The form of vitamin E found in many plant seeds – but not in most manufactured nutritional supplements – might halt the growth of prostate and lung cancer cells, according to a Purdue University study.

A team led by Qing Jiang (pronounced “ching zhang”) has found that gamma-tocopherol, which occurs naturally in walnuts, pecans, sesame seeds, and in corn and sesame oils, inhibits the proliferation of lab-cultured human prostate and lung cancer cells. The vitamin’s presence in

Drunken fruit flies have led to the discovery that insulin may determine susceptibility to alcohol. If confirmed in humans — and the two species share about two-thirds of their genes — the finding suggests a promising way to treat alcoholism using drugs that control insulin activity.

The finding by scientists at UCSF was published online Sunday (December 12) by Nature Neuroscience in advance of publication in the journal.

The UCSF researchers showed that when the norma

Scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Neuroscience Research Institute are reporting significant advances in their studies of retinal detachment: They have discovered that cellular changes that occur in the retinas of animals with retinal detachments also occur in humans. This implies that experimental therapies that reduce cellular damage in animals have a high likelihood of being successful in humans. They have determined that oxygen therapy for retinal de

Hold off putting up your usual variety of mistletoe – the dwarf mistletoe could soon eclipse its better-known Christmas cousins as the green fertility symbol of choice for holiday party goers. In fact, the discovery of the intimate details of the sex life of the dwarf mistletoe is even getting traditionally staid botanists hot and bothered.

New research shows that the dwarf mistletoe, a member of the same Viscaceae family as the better-known Christmas varieties, is truly worth

How to diagnose urinary tract infections (UTI) in the under fives is the focus of the latest issue of EFFECTIVE HEALTH CARE.
UTI is common in children. Around 6.3% of girls and 2.4% of boys will be referred with UTIs by the age of five years. Children who are misdiagnosed can either fail to receive appropriate treatment or receive unnecessary treatment and investigation.

Good management involves prompt diagnosis, rapid treatment and the detection of any underlying cause that mi

Previous research has implicated the brain’s opioid system in the development of alcohol-use disorders. New findings indicate that individuals with the G variant of the A118 polymorphism of the OPRM1 gene have greater subjective feelings to alcohol’s effects as well as a greater likelihood of a family history of alcohol-use disorders. Previous research has implicated the brain’s opioid system in the development of alcohol-use disorders. The mu-opioid receptor, which is encoded

An analysis of a sample of Ayurvedic herbal medicine products found that 20 percent contained metals such as lead, mercury and arsenic at levels that could be toxic if taken as directed, according to a study in the December 15 issue of JAMA.

According to background information in the article, approximately 80 percent of India’s one billion population uses Ayurveda, a medical system that originated in India more than 2000 years ago and greatly relies on herbal medicine products

Misdiagnosis of a severely paralyzing disease can now be averted due to a blood test developed by Mayo Clinic researchers and their Japanese collaborators. Often misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis, neuromyelitis optica (NMO) also causes blindness in many sufferers. The findings of this international collaborative effort appear in the current issue of The Lancet.

The finding will help doctors correctly treat NMO — also known as Devic’s syndrome — sooner and more effectivel

Many women at high risk for breast cancer are foregoing tamoxifen, the first FDA-approved drug for prevention of breast cancer, due to concerns about side effects, increased risk of other cancers, and lack of information, a new study by researchers in Boston shows. The study will be published December 14 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

“While the availability of tamoxifen is a significant advance in breast cancer prevention, it also presents a complicated decision for women

The European Commission today announces the creation of an annual funders’ forum to join European forces in the funding of life sciences. Life sciences comprise research which deals with all forms of organisms, like plants, animals and human beings. With about €30 billion invested annually in Europe, industry and public funding bodies like the national research councils or international research organisations put major funds into research and technological development in the areas of biotechnolo

The language network of the brain seemed simpler in the past. One brain area was recognized to be critical for the production of language, another for its comprehension. A dense bundle of nerve fibers connected the two.

But there have always been naysayers who pointed to evidence that failed to fit this tidy picture. Now a study employing a powerful variant of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirms these suspicions. The study will be published December 13, 2004 in the online e

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas have used canine DNA to identify a genetic mutation mechanism they believe is responsible for rapid evolutionary changes in the physical appearance of many species.

The findings, based on data gathered from hundreds of museum specimens of dogs and from blood samples of volunteered live dogs, offer a new explanation for the sudden, rapid rise of new species found in the fossil record. They also help explain the variability in

The authors of two studies this week report findings that offer new insight into how breaks in chromosomes can lead to the so-called genomic instability that is a hallmark of cancer. When DNA is damaged, as it routinely is during the life of cells, the damage must be properly repaired in order to keep chromosomes intact. Failure of the DNA repair process disrupts the structural stability of chromosomes, which must be intact in order to be properly segregated to daughter cells when cells divide.

Of all the world’s animals, only humans, some kinds of birds and perhaps some porpoises and whales learn the sounds they use to communicate with each other through a process of listening, imitation and practice. For the rest, including nonhuman primates, these sounds develop normally in the absence of external models.

Now Rockefeller University scientists have found that zebra finches, songbirds native to Australia, use infant-like strategies to learn their song. Some finches

A naturally occurring COX-2 inhibitor

Cancer researchers at the Case Western Reserve University (Case) School of Medicine, University Hospitals of Cleveland (UHC) and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute have found a “Celebrex-like” gene that suppresses the growth of colon cancer. The researchers discovered that the gene, called 15-PGDH, is found in normal cells and is virtually undetectable in colon cancer cells. When the researchers restored the gene in tumor cells and injected th

Nanotechnology researchers at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign have demonstrated a tiny, implantable detector that could one day allow diabetics to monitor their glucose levels continuously-without ever having to draw a blood sample.

The work, which is the first application of a whole new class of biological sensors, was funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and announced December 12 in the online edition of the journal Nature Materials.

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