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MIT researchers design stealth drug delivery system to attack TNBC cells

Some of the most dangerous cancers are those that can outmaneuver the very drugs designed to defeat them, but researchers are now reporting a new Trojan-horse approach. In a preliminary study in the journal ACS Nano focusing on a type of breast cancer that is highly resistant to current therapies, they describe a way to sneak small particles into tumor cells, lower their defenses and attack them with drugs, potentially making the therapy much more effective.

25 Oct 2013

Study: Gene Expression Classifier test reduces unnecessary surgeries in thyroid nodule assessment

The latest study co-led by a CU School of Medicine researcher has confirmed that a Gene Expression Classifier (GEC) test can drastically reduce the problem of unnecessary surgeries in thyroid nodule assessment.

25 Oct 2013

Study shows concentration levels of PAHs in smokeless tobacco products

A new study shows that the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in smokeless tobacco products (STPs) can differ by as much as 60 fold, with the highest levels in moist snuff, and dry snuff and soft pellets; the lowest levels were in snus.

25 Oct 2013

Rice University research reveals 3-way genetic switch for cancer metastasis

Cancer researchers from Rice University have deciphered the operating principles of a genetic switch that cancer cells use to decide when to metastasize and invade other parts of the body. The study found that the on-off switch's dynamics also allows a third choice that lies somewhere between "on" and "off." The extra setting both explains previously confusing experimental results and opens the door to new avenues of cancer treatment.

25 Oct 2013

Research unlocks secrets of mouse behavior to help identify promising psychiatric drugs

Developing psychiatric medications is a long and complex process. Candidate drugs are evaluated and assessed based on their effects on the behavior of animals, usually rats or mice. Each class of drugs, from antidepressants to antipsychotics, is tested differently - often in a labor-intensive process that leaves plenty of room for human error. And there is a growing consensus that current procedures fail to effectively produce new medications.

25 Oct 2013

Just 13 days in space may cause changes in eye structure, gene expression

Just 13 days in space may be enough to cause profound changes in eye structure and gene expression, report researchers from Houston Methodist, NASA Johnson Space Center, and two other institutions in the October 2013 issue of Gravitational and Space Research.

25 Oct 2013

"One-two punch" disables tumors' defenses

An aggressive form of breast cancer known as "triple negative" is very difficult to treat: Chemotherapy can shrink such tumors for a while, but in many patients they grow back and gain resistance to the original drugs.

25 Oct 2013

Gene-diet interaction may shed light on increased risk of colorectal cancer linked with meat consumption

A newly discovered potential gene-diet interaction for colorectal cancer was reported today (Thursday, Oct. 24) at the American Society of Human Genetics 2013 meeting in Boston.

25 Oct 2013

Whitehead Institute scientists identify novel Parkinson's disease drug target

Using a discovery platform whose components range from yeast cells to human stem cells, Whitehead Institute scientists have identified a novel Parkinson's disease drug target and a compound capable of repairing neurons derived from Parkinson's patients.

25 Oct 2013

New report explains occurrence of breast cancer in women with normal BRCA genes

Since 1994, many thousands of women with breast cancer from families severely affected with the disease have been tested for inherited mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2. The vast majority of those patients were told that their gene sequences were normal.

25 Oct 2013

HIV-positive patients with high CD4 cell counts are not at increased risk for heart attacks

Patients who are HIV-positive and have high CD4 cell counts - or have a high number of white blood cells that fight infections - aren't at an increased risk for heart attacks compared to patients who are HIV-negative, according to a Kaiser Permanente study that appears in the current online issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes.

25 Oct 2013

Scientists identify link between rare mutations in RINT1 gene and early onset breast cancer risk

An international team of scientists has identified an association between heritable, rare mutations in the RINT1 gene and increased risk of early onset breast cancer, according to research reported today (Oct. 24) at the American Society of Human Genetics 2013 annual meeting in Boston.

