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Study details canonical Wnt signaling pathway

Many lung cancers are driven by mutations in the epidermal growth-factor receptor (EGFR), and so it makes sense that many successful modern treatments block EGFR activity. Unfortunately, cancers inevitably evolve around EGFR inhibition, and patients with lung cancers eventually relapse.

30 Jun 2012

Harmonizing prescription drug plans can help save millions of dollars

Taxpayers could save millions of dollars if hospitals and provincial governments harmonized their prescription drug plans, new research suggests.

28 Jun 2012

Prenatal exposure to PCBs impacts reproductive function in offspring

Prenatal exposure to the environmental contaminants polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, causes long-term changes to the developing brain that have adverse effects on reproductive function later in life, a new study finds. Results will be presented Saturday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

28 Jun 2012

UH receives federal grants to pursue projects related to prostate cancer, diabetes and obesity

Researchers at the University of Houston (UH) have been awarded more than $862,000 in federal grants to pursue projects related to prostate cancer, diabetes and obesity. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) will fund two new prostate cancer projects, while a third NIH grant will support diabetes and obesity research in the UH Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling (CNRCS).

28 Jun 2012

Arena receives FDA approval for Belviq to treat obesity

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Belviq (lorcaserin hydrochloride), as an addition to a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, for chronic weight management.

28 Jun 2012

Study suggests adverse role for BclI polymorphism in obesity and insulin resistance

A large study in people at risk of diabetes has found a direct association between the presence of a small genetic alteration in a hormone receptor and increased body fat and insulin resistance. The results, to be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston, suggest an adverse role for a previously described genetic variant, the BclI polymorphism.

28 Jun 2012

Gene transfer technique eliminates specific neural circuit linked to Parkinson's disease

In the brains of humans and non-human primates, over 100 billion nerve cells build up complicated neural circuits and produce higher brain functions. When an attempt is made to perform gene therapy for neurological diseases like Parkinson's disease, it is necessary to specify a responsible neural circuit out of many complicated circuits.

27 Jun 2012

Broken heart syndrome may protect the heart from adrenaline overload

A condition that temporarily causes heart failure in people who experience severe stress might actually protect the heart from very high levels of adrenaline, according to a new study published in the journal Circulation. The research provides the first physiological explanation for Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, also called "broken heart syndrome" because it affects people who suffer severe emotional stress after bereavement, and suggests guidance for treatment.

27 Jun 2012

Prenatal exposure to BPA appears to program uterine estrogen responsiveness in adulthood

Prenatal exposure to bisphenol A, or BPA, a chemical found in many common plastic household items, can cause numerous genes in the uterus to respond differently to estrogen in adulthood, according to a study using a mouse model. The results will be presented Tuesday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

27 Jun 2012

Astellas submits enzalutamide MAA with EMA for treatment of CRPC

Today, Astellas Pharma Inc. announces the submission of a European marketing authorisation application to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for enzalutamide for the treatment of men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer who have been previously treated with docetaxel-based chemotherapy.

27 Jun 2012

Greater awareness of MH and consequences of ryanodine receptor gene mutations

From the MHAUS President's Blog by MHAUS President, Henry Rosenberg, MD. A few months ago, I received a call from the MH Hotline who connected me to an anesthesiologist and OR team who were desperately trying to manage a Malignant Hyperthermia crisis.

26 Jun 2012

Ghrelin increases incentive for humans to eat high-calorie foods

A new study suggests that the appetite-inducing hormone ghrelin increases the incentive for humans to eat high-calorie foods, even on a full stomach. The results will be reported Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

Researchers discover how GLP-2 receptor suppresses hunger and food intake

Researchers have discovered how a hormone in the gut slows the rate at which the stomach empties and thus suppresses hunger and food intake. Results of the animal study will be presented Monday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

Experimental medication increases muscle strength in cancer patients with low testosterone levels

An experimental medication safely increases muscle strength and physical functioning among cancer patients with low testosterone levels, a new drug study finds. The results will be presented Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

26 Jun 2012

Deep brain stimulation reduces binge eating

Deep brain stimulation reduces binge eating in mice, suggesting that this surgery, which is approved for treatment of certain neurologic and psychiatric disorders, may also be an effective therapy for obesity. Presentation of the results will take place Sunday at The Endocrine Society's 94th Annual Meeting in Houston.

25 Jun 2012

Physical activity linked with reduced risk of breast cancer

A new analysis done by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers has found that physical activity - either mild or intense and before or after menopause - may reduce breast cancer risk, but substantial weight gain may negate these benefits.

25 Jun 2012

New paper discusses potential of tumor-derived microvesicles

A new paper by Crislyn D'Souza-Schorey, professor of biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame, discusses the biology of tumor-derived microvesicles and their clinical application as circulating biomarkers. Microvesicles are membrane-bound sacs released by tumor cells and can be detected in the body fluids of cancer patients.

23 Jun 2012

Genentech's Perjeta helps people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer live longer

Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, announced today that people with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer (mBC) lived significantly longer (overall survival) when treated with the combination of Perjeta (pertuzumab), Herceptin (trastuzumab) and docetaxel chemotherapy, compared to Herceptin and docetaxel chemotherapy alone in the Phase III CLEOPATRA study.

23 Jun 2012

Skin infections in AD patients linked to PMN impairment

Impairment of polymorphonuclear granulocytes among patients with atopic dermatitis may represent an additional cause of skin infections, suggest study findings.

22 Jun 2012

Grb2 switch controls normal signaling through fibroblast growth factor receptor

Once considered merely a passive link between proteins that matter, Grb2 - pronounced "grab2" - actually lives up to its nickname with its controlling grip on an important cell signaling pathway, scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the June 22 issue of Cell.

22 Jun 2012