Researchers at a medical research firm affiliated to the University of Bristol say that they have identified a new method of fighting the spread of cancer. The scientists looked at the natural life cycle of cells, one of the key biological processes linked to cancer growth. In particular they focused on a molecule known as protein kinase B (PKB) that is found in all cells.
The National Association of Nurse Practitioners in Women’s Health (NPWH) announced its endorsement of routine HPV testing of women age 30 and over as part of cervical cancer prevention, along with an initiative to educate the medical community and patients, said Digene Corp. (Nasdaq: DIGE). HPV is the cause of cervical cancer, and Digene markets the only FDA-approved HPV test, The Digene(R) HPV Test, which detects high-risk types of the virus.
Chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer result in more deaths and account for more years of healthy life lost than most communicable diseases, and yet little international aid is focused on preventing or treating these conditions. Cardiovascular disease causes 30 percent of all deaths globally and 27 percent of deaths in low income countries. By comparison, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, combined, account for 10 percent of all deaths globally and 11 percent of death in developing countries.
A group of researchers has discovered a number of children suffering from rare muscle diseases whose bodies have “switched on” a gene that is usually turned off at birth.
Brain injury causes glutamate, a substance necessary for proper brain function, to flood areas surrounding the trauma and kill other cells. Weizmann Institute scientists have developed a new way to rid the brain of excess glutamate. This method — which uses an enzyme found in blood — could lead to new therapies not only for brain injury, but also for stroke and other conditions, and holds promise for prevention of damage from meningitis or nerve gas.
Despite all the publicity and media coverage touting the anti-aging and libido-enhancing effects of human growth hormone HGH, there is no scientific evidence supporting the claims, researchers have said.
Researchers have found a marker on head and neck tumor cells that indicates which cells are capable of fueling the cancer’s growth. The finding is the first evidence of cancer stem cells in head and neck tumors.
Scientists at Monash University in Australia have developed a process for rapidly and efficiently separating blood plasma at the microscopic level without any moving parts, potentially allowing doctors to do blood tests without sending samples to a laboratory.
Northwestern University researchers have uncovered how malaria parasites break into red blood cells and how to block the invading parasites with a commonly prescribed high-blood pressure medication. This opens the door for important new drugs to which the parasites are much less likely to become resistant. Malaria is surging worldwide because of drug resistance and the lack of an effective vaccine. Jamaica, which had eradicated the disease for 50 years, recently reported an outbreak.
Using plants to produce useful proteins could be an inexpensive alternative to current medicine production methods. Researchers from VIB at Ghent University have succeeded in producing in plant seeds proteins that have a very strong resemblance to antibodies. They have also demonstrated that these antibody variants are just as active as the whole antibodies that occur naturally in humans. By virtue of their particular action, antibodies are very useful for therapeutic and diagnostic applications.