Clipmarks | pokkets's 'disease' clips

Researchers break open cancer enzyme code

Mon, 01 Sep 2008 08:53:13 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Researchers have broken the code of an enzyme that plays a key role in the growth of most cancers, opening a path that could lead to a new class of anti-cancer drugs, according to a new study.

Other scientists who reviewed the study hail it as a breakthrough in fundamental cancer biology, but caution that much work remains before the exploit can be translated into next-generation therapies.

The enzyme, called telomerase, "is an ideal target for chemotherapy because it is active in almost all human cancer tumours, but inactive in most normal cells," says study leader Professor Emmanuel Skordalakes of Wistar Institute in Philadelphia.

"That means that a drug that deactivates telomerase would likely work against all cancers, with few side effects."

In cancer cells, however, telomerase is activated, allowing the disease cells to replicate endlessly and achieve what scientists call "cellular immortality," the hallmark of all cancers.

Gene test could 'prevent' heart disease

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:11:43 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: I believe genetic testing should be an option, not a requirement. That may be a good principle for adults, but the call is for testing to be done on 'at risk' children under 10. I'd be surprised if they could find anyone in the world that wasn't subject to some genetic risk or another. Still, a DNA Database is as good as a chip, or an ID card, and much better than a finger print...but I'm a cynic..or perhaps an optimist with experience.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

News analysis Australian health authorities could prevent costly heart disease cases with a nationwide genetic screening program, suggest some experts.

To what extent will knowing our genetic predisposition to preventable diseases change our behaviour?

But others caution safeguards are needed, and such tests may not be the quick fix for heart disease.

Three Australian experts this week called for more support to screen families with familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) - a defective gene that prevents liver cells from taking up cholesterol from the blood.

UK authorities may soon recommend at-risk children under the age of 10 years be screened for the FH gene.

"[The UK proposals] represent an approach we would like to see in Australia," says Dr David Sullivan, president of the Australian Atherosclerosis Society, who spoke at a forum organised by the Australian Science Media Centre

a genetic test could help identify FH early so people could take action to prevent heart disease

Scientists identify childhood cancer gene

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 09:19:41 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: They are beginning to find genes that are believed to be involved in a number of types of cancer. The study of these genes may not only tell us how they work, but why they are there, and how they are related to some essential, and regular metabolic functions, what exactly can turn a regular/benign cell cancerous, so potential sufferers can be Identified early.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Researchers in the US have identified the gene mutation that may be the cause of a deadly form of childhood cancer, opening the way to genetic tests for high-risk families.

The same wayward gene has been previously linked to lymphoma and lung cancer in adults, so afflicted children could benefit from experimental drugs designed to suppress its activity, according to the study which appears in Nature.

"This very important discovery not only helps us understand the genetic roots of this terrible disease, but also has led to dramatically new ideas for curative therapy," says lead researcher Dr John Maris, head of the Center for Childhood Cancer Research at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Neuroblastoma attacks the nervous system. While fairly rare, it accounts for 7% of all childhood cancers, and 15% of non-adult cancer deaths

Because there are already drugs in development that target the same gene in adult cancers, we can soon begin testing those drugs in children with neuroblastoma

Stem cells could allow 'blood farms'

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 23:45:44 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: One of the issues recently has been the shelf life of blood, where the rotation principle-first in first out can leave blood 'stale' and unsafe. There is also the fact that the contributions cannot meet the demand, and the increase in surgery that requires large volumes of blood. Transplant, and heart surgery being prime examples. They have been searching for a means of producing blood artificially, but the prospect of using stem cells, makes it more likely to be a reality.
One of the most important aspects is that the red cells have no nucleus, so no nucleic DNA.
A fact that can relieve many ethical, and practical problems.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Maggie Fox

Embryonic stem cells can be used to grow vats of red blood cells, which could lead to the creation of 'farms' that could provide limitless sources of blood, US researchers report.

The research by scientists from Advanced Cell Technology, the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester appears in the journal Blood.

"I think it's really a big break for us," says Dr Robert Lanza from Advanced Cell Technology.

Stem cells are the body's master cells, replenishing various cells and tissues as they die. Stem cells taken from days-old embryos are especially powerful, with the ability to produce any cell type.

