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Cancer cells 100 times more likely to genetically mutate

When cells become cancerous, they also become 100 times more likely to genetically mutate than regular cells, researchers have found. The findings may explain why cells in a tumor have so many genetic mutations, but could also be bad news for cancer treatments that target a particular gene controlling cancer malignancy.

20 Feb 2007

Hormone prolactin key to repairing nerve cell damage

The mystery of why multiple sclerosis (MS) tends to go into remission while women are pregnant may be the secret to overcoming the devastating neurodegenerative disease, according to University of Calgary researchers who have shown that a pregnancy-related hormone is responsible for rebuilding the protective coating around nerve cells.

20 Feb 2007

Translationally controlled tumor protein key to organ growth

When amounts of a small protein called TCTP (translationally controlled tumor protein) are reduced in the cells of fruit flies, they are smaller than normal, indicating that the protein plays a major role in the growth and proliferation of cells, said researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in a report in current issue of the journal Nature.

20 Feb 2007

Survivors of childhood cancers have a ninefold increased risk of developing a secondary sarcoma

Treatments for childhood cancer have resulted in a current overall cure rate of over 70 percent. However, long-term survivors of childhood cancer are at a higher risk of developing a secondary cancer than the general population.

20 Feb 2007

Tamoxifen offers long-term benefits for breast cancer prevention among women at high risk

The trials found that the breast cancer risk reduction persists long after women stop taking tamoxifen.

20 Feb 2007

Chemotherapy drug bortezomib packs a one-two punch

Cancer can be wily, and those who treat the disease have amassed a wide array of weapons with which to fight it and kill tumors.

20 Feb 2007

Study looks at mental and physical health of caregivers

Having positive cultural beliefs about caring for elders and strong religious beliefs can ward off depression and other mental health difficulties for female caregivers of spouses and parents with dementia, but sustained elevated levels of the stress hormone, cortisol, puts these women at risk for physical health problems, according to a study published in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychology.

20 Feb 2007

Low levels of RANTES protein in the blood is a predictor of cardiac death

Researchers at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn have determined that low levels of a protein in the blood is a predictor of cardiac death in patients with coronary artery disease.

20 Feb 2007

Newborns with respiratory distress should be evaluated for primary ciliary dyskinesia

Reviewing published reports, Ferkol and Margaret Leigh, M.D., professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC), found that neonatal respiratory distress was a common clinical symptom of PCD, a chronic airway disease that affects about 1 in 15,000 children.

20 Feb 2007

Transmission of drug-resistant tuberculosis among treated patients in Shanghai

A newly released study suggests that the majority of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) among patients undergoing treatment for the disease may be due to new infections, not acquired resistance.

20 Feb 2007

Family history of alcoholism and the stability of personality in young adulthood

A long-term research project at the University of Missouri-Columbia is producing valuable information about alcoholism and individuals who are affected by a family history of the disease.

20 Feb 2007

Researchers discover markers that identify breast cancer subtypes resistant to Herceptin

Using gene chips to profile tumors before treatment, researchers at Harvard and Yale Universities found markers that identified breast cancer subtypes resistant to Herceptin, the primary treatment for HER2-positive breast cancer. They say this advance could help further refine therapy for the 25 to 30 percent of breast cancer patients with this class of tumor.

20 Feb 2007

siRNA delivery into human T cells and primary cells with carbon-nanotube transporters

A promising approach to gene therapy involves short DNA fragments (interfering RNA) that bind to specific genes and block their "translation" into the corresponding, disease-related protein.

20 Feb 2007

A third of England's hospital trusts in the red

The latest NHS quarterly financial performance report, published today (Tuesday 20 February, 2007) shows that almost a third of England's hospital trusts, and almost half its Primary Care Trusts, are forecast to be in deficit at the end of this financial year.

20 Feb 2007

Racial/ethnic disparities in symptom severity among children hospitalized with asthma

Children in this country suffer from asthma more than any other chronic illness, and new research finds African-American children with the condition have a greater risk than others of experiencing severe symptoms that escalate into an emergency.

20 Feb 2007

Beta-blockers should not be a doctor's first choice for treating high blood pressure

Beta-blocker drugs such as Tenormin, Inderal and Lopressor should not be a doctor's first choice for treating high blood pressure, according to a large new review of studies.

20 Feb 2007

Expert questions validity of genetic testing patents

Molecular Pathologist-Attorney Roger D. Klein in a letter published in the February 15, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine questioned the validity of patents often used to prevent clinical laboratories from performing certain genetic tests.

20 Feb 2007

Medical News

Cancer cells 100 times more likely to genetically mutate

Hormone prolactin key to repairing nerve cell damage

Translationally controlled tumor protein key to organ growth

Survivors of childhood cancers have a ninefold increased risk of developing a secondary sarcoma

Tamoxifen offers long-term benefits for breast cancer prevention among women at high risk

Chemotherapy drug bortezomib packs a one-two punch

Study looks at mental and physical health of caregivers

Low levels of RANTES protein in the blood is a predictor of cardiac death

Newborns with respiratory distress should be evaluated for primary ciliary dyskinesia

Transmission of drug-resistant tuberculosis among treated patients in Shanghai

Family history of alcoholism and the stability of personality in young adulthood

Researchers discover markers that identify breast cancer subtypes resistant to Herceptin

siRNA delivery into human T cells and primary cells with carbon-nanotube transporters

A third of England's hospital trusts in the red

Racial/ethnic disparities in symptom severity among children hospitalized with asthma

Beta-blockers should not be a doctor's first choice for treating high blood pressure

Expert questions validity of genetic testing patents

Britain tests human influenza plan

How T cells attack tumors

Health professionals would prioritize spending on the young over the old

Expanding research and clinical options for children with cancer

Examining how pain could play a direct protective role in the gut

From Puberty to Menopause: Clue’s CEO, Audrey Tsang on the Power of Femtech

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