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Study identifies immune response that enables TB bacteria to multiply, provides new target for TB drugs

Researchers have identified an immune system response to tuberculosis that enables TB bacteria to spread through the lungs, providing a new target for TB drug development, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Immunology, AFP/Washington Times reports.

16 Sep 2008

Variations in cyclin D1 gene increase susceptibility to malignant melanoma

People who carry a particular genetic variant are at significantly increased risk of developing malignant melanoma, new research shows.

15 Sep 2008

Parents of dying newborns need clearer explanation of options

Parent-doctor discussions about whether to maintain or withdraw life support from terminally ill or severely premature newborns are so plagued by miscommunication and misunderstanding that they might as well be in different languages, according to a small but potentially instructive new study from Johns Hopkins Children's Center reported in the September issue of Pediatrics.

15 Sep 2008

Sun-damaged skin does not improve with estrogen treatments

Treating the skin with estrogen can stimulate collagen production-which improves the appearance of the skin-in areas not typically exposed to the sun, according to new research from the University of Michigan Health System.

15 Sep 2008

Scientists identify ependymoma genes

Scientists at The University of Nottingham have isolated three important genes involved in the development of a type of childhood brain cancer. The breakthrough is revealed in a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

15 Sep 2008

An 'HIV-test' equivalent for early detection of lung cancer

A team of researchers led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center reports online today in the Journal of Clinical Oncology the validation of a potential "HIV-test" equivalent for the early detection of lung cancer. The test, which relies on immune-system signals, much like an HIV test, can detect the presence of lung cancer a year prior to diagnosis, long before symptoms appear.

15 Sep 2008

Lung cancer in non-smokers is sixth biggest cancer killer

While lung cancer in smokers and former smokers is the biggest cancer killer by far, lung cancer in people who have never smoked is -- by itself -- the sixth biggest cancer killer in the United States.

15 Sep 2008

Vaccine against HER2-positive breast cancer offers complete protection in lab

Researchers at Wayne State University have tested a breast cancer vaccine they say completely eliminated HER2-positive tumors in mice - even cancers resistant to current anti-HER2 therapy - without any toxicity.

15 Sep 2008

Inherited one-hit gene mutation provides new opportunity for colon cancer prevention

More than 30 years ago, Alfred Knudson Jr., M.D., Ph.D., revolutionized the field of cancer genetics by showing that a person must lose both their paternal and maternal copies of a particular class of cancer-inhibiting genes, called tumor-suppressor genes, in order to develop cancer.

15 Sep 2008

Scientists identify kidney failure susceptibility gene

Scientists at Johns Hopkins schools of Public Health and Medicine have, for the first time, identified variants in the gene MYH9 that are associated with increased risk for non-diabetic end stage renal disease (ESRD,) which is the near-loss of kidney function leading to either dialysis of transplant. MYH9, located on the 22 chromosome, is the first gene identified for common forms of kidney disease.

15 Sep 2008

Speaking on a phone while driving puts drivers at significantly greater risk of collision

The Ontario Medical Association (OMA) has released findings about the significant impact that cellphone use has on driving safety. The research clearly shows that speaking on a phone while driving puts drivers at significantly greater risk of collision. Ontario's doctors want the provincial government to take action to protect the lives of all drivers and passengers.

14 Sep 2008

Study shows high gum disease rates in rural Appalachia

Research on 445 families centered in two Pennsylvania towns and two West Virginia counties shows that 80 percent of adults suffer from more severe forms of periodontal disease, according to Richard Crout, D.M.D., Ph.D., an expert on gum disease and associate dean for research in the West Virginia University School of Dentistry.

14 Sep 2008

Scientists discover common variants in the human genome conferring risk of bladder cancer

Scientists at deCODE genetics and colleagues at Radboud University Medical Center in the Netherlands today report the discovery of two common single-letter variants in the human genome (SNPs) that confer increased risk of urinary bladder cancer.

14 Sep 2008

Neuroscientists discover a critical early step of memory formation

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine report in the July issue of Neuron how nerve cells in the brain ensure that Arc, a protein critical for memory formation, is made instantly after nerve stimulation. Paradoxically, its manufacture involves two other proteins - including one linked to mental retardation - that typically prevent proteins from being made.

14 Sep 2008

Anti-inflammatory drugs may mask prostate cancer marker

Regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, may reduce serum levels of the prostate biomarker, PSA (prostate specific antigen), and hence may alter the detection of prostate cancer in individuals who take these medications.

14 Sep 2008

Depressed dialysis patients more likely to be hospitalized or die, researcher finds

Dialysis patients diagnosed with depression are nearly twice as likely to be hospitalized or die within a year than those who are not depressed, a UT Southwestern Medical Center researcher has found.

14 Sep 2008

New research could hold the key to keeping older people fit for longer

A carefully framed combination of moderate exercise and nutritional supplements could help older people maintain an active lifestyle for longer.

11 Sep 2008

Scientists discover how to isolate cancer stem cells in tumors

After years of working toward this goal, scientists at the OU Cancer Institute have found a way to isolate cancer stem cells in tumors so they can target the cells and kill them, keeping cancer from returning.

11 Sep 2008

Newly discovered molecule promises better treatments for heart attacks, heart surgery

Scientists have discovered a compound that could lead to new treatments for heart attacks as well as methods to protect hearts during open heart surgery and other situations in which blood flow to the heart is interrupted.

11 Sep 2008

Study finds if your self esteem is low, a 'faux relationship' can give you a boost

Shira Gabriel, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at the University at Buffalo, says "parasocial relationships" -- one-sided associations in which a party knows a great deal about someone who knows nothing about them -- can have self-enhancing benefits for people with low-self esteem, benefits they do not receive in real relationships.

11 Sep 2008