EurekAlert! - National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Blood
Stopping and starting cancer cell cycle weakens and defeats multiple myeloma
Weill Cornell Medical College researchers have devised an innovative boxer-like strategy, based on the serial use of two anti-cancer drugs, to deliver a one-two punch to first weaken the defenses of multiple myeloma and then deliver the final knock-out punch to win the fight.

NIH/National Cancer Institute, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Starr Cancer Consortium

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Mayo Clinic Proceedings
Mayo Clinic: Common blood pressure drug linked to severe GI problems
Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered an association between a commonly prescribed blood pressure drug, Olmesartan, and severe gastrointestinal issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weight loss and electrolyte abnormalities -- symptoms common among those who have celiac disease. The findings are published online today in the medical journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings.

National Institutes of Health, American College of Gastroenterology, Swedish Society of Medicine, Swedish Research Council, Fulbright Commission

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Nature Reviews Cancer
Moffitt researchers: Darwin's principles say cancer will always evolve to resist treatment
According to researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center, cancer is subject to the evolutionary processes laid out by Charles Darwin in his concept of natural selection. Natural selection was the process identified by Darwin by which nature selects certain physical attributes, or phenotypes, to pass on to offspring to better "fit" the organism to the environment.

NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

New England Journal of Medicine
Surgical 'sling' reduces risk of weakened bladder control after prolapse surgery, U-M study says
New research shows that patients who receive a type of surgical sling during surgery to fix pelvic organ prolapse have less than half the risk of urinary incontinence after surgery.

NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, NIH/Office of Research on Women's Health

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Chemistry & Biology
New anti-inflammatory drugs pinch off reactive oxygen species at the source
Scientists have identified a new type of anti-inflammatory compound that may be useful in treating a wide range of conditions, including neurodegenerative and autoimmune diseases. These compounds inhibit the enzyme Nox2, part of a family of enzymes responsible for producing reactive oxygen species.

National Institutes of Health, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Science
Avian flu viruses which are transmissible between humans could evolve in nature
It might be possible for human-to-human airborne transmissible avian H5N1 influenza viruses to evolve in nature, new research has found.

European Commission, Royal Society, Human Frontiers Science Program, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

American Journal of Human Genetics
UCLA study uncovers new tools for targeting genes linked to autism
UCLA researchers have combined two tools � gene expression and the use of peripheral blood -- to expand scientists' arsenal of methods for pinpointing genes that play a role in autism. The findings could help scientists zero in on genes that offer future therapeutic targets for the disorder.

Simons Foundation, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health, Wellcome Trust, Autism Speaks

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Psychoneuroendocrinology
Stanford-led study explains how stress can boost immune system
A study spearheaded by a Stanford University School of Medicine scientist has tracked the trajectories of key immune cells in response to short-term stress and traced, in great detail, how hormones triggered by such stress enhance immune readiness. The study, conducted in rats, adds weight to evidence that immune responsiveness is heightened, rather than suppressed as many believe, by the so-called "fight-or-flight" response.

John D. & Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Dana Foundation, DeWitt Wallace Foundation, Carl & Elizabeth Naumann Fund, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Molecular Cell
Enzyme offers new therapeutic target for cancer drugs
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have uncovered a new signal transduction pathway specifically devoted to the regulation of alternative RNA splicing, a process that allows a single gene to produce or code multiple types of protein variants. The discovery, published in the June 27, 2012 issue of Molecular Cell, suggests the new pathway might be a fruitful target for new cancer drugs.

National Institutes of Health, Ruth L. Kirchstein National Research Service Award, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Cell
Our microbes, ourselves
Gut bacteria's key role in immunity is tuned to the host species, suggesting that the superabundant microbes lining our digestive tract are ultimately our evolutionary partners. This study, the first to demonstrate that microbes are specific to their host species, also sheds light on what's called the hygiene hypothesis.

Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of America, Danish Council for Independent Research | Natural Sciences, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Science
Immune system molecule weaves cobweb-like nanonets to snag Salmonella, other intestinal microbes
A team of researchers led by UC Davis Health System has found that human alpha-defensin 6 (HD6) -- a key component of the body's innate defense system -- binds to microbial surfaces and forms "nanonets" that surround, entangle and disable microbes, preventing bacteria from attaching to or invading intestinal cells.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Immunity
Protein may be key to psoriasis and wound care
Psoriasis is an autoimmune disorder in which skin cells proliferate out of control. For some hard-to-heal wounds, the problem is just the opposite: Restorative skin cells don't grow well or fast enough. In a paper published in the June 21, 2012 issue of Immunity, researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine describe a molecule that may lead to new treatments for both problems.

