Cancer Research: Antibody to save cancerous bones ♦ Better understanding of cancer-spreading enzymes ♦ Survival has improved for stage IV breast cancer

New studies create better understanding of cancer-spreading enzymes A detailed structural view of an enzyme, called MMP7, has been revealed as it binds to the membranes, or surfaces, of cancer cells. This understanding could lead to better treatments.

Survival has improved for women with stage IV breast cancer  study that included more than 20,000 women with stage IV breast cancer finds that survival has improved and is increasingly of prolonged duration, particularly for some women undergoing initial breast surgery.

Antibody developed to save cancerous bones Osteosarcoma (OS) is a rare cancer most often affecting adolescents and children. While most bone cancers have their origin in other body tissues and spread to the bones through metastases, OS originates in the bone tissue. Researchers now show that OS cells degrade the bone tissue through a completely different process than metastasized bone cancer. Through treatment with a specific antibody, the researchers blocked the process and reduced up to 80 percent of bone degradation in a cancer model

False-positive mammograms may indicate increased risk of breast cancer later Women with a history of a false-positive mammogram result may be at increased risk of developing breast cancer for up to 10 years after the false-positive result.

Health News:Nano-walkers take speedy leap forward with first rolling DNA-based motor ♦ Antibody for severe hemophilia a may reduce injections needed to prevent bleeding

Nano-walkers take speedy leap forward with first rolling DNA-based motor A rolling DNA-based motor that's 1,000 times faster than any other synthetic DNA motor has been devised by physical chemists, giving it potential for real-world applications, such as disease diagnostics.

Patient deaths do not increase during doctor strikes As doctors in England prepare for strike action next month, researchers show that, in high-income countries, 'patients do not come to serious harm during industrial action provided that provisions are made for emergency care.

Clinical workstations: An overlooked reservoir for deadly bacteria? Clinical workstations within hospital intensive care units (ICUs) may get overlooked during routine cleanings and could therefore harbor more dangerous bacteria than regularly cleaned objects in patient areas.

Antibody for severe hemophilia a may reduce injections needed to prevent bleeding An antibody engineered to prevent excessive bleeding in patients with severe hemophilia A may be safe and effective, and require fewer injections than existing options.

Immune Research: HIV susceptibility linked to little-understood immune cell class ♦ Cell division speeds up as part of antibody selection ♦ Iron regulators join war on pathogens

Cell division speeds up as part of antibody selection

Posted: 16 Jul 2015 01:05 PM PDT

In response to an infection, the immune system refines its defensive proteins, called antibodies, to better target an invader. New research has revealed two mechanisms that favor the selection of B cells capable of producing antibodies with the highest affinity for that invader.

Iron regulators join war on pathogens

Posted: 16 Jul 2015 10:52 AM PDT

Iron regulatory proteins play an important role in the body's immune system. Proteins responsible for controlling levels of iron in the body also play an important role in combating infection, according to a new study. Humans -- along with all living organisms, including pathogens -- need iron to survive: invading organisms try to highjack it from their hosts in order to thrive and multiply.

HIV susceptibility linked to little-understood immune cell class

Posted: 22 Jul 2015 11:46 AM PDT

High diversity among certain cells that help fight viruses and tumors is strongly associated with the likelihood of subsequent infection by HIV, researchers have found

Promising treatment for devastating genetic disorder found

Posted: 23 Jul 2015 03:11 PM PDT

A multi-institutional team of researchers has identified an apparently successful treatment for a genetic immune disorder that causes a multitude of health problems -- ranging from infections, diabetes, lung disease and the body's immune system attacking and damaging healthy tissues.

