Body | Page 4596 | Science Codex

Physics research with atomic force microscope could lead to better health care

Where biology, chemistry and physics intersect, a Kansas State University professor expects to find applications to improve human health.

Robert Szoszkiewicz, an assistant professor of physics at K-State, is continuing research on molecules both singularly and as a group. His study of proteins as a single molecule shows promise to help scientists understand the causes of diseases like some cancers. Meanwhile, his research on bunched molecules could lead to a more efficient way to identify antibodies in blood.

New findings may lead to decrease in breast cancer recurrence

Research, published by Cell Press in the July issue of the journal Cancer Cell, may lead to development of treatment strategies that decrease the likelihood of breast cancer recurrence in the bone and other organs. Scientists have identified key signals that support the long term survival of breast cancer cells after they have spread to the bone marrow.

Researchers find genetic key to breast cancer's ability to survive and spread

NEW YORK, JULY 6, 2009 – New research led by investigators at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) sheds light on a genetic function that gives breast cancer cells the ability to survive and spread to the bone years after treatment has been administered. The findings support the study of therapies that target this survival capacity and force the death of latent breast cancer cells before they get a chance to metastasize, or spread – a problem that accounts for a majority of breast cancer–related deaths. The research will be published in the July 7 issue of Cancer Cell.

Researchers discover why some tumors don't respond to radiation and chemotherapy

LA JOLLA, CA—A tightly controlled system of checks and balances ensures that a powerful tumor suppressor called p53 keeps a tight lid on unchecked cell growth but doesn't wreak havoc in healthy cells. In their latest study, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies suggest just how finely tuned the system is and how little it takes to tip the balance.

Mice with skin condition help scientists understand tumor growth

Cancerous tumors sometimes form at the site of chronic wounds or injury, but the reason why is not entirely clear. Now researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have engineered mice with a persistent wound-like skin condition, and the mice are helping them understand the tumor-promoting effects of long-standing wounds and injuries.

Atrial fibrillation linked to increased hospitalization in heart failure patients

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Patients with atrial fibrillation, common in those with advanced chronic heart failure, have an increased risk of hospitalization due to heart failure, according to new research from researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). The findings, published in June in the European Heart Journal, also suggest that atrial fibrillation is not associated with an increased risk of death in heart failure patients, contradicting previous assumptions.

Delirium in hospitalized adults: Situation critical, no relief available

INDIANAPOLIS – Every year as many as seven million adults in the United States experience delirium during hospitalization. In a systematic review of the scientific literature on delirium prevention and treatment, investigators from Indiana University School of Medicine, the Regenstrief Institute and Wishard Health Services found that despite the significant health and financial burdens of delirium for hospitalized adults, no effective way to prevent or treat the condition has been identified.

Clinical trial shows quadriplegics can operate powered wheelchair with tongue drive system

An assistive technology that enables individuals to maneuver a powered wheelchair or control a mouse cursor using simple tongue movements can be operated by individuals with high-level spinal cord injuries, according to the results of a recently completed clinical trial.

Microparticle therapy could ease the difficulty of organ transplants

AUGUSTA, Ga. The future of organ transplantation could include microscopic beads that create "designer" immune cells to help patients tolerate their new organ, Medical College of Georgia researchers say.

"It's absolutely natural," says Dr. Anatolij Horuzsko, reproductive immunologist at the MCG Center for Molecular Chaperone/Radiobiology and Cancer Virology, who has used the approach successfully in mice with skin grafts.

Two-parent upbringing in birds, may have implications for primates

Birds and primates are some of the few animals whose offspring are raised by both parents. Research led by Dr Freya Harrison and Professor Tamás Székely at the Biodiversity lab at the University of Bath, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Bristol and the University of Debrecen (Hungary), investigated why some parents stick together.

The study, published in the Journal of Evolutionary Biology, analyzed more than 50 previous studies of birds to understand why and how they share their parental duties.

Moles and melanoma -- researchers find genetic links to skin cancer

New research has shown why people with the greatest number of moles are at increased risk of the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

The study, led by Professors Julia Newton Bishop and Tim Bishop of the Melanoma Genetics Consortium (GenoMEL) at the University of Leeds, looked at more than 10,000 people, comparing those who have been diagnosed with melanoma to those who do not have the disease.

The GenoMEL project identifies a new region of the genome associated with the risk of melanoma

Research is increasingly becoming a networked process. The big genome studies are a good example of the need to pool the efforts of gold standard centers around the world. Only in this way is it possible to achieve results as solid as those obtained by the GenoMEL project, which is funded by the European Commission to study the genetic and environmental risk factors for melanoma. The objective is to translate this knowledge into recommendations based on evidence and healthier habits.

Australian researchers identify genes that cause melanoma

Scientists from the Queensland Institute of Medical Research (QIMR) have found two new genes that together double a person's risk of developing melanoma.

As part of an international study, a team at QIMR, led by Professors Nick Hayward and Grant Montgomery, studied the genes of almost 6,000 people together with their mole count. Specific changes in two genes were found to make people more susceptible to developing moles. The researchers went on to show, in another 4,000 people, the same two genes increased the risk of developing melanoma – the most deadly form of skin cancer.

Survival rates for elderly receiving hospital CPR did not improve from 1992 to 2005

A study of elderly patients receiving CPR in the hospital shows that rates of survival did not improve from 1992 to 2005. During that period, the proportion of hospital deaths preceded by CPR rose, and the proportion of patients who were successfully resuscitated and later discharged home fell. The researchers found that 18.3 percent of the Medicare beneficiaries age 65 and older who underwent in-hospital CPR survived to discharge.

Heart transplant recipients can improve fitness and perform high intensity workouts

Heart transplant recipients' cardio-respiratory fitness is around 30 to 50 per cent lower than age-matched healthy sedentary individuals. As a result, exercise rehabilitation should be very important to these patients, and a University of Alberta study shows they can improve their overall physical fitness.