PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Our normal genetics may influence cancer growth, too

2010-11-11
(Press-News.org) COLUMBUS, Ohio – The genes we possess not only determine the color of our eyes and hair and how our bodies grow, they might also influence the changes that occur in tumors when we develop cancer. A study by researchers at the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center-Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) suggests that our normal genetic background – the genetic variations that we inherit – contributes to the kinds of DNA changes that occur in tumor cells as cancer develops. The researchers compared multiple independent tumors from people with a form of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) for losses and gains of DNA in tumor cells. They found that the pattern of these changes is quite similar in tumors from the same person but quite different in tumors from different individuals. The findings, published in a recent issue of PLoS Genetics, may offer a new way to identify individuals at greater risk for developing cancer, the researchers say. "Our data strongly support the idea that an individual's normal genetic constitution can strongly influence the genetic changes that occur when a person develops cancer," says study leader Amanda Toland, assistant professor of medicine and a specialist in the genetics of cancer susceptibility at the OSUCCC – James. "They may also provide another strategy to identify genetic variations within healthy individuals that may increase their odds of developing cancer," she adds. Toland and her collaborators analyzed 222 SCC tumors from 135 organ transplant recipients, who as a group are 65 to 250 times more likely to develop SCC than people in the general population. The researchers examined three or more separate tumors from 25 of these individuals. They compared the genetic profiles of tumors from the same individual with those from other individuals for DNA copy number changes. They found that the changes in SCCs from the same patient were statistically similar but significantly different when compared with other patients. They also found that in some cases a particular kind of genetic change is preferentially selected in tumors from the same individual. "Overall," Toland says, "our findings provide strong evidence that an individual's genetic background plays a key role in driving the changes that occur in tumors during cancer development." INFORMATION:

Funding from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases and the American Cancer Society supported this research.

Other researchers involved in this study were Amy M. Dworkin, Dawn C. Allain and

O. Hans Iwenofu of Ohio State University; Katie Ridd, Ritu Roy and Boris C. Bastian of University of California San Francisco; and Dianne Bautista, Singapore Clinical Research Institute, Singapore.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study clarifies needs of rural-dwelling elderly

2010-11-11
A novel project set in a rural community near Rochester, N.Y., to screen elderly people for unmet needs showed that, indeed, there is a great opportunity to match older adults with professional assistance. This new model of care for rural-dwelling adults is described this month in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. The University of Rochester Medical Center, Livingston County Department of Health and Office for the Aging, and the Genesee Valley Health Partnership collaborated to create this program, called Livingston Help for Seniors. In one instance, ...

CWRU nurse researcher finds prescribed bed rest has down side for pregnant women

2010-11-11
Despite lack of evidence about bed rest's effectiveness, doctors annually prescribe it for roughly 1 million pregnant women to delay preterm births. Judith Maloni, professor at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University, said a comprehensive review of more than 70 evidence-based research articles challenges whether this is healthy for mothers — or their babies. She makes her report in the article, "Antepartum Bed Rest for Pregnancy Complications: Efficacy and Safety for Preventing Preterm Birth," in the special women's health issue ...

Analysis shows stress on clinicians can be effectively measured

2010-11-11
CINCINNATI—It's no surprise that being a physician is a very stressful job and carries a lot of responsibility with it. But two new studies from researchers at the University of Cincinnati (UC) indicate that the stressors arising from work in the clinic, where physicians are seeing patients one-on-one, can effectively be measured with hopes of improving patient care and physician job satisfaction. Ronnie Horner, PhD, and C. Jeff Jacobson, PhD, both researchers in the department of public health sciences, say their studies, published in online editions of the journal ...

ASN leads efforts to address growing crisis in kidney care

2010-11-11
An estimated 26 million people, 13% of the United States population, are living with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), and this number continues to grow. If current trends continue, there will not be enough doctors to serve this expanding patient population. To help address this crisis, the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) is convening a Summit on the Nephrology Workforce during its upcoming ASN Renal Week 2010 in Denver, Colorado, on November 17. Participants will discuss this crisis, its implications, and strategies to increase the number of kidney disease doctors in ...

Putting the spotlight on membranous nephropathy

2010-11-11
The Halpin Foundation and the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) proudly highlight the research advances in membranous nephropathy made possible by The Halpin Foundation-ASN Research Grant, created to help young faculty develop independent research careers. This award provides recipients transition funding toward successful application for an NIH RO1 grant. Elena Torban, PhD (McGill University Faculty of Medicine), the 2008 recipient of The Halpin Foundation-ASN Research Grant, recently explained, "The generous financial two-year support provided by The Halpin Foundation ...