Doctors hope to someday use them to provide tailor-made transplants for patients, and to study disease. One problem is that the immune system may reject tissues grown from someone else's stem cells.

Red blood cells may be an exception to this, because they do not have a nucleus.

"You don't have to worry about the DNA going haywire," says Lanza.

'Flexi-bee' could pre-empt varroa mite.

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 02:22:35 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Of course there is the honey, but there is also the critical role bees play in pollination, particularly crop fertilization. The loss of honey bee populations has the potential to have a devastating effect in many crops that at the moment we take for granted.
There are two suggestions. One is to prevent the mite laying by altering a chemical released by the bees. The other disrupts the life cycle of the mite. It doesn't have to be either/or, both approaches need to be tried, in addition to further suggestions.
The main thing we have to worry about taking into account our record of 'fixing' problems in nature (we don't seem to be that good at it)
Is that our efforts don't further endanger the bee populations
At the moment however, if we do nothing we will lose the bees.
There is the possibility, that bees will develop their own resistance to the mite naturally. Selective breeding may be an option.
I would be more inclined to listen to a beekeeper than a geneticist,.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Anna Salleh

A honey bee with a varroa mite on its back - the mites cause death and disease in bee colonies

Dr Max Whitten

at CSIRO, says Australia is expected any day to succumb to the varroa mite, which is implicated in the devastating Colony Collapse Disorder that has decimated US hives.

Varroa sucks the "blood" of the bee and makes it more susceptible to disease.

He says we should engineer a bee, which has a gene for resistance to varroa

The concept is to take a gene whose product will prevent the mite from completing its life cycle

some bees, even those of the same species

are naturally resistant to varroa

Professor Ben Oldroyd from the University of Sydney says

it relies on the unlikely situation in which resistance relies on a single gene.

it might be better to do this a different way

scientsts believe that the varroa mite lays eggs on bees in response to a chemical signal from the bees.

it would be useful to identify this chemical signal and then knock out the gene responsible for it.

Joggers outpace an early grave

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:18:46 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: As they say "Use it or lose it" The study finds that regular exercise is the key. There doesn't seem to be any 'magic formula' (despite what they say on late night TV...or spam) except that the exercise be vigorous. That can be relative -walking is more vigorous than sitting down, but what can be described as vigorous escalates as fitness improves.
Not just a matter of deciding to do 20 sit ups for example (it helps to start with an anchor)
which can be an aim, but seem impossible. Start with what CAN be done, no matter the amount, and set targets. It also helps to monitor heart rate, as this can be a critical fitness measure. Everyone has their individual optimum heart rate, depending on fitness, age, and health.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Maggie Fox

People who want to live a long and healthy life might want to take up running

The study, published in the latest Archives of Internal Medicine, tracked older runners from a US-wide running group for more than 20 years.

Elderly runners have fewer disabilities, a longer span of active life and are half as likely as ageing non-runners to die early deaths, researchers at Stanford University in California say.

research shows running reduces the risk not only of heart disease, but of cancer and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's,

"At 19 years [into the study], 15% of runners had died compared with 34% of [non-runners]," Dr Eliza Chakravarty, assistant professor at Stanford's School of Medicine, says.

Any type of vigorous exercise will likely do the trick, says senior author and medical school colleague Dr James Fries.

"It is the regular physical vigorous activity that is important."

The team surveyed 538 members of a running club and 423 non-runners

that were aged over 50 in 1984

Expert concerned by DIY genetic tests

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 01:28:12 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: While DIY gene tests may have their place, often they can only highlight a factor, or give a likelihood rather than a certainty. I would think they would also tend to be used by people who expected to find problems. It being hard for their view of the results to be either objective, or subject to comparison with other possibilities and cases.
I have trouble imagining a better test than family history, and the fact remains, that despite any number of tests our genes wont change.(Yet?)
An interesting thing I heard which is somewhat related particularly with the statistics regarding the likelihood of cancer from any number of sources, is that by the age of 85 50% of people will have had some form of cancer. (One of the side effects of living for another generation.) I can't be sure of the accuracy of the figure, but it makes me feel more comfortable about smoking. At least if I'm going to get cancer, I can get it doing something I enjoy.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Alex Wilde

In an age where people are increasingly encouraged to take more responsibility for their health, some professionals are becoming increasingly concerned about the proliferation of do-it-yourself genetic tests.

