Half-broken Gene Is Enough To Cause Cancer

clipped from www.sciencedaily.com ScienceDaily (Nov. 10, 2008) — Tumour suppressor genes do not necessarily require both alleles to be knocked out before disease phenotypes are expressed. Research published in BioMed Central's new open access journal PathoGenetics reveals that only one allele of SMAD4 has to be damaged to put a person at risk of pancreatic and colorectal cancer. Riccardo Fodde led a team of researchers from Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, who investigated SMAD4, a tumor suppressor gene implicated in pancreatic and colorectal cancer. They found that having one mutated SMAD4 allele was associated with the development of gastrointestinal polyps. This research is the first to address the molecular and cellular consequences of SMAD4 damage on a genome-wide scale. Ballabio said, "PathoGenetics will give scientists a unique opportunity to publish exciting research on the molecular mechanisms underlying the manifestations of disease phenotype".

Souped-up immune cells catch even disguised HIV

clipped from www.newsdaily.com WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2008 (Reuters) — Genetically engineered immune cells can spot the AIDS virus even when it tries to disguise itself, offering a potential new way to treat the incurable infection, researchers reported on Sunday. The killer T-cells, dubbed "assassin" cells, were able to recognize other cells infected by HIV and slow the spread of the virus in lab dishes. If the approach works in people, it might provide a new route of treating infection with the deadly human immunodeficiency virus, the researchers in the United States and Britain said. In a second, unrelated report, researchers testing Dutch biotechnology firm Crucell NV's experimental AIDS vaccine said it prevented infection in six monkeys. "In the face of our engineered assassin cells, the virus will either die or be forced to change its disguises again, weakening itself along the way," added Andy Sewell of Britain's Cardiff University. They plan to test the T-cell treatment in HIV patients next year.

Mental Health: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

We all could use more information about how childhood illnesses may cause long term problems in adults....maybe our parents mistakes ( concerning our upbringing ) didn't cause us to go crazy....maybe the unhappiness of our adult lives caused us to develop OCD.

clipped from www.webmd.com Mental Health: Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder What Causes Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder? Although the exact cause of OCD is not fully understood, studies have shown that a combination of biological and environmental factors may be involved. Biological Factors: Research has found a link between low levels of one neurotransmitter -- called serotonin -- and the development of OCD. In addition, there is evidence that a serotonin imbalance may be passed on from parents to children. This means the tendency to develop OCD may be inherited. Studies also have found a link between a certain type of infection caused by the Streptococcus bacteria and OCD. This infection, if recurrent and untreated, may lead to the development of OCD and other disorders in children. Environmental Factors: There are environmental stressors that can trigger OCD in people with a tendency toward developing the condition. These factors include: Abuse Changes in living situation Relationship concerns

Yet Even MORE Good News Re Omega-3 Fish Oils

clipped from www.naturalnews.com Omega-3-Rich Fish Oils Reduce Weight Gain in Animal Study A diet that contains fish oil rich in omega-3 fatty acids may help the body metabolize fat better and thereby gain less weight, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Kao Corporation in Tochigi, Japan, and published in the Journal of Nutrition. Researchers took mice that had been bred with a predisposition to obesity and fed them a high-fat diet (containing 30 percent of its calories from fat) for five months. Half of the animals had this diet supplemented with 8 percent fish oil. The mice whose diet had been supplemented with fish oil showed greater activity of several genes related to the metabolism of fats, including carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1a, cytochrome P450 4A10, and malic enzyme. The supplemented mice also showed greater activity of enzymes related to metabolism. University of South Australia found that overweight adults reduced their fat mass by approximately 1.5 kilograms omega-3 fatty acids

Genes Influence Whether Antidepressants Work

clipped from psychcentral.com Genes Influence Antidepressant Effectiveness clipped from psychcentral.com Wednesday, Jul 16 (Psych Central) -- A new study suggests variations in the serotonin transporter gene could explain why some people with depression respond better than others to treatment with citalopram (Celexa), an antidepressant medication. Researchers examined the serotonin transporter gene, or SLC6A4, in 1,914 study participants. The study showed that two variations in this gene have a direct bearing on how individuals might respond to citalopram. SLC6A4 produces a protein that plays an important role in achieving an antidepressant response. Pharmacogenetics, the study of how people’s genetic makeup affects their response to medications, could improve patient outcomes by matching patients with the right drug from the start rather than endure the arduous process of trial and error.

