Targeted therapy for lung cancer patients shows promise in extending lives
... This combination therapy is better at focusing on abnormal signals that drive cancer cells, while sparing mor...to divide at an accelerated rate, which allows the abnormal cancer cells to grow and spread. "We hope that doing molecular profiling on each patient's tumor wil...New technique images gene expression in mice
...s is a fatal genetic pulmonary disease that causes abnormal mucus to accumulate in the lungs and digestive system. Affecting approximately 30,000 Americans, cystic fibrosis afflicts mostly children and, at one time, took its victims in their teens. Researchers have come a long way in treating the symptoms of ...Scientists discover new role for tiny RNA in plant development
... of a loss of miR164 regulation. Researchers found abnormal development of leaves and flowers in both mutants. When miR164 regulation of a target gene was absent, plants produced the wrong number of organs. For example, flowers tended to contain too many petals and too few sepals, the husk-like coverings that...Brain development and puberty may be key factors in learning disorders
...y of characteristics that have been observed to be abnormal in individuals with learning problems," said Wright. What she and Zecker are proposing is a very testable hypothesis that can be applied to a wide range of existing data. "If people start finding more evidence consistent with this hypothesis it wil...Antioxidants during pregnancy may help prevent birth defects tied to alcohol
... are then monitored for evidence of cell death and abnormal development."Using this method, we also showed that SOD can diminish ethanol-induced cell death and subsequent malformations," Chen said. As to the new study, Sulik said, the implications apply directly to people with alcoholism."The nutri...Lupus Research Institute awards $3 million in novel research grants to further new science in lupus
...orating with a cardiology group at UCLA, has found abnormal HDL cholesterol in some lupus patients, which promotes the oxidation of low density fats (OxLDL), leading to atherosclerosis. The LRI grant will allow Dr. Hahn to explore the abnormalities in HDL in lupus patients and determine their correlations wi...Abnormal chromosomes forecast leukemia relapse
...te myeloid leukemia (AML) who enter remission with abnormal chromosomes in bone marrow cells are twice as vuln...ge group of patients that someone with AML who has abnormal chromosomes early during remission will relapse, even if blood counts and other parameters are favor...Study finds first evidence COX-2 enzymes can regulate DNA damage
...uld have time to degrade into genotoxins but under abnormal circumstances such as oxidative stress, degradation could take place. Dr. Blair says these studies provide the first hint that COX-2 enzymes are responsible for DNA damage and that inhibition of this damage may be important for preventing c...UNC scientists uncover crucial mechanism for blood vessel development
...n development and function. It also contributes to abnormal conditions, particularly tumor formation and growth. Angiogenesis begins with the establishment of an intricately branched rudimentary network called the vascular plexus, which is assembled from blood vessel precursor cells. This is followed by incre...Scientists discover molecular target for treatment of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
... inhibited by TAL1/SC1 in mice, the mice exhibited abnormal immune (T cell) development, and most eventually developed leukemia. The researchers also showed that TAL1/SCL silences gene expression by recruiting a histone deacetylase (HDAC) repressor complex, and in fact, HDAC inhibitors were very effective at...UCLA researchers recreate patterns formed by mammalian cells
...n association of warfarin with birth defects. "The abnormal cell pattern resulting from adding warfarin, may give researchers some insight into how birth defects develop," said Garfinkel. The next step, Garfinkel added, is to generate more complex patterns by adjusting the ratios of the two proteins BMP-2 a...Study of proteins offers insights into organization of biological networks
...ers of partner proteins. Researchers theorize that abnormal versions of hub proteins are especially influential in the development of cancer and other genetic diseases. Physicist Albert-Laszlo Barabasi of the University of Notre Dame, for example, has used computer modeling to discover that removing hubs from...Gene mutation causes progressive changes to cell structure in children with Progeria
...heir nuclear structure and function, reflecting an abnormal accumulation of the defective Lamin A protein. Very similar changes were seen in normal human cells from both children and elderly persons treated with the defective Lamin A. These researchers now believe that as Progeria cells age, there are sign...Obesity and hypertension: Two epidemics or one?
... the risk for the development of hypertension. The abnormal deposition of fat may also contribute to the BP raising effect of weight gain and the accompanying cardiac, vascular, and renal dysfunction. This comprehensive review reveals that there is much we do know about the association between high blood pre...Loss of circadian genes results in epilepsy
...EF gene even TEF single knockout mice - show some abnormal EEG activities, but these only develop into generalized (and frequently lethal) seizures when the other two PAR bZip transcription factors are also lacking. Further work by Dr. Schibler and colleagues revealed that the cause of these epilept...U. Iowa muscular dystrophy discovery may lead to new treatment approaches
...Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator, showed that abnormal glycosylation disrupts alpha-dystroglycan's ability to interact with other proteins and leads to muscle degeneration and brain defects in these muscular dystrophies. LARGE protein is mutated in patients with congenital muscular dystrophy 1D. In the N...Study links diabetes and colorectal cancer
...augments the increasing evidence of a link between abnormal glucose metabolism and increased colorectal cancer risk," Khaw said. "Earlier research posited a relationship between insulin resistance, glucose and colon cancer, on the basis of the fact that insulin promotes the growth of colon cells and colon tu...Albany high school student adds to understanding of breast cancer gene
...ty to suppress tumors. "Some women inherit abnormal forms of BRCA-1 and are at an increased risk of de... breast or ovarian cancer," she said. The abnormal forms of the gene result in a protein form of BRCA-1 that contains amino acid substitutions that dif...Single gene mutation muddying Parkinson's risk forecasts
...the risk for your child? If your mate doesn't have abnormal genes, you would say your risk is very low." But the study "raises questions about how you would interpret any gene testing," he added. "It makes counseling basically impossible." Although parkin mutations are the most commonly identified cause of Pa...Molecular marker predicts success of breast cancer treatment
...of normal breast cells, but can also stimulate the abnormal and unregulated cell growth associated with breast cancer. Unfortunately, nearly 40% of breast cancer patients fail to respond to tamoxifen or eventually become resistant to treatment, and there is no reliable way to predict treatment outcome. Dr. De...