Potential To See Beneath Skin In 4-D With New Microscope
8/31/2011
A new type of laser scanning confocal microscope (LSCM) holds the promise of diagnosing skin cancer in a single snapshot. Typical LSCMs take 3-D images of thick tissue samples by visualizing thin slices within that tissue one layer at a time...
MRI Predicts Survival In Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer
8/30/2011
A new study has shown that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used to evaluate responses to pre-surgery (neo-adjuvant) chemotherapy or radiation may predict survival among patients with advanced rectal cancer. The findings suggest that MRI-assessed tumor responses to neoadjuvant therapy can help physicians to better plan their patients' subsequent treatments...
Degrading Proteins To Divide Cells
8/30/2011
Researchers at IRB Barcelona discover a crucial mechanism controlling the segregation of genetic material from parent to daughter cells. A finely tuned process of degradation tightly regulates CenH3 protein levels to ensure the correct function of the cell division machinery in Drosophila...
People And Plant Medicine: Herbal Abortion Helps African Women
8/30/2011
Researchers at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, have examined a number of plants which are used for illegal abortions in Tanzania. The lab tests show that several of the plants can make the uterus tissue contract and that the plants therefore can be used to stop lethal bleedings after birth...
Genetic Link To Mesothelioma Discovered
8/30/2011
Scientists have found that individuals who carry a mutation in a gene called BAP1 are susceptible to developing two forms of cancer mesothelioma, and melanoma of the eye. Additionally, when these individuals are exposed to asbestos or similar mineral fibers, their risk of developing mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the lining of the chest and abdomen, may be markedly increased...
The Clinical Importance Of Leukemia Stem Cells Validated By New Research
8/30/2011
Cancer scientists have long debated whether all cells within a tumour are equal or whether some cancer cells are more potent - a question that has been highly investigated in experimental models in the last decade. Research published in Nature Medicine (10.1038/nm...
Implanted Sensor Chip For Monitoring Tumors
8/30/2011
A chip implant may soon be capable of monitoring tumors that are difficult to operate on or growing slowly. Medical engineers at Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) have developed an electronic sensor chip that can determine the oxygen content in a patient's tissue fluid. This data can then be wirelessly transmitted to the patient's doctor to support the choice of therapy...
Hand-Held Device In Development To Aid Cancer Detection In Poorer Countries
8/30/2011
An engineering researcher and a global health expert from Michigan State University are working on bringing a low-cost, hand-held device to nations with limited resources to help physicians detect and diagnose cancer...
For Fighting Infection, A Rare Immune Cell Is Both Asset And Liability
8/30/2011
The same trait that makes a rare immune cell invaluable in fighting some infections also can be exploited by other diseases to cause harm, two new studies show. In papers published online in Immunity, scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St...
Preventing The Formation Of Amyloid Fibrils
8/30/2011
A molecule which can stop the formation of long protein strands, known as amyloid fibrils, that cause joint pain in kidney dialysis patients has been identified by researchers at the University of Leeds...