Brean Research: Hypnosis may provide new option for 'awake surgery' for brain cancer ♦ Study opens new door for ALS drug discovery ♦ The link between imagery and performance ♦

The link betweeny  imagerand performance Imagine standing on a basketball court, throwing the basketball and watching it arc into the net. Chances are you’ll make that shot without a problem if you’ve been practicing,

Not enough YAP means too much deadly inflammation inside the brain Inside the brain, a protein called YAP, best known for its ability to help right-size our developing hearts and livers, appears to have the different but equally important task of helping control inflammation.

Hypnosis may provide new option for 'awake surgery' for brain cancer Could hypnosis help to reduce the psychological trauma associated with 'awake craniotomy' for brain cancers? A new 'hypno sedation' technique offers a new alternative for patients undergoing awake surgery for gliomas.

Study opens new door for ALS drug discovery Researchers have discovered the first-ever evidence-based description of the neuronal protein clumps thought to be important in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a fatal neurodegenerative condition. This research development could be a crucial step toward developing drugs to stop the creation of the clumps and stem the progression of the disease.

Brain Research: Exploring the mind of a cyberterrorist ♦ How brain architecture leads to abstract thought ♦ Certain antidepressants linked to heightened risk of mania and bipolar disorder

Brain cancer self-organizes into streams, swirls, and spheres Brain cancer is not anarchy, say researchers but highly organized--self-organized. Researchers report that glioma cells build tumors by self-organizing into streams,10-20 cells wide, that obey a mathematically predicted pattern for autonomous agents flowing together. These streams drag along slower gliomas, may block entry of immune cells, and swirl around a central axis containing glioma stem cells that feed the tumor's growth.

Exploring the mind of a cyberterrorist A new study is delving into an aspect of cybersecurity rarely explored before now: the human component.

How brain architecture leads to abstract thought Using 20 years of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from tens of thousands of brain imaging experiments, computational neuroscientists have created a geometry-based method for massive data analysis to reach a new understanding of how thought arises from brain structure.

Certain antidepressants linked to heightened risk of mania and bipolar disorder Taking certain antidepressants for depression is linked to a heightened risk of subsequent mania and bipolar disorder, new research reveals. The strongest association seemed to be for serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs for short, and the dual action antidepressant venlafaxine, the analysis indicated.

Brain Research Bacterial protein can help convert stem cells into neurons ♦ Yin and yang of serotonin neurons in mood regulation ♦ Nanocarriers may carry new hope for brain cancer therapy

Nanocarriers may carry new hope for brain cancer therapy A new family of nanocarriers, called '3HM,' has been developed and meets all the size and stability requirements for effectively delivering therapeutic drugs to the brain for the treatment of a deadly form of cancer known as glioblastoma multiforme.

Yin and yang of serotonin neurons in mood regulation Low levels of serotonin in the brain are known to play a role in depression and anxiety, and it is customary to treat these disorders with medications that increase the amount of this neurotransmitter. It appears that neighboring serotonin-producing brainstem regions exert different and sometimes opposing effects on behavior.

Bacterial protein can help convert stem cells into neurons As the recipe book for turning stem cells into other types of cells keeps growing larger, the search for the perfect, therapeutically relevant blend of differentiation factors is revealing some interesting biology. A protein in E. coli bacteria combined with small molecules can act synergistically to push pluripotent cells into functional neurons.

How exercise may energize brain cell function: As we age or develop neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, our brain cells may not produce sufficient energy to remain fully functional. Researchers have discovered that an enzyme called SIRT3 that is located in mitochondria — the cell's powerhouse — may protect mice brains against the kinds of stresses believed to contribute to energy loss. Furthermore, mice that ran on a wheel increased their levels of this protective enzyme.

Cancer Research:Titanium, gold based compound fights kidney cancer ♦ More precise cancer therapies ♦ Promising drugs turn immune system on cancer

'Remote control' of immune cells opens door to safer, more precise cancer therapies

A molecular "on switch" that allows tight control over the actions of T cells, immune system cells that have shown great potential as therapies for cancer, has been developed by a group of researchers.

Antidepressants plus blood thinners cause brain cancer cells to eat themselves in mice

Antidepressants work against brain cancer by excessively increasing tumor autophagy (a process that causes the cancer cells to eat themselves), new research shows. The scientists next combined the antidepressants with blood thinners -- also known to increase autophagy -- as a treatment for mice with the first stages of human glioblastoma. Mouse lifespan doubled with the drug combination therapy, while either drug alone had no effect.

