Cancer Research: Diabetes linked to advanced stage breast cancer ♦ Promising drug for treating leukemia ♦ Fitness level lower risk of some cancers

Women with diabetes more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer  Diabetes is associated with more advanced stage breast cancer.A new study that confirms a strong link between diabetes and later stage breast cancer. Continue Reading

Promising drug a 'new paradigm' for treating leukemia  A compound that delays leukemia in mice and effectively kills leukemia cells in human tissue samples has been developed by researchers, raising hopes that the drug could lead to improved treatments in people. Continue Reading

Blood test can help some bowel cancer patients avoid unnecessary drug side-effects Researchers have provided early evidence to suggest that a blood test could be used to identify bowel cancer patients that may benefit from more intensive chemotherapy Continue Reading

Fitness level associated with lower risk of some cancers, death in men  Men with a high fitness level in midlife appear to be at lower risk for lung and colorectal cancer, but not prostate cancer, and that higher fitness level also may put them at lower risk of death if they are diagnosed with cancer when they're older. Continue Reading

Health News: GMO apples and potatoes approved ♦ First blood test for osteoarthritis ♦ Power naps improve memory performance + more

GMO apples and potatoes pass FDA safety assessment  These GMO approvals aren’t exactly small potatoes. Two varieties of genetically engineered apples and six types of genetically altered potatoes offer just as much nutrition and as little safety risk as their conventional relatives Continue Reading

Scientists must reduce antibiotic use in experiments  Scientists should reduce antibiotic use in lab experiments. According to a new article, molecular biology and genetic research such as the Human Genome Project use antibiotics in experiments. But it all adds to the global problem of antibiotic resistance according Continue Reading

Review of global guidelines for sepsis needed  Experts are calling for a global review of guidelines used to diagnose sepsis, after a study found one in eight patients with infections severe enough to need admission to an Intensive Care Unit in Australia and New Zealand, did not meet current criteria. Continue Reading

First blood test for osteoarthritis could soon be available The first blood test for osteoarthritis could soon be developed, thanks to new research. The research findings could potentially lead to patients being tested for osteoarthritis and diagnosed several years before the onset of physical symptoms Continue Reading

Power naps produce a significant improvement inPower napsperformance Psychologists have shown that a short nap lasting about an hour can significantly improve memory performance. The study involved examination of memory recall in 41 participants. The volunteers had to learn single words and word pairs. Once the learning phase was over, the participants were tested to determine how much information they could remember. About half of the participants were then allowed to sleep, while the others watched a DVD. After that, the participants were re-tested and those who had taken a nap were shown to have retained substantially more word pairs in memory than the participants in the control group who had watched a DVD. Continue Reading

11/6/14 Health News: Potential treatment for obesity ♦ Nanobodies ♦ Blood test for many cancer types ♦ Possible alternative to antibiotics

Pterostilbene, a molecule similar to resveratrol, as a potential treatment for obesity

Pterostilbene is a phenolic compound in the same family as resveratrol and is present in small amounts in a large variety of foods and beverages like blueberries or red wine. Researchers have observed in animal models that its administration reduces the build-up of body fat, which could reduce the risk of developing other diseases like diabetes. Continue Reading

New technique efficiently turns antibodies into highly tuned 'nanobodies'

A new system promises to make nanobodies -- antibodies' tiny cousins -- dramatically more accessible for all kinds of research. Continue Reading

Step towards blood test for many cancer types

Scientists have identified more than 800 markers in the blood of cancer patients that could help lead to a single blood test for early detection of many types of cancer in future, according to researcher Continue Reading

Possible alternative to antibiotics

A novel substance for the treatment of severe bacterial infections has been developed to work without antibiotics. Scientists say that this would prevent the development of antibiotic resistance. Continue Reading

1/25/14 Health News: Deadly Delays in Newborns - New Biopsy Picks Out Aggressive Cancer - Gold Nanoparticles Track Enteroviruses - New Suicide Test.

Deadly Delays in Newborns Blood Tests

In a special report titled "Deadly Delays," the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel newspaper showed this past fall that Iowa and Delaware are the only two states in the U.S. that get blood samples from babies and quickly transport them to a lab for analysis as required by federal law. While all states may take the samples, the report found that how and when they are transported to a lab varies widely across the nation. The Iowa State Hygienic lab is centrally located in Ankeny for what is called the Newborn Screening Program. The lab operates in partnership with the Iowa Department of Public Health in Des Moines and the University of Iowa Children's Hospital in Iowa City.Continue Reading

New Biopsy Test Could Pick Out Aggressive Form of Skin Cancer

Testing the genetic profile of immune cells next to a melanoma could lead to more accurate diagnosis to spot whether a skin cancer is aggressive enough to spread, researchers from Italy have found. Development of the research finding could enable doctors to focus cancer treatment on skin cancer patients who need it - while sparing the harm of intervening when patients do not need it continue reading

Gold Core Nanoparticles Allow for Precise Tracking of Enteroviruses

Enteroviruses are a cause of a bunch of infamous and pernicious diseases, from polio to hand, foot and mouth disease, but because of their size and variability studying them has proven to be a significant challenge. Being able to attach tracking particles that are discreet enough not to affect the behavior of the virus may revolutionize our ability to study these pathogens The study also showed that the infectivity of the viruses is not compromised by the attached gold particles, which indicates that the labelling method does not interfere with the normal biological functions of viruses inside cells. Continue Reading

'Suicide Test' May Aid Antidepressant Decision Making

A genetic test in development promises to help doctors identify patients at increased risk for suicide after starting antidepressant therapy. The test for treatment-emergent suicidal ideation is based on research carried out Continue Reading