Team colors on cans change perceptions of alcohol risks, MU study finds

2010-11-11
COLUMBIA, Mo. ¬— Underage and heavy drinking on college campuses continue to be issues for college administrators. While some campuses, such as the University of Missouri, have made strides in efforts to reduce heavy drinking on campus, administrators are continually trying to educate students about the risks of excessive drinking. Now, two MU psychologists have found that students who viewed images of beer cans packaged and displayed in university colors believed that drinking beer was less dangerous than those students who saw images of regular beer cans. "In this research, ...

University of Minnesota leads team in discovery of novel type of magnetic wave

2010-11-11
A team of international researchers led by physicists in the University of Minnesota's College of Science and Engineering have made a significant breakthrough in an effort to understand the phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity in complex copper-oxides—one of the most studied scientific topics in history. The University of Minnesota researchers and their international colleagues from Germany, France and China report the discovery of a novel type of magnetic wave involving oxygen atoms. The new findings could have implications for improving superconducting ...

NIH scientists unveil mechanisms of immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome

2010-11-11
WHAT: Newly published research by scientists at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, sheds light on a poorly understood, acute illness called Immune Reconstitution Inflammatory Syndrome (IRIS) that develops in some HIV-infected individuals soon after they begin antiretroviral therapy. IRIS affects certain HIV-infected individuals whose immune systems are heavily damaged by the virus and who have a treated or undiagnosed AIDS-associated infection. When these individuals start antiretroviral therapy and ...

Cassini's CIRS reveals Saturn is on a cosmic dimmer switch

Cassinis CIRS reveals Saturn is on a cosmic dimmer switch
2010-11-11
Like a cosmic light bulb on a dimmer switch, Saturn emitted gradually less energy each year from 2005 to 2009, according to observations by NASA's Cassini spacecraft. But unlike an ordinary bulb, Saturn's southern hemisphere consistently emitted more energy than its northern one. On top of that, energy levels changed with the seasons and differed from the last time a spacecraft visited in the early 1980s. These never-before-seen trends came from an analysis of comprehensive data from the Composite Infrared Spectrometer (CIRS), an instrument built by NASA's Goddard Space ...

Primordial dry ice fuels comet jets

Primordial dry ice fuels comet jets
2010-11-11
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – One of the biggest comet findings coming out of the amazing images and data taken by the University of Maryland-led EPOXI mission as it zipped past comet Hartley 2 last week is that dry ice is the 'jet' fuel for this comet and perhaps many others. Images from the flyby show spectacular jets of gas and particles bursting from many distinct spots on the surface of the comet. This is the first time images of a comet have been sharp enough to allow scientists to link jets of dust and gas with specific surface features. Analysis of the spectral signatures ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

QUT scientists create material to turn waste heat into clean power

Major new report sets out how to tackle the ‘profound and lasting impact’ of COVID-19 on cardiovascular health

Cosmic crime scene: White dwarf found devouring Pluto-like icy world

Major report tackles Covid’s cardiovascular crisis head-on

A third of licensed GPs in England not working in NHS general practice

ChatGPT “thought on the fly” when put through Ancient Greek maths puzzle

Engineers uncover why tiny particles form clusters in turbulent air

GLP-1RA drugs dramatically reduce death and cardiovascular risk in psoriasis patients

Psoriasis linked to increased risk of vision-threatening eye disease, study finds

Reprogramming obesity: New drug from Italian biotech aims to treat the underlying causes of obesity

Type 2 diabetes may accelerate development of multiple chronic diseases, particularly in the early stages, UK Biobank study suggests

Resistance training may improve nerve health, slow aging process, study shows

Common and inexpensive medicine halves the risk of recurrence in patients with colorectal cancer

SwRI-built instruments to monitor, provide advanced warning of space weather events

Breakthrough advances sodium-based battery design

New targeted radiation therapy shows near-complete response in rare sarcoma patients

Does physical frailty contribute to dementia?

Soccer headers and brain health: Study finds changes within folds of the brain

Decoding plants’ language of light

UNC Greensboro study finds ticks carrying Lyme disease moving into western NC

New implant restores blood pressure balance after spinal cord injury

New York City's medical specialist advantage may be an illusion, new NYU Tandon research shows

Could a local anesthetic that doesn’t impair motor function be within reach?

1 in 8 Italian cetacean strandings show evidence of fishery interactions, with bottlenose and striped dolphins most commonly affected, according to analysis across four decades of data and more than 5

In the wild, chimpanzees likely ingest the equivalent of several alcoholic drinks every day

Warming of 2°C intensifies Arctic carbon sink but weakens Alpine sink, study finds

Bronze and Iron Age cultures in the Middle East were committed to wine production

Indian adolescents are mostly starting their periods at an earlier age than 25 years ago

Temporary medical centers in Gaza known as "Medical Points" (MPs) treat an average of 117 people daily with only about 7 staff per MP

Rates of alcohol-induced deaths among the general population nearly doubled from 1999 to 2024

[Press-News.org] Our normal genetics may influence cancer growth, too