Promising drugs turn immune system on cancer

A class of experimental drug treatments already in clinical trials could also help the body’s immune system to fight cancer, according to a study

Titanium, gold based compound fights kidney cancer cells

The findings of a new study may provide a new way of treating kidney cancer, opening the potential for more potent and less toxic therapies that would give cancer patients a better quality of life.

Cancer Research:Aspirin could hold key to supercharged cancer immunotherapy ♦ Variations in cell programs control cancer ♦Low-risk prostate cancer not likely to succumb to the disease

Some with low-risk prostate cancer not likely to succumb to the disease Men with relatively unaggressive prostate tumors and whose disease is carefully monitored by urologists are unlikely to develop metastatic prostate cancer or die of their cancers, according to results of a study that analyzed survival statistics up to 15 years.

Researchers develop a likely new combo treatment for the deadliest form of brain cancer Scientists have developed a potentially promising new combination therapy for glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. Glioblastoma, also known as grade IV glioma, is the most aggressive primary brain tumor in humans. Approximately 23,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with glioblastoma (GBM) every year.

Targeting newly discovered pathway sensitizes tumors to radiation and chemotherapy In some patients, aggressive cancers can become resistant to chemotherapy and radiation treatments. In a new paper, researchers identified a pathway that causes the resistance and a new therapeutic drug that targets this pathway

Aspirin could hold key to supercharged cancer immunotherapy Giving cancer patients aspirin at the same time as immunotherapy could dramatically boost the effectiveness of the treatment, according to new research. Aspirin is part of a group of molecules called COX inhibitors, which stop the production of PGE2 and help reawaken the immune system. Combining immunotherapy with aspirin or other COX inhibitors substantially slowed bowel and melanoma skin cancer growth in mice, compared to immunotherapy alone, authors say.

Variations in cell programs control cancer and normal stem cells In the breast, cancer stem cells and normal stem cells can arise from different cell types and tap into distinct yet related stem cell programs, according to researchers. The differences between these stem cell programs may be significant enough to be exploited by future therapeutics.

children's Health: Sexting and internet safety ♦ Maltreated children's brains show 'encouraging' ability to regulate emotions ♦ Teen smokers struggle with body-related shame, guilt

Sexting and internet safety climb top 10 list of health concerns for children across the U. S. With more kids online and using cell phones at increasingly younger ages, two issues have quickly climbed higher on the public's list of major health concerns for children across the U.S: sexting and Internet safety.

Teen smokers struggle with body-related shame, guilt Are teen smokers who pick up the habit doing so because they have a negative self-image? Does the typical teenaged smoker try to balance out this unhealthy habit with more exercise? And if so, then why would an adolescent smoke, yet still participate in recommended levels of physical activity?

Complete resection of high-grade brain cancer yields better survival in children -- especially girls For children with aggressive brain cancers called high-grade gliomas, the chances of survival are improved when surgery is successful in eliminating all visible cancer.

High sugar consumption among children relates to poor family functioning, The quality of general family functioning is a major determinant of healthy dietary habits, according to new research. A British study found that a mother's perception of effective general family functioning has a significant effect on limiting the intake of sugary foods and drinks by their three and four year old children. In contrast, less effective family functioning leads to high frequency intake of sugary foods and drinks by three and four year old children in the family.

Maltreated children's brains show 'encouraging' ability to regulate emotions There's a common assumption that children subjected to abuse or trauma will have problematic emotions across the board -- muted responses to positive situations and extreme reactions to negative ones. But a new study's findings suggest that maltreated children are perhaps more resilient and adaptable than previously thought. Given the right strategies, abused children have a surprising ability to regulate their emotions.

Cancer Research: Study links gene to aggressive form of brain cancer ♦ National screening program has markedly reduced breast cancer mortality ♦ Daily aspirin could block growth of breast, other cancers

Daily aspirin could block growth of breast, other cancers  A new lab study found that a daily dose of aspirin was effective at blocking breast tumor growth. Previous studies have already shown a similar effect on colon, gastrointestinal, prostate, and other cancers.

New method detects early breast cancer via urine Medical researchers have developed an approach for detecting breast cancer by means of urine samples. The method involves determining the concentration of molecules that regulate cell metabolism and that are often dysregulated in cancer cells. These molecules, referred to as microRNAs, enter into the urine over the blood. By determining the composition of microRNAs in the urine, the scientists succeeded in establishing with 91 percent accuracy whether a test subject was healthy.

