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Source - EurekAlert – Biology
Public Release: 2-Jun-2009
Researchers engineer metabolic pathway in mice to prevent diet-induced obesity
Though obesity has defied much of the research and treatments developed thus far, researchers at UCLA Engineering and UCLA's School of Medicine may have discovered a completely new way to approach the problem. In a new study to be released June 3, a research team at UCLA shows how they successfully constructed a non-native pathway in mice to increase fatty acid metabolism that results in a resistance to diet-induced obesity.
Contact: Wileen Wong Kromhout
wwkromhout@support.ucla.edu
310-206-0540
University of California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 2-Jun-2009
Enzyme involved in inflammatory bowel disease discovered at Penn State College of Medicine
Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine, working with biochemists, geneticists and clinicians at the University of Bern, Switzerland and in the United Kingdom, have discovered that the enzyme meprin has a key role in inflammatory bowel disease.
Contact: Matthew G. Solovey
msolovey@hmc.psu.edu
717-531-0003 x287127
Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Penn State College of Medicine
Public Release: 2-Jun-2009
Genetically corrected blood cells obtained from skin cells from Fanconi anemia patients
A collaboration research carried out by Spanish researchers has resulted in the generation of blood cells from skin cells of patients with a genetic disease known as Fanconi anemia. The process is based on gene therapy and cell reprogramming techniques in which cells similar to embryonic stem cells known as induced pluripotent stem cells can be generated. The research article was published in this week's digital version of Nature.
Contact: Maria Jesus Delgado
MariaJesus.Delgado@uab.cat
34-935-814-049
Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona
Public Release: 2-Jun-2009
'Shunt' makes mice super fat burners
By inserting a molecular shunt into the livers of mice, researchers have shown they can make the animals burn more fat. That so-called glycoxylate shunt consists of two metabolic enzymes normally found in bacteria and plants, but not in mammals, according to the report in the June issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 2-Jun-2009
How to get obese mice moving -- and cure their diabetes
Mice lacking the fat hormone leptin or the ability to respond to it become morbidly obese and severely diabetic -- not to mention downright sluggish. Now, a new study in the June Cell Metabolism shows that blood sugar control in those animals can be completely restored by returning leptin sensitivity to a single class of neurons in the brain, which account for only a small fraction of those that normally carry the hormone receptors.
Contact: Cathleen Genova
cgenova@cell.com
617-397-2802
Cell Press
Public Release: 1-Jun-2009
Most common brain cancer may originate in neural stem cells
University of Michigan scientists have found that a deficiency in a key tumor suppressor gene in the brain leads to the most common type of adult brain cancer. The study, conducted in mice that mimic human cancer, points the way to more effective future treatments and a way to screen for the disease early.
Contact: Nicole Fawcett
nfawcett@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 1-Jun-2009
The immune response to influenza virus isn't 'all good'
How infection with influenza virus makes an individual sensitive to pneumonia-causing bacterial infections is clinically important but not well understood. New research now indicates that key mediators of the antiviral immune response initiated by infection with influenza virus impair the ability of mice to mount an adequate immune response to subsequent pneumonia-causing bacterial infection. These data might provide a new avenue of research for those developing ways to combat pneumonia following infection with influenza virus.
Contact: Karen Honey
press_releases@the-jci.org
215-573-1850
Journal of Clinical Investigation
Public Release: 1-Jun-2009
Targeting breast cancer stem cells in mice
In this week's PLoS Biology, researchers have identified roles for the gene PTEN, well known for its ability to suppress tumor growth, and for several pathways linked to PTEN in the growth of cells that give rise to breast cancer. The work also reports that a drug that interferes with the activity of one of these pathways leads to a 90 percent decrease in the number of cells able to form tumors in mice.
Contact: Sally Hubbard
press@plos.org
Public Library of Science
Public Release: 1-Jun-2009
UCLA cancer researchers first to link intestinal inflammation with systemic chromosome damage
UCLA scientists have linked for the first time intestinal inflammation with systemic chromosome damage in mice, a finding that may lead to the early identification and treatment of human inflammatory disorders, some of which increase risk for several types of cancer.
Contact: Kim Irwin
310-206-2805
University of California - Los Angeles
Public Release: 1-Jun-2009
Researchers find breast cancer gene that's blocked by blood pressure drug
Researchers have identified a gene that is overexpressed in up to 20 percent of breast cancers and that could be blocked in the lab by a currently available blood pressure drug, according to a new study from the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Contact: Nicole Fawcett
nfawcett@umich.edu
734-764-2220
University of Michigan Health System
Public Release: 1-Jun-2009
New device detects heart disease using less than one drop of blood
Testing people for heart disease might be just a finger prick away thanks to a new credit card-sized device created by a team of researchers from Harvard and Northeastern universities in Boston. In a research report published online in the FASEB Journal, they describe how this device can measure and collect a type of cells needed to build vascular tissue, called endothelial progenitor cells, using only 200 microliters of blood.
