Body

(TORONTO: December 4, 2008) - An Ontario study of 491 women with invasive ovarian cancer found only a small proportion, 19%, were referred for genetic testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2, the breast cancer genes, which means family members are not informed of their cancer risk.

Dr. Kelly Metcalfe, an associate professor at the University of Toronto's Lawrence S. Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, and an adjunct scientist at Women's College Research Institute, led the nursing study, which was published online yesterday in the journal, Gynecologic Oncology.

Those diagnosed with early stage dementia can slow their physical, mental and psychological decline by taking part in therapeutic programs that combine counseling, support groups, Taiji and qigong, researchers report. Some of the benefits of this approach are comparable to those achieved with anti-dementia medications.

The findings are detailed in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias.

CINCINNATI—Hospital-acquired infections that are resistant to traditional antibiotic treatment have become increasingly common in recent years, confounding health care professionals and killing thousands of Americans.

Now, in studies that could lead to new ways to prevent this growing public health danger, a team of University of Cincinnati (UC) researchers is exploring a "zinc zipper" that holds bacterial cells together and plays a key role in such infections.

To heal our ailing health care system, we need to stop thinking like Americans. That's the message of two articles by UCLA's Dr. Marc Nuwer, a leading expert on national health care reform, published this week in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

What are the greatest health challenges facing American adolescents, and to what degree is the nation's health care system meeting these challenges? ADOLESCENT HEALTH SERVICES: MISSING OPPORTUNITIES, a new report from the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine, looks at the unique health care needs of those ages 10 to 19, identifies crucial gaps in existing care, and recommends changes that could help promote healthy behavior, manage health conditions, and prevent disease in this age group. The report will be released on Tuesday, Dec. 9.

Biologists have discovered a mechanism that is critical to cytokinesis -- nature's completion of mitosis, where a cell divides into two identical daughter cells.

A UCSF study has found that a surprisingly high number of maternal cells enters the fetus during pregnancy, prompting the generation of special immune cells in the fetus that suppress a response against the mother.

The investigation of complex materials such as high-temperature superconductors is problematic because of the presence of disorder and many competing interactions in real crystalline materials. "This makes it difficult to identify the role of specific interactions and, in particular, to decide whether repulsive interactions between electrons alone can explain high-temperature superconductivity," says Dr. Theodoulos Costi from the Institute of Solid State Research, Forschungszentrum Jülich, which is a member of the Helmholtz Association.

WHAT: Researchers have identified a gene that directly affects the production of a form of hemoglobin that is instrumental in modifying the severity of the inherited blood disorders sickle cell disease and thalassemia. The discovery could lead to breakthrough therapies for sickle cell disease and thalassemia, which could potentially eliminate the devastating and life-threatening complications of these diseases, such as severe pain, damage to the eyes and other organs, infections, and stroke.

To help develop an effective HIV vaccine, researchers are trying to better understand how the immune systems of a small minority of HIV-infected people known as long-term non-progressors (LTNPs) contain the virus naturally. CD8+ T cells, which kill cells infected with HIV, enable LTNPs to control HIV, but it has been unclear how CD8+ T cells mediate that control so effectively. A new report shows that the ability to stockpile two molecular weapons makes the HIV-specific CD8+ T cells of LTNPs superior cellular killers.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A third of Americans with diabetes do not know that they have it, and many more who have prediabetic conditions are unaware that they are at risk. A University of Missouri researcher has created a clinical tool to identify those at highest risk for having undetected hyperglycemia, impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and undiagnosed diabetes. If these conditions are identified early, patients may benefit from preventative strategies that can minimize progression to diabetes, other diseases and mortality.

DALLAS – Dec. 4, 2008 – Use of the drug interferon as a long-term maintenance strategy to slow the progression of liver disease associated with the hepatitis C virus is ineffective, UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers and their colleagues from nine other institutions have found in a multicenter study.

The recent seismic tests were conducted at the UC San Diego Englekirk Structural Engineering Center, which is about 8 miles from the main university campus in La Jolla, and has the largest shake table in the country and the only outdoor shake table in the world. The concrete masonry structure is the largest of this type ever tested on a shake table.

New Rochelle, NY, December 4, 2008—Researchers are taking a closer look at the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) pathway as studies continue to demonstrate that inhibiting this biological route suppresses tumor growth, reports Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN). The pathway is involved in angiogenesis, cell growth, differentiation, and survival. In addition, it is part of the PI3/AKT/mTOR pathway, which plays a key role in cancer, according to the December issue of GEN (www.genengnews.com).

People who manage to control HIV on their own are providing scientists with valuable information about how the immune system eliminates virus-infected cells. A new study, published in the December 4th issue of Immunity, a Cell Press publication, identifies specific characteristics of the immune cells that successfully destroy HIV-infected cells and may drive strategies for developing the next generation of HIV vaccines and therapies.