cancer tagged posts

Experts discover Toolkit to Repair DNA Breaks linked to Aging, Cancer and MND

A human cell showing sites of DNA breaks repaired by TEX246
A human cell showing sites of DNA breaks repaired by TEX246

A new ‘toolkit’ to repair damaged DNA that can lead to ageing, cancer and Motor Neurone Disease (MND) has been discovered by scientists at the Universities of Sheffield and Oxford.

Published in Nature Communications, the research shows that a protein called TEX264, together with other enzymes, is able to recognise and ‘eat’ toxic proteins that can stick to DNA and cause it to become damaged. An accumulation of broken, damaged DNA can cause cellular ageing, cancer and neurological diseases such as MND.

Until now, ways of repairing this sort of DNA damage have been poorly understood, but scientists hope to exploit this novel repair toolkit of proteins to protect us from ageing, cancer and neurological disease.

The fin...

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Proton Therapy Lowers Risk of Side Effects in Cancer compared to Traditional Radiation

Penn researchers have demonstrated that proton therapy reduces the likelihood of adverse affects among cancer patients also being treated with chemotherapy. The study compared proton therapy patients to those receiving traditional photon radiation. SOURCE/PERELMAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE

Study found protons led to two-thirds reduction in unplanned hospitalizations. Proton therapy leads to significantly lower risk of side effects severe enough to lead to unplanned hospitalizations for cancer patients when compared with traditional radiation, while cure rates between the two groups are almost identical...

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Possible link between Sugary Drinks and Cancer

Fig1
Contribution of each beverage type to the total of sugary drinks and artificially sweetened beverage consumption

A study published by The BMJ today reports a possible association between higher consumption of sugary drinks and and an increased risk of cancer. While cautious interpretation is needed, the findings add to a growing body of evidence indicating that limiting sugary drink consumption, together with taxation and marketing restrictions, might contribute to a reduction in cancer cases.

The consumption of sugary drinks has increased worldwide during the last few decades and is convincingly associated with the risk of obesity, which in turn is recognised as a strong risk factor for many cancers. But research on sugary drinks and the risk of cancer is still limited.

So a t...

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Engineers create Rubbery ‘Smart’ Material to treat Open Wounds, Infections and Cancer

Professor James H. Henderson and Ph.D. candidate Shelby L. Buffington of Syracuse University display the new shape memory polymer in their lab.
Credit: Syracuse University

Researchers in the Syracuse University College of Engineering and Computer Science have developed a material – a new kind of shape memory polymer (SMP) – that could have major implications for health care.

SMPs are soft, rubbery, “smart” materials that can change shape in response to external stimuli like temperature changes or exposure to light. They can hold each shape indefinitely and turn back when triggered to do so.

SMPs have many potential biomedical applications...

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