Hamilton College researchers have identified molecules that have been shown to be effective in the fight against breast cancer. The Hamilton researchers used state-of-the-art computational techniques in a novel way to design molecules that they predicted would be effective lead compounds for breast cancer research.
A new study, published in the Online Open Access journal Breast Cancer Research, reveals two distinct patterns in the recent breast cancer rates in U.S. women: a downturn in the incidence rates in almost all age groups above 45 years beginning in 1998/1999, consistent with a levelling off of mammography utilization, and a sharp fall in the rates between 2002 and 2003 in the age groups 50-69 years, likely reflecting the early benefit of the reduced use of HRT.
Researchers at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) have identified a piece of the DNA sequence that boosts a person’s susceptibility to heart disease by up to 40 per cent regardless of other established risks such as cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. The discovery could help identify people at high future risk for heart disease, enabling early preventive therapies, including lifestyle changes and medication to reduce their risk. This finding may also lead to a better understanding of the biological pathways that lead to heart attacks.
Scientists at the Gladstone Institute of Neurological Disease (GIND) have discovered that reducing levels of the protein tau can prevent seizures and neurological deficits related to Alzheimer’s disease. The findings, reported today in the journal Science, demonstrate that when tau is removed from mice genetically engineered to simulate Alzheimer’s disease, their memory function is retained and they live a normal lifespan. Reducing tau levels also made mice more resistant to epileptic seizures.
Tens of thousands of Americans die each year from secondhand tobacco smoke, according to a 2006 report by the U.S. Surgeon General. While the health risks associated with indoor secondhand smoke are well documented, little research has been done on exposure to toxic tobacco fumes outdoors.
When a song on the radio or the cell phone on the car seat next to a young driver beckon, she may not resist the temptation to turn up the dial or take a call while maneuvering in traffic. Such distractions could lead to a car crash, especially for young drivers with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
University of Manchester researchers are ridding diabetic patients of the superbug MRSA – by treating their foot ulcers with maggots.
Dr Deborah Lehmann, who leads infectious diseases research at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, said the findings show that infection is an increasing concern in affluent countries.
Recent findings that the widely-used herbal supplement Saint John?s wort could dramatically affect the absorption and metabolism of many prescription and non-prescription drugs raised concerns that other popular herbal supplements might cause similar changes, thus significantly altering drugs? therapeutic or toxic effects.
While new findings from Ohio State University scientists suggest a genetic marker that could help distinguish between chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer and gauge who will do well with cancer treatment, a pharmacologist at the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson in Philadelphia sees the discovery as much more.