Cancer Research: Groundbreaking computer program diagnoses cancer in two days ♦ New method to predict increased risk of non-familial breast cancer

Research connects specific variations in RNA splicing with breast cancer causation Researchers have identified cellular changes traceable to an RNA splicing factor that's also an oncoprotein that may play a role in converting normal breast cells into tumors. Targeting these changes could potentially lead to therapies for some forms of breast cancer,.

New method to predict increased risk of non-familial breast cancer By detecting cancer at an early stage, or even predicting who has an increased risk of being affected, the possibilities to treat the disease can be radically improved. Now researchers have discovered that apparently healthy breast cells contain genetic aberrations that can be associated with an increased risk for nonfamilial breast cancer.

Research calls for stricter screening recommendations for family history of colon cancer All relatives of individuals with colorectal cancer are at increased risk for this cancer, regardless of the age of diagnosis of the index patient in the family, according to a new study

Groundbreaking computer program diagnoses cancer in two days In about one in 20 cancer cases, the doctor can confirm that the patient has cancer -- but cannot find the source. These patients then face the prospect of a long wait with numerous diagnostic tests and attempts to locate the origin of the cancer before starting any treatment. Now, researchers have combined genetics with computer science and created a new diagnostic technology based on advanced self-learning computer algorithms which can, with 85 per cent certainty, identify the source of the disease and thus target treatment.

Health News: Smartphones Quickly and accurately diagnoses disease ♦ Unsafe food ’growing global threat ♦ Predicting chronic pain in whiplash injuries

 Smartphones Quickly and accurately diagnoses disease and monitors treatment remotely Researchers from Florida Atlantic University and collaborators have identified a new biosensing platform that could be used to remotely detect and determine treatment options for HIV, E-coli, Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria  

Unsafe food ’growing global threat Eating food contaminated with bugs leads to more than half a billion cases of illness a year, the World Health Organization warns. It says this "global threat" contributed to 351,000 deaths in 2010. Unsafe foods, for example undercooked meat, can cause 200 problems - from diarrhoea to cancer

Innovative strategies needed to address US transplant organ shortage As the United States faces transplant waiting lists that continue to grow longer over time, there is increasing debate about the proper way to incentivize living donations. Due to organ shortages, thousands of Americans are on transplant waiting lists for 5 or more years as their health deteriorate

Generous welfare benefits make people more likely to want to work, not less Generous welfare benefit levels make people who are not in employment more likely to want to work rather than less. "Many scholars and commentators fear that generous social benefits threaten the sustainability of the welfare state due to work norm erosion, disincentives to work and dependency cultures,". "This article concludes that there are few signs that groups with traditionally weaker bonds to the labor market are less motivated to work if they live in generous welfare states."

Predicting chronic pain in whiplash injuries While most people recover from whiplash injuries within a few months, about 25 percent have long-term pain and disability for many months or years. Using special MRI imaging, scientists identified, within the first one and two weeks of the injury, which patients will develop chronic pain and disability. This is the earliest these patients have been identified and will enable faster treatment. The imaging revealed large amounts of fat infiltrating the patients' neck muscles, indicating rapid atrophy.

Lab-on-a-chip provides speedy disease diagnoses

Photos courtesy of T. Laksanasopin/

Columbia University

The lab-on-a-chip prototype, mChip, can detect

HIV and syphilis in only a few drops of blood

from a finger prick.

​by Cathy Kristiansen

Co-infection with syphilis or genital herpes can compound the spread of HIV, but these diseases are all treatable - if they are diagnosed. Many global health systems struggle to pay for costly laboratory tests, so researchers have developed a potentially inexpensive, portable diagnostic tool, ideal for remote locations without electricity.

The lab-on-a-chip prototype, mChip, can detect HIV and syphilis in only a few drops of blood from a finger prick. It is powered by a nine-volt battery and takes less than 20 minutes to provide clear-cut results. The NIH’s National Institute of Nursing Research and other funders supported the development and testing of the tool. Dr. Samuel Sia, of Columbia University, led the research. In Rwanda field studies, mChip detected HIV and syphilis with lab-standard accuracy. Test results from this device can be transmitted by cell signal or satellite to medical records databases.

The researchers plan to continue refining the new tool, for instance by finding ways to reduce its temperature sensitivity and lower its cost to enable widespread availability in developing countries. In a report in Nature Medicine, they suggest the technology could be adjusted to identify markers for other infections such as gonorrhea and Chlamydia as well, leading to treatment and lessening the global burden of sexually transmitted diseases.