Anti-Aging Supplements Vitamins C and E Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's

clipped from www.dailyme.com Anti-Aging Supplements Vitamins C and E Reduce Risk of Alzheimer's If the incidence of Alzheimer's continues to increase at the current rate more than 81 million people worldwide will be suffering from the disease by 2040. However, according to a recent study, the risk of developing the disease may be significantly reduced by a combination of vitamins E and C and ibuprofen. Feelgoodforlife.com provides additional information on which anti-aging supplements help Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia. The current study, as reported by Arkansasmatters.com, found that the combination of vitamins E and C and ibuprofen is especially effective for those carrying the Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) gene variant known as ApoE4, which has been identified as a genetic risk factor for about 40% of those suffering from Alzheimer's

Babies Think Like Adults

clipped from www.mostphotos.com clipped from news.yahoo.com Like adults, babies can remember more things by grouping objects together, a new study found The finding shows short term memory in babies works similarly to that in adults, who routinely break information into chunks to remember more of it. The discovery indicates that this memory-boosting trick does not seem to be learned, but may be an innate human ability. Adults break down phone numbers, social security numbers, and even grocery lists into smaller bits to more easily remember them. Researchers have wondered whether this was a technique we pick up over time, or if it is fundamentally built into href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/livescience/sc_livescience/storytext/babiesthinklikeadults/28232200/SIG=11mi4cruj/*http://www.livescience.com/health/050517_memory.html">class=yshortcuts id=lw_1216082436_0>our memory system. "Our results say you don't need to be explicitly taught these strategies "If babies, who don't have a lot of language ability and haven't been instructed in the task, can just show they can do this, that tells us this is a very early-developing feature of memory. It tells us that this is something fundamental about the href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/livescience/sc_livescience/storytext/babiesthinklikeadults/28232200/SIG=13qb9m65m/*http://www.livescience.com/health/070409_memory_overload.htmlhttp:/www.livescience.com/health/050209_under_pressure.html">class=yshortcuts id=lw_1216082436_3>architecture of memory in the brain."

clipped from www.cnn.com Panel urges stricter diabetes drug testing WASHINGTON (AP) -- Diabetes drugs would be subject to more stringent safety standards that could cost manufacturers millions of dollars, under recommendations made Wednesday by a government panel. Advisers to the Food and Drug Administration voted 14-2 that all new diabetes drugs should undergo longer studies to assure they don't increase risks of heart problems. The FDA is not required to follow the panel's advise, though it often does. If the recommendation is adopted, development of diabetes drugs would become longer and more expensive, since it can cost tens of millions of dollars to perform long-term studies that track heart problems in thousands of patients. Nearly 24 million Americans have Type 2 diabetes, which can lead to kidney failure, blindness and heart disease.

Tomatoes vs Alzheimer's Disease

clipped from www.sciencedaily.com The humble tomato could be a suitable carrier for an oral vaccine against Alzheimer’s disease Although their research is still in the early stages, it is a promising first step towards finding an edible vaccine against the neurodegenerative disease. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia and it progresses over a long period of time. It is thought to be caused by the accumulation of human beta-amyloid, a toxic insoluble fibrous protein in the brain, which leads to the death of neurons. Reducing the accumulation of beta-amyloid may inhibit the degeneration of the nervous system and therefore prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. One approach is to stimulate the immune system to reduce beta-amyloid in the brain. Tomatoes are an attractive candidate as a vaccine carrier because they can be eaten without heat treatment, which reduces the risk of destroying the immune stimulation potential of the foreign protein.

