Body

Global research team decodes genome sequence of 90 chickpea lines

Hyderabad, India, and Shenzhen, China (28 January 2013) – In a scientific breakthrough that promises improved grain yields and quality, greater drought tolerance and disease resistance, and enhanced genetic diversity, a global research team has completed high-quality sequencing of not one but ninety genomes of chickpea.

New technique sheds light on RNA

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — When researchers sequence the RNA of cancer cells, they can compare it to normal cells and see where there is more RNA. That can help lead them to the gene or protein that might be triggering the cancer.

But other than spotting a few known instigators, what does it mean? Is there more RNA because it's synthesizing too quickly or because it's not degrading fast enough? What part of the biological equilibrium is off?

Less invasive treatment is associated with improved survival in early stage breast cancer

DURHAM, N.C. -- Patients with early stage breast cancer who were treated with lumpectomy plus radiation may have a better chance of survival compared with those who underwent mastectomy, according to Duke Medicine research.

The study, which appears online Jan. 28, 2013, in the journal Cancer, raises new questions as to the comparative effectiveness of breast-conserving therapies such as lumpectomy, where only the tumor and surrounding tissue is surgically removed.

Less invasive treatment may increase survival in early stage breast cancer

DURHAM, N.C. -- Patients with early stage breast cancer who are treated with lumpectomy plus radiation have a better chance of survival compared with those who undergo mastectomy, according to Duke Medicine research.

The study, which appears online Jan. 28, 2013, in the journal CANCER, demonstrates the effectiveness of breast-conserving therapies such as lumpectomy, where only the tumor and surrounding tissue are surgically removed.

Better survival rates seen with lumpectomy compared with mastectomy for early breast cancer

A new analysis has found that lumpectomy plus radiation for early breast cancer may provide patients with a better chance of survival than mastectomy. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society, the results provide confidence in the efficacy of breast-conserving treatments even among patients with aggressive, early disease.

Economic analysis finds penicillin, not "the pill," may have launched the sexual revolution

PThe rise in risky, non-traditional sexual relations that marked the swinging '60s actually began as much as a decade earlier, during the conformist '50s, suggests an analysis recently published by the Archives of Sexual Behavior.

Measuring the consequence of forest fires on public health

Pollution from forest fires is impacting the health of people with asthma and other chronic obstructive lung diseases, finds a study in Biomed Central's open access journal Environmental Health. This study uses data from pharmacies and dispensaries to measure the increase in drugs needed to alleviate symptoms associated with pollution.

In breast cancer metastasis, researchers identify possible drug target

The spread of breast cancer to distant organs within the body, an event that often leads to death, appears in many cases to involve the loss of a key protein, according to UC San Francisco researchers, whose new discoveries point to possible targets for therapy.

ITAM is important regulator of vascular integrity

Platelets survey blood vessels, searching for blood vessel damage. When damage is detected, the platelets form a clump and release factors that prevent blood loss and promote repair.

Atherotrhombosis is the inappropriate clumping of platelets within blood vessels that occludes blood flow and many anti-platelet drugs are under development for the treatment of atherothrombosis.

NEDD4 gene insight into Liddle syndrome

Liddle syndrome is a form of early onset, severe hypertension that is caused by mutations in the NEDD4 gene. NEDD4 is a ubiquitin ligase, which mediates the destruction of target proteins.

Liddle's syndrome is hypothesized to be caused by the inability of mutant NEDD4 to induce destruction of the kidney sodium channel ENaC, perturbing sodium homeostasis to induce hypertension. In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Olivier Staub and colleagues at the University of Lausanne investigated the effects of mutant NEDD4 in the kidney.

Rooting out hormone refractory prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is one of the most common malignancies in men. It is highly treatable in early stages; however, once the cancer becomes metastatic, it cannot be cured.

In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Fillippo Giancotti and colleagues at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, demonstrate that a significant fraction of advanced, hormone refractory prostate cancers express high levels of the protein β4 integrin.

iRHOM2: the newest gadget in rheumatoid arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an inflammatory joint disorder that gradually destroys cartilage, causing loss of joint function and mobility.

TNF is a protein that mediates inflammation in RA. TNF is generated when an enzyme known as TACE release TNF from immune cells. Therapeutic targeting of TACE could reduce TNF, but TACE is also important to other physiological processes, making it a poor drug target.

In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Carl Blobel and colleagues at Weill Cornell University demonstrated that the protein iRHOM2 in immune cells.

How coal tar treats eczema

Coal tar soap is one of the oldest remedies for atopic dermatitis,a.k.a. eczema, but it is unclear exactly why this treatment is effective.

In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ellen van den Bogaard and colleagues at Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, identified the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) as the molecular target of coal tar.

Green tea and Vardenafil: a killer chemotherapy combo

Several recent studies have demonstrated that EGCG, a major constituent of green tea, has anti-cancer properties, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects are unknown.

In the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Hirofumi Tachibana and colleagues at Kyushu University in Fukuoka, Japan, demonstrate that EGCG activates the 67-kDa laminin receptor, which elevates intracellular levels of the molecule cGMP to induce cell death.

Daily antiseptic baths slash risk of bloodstream infections in critically ill children

Daily baths with an ordinary antibacterial cleanser can safely reduce the risk of dangerous bloodstream infections in critically ill children, according to a trial conducted in five pediatric hospitals and led by investigators at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center.

A report on the findings of the research -- the first of its kind in children and one of the largest infection-prevention trials to date-- will be published online Jan. 26 in The Lancet.