Selenium, an essential dietary mineral that can act as an antioxidant when incorporated into proteins, has been shown in many studies to reduce the incidence of cancers — notably lung, colorectal and prostate.
“The problem is, nobody seems to know how the mechanism works, and that’s not trivial,” said Alan Diamond, professor of human nutrition at the University of Illinois at Chicago and principal investigator in an ongoing multidisciplinary study set up at UIC to help a
A new study reveals how the production of a potent immune regulator called interferon gamma (IFNg) is controlled in natural killer (NK) cells, immune cells that typically defend the body against cancer and infections.
IFNg, produced by NK cells and other cell types, plays a critical role in killing pathogen-infected cells and in defending against tumor cells. However, overproduction of IFNg is also dangerous to the body and can cause autoimmune diseases. But exactly how the bo
Study finds men with enlarged prostate can benefit from Botox injections
When researchers at the Chang Gung University Medical College, Taiwan and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine injected botulinum toxin A, or Botox, into the prostate gland of men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a condition commonly referred to as enlarged prostate, they found that it eased symptoms and improved quality of life. Their results, based on 41 men with the condition, will be pre
Developing superior screening options is paramount in the treatment of colon cancer, as it has one of the highest cure rates of all cancers when detected early. Scientists are continuing to refine the practice of colorectal screening, evaluating novel methods aimed at increasing patient comfort while improving outcomes and further decreasing the risk of developing the disease. Research presented today at Digestive Disease Week® 2006 (DDW) offers updates in colon screening sedation to improve pa
The percentage of adolescents aged 15-17 who are overweight today is about 50 percent higher in families below the poverty line in comparison to those at or above it. That difference was not present in the 1970s and 1980s, according to researchers from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and other institutions. The scientists based their analyses on U.S. national health surveys spanning 33 years. Adolescents aged 15-17 who were in families with an income below the poverty line were
Research could lead to new treatments, diagnostic tests for IPF
Scientists at the University of Michigan Medical School have identified biochemical signals that attract pathogenic cells to damaged lung tissue – one of the first steps in a chain of events leading to a lethal disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis or IPF.
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive disease that kills 40,000 Americans each year. Exposure to toxic environmental agents like ber
Researchers at Montefiore Medical Center are leading a nationwide clinical trial to determine whether a new genetic test can be used to personalize treatment for early-stage breast cancer.
“By using a molecular diagnostic test to assess whether a breast tumor will respond to chemotherapy, we’re hoping to more precisely identify which patients can be adequately treated with hormonal therapy alone and which patients will truly benefit if chemotherapy is added to the treat
Findings help solve mystery of whales’ missing legs
Researchers from the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine have revealed the genetic basis behind one of the best-documented examples of evolutionary change in the fossil record: how whales lost their hind limbs.
Writing in this week’s Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Hans Thewissen and his colleagues report that ancient whales–four-footed land animals not unlike large modern
Scientists explore newly discovered reefs for pharmaceutical potential, ecological impacts
Last December, University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science researchers using advanced sonar techniques discovered new deepwater reef sites in the Straits of Florida between Miami and Bimini. Today through May 30, the Rosenstiel School scientists will work with Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution colleagues to explore these areas for the first time. The expediti
In findings that could influence our understanding of climate change, a Princeton research team has learned that tropical forests return to the atmosphere up to half the nitrogen they receive each year, thanks to a particular type of bacteria that lives in those forests.
The bacteria, referred to as “denitrifiers,” exist in forest soil, where they live by converting the nitrates fed upon by tree roots back into nitrogen gas, which is lost to the atmosphere. The researchers who
Research conducted at Oregon Health & Science University suggests that contrary to popular belief, the body has more than one “body clock.” The previously known master body clock resides in a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN).
Researchers at OHSU’s Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) have now revealed the existence of a secondary clock-like mechanism associated with the adrenal gland. The research also suggests a high likelihood that additional c
FSU research could bring electricity to millions who now have none at all
The number is staggering: Approximately 2 billion of the world’s people — nearly one-third of the human population — have no access to electricity. Consequently, they do without many of the amenities that people in the developed world take for granted — everything from air conditioning and refrigeration to television, indoor lighting, and pumps that supply drinking water. And without electricity
Compact jets that shoot matter into space in a continuous stream at near the speed of light have long been assumed to be a unique feature of black holes. But these odd features of the universe may be more common than once thought.
Astrophysicists using NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope recently spotted one of these jets around a super-dense dead star, confirming for the first time that neutron stars as well as black holes can produce these fire-hose-like jets of matter. A pap
When ancient whales finally parted company with the last remnants of their legs about 35 million years ago, a relatively sudden genetic event may have crowned an eons-long shrinking process.
An international group of scientists led by Hans Thewissen, Ph.D., a professor of anatomy at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, has used developmental data from contemporary spotted dolphins and fossils of ancient whales to try to pinpoint the genetic changes that coul
Consumption of high-flavanol cocoa improves skin structure and function
Cocoa butter has long been used topically in many skin creams and cosmetics because it is thought to be good for the skin. Now, new research just published in the Journal of Nutrition reveals the potential benefits of consuming flavanol-rich cocoa and how it might actually benefit skin from the inside out.
Researchers found that certain components in cocoa may actually help improve the appearance of women’s
A new study by Florida State University researchers has found that people who were verbally abused as children grow up to be self-critical adults prone to depression and anxiety.
People who were verbally abused had 1.6 times as many symptoms of depression and anxiety as those who had not been verbally abused and were twice as likely to have suffered a mood or anxiety disorder over their lifetime, according to psychology Professor Natalie Sachs-Ericsson, the study’s lead auth
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