In recent years, the rapid growth of start-up biotech companies has seen more than 1000 DNA tests marketed directly to the public - many via the Internet.

For between US$400 and US$1000 it is possible to choose from an array of genetic tests that vendors claim will provide information about diet, lifestyle or propensity for waxy ears, through to predisposition to conditions such as cancer, heart disease or mental illness - without needing to see a doctor.

HGAC Chair Professor Ron Trent of the University of Sydney warns that genetic tests are extremely hard to interpret and if they are obtained by bypassing the medical system, they could do more harm than good.

"Often you need someone, a professional, to really sit there with you and explain to you what the test results mean,

Gorilla 'mother lode' found in Congo

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:52:21 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: I can't help thinking that they are there, because we didn't know about them, but there are other species that have been downgraded from critically endangered to endangered due to conservation efforts.
However the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) found that 48% of the 634 known species and sub-species of primates, humankind's closest relatives such as chimpanzees, orangutans, gibbons and lemurs, are at risk of extinction.
Primates are suffering most in Asia, with 71% of all species at risk, against 37% in Africa.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Researchers have found 125,000 western lowland gorillas living in the north of the Democratic Republic of Congo, almost doubling the known number of the endangered species.

A report released today at the International Primatological Society Congress in Edinburgh, Scotland says a new census tallied more than 125,000 critically endangered gorillas in a 47,000-square-kilometre area.

Estimates from the 1980s had suggested fewer than 100,000

had survived and many experts believed these numbers had been cut nearly in half by disease and hunting

The Wildlife Conservation Society report shows

that conservation in the Republic of Congo is working. This discovery should be a rallying cry for the world that we can protect other vulnerable and endangered species

says society president Steven Sanderson

Habitat destruction, led by burning and clearing of tropical forests for farmland,

the hunting of monkeys and apes for their meat are the main threats

Some species are "literally being eaten into extinction

New gene clues to schziphrenia risk

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 05:38:47 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Schizophrenics have the best dreams, and the worst nightmares.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Three large studies have unveiled flaws in several chromosomes that highlight an inherited vulnerability to schizophrenia.

The study looked at the DNA of thousands of people with and without schizophrenia

Although some describe this as a milestone in the development of genetic tests for the condition, others say the main contribution of the findings will be towards developing new treatments.

Among people with schizophrenia, certain genetic mutations are more common in key locations of the genetic code compared to otherwise healthy counterparts, according to three studies published online today ahead of print publication in the journal Nature.

The studies examined the genomes of thousands of people with schizophrenia and a large number of "controls" for comparison.

Scientists have long suspected that genes play a far more important role in the disease than environmental factors.

They also confirmed earlier work that pointed the finger at an area on Chromosome 22.

Contact lenses could save your vision

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:58:40 GMT

clipped by: pokkets

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Eric Bland

Soon contact lenses won't just correct eyesight, they could save your vision.

Researchers in the US have developed a contact lens containing antibiotic nanosilver particles that can continuously map the pressure inside a human eye and administer medication.

The new lenses promise to advance understanding of diseases like glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness worldwide, and could save the eyesight of millions, say the researchers.

"It would be really helpful to measure the pressure inside the eye continuously," says Professor Tingrui Pan from University of California, Davis, and co-author of a paper describing the lenses in Advanced Functional Materials.

Pressure inside the eye, the leading indication of glaucoma, can vary widely from day to day, even minute to minute.

Currently, doctors only measure pressure every few months (depending on the patient), says Dr James Brandt, who is also involved in the research.

"Compare that to another chronic disease like diabetes

Spider helps track disease outbreaks

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 05:19:50 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: A 'Spider' being "The Web-walking part of a search engine that collects pages for indexing in the search engine's database. Also called a bot.":answers.com
I thought I'd better put that in, because when I first saw the title, I had visions of biologists, out in the wild, catching spiders to be tested for disease.
Now if you want to find out about disease outbreaks, you can just google them before the WHO Centres of disease control have any idea.
Maybe WHO should google not yahoo.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

A new website is helping scientists track viruses and disease outbreaks by searching within the virtual world.

"We were originally thinking about how we could expand disease surveillance and pick up outbreaks earlier than traditional methods," says Dr John Brownstein of Harvard Medical School and Children's Hospital Boston, who created HealthMap in September of 2006 with Clark Friefeld, a software developer at Harvard Medical School.