Contact: Cody Mooneyhan
cmooneyhan@faseb.org
301-634-7104
Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology
Public Release: 31-May-2009
Combined stem cell-gene therapy approach cures human genetic disease in vitro
A study led by researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, has catapulted the field of regenerative medicine significantly forward, proving in principle that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and induced pluripotent stem cell technology. The study, published in the May 31, 2009, early online edition of Nature, is a major milestone on the path from the laboratory to the clinic.
Contact: Gina Kirchweger
Kirchweger@salk.edu
858-453-410-01340
Salk Institute
Public Release: 28-May-2009
UF makes gene therapy advance in severe genetic disorder
A dog born with a deadly disease similar to glycogen storage disease type 1A has survived for nearly two years after receiving gene therapy at the University of Florida. The achievement puts scientists a step closer to finding a cure for the disorder in children.
Contact: April Frawley Birdwell
afrawley@ufl.edu
352-273-5817
University of Florida
Public Release: 28-May-2009
UCSF discovers new glucose-regulating protein linked with diabetes
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, and collaborators at Harvard Medical School have linked a specialized protein in human muscles to the process that clears glucose out of the bloodstream, shedding light on what goes wrong in type 2 diabetes on a cellular level.
Contact: Kristen Bole
kbole@pubaff.ucsf.edu
415-476-2557
University of California - San Francisco
Source - Science Daily:
Please note: Due to the format restrictions of Science Daily articles, you must click on the URL (web address) below the article summary, rather than the article title.
Combined Stem Cell-Gene Therapy Approach Cures Human Genetic Disease In Vitro
Scientists have catapulted the field of regenerative medicine significantly forward, proving in principle that a human genetic disease can be cured using a combination of gene therapy and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090531141321.htm
Surgery Not Necessary For Most Late-stage Colorectal Cancers, Study Finds
June 2, 2009 — A new study shows that a large majority of patients who present with advanced colorectal cancer that has spread to other organs don't require immediate surgery to remove the primary tumor in the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090530094458.htm
Goopy Ear Wax And Unpleasant Body Odors Signal Breast Cancer Risk
June 2, 2009 — If having malodorous armpits (called osmidrosis) and goopy earwax isn't bad enough, a discovery by Japanese scientists may add a more serious problem for women facing these cosmetic calamities. ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601102025.htm
Improved DNA Stool Test Could Detect Digestive Cancers In Multiple Organs
June 2, 2009 — Researchers have demonstrated that a noninvasive screening test can detect not only colorectal cancer but also the common cancers above the colon -- including pancreas, stomach, biliary and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090602092251.htm
Silver Nanoparticles Show 'Immense Potential' In Prevention Of Blood Clots
June 2, 2009 — Scientists are reporting discovery of a potential new alternative to aspirin, ReoPro, and other anti-platelet agents used widely to prevent blood clots in coronary artery disease, heart attack and ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601110403.htm
Enhancing The Effects Of Platinum-based Anti-cancer Drugs
June 2, 2009 — Researchers have now identified a way to enhance the in vitro anticancer effects of the commonly used platinum-based drug cisplatin and hope that it might be possible to translate these data into the ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601182708.htm
Small Molecule Inhibitor Shows Promise In Trastuzumab-resistant Metastatic Breast Cancer
June 2, 2009 — Researchers report that a combination of trastuzumab and neratinib a novel small molecule inhibitor of the HER2 receptor appears active in women with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer who have ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528203821.htm
Predicting Higher Risk For Prostate Cancer Diagnosis
June 1, 2009 — High-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) carries a high predictive value for future diagnosis of prostate cancer. New research has shown that 41.8 percent of patients whose extended ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526202732.htm
New 'Microcapsules' Put More Medication Into The Bloodstream To Treat Disease
June 1, 2009 — Scientists are reporting a potential solution to a problem that limits the human body's ability to absorb and use medications for heart disease, Type-2 diabetes, cancer and other conditions. It is a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601091926.htm
To Spread, Skin Cancer Attacks Immune Dendritic Cells
June 1, 2009 — Dendritic cells are the sentinels of the immune system. When they're alert and on guard, they will marshal the body's immunosoldiers, T cells, to battle at the sight of harmful pathogens. But some ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090530173546.htm
Compliance And Cost: Bitter Pills To Swallow In The Age Of Oral Chemotherapy
June 1, 2009 — Though the growing shift toward oral chemotherapy agents offers cancer patients greater freedom and independence during their treatment, physicians say use of the new medications also poses more ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528151626.htm
Bird Flu Virus Remains Infectious Up To 600 Days In Municipal Landfills
