New research at the Institute of Food Research shows that two food components recognised for their ability to fight cancer are up to 13 times more powerful when put to work together. The results are published in the latest issue of international journal Carcinogenesis.
The study focuses on genes that play an important role in tumour formation, tumour progression, and the spread of tumour cells. The food components sulforaphane and selenium were found to have an increased impact on these gene
Patients with sickle cell disease have mutant haemoglobin proteins that form deadly long, stiff fibres inside red blood cells. A research team led by University of Warwick researcher Dr Matthew Turner, propose a mathematical model in the 28 March online issue of PRL to explain the persistent stability of these deadly fibres. The theory suggests that an inherent “twistiness” in the strands that make up the fibres could be the key to their durability and possibly to new treatments.
Red blood
Patchy woods-common in cities and suburbia, and even in rural areas-may have more Lyme disease-carrying ticks, which could increase risk of the disease in these forest remnants, scientists have found. While forest fragments generally have fewer species than continuous habitat does, some species actually fare better in small patches, according to biologist Felicia Keesing of Bard College in Annandale, NY, and her colleagues. Lyme disease incidence is rising in the United States, and is in fact far mor
Mobile DNA’s role in vancomycin resistance of Enterococcus faecalis
‘Jumping’ elements of DNA have enabled the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis to acquire stubborn resistance to a range of antibiotics – including a “drug of last resort” that is used against such bacterial pathogens.
That is one of the conclusions reached by scientists at The Institute for Genomic Research (TIGR), which sequenced and analyzed the complete genome of E. faecalis V583, a strain of the
The work of a Binghamton chemistry professor is altering conventional wisdom about the interactions of the anticancer drug Taxol ® and could lead to the development of even more effective, next-generation pharmaceuticals.
With $406,835 funding from the National Institute of Health, Susan Bane and her Binghamton research team are working in collaboration with David Kingston of Virginia Polytechnic Institute to learn more about the protein “tubulin.”
“Tubulin is a target for a number
Scientists at Tularik Inc. (NASDAQ: TLRK) and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have discovered a new gene that is expressed at abnormally high levels in nearly 50% of the breast cancer specimens they examined, and is similarly overexpressed in a large proportion of lung cancers (35%).
The discovery of the gene, called KCNK9, is significant for several reasons:
1) KCNK9 reveals a previously unrecognized mechanism for oncogene action (namely, potassium channels).
2) KCNK9 is
As health agencies around the world race to pinpoint the cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), researchers are reporting success in developing a new theoretical model that shows how the pressure exerted by the immune response of an infected population can drive evolution of influenza virus.
The model does not aim to predict the emergence of new strains of influenza, but it does suggest that a short-lived general immunity to the virus might affect the virus’s evolution. If i
Eye diseases and circulation problems can now be observed in full colour thanks to the development of a scanning laser ophthalmoscope (SLO) that operates simultaneously with low-power red, green and blue lasers. Dr Ayyakkannu Manivannan will report the latest test results on the SLO at the Institute of Physics Congress at Heriot-Watt University on Tuesday 25 March. He will demonstrate how the SLO system can reveal early retinal damage in diabetic patients and inflammatory macular disease in the elde
A procedure known as lung-volume reduction surgery (LVRS) appears to improve overall health and quality of life for individuals with end-stage emphysema, and these effects last as long as five years in more than half of this population, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
The findings appear in the March issue of the Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery. The procedure was developed at the School of Medicine in 1993 by the study’s
A new image processing system devised by engineers at the University of Southampton could change the way that back problems are diagnosed and provide a solution to one of the most common causes of work loss in the UK.
Low back pain is a significant problem and its cost to society is enormous. However, diagnosis of the underlying causes remains problematic despite extensive study. Reasons for this arise from the deep-rooted situation of the spine and also from its structural complexity
Antibody/enzyme combo protects transplanted lungs from oxidative stress damage
Researchers based at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine have combined the precision of antibodies with the power of an antioxidant enzyme to create a new way to protect transplanted lungs from oxidative stress – also known as free radical damage – before and during transplantation.
Their findings, presented in the April edition of Nature Biotechnology and available online now, demon
Discovery could lead to new therapies for Smith-Magenis Syndrome
Researchers at Michigan State University have identified the gene responsible for a developmental disorder known as Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS), a discovery that could lead to new therapies for the disorder and the myriad problems that accompany it.
The finding is documented in the March 24 issue of Nature Genetics, a prestigious peer-reviewed British journal.
SMS is a chromosome microdeletion syndrome th
In the future, consumers may be adding a powerful “spice” to their food that could save lives. Researchers in Canada are developing a natural antibody cocktail that can help prevent the most common foodborne germs, including E. coli and Salmonella, which cause thousands to become sick or die each year in this country.
Derived from freeze-dried egg yolk, the substance is nicknamed a spice because it can be sprinkled or sprayed onto meats, fruits and vegetables to complement existing sanitati
Sascha Abramson has been investigating new methods to ensure that polymer medical implants in the human body don’t fail. Abramson looked at degradable polymers, ones the body can ultimately absorb, to gain a deeper understanding of how and why their structures change – crucial parts of a puzzle that must be solved for polymers to perform predictably and successfully in medical implants.
Her research was conducted as a postdoctoral associate at Rutgers’ New Jersey Center for Biomaterials in
Inhaled glucocorticoid drugs are more effective than the newer anti-leukotriene tablets for adults with mild or moderate asthma, concludes a study in this week’s BMJ.
Professor Francine Ducharme reviewed 13 trials comparing leukotriene receptor antagonists with low doses of inhaled glucocorticoids for 28 days or more in children and adults.
She found that adults treated with leukotriene receptor antagonists were 60% more likely to suffer worsening of symptoms, whereas those treated
New data shows that the antiepileptic drug Keppra (levetiracetam), when used alone and in combination with other treatments, provided relief to more than 90 percent of patients with a range of pain syndromes, from migraine headaches to neck and back pain. The study of 400 patients, conducted by the Statesville Pain Associates of Statesville, N.C., was presented today at the American Pain Society’s 22nd Annual Scientific Meeting.
“To date, studies of Keppra to treat pain have been condu
Feedback
