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 research:What salamanders can teach us about baseball ♦ One very brainy bird ♦ Is testosterone therapy safe?

What salamanders can teach us about baseball Researchers have increased our understanding of how people and animals deal with sensorimotor delay in day-to-day interactions by analyzing the hunting skills of salamanders.

One very brainy bird A new study has found pigeons performed as well as humans in categorizing digitized slides and mammograms of benign and malignant human breast tissue.

Weekday sleep changes may raise risk of diabetes, heart disease Monday mornings could be harmful to your health. Even routine sleep changes such as waking up early for work during the week may raise the risk of developing metabolic problems such as diabetes and heart disease.

Is testosterone therapy safe? The increasing use of testosterone replacement therapy to treat reduced testosterone level in older men has been accompanied by growing concerns over its long-term safety. The findings of two studies examining the health risks of receiving testosterone are presented by scientists

FDA-approved drug protects mice from Ebola A new study suggests that gamma interferon, which is an FDA-approved drug, may have potential as an antiviral therapy to prevent Ebola infection when given either before or after exposure to the virus. The study found that gamma interferon, given up to 24 hours after exposure, can inhibit Ebola infection in mice and completely protect the animals from death

Woman's Health:Pollutants in early pregnancy linked to gestational diabetes ♦ New approach to mammograms could improve reliability ♦ Vaccine clears some precancerous cervical lesions

Women exposed to organic pollutants in early pregnancy have more than four-times increased risk of gestational diabetes New research shows that a 10-times increased exposure to organic pollutants in early pregnancy is associated with a 4.4 times increased risk of a pregnant woman developing gestational diabetes.

New approach to mammograms could improve reliability Detecting breast cancer in women with dense mammary tissues could become more reliable with a new mammogram procedure that researchers have now tested in preclinical studies of mice. Scientists describe injecting gold nanoparticles in mammary tissue to enhance the imaging of early signs of breast cancer.

No long term effects of antidepressant use during pregnancy The use of antidepressants during pregnancy has no long term neurodevelopmental or behavioral effects on the child, however they may be associated with an increased risk of postpartum haemorrhage.

Vaccine clears some precancerous cervical lesions Scientists have used a genetically engineered vaccine to successfully eradicate high-grade precancerous cervical lesions in nearly one-half of women who received the vaccine in a clinical trial. The goalwas to find nonsurgical ways to treat precancerous lesions caused by HPV.

Grieving Before Conception May Be a Risk Factor for Infant Mortality An elevated infant death rate may be linked to mourning experienced by women in the months before they become pregnant.

Problems with Mammograms at Coastal Diagnostic Center, California

FDA is alerting patients about possible problems with the quality of mammograms taken any time on or after February 24, 2013, at Coastal Diagnostic Center in Pismo Beach, California. The American College of Radiology revoked the facility’s accreditation effective April 10, 2015.

Risk: This does not necessarily mean that the results of the mammograms were inaccurate. But patients should consider having their mammograms reevaluated at a facility certified by the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) to determine whether they need a repeat mammogram or additional medical follow-up.

Recommendations:

FDA has some recommendations for patients who had a mammogram at Coastal Diagnostic Center any time on or after February 24, 2013.

If you have had a more recent mammogram at a MQSA-certified facility since February 24, 2013, follow the recommendations from that facility.

If you have not had a new mammogram at a MQSA-certified facility since then, follow these guidelines:

• Talk with your healthcare provider as soon as possible about the need for a follow-up exam.
• If your healthcare provider recommends a repeat mammogram, it should be done at a MQSA-certified facility to ensure quality and accuracy. Find a MQSA-certified facility in your area online or by calling the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-422-6237.
• If you need a repeat mammogram and your health insurance will not pay for it, call the National Cancer Institute at 1-800-422-6237 for a listing of MQSA-certified facilities near you that will provide free or low-cost mammograms.

Cancer Research: Re-engineering lupus into a cancer killer ♦ Technology could let women skip annual mammograms ♦ Cancer drug shows promise as cure for hepatitis B

Re-engineering lupus into a cancer killer Researchers have devised a way to re-engineer lupus antibodies to turn them into potential cancer killers. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when the immune system attacks its own organs, tissues, or joints.

Trial shows benefit of 'BRCA-targeting' drug in prostate cancer Men with prostate cancer benefit from treatment with the pioneering drug olaparib -- the first cancer drug to target inherited mutations -- according to the results of a major trial.

