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    Category Health/Medical

    Exposure to BPA substitute, BPS, Multiplies Breast Cancer Cells

    April 2, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    breast cancer

    Micrograph showing a lymph node invaded by ductal breast carcinoma, with extension of the tumour beyond the lymph node. Credit: Nephron/Wikipedia

    Bisphenol S, a substitute for bisphenol A (BPA) in the plastic industry, shows the potential for increasing the aggressiveness of breast cancer through its behavior as an endocrine-disrupting chemical, a new study finds. The results, which tested BPS in human breast cancer cells, will be presented Saturday at ENDO 2017, the Endocrine Society’s 99th annual meeting in Orlando, Fla.

    BPS is found in polycarbonate hard plastics, currency bills and thermal paper receipts as well as many products touted to be free of BPA, a known endocrine-disrupting chemical suspected of having multiple possible health risks...

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    Molecular Therapy set to Protect at-risk Patients against Heart Attack and Stroke

    April 1, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Changes in LDL Cholesterol Levels. The change in LDL cholesterol level from baseline to day 180 is shown for each patient randomly assigned to the two-dose placebo group (61 patients) (Panel A) and the two-dose 300-mg inclisiran group (59 patients) (Panel B); the changes from baseline to day 240 are also shown for the two-dose 300-mg inclisiran group (59 patients) (Panel C). Dashed lines represent LDL cholesterol reductions of 39 mg per deciliter and 78 mg per deciliter. To convert the values for cholesterol to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.02586.

    Changes in LDL Cholesterol Levels. The change in LDL cholesterol level from baseline to day 180 is shown for each patient randomly assigned to the two-dose placebo group (61 patients) (Panel A) and the 2-dose 300-mg inclisiran group (59 patients) (Panel B); the changes from baseline to day 240 are also shown for the two-dose 300-mg inclisiran group (59 patients) (Panel C). Dashed lines represent LDL cholesterol reductions of 39 mg per deciliter and 78 mg per deciliter. To convert the values for cholesterol to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.02586.

    siRNA treatment inactivates harmful protein...

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    These 5 Tests better Predict Heart Disease Risk

    March 31, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Cardiologists Dr. James de Lemos (left) and Dr. Amit Khera (right) review a printout from an EKG and a calcium scan, two of five tests they demonstrated could improve risk assessment for heart disease. Credit: UT Southwestern

    Cardiologists Dr. James de Lemos (left) and Dr. Amit Khera (right) review a printout from an EKG and a calcium scan, two of five tests they demonstrated could improve risk assessment for heart disease. Credit: UT Southwestern

    Five medical tests together provide a broader and more accurate assessment of heart-disease risk than currently used methods, cardiologists at UT Southwestern Medical Center found. Combined, results from the five tests – an EKG, a limited CT scan, and 3 blood tests – better predict who will develop heart disease compared with standard strategies that focus on blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking history. “This set of tests is really powerful in identifying unexpected risk among individuals with few traditional risk factors...

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    Helping the Retina Regenerate

    March 31, 2017, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Rods, cones and nerve layers in the retina. The front (anterior) of the eye is on the left. Light (from the left) passes through several transparent nerve layers to reach the rods and cones (far right). A chemical change in the rods and cones send a signal back to the nerves. The signal goes first to the bipolar and horizontal cells (yellow layer), then to the amacrine cells and ganglion cells (purple layer), then to the optic nerve fibres. The signals are processed in these layers. First, the signals start as raw outputs of points in the rod and cone cells. Then the nerve layers identify simple shapes, such as bright points surrounded by dark points, edges, and movement. (Based on a drawing by Ramón y Cajal.)

    Rods, cones and nerve layers in the retina. The front (anterior) of the eye is on the left. Light (from the left) passes through several transparent nerve layers to reach the rods and cones (far right). A chemical change in the rods and cones send a signal back to the nerves. The signal goes first to the bipolar and horizontal cells (yellow layer), then to the amacrine cells and ganglion cells (purple layer), then to the optic nerve fibres. The signals are processed in these layers. First, the signals start as raw outputs of points in the rod and cone cells. Then the nerve layers identify simple shapes, such as bright points surrounded by dark points, edges, and movement. (Based on a drawing by Ramón y Cajal.)

    A new report gives recommendations for regenerating retinal ganglion cells RGCs...

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