Body | Page 4527 | Science Codex

Angiotensin-(1-7) peptide found to stop lung cancer tumor growth in mice

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – In new animal research done by investigators at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, scientists have discovered a treatment effective in mice at blocking the growth and shrinking the size of lung cancer tumors, one of the leading causes of cancer death in the world.

The study, recently published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, is the first to show that treatment with a specific peptide, angiotensin-(1-7), reduces lung tumor growth by inhibiting blood vessel formation.

Repelling mosquitoes by fooling their senses

RIVERSIDE, Calif. – Entomologists at the University of California, Riverside working on fruit flies in the lab have discovered a novel class of compounds that could pave the way for developing inexpensive and safe mosquito repellents for combating West Nile virus and other deadly tropical diseases.

Experimental technique could eliminate inherited mitochondrial disease

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have developed an experimental technique with the potential to prevent a class of hereditary disorders passed on from mother to child. The technique, as yet conducted only in nonhuman primates, involves transferring the hereditary material from one female's egg into another female's egg from which the hereditary material has been removed.

Primate scientists develop gene therapy method to prevent inherited diseases

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University's Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC) believe they have developed one of the first forms of genetic therapy – a therapy aimed at preventing serious diseases in unborn children. Specifically, the therapy would combat inherited diseases passed on from mothers to their children through mutated DNA in cell mitochondria. The research is published in the journal Nature.

"Continuous streaming therapy" offers novel approach to chronic wound care

More than six million people in the U.S. suffer from persistent wounds –– open sores that never seem to heal or, once apparently healed, return with a vengeance. The bedridden elderly and infirm are prone to painful and dangerous pressure ulcers, and diabetics are susceptible to wounds caused by a lack of blood flow to the extremities.

Fox01: the molecular link between insulin resistance and inflammation

PITTSBURGH, Aug. 26 – An exploration of the molecular links between insulin resistance and inflammation may have revealed a novel target for diabetes treatment, say scientists at the John G. Rangos Sr. Research Center, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. Their findings were published earlier this month in the online version of Diabetes, one of the journals of the American Diabetes Association.

Nuisance or nutrient? Kudzu shows promise as a dietary supplement

Kudzu, the nuisance vine that has overgrown almost 10 million acres in the southeastern United States, may sprout into a dietary supplement. Scientists in Alabama and Iowa are reporting the first evidence that root extracts from kudzu show promise as a dietary supplement for a high-risk condition — the metabolic syndrome — that affects almost 50 million people in the United States alone. Their study appears in the current issue of ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.

Ability to eliminate arsenic from the body varies between individuals, study finds

Large variations exist in peoples' ability to eliminate arsenic from the body, according to a new study that questions existing standards for evaluating the human health risks from the potentially toxic substance. The study found that some people eliminate more than 90 percent of the arsenic consumed in the diet. Others store arsenic in their bodies, where it can have harmful effects. The research, based on the first application of new methods for studying arsenic, is scheduled for the Sept. 21 issue of ACS's Chemical Research in Toxicology, a monthly journal.

Viral polymerase: Bird flu leaving the nest, adapting to a new host

Hamburg, Germany – Current research suggests that viral polymerase may provide a new therapeutic target for host-adapted avian influenza. The related report by Gabriel et al, "Spread of Infection and Lymphocyte Depletion in Mice Depends on Polymerase of Influenza Virus" appears in the September 2009 issue of the American Journal of Pathology.

Heat forms potentially harmful HMF in high-fructose corn syrup

Researchers have established the conditions that foster formation of potentially dangerous levels of a toxic substance in the high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) often fed to honey bees. Their study, which appears in the current issue of ACS' bi-weekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, could also help keep the substance out of soft drinks and dozens of other human foods that contain HFCS. The substance, hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), forms mainly from heating fructose.

Study examines living donor liver transplantation with small-for-size graft

Several studies have shown that living donor liver transplant (LDLT) recipients required smaller doses of tacrolimus compared with deceased donor liver transplant (DDLT) patients, which indicated that liver regeneration could affect the metabolism of tacrolimus in LDLT. In recent years, living donor liver transplantation in adult patients with SFS liver grafts has become increasingly accepted. However, there are few studies in the existing literature on tacrolimus dosage requirements in LDLT with SFS grafts which require adequate liver regeneration.

MCPIP discovery could open door to obesity, diabetes treatments

At a time of alarming increases in obesity and associated diseases -- and fiery debates about the cost of health care -- a UCF research team has identified a new genetic mechanism that controls the body's fat-building process.

The discovery could open the door to new treatments for obesity and type 2 diabetes, and it has the potential to help hundreds of millions of people and dramatically cut health care costs.

New molecular markers for tumor aggressiveness in biliary tract cancer found

Despite recent advances in diagnosis and treatment, the prognosis of patients with biliary tract cancer is still poor. Uncovering the biological characteristics of these carcinomas has become necessary to improve the prognosis of patients and to devise better treatment strategies. A recent study report that invasive front dominant expression of LNγ2 and LNβ3 and active MMP7 play a key role in the progression of biliary tract cancer.

Call center optimization

"Your call is very valuable to us please stay on the line until one of our busy advisers becomes available to take your call". An all-too familiar initiation to the world of helpdesks and customer support. Now, researchers in Kuwait have discovered that adding just one more representative to a telephone call center for employee technical support was enough to cut queuing time and costs. Their findings might be extrapolated to the general case for call centers across the globe.

PPAR-g agonists have potential therapeutic role in gastric carcinoma?

Recently, the potential of PPAR-γ as a target for the prevention and treatment of cancer has been widely studied. However, the potential therapeutic role of PPAR-γ agonists has been questioned, based on contradictory results. Studies using animal models of colon cancer found that PPAR-γ agonists increased the development of colon tumors. This contradictory result was supplemented by a recent report using transgenic mice expressing a constitutive active form of PPAR-γ in mammary glands which showed that PPAR-γ signaling accelerated tumor development in mammary glands.