Body

Healthy cells 'collaborate' with tumors to help build new blood vessels

Healthy cells actively collaborate with tumours by creating a mesh of collagen that encourages cancer cells to build new blood vessels, a new study shows.

Researchers found that 'collaborator' cells build a beneficial environment around the tumour which helps it to build the new blood vessels it needs to grow.

Scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute in Glasgow, showed that a type of signal called transfer RNA plays a key role in driving collagen production to increase the blood supply to tumours.

PGK1 protein promotes brain tumor formation and cancer metabolism

PGK1, a glycolytic enzyme, has been found to play a role in coordinating cellular processes crucial to cancer metabolism and brain tumor formation, according to results published in today's online issue of Molecular Cell. The findings may lay the groundwork for improved approaches to diagnosis and treatment of glioblastoma and other cancers.

MSU discovers a new kind of stem cell

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Scientists at Michigan State University have discovered a new kind of stem cell, one that could lead to advances in regenerative medicine as well as offer new ways to study birth defects and other reproductive problems.

In the current issue of the journal Stem Cell Reports, Tony Parenti, lead author and MSU cell and molecular biology graduate student, unearthed the new cells - induced XEN cells, or iXEN - in a cellular trash pile, of sorts.

Research shows efficacy of steroid use in late preterm delivery

Current recommendations are for all women who go into labor prior to 34 weeks gestation to be given antenatal corticosteroids (betamethasone) to help mature the baby's lungs. However, many babies born in the late preterm period - between 34 and 36 weeks gestation - require respiratory support at birth. A recently completed study asked the question, "Would neonates born at these later gestational ages also benefit from antenatal corticosteroids?"

New maps reduce threats to whales, dolphins

DURHAM, N.C. -- Scientists have created highly detailed maps charting the seasonal movements and population densities of 35 species of whales, dolphins and porpoises -- many of them threatened or endangered -- in the crowded waters of the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico.

Study shows broccoli may offer protection against liver cancer

URBANA, Ill. - Consumption of broccoli has increased in the United States over the last few decades as scientists have reported that eating the vegetable three to five times per week can lower the risk of many types of cancer including breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

Regular aspirin use found to protect against overall cancer risk

An analysis of data from two major, long-term epidemiologic studies finds that the regular use of aspirin significantly reduces the overall risk of cancer, a reduction that primarily reflects a lower risk of colorectal cancer and other tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. The findings published Online First in JAMA Oncology suggest that the use of aspirin may complement, but not replace, the preventive benefits of colonoscopy and other methods of cancer screening.

Tapping into Twitter to help recruit cancer patients into #ClinicalTrials

PHILADELPHIA-- Twitter may be an effective, untapped resource to stimulate interest in cancer clinical trials and boost enrollment, physicians at the Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania suggest in a new research letter in JAMA Oncology. Analyzing thousands of lung cancer tweets on the social media site revealed that a surprisingly large number were about clinical trials, particularly ones on immunotherapy, although none were used for recruitment.

Long-term aspirin use linked to lower risk for gastrointestinal tract cancers

Regular low doses of aspirin for at least six years was associated with a modestly reduced overall risk for cancer, primarily due to a lower risk for gastrointestinal tract cancer, especially colorectal cancers, according to an article published online by JAMA Oncology.

New pain relief technique for ACL knee surgery preserves muscle strength

TORONTO, March 3, 2016 - Anesthesiologists can significantly reduce loss of muscle strength in ACL knee surgery patients using a new pain management technique, a new study has found.

Anterior cruciate ligament, or ACL, repair is one of the most common orthopedic procedures, with more than 3,000 procedures performed in Ontario every year. Patients go home the same they have surgery so they need to be able to move, with the support of crutches, and have adequate pain relief.

How effective is Twitter to share cancer clinical trial information and recruit?

Could Twitter be a way to communicate with the public about cancer clinical trials and increase awareness and patient recruitment? A new research letter published online by JAMA Oncology considers that question.

Mina S. Sedrak, M.D., of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and coauthors conducted a pilot study and analyzed the content of 1,516 tweets. The tweets were from among a total of 15,346 unique tweets that contained "lung cancer" over a little more than two weeks in January 2015.

Using streaming online media such as YouTube to learn new surgical techniques

A small survey American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS) members found that most of them had used online streaming media (i.e. YouTube) at least once to learn a new technique and most had used those techniques in practice, according to an article published online by JAMA Facial Plastic Surgery.

Anita Sethna, M.D., of the Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, and coauthors surveyed AAFPRS members and received 202 responses, about 8 percent of the AAFPRS membership.

Modified protein reverses cirrhosis in lab rats

A protein modified to increase the amount of time it circulates in the bloodstream appears to reverse liver fibrosis and cirrhosis in rats, according to results of a study led by Johns Hopkins researchers.

The investigators say the findings, reported ahead of print in the March 3 early view edition of Hepatology, advance the search for a potential cure for the thousands of patients worldwide living with these incurable diseases. At present, there is little effective treatment and no cure other than liver transplantation, which carries its own risks and often fails.

Study shows rates of IBD in RI among the highest in the country, national rates climbing

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - A study led by the Hasbro Children's Hospital Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Nutrition and Liver Diseases found that the incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Rhode Island is one of the highest ever reported in the United States and that IBD rates nationally are much higher than previously reported. The increased prevalence of IBD cases points to a need for more research into the causes of IBD and development of more targeted treatments.

Size not such a big thing for seed bugs

By the looks of it, size should be a big thing when it comes to seed bugs mating, but it only matters when more than one mating partner is around to choose from. That is what researchers Liam Dougherty and David Shuker of the University of St Andrews in Scotland found when investigating the mating strategies of two closely related black and red coloured seed bugs. The male sexual organs of these insects can be up to two-thirds the length of their bodies. The findings are published in Springer's journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.