Cancer Research: Anti-inflammatory drug acts against ovarian cancer ♦ Prostate cancer is five different diseases ♦ Red grape chemical may help prevent bowel cancer

New tool uses 'drug spillover' to match cancer patients with treatments A new article describes a new tool that improves the ability to match drugs to disease: the Kinase Addiction Ranker predicts what genetics are truly driving the cancer in any population of cells and chooses the best 'kinase inhibitor' to silence these dangerous genetic causes of disease

Anti-inflammatory drug acts against ovarian cancer A non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) called ketorolac helped women with ovarian cancer to survive longer, researchers report. Ketorolac, marketed as Toradol®, is approved for clinical use in the United States for pain after surgery.

Prostate cancer is five different diseases Scientists have, for the first time, identified that there are five distinct types of prostate cancer and have found a way to distinguish between them.

Targeted therapy shows effectiveness against a subtype of the brain tumor medulloblastoma A subset of medulloblastoma tumors briefly stopped growing or disappeared entirely during treatment with vismodegib, researchers report after a trial with both adults and children.

Red grape chemical may help prevent bowel cancer but less is more Resveratrol, a chemical found in red grapes, is more effective in smaller doses at preventing bowel cancer in mice than high doses, according to new research. Previous research looked at high doses of purified resveratrol to study its potential to prevent cancer. This is the first study to look at the effects of a lower daily dose -- equivalent to the amount of resveratrol found in one large (approx. 250ml) glass of red wine -- comparing it with a dose 200 times higher.

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.

Health Research: Oral drug normalizes blood potassium in 98% ♦ Opioid misuse is around 25% ♦ ,Oxygen therapy in COPD patients associated with burn injury 5

Oral drug normalizes blood potassium in 98 percent of kidney patients

A medication called ZS-9 normalized potassium in the blood of 98 percent of chronic kidney disease patients treated for hyperkalemia. Hyperkalemia is high potassium in the blood, and may occur as a side effect of taking kidney disease medications called Renin Angiotensin Aldosterone System inhibitors.

Rate of opioid misuse is around 25 percent, addiction rate 10 percent, reports study

New estimates suggest that 20 to 30 percent of opioid analgesic drugs prescribed for chronic pain are misused, while the rate of opioid addiction is approximately 10 percent. "On average, misuse was documented in approximately one out of four or five patients and addiction in approximately one out of ten or eleven patients,"

Oxygen therapy in COPD patients associated with burn injury

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease receiving home oxygen have a higher risk of burn injury, a study shows. Physicians prescribing oxygen to patients with COPD struggle to balance the benefits with the risk of fire hazard in patients who continue to smoke.

Component of red grapes, wine could help ease depression

A link between inflammation and depression, which affects approximately 148 million people in the United States, has been identified by researchers. A new study finds that resveratrol -- a natural anti-inflammatory agent found in the skin of red grapes -- can prevent inflammation as well as depression-

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

6/18/14 Health News: Chinese food safety is worse than you think ♦ War Wound Infections ♦ Resveratrol, Causes Pancreatic Abnormalities in Fetuses ♦ Early Vaccines Save Lives in Flu Pandemic

Chinese food safety is worse than you think

In April, I began an email correspondence with an American I’ll call Susan (she prefers to remain anonymous), who has lived in China for 15 years while working in publishing. She currently resides in Beijing and also lived in a small town in Hubei province. Susan came across our Change.org petition (322,000+ signatures) asking Congress to “Keep Chinese Chicken Out of Our Schools …continue reading

Veterans to Benefit From Better Identification of War Wound Infections

War wounds that heal successfully frequently contain different microbial species from those that heal poorly, according to a paper published ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.These and other findings have important implications for improving wound healing, Continue Reading

'Healthy' Component of Red Wine, Resveratrol, Causes Pancreatic Abnormalities in Fetuses

New research suggests that although resveratrol improved blood flow through the placenta of macaque monkeys and protected against harmful aspects of obesity, resveratrol injured the fetal pancreas. Here's more evidence that pregnant women should be careful about what they eat and drink: This study has direct relevance to human health — resveratrol, found in red wine and frequently taken as a supplement, is widely used for its recognized health benefits, and is readily available over the counter. Continue Reading

Vaccination During 'Optimal Window' Is the Key to Saving Lives in Next Flu Pandemic

Early vaccination could reduce morbidity, mortality, and health care costs associated with pandemic flu, according to an article being published in Annals of Internal Medicine. Response to a 2009 H1N1 pandemic was not optimal, with large-scale vaccination not occurring until nine months after outbreak.. A delay of just four weeks leads to substantial increases in infection, deaths, and costs. Continue Reading