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James Bond affects the development of breasts!

Breakthrough Breast Cancer has announced that UK scientists have discovered that a gene - named after the James Bond villain Scaramanga - can trigger the development of breasts. This has important implications for breast cancer, as reported in the journal Genes and Development.

1 Sep 2005

Men with breast cancer gene at risk of pancreatic and prostate cancers

The very same genetic mutation which has been previously linked to the development of breast cancer in women may also be responsible for some cancers in men.

1 Sep 2005

Mutation in the BRAC2 breast cancer gene may also increase the risk of bone and throat cancers

A genetic mutation implicated in an increased risk of breast and ovarian cancers also significantly increases the risk of pancreatic and prostate cancers in men, finds research in the Journal of Medical Genetics.

1 Sep 2005

Compound called GRN163L blocks lung cancer

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found a compound that shows promise as a way to block the spread, or metastasis, of lung cancer.

1 Sep 2005

More than 15 percent of our genes are mobilized to defend against microbial attacks

The body's overwhelming genetic defense, which has implications for the survival of patients who are severely burned or injured, was revealed in a sweeping analysis of gene activity in volunteers who were injected with a bacterial product that temporarily created flu-like symptoms.

1 Sep 2005

Therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs are resurfacing

It was the drug of choice on university campuses, the drug that spawned psychedelic culture as well as countless jail sentences and fines, but LSD actually has respectable roots--roots that a McMaster University researcher is uncovering.

31 Aug 2005

First human trials start in Canada for muscle-derived stem cells as a treatment for urinary incontinence

Human muscle-derived cells, pluripotent stem cells found in muscle, have been used to cure stress urinary incontinence in animal models, a finding which signals that these cells are prime candidates to treat the condition in adults.

31 Aug 2005

Discovery of gene that may play a role in centronuclear myopathy

By studying the molecules that regulate the formation of muscle, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered a gene that may play a role in a rare muscular disease in humans.

31 Aug 2005

Mushrooms are a great source of antioxidants

Using a new, more sensitive-testing approach they developed for fungi, Penn State food scientists have found that mushrooms are a better natural source of the antioxidant ergothioneine than either of the two dietary sources previously believed to be best

31 Aug 2005

Human brain favours familiar-looking faces when choosing a potential partner

The research team found that people find familiar faces more attractive than unfamiliar ones. They also found that the human brain holds separate images of both male and female faces and reacts to them differently depending on how familiar it is with their facial features.

31 Aug 2005

Extra-virgin olive oil tastes good and is also an anti-inflammatory

After a tasting experience at a molecular gastronomy meeting in Sicily, biologist Gary Beauchamp of Pennsylvania University decided to analyse freshly pressed extra-virgin olive oil and found a chemical that acted like ibuprofen in the oil.

31 Aug 2005

International SHAPE project reveals massive public lack of awareness on heart failure

An international survey of the public's awareness of heart failure has revealed a woeful and worrying level of ignorance, according to the lead author of the research, which is published (Wednesday 31 August) in Europe's leading cardiology journal European Heart Journal.

31 Aug 2005

Virginia Tech engineer investigates enzyme link to Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer diseases

Several neurologically based afflictions, such as Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer diseases, have been correlated to a higher than normal presence of a specific type of enzymes, called transglutaminases (TGase) in the human body.

30 Aug 2005

Carbohydrate known as OGT2378 inhibits tumor growth

A non-toxic chemical compound that prevents cancer cells from producing a critical membrane component has been shown to suppress tumor growth and tumor size in mice without unwanted side effects, according to researchers at the Children’s National Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

30 Aug 2005

Danish scientists have identified which head and neck cancer patients will benefit from additional drug treatment during radiotherapy

Tumours that have low concentrations of oxygen (hypoxia) are resistant to radiotherapy. A drug called nimorazole (a hypoxia radiosensitiser) can improve the outcome of radiotherapy for patients with these types of tumours. However, at the moment there is no way to identify people with tumours that lack oxygen, who need this additional drug treatment, from those that only need radiotherapy.

30 Aug 2005

Simple new way to modify collagen, paving the way for better infection-fighting bandages

Collagen often pops up in beauty products and supermodel lips. But by mating collagen with a molecular hitchhiker, materials scientists at Johns Hopkins hope to create some important medical advances.

30 Aug 2005

Ten years of mobile phone use shows no brain cancer link

According to researchers in the UK, there is no link between mobile phone use and brain cancer.

30 Aug 2005

Designer molecules that combine metals such as copper with natural organic materials could treat diseases in the body

That's the finding of chemists at Ohio State University, who have successfully tested such molecules against portions of HIV and Hepatitis C virus RNA in the laboratory. They've also created molecules that act like ACE, or angiotensin-converting enzyme, inhibitors - drugs that are used to lower blood pressure.

30 Aug 2005

Step towards understanding cell mutations that cause a variety of human diseases

A step towards understanding cell mutations that cause a variety of human diseases, particularly in children - including that which brings about premature aging and early death - has been taken by researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Silberman Institute of Life Sciences and the John Hopkins University School of Medicine.

30 Aug 2005

Toxicity from chemotherapy in lung cancer patients could help predict treatment efficacy

Chemotherapy is standard treatment for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, although benefits are modest and toxicity substantial. Massimo Di Maio and colleagues hypothesised that neutropenia, a haematological toxicity, could be a predictor of drug activity and treatment efficacy.

30 Aug 2005

Medical Research News

James Bond affects the development of breasts!

Men with breast cancer gene at risk of pancreatic and prostate cancers

Mutation in the BRAC2 breast cancer gene may also increase the risk of bone and throat cancers

Compound called GRN163L blocks lung cancer

More than 15 percent of our genes are mobilized to defend against microbial attacks

Therapeutic uses of psychedelic drugs are resurfacing

First human trials start in Canada for muscle-derived stem cells as a treatment for urinary incontinence

Discovery of gene that may play a role in centronuclear myopathy

Mushrooms are a great source of antioxidants

Human brain favours familiar-looking faces when choosing a potential partner

Extra-virgin olive oil tastes good and is also an anti-inflammatory

International SHAPE project reveals massive public lack of awareness on heart failure

Virginia Tech engineer investigates enzyme link to Huntington's, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer diseases

Carbohydrate known as OGT2378 inhibits tumor growth

Danish scientists have identified which head and neck cancer patients will benefit from additional drug treatment during radiotherapy

Simple new way to modify collagen, paving the way for better infection-fighting bandages

Ten years of mobile phone use shows no brain cancer link

Designer molecules that combine metals such as copper with natural organic materials could treat diseases in the body

Step towards understanding cell mutations that cause a variety of human diseases

Toxicity from chemotherapy in lung cancer patients could help predict treatment efficacy

Small solutions for big problems in drug discovery and delivery

Professor Nancy Ip: Pioneering New Paths in Neurodegenerative Therapy

Utilizing process Raman in optimizing cultivated meat production

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