Technology could let women skip annual mammograms Developing technology is on track to predict if and when breast cancer will appear. "We're creating a breast cancer risk analysis system," said an electrical engineer on the study. "It will be able to inform doctors about the patient's risk of developing cancer within a few years."

Cancer drug shows promise as cure for hepatitis B A potential cure for hepatitis B virus infections has been found with a promising new treatment proving 100 percent successful in eliminating the infection in preclinical models. Australian patients are now the first in the world to have access to the potential treatment -- a combination of an antiviral drug and an anti-cancer drug -- which is in phase 1/2a clinical trials.

Breast Cancer in Young Women

Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women. About 11% of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age.

Some young women are at a higher risk for getting breast cancer at an early age compared with other women their age. If you are a woman under age 45, you may have a higher risk if—

• You have close relatives (parents, siblings, or children) who were diagnosed with breast or ovarian cancer when they were younger than 45, especially if more than one relative was diagnosed or if a male relative had breast cancer.
• You have changes in certain breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2), or have close relatives with these changes.
• You have an Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.
• You were treated with radiation therapy to the breast or chest during childhood or early adulthood.
• You have had breast cancer or certain other breast health problems such as lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), atypical ductal hyperplasia, or atypical lobular hyperplasia.
• You have been told that you have dense breasts on a mammogram.

What can I do to reduce my risk?

Breast cancer in a woman under the age of 45 is relatively rare compared to older women, but some women have higher risk for this disease. If you're a woman in this age group, it is important that you—

• Know how your breasts normally look and feel. If you notice a change in the size or shape of your breast, you feel pain in your breast, or you have nipple discharge other than breast milk (including blood), talk to a doctor right away.
• Talk to your doctor if you have a higher risk. If you have a family history of breast or ovarian cancer or other risk factors, you should talk to your doctor about ways to manage your risk. If your risk is high, your doctor may suggest that you get genetic counseling and be tested for changes, called mutations, in your BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes. Your doctor may also talk to you about getting mammograms earlier and more often than other women, whether other screening tests might be right for you, and medicines or surgeries that can lower your risk.

2/24/14 Health News: Emerging Polio-like Disease - New Kind of Transplant Bank - Study Casts Doubts on Value of Mammograms - Human Lung Made in Lab

US Doctors Are Warning of an Emerging Polio-like Disease

US doctors are warning of an emerging polio-like disease in California where up to 20 people have been infected.A meeting of the American Academy of Neurology heard that some patients had developed paralysis in all four limbs, which had not improved with treatment Continue Reading

A New Kind of Transplant Bank

Nearly a year ago, Mark Smith, a 27-year-old doctoral candidate, and three colleagues launched OpenBiome, the nation’s first human stool bank. Its mission: to provide doctors with safe, inexpensive fecal material from screened donors to treat patients with Clostridium difficile, a gastrointestinal infection that kills at least 14,000 Americans a year. “People are dying, and it’s crazy because we know what the solution is,” Mr. Smith said. “People are doing fecal transplants in their basements and may not be doing any of the right screening or sterile preparation. We need an intermediate solution until there are commercial products on the market.” But where to get healthy donor stool?  For doctors, it’s a tedious, time-consuming process, and some patients turn awkwardly to relatives or friends. Since September, OpenBiome has delivered more than 135 frozen, ready-to-use preparations to 13 hospitals. The nonprofit project fields dozens of requests from doctors, hospitals and patients every week. (The preparations are not sent directly to patients.) .Continue Reading

Vast Study Casts Doubts on Value of Mammograms

One of the largest and most meticulous studies of mammography ever done, involving 90,000 women and lasting a quarter-century, has added powerful new doubts about the value of the screening test for women of any age. It found that the death rates from breast cancer and from all causes were the same in women who got mammograms and those who did not.  And the screening had harms: One in five cancers found with mammography and treated was not a threat to the woman’s health and did not need treatment such as chemotherapy, surgery or radiation.Continue Reading

Human Lung Made in Lab for First Time

For the first time, scientists have created human lungs in a lab -- an exciting step forward in regenerative medicine, but an advance that likely won't help patients for many years. "It's so darn cool," said Joan Nichols, a researcher at the University of Texas Medical Branch. "It's been science fiction and we're moving into science fact." If the lungs work -- and that's a big if -- they could help the more than 1,600 people awaiting a lung transplant. Lungs are one of many body parts being manufactured in the lab -- some parts, such as tracheas and livers, are even further along.Continue Reading