25 Oct 2013

Study identifies gene that raises risk for colorectal cancer from eating red or processed meat

A common genetic variant that affects 1 in 3 people significantly increases the risk of colorectal cancer from the consumption of red meat and processed meat, according to a study presented today at the annual American Society of Human Genetics 2013 meeting, the largest gathering of human geneticists in the world.

25 Oct 2013

Researchers discover novel genetic cause of severe obesity

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have discovered a novel genetic cause of severe obesity which, although relatively rare, demonstrates for the first time that genes can reduce basal metabolic rate - how the body burns calories.

25 Oct 2013

Type 1 diabetes modifies communication between central nervous system and bone marrow

A new University of Sydney study has found that having Type 1 diabetes alters the normal communication between the human central nervous system and bone marrow, causing inflammatory effects and further disease.

24 Oct 2013

LCSB researchers publish current knowledge about the genetic, molecular causes of PD

Parkinson's disease continues to puzzle physicians and biologists alike - even though it is well-established that symptoms like muscle tremors, rigidity, and, during the final stages, immobility can all be traced back to the death of a certain type of brain cell called a dopaminergic neuron. The underlying cause of this cellular death is a complex web of interrelated genetic molecular processes as well as external factors, most of the details of which are well-known. But how the various factors correlate and influence each other continues to elude the scientific community.

24 Oct 2013

Study reveals that tumors factors inhibit repair of damaged muscle fibers during cancer wasting

A new study reveals that tumors release factors into the bloodstream that inhibit the repair of damaged muscle fibers, and that this contributes to muscle loss during cancer wasting.

24 Oct 2013

Study shows oxytocin hormone enhances placebo response in analgesia model

The hormone oxytocin may mediate processes such as empathy, trust, and social learning. These are key elements of the patient-physician relationship, which is an important mediator of placebo responses, according to background information in a Research Letter appearing in the October 23/30 issue of JAMA.

24 Oct 2013

Study shows plant sterols appear to prevent onset of Alzheimer's disease

It's no secret that many of the phytochemicals in fruit and vegetables have a positive effect on our health. For instance, plant sterols (also known as phytosterols) help to lower cholesterol levels. According to a new study by researchers at Saarland University, they also appear to prevent the onset of Alzheimer's disease.

24 Oct 2013

Scientists find disparities in regulation of transposons between humans and non-human primate cells

Researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have, for the first time, taken chimpanzee and bonobo skin cells and turned them into induced pluripotent stem cells, a type of cell that has the ability to form any other cell or tissue in the body.

24 Oct 2013

Medical Science News

MIT researchers design stealth drug delivery system to attack TNBC cells

Study: Gene Expression Classifier test reduces unnecessary surgeries in thyroid nodule assessment

Study shows concentration levels of PAHs in smokeless tobacco products

Rice University research reveals 3-way genetic switch for cancer metastasis

Research unlocks secrets of mouse behavior to help identify promising psychiatric drugs

Just 13 days in space may cause changes in eye structure, gene expression

"One-two punch" disables tumors' defenses

Gene-diet interaction may shed light on increased risk of colorectal cancer linked with meat consumption

Whitehead Institute scientists identify novel Parkinson's disease drug target

New report explains occurrence of breast cancer in women with normal BRCA genes

HIV-positive patients with high CD4 cell counts are not at increased risk for heart attacks

Scientists identify link between rare mutations in RINT1 gene and early onset breast cancer risk

Study identifies gene that raises risk for colorectal cancer from eating red or processed meat

Researchers discover novel genetic cause of severe obesity

Type 1 diabetes modifies communication between central nervous system and bone marrow

LCSB researchers publish current knowledge about the genetic, molecular causes of PD

Study reveals that tumors factors inhibit repair of damaged muscle fibers during cancer wasting

Study shows oxytocin hormone enhances placebo response in analgesia model

Study shows plant sterols appear to prevent onset of Alzheimer's disease

Scientists find disparities in regulation of transposons between humans and non-human primate cells

Real-time Raman monitoring for pharmaceutical hot melt extrusion

Synthetic Psychedelics: A Growing Public Health Concern

How the Vutara VXL simplifies single-molecule imaging

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