Study links gene to aggressive form of brain cancer Scientists have identified a gene mutation linked to the development of an aggressive form of brain cancer. Researchers found that errors in a gene known as TCF12 -- which plays a key role in the formation of the embryonic brain are associated with more aggressive forms of a disease called anaplastic oligodendroglioma.

National screening program has markedly reduced breast cancer mortality Under the Norwegian Breast Cancer Screening Program, all women aged 50 to 69 are invited for mammography screening every two years. The program was launched as a pilot project in four counties in 1995/96 and went national in 2004. The purpose of mammography examination is to detect tumors at an early enough stage to begin effective treatment and reduce mortality.

Cancer Research: Gene therapy, surgery could mean eight more months for sickest brain cancer patients ♦ Immunotherapy drug improves survival for common form of lung cancer

Immunotherapy drug improves survival for common form of lung cancer In a head-to-head clinical trial comparing standard chemotherapy with the immunotherapy drug nivolumab, researchers found that people with squamous-non-small cell lung cancer who received nivolumab lived, on average, 3.2 months longer than those receiving chemotherapy

Possible new combination chemotherapy for patients with advanced prostate cancer A role for combination therapy using two or more chemotherapy agents at the same time has not been well studied. This week, however, results of a clinical trial may change the perspective on a role for combination chemotherapy in advanced disease.

Risks of whole brain radiation therapy added to radiosurgery outweigh benefits for patients with limited brain metastases Whole Brain Radiation Therapy is associated with significantly worse cognitive function than radiosurgery, and should no longer be used in the adjuvant setting after radiosurgery to treat cancer patients with brain metastases.

Immunotherapy combo increases progression-free survival in advanced melanoma patients Treating advanced melanoma patients with either a combination of the immunotherapy drugs nivolumab and ipilimumab or nivolumab alone significantly increased progression-free survival over using ipilimumab alone

Gene therapy, surgery could mean eight more months for sickest brain cancer patients As the most malignant of primary brain cancers, glioblastomas are frustratingly difficult to treat. Surgery is often risky and cannot remove all of the tumor, and chemotherapy eventually becomes ineffective for most patients. Median survival is around 15 months for patients with this tumor, and the quality of life in the last five months is often quite poor

Brain Research: Premature birth alters brain connections ♦ Brain scan reveals out-of-body illusion ♦ Cellular bubbles used to deliver Parkinson's meds

Brain scan reveals out-of-body illusion  Neuroscientists have created an out-of-body illusion in participants placed inside a brain scanner. They then used the illusion to perceptually 'teleport' the participants to different locations in a room and show that the perceived location of the bodily self can be decoded from activity patterns in specific brain regions.

Fuzzy thinking' in depression, bipolar disorder: New research finds effect is real People with depression or bipolar disorder often feel their thinking ability has gotten “fuzzy”, or less sharp than before their symptoms began. Now, researchers have shown in a large study that effect is indeed real – and rooted in brain activity differences that show up on advanced brain scans.

Premature birth alters brain connections Premature birth can alter the connectivity between key areas of the brain, according to a new study. The findings should help researchers to better understand why premature birth is linked to a greater risk of neurodevelopmental problems, including autistic spectrum disorders and attention deficit disorders

Cellular bubbles used to deliver Parkinson's meds directly to brain Exosomes could help with longstanding medical issues from cancer diagnosis to sophisticated research tool. Now, they could potentially help with delivering potent antioxidants into the brain of Parkinson's patients.

Study points to possible treatment for lethal pediatric brain cancer Using brain tumor samples collected from children in the United States and Europe, an international team of scientists found that the drug panobinostat and similar gene regulating drugs may be effective at treating diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas, an aggressive and lethal form of pediatric cancer.

Possible treatment for lethal pediatric brain cancer

Using brain tumor samples collected from children in the United States and Europe, an international team of scientists found that the drug panobinostat and similar gene regulating drugs may be effective at treating diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas (DIPG), an aggressive and lethal form of pediatric cancer. The study, published in Nature Medicine, was partially funded by the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, and more than 25 nonprofit foundations devoted to finding cures for childhood brain cancer.

DIPG typically attacks children 4 to 9 years of age. Children progressively lose muscle control as the tumor rapidly attacks the pons, a region deep inside the brain that connects the brain to the spinal cord, and is difficult to reach and surgically remove. Despite radiation treatment, children usually survive for about nine months, and less than 1 percent survive longer than five years.

