New lung cancer screening guidelines approved for older smokers
1/06/2014
Guidelines recommending annual low-dose CT lung cancer screening for older smokers have been approved by the US Preventive Services Task Force. The recommendations apply to individuals aged between 55 and 80 who are at high risk for lung cancer as a result of heavy smoking.The guidelines are published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
Doxorubicin-associated mitochondrial iron accumulation promotes cardiotoxicity
1/05/2014
Doxorubicin is a widely used as a component of chemotherapy regimes; however, the use of doxorubicin is associated with severe cardiotoxicity. It is unclear exactly how doxorubicin promotes cardiotoxicity, but it has been proposed that doxorubicin-associated cardiomyopathy develops as the result of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and iron accumulation.
Anticancer properties of novel compound 'confirmed'
1/05/2014
A study has detailed new findings that researchers say confirm the anticancer properties of a newly discovered agent called FL118. The investigators say their findings are "promising" and open doors for further research into the compound.Their results were published in the journal Molecular Pharmaceutics.The research team, led by Dr.
Research into fruit fly cells could lead to cancer insights
1/04/2014
New research by scientists at the University of Exeter has shown that cells demonstrate remarkable flexibility and versatility when it comes to how they divide - a finding with potential links to the underlying causes of many cancers.
Hyperhomocysteinemia patients with dyslipidemia are more likely to have stroke
1/03/2014
Hyperhomocysteinemia and abnormal blood lipids are independent risk factors for stroke. However, whether both factors exert a synergistic effect in the onset of stroke remains unclear. As reported in the Neural Regeneration Research (Vol. 8, No. 31, 2013), a study by Dr.
New study: High mortality in Central Southern states most likely due to smoking
1/03/2014
Between 1965 and 2004, the distribution of states with the highest mortality changed dramatically. In 1965, the states with the highest mortality (Rhode Island, Alaska, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Hampshire) were spread across geographic regions. By 2004, however, the states with the highest mortality were geographically contiguous, and located in the south.
International team completes systematic, genomic study of cervical cancer
1/03/2014
Researchers from the Boston area, Mexico, and Norway have completed a comprehensive genomic analysis of cervical cancer in two patient populations. The study identified recurrent genetic mutations not previously found in cervical cancer, including at least one for which targeted treatments have been approved for other forms of cancer.
UTSW study identifies potential therapeutic target for incurable, rare type of soft-tissue cancer
1/03/2014
A deadly, rare type of soft-tissue cancer may be completely eradicated simply by inhibiting a key protein involved in its growth, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers report.In the study, published online in Cell Reports, scientists found that inhibiting the action of a protein called BRD4 caused cancer cells to die in a mouse model of malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs).
Epigenetics enigma resolved
1/03/2014
Scientists have obtained the first detailed molecular structure of a member of the Tet family of enzymes.The finding is important for the field of epigenetics because Tet enzymes chemically modify DNA, changing signposts that tell the cell's machinery "this gene is shut off" into other signs that say "ready for a change.
Many chronic diseases associated with aging are due to parasitic DNA
1/02/2014
The genomes of organisms from humans to corn are replete with "parasitic" strands of DNA that, when not suppressed, copy themselves and spread throughout the genome, potentially affecting health. Earlier this year Brown University researchers found that these "retrotransposable elements" were increasingly able to break free of the genome's control in cultures of human cells.