Health News

Researchers Need To Target The Unique Biology Of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer

Date: Feb-16-2013
Triple-negative breast cancers are more biologically diverse than previously believed and classification should be expanded to reflect this heterogeneity, according to University of North Carolina researchers...

Pathway That Stimulates Bone Growth Revealed By Veterinary Team

Date: Feb-16-2013
Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine have discovered that a protein called Jagged-1 stimulates human stem cells to differentiate into bone-producing cells. This protein could help both human and animal patients heal from bone fractures faster and may form the basis of treatments for a rare metabolic condition called Alagille syndrome. The study, published in the journal Stem Cells, was authored by three members of Penn Vet's departments of Clinical Studies-New Bolton Center and Animal Biology: postdoctoral researchers Fengchang Zhu and Mariya T...

Safety Regulations Should Include 'Masked' Mold Toxins In Food

Date: Feb-16-2013
Government limits on mold toxins present naturally in grain crops should be expanded to include so-called "masked mycotoxins" that change from harmless to potentially harmful forms in the body, a new study concludes. It appears in ACS' journal Chemical Research in Toxicology. Chiara Dall'Asta and colleagues explain that molds growing naturally on wheat, corn and other plants produce toxic substances termed mycotoxins. Some health experts regard mycotoxins as the most serious chronic dietary risk factor, greater than the potential health threats from pesticides and insecticides...

Lasting Improvement In Neuropathic Pain Offered By Deep Brain Stimulation

Date: Feb-16-2013
For many patients with difficult-to-treat neuropathic pain, deep brain stimulation (DBS) can lead to long-term improvement in pain scores and other outcomes, according to a study in the February issue of Neurosurgery, official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health. About two-thirds of eligible patients who undergo DBS achieve significant and lasting benefits in terms of pain, quality of life, and overall health, according to the report by Sandra G.J...

Neurophysiological Review Shows Benefits Of Meditation

Date: Feb-16-2013
Mindfulness meditation training in awareness of present moment experience, such as body and breath sensations, prevents depression and reduces distress in chronic pain. In a new paper, Brown University scientists propose a neurophysiological framework to explain these clinical benefits...

Advance In Mouse Model Of Angelman Syndrome

Date: Feb-16-2013
In the journal PLoS Biology, a team of scientists reports experiments showing how the gene defect of Angelman syndrome disrupts neurological processes that may be needed for memory and learning. In tests in mice, the team showed that a novel compound could restore the healthy processes. In a new study in mice, a scientific collaboration centered at Brown University lays out in unprecedented detail a neurological signaling breakdown in Angelman syndrome, a disorder that affects thousands of children each year, characterized by developmental delay, seizures, and other problems...

Phase II Trial Shows Selumetinib Reverses Radioiodine Resistance In Some Advanced Thyroid Cancers

Date: Feb-16-2013
The experimental drug selumetinib may allow some patients with advanced thyroid cancer to overcome resistance to radioiodine (RAI), the most effective therapy for the disease, according to new research from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Published in the February 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, the study offers new hope for patients with a disease that can have a poor prognosis. An estimated 56,000 new cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed each year in the United States, and that number is on the rise, according to the National Cancer Institute...

Mouse Model Shows Different Myocardial Infarction Benefit Of Adipose-Derived Stem Cells And Bone Marrow-Derived Stem Cells From An 84 Year-Old Male

Date: Feb-16-2013
When a research team from Denmark and Sweden compared the therapeutic capabilities of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) versus bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs) obtained from a single 84 year-old male donor with ischemic coronary disease to regeneratively treat myocardial infarction in a rat model, they found that the ASCs preserved more cardiac function in the test rats while neither stem cell type induced myocardial angiogenesis (blood vessel growth.) The study appears as an early e-publication for the journal Cell Transplantation, and is now freely available on-line...

Copper Depletion Therapy Very Effective At Preventing Spread Of Cancer

Date: Feb-16-2013
Copper depletion therapy has shown surprisingly good results in preventing the spread of cancer to organs in high-risk triple-negative breast cancer - a form of cancer that is very difficult to treat.          A study, carried out by researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College and published in the Annals of Oncology, found that copper depletion treatment has the ability to successfully prevent organs from receiving migrating cancer tumor cells - putting a stop to the spread of tumors...

GSK Receives Priority Status For New HIV Drug

Date: Feb-16-2013
The experimental drug for HIV/AIDS, referred to as dolutegravir, received priority review status by U.S. FDA (Food and Drug Administration) officials. Drugs are given priory status when the FDA believes they could possibly provide notable improvement over current treatments. Dolutegravir is a GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) drug which has been thought of by manufacturing analysts as a potential multibillion-dollar-a-year seller. The decision on wether to approve the HIV/AIDS drug will be made by August 17th, says GSK, Britain's largest drug maker...