National Institutes of Health, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality

Public Release: 21-Jun-2012

Chemistry and Biology
New candidate drug stops cancer cells, regenerates nerve cells
Scientists have developed a small-molecule-inhibiting drug that in early laboratory cell tests stopped breast cancer cells from spreading and also promoted the growth of early nerve cells called neurites. Researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center report their findings online June 21 in Chemistry & Biology. The scientists named their lead drug candidate "Rhosin" and hope future testing shows it to be promising for the treatment of various cancers or nervous system damage.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Gynecologic Oncology
Misidentified and contaminated cell lines lead to faulty cancer science
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published this week in the journal Gynecologic Oncology shows that due to a high rate of contamination, misidentification and redundancy in widely available cell lines, researchers may be drawing faulty conclusions.

NIH/National Cancer Institute

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Molecular Nutrition and Food Research
Study links carcinogens to cancer stem cells -- but spinach can help
Researchers for the first time have traced the actions of a known carcinogen in cooked meat to its complex biological effects on microRNA and cancer stem cells. They also found that spinach can help prevent some of the damage done by this carcinogen.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Neuropsychopharmacology
BUSM study shows role of cellular protein in regulation of binge eating
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine have demonstrated in experimental models that blocking the Sigma-1 receptor, a cellular protein, reduced binge eating and caused binge eaters to eat more slowly.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Brain, Behavior and Immunity
Omega-3 lowers inflammation in overweight older adults
New research shows that omega-3 fatty acid supplements can lower inflammation in healthy, but overweight, middle-aged and older adults, suggesting that regular use of these supplements could help protect against and treat certain illnesses.

National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics
The math of malaria
In a paper published this month in the SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics, authors Daozhou Gao and Shigui Ruan propose a mathematical model to study malaria transmission among regions, and how it is influenced by human travel.

National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Science Signaling
'Master molecule' may improve stem cell treatment of heart attacks
A single protein molecule may hold the key to turning cardiac stem cells into blood vessels or muscle tissue, a finding that may lead to better ways to treat heart attack patients.

National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, American Asthma Foundation

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Nature
Structure of RNAi complex now crystal clear
Whitehead Institute researchers have determined and analyzed the crystal structure of a yeast Argonaute protein bound to RNA, which plays a key role in the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway that silences genes.

National Institutes of Health, Human Frontier Science Program, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Clinical Cancer Research
UW research shows new prognosis tool for deadly brain cancer
A diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is generally a death sentence, but new research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison lab of Dr. John Kuo shows that at least one subtype is associated with a longer life expectancy. This discovery could help with better patient prognoses and lead to targeted drug treatments for GBM subtypes.

NIH/National Cancer Institute, Wisconsin Partnership Program, Center for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Current Biology
Out of the mouths of primates, facial mechanics of human speech may have evolved
Two recent studies based at Princeton University suggest that the oral-facial component of human speech evolved from lip smacking, a friendly back-and-forth gesture performed by primates such as chimpanzees, baboons and macaques. The studies suggest a separate neural control for facial mechanics in primates that could help illuminate the neurological basis of speech disorders in humans.

National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

Neuron
All things big and small: The brain's discerning taste for size
Researchers at the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab and the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences have discovered that the brain organizes objects based on their physical size, with a specific region of the brain reserved for recognizing large objects and another reserved for small objects. Their findings could have major implications for fields like robotics, and could lead to a greater understanding of how the brain organizes and maps information.

National Science Foundation, NIH/National Eye Institute

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

New England Journal of Medicine
Drug combo much better than AZT alone at preventing mother-to-infant HIV transmission
A two- or three-drug combination within 48 hours or birth to infants born of HIV-positive mothers can reduce the risk of intrapartum HIV acquisition by about half, compared to AZT alone.

NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Development, NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 20-Jun-2012

New England Journal of Medicine
Researcher's findings provide guide to decisions on use of slings for women's prolapse surgery
A multicenter study involving a UT Southwestern Medical Center urogynecologist will eliminate some of the guesswork physicians face about whether to use a sling during vaginal prolapse repair to prevent urinary incontinence.

NIH/National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health