June 1, 2009 — Amid concerns about a pandemic of swine flu, researchers report for the first time that poultry carcasses infected with another threat — the "bird flu" virus — can remain infectious in ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601110251.htm
Pathway Linked To Breast Cancer Stem Cells
June 1, 2009 — A gene well known to stop or suppress cancer plays a role in cancer stem cells, according to a new study. The researchers found that several pathways linked to the gene, called PTEN, also affected ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601211427.htm
Even With No Treatment Available, Cancer Patients Want To Know Metastasis Risk
June 1, 2009 — If you had cancer and a genetic test could predict the risk of the tumor spreading aggressively, would you want to know -- even if no treatments existed to help you? An overwhelming majority of eye ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601182826.htm
Stem Cell Protein Offers A New Cancer Target
June 1, 2009 — Stem cell researchers have shown that a protein that keeps embryonic stem cells in their stem-like state, called LIN28, is also important in cancer. It offers a new target to attack, especially in ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601140930.htm
Hitting Where It Hurts: Exploiting Cancer Cell 'Addiction' May Lead To New Therapies
June 1, 2009 — A new study uncovers a gene expression signature that reliably identifies cancer cells whose survival is dependent on a common signaling pathway, even when the cells contain multiple other genetic ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090601121657.htm
Eight Newly Identified Genes Help Predict A Melanoma Patient's Response To Treatment
May 31, 2009 — Eight newly identified genes help predict a melanoma patient's response to treatment, a new study ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090530172216.htm
New Broad-spectrum Vaccine To Prevent Cervical Cancer Induces Strong Responses In Animals
May 31, 2009 — Mice and rabbits immunized with a multimeric-L2 protein vaccine had robust antibody responses and were protected from infection when exposed to human papillomavirus type 16 four months after ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090526162842.htm
New Treatment Combination Proves Safe For Head And Neck Cancer Patients, Study Suggests
May 30, 2009 — Patients undergoing treatment for advanced head and neck cancers may respond well to the addition of gefinitib to chemotherapy, according to a new ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090531083621.htm
Gene Therapy Advance: Dog With Severe Human-like Genetic Disorder Survives
May 29, 2009 — A dog born with a deadly disease similar to glycogen storage disease type 1A has survived for nearly two years after receiving gene therapy. The achievement puts scientists a step closer to finding a ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528161401.htm
Cottonseed-based Drug Shows Promise In Treating Severe Brain Cancer
May 29, 2009 — An experimental compound showed good results for months in patients with glioblastoma multiforme, researchers say. After undergoing other treatments, including surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, ...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090528110621.htm
Source - Health Day:
Health Highlights: June 2, 2009
- FDA to Warn of Antidepressants' Impact on Tamoxifen: Report
- Slower Growth in Health Spending Would Boost U.S. Economy: Report
- Experts Concerned About Popularity of Electronic Cigarettes
- Possible Link Between Air Pollution and Abdominal Pain: Study
Specialists should consider risks vs. benefits, researcher says
Simple Test Could Detect More Gastrointestinal Cancers
One stool sample can be used to perform several screens, researchers say
Cervical Cancer Vaccine Not Just for Teens
Uninfected women aged 24 to 45 still may benefit from HPV vaccine, study finds
Clinical Trials Update: June 2, 2009
- High Cholesterol
- Renal Impairment
- Insomnia
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
- Osteoarthritis
- Alzheimer's Disease
If full-blown stroke occurs, it often comes within a day, study shows
Clinical Trials Update: June 1, 2009
- Bladder Disorders
- Seizure Disorders
- Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
- Postherpetic Neuralgia (Pain from Shingles)
- Type 2 Diabetes
- ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)
- High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
- Post-Menopausal Symptoms
- Kidney Disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
- Memory Loss
- Sprains
- Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2
- Alzheimer's Disease
- Fibromyalgia
- Diabetic Erectile Dysfunction
- Pediatric Acid Reflux
- Healthy Volunteers
- Depression or Anxiety with Insomnia (Females)
- Osteoarthritis of the Knee
- Keratoses
- Melanoma
- Migraine and Cluster Headaches
- Smoking
- IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
- Psoriasis
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD - Adults)
- Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Source - Yahoo Biotech News:
Immune therapies finally working against cancer
First there was surgery, then chemotherapy and radiation. Now, doctors have overcome 30 years of false starts and found success with a fourth way to fight cancer: using the body's natural defender, the immune system.
Amylin loses key board members in proxy fight
Amylin Pharmaceuticals Inc. lost its chairman and another key board member in a proxy fight with Carl Icahn and Eastbourne Capital Management, the biotechnology company said Tuesday, revealing a larger-than-previously reported victory for the activist investor.
