SEATTLE – A research team led by Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has discovered proteins in the blood that are associated with early lung cancer development in mice and humans. The advance brings the reality of a blood test for the early detection and diagnosis of lung cancer a step closer. The findings, by a team led by Samir Hanash, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Hutchinson Center's Molecular Diagnostics Program and member of its Public Health Sciences Division, are published online Sept. 12 ahead of the Sept. 13 print issue of Cancer Cell. "A major feature of this ...

New research shows that febrile seizures in children may be linked to respiratory alkalosis, indicated by elevated blood pH and low carbon dioxide levels caused by hyperventilation, and independent of the underlying infection severity. Febrile seizures were not observed in susceptible children with fevers brought on by gastroenteritis, suggesting that low blood pH levels (acidosis) may have a protective effect. Full findings now appear in Epilepsia, a journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). Febrile seizures ...

Sudden cardiac arrest was higher among people living in poorer neighbourhoods in several US and Canadian cities, and the disparity was particularly evident among people under age 65, found a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/site/embargo/cmaj101512.pdf. Sudden cardiac arrest accounts for up to 63% of deaths annually from cardiac diseases in the United States. Socioeconomic status is a predictor of many health-related conditions, including death and heart disease. This study examined a potential link between ...

INDIANAPOLIS – A drug now prescribed for cardiovascular problems could become a new tool in physicians' arsenals to attack certain types of leukemia that so far have evaded effective treatments, researchers say. The drug, Fasudil, has been used to treat stroke patients because it is a vasodilator, meaning it dilates blood vessels. However, its potential in leukemia emerged because its method of action is blocking the activity of a protein called Rho kinase, or ROCK. ROCK, which plays a role in a variety of cellular activities, attracted the attention of the national ...

Approximately one in five Canadians has metabolic syndrome — a combination of risk factors for diabetes and heart disease — according to a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/site/embargo/cmaj110070.pdf. Metabolic syndrome increases the risk of heart disease twofold and includes a combination of three or more of the following five conditions: abdominal obesity, high triglycerides (high blood fat), low HDL cholesterol, high blood pressure or impaired glucose tolerance. The study looked at data from cycle 1 ...

Once a cancer gains the ability to invade local tissues and spread to a distant site it becomes much harder to treat. A team of researchers, led by Min Chang and Christopher Williams, at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, has now identified the protein BVES as a suppressor of colorectal cancer progression to this dangerous state, leading them to suggest that BVES could be a therapeutic or preventative target in colorectal cancer. Cancers originating from cells covering any of the external and internal surfaces of the body (epithelial cells) are known ...

EDITOR'S PICK: BVES butts heads with colorectal cancer Once a cancer gains the ability to invade local tissues and spread to a distant site it becomes much harder to treat. A team of researchers, led by Min Chang and Christopher Williams, at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, has now identified the protein BVES as a suppressor of colorectal cancer progression to this dangerous state, leading them to suggest that BVES could be a therapeutic or preventative target in colorectal cancer. Cancers originating from cells covering any of the external and internal ...

An enzyme that appears to play a role in controlling the brain's response to nicotine and alcohol in mice might be a promising target for a drug that simultaneously would treat nicotine addiction and alcohol abuse in people, according to a study by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco. Over the course of four weeks, mice genetically engineered to lack the gene for protein kinase C (PKC) epsilon consumed less of a nicotine-containing water solution than normal mice, and were less likely ...

Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadly types of cancer. Mouse models of lung cancer recapitulate many features of the human disease and have provided new insight about cancer development, progression and treatment. Now, a new study published by Cell Press in the September 13th issue of the journal Cancer Cell identifies protein signatures in mouse blood samples that reflect lung cancer biology in humans. The research may lead to better monitoring of tumor progression as well as blood based early detection strategies for human lung cancer that could have a substantial ...

African-Americans with prehypertension develop high blood pressure a year sooner than whites, according to research reported in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association. Blacks with prehypertension also have a 35 percent greater risk of progressing to high blood pressure than whites, according to health records of 18,865 adults 18 to 85. Prehypertension is blood pressure ranging between 120/80 mm Hg and 139/89 mm Hg. Hypertension is 140/90 mm Hg or higher. Previous research has shown that coronary heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure are more ...

Even with the summer beginning to wind down, dental patients from Torrance, CA are finding a new reason to smile this fall. Torrance cosmetic dentist, Dr. Mondavi, and his staff have begun utilizing cutting edge techniques to offer patients the brightest, straightest, and healthiest smiles of their lives. Many have come to fret and obsess over the appearance of their teeth. A beautiful smile will lead to confidence that will follow an individual around everywhere that they go. On the opposite end of the spectrum, those who feel as if their teeth are not as bright or ...

Houston, TX – Women with a deleterious gene mutation are diagnosed with breast cancer almost eight years earlier than relatives of the previous generation who also had the disease and/or ovarian cancer, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. The findings, published online in Cancer and updated since first presented at the 2009 Breast Cancer Symposium, could have an impact on how women at highest risk for the disease are counseled and even screened in the future, explained Jennifer Litton, M.D., assistant professor in MD Anderson's ...

