Body

Taxanes are a group of drugs commonly used to treat cancers of the breast, lung, ovary, or prostate, but its use can be limited by significant side effects. Researchers from Moffitt Cancer Center report prostate cancer patients who have a variation in the VAC14 gene are more susceptible to a side effect called peripheral neuropathy when treated with the taxane docetaxel.

Red wine lovers have a new reason to celebrate. Researchers have found a new health benefit of resveratrol, which occurs naturally in blueberries, raspberries, mulberries, grape skins and consequently in red wine.

WASHINGTON, DC -- Text messaging could hold the key to identifying postpartum women at-risk for developing potentially life-threatening complications resulting from preeclampsia, according to a new study from researchers at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. The results are presented on Monday, May 16 at the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology's (ACOG) Annual Clinical and Scientific Meeting in Washington, DC (poster #30-O).

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (http://www.ucr.edu) -- When you're paid to sell things, it doesn't hurt to be able to stretch the truth or prey on people's emotions once in a while. Most advertisers probably don't spend too much time thinking about karma, then, but perhaps they should--at least if they want to get better at their jobs.

The results of preclinical studies by investigators at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) reported in the May 2016 issue of Nature Communications demonstrate that CHOP/GADD153-dependent apoptosis reflects expression of the micro-RNA, miR-216b, during periods of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress.

Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that losing even a modest amount of weight can reap significant rewards, including lower blood pressure, lower blood sugar, improved sleep, and fewer aches and pains.

But losing weight is difficult and maintaining that loss over years is even harder. The vast majority of those who lose weight gain it back. Yet research has found one group that has defied that trend.

ATS 2016, SAN FRANCISCO -- New research has found that a process initiated in white blood cells known as neutrophils may lead to worse outcomes for some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The discovery may help identify patients at higher risk for COPD progression, who might also show little benefit from standard treatments. The study was presented at the ATS 2016 International Conference.

SAN DIEGO -- A congenital condition called pectus excavatum, in which a child's breastbone is sunken into the chest, can be corrected through minimally invasive surgery, but pain control after the operation can be a challenge. A Mayo Clinic study has found an effective way to control pain and reduce opioid painkiller use after surgery: sending children home with catheters that infuse a non-narcotic nerve-blocking drug called a paravertebral blockade. Use of the blocks shortens hospital stays and reduces opioid use after surgery, the researchers discovered.

WASHINGTON -- A growing body of research is revealing associations between birth defects and a father's age, alcohol use and environmental factors, say researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center. They say these defects result from epigenetic alterations that can potentially affect multiple generations.

PITTSBURGH, May 15, 2016 - The minimally invasive implantation of tiny coils into the lungs improves exercise ability, lung function and quality of life for patients with severe emphysema, according to a large international trial presented by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The findings were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association and presented today at the American Thoracic Society International Meeting in San Francisco.

Researchers at Umeå University in Sweden have discovered that specific DNA sequences that are rich in the DNA building block guanine in the yeast species, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, can form four-stranded DNA. In a study published today in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, the researchers also show that the motor protein Pfh1 can unfold these DNA structures and thus contribute to maintaining an intact genome.

A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine finds that smokers, who wouldn't typically be diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, are still showing symptoms consistent with the diagnosis.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COPD is the third-leading cause of death in the United States with tobacco smoke being a key factor in its cause.

Researchers from the University of Chicago have shown that inhibiting autophagy, a self-devouring process used by cells to degrade large intra-cellular cargo, effectively blocks tumor cell migration and breast cancer metastasis in tumor models. In a study, published May 12, 2016, in the journal Cell Reports, they demonstrate that the process is essential for tumor metastasis and describe the mechanisms that connect autophagy to cell migration.

The frequent occurrence of same-sex behaviors in beetles of one sex could be explained by genes that are favored by natural selection when expressed in the opposite sex, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Evolutionary Biology.

The study by researchers from Uppsala University, Sweden sheds new light on same-sex sexual behavior in the animal kingdom through examination of the seed beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, a common beetle found in bean stores across the world.

Same-sex sexual behaviour is common in animals but puzzles evolutionary biologists since it doesn't carry the same obvious benefits as heterosexual courtship behavior that leads to mating and production of offspring. A study from Uppsala University sheds new light on the pervasiveness of same-sex sexual behaviour in the animal kingdom.