Cancer Death Rate Drop Tied to Education Levels

clipped from www.reuters.com clipped from www.reuters.com Declines in death rates from the four leading types of cancer in the United States since the early 1990s have been driven largely by progress among college-educated men and women The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, was the latest to illustrate how a person's health can be closely tied to socioeconomic factors such as education and income level. Researchers at the American Cancer Society and Emory University in Atlanta calculated death rates for lung, breast, prostate and colorectal cancer by level of education among U.S. blacks and whites ages 25 to 64 for 1993 through 2001. Death rates for each of these types of cancer decreased from 1993 to 2001 in men and women with at least 16 years of education -- a college degree -- except for lung cancer among black women, for whom death rates were stable, they found. Death rates among people with less than 12 years of education increased for lung cancer in white women and for colon cancer in black men

Stroke Prevention

clipped from www.earthtimes.org Ultrasound can detect clogged neck arteries and prevent strokes Hamburg - Detecting clogged arteries in time could prevent many strokes, some 60 per cent of which originate not in the brain but in the neck arteries and heart, according to the German Society for Ultrasound in Medicine (DEGUM) in Hamburg. People at increased risk of arterial disease, including those with a family history of the disorder, people with high blood pressure, and diabetics, should therefore be examined regularly by a physician, DEGUM noted. It said the extent of blockage in an artery could be detected by ultrasound, a procedure that had no side effects and could be repeated any number of times.

An Aspirin a day may keep osteoporosis at bay

Here ya go .... healthy mice sans osteoporosis!

clipped from www.cbc.ca An Aspirin a day may keep osteoporosis at bay: study Aspirin may become the newest tool in the battle against osteoporosis, suggests new research. Researchers at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry tested the effects of Aspirin on mice, and found it prevented improper bone resorption. Researchers at the University of Southern California School of Dentistry tested the effects of Aspirin on mice, and found it prevented improper bone resorption — the process by which bone turns over and releases minerals. It also prevented the death of bone-forming stem cells. In osteoporosis, bone turns over more than it is rebuilt, leading to brittle, easily fractured bones.

Older men told to 'use it or lose it'

Other factors that contribute to erectile dysfunction that were taken into account include include age diabetes, and heart disease. Blood is retained by a muscle that stops blood from being returned to the body during arousal. Perhaps without regular exercise it is more inclined to lose its grip on the blood vessels.
How being caught by surprise affected function, was not mentioned

clipped from www.abc.net.au There's new advice for older men who want to preserve their sexual function: have sex, and have it often, The study, published in the American Journal of Medicine, followed nearly 1000 older Finnish men for five years, and reports that those who were regularly having sex at the start of the study were at lower risk of developing erectile dysfunction (ED) Dr Juha Koskimaki and colleagues at the University of Tampere in Finland studied 989 men who were between the ages of 55 and 75 8% of men who had reported having sexual intercourse less than once per week had ED 3.2% of men who had intercourse once per week ED among men having sexual intercourse three or more times per week was 1.6%. ED occurs when there are problems with blood flow to the penis. Regular sexual activity may help maintain healthy blood vessel function in the erectile tissue. A number of factors contribute to ED development after taking account of those factors, sexual activity itself remained linked to ED risk

Scientists find malaria's 'sticky' genes

The understanding of the malaria parasite, which seems to behave in a similar way to a virus, can help the development of new treatment methods, both in the stage that causes the disease in humans, and the phase in which it is carried by the intermediate host, the Anopheles mosquito. Research is also continuing into the genes behind the immune system of the mosquito, which actively fights against the malaria parasite.

