SAMe is Effective in Preventing Formation of Primary Liver Cancer in Rats

A new study investigated the effectiveness of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) in the prevention and treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or primary liver cancer. SAMe, a widely available nutritional supplement, with little known side effects, was found to be effective in preventing the formation of HCC in rats. However, high enough levels of SAMe were not attainable to successfully treat established HCC. The findings are available in the August issue of Hepatology, a journal published by John Wiley & Sons on behalf of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

Read more

New zinc research suggests novel therapeutic targets

New report in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology suggests that zinc activates a key protein on T cells needed to fight infections

Everyone knows that vitamins “from A to zinc” are important for good health. Now, a new research study in the August 2009 print issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology (http://www.jleukbio.org) suggests that zinc may be pointing the way to new therapeutic targets for fighting infections. Specifically, scientists from Florida found that zinc not only supports healthy immune function, but increases activation of the cells (T cells) responsible for destroying viruses and bacteria.

Read more

Protein level may serve as predictor of severe osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA), the most common joint disorder throughout the world and a leading cause of disability, is characterized by pain, impaired joint mobility, reduction of muscular strength and loss of joint function. Unlike most other common diseases, little is known about its origins, and factors predicting a severe disease course have not been identified. A new study, the first to establish a laboratory marker for the risk of severe OA, found that vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), was a strong predictor of hip and knee joint replacement due to severe OA. The study was published in the August issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism (http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/arthritis).

Read more

Nanoparticle-delivered ‘suicide’ genes slowed ovarian tumor growth

Nanoparticle delivery of diphtheria toxin-encoding DNA selectively expressed in ovarian cancer cells reduced the burden of ovarian tumors in mice, and researchers expect this therapy could be tested in humans within 18 to 24 months, according to a report in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Read more

First genetically-engineered malaria vaccine to enter human trials

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute scientists have created a weakened strain of the malaria parasite that will be used as a live vaccine against the disease. The vaccine, developed in collaboration with researchers from the US, Japan and Canada, will be trialled in humans from early next year.

Read more

High calcium level in arteries may signal serious heart attack risk

Researchers may be able to predict future severe cardiac events in patients with known, stable coronary artery disease (CAD) using coronary calcium scoring, according to a study published in the online edition of Radiology.

Read more

Common food dye may hold promise in treating spinal cord injury

A common food additive that gives M&Ms and Gatorade their blue tint may offer promise for preventing the additional – and serious – secondary damage that immediately follows a traumatic injury to the spinal cord. In an article published online today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report that the compound Brilliant Blue G (BBG) stops the cascade of molecular events that cause secondary damage to the spinal cord in the hours following a spinal cord injury, an injury known to expand the injured area in the spinal cord and permanently worsen the paralysis for patients.

Read more

Iron-binding drug could help diabetics heal stubborn wounds, says Stanford/Einstein study

A drug used to remove iron from the body could help doctors fight one of diabetes’ cruelest complications: poor wound healing, which can lead to amputation of patients’ toes, feet and even legs.

The drug, deferoxamine, helped diabetic mice heal small cuts 10 days faster than those who did not receive treatment, according to researchers from Stanford University School of Medicine and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The team is now working to arrange human trials for deferoxamine. If the results translate, it could help doctors combat such diabetic complications as foot ulcers, an “unmet medical need of gigantic proportions,” said Geoffrey Gurtner, MD, professor of surgery and senior author on the paper to be published Monday, July 27, in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Read more

Could therapeutic vaccines treat hard to beat breast cancers?

Study finds estrogen receptor-negative tumors have vaccine targets

A comprehensive analysis of nearly 1,600 tumor samples has found that CT-X genes are expressed in nearly half the breast cancers that lack the estrogen receptor (ER). CT-X gene products are the targets of therapeutic cancer vaccines already in phase III clinical trials for lung cancer and melanoma. The study—to be published in the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences this week—was led by the international Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research (LICR).

Read more

High blood pressure may lead to ‘silent’ strokes

“Silent” strokes, which are strokes that don’t result in any noticeable symptoms but cause brain damage, are common in people over 60, and especially in those with high blood pressure, according to a study published in the July 28, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

Read more

Next Page »