Six years ago, Dr. Monje started to create and share cell cultures of patients’ DIPG cells that could be studied in labs. In this study, she and her colleagues used cell cultures collected from 16 patients in the United States and Europe to search for drugs that could kill or stop the growth of DIPG cells. By performing experiments in petri dishes and with mice, they found that panobinostat, a drug designed to change the way cells regulate genes, may be effective at inhibiting DIPG growth and extending survival rates.

“It’s astounding. In only six years, scientists have gone from knowing virtually nothing about this tumor to understanding its underlying genetics and finding a potential therapy,” said Jane Fountain, Ph.D., program director, at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), part of NIH. “This study epitomizes collaborative medicine at work. It took a dedicated team of international scientists working with patients, families and foundations to get to this point.”

The scientists began their work by performing high-throughput screening experiments, an advanced method for rapidly searching for effective compounds. The screening simultaneously tested 83 known or potential cancer drugs on each of the DIPG cell lines. They found that drugs called histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors consistently slowed DIPG growth. Several of these drugs block histone deacetylases, a group of enzymes that regulate genes by removing chemical tags, called acetyl groups, from histone proteins. The scientists saw similar results when they genetically blocked individual histone deacetylases in the DIPG cells.

The scientists also analyzed the genes of each cell line. After reviewing the genetic and screening data they decided to focus on panobinostat, a drug designed to block multiple types of histone deacetylases. In petri dishes, they showed that panobinostat inhibited the growth of 12 out of 16 DIPG cell lines. When the scientists placed DIPG cells in the pons area of mice they found that systemic injections of panobinostat inhibited DIPG growth and extended survival.

“All roads lead to histones,” said Dr. Monje. “Our results support the idea that histone modifications are the keys to understanding and treating DIPG.”

Located in a cell’s nucleus, histones are protein complexes that act like genetic spools wound with genes on chromosomes. Enzymes, including histone deacetylases, influence how chromosomes wind around histones by adding or removing chemical tags. In turn, the tagging indirectly, or epigenetically, controls whether a gene on a chromosome will be used, or expressed, in that cell.

The scientists showed that panobistat may be effective at treating a variety of DIPG tumors. Approximately 80 percent of DIPG tumors have a specific mutation in a histone gene. This mutation, called H3K27M, blocks the ability of an enzyme called a methyltransferase from adding a chemical tag, called a methyl group, to the histone. Although the H3K27M mutation disrupts a different chemical tagging system, the scientists showed that panobinostat slowed the growth of a line of cells that had the mutation. Panobinostat also slowed the growth of DIPG cells that do not have that mutation.

Finally the scientists showed that panobinostat may work in combination with other treatments. Studying H3K27M cells that developed resistance to panobinostat over time, they showed that GSKJ4, a drug that blocks the removal of methyl groups from histones, slowed tumor growth. Combining panobistat and GSKJ4 appeared to slow growth further, suggesting the two compounds work synergistically.

“This may be a first step to finally improving the prognosis of this seemingly untreatable disease,” said Dr. Monje.

Dr. Monje, together with the National Cancer Institute-supported Pediatric Brain Tumor Consortium and Novartis, is planning to conduct clinical trials to test the safety and effectiveness of panobinostat for children with DIPG.

For more information on brain cancer, visit:www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brainandspinaltumors/brainandspinaltumors.htm

 

Cancer Research: Comprehensive look at brain cancer treatments ♦ gastrointestinal tumors at higher risk of other cancer ♦ New potential melanoma drug target discovered

Comprehensive look at brain cancer treatments A comprehensive genetic review of treatment strategies for glioblastoma brain tumors covers how these highly invasive and almost-always-deadly brain cancers may be treated, reviews the continuing challenges faced by researchers and presents the hope for better treatments by harnessing the power of the human genome.

Patients with gastrointestinal tumors at higher risk of other cancers The first population-based study that characterizes the association and temporal relationship between gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GIST) and other cancers has been conducted by researchers. The results indicate that one in 5.8 patients with GIST will develop additional malignancies.

New potential melanoma drug target discovered A new treatment for melanoma could be on the horizon, thanks to a recent finding. In the study, authors found high levels of an enzyme in melanoma samples that they believe is a potential drug target.

