Researchers Find Potential Drug Target for Leukemia

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have discovered what could be a novel drug target for an often difficult-to-treat form of leukemia. The investigators have identified a unique ?signature? or pattern of a specific family of enzymes in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common form of adult leukemia. Paul Insel, M.D., professor of pharmacology and medicine at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and his co-workers compared white blood cells in patients with CLL to those of healthy adults. They found that one form of the group of enzymes, collectively known as cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases, was 10 times higher in CLL patients than in normal individuals. The specific type of enzyme, phosphodiesterase 7B (PDE7B), controls the levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP), a molecule that can promote programmed cell death, a process that is defective in CLL. The team reports its findings this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Whereas most cancers have out-of-control cell growth, CLL is characterized by an overabundance of white blood cells that do not die when they should, Insel explained.  More »




Oral Rinses Used For Tracking HPV-Positive Head And Neck Cancers Holds Promise For Cancer Screening

A study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, validates a non-invasive screening method with future potential for detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive head and neck cancers. In the study, researchers at Johns Hopkins University used oral rinses and targeted DNA amplification to track and identify oral HPV infections in patients with HPV16-positive and negative head and neck carcinomas (HNSCC) before and after therapy. Findings showed detection of high-risk HPV infections in patients with HPV16-positive HNSCC for up to five years after therapy, indicating a high rate of persistent infection and reaffirming the connection between high-risk types of HPV a... More »


Women Against Cervical Cancer - A New International Network Committed To Empowering Women Through Education

NICE, France -- New survey results announced today, reveal a significant lack of information and education about the prevention, treatment and consequences of cervical cancer is leaving women unnecessarily worried and anxious.(i) Cervical cancer is largely preventable as a result of powerful tools now available, however due to lack of knowledge, information and access nearly 280,000 women still die from the disease every year, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in women worldwide.(ii),(iii),(iv) The new survey results, conducted among European women who had received an abnormal cell diagnosis following a cervical screening test, accompany the launch of the Women Against Cervical Cancer (WACC) Network, a ne... More »


Family History A Key Part Of Breast Cancer Detection

Dawn Martinez's mother battled ovarian cancer for eight years. Her aunt, cousin and great-aunts all had breast cancer. So when her doctor suggested she undergo genetic testing to see if she, too, was at risk, she didn't hesitate. The test was positive -- Martinez had indeed inherited a gene mutation that put her at a more than 80 percent chance of developing breast cancer, and at least a 45 percent chance of getting ovarian cancer. So, at age 35 and still cancer free, Martinez, who lives in Mission, made a drastic decision. She had a hysterectomy, and two months later, a double mastectomy, followed by breast reconstructive surgery. That was more than a year ago, and Martinez, who is married with four children, doesn't regret her ch... More »


Biothera Initiates Second Arm Of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Trial

Biothera announced it began dosing patients in the second arm of its metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) trial in August. This arm of the trial is evaluating the combination therapy of its lead drug candidate, Imprime PGG(R), with Erbitux(R), an anti-cancer monoclonal antibody from ImClone Systems. Unlike the first trial arm, the second treatment arm does not include chemotherapy. In the first arm of the trial, which was fully enrolled this past July, Imprime PGG was combined with Erbitux (cetuximab) and irinotecan, a chemotherapy drug, which is the standard of care for second- and third-line mCRC patients. "We are very excited about the initial results from the first arm of our mCRC trial," said Daniel Conners, Biothera chairman and... More »


Breakthrough Technology Takes Egg Freezing From Myth To Dependable Reality

NEW YORK -- The day of true reproductive freedom for women has arrived. A new scientific study confirms the efficacy of a revolutionary egg selection and freezing process that, at long last, offers women a viable and reliable fertility preservation option. Developed and clinically tested by the scientists at ReproCure, a vanguard genetics products company, this process increases the live births derived from a cryopreserved egg almost seven-fold over the field's current standard. In simple terms, it means that for the first time, women in their prime childbearing years can freeze and bank their own eggs for future use, relatively confident that they will have a 26%-to-27% chance of a having a baby from each cryopreserved,... More »


