Aging :: FISH-ing for links between cancer and aging

Wielding a palette of chromosome paints, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies have taken a step closer to understanding the relationship between aging and cancer by visualizing chromosomes of cells from patients with a heritable premature aging disease known as Werner Syndrome.

Influenza :: Novartis receives US government contract to develop a novel antigen technology

Novartis announced that it has received a contract from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) of approximately USD 55 million. The contract supports the company’s efforts to bring the antigen-sparing capabilities of the MF59 adjuvant to the United States. An adjuvant is a substance added to a vaccine to enhance the body’s immune response to the vaccine’s active constituent, called the antigen.

Eyes :: JRRD releases single-topic issue focused on vision rehabilitation

According to the National Eye Institute, Americans are facing increasing rates of visual impairment from age-related diseases. The articles in this special issue on vision address three general areas: screening for diabetic retinopathy, basic research on treating and preventing vision loss, and management of patients with low vision.

Bullying :: Bullying can be reduced but many common approaches ineffective

According to an Indiana University School of Medicine study, bullying can be curbed, but many common methods of dealing with the problem, such as classroom discussions, role playing or detention, are ineffective. Whole school interventions involving teachers, administrators and social workers committed to culture change are the most effective. Pediatricians need to be advocates to get schools to effectively intervene to improve environments where children study.

Cancer :: Study supports a stem cell origin of cancer

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) recently made significant strides toward settling a decades-old debate centering on the role played by stem cells in cancer development. According to the study’s findings, which appear in an upcoming issue of Nature Genetics and now available online, genes that are reversibly repressed in embryonic stem cells are over-represented among genes that are permanently silenced in cancers; this link lends support to the increasingly discussed theory that cancer is rooted in small populations of stem cells.

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