Novel p53 gene-based therapy boosts immune system and reduces tumor size
...emotherapy. Introgen, the independent company that makes the drug, develops biopharmaceutical products designed to induce therapeutic proteins for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Introgen holds a licensing agreement with M. D. Anderson to commercialize products based on licensed technologies, a...Cell marker identifies patients who are more likely to respond to taxol
...tonio Breast Cancer Symposium meeting. The finding makes sense because tau promotes the assembly of microtubules, which provide structure to the cell and help it divide. Taxol works by binding to microtubules to form an inappropriately stable structure which ultimately leads to cell death. "In the absence ...Scientists stalk PPAR-gamma, find novel cancer connection
... that this type of cancer expresses a protein that makes it an easy target for an existing class of diabetes drugs. After more investigation, they hope the discovery will lead to a new, targeted therapy for myeloma patients. "To our knowledge, this is the first time anyone has shown that multiple myeloma...New technique scans electrical 'brainscape'
...But an ensemble of neurons resolves that noise and makes neuronal output stable." The technique will be important for studying both the different states of the healthy brain and the pathology of neurological disorders, said Nicolelis. "For example, we can analyze brain activit...Tumor size alone not always best for gauging treatment response
...nges such as how the tumor processes the fuel that makes it grow, but CT can indirectly reveal biologic changes as well by analyzing the tumor's density, say researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. For the study, researchers evaluated 173 GISTs--tumors that usually...Bulimic teens also likely to suffer from depression
... It's this long-lasting nature, Perez says, that makes dysthymia, rather than major depression, more likely to be associated with bulimia, which is characterized by unrelenting negative feelings about one's self. Bulimics, she says, tend to have chronic low self-esteem. Previous models, she notes,...Study shows haploidentical natural killer cells may provide hope for some patients with AML
...s received interleukin-2, a protein substance that makes infection-fighting cells multiply and mature. The data showed that the infused natural killer cells expanded in the AML patients to achieve anti-tumor efficacy. There were no notable responses in the patients with renal cancer. Additionally, ...Ongoing transfusions needed to avoid strokes in children with sickle cell disease
...an figure out what it is about the 10 percent that makes them at risk," he says. "The other issue is how tr...cken and passageways narrow. The mounting evidence makes him certain that all children with sickle cell disease should get transcranial Doppler screening at ...Replicating an eel's nerve circuitry may aid paralyzed people
...wn that it's remarkably like humans in the ways it makes and controls its locomotion," Cohen said. "But unlike that of humans, the lamprey's nervous system is remarkably easy to study." The recent death of actor and research advocate Christopher Reeve has increased the public's awareness of efforts to help...Jefferson scientists use gene therapy to rescue failing hearts in animals
...r. Koch and his co-workers put the human gene that makes S100A1 into a mouse, and found a resulting increas...the heart cell a crucial part of the process that makes the heart beat....Mayo Clinic discovers potential marker for aggressive kidney cancer
.... "Many people have hypothesized that if a cancer makes B7-H1, that cancer may be more aggressive because B7-H1 knocks down the host's immune system, thereby permitting the tumor to grow without interference from the immune system," explains Eugene Kwon, M.D., the immunologist and urologist who led the st...Humble Planaria worm offers ideal model for drug withdrawal research
...ny chemical in which it is soaked. This simplicity makes it a clean, easy-to-use model. But despite this simplicity, the Planaria worm has a brain and spinal cord, both key to studying the effects of drug abuse and withdrawal. Furthermore, Planaria have the same types of neurotransmitter systems as humans ...Computer program helps doctors diagnose lung cancer
... The radiologist then compares the two results and makes a final decision. In many cases, the computer and the radiologist might come to the same conclusion. In other cases, though, the computer may determine a low rate of malignancy for a patient where the radiologist is on the fence. This could tip the ...Leukemia patients survive with stem cell transplant
...a transplant. The availability of cord blood makes it a logical choice for doctors and their patients when a matching bone marrow donor cannot be found. A patient's best chance for survival comes from a bone marrow donor who is related to the patient and matches the patient's tissue type. A bone mar...Study highlights importance of pesticide worker dermal exposure
...ng these methods. This difference in estimates makes it difficult for researchers to reconcile exposure and dose, increasing the uncertainty in assessing worker risk and the development of effective protective strategies. The study authors recommend that additional work and research be done. The author...University of Manchester uses crystals to help battle deadly diseases
...iwell added: "As well as the above advantages this makes other classes of experiments on proteins feasible. In particular, the comparison of protein structures at ultra-cold versus room temperature allows the details of atomic vibrations to be separated from structural disorders." "Another benefit to resea...More muscle means better regulation of blood pressure, study finds
...pecially abdominal fat, secretes angiotensin which makes angiotensin II, a powerful vasoconstrictor that also directs the kidneys to absorb more sodium so blood vessels retain more fluid volume, says Dr. Harshfield, who is principal investigator on a separate National Institutes of Health grant looking at ...Imaging study finds a structural difference in the brains of cocaine addicts
...e same sort of reduction in amygdala volume, which makes it hard to argue for alterations due to long-term degeneration," Breiter says. Previous studies have shown that, during healthy adolescent development, the right amygdala becomes larger than the left amygdala, leading a normal asymmetry between the...Chemoprevention backgrounder: Working for a future of cancer chemoprevention
...th supplements could offer some protection, so "it makes sense to look at them together," says Bresalier. T...food for centuries, and has no side effects, which makes it an ideal chemoprevention agent," says Arun. "We are finding curcumin can suppress markers of cell......ell me that losing a little weight and getting fit makes them feel 10 to 20 years younger in terms of their sexual quality of life," she said. Kolotkin developed the 31-item study questionnaire, called Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite, which evaluates all aspects of weight-related quality of life. ...