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Genome detectives discover four more breast cancer genes

An international team of scientists say they have identified another four genes that increase a woman's likelihood of developing breast cancer.

28 May 2007

Researchers find alteration in gene associated with uterine cancer

Researchers at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) today announced the discovery of previously unrecognized alterations in a gene called FGFR2 in a subset of endometrial cancers, the most common gynecologic cancer in the United States.

24 May 2007

Guidelines on skin reactions to Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Inhibitors (EGFRIs)

Skin reactions to a powerful new class of anti-cancer drugs are frequent, but manageable through a simple and rational treatment approach , usually without the need to reduce the dose or interrupt treatment with potentially life-prolonging chemotherapy, according to an article in the May issue of "The Oncologist."

24 May 2007

New adult brain cells may be central to lifelong learning

The steady formation of new brain cells in adults may represent more than merely a patching up of aging brains, a new study has shown.

24 May 2007

Check and balance for neuron activity provides insight into schizophrenia, seizures

Two genes important for human development and implicated in cancer and schizophrenia also help keep a healthy balance between excitation and inhibition of brain cells, researchers say.

24 May 2007

In some species estrogen plays a key role in aggressiveness

Imagine if a naturally occurring chemical in your body could help make you feel more calm and relaxed ? but it would only work during the long days of summer.

22 May 2007

Treatment for enterotoxin B exposure

A research team led by the University of Illinois has developed a treatment for exposure to enterotoxin B, a noxious substance produced by the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium.

22 May 2007

Hormone treatment could cut need for chemo in some younger breast cancer patients

Around 5,500 pre-menopausal breast cancer patients could be offered a hormone drug that is shown to be as effective as traditional chemotherapy - and so avoid potential infertility and long-term menopausal side effects - according to a Cancer Research UK report published in The Lancet.

20 May 2007

Natural immune-control system may aid treatment of autoimmune disease and tissue rejection

The immune system's ability to police itself may offer a new method of arresting the cells responsible for autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis and for the rejection of transplanted organs and tissues, scientists at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute report in a study in the May issue of the journal Immunity.

18 May 2007

Clearer view of synaptic plasticity

Scientists are keenly studying how neurons form synapses--the physical and chemical connections between neurons--and the "pruning" of neural circuits during development, not least because synaptic abnormalities may partially underlie many developmental and neurodegenerative diseases.

17 May 2007

Promoter hypermethylation is common in breast cancer

Cancer epidemiologists at the University at Buffalo have identified specific genes that are most likely to become cancer promoters when exposed to a process called DNA promoter hypermethylation.

17 May 2007

Complement receptor 3 sends a signal to dampen the immune system

Researchers from The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and The University of Pennsylvania reported that complement receptor 3 (CR3), a protein found on cell surfaces, inhibits dendritic cells, the sentinels of the immune system, from setting off an alarm signal that brings on a full immune response.

16 May 2007

Potential therapeutic target for autoimmune vasculitis

A potential therapeutic target for autoimmune vasculitis has been identified by researchers of the Franz Volhard Clinic for Cardiovascular Diseases (FVK) of the Charity – University Medicine Berlin/HELIOS-Klinikum and the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) Berlin-Buch.

16 May 2007

Dealing with emerging diseases

The outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2002 was a loud wake-up call for researchers studying infectious diseases.

16 May 2007

Researchers identify genetic markers associated with breast cancer tumor grade and lymph node metastases

Researchers have identified genetic markers on several chromosomes in the tissue surrounding tumor cells that are associated with breast cancer tumor grade and the presence of lymph node metastases, according to a study in the May 16 issue of JAMA.

16 May 2007

Specific genes identified that are most likely to become cancer promoters when exposed to DNA promoter hypermethylation

Hypermethylation is a process that causes genes that promote normal cell growth to produce proteins that cause malignant behavior, or unregulated cell growth. Until now, data has been very limited regarding the mechanism and causes of hypermethylation, especially for hypermethylation in breast cancer.

15 May 2007

Breakthrough on cytomegalovirus transmission

Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have shown that cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the salivary glands can be reduced , and in some cases eliminated , through the use of antibodies to enhance the disease-fighting power of the immune system.

11 May 2007

Genetic component to autism

Using an innovative statistical approach, a research team from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of California, Los Angeles, has identified two regions of DNA linked to autism.

10 May 2007

Review of six large-scale clinical trials of aliskiren

Hypertension is a serious condition affecting millions.Currently there are seven classes of drugs used to reduce blood pressure. Aliskiren (Tekturna , Rasilez) is the first of a new class of orally active antihypertensive drugs that works by inhibiting renin.

10 May 2007

Bristol-Myers Squibb collaborates with Isis Pharmaceuticals

Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Isis Pharmaceuticals have announced a collaboration to discover, develop and commercialize novel antisense drugs targeting proprotein convertase subtilisin kexin 9 (PCSK9) for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

10 May 2007