Researchers say surgery is best care for fastest growing cancer type
In part because the nature of the disease has changed, nearly 50 percent of patients with esophageal cancer that undergo an advanced surgical procedure now survive for five years, not 20 percent as once thought, according to an article published in the April edition of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center contend that earlier diagnoses, more
The way in which buildings, roads, parking lots and other components of the built environment are integrated into communities impact a wide range of biogeochemical and hydrological processes. Among other effects, increased pollution discharge into streams has significant implications for the health of ecosystems. Scientists at the Woods Hole Research Center have developed new high resolution maps of the built environment , expressed in terms of impervious surface cover, for the 168,000-square
Findings may point researchers to future targets for treatment of genetic blood disorders
Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center researchers have identified the role of a protein in hemoglobin gene silencing that may one day be a potential target for the treatment of genetic blood disorders like sickle-cell anemia and beta-thalassemia on the molecular level.
In the April issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researcher
Joint study largely confirms earlier dire predictions of species loss from climate change
The Earth could see massive waves of species extinctions around the world if global warming continues unabated, according to a new study published in the scientific journal Conservation Biology.
Given its potential to damage areas far away from human habitation, the study finds that global warming represents one of the most pervasive threats to our planet’s biodiversity – in
Genetically engineered mice convinced scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies that it was time to overhaul widely held beliefs about how a powerful tumor suppressor called p53 is controlled in cells. Their new model of p53 regulation has important implications for the development of anticancer drugs.
This new model, published in the April issue of the journal Cancer Cell, emphasizes the independent role of two proteins, called Mdm2 and Mdm4. Both proteins are part of t
In the nation’s first statewide study of its kind, the Injury Research Center of the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee has revealed new data on an old problem… people who don’t use seatbelts. The researchers found that unbelted crash occupants who make it to an emergency department alive are more than three times as likely as belt users to die.
The team used data from the 2002 Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES)* for Wisconsin. They studied 23,920 crash occu
It happens to all of us, no matter how hard we try. Whether it’s deleting a computer file and realizing a split-second later that we can’t get it back, or dropping a bag of groceries, or realizing that our gas tank is nearly empty on a lonely stretch of highway, we all make mistakes that aren’t just annoying, but potentially costly.
Now, a team of University of Michigan researchers has looked inside the human brain and captured the instant when someone makes a cost
Plasmodium, the parasite responsible for malaria, impairs the ability of key cells of the immune system to trigger an efficient immune response. This might explain why patients with malaria are susceptible to a wide range of other infections and fail to respond to several vaccines. In a study published today in the open access journal Journal of Biology, researchers show that if dendritic cells, the key cells involved in initiating immunity, are exposed to red blood cells infected with Plasmodium
There’s a tangle of information about the pros and cons of using hormones to relieve the symptoms of menopause, but a new analysis of data generated by the Women’s Health Initiative confirms that one cause of concern can be laid to rest: There is no evidence that taking estrogen alone increases the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
The findings come three years after a related WHI study found that a different type of hormone therapy – which combined estrogen and
When it comes to chemotherapy treatment for women whose breast cancer has spread to their lymph nodes, the estrogen status of their tumors matters, says a team of researchers in the April 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
Analyzing data from three clinical trials with a total of 6,644 patients, they determined that chemotherapy works much better in breast cancer that is estrogen receptor-negative (ER-) than many people think, and conversely, doesn’
Chronic pain, which is any physical discomfort lasting for at least six months, affects up to 50 million Americans, most of whom work full time. Common forms of chronic pain include headaches, backaches, arthritis, respiratory conditions, and ailments caused by sports injuries or other traumas, such as car accidents.
Wayne Hochwarter, an associate professor of management in Florida State University’s College of Business in Tallahassee, Fla., has conducted several studies to ex
Dauphin Island Sea Lab scientists seek to restore Robinson Island grassbeds by utilizing sea birds’ ’natural functions’
Although most people consider bird droppings a nuisance, scientists at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab see them as a rich source of phosphorus, a natural fertilizer for grassbeds which have been destroyed by boat propellers. Over the next couple of months, Sea Lab scientists Dr. Ken Heck and Dr. John Dindo will be setting out bird stakes in an effort t
Based on data obtained from one of the largest family sets of its kind, Yale School of Medicine researchers have identified a genetic linkage for dependence on drugs such as heroin, morphine and oxycontin.
The lead author, Joel Gelernter, M.D., professor in the Department of Psychiatry, said the researchers recruited a sample of 393 small families, most with at least two individuals with opioid dependence. They then searched genetic signposts throughout the entire genome i
Research studies, based at the University of Pennsylvania, demonstrate that biodegradable nano-particles containing two potent cancer-fighting drugs are effective in killing human breast tumors. The unique properties of the hollow shell nano-particles, known as polymersomes, allow them to deliver two distinct drugs, paclitaxel, the leading cancer drug known by brand names such as Taxol, and doxorubicin directly to tumors implanted in mice. Their findings, presented online in the journal Molecul
A courtroom jury views a computer animation of a vehicle accident or heinous crime. Does it help bring a conviction or acquittal? With no clear standards for animations that re-create incidents, the verdict is still out, and, for now, it may depend on which side created the simulation, researchers say.
In a study of 117 undergraduate students, psychologists discovered that movements in a sequence of events, as well as the duration portrayed, in animations such as re-creations
Obesity, body fat distribution more in your genes than previously known, Joslin Diabetes Center-led study shows
Do you have big hips or a “beer” belly? Are you “apple-shaped” or “pear-shaped”? It makes a difference, since we know that abdominal obesity is linked to diabetes and many other metabolic conditions, i.e., the metabolic syndrome. What’s new is that, according to a new study led by researchers at Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston, both obesity and body shape seem t
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