Researchers at USC were surprised recently to discover just how much the rising and setting of the sun drives life on Earth – even in unexpected places. Their findings, which appear this month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "speak volumes to the evolution of life on Earth," according to USC scientist Andrew Y. Gracey. "Everything is tied to the rotation of the planet," he said. In all organisms, a certain amount of gene expression (the process by which products are created from the blueprint contained in genes) is rhythmic. In creatures ...

Researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, have discovered a substance that has an adverse effect on nearly all types of chemotherapy - making cancer cells insensitive to the treatment. Chemotherapy often loses effectiveness over time. It is often unclear how or why this happens. It now appears that chemotherapy is made ineffective by two types of fatty acid that are made by stem cells in the blood. Under the influence of cisplatin chemotherapy, the stem cells secrete these fatty acids that induce resistance to a broad spectrum of chemotherapies. ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- When countries try to work together to limit the effects of climate change, the fear of being the only nation reducing greenhouse gas emissions – while the others enjoy the benefits with no sacrifice – can bring cooperation to a grinding halt. In a commentary in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Thomas Dietz, professor of sociology and environmental science and policy and assistant vice president for environmental research at MSU, and Jinhua Zhao, director of the MSU Environmental Science and Policy Program ...

Researchers from Mount Sinai School of Medicine have for the first time used several imaging techniques to prove the efficacy of a promising new treatment for atherosclerosis—the build-up of plaque in artery walls that can lead to a heart attack. Using positron-emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the research team showed that dalcetrapib, a novel treatment for atherosclerosis, prevented the progression of disease and reduced vascular inflammation over 24 months. The data are published in the September 12 issue of The ...

EVANSTON, Ill. --- A new Northwestern University study provides compelling evidence that human males are biologically wired to care for their offspring, conclusively showing for the first time that fatherhood lowers a man's testosterone levels. The effect is consistent with what is observed in many other species in which males help take care of dependent offspring. Testosterone boosts behaviors and other traits that help a male compete for a mate. After they succeed and become fathers, "mating-related" activities may conflict with the responsibilities of fatherhood, ...

CHICAGO – Among patients who have had an ischemic stroke, use of cholesterol-lowering statin medications is not associated with subsequent intracerebral hemorrhage (bleeding in the brain), according to a report published Online First by Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. According to background information in the article, after stroke or transient ischemic attack, patients are at increased risk for recurrent events. Results from the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Lowering of Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) trial and the Heart Protection Study (HPS) ...

CHICAGO – Intranasal insulin therapy appears to provide some benefit for cognitive function in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease, according to a report published Online First today by Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. According to background information in the article, insulin plays a role in a number of functions of the central nervous system. "The importance of insulin in normal brain function is underscored by evidence that insulin dysregulation contributes to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer disease (AD), ...

CHICAGO – Many U.S. adults believe that only extremely effective drugs without serious adverse effects are approved, but providing explanations to patients highlighting uncertainties about drug benefits may affect their choices, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The article is part of the journal's Less Is More series. Approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not necessarily ensure that a drug has a large or important benefit, or that all serious adverse effects of the ...

CHICAGO – Long-term use of nonaspirin anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) is associated with an increased risk of renal cell cancer (RCC), according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. According to background information in the article, in the United States, kidney cancer is the seventh leading type of cancer among men and the ninth leading type of cancer among women. The most common type of kidney cancer, renal cell cancer, accounts for 85 percent of all cases. Analgesics (pain-relieving medications) are ...

CHICAGO – An association has been found between infection associated with cardiovascular implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) and increases in mortality and hospital care costs, according to a report published Online First by Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The article is part of the journal's Health Care Reform series. Therapy with CIEDs, which include pacemakers, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy/defibrillator devices, can reduce illness and death rates in appropriately selected patients, ...

Skin Solutions Medical Spa has been serving the Denver Metro area for the past 15 years and was recently nominated for Denver 7's A-List as Denver's best Medical Spa. The spa stands out in the community by providing the highest level of customer service while producing state-of-the-art cosmetic procedures and aesthetic treatments that are safe and effective. The announcement of Express Rejuvenation Day shows the spa's commitment to provide even more quality to their clients and community. Skin Solutions Medical Spa's new Express Rejuvenation Day was driven by the demand ...

A new set of harmonized guidelines for the management of risk factors for cardiovascular disease will make it much easier for physicians to care for their patients, according to the authors of the C-CHANGE guidelines published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/site/embargo/cmaj101508.pdf. The Canadian Cardiovascular Harmonized National Guideline Endeavour (C-CHANGE) Initiative harmonized and integrated more than 400 separate recommendations from 8 sets of guidelines into one comprehensive but simplified resource. ...

Young children who watch fast-paced, fantastical television shows may become handicapped in their readiness for learning, according to a new University of Virginia study published in the October issue of the journal Pediatrics. U.Va. psychologists tested 4-year-old children immediately after they had watched nine minutes of the popular show "SpongeBob SquarePants" and found that their executive function – the ability to pay attention, solve problems and moderate behavior – had been severely compromised when compared to 4-year-olds who had either watched nine minutes of ...