Finding liver cancer early and reversing its course
2015-04-21
(Press-News.org) PHILADELPHIA - Liver cancer is often lethal in humans because it is diagnosed in late stages, but new work in animal models has identified a potential diagnostic biomarker of the disease and a potential way to reverse the damage done. The study will be presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2015 in Philadelphia.
Ying Fu, PhD, of Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center explains this new work:
"Hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer, remains the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide due to a lack of biomarkers for early detection and rapid fatality shortly after diagnosis.
"In this work, we demonstrate that a damaged lesion (γ-OH-Acr-dG) on a DNA base (guanine) is correlated with the development of hepatocellular carcinoma in two mouse models. It has the potential to serve as a biomarker for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.
"Furthermore, polyphenon E, a formulation of green tea extract containing antioxidant catechins (plant metabolites) showed the most potent effect to suppress the lesion. More importantly, 86 percent of the mice on the polyphenon E diet appeared to have complete protection from tumor development."
"Cancer preventive effect of antioxidants for spontaneous liver cancer in XPA(-/-) mice" will be presented Tuesday, April 21, 2015, 1:00 pm ET; poster section 34, poster 4.
INFORMATION:
About Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Georgetown University Medical Center and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, seeks to improve the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer through innovative basic and clinical research, patient care, community education and outreach, and the training of cancer specialists of the future. Georgetown Lombardi is one of only 41 comprehensive cancer centers in the nation, as designated by the National Cancer Institute (grant #P30 CA051008), and the only one in the Washington, DC area. For more information, go to http://lombardi.georgetown.edu.
About Georgetown University Medical Center
Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) is an internationally recognized academic medical center with a three-part mission of research, teaching and patient care (through MedStar Health). GUMC's mission is carried out with a strong emphasis on public service and a dedication to the Catholic, Jesuit principle of cura personalis -- or "care of the whole person." The Medical Center includes the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing & Health Studies, both nationally ranked; Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, designated as a comprehensive cancer center by the National Cancer Institute; and the Biomedical Graduate Research Organization, which accounts for the majority of externally funded research at GUMC including a Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2015-04-21
The body's immune system may be the keeper of a healthy gut microbiota, report University of Chicago scientists on April 21 in the journal Immunity. They found that a single binding protein on white blood cells could affect whether or not mice produced a balanced gut microbiota. Without the protein, harmful bacteria were more easily able to cause infection. Why this happens is unclear, but it may be that the immune system has a way to sense the presence of invading intestinal bacteria.
"Our study reveals how our body's immune system shapes the gut microbiota to naturally ...
2015-04-21
An immune cell protein, ID2, is critical for the maintenance of healthy gut microbiota and helps these good bacteria fight off harmful bacteria, report scientists from the University of Chicago. The study, published in Immunity on April 21, suggests that novel therapeutics or microbiota transplantation could be used to promote the development of good gut microbiota to indirectly kill harmful bacteria for patients with recurrent gut infection.
"Our study reveals how our body's immune system shapes the gut microbiota to naturally limit infections," says senior author Yang-Xin ...
2015-04-21
The immune system is designed to protect us from disease. But what if it was malfunctioning? Would it make a disease worse? That appears to be the case with Rett syndrome, a neurodevelopmental disorder, and possibly in other neurological disorders as well, new research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine has found.
UVA's discovery suggests that immune cells bearing a mutation in the Rett gene, MeCP2, cannot perform their normal function and are instead amplifying the disease. By identifying a new role of the immune system in the disorder, through cells ...
2015-04-21
In order to sing or speak, around one hundred different muscles in our chest, neck, jaw, tongue, and lips must work together to produce sound. Beckman researchers investigate how all these mechanisms effortlessly work together--and how they change over time.
"The fact that we can produce all sorts of sounds and we can sing is just amazing to me," said Aaron Johnson, affiliate faculty member in the Bioimaging Science and Technology Group at the Beckman Institute and assistant professor in speech and hearing science at Illinois. "Sounds are produced by the vibrations of ...
2015-04-21
COLUMBUS, Ohio - It's estimated that six out of 1,000 children worldwide are affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and 50 percent demonstrate serious and disruptive behavior, including tantrums, aggression, self-injury and noncompliance.
For children with ASD, serious disruptive behavior interrupts daily functioning and social skills development, limits their ability to benefit from education and speech therapy, can increase social isolation and intensify caregiver stress.
Luc Lecavalier and his team of researchers from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical ...
2015-04-21
In a small study that included seven children and teens with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, a rare immunodeficiency disorder, use of gene therapy resulted in clinical improvement in infectious complications, severe eczema, and symptoms of autoimmunity, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is caused by loss-of-function mutations in the WAS gene. The condition is characterized by thrombocytopenia (low platelet count), eczema, and recurring infections. In the absence of definitive treatment, patients ...
2015-04-21
In a study that included approximately 95,000 children with older siblings, receipt of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine was not associated with an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), regardless of whether older siblings had ASD, findings that indicate no harmful association between receipt of MMR vaccine and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.
Although a substantial body of research over the last 15 years has found no link between the MMR vaccine ...
2015-04-21
A 24 week parent training program, which provided specific techniques to manage disruptive behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder, resulted in a greater reduction in disruptive and noncompliant behavior compared to parent education, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects an estimated 6 per 1,000 children worldwide and is a major public health challenge. As many as 50 percent of children with ASD exhibit behavioral problems, including tantrums, noncompliance, aggression, and ...
2015-04-21
In a pilot study that included children at high risk for type 1 diabetes, daily high-dose oral insulin, compared with placebo, resulted in an immune response to insulin without hypoglycemia, findings that support the need for a phase 3 trial to determine whether oral insulin can prevent islet autoimmunity and diabetes in high-risk children, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.
A few specific proteins are often the trigger for immune responses that cause autoimmune diseases. This has led to the experimental use of antigenspecific ...
2015-04-21
The incidence of a potentially life-threatening complication of diabetes, diabetic ketoacidosis, in youth in Colorado at the time of diagnosis of type 1 diabetes increased by 55 percent between 1998 and 2012, suggesting a growing number of youth may experience delays in diagnosis and treatment, according to a study in the April 21 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on child health.
Diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) at the time of type 1 diabetes (T1D) diagnosis has detrimental long-term effects and is characterized by dangerously high blood sugar and the presence of substances in ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] Finding liver cancer early and reversing its course
