ...> Full Article

Using Sound And Bubbles To Treat Stroke And Cancer (7/27/2007)

Combining sound and bubbles to help treat major killers like stroke and cancer has won £1.25m of funding for Dr Constantin Coussios in Oxford's Institute for Biomedical Engineering. ...> Full Article

A Novel Molecular Dictator 'with A Conscience' Discovered (7/27/2007)

UNSW researchers have uncovered an important naturally occurring mechanism in the body where "bad" cells that cause blockages in our blood vessels are kept under strict growth control, while "good" cells that keep our blood vessels free of clots and growths are left unaffected. ...> Full Article

Sex, Drugs and HIV (7/27/2007)

The rise in the number of Australian HIV cases in the past seven years is likely to be related to risky sexual behaviour in men having sex with men, according to work co-authored by UNSW researchers. ...> Full Article

Researchers Explore New Method For Early Disease Diagnosis (7/26/2007)

Purdue University researchers worked with the Indiana University School of Medicine to establish a technique that provides a new approach for detecting a number of genetic disorders found in infants and young children. ...> Full Article

Effective Insecticide-Repellent For Use Against Malaria Transmitting Mosquito's (7/26/2007)

The mosquitoes responsible for malaria transmission to humans belong to the Anopheles genus. One of the best known and most extensively studied is Anopheles gambiae, Africa's principal malaria vector. The protection recommended by the World Health Organization for people at risk from this devastating disease is the use of mosquito nets impregnated with pyrethroids, of low toxicity for mammals and highly active against mosquitoes. ...> Full Article

Researchers Find Way To Starve Tuberculosis (7/26/2007)

Sleuthing through soil has led UBC researchers to a key discovery about the world's most lethal infection -- tuberculosis (TB). ...> Full Article

Breakthrough Approach Matches Tumor Profiles to Best Possible Anticancer Treatments (7/25/2007)

Cancer patients don't have time to waste. Many go through several different treatments, however, to find one that is more effective against their particular type of tumor. ...> Full Article

Sperm Banking Preserves Fertility In Young Male Cancer Patients (7/25/2007)

A Hamilton study proves that sperm freezing and banking is an effective way to preserve fertility in adolescents and young adult males with cancer. ...> Full Article

Scientists Find Key HIV Protein Makes Cell Membranes Bend More Easily (7/25/2007)

Carnegie Mellon University scientists have made an important discovery that aids the understanding of why HIV enters immune cells with ease. The researchers found that after HIV docks onto a host cell, it dramatically lowers the energy required for a cell membrane to bend, making it easier for the virus to infect immune cells. The finding, in press in Biophysical Journal, will provide vital data to conduct future computer simulations of HIV dynamics to help further drug discovery and prevent deadly infections. ...> Full Article

Molecular Detectors May Refine Cancer Treatment (7/24/2007)

University of Florida researchers have successfully used molecular probes to detect subtle differences in leukemia cells from patient samples, an achievement that could lead to more effective ways to diagnose and treat cancer. ...> Full Article

Leptin Role in Obesity, Cardiovascular Disease, Cancer Studied (7/24/2007)

Although scientists have long recognized that the hormone leptin plays an important role in obesity, Emory University researchers in separate studies are focusing on precisely how the hormone leads to weight gain as well as its relatively newfound role in cardiovascular disease and cancer. Produced in the fat cells, leptin is involved in a wide range of biological activities including appetite regulation, bone formation, reproduction and blood vessel formation. ...> Full Article

First Genome-Wide Study of Infectious Disease Opens New Avenues for HIV Treatment, Vaccines (7/24/2007)

The first genome-wide association study of an infectious disease, conducted by an international group of researchers through the Center for HIV/AIDS Vaccine Immunology (CHAVI), has yielded a new understanding of why some people can suppress virus levels following HIV infection. "The clearer picture of host responses to the virus achieved through this examination of genomes could lead to improved HIV therapies and provides new targets for vaccine developers," says Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). CHAVI, which is led by Barton Haynes, M.D., of Duke University, Durham, N.C., was established in 2005 by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the NIH. ...> Full Article

Study Reveals Surge in Male-Factor Infertility Technique (7/23/2007)

A national study reveals that the use of intracytoplasmic sperm injection or ICSI -- an assisted reproductive technology used to treat male-factor infertility -- has increased dramatically in the United States since 1995, while the proportion of patients receiving treatment for male-factor infertility has remained stable. ...> Full Article

Study Looks To Find If Soap Is Best For Cleaning Wounds (7/23/2007)

When broken bones pierce the skin, the chance of infection is a doctor's number one concern. ...> Full Article

Reducing Insulin Signaling In The Brain Can Prolong Lifespan (7/23/2007)

Study explains the physiologic benefits of diet and exercise ...> Full Article

Protein Protects Anti-Cancer Gene From Chemical Shutdown (7/23/2007)

A protein that is largely absent in one type of skin cancer protects an important gene in a cell's defense against harmful mutations from being silenced, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the July 20 edition of Molecular Cell. ...> Full Article

Scientists Lift Lid On Genetics Of Coronary Artery Disease (7/23/2007)

Scientists have moved a step closer to understanding how our genetic make-up can lead us to develop heart disease and to predicting who is most at risk. In a study published today, they have confirmed six new genetic variants that increase the likelihood of developing coronary artery disease. Heart disease is the UK's largest killer, accounting for 105,000 deaths annually. ...> Full Article

White Blood Cell Booster May Help Cancer Patients Avoid Deadly Complications (7/23/2007)

Cancer patients who receive a drug that stimulates the growth of infection-fighting white blood cells may be significantly less likely to die from a chemotherapy-related complication characterized by fever and low white blood cell levels, according to a multi-institutional study led by researchers from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center. ...> Full Article