clipped from www.abc.net.au Stephen Pincock Australian scientists have identified a potential new way of combating the global scourge of malaria, by pinpointing eight genes that help the disease-causing parasite remodel our red blood cells. Malaria kills up to three million people every year, mostly in tropical parts of the world. The disease is spread by mosquitoes that inject victims with microscopic parasites that infect healthy red blood cells parasites cause radical changes to the structure of the blood cells, hijacking them to produce scores of offspring that go on to infect other cells "It's like remodeling a house so you can live in it and raise a family," said researcher Professor Alan Cowman from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research His group's research will be published this week in the journal Cell. When the team disrupted just one of the genes, they showed that the infected cells no longer stuck to the walls of blood vessels "It really is a big step in understanding the parasite itself,"

Researchers identify cancer preventive properties in common vitamin supplement

RESVERATROL I think that I would be incorporating this into my diet straight away, if I was from a family with a history of breast cancer. If it is not what they hope, you won't be much worse off financially.

clipped from www.eurekalert.org PHILADELPHIA – Early laboratory research has shown that resveratrol, a common dietary supplement, suppresses the abnormal cell formation that leads to most types of breast cancer, suggesting a potential role for the agent in breast cancer prevention. Resveratrol is a natural substance found in red wine and red grapes. It is sold in extract form as a dietary supplement at most major drug stores. "Resveratrol has the ability to prevent the first step that occurs when estrogen starts the process that leads to cancer by blocking the formation of the estrogen DNA adducts. We believe that this could stop the whole progression that leads to breast cancer down the road," said Eleanor G. Rogan, Ph.D., a professor in the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer and Allied Diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Rogan was the lead author of the report that was published in the July 2008 issue of Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Breast Cancer

clipped from www.sciencedaily.com When tumor cells acquire the capacity to move around and invade other tissues, there is a risk of metastases and cancer treatment becomes more difficult. The basement membrane around the mammary gland is a barrier to the spread of cancer cells. Three proteins in the tumor cells transport enzymes needed to perforate this barrier, and another protein puts these enzymes in the right place. Tissues are generally formed by cells arranged side by side. Epithelial cells cover an outer surface, such as the skin or an organ such as the mammary gland, and remain tightly bound together. This cohesion is vital to the body’s functioning, and the epithelial cells remain in position in their original tissue until they die. Sometimes, though, they detach and move away, and while such migration is essential during embryonic development as cells give rise to new tissues, when tumor cells break loose this often heralds the formation of metastases.

clipped from www.huffingtonpost.com How Meditation Affects Your Body It turns out peaceful thoughts really can influence our bodies, right down to the instructions we receive from our DNA, according to a new study. took blood samples from a group of 19 people who habitually meditated or prayed for years, and 19 others who never meditated. the meditating group suppressed more than twice the number of stress-related genes -- about 1,000 of them -- than the nonmeditating group. Over long periods of time, these stress responses can worsen high blood pressure, pain syndromes and other conditions. The nonmeditating group then spent 10 minutes a day for eight weeks training in relaxation techniques that involved repeating a prayer, thought, sound, phrase or movement. What this does is to break the train of everyday thought -- you no longer have stressful thoughts and because of that the body is able to return to a healthy state By the end of the training, novice meditating group was also suppressing stress-related genes at lower levels

Can't Remember Anything? Skip the Junk Food

clipped from psychcentral.com Unhealthy Meal May Trigger Memory Decline clipped from psychcentral.com An intriguing new area of research links adults with type 2 diabetes, unhealthy high-fat meals and memory decline. According to background information in the new study, there is growing evidence linking diabetes to cognitive complications in humans. Adults with type 2 diabetes are especially vulnerable to acute meal-induced memory deficits after eating unhealthy foods. Type 2 diabetes is associated with chronic oxidative stress, a major contributor to cognitive decline and Alzheimer disease. Participants who ate the high fat meal without vitamin supplements showed significantly more forgetfulness of words and paragraph information in immediate and time delay recall tests, relative to those who had the water meal or the meal with antioxidant vitamins. Researchers found that vitamin supplementation consistently improved recall scores relative to the meal alone.