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    Category Health/Medical

    Antioxidants can Double the rate of Melanoma Metastasis in mice, new research shows

    October 8, 2015, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    The results reinforce previous findings that antioxidants hasten the progression of lung cancer. People with cancer or an elevated risk of developing the disease should avoid nutritional supplements that contain antioxidants, the researchers say. Given well-established evidence that free radicals can cause cancer, the research community had simply assumed that antioxidants, which destroy them, provide protection against the disease.

    “As opposed to the lung cancer studies, the primary melanoma tumor was not affected,” Professor Bergö says. “But the antioxidant boosted the ability of the tumor cells to metastasize, an even more serious problem because metastasis is the cause of death in the case of melanoma. The primary tumor is not dangerous per se and is usually removed.”

    Experiments ...

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    Disabling erbB Pathway + IFN-γ Therapy Eradicates a Breast Cancer type in mice

    October 7, 2015, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Highlights •IFN-γ and 4D5 act directly on erbB2-positive breast cancer cells •IFN-γ, but not IFN-α or β, cooperates with 4D5 directly on erbB2+ breast cancer cells •IFN-γ and 4D5 alters KLF4 levels and degrades Snail by the GSK3-β/proteasome pathway •Sequential combination treatment with mAb and IFN-γ sensitizes for tumor eradication

    Highlights •IFN-γ and 4D5 act directly on erbB2-positive breast cancer cells •IFN-γ, but not IFN-α or β, cooperates with 4D5 directly on erbB2+ breast cancer cells •IFN-γ and 4D5 alters KLF4 levels and degrades Snail by the GSK3-β/proteasome pathway •Sequential combination treatment with mAb and IFN-γ sensitizes for tumor eradication. Credit: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2015.08.044

    This therapy, when translated for use in people humans, would be beneficial in reducing toxicity because the amount of antibody could be decreased by 2/3 and the amount of chemotherapy by at least 1/2, they say. This in turn, “reduces the cost of treatment so that individuals previously not able to afford targeted therapy will be able to do so.

    “This line of research is important to future ...

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    Groundbreaking Computer Program Diagnoses Cancer in 2 days

    October 7, 2015, Categories  Health/Medical, Biology/Biotechnology

    Groundbreaking computer program diagnoses cancer in two days

    Groundbreaking computer program diagnoses cancer in two days

    In 1 in 20 cancer cases, the doctor can confirm that the patient has cancer – but cannot find the source. These patients then face the prospect of a long wait with numerous diagnostic tests and attempts to locate the origin of the cancer before starting any treatment. Now, researchers have combined genetics with computer science and created a new diagnostic technology based on advanced self-learning computer algorithms which can, with 85% certainty, identify the source of the disease and thus target treatment and, ultimately, improve the prognosis for the patient.

    Each year, ~35,000 people are diagnosed with cancer in Denmark, and many of them face the prospect of a long wait until the cancer has been diagnosed and its source loc...

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    Photo of SARM1 in brains of mice infected with La Crosse virus

    The immune system protein SARM1 (red) extends to the string-like fibers (axons) of nerve cells in the brains of mice infected with La Crosse virus. Scientists are examining how SARM1 interacts with mitochondria in the axons to induce death of the nerve cells. Credit: NIAID

    Many brain disorders involve the death of neurons, or nerve cells, but how these neurons die is not well understood. A new study describes how the activation of normally protective immune responses causes nerve cells to die and identifies the protein responsible, providing a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

    Researchers from NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) studied the effect of immune system proteins: toll-like receptors on neurons...

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