Link between inherited genetic variations, outcomes of non-small cell lung cancer patients discovered Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the most common type of lung cancer. Patients diagnosed with NSCLC have a poor prognosis, with a 5-year survival rate of only 16 percent. Researchers hope to improve NSCLC patient survival with the results of a study that found that inherited genetic variations in interleukin genes are associated with improved patient survival.

Lifetime intense physical activity may lower risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma Performing vigorous physical activity over one's lifetime may lower risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Because not much is known about what causes non-Hodgkin lymphoma, identifying risk factors is particularly important for the prevention and control of this cancer.

Childrens Health: Some children lose autism diagnosis but still struggle ♦ E cigarettes gaining in popularity among teens ♦ High radiotherapy dose improves prospects for children with brain cancer

Some children lose autism diagnosis but still struggle About one in 14 toddlers diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder no longer met the diagnostic criteria in elementary school, but most continued to have emotional/behavior symptoms and required special education supports,

Electronic cigarettes gaining in popularity among teens Teens no longer smoke just cigarettes. They have branched out to using alternative tobacco products such as electronic cigarettes, hookahs and little cigars. In fact, e-cigarette use is rising rapidly among both cigarette smokers and nonsmokers,.

Magazine, Internet images fail to promote infant sleep safety Images of infants sleeping in unsafe environments are pervasive in women's magazines and on stock photo websites, which could create confusion among parents and put babies at risk,

Youths who survive self-poisoning continue to be at risk of suicide for years Teenagers who are hospitalized after intentionally poisoning themselves are at a significantly increased risk of dying by suicide in the following decade,.

High radiotherapy dose improves prospects for children with brain cancer Researchers have found that increasing the dose of radiotherapy given to children with an intracranial ependymoma, a form of cancer of the central nervous system, can significantly improve their survival.

Cancer Research: Nanoparticles outperforms PSA screen for prostate cancer ♦ Cancer genes turned off in deadly brain cancer ♦ Chemoresistance after consuming fatty acid in fish ♦

Cancer genes turned off in deadly brain cancer Scientists have identified a small RNA molecule that can suppress cancer-causing genes in mice with glioblastoma multiforme, a deadly and incurable type of brain tumor. While standard chemotherapy drugs damage DNA to stop cancer cells from reproducing, the new method stops the source that creates those cancer cells. The approach could also potentially be used for gene silencing in other cancers and diseases of genetic origin.

Researchers combine common genetic variants, other factors to improve breast cancer risk prediction Recent large-scale genomic analyses have uncovered dozens of common genetic variants that are associated with breast cancer. Each variant, however, contributes only a tiny amount to a person’s overall risk of developing the disease. Now an international team of researchers has combined 77 of these common genetic variants into a single risk factor that can be used to improve the identification of women with an elevated risk of breast cancer. This factor, known as a polygenic risk score, was built from the genetic data of more than 67,000 women.

Potential chemoresistance after consuming fatty acid in fish Researchers found that consuming the fish herring and mackerel, as well as three kinds of fish oils, raised blood levels of the fatty acid 16:4(n-3), which experiments in mice suggest may induce resistance to chemotherapy used to treat cancer

One dollar blood test using gold nanoparticles outperforms PSA screen for prostate cancer A test that uses gold nanoparticles to detect early-stage prostate cancer costs less than $1, returns results in minutes and is more accurate than standard PSA screening, pilot studies show. The new technique leverages the ability of gold nanoparticles to attract cancer biomarkers

Strengthening the immune system’s fight against brain cancer

When cancer strikes, it may be possible for patients to fight back with their own defenses, using a strategy known as immunotherapy. According to a new study published in Nature, researchers have found a way to enhance the effects of this therapeutic approach in glioblastoma, a deadly type of brain cancer, and possibly improve patient outcomes. The research was funded by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke as well as the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which are part of the National Institutes of Health.

“The promise of dendritic cell-based therapy and other immunotherapies for brain cancer has been upheld for some time, but an important implication of this work is a demonstrated capacity to significantly improve the clinical impact of immunotherapy for patients with this very difficult disease,” said Duane A. Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Brain Tumor Immunotherapy Program at the University of Florida in Gainesville and co-lead author of the study.

Dendritic cells are specialized immune cells that normally capture microorganisms, and then migrate to the lymph nodes to prepare other immune players, such as T cells, to fight off the invaders.

Dendritic cells have been used for immunotherapy to target a variety of tumor types, including those that affect the brain. These cells are taken from the patient, engineered to express antigens from the tumor­ to create a vaccine, and then injected back into the patient. Once in the patient, the engineered dendritic cells activate T cells, which can fight the tumor and also prevent it from coming back, via an immune memory response.