Glaxo signs deal with Concert on early stage drugs
GlaxoSmithKline PLC signed a potential $1 billion deal with U.S. biotech company Concert Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday to access deuterium-containing medicines, a deal that will beef up its pipeline of early stage drugs.
Pfizer ends Sutent breast cancer study early
Pfizer Inc. said Monday it called an early halt to a trial of its drug Sutent as a primary treatment for breast cancer because it was clear it would not meet its primary goal.
Source - Google Health News:
Swine flu: What you need to know
Food Consumer - Lisle,IL,USA
There is no vaccine available right now to protect against this new flu. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause ...
Scientists develop basis for bird flu vaccine
Reuters UK - UK
GENEVA (Reuters) - Scientists using virus samples from Egypt have developed the basis of a vaccine against H5N1 bird flu, which is more toxic than the H1N1 ...
France Considers Mandatory Flu Vaccinations
Prison Planet.com - USA
The contaminated product, a mix of H3N2 seasonal flu viruses and unlabeled H5N1 viruses, was supplied to an Austrian research company. ...
ASGT 12th Annual Meeting: Gene therapy controls HIV, research shows
PRLog.Org (press release) - TX,USA
“This study was the first phase II randomized, controlled, double-blind study for cell-delivered HIV gene therapy and the first controlled HIV gene therapy ...
Source - Medical News Today:
Diabetologists Sound Caution Over Extended Role Of New Drugs
The Association of British Clinical Diabetologists cautioned against indiscriminate use of new classes of medication for Britain's increasing number of people with diabetes
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152272.php
Model For New Generation Of Blood Vessels Challenged
In-growth and new generation of blood vessels, which must take place if a wound is to heal or a tumor is to grow, have been thought to occur through a branching and further growth of a vessel against a chemical gradient of growth factors. Now a research team at Uppsala University and its University Hospital has shown that mechanical forces are considerably more important than was previously thought. The findings, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, open up a new field for developing treatments. New generation of blood vessels takes place in normal physiological processes, such as when a wound heals, children grow, or the mucous membrane of the womb is built up to be able to receive a fertilized egg. It is also a crucial mechanism in tumor diseases, rheumatism, and certain eye disorders, for example.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152231.php
New Surgical Technique Shows Promising Results For Patients With Cervical Cancer
A new surgical technique could allow surgeons to perform a radical hysterectomy in patients with early-stage cervical cancer-with fewer complications, reduced morbidity, and a lower risk of local tumour recurrence than current surgical methods, according to an Article published Online first and in the July edition of The Lancet Oncology. The technique, called total mesometrial resection (TMMR), is a modified version of the traditional radical hysterectomy and involves more accurate, anatomically based resection of the cancer to prevent damage to the pelvic autonomic nervous system and to minimise surgical trauma.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152110.php
Herceptin Improves Survival In Stomach Cancer Patients
A new study showed that the breast cancer drug Herceptin
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152054.php
Non-Surgical Treatment For Pre-Cancerous Condition Of Esophagus Is Effective And Reduces Risk For Cancer Development
Results from a clinical study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine reveal that ablative therapy using the HALO system (BARRX Medical, Inc.) is highly effective for complete eradication of a pre-cancerous condition of the esophagus called Barrett's esophagus afflicting more than 3.3 million Americans. Additionally, ablative therapy using the HALO system reduced the risk of progression to cancer in the highest risk cohort studied (compared to control) from 19.0% to 2.4%. The study entitled "Radiofrequency Ablation in Barrett's Esophagus with Dysplasia" is authored by lead investigator Nicholas J. Shaheen, M.D., Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology, The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/152050.php
New HIV Microbicide Developed-- And A Way To Mass Produce It In Plants
In what could be a major pharmaceutical breakthrough, research published online in The FASEB Journal describes how scientists from St George's, University of London have devised a one-two punch to stop HIV. First the report describes a new protein that can kill the virus when used as a microbicide. Then the report shows how it might be possible to manufacture this protein in quantities large enough to make it affordable for people in developing countries. "We desperately need to control the spread of HIV, particularly in developing countries," said Julian Ma of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at St. George's and the senior researcher involved in the work. "A vaccine is still some way off, but microbicides could provide a more immediate solution, provided we can overcome major hurdles of high efficacy, low cost, and wide availability - all of which we address in this study."
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/151871.php
Source - MIT's Technology Review:
Gene Defect Corrected in Human Stem Cells
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22724/?nlid=2065
Getting Arsenic Out of Water
http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/22729/?nlid=2065
Gene therapy to make cells sensitive to light takes a step toward clinical use
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22720/?nlid=2062
An ultrasound lens could be used for high-resolution clinical imaging.
http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/22710/
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