Brain Research: Magnetic nanoparticles could be key to effective immunotherapy ♦ New antibody treats traumatic brain injury ♦ New approach to spinal cord, brain injury research

New antibody treats traumatic brain injury (TBI) and prevents long-term neurodegeneration New research provides the first direct evidence linking traumatic brain injury to Alzheimer's disease and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) -- and offers the potential for early intervention TBI can result from repetitive contact sport injuries or from exposure to military blasts, and is one of the most significant risk factors for both Alzheimer's disease and CTE

New evidence linking brain mutation to autism, epilepsy and other neuro disorders The extent a mutation associated with autism and epilepsy plays in impairing a biochemical process in the brain has been revealed by researchers. The study  could provide a new target for treating neurological disorders

Gene associated with thinking skills Researchers have identified a gene that underlies healthy information processing -- a first step on a complicated road to understand cognitive aging and age-related diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease.

New approach to spinal cord, brain injury research Many an injury will heal, but the damaged spinal cord is notoriously recalcitrant. There's new hope on the horizon, though. Researchers has reported an innate repair mechanism in central nervous system axons that might be harnessed to regenerate nerves after brain or spinal cord injuries.

Magnetic nanoparticles could be key to effective immunotherapy In recent years, researchers have hotly pursued immunotherapy, a promising form of treatment that relies on harnessing and training the body's own immune system to better fight cancer and infection. Now, results of a new study suggests that a device composed of a magnetic column paired with custom-made magnetic nanoparticles may hold a key to bringing immunotherapy into widespread and successful clinical use.

Health Research: Gel that can make drugs last longer ♦ New antibody weapons against Marburg virus ♦ 'Drink when thirsty' to avoid fatal drops in blood sodium levels during exercise

Gel that can make drugs last longer A drug-delivering hydrogel has been developed to treat chronic diseases such as hepatitis C, a liver disease that kills around 500,000 people worldwide every year

New antibody weapons against Marburg virus New immune molecules that protect against deadly Marburg virus, a relative of Ebola virus, have been identified by researchers. The research provides ingredients needed to develop treatments for future Marburg outbreaks, they say.

'Drink when thirsty' to avoid fatal drops in blood sodium levels during exercise For hikers, football players, endurance athletes, and a growing range of elite and recreational exercisers, the best approach to preventing potentially serious reductions in blood sodium level is to drink when thirsty, according to an updated consensus statement on exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH).

Pioneering study may explain origin of several digestive diseases The tridimensional characterization of the calcium phosphate formed in the stomach is shown for the first time in a new study, revealing its internal structure, morphology and real functionality. This study has succeeded in taking one more step towards discovering the origin of certain diseases, although there is still a lot of work ahead before we can combat these diseases that would appear to be associated with a calcium deficiency.

Health News: FDA: Illegal drug residue in cows ♦ Vitamin E, improves lung function when exposure to air pollution ♦ Antibody's unusual abilities might inspire vaccine strategies

FDA: Illegal drug residue in cows and sulfites in fish Last week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published warning letters sent to a dairy and to two seafood processing facilities. Goyenetche Dairy of Buttonwillow, CA, was cited for illegal drug residues in the tissues of a dairy cow sold for slaughter for food.

New way to treat skin conditions: World's first mercury-free film-type ultraviolet light source Scientists have developed the world's first new mercury-free light source that produces ultraviolet radiation for medical applications. It is currently being certified as a medical instrument, and sales are expected to begin in October 2015. This equipment should effectively treat skin diseases such as atopic dermatitis, leucoderma, and psoriasis. Because it can deliver high-intensity radiation to only the affected area, it should reduce the treatment time and patients’ stress

Antibody's unusual abilities might inspire vaccine strategies The recent discovery of a novel antibody that works in an unusual way could inspire new vaccine strategies. The antibody appears to have properties that might keep bacteria like disease-causing E. coli from adhering to human cell surfaces and also dislodge those already attached. Among the common pathogens for which researchers are seeking more effective methods to prevent adherence to human cell surfaces are the forms of E. coli that cause urinary tract infections.

Antibody, improves lung function when exposure to air pollution An association between the amount of vitamin E in the body, exposure to particulate pollution and lung function has been uncovered by a new study. The paper adds to growing evidence from previous studies suggesting that some vitamins may play a role in helping to protect the lungs from air pollution