Health News Today

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have discovered what could be a novel drug target for an often difficult-to-treat form of leukemia. The investigators have identified a unique ???signature??? or pattern of a specific family of enzymes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common form of adult leukemia. Paul Insel, M.D., professor of pharmacology and medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and his co-workers compared white blood cells in patients with CLL to those of healthy adults. They found that one form of the group of enzymes, collectively known as cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, was 10 times higher in CLL patients than in normal individuals. The specific type of enzyme, phosphodiesterase 7B (PDE7B), controls the levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP), a molecule that can promote programmed cell death, a process that is defective in CLL. The team reports its findings this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Whereas most cancers have out-of-control cell growth, CLL is characterized by an overabundance of white blood cells that do not die when they should, Insel explained.  »»»

(Stanford University Medical Center) When a pregnant woman goes into early labor, her obstetrician may give her drugs to quiet the woman's uterus and prevent premature birth. New research shows, however, that one popular drug works no better than a placebo at maintaining pregnancy after the initial bout of preterm labor is halted. »»»

(Academy of General Dentistry) According to a study published in the May/June issue of General Dentistry, the clinical, peer-reviewed journal of the Academy of General Dentistry, stopping anti-platelet medications prior to a surgical procedure places a patient at greater risk of permanent disability or death. »»»

(New York- Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center/Weill Cornell Medical College) Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest and most difficult to treat cancers. Now, in a major step forward, researchers at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center have shown that administering radiation therapy prior to surgery nearly doubles survival in pancreatic cancer patients with operable tumors. »»»

(Washington University in St. Louis) Washington University in St. Louis is in the spotlight for its pivotal role in the Genomics Education Partnership (GEP), a collaborative effort to provide research experience in genomics to undergraduate classrooms across the country. The GEP currently consists of over 40 faculty members from a variety of schools, including a number of historically black and Hispanic-serving institutions. Sarah C.R. Elgin, Ph.D., Washington University Professor of Biology and Howard Hughes Medical Institute researcher heads the mission. »»»

(Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine) Researchers at the University of Toronto, faculty of medicine, Toronto, Canada, have discovered that adiponectin, a protein secreted from adipocytes, is a metabolic link that can explain, in part, the known positive relationship between obesity and both bone mineral density and reduced susceptibility to fractures. »»»

(Mayo Clinic) A Mayo Clinic study shows a majority of stroke patients don't think they're having a stroke -- and as a result -- delay seeking treatment until their condition worsens. The findings appear in the current issue of Emergency Medicine Journal. »»»

(University of California - Davis - Health System) Writing in this week's Journal of the American Medical Association, UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute researchers urge physicians to test for mutations of the fragile X gene in patients of all ages. That's because, after decades of research, it is clear that mutations in this gene cause a range of diseases, including neurodevelopmental delays and autism in children, infertility in women and neurodegenerative disease in older adults. »»»

(Academy of General Dentistry) Breath-holding spells, also known as vasovagal syncope, are characterized by a loss of consciousness and muscle tone, which typically are preceded by non-specific symptoms that last anywhere from a few seconds to a minute. These symptoms result from alterations in the nervous system that can include dizziness, lightheadedness, paleness, palpitations, nausea, sweating, hyperventilation and changes in vision. »»»

(Vanderbilt University Medical Center) To understand how the virus that caused SARS -- severe acute respiratory syndrome -- may have jumped from bats to humans, a team of investigators from Vanderbilt University Medical Center and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has generated a synthetic SARS-like bat coronavirus. The virus -- the largest replicating synthetic organism ever made -- is infectious in cultured cells and mice, the researchers report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. »»»

(University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine) Researchers have found an association between the genetics of donor-recipient matches in kidney transplants and complications during the first week after transplantation. The team has shown that small differences in the building blocks of cell-surface proteins used to match donors and recipients for deceased-donor kidney transplantation was associated with an increased risk for delayed allograft function. »»»

(American Society for Microbiology) The following are tips from the journals of the American Society for Microbiology: "New Vaccines Protect Against Asian H5N1 Influenza A Viruses in Domestic Ducks"; "Beetles May Be Source of Food-Borne Pathogens in Broiler Flocks"; and "Resistance to TB Vaccine May Be Uncommon, Protects Against Nine Strains in Mice." »»»

(University of Michigan) Hormone therapy could accentuate certain pre-existing heart disease risk factors and a heart health evaluation should become the norm when considering estrogen replacement, new research suggests. »»»

(University of Michigan) Older people who spent at least 14 hours a week taking care of a disabled spouse lived longer than others. That is the unexpected finding of a University of Michigan study forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science. »»»

(California Institute of Technology) A new "barcode chip" developed by researchers at the California Institute of Technology promises to revolutionize diagnostic medical testing. In less than 10 minutes, and using just a pinprick's worth of blood, the chip can measure the concentrations of dozens of proteins, including those that herald the presence of diseases like cancer and heart disease. »»»

(Ossur) The Disability Rights Legal Center, which for four decades has advocated for the civil rights of people with disabilities, has recognized Ossur, a trusted and leading global innovator and provider of non-invasive orthopedic products and services, with the Charles D. Siegal President's Award. »»»

(Cell Press) By manipulating the appearance of a chronically achy hand, researchers have found they could increase or decrease the pain and swelling in patients moving their symptomatic limbs. The findings -- reported in the Nov. 25 issue of Current Biology, a Cell Press publication -- reveal a profound top-down effect of body image on body tissues, according to the researchers. »»»

(Johns Hopkins University) In human relationships, a certain "spark" often governs whether we prefer one person to another. Critical first impressions can occur within seconds. Researchers have found that cell-to-cell "friendships" operate in much the same way and that dysfunctional bonding is linked to the spread of cancer. »»»

(Carnegie Mellon University) For the first time, scientists have been able to map the disruption in neural circuitry of people suffering from congenital prosopagnosia, sometimes known as face blindness, and have been able to offer a biological explanation for this intriguing disorder. Currently thought to affect roughly two percent of the population, congenital prosopagnosia manifests as the lifelong failure to recognize faces in the absence of obvious neurological damage, and in individuals with intact vision and intelligence. »»»

(Indiana University) Researchers from the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research at the Indiana University School of Medicine and Riley Hospital for Children report in the Nov. 2008 issue of the journal Antioxidants & Redox Signaling that a review of the scientific literature reveals that how endothelial progenitor cells respond to oxidantive stress appears to be a critical determinant in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system. »»»