Premenopausal women with lymph node-negative breast cancer should receive adjuvant therapy tailored according to the estrogen receptor status of the primary tumor, concludes a study by the International Breast Cancer Study Group (IBCSG) reported in the December 17 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (i.e., endocrine nonresponsive) breast cancer should receive adjuvant chemotherapy, according to the study, whereas for patients
In a follow-up analysis of the most extensive study of its kind on the long-term effects of air pollution on human health, researchers have found that people living in U.S. cities face an increased risk of dying from a heart attack as a result of long-term exposure to air pollution. This increased risk was found to be as large as that associated with being a former smoker. The new analysis is published as a study in the rapid access issue of the journal Circulation, published by the American Heart As
Duke University Medical Center researchers have identified the second of three genes that can each independently cause the disorder known as cerebral cavernous malformations (CCM), which is characterized by mulberry-like clusters of blood vessels in the brain. The finding paves the way for a new genetic test for the rare, familial disease, which typically lies dormant in patients for decades before its potentially devastating symptoms appear, said the researchers.
The vessel lesions in the
Mike Erice was shocked when a biopsy determined that he was one of the more than 220,000 men diagnosed with prostate cancer each year. Just a year earlier, results of his annual prostate specific antigen test (PSA) had been excellent, giving the 60-year-old private investigator a sense of security. This time, however, his doctor included a digital rectal exam and ordered the biopsy when he felt something suspicious. Because prostate cancer kills 28,000 men each year, Erice and his wife quick
By tailoring the dosage of chemotherapy to each individual patient, the treatment of breast cancer could be improved considerably. This is shown in a dissertation by Uppsala researcher Henrik Lindman at Uppsala University in Sweden. The method has proven to yield excellent results in clinical tests.
The dissertation reports that an alternative way of tailoring the dosage of chemotherapy has been studied and found to work. If the advantages of this method compared to standard treatment can be
Laboratory researchers and urologic oncologists from Fox Chase Cancer Center have demonstrated the ability to identify kidney cancer, including localized (stage I) cancer, in the urine of affected patients. The research, supported in part by a grant from the Flight Attendants Medical Research Institute and the National Cancer Institute’s Early Detection Research Network, is published in the Dec. 15 issue of the journal Cancer Research.
As with other cancers, an early diagnosis of kidne
For some brain tumors, the key to success is not just what you know but who you know, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
In trying to develop a mouse model of neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1), a genetic disorder that predisposes children to certain types of brain tumors, the team discovered that tumors only developed when all brain cells were genetically abnormal, not just the cell type that becomes cancerous. The study is featured on the cover of th
Neuropeptide Y (NPY) is a neurotransmitter that is integral to neurobiological functions such as anxiety, pain, memory and feeding behaviors.
Researchers have found that a compound that blocks NPY activity decreases both the onset as well as the repetition of alcohol consumption.
These findings have important implications for the treatment of both alcohol abuse and dependence. Peptides are a class of neurotransmitters, chemicals used by brain cells to commu
AIDS immunisation is still to be improved. Russian scientists suggest that rectal vaccination could be the most effective prevention of HIV transmission. The work is supported by the Interdepartmental Research and Technical Program “Vaccines of new generation and medical diagnostic systems of the future”.
Researchers all over the world strive to obtain a vaccine preventing AIDS. Most promising are DNA-vaccines, which contain genes of human immunodeficiency virus. These genes function within
Physicians can now identify overweight people at very high risk of developing heart disease, thanks to research published this week in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders. People who suffer from heart disease are more likely to produce smaller versions of a protein called apolipoprotein(a).
Being overweight increases your risk of suffering from heart disease. However other factors, such as having high levels of low-density lipoprotein in the blood, also play a role. Now it seems that the size of
Authors of a hypothesis article in this week’s issue of THE LANCET propose that the emergence of Crohn’s disease in the second half of the 20th century-the same time that domestic refrigerators became widely available-is no coincidence. The authors suggest that certain types of bacteria that can survive in refrigerated food may be implicated in Crohn’s disease.
Crohn’s disease is thought to be caused by environmental factors (diet, lifestyle, smoking) among genetically susceptible individua
Researchers at Johns Hopkins say that combining various types of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques more accurately sorts cancers from benign masses in breast tissues than any single imaging techniques. Their findings are presented in the October issue of Radiology.
Magnetic resonance imaging scanners can be calibrated to take images that highlight a specific type of human tissue. For example, so-called T1-weighted imaging sequences are best at imaging fatty tissues, while T2-weight
The introduction and widespread use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for HIV-infected persons in San Francisco in the late 1990s reduced their risks of infecting partners by 60 percent, according to a study conducted by researchers from the San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) and UCSF.
“While we found that antiretroviral use alone may account for a 60 percent reduction in risk of HIV transmission, a concurrent increase in risk behavior meant that rates of new in
IBM collaborated on the industrial design and is manufacturing the new medical device
Mayo Clinic today announced it has developed a series of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices that make it easier to diagnose injuries and diseases that affect wrists, forearms, elbows, hands and fingers. Mayo has obtained FDA approval to market and commercialize these devices, making them available to other medical centers nationwide.
Named Mayo Clinic BC-10 MRI Coils, these devices ar
Results from the EU-funded BIONIC EAR project will be presented by the European Commission at this year’s annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB). The meeting opens tonight in San Francisco
The European Union is funding the 4-year BIONIC EAR project with €1.53 million out of a total budget of €2.77 million . BIONIC EAR looks into ways of repairing the inner ear whose hair cells are damaged by trauma, antibiotics or ageing, thus resulting in an irreversible
Try as we may to suppress memories of highly stressful experiences, they nevertheless come back to bother us – even causing attacks of intense fear or other undesirable behavioral impairments.
Now, a group of German, Israeli and British scientists and students have found that a gene-based approach offers promise for development of a treatment that can suppress these reactions, while not impairing memory itself.
In an article appearing as the cover story in the current issue of Mo
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