Body

A Henry Ford Hospital study has shown a link between Vitamin D levels and basal cell carcinoma, a finding that could lead researchers to better understand the development of the most common form of skin cancer.

In a small study, researchers at Henry Ford and Wayne State University found elevated levels of Vitamin D enzymes and proteins in cancerous tissue taken from 10 patients compared to normal skin tissue taken from them.

Waltham, MA—Despite the loss of the Democrats' supermajority necessary to pass comprehensive national healthcare reform, new federal legislation is needed to promote greater efficiency in the medical delivery system.

When people get exposed to the mycobacterium responsible for tuberculosis (TB), some will become sick with a disease that is a major cause of mortality around the world while others simply don't. Now, researchers reporting in the March 5th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, can point to one important reason for this variation in susceptibility or resistance: genetic differences among individuals in levels of an immune enzyme (LTA4H) that is involved in the production of leukotriene B, a pro-inflammatory fatty acid immune signaling molecule.

In a significant leap forward in the understanding of how specific types of tissue are determined to develop in mammals, an international team of scientists has succeeded in mapping the entire network of DNA-binding transcription factors and their interactions. This global network, indicating which factors can combine to determine cell fate, will be published in the March 5 issue of the journal Cell.

Boston, MA (March 4, 2010)—Angelman Syndrome is a rare but serious genetic disorder that causes a constellation of developmental problems in affected children, including mental retardation, lack of speech, and in some cases, autism. Over a decade ago, researchers found that AS was caused by mutation in a single gene, but no one had been able to explain how this defect resulted in the debilitating neurological symptoms of the disease.

University of Washington (UW) researchers have identified a gene involved in susceptibility and resistance to tuberculosis. This same gene, they have found, has a role in the severity of leprosy, which is caused by a related pathogen. The researchers also have learned why this gene is important for susceptibility.

In the long evolutionary road from bacteria to humans, a major milestone occurred some 1.5 billion years ago when microbes started building closets for all their stuff, storing DNA inside a nucleus, for example, or cramming all the energy machinery inside mitochondria.

Scientists have now sequenced the genome of a weird, single-celled organism called Naegleria gruberi that is telling biologists about that transition from prokaryotes, which function just fine with all their proteins floating around in a soup, to eukaryotes, which neatly compartmentalize those proteins?

A study into why some people are more resistant than others to diseases such as tuberculosis (TB) and leprosy has identified a new genetic variant which affects susceptibility to these diseases. The findings, published today in the journal Cell, may have implications for future treatments for the two conditions.

Current health care is not as safe as it should be. In the current issue of Deutsches Ärzteblatt International (Dtsch Arztebl Int 2010; 107[6]: 92-9), Barbara Hoffmann and Julia Rohe explain the reasons for adverse events, as well as measures to ensure better patient safety.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) suffer from chronic inflammation of the gut leading to gastrointestinal motility alterations with symptoms such as abdominal pain, cramps and diarrhea that profoundly affect their quality of life. The lack of exposure to worm infections, as a result of improved living standards and medical conditions, might have contributed to the increased incidence of IBD in the Western world. Epidemiological, experimental and clinical data support the idea that worm infection provides protection against IBD.

Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a bile duct cancer, is one of the major cancers in Northeast Thailand. This cancer is difficult to diagnose and has high metastatic and mortality rates. Overexpression of Met, a hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) receptor, has frequently been found in CCA and is correlated with progression of this type of cancer. HGF/Met activation induces a variety of cellular processes, including cell scattering, invasion and proliferation.

Tumor budding at the invasive tumor front of colorectal cancer is recognized as an independent prognostic factor significantly related to both lymph node and distant metastasis. Several lines of evidence seem to suggest that tumor buds may, to some extent, represent malignant colorectal cancer stem cells because of their potential for migration and re-differentiation locally and at sites of metastasis.

To evaluate efficacy of Calculus Bovis compound preparation (ICCBco) in the treatment of lung lesions in portal hypertensive rabbits with schistosomiasis as the experimental animal model, a research group in China performed a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial to observe pathological changes and pathological effect mechanism of expression of fibronectin and laminin in the lung tissue of portal hypertensive rabbits with schistosomiasis.

LONDON—SeaWeb applauded the announcement by the United States that it will support a proposed international trade ban for endangered bluefin tuna, and the ocean conservation organization called for international support for 32 species of red and pink coral as well as for eight shark species proposed for similar protection. These unique and valued marine species will be the focus of the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Conference of Parties (CoP15), in Doha, Qatar, March 13 to 25.

Online social networks could help with communications and recovery for people with disabilities following major natural disasters, or even terrorist attack, according to a research paper in the International Journal of Emergency Management.