Colon cancer detected earlier with new method
9/05/2013
Researchers have found new techniques to spot certain gene variations that have been linked to colon cancer, and they say their new findings may soon allow doctors to identify the disease in the very first stages, potentially saving patients' lives...
Consistently uniform, easily manufactured microcapsules containing a brain cancer drug may simplify treatment and provide more tightly controlled therapy, according to Penn State researchers. "Brain tumors are one of the world's deadliest diseases," said Mohammad Reza Abidian, assistant professor of bioengineering, chemical engineering and materials science and engineering...
Drug reduces hospitalizations and cost of treating young children with sickle cell anemia
9/05/2013
A drug proven effective for treatment of adults and children with sickle cell anemia reduced hospitalizations and cut annual estimated medical costs by 21 percent for affected infants and toddlers, according to an analysis led by St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The report appears in the advance online edition of the journal Pediatrics...
Study finds low rate of physicians' mention of sunscreen use at patient visits
9/04/2013
Physicians mention sunscreen at a low rate during patient visits, even to patients with a history of skin cancer, according to a study by Kristie L. Akamine, M.D., Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, N.C., and colleagues. Researchers used the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey to identify patient visits to nonfederal outpatient physician offices at U.S...
Childhood leukemia can be inherited, gene study shows
9/04/2013
Scientists say they have discovered two genetic variants, which show that both susceptibility and survival of childhood leukemia can be inherited, according to a study published in the journal Blood. Researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research in London say the discovery could lead to new drugs for children who do not respond well to current treatments for the disease...
Platelets, which allow blood to clot, are at the heart of numerous cardiovascular problems, including heart attacks and stroke. New research has uncovered a key platelet protein that could offer a new angle for developing drugs to prevent thrombosis, or dangerous blood clots, in patients who are at high risk such as those with atherosclerosis or a history of heart problems...
Gut bacteria may cause cancer by disarming immune system
9/03/2013
New research presented at a conference this week suggests a common stomach bacterium with known links to duodenal ulcers and stomach cancer may trigger disease by disarming a part of the immune system that is involved in controlling inflammation...
TASTE trial challenge current practice of blood clot aspiration after heart attack
9/03/2013
Aspiration of the blood clot or "thrombus" that causes a heart attack before re-opening a patient's artery with a balloon catheter does not improve survival compared to performing balloon dilation and stenting alone according to the results of the Thrombus Aspiration in ST- Elevation myocardial infarction in Scandinavia (TASTE) trial...
Scientists discover novel functions of platelets
9/03/2013
A new finding could lead to novel treatments to reduce bleeding in trauma and severe infections. The research, from Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation scientists Lijun Xia, M.D., Ph.D., Jianxin Fu, M.D., Ph.D., and Brett Herzog, Ph.D., appears in the most recent issue of the journal Nature. One way the immune system keeps a body healthy is through immune surveillance...
Collagen clue reveals new drug target for untreatable form of lung cancer
9/03/2013
Collagen, the stuff of ligaments and skin, and the most abundant protein in the human body, has an extraordinary role in triggering chemical signals that help protect the body from cancer, a new study reveals. Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, have uncovered a series of chemical signals sent out by collagen that appear to protect against cancer's growth...