Body

PHOENIX, Ariz. — July 6, 2010 — Investigators at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) have discovered a way that may help ovarian cancer patients who no longer respond to conventional chemotherapy.

A scientific paper that will be published in the September issue of the journal Gynecologic Oncology describes how the inhibition of a protein, CHEK1, may be an effective element to incorporate into therapies for women with ovarian cancer.

Rearing juvenile salmon at the relatively high temperature of 16°C causes skeletal deformities in the fish. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Physiology investigated both the magnitude and mechanisms of this effect, which occurs when salmon farmers use warmed water to increase fish growth rates.

PHILADELPHIA – A novel therapy designed to attack tumors in patients with a genetic mutation in either BRCA1 or BRCA2, slowed tumor growth in 85 percent of advanced breast cancer patients treated in a small study, researchers report in the July 6 issue of the Lancet.

Among patients with heart disease, anxiety disorders appear to be associated with a higher risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure and death, according to a report in the July issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

A simple new rule can help primary care physicians rule out coronary heart disease in patients with chest pain, states a study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) (pre-embargo link only) http://www.cmaj.ca/embargo/cmaj100212.pdf.

Chest pain is common, yet it is challenging for primary care physicians to reliably identify serious cardiac disease while protecting patients from unnecessary interventions.

Antibody-producing B cells promote atherosclerosis in mice, according to a study to be published online on July 5th in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (www.jem.org) These findings came as a surprise, as prior studies had suggested that B cells help protect against the disease.

Durham, NC — Saber-toothed cats may be best known for their supersized canines, but they also had exceptionally strong forelimbs for pinning prey before delivering the fatal bite, says a new study in the journal PLoS ONE.

Environment and family history are key factors in healthy aging but genetic variants also play a critical and role in conferring exceptional longevity, says a new study by a team of researchers from the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine and the Boston Medical Center.

Complications shortly after a stroke deprive patients of about two years of healthy life — in addition to the toll of stroke, according to research reported in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Findings from the Complication in Acute Stroke Study (COMPASS) are based on data from more than 1,200 patients (average age 66) treated at four South Korean university hospitals in 2004-05. All patients had an acute ischemic stroke, which results when a blood vessel supplying the brain is blocked.

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The quality of online information about the most common sports medicine diagnoses varies widely, according to a study published in the July 2010 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (JBJS). Therefore, patients who use the Internet to help make medical decisions need to know that the web may not be giving the whole picture.

PASADENA, Calif.—When does a cell decide its particular identity? According to biologists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), in the case of T cells—immune system cells that help destroy invading pathogens—the answer is when the cells begin expressing a particular gene called Bcl11b.

While environment and family history are factors in healthy aging, genetic variants play a critical and complex role in conferring exceptional longevity, according to a new study by a team of researchers from the Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine and the Boston Medical Center.

In a study released July 1 online by the journal Science, the research team identified a group of genetic variants that can predict exceptional longevity in humans with 77 percent accuracy – a breakthrough in understanding the role of genes in determining human lifespan.

OAK RIDGE, Tenn., July 02, 2010 -- Using ever-growing genome data, scientists with the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee are tracing the evolution of the bacterial regulatory system that controls cellular motility, potentially giving researchers a method for predicting important cellular functions that will impact both medical and biotechnology research.

DURHAM, N.C.—A personalized approach to smoking cessation therapy is quickly taking shape. New evidence from Duke University Medical Center and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) suggests that combining information about a smoker's genetic makeup with his or her smoking habits can accurately predict which nicotine replacement therapy will work best.