Cancer Research: Guided ultrasound plus nanoparticle chemotherapy cures tumors in mice ♦ Price of cancer drugs varies by up to 388% between European countries

Guided ultrasound plus nanoparticle chemotherapy cures tumors in mice Thermal ablation with magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) is a noninvasive technique for treating fibroids and cancer.Combining the technique with chemotherapy can allow complete destruction of tumors in mice.

Gene pair plays crucial role in colon cancer Two related genes in the Musashi family are required for colon cancer to develop, researchers have discovered, adding that they may be useful targets for effective treatment.

Price of cancer drugs varies by up to 388% between European countries, Australia, and New Zealand  The price of new cancer drugs varies widely (from 28% to 388%) between high-income countries in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, new research has found. The UK and Mediterranean countries such as Greece, Spain, and Portugal pay the lowest average unit manufacturer prices for a group of 31 originator cancer drugs (new drugs under patent), whereas Sweden, Switzerland, and Germany pay the highest prices.

Researchers identify biomarker of early lung cancer that may increase survival Researchers have identified a biomarker that detects the most common lung cancer in its earliest stage. The discovery could one day change how long lung cancer patients live

Cancer Research: Drug-encapsulating nanoparticle with bright bio-labels ♦ New options for cancer therapy ♦ State regulations linked to late cancer diagnoses

Drug-encapsulating nanoparticle with bright bio-labels measures how anticancer chemotherapy formulations enter cells Polymer nanoparticles that release medicine at controlled rates inside cells have the potential to enhance the efficacy of many clinical drugs. Researchers have now developed an eye-catching way to evaluate the performance of different polymer drug-delivery formulations using luminescent quantum dots as imaging labels.

Resveratrol, quercetin could provide new options for cancer therapy Resveratrol and quercetin, two polyphenols that have been widely studied for their health properties, may soon become the basis of an important new advance in cancer treatment, primarily by improving the efficacy and potential use of an existing chemotherapeutic cancer drug.

One-third of colorectal cancers diagnosed before 35 are hereditary Hereditary colorectal cancers, caused by inherited gene mutations, are relatively rare for most patients. However, researchers have discovered a particularly high prevalence of hereditary cancers among those diagnosed with the disease before the age of 35.

New method to deliver glucose to cancer cells could prove key to defeating deadly cancers Scientists have, for the first time, demonstrated the importance of sodium-dependent glucose transporters (SGLTs) in delivering glucose to pancreatic and prostate cancer cells. Their study results show promising evidence that current SGLT inhibitor drugs could potentially be used to block glucose uptake and reduce tumor growth in these cancers.

State regulations linked to late cancer diagnoses States' regulations of health insurance and practitioners significantly influence when patients receive colorectal or breast cancer diagnoses, especially among people younger than the Medicare-eligible age of 65.

Lipid Nanoparticle Therapeutic Treats Ebola in Monkeys

Lipid Nanoparticle Therapeutic Treats Ebola in Monkeys

The 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the largest Ebola outbreak in history. More than 25,000 cases and 10,000 deaths have been reported. It has caused more fatalities than all previous outbreaks combined.

Ebola virus (green) on a cell in culture. The virus was isolated in November 2014 from patient blood samples obtained in Mali. Credit: NIAID.

Symptoms of Ebola usually appear 2 to 21 days after exposure. Infection can cause fever, headache, body aches, weakness, stomach pain, and lack of appetite. Later symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, and in some cases internal and external bleeding.

A team led by Dr. Thomas Geisbert at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, in collaboration with Tekmira Pharmaceuticals in Vancouver, Canada, have been developing therapies that can target specific strains of the Ebola virus. The strategy uses molecules called small interfering RNA (siRNA). These are short pieces of RNA designed and built with specific sequences that “interfere” with production of key proteins crucial for survival of the virus without interfering with any processes in uninfected cells. An important advantage of siRNAs is that their sequences can be rapidly redesigned to target various strains of the Ebola virus.

The Tekmira team developed a new siRNA treatment, called siEbola-3, against the Makona outbreak strain of Ebola. Directly administering siRNAs can cause harmful immune responses. Thus the team encapsulated the siRNAs in lipid nanoparticles for safer delivery. The UTMB scientists tested the lipid nanoparticle siRNA treatment in monkeys that had been exposed to the Makona strain.

Animals treated 3 days after virus exposure—at which point they showed evidence of advanced disease—developed only mild symptoms and fully recovered. The animals showed less liver and kidney damage than normally occurs during an Ebola infection. Untreated animals succumbed to the disease in a time course similar to what has been reported in patients who begin showing symptoms of Ebola.

“The candidate treatment was rapidly adapted to target the Makona outbreak strain of Ebola virus,” Geisbert says. “We were able to protect all of our nonhuman primates against a lethal Makona Ebola infection when treatment began 3 days following infection.”