Dr. Mitchell and his colleagues wanted to know if increasing dendritic cell migration to lymph nodes would improve the effects of the vaccine. To test this idea, a group of glioblastoma patients was randomized to receive a tetanus booster shot before getting the tumor-antigen expressing dendritic cell vaccine. The booster was designed to set off an inflammatory response at the site of the vaccination, prepping the immune system for a larger battle. The other group of patients were injected with their own native dendritic cells instead of a tetanus shot, and then treated with the tumor-antigen expressing dendritic cell vaccine. Both sets of patients were treated with the vaccine which was being tested for effectiveness against glioblastoma.

The vaccine used in this study was targeted against cytomegalovirus (CMV). Studies have shown that CMV is found in glioblastoma tumors, but it is unclear if the virus causes tumors or contributes to disease progression. Glioblastomas are a devastating form of brain cancer with five year survival rates under 10 percent. From the time of diagnosis, average survival time is less than two years.

“The role of CMV in glioblastoma has been a controversial area of research for several years. These new findings, and especially the dramatic survival rates, suggest that the virus may be an effective target for immunotherapy. The results presented by Dr. Mitchell and his colleagues should stimulate more basic research on CMV and its potential therapeutic role in brain tumors and possibly other cancers,” said Jane Fountain, Ph.D., program director at the NINDS.

The results showed that administering a tetanus booster before the vaccine increased dendritic cell migration to lymph nodes and also had a significant effect on clinical outcomes. The patients who received the tetanus booster lived more than 36.6 months after diagnosis compared to an average survival time of 18.5 months in those who received dendritic cells alone.

“We did not expect that enhancing dendritic cell migration would be associated with such a dramatic improvement on clinical outcomes in our patients,” said Dr. Mitchell.

Next, the investigators used a mouse model to determine how the tetanus booster increased dendritic cell migration to the lymph nodes. The results suggested that giving a booster shot to mice that have received the tetanus vaccine activated a recall response in the exposed T cells. Acting through a chemical messenger known as CCL3, those T cells increased dendritic cell migration to the lymph nodes, which ultimately enhanced the effect of the dendritic cell vaccine on tumor growth suppression.

“Dendritic cell vaccines targeting glioblastoma can be very effective by enhancing migration of dendritic cells. We now understand how we may improve outcomes for patients receiving this type of therapy,” said Dr. Mitchell. He added that larger clinical studies need to be conducted to confirm these results.

In addition, more research is necessary to define the role of CMV in glioblastoma and further determine mechanisms to enhance efficacy of vaccines in cancer therapy.

Cancer Research: Nanoparticles target difficult tumors ♦ Novel drug mechanism that fights brain cancer ♦ Improving prostate cancer care + more

Flower-like magnetic nanoparticles target difficult tumors  Next-generation magnetic nanoparticles may soon be treating deep-seated and difficult-to-reach tumors within the human body Continue Reading

Novel drug mechanism that fights brain cancer Researchers have developed and characterized a molecule that interferes with the internal regulation of cancer cells, causing them to self-destruct. The investigators performed a series of studies utilizing high-content analysis, which quantifies changes in living cells in response to a drug treatment. The lab focused on the effects of a patented small molecule, known as UCD38B, on four different human glioma cell lines.Continue Reading

New type of biomarker shows promise in improving prostate cancer care  Two biomarkers have been discovered by researchers that may improve oncologists’ ability to predict which patients’ prostate cancer will recur after surgery, long before the development of visible cancer elsewhere in the body Continue Reading.

Magnetic material attracts attention for cancer therapy  An extraordinary self-regulating heating effect that can be achieved in a particular type of magnetic material may open the doors to a new strategy for hyperthermia cancer treatment, researchers say. "This strong, self-regulated heating effect is unmatched by other materials," an investigator said. "It opens a novel design strategy for realising in vivo hyperthermia therapy." Continue Reading

Naproxen plus acid blocking drug shows promise in preventing bladder cancer  Researchers combined the NSAID naproxen with the proton pump inhibitor omeprazole and found it reduced the incidence of bladder cancer in rats. The anti-inflammatory class of drugs NSAIDs have shown great promise in preventing cancers including colon, esophagus and skin. However, they can increase the risks of heart attacks, ulcers and rare but potentially life-threatening bleeds. Continue Reading