HealthMap gathers information from the Internet and filters it, removing, for example, duplicated or irrelevant information

program identifies about 95% of all disease outbreaks, sometimes days before the World Health Organization or the Centres of Disease Control announce them

"This will definitely save lives," said Dr Larry Madoff, editor of ProMED, an infectious disease monitoring website run by the International Society for Infectious Disease.

"This is a good step forward," says Madoff. "[HealthMap] helps us predict how disease outbreaks will happen."

Researchers close on chlamidia vaccine

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:22:10 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: For the Australian native koala. When combined with habitat destruction, chlamydial disease continues to be a major threat to koalas.
The disease is similar to the strain suffered by humans, and the research could help develop a vaccine in humans.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

A vaccine designed to protect koalas from the infectious disease chlamydia has shown positive results in an early trial, researchers say.

Professors Peter Timms and Ken Beagley from Queensland University of Technology's Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation vaccinated 18 female koalas at Brisbane's Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary with the experimental vaccine.

"It seems to be going well," says Timms. "We are genuinely excited about the results we've seen so far."

Chlamydia infection is a major problem for Australia's koala population, causing a kind of conjunctivitis that can lead to blindness, and infections that render female animals sterile.

"As many as 25% to 50% of koalas coming into care in both Queensland and New South Wales are showing clinical signs of the disease and it seems to be getting worse," Timms says.

In the long-term, the results of the koala studies could also help in the development of an effective Chlamydia vaccine for humans, he added.

Ancient bones may hold clues to TB

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:49:37 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: They think there is enough Tuberculosis DNA to give clues to how it has evolved.(And where it's going?), and find new ways to fight it

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Ori Lewis

A team of German, Israeli and Palestinian researchers is studying ancient bones found in the biblical city of Jericho for clues that could help scientists combat tuberculosis.

"We see a re-emerging wave of tuberculosis all over the world and ... perhaps learning from the past will help us understand the present," says Professor Andreas Nerlich from Ludwig-Maximilians University in Munich.

Nerlich and other researchers in the team have begun studying 6000-year-old bones unearthed in Jericho more than a half-century ago by British anthropologist Dr Kathleen Kenyon, in what is now the occupied West Bank.

Tuberculosis, also known as TB, is a deadly infectious bacterial disease that usually attacks the lungs. Acknowledged as a disease of crowds, it is transmitted from human to human living in close contact.

Many of the bones show signs of tuberculosis, suggesting the disease afflicted a significant proportion of the population of the ancient world.

Tasmanian devils breed younger to defy disease

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:42:23 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: Seems like nature is plugging the gap, while we're still running around wondering what to do.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Dani Cooper

Tasmanian devils are mating and breeding much younger in response to the fatal facial cancer that threatens to wipe out the iconic Australian marsupial, researchers say.

In today's Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, a team of Australian researchers report what they believe to be the first known case of an infectious disease leading to increased early reproduction in a mammal.

Lead author Dr Menna Jones, of the University of Tasmania's School of Zoology, says the move to early mating may help buy enough time for research to beat the fatal devil facial tumour disease (DFTD).

She says the devil is showing its capacity to respond to the disease-induced increased adult mortality with a 16-fold rise in the proportion of females showing early sexual maturity.

"The disease is still going to overwhelm the devil, but it will slow it down," she says. "It gives us more time."

Areas where the disease is present have experienced a loss of up to 95% in devil population

Scientists find malaria's 'sticky' genes

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 05:45:05 GMT

clipped by: pokkets
clipper's remarks: The understanding of the malaria parasite, which seems to behave in a similar way to a virus, can help the development of new treatment methods, both in the stage that causes the disease in humans, and the phase in which it is carried by the intermediate host, the Anopheles mosquito. Research is also continuing into the genes behind the immune system of the mosquito, which actively fights against the malaria parasite.

Clip Source: www.abc.net.au

Stephen Pincock

Australian scientists have identified a potential new way of combating the global scourge of malaria, by pinpointing eight genes that help the disease-causing parasite remodel our red blood cells.

Malaria kills up to three million people every year, mostly in tropical parts of the world. The disease is spread by mosquitoes that inject victims with microscopic parasites that infect healthy red blood