Study Shows How Soy Compound Lowers Blood Pressure And Stroke Risk

ST. LOUIS -- A new study examines how a certain naturally-occurring component of soy may enhance the function of arteries in stroke patients, and help all Americans keep heart healthy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the nation's number one killer while stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States. The study, published recently in the European Heart Journal by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, found a diet rich in soybeans and soy isoflavones boosts artery health. Isoflavones are natural compounds found in soy that, although different from the hormone estrogen, do exert a mild estrogen-like effect under certain conditions. The researchers recru... More »



Get Screened Video Contest Throws A Spotlight On The Importance Of Colorectal-Cancer Screening

SEATTLE -- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center today announced a video contest called "Get Screened" -- a creative challenge to movie makers to help shine a spotlight on the importance of colorectal-cancer screening. The contest is part of the Hutchinson Center's ongoing awareness campaign -- "Your colon. Your life. Your call." -- to increase colon-cancer screening rates and reduce deaths from the disease in Washington state. Colon cancer is the third most-commonly diagnosed cancer and the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States. An estimated 49,960 Americans, including 940 Washington state residents, will die of the disease this year, according to the American Cancer Society. "Most of these deat... More »




Women More Likely than Men to be Hospitalized for Chest Pain

Women are more likely than men to be hospitalized for chest pain for which doctors cannot find a cause, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2006, there were 477,000 admissions of women to U.S. community hospitals for unspecified chest pain compared with 379,000 admissions for men. Unspecified chest pain is usually characterized by a feeling of pressure, burning, or numbness. Although it is not clear why women receive this diagnosis more than men, there is some evidence that heart disease develops differently in women than men and that symptoms may be different. Medical experts believe that physicians may not always be aware of this gender difference. The federal agency also found that men were more likely to be hospitalized for heart disease or heart attacks than were women in 2006. Specifically:  More »


Childhood Constipation Deemed Significant Health Issue

According to new research conducted at Nationwide Children?s Hospital, the burden of illness in children suffering from constipation, and the costs associated with this condition, are roughly of the same magnitude as those for asthma and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). These findings are a result of a study involving gastroenterologists and researchers at Nationwide Children?s to estimate the health care utilization and cost for children with constipation in the United States. The study, available online at PubMed.gov, is slated for publication in The Journal of Pediatrics in early 2009. Using a nationally representative survey, clinicians and researchers analyzed data of children under 18 years of age who were diagnosed with constipation or prescribed a laxative over two-consecutive years (2003 and 2004). Results showed that children with constipation used more health services than children without the condition, amounting to an additional cost of $3.9 billion each year for children with constipation. Despite this amplified cost impact and its prevalence during childhood, constipation has not received the amount of attention in public health campaigns that similarly occurring asthma and ADHD have.  More »







Plastics Report Reviewed: Agency To Scrutinize Oft-criticized Findings That Chemical Poses Little Risk

A controversial report on chemicals found in baby bottles and hundreds of other household products is under intense review by the National Toxicology Program after the agency was swamped with complaints that the authors were unduly influenced by the chemical industry. John Bucher, head of the toxicology program, said Wednesday that the agency is giving unprecedented scrutiny to the work of a panel studying the effects of bisphenol A, a chemical used as a hardening agent for plastic. The panel had downplayed the risks of bisphenol A, finding some concern for fetuses and small children but that adults had almost nothing to worry about. The chemical, commonly used as dental sealants, eyeglasses, CDs, DVDs and as lining in aluminum cans,... More »


Long-Term Antibiotics Reduce COPD Exacerbations, Raise Questions

Long-term use of a macrolide antibiotic may reduce the frequency of exacerbations in patients with moderate to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by as much as 35 percent, according to a London-based study. ?Our results show a significant effect of low-dose macrolide therapy, reducing exacerbation frequency and severity with moderate to severe COPD,? wrote lead author of the paper, Terence A. R. Seemungal, Ph.D., and Jadwiga Wedzicha, M.D., principle investigator. The encouraging news comes on the heels of World COPD Day 2008 and a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that detailed the rising number of deaths related to COPD. More women than men now die of COPD, and while death rates for men have leveled, the rate is still increasing for women, according to the CDC. More »