The siEbola-3 agent is currently being administered to Ebola-infected patients in Sierra Leone in a phase 2 study. The researchers note that use of a blend of several different siRNAs could potentially be used to combat newly emerging viral strains.

—by Carol Torgan, Ph.D.

Health News Nanoparticle drug reverses Parkinson's-like symptoms ♦ A fountain of youth for aging muscles ♦ Disease Caused By Emulsifiers

Food Additives: chronic Disease Caused By Emulsifiers Have you ever wondered what those food additive numbers in the ingredients list on your food packaging meant and what they were really doing to your body? Emulsifiers – detergent-like food additives found in processed foods – have the potential to damage the intestinal barrier, leading to inflammation and increasing our risk of chronic disease

Computer-assisted diagnosis tool helps physicians assess skin conditions without aid from dermatologists In the first major study to examine the use of a computer-assisted, photo-driven differential diagnosis generator for skin conditions, researchers found physicians routinely used the tool, without an increase in calling for inpatient dermatology consultations.

A fountain of youth for aging muscles? Caloric restriction has been studied as a way to increase longevity in animals. Now, researcher explore how it may positively affect muscle and find that aging muscles receive the most benefit. Calorie restriction is thought to have a protective effect on muscle cells and may help cells better use antioxidants, avoid damage caused by free radicals and function better.

Nanoparticle drug reverses Parkinson's-like symptoms in rats As baby boomers age, the number of people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease is expected to increase. Patients who develop this disease usually start experiencing symptoms around age 60 or older. Currently, there's no cure, but scientists are reporting a novel approach that reversed Parkinson's-like symptoms in rats. Their results could one day lead to a new therapy for human patients.

Scientists X-ray anti-inflammatory drug candidates Using an ultra bright X-ray source, scientists have decoded the molecular and three-dimensional structure of two promising drug candidates. The results provide a deeper understanding of the mode of action of these substances that have already entered clinical trials.

;

Health Research: Scientists arrange protein-nanoparticle marriage ♦ Ways to avoid catching diseases from pets ♦ Protein pumps that allow bacteria to resist drugs

Protein pumps that allow bacteria to resist drugs The structure of two closely related protein pumps that allow bacteria to resist certain medications The studies reveal that when the bacteria detect the antibiotic sulfonamide, "they turn on these transporters and pump it out, assuring survival of the cell,"

New pathway reveals how immune system is regulated, An important new way in which our immune systems are regulated has been uncovered, giving hope that understanding it will help tackle the debilitating effects of type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and other serious diseases.

Fake malaria drugs not as common as previously reported An analysis of antimalarial drug quality no evidence of fake medicines. Previous reports had suggested that up to one third of antimalarials could be fake

Happily ever after: Scientists arrange protein-nanoparticle marriage Researchers have discovered a way to easily and effectively fasten proteins to nanoparticles by simply mixing them together. The biotechnology is in its infancy. But it already has shown promise for developing an HIV vaccine and as a way to target cancer cells

Ways to avoid catching diseases from pets Pets can pass diseases to humans, especially when a pet owner's immune system is compromised. Here, veterinarians outline ways for families to avoid disease transmission by choosing the right type of pet--or making small changes in the ways they enjoy the pets they already have.

Health News: Nanoparticle therapy promotes wound healing ♦ Preserving milk using pulsed electric field processing ♦ Laparoscopic hysterectomy may be safer

Nanoparticle therapy promotes wound healing  An experimental therapy successfully tested in mice cut in half the time it takes to heal wounds compared to no treatment at all. "We envision that our nanoparticle therapy could be used to speed the healing of all sorts of wounds,  Continue Reading

Preserving milk using energy efficient pulsed electric field processing  High voltage, short pulsed electric fields selectively damage cell membrane directly killing the contaminating bacteria by a process known as electroporation. Continue Reading

Laparoscopic hysterectomy may be safer than abdominal procedure  A study has compared the relative risks of laparoscopic hysterectomy (with morcellation) with abdominal surgery for hysterectomy in premenopausal women for presumed uterine fibroids. Examining short- and long-term complications,they found that abdominal surgery carries a higher risk of complications Continue Reading

Malaria-infected cells produce odors attractive to mosquitoes   The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum produces chemical compounds called terpenes that give off odors that attract mosquitoes, according to new research. The study might explain why the insects are more likely to bite humans or animals infected with the organism. Continue Reading

Soils retain radioactivity in Fukushima  The soil's physical and chemical properties in rice fields around the Fukushima site have been the focus of recent study. Researchers examined factors affecting soil-to-plant transfer of radioactive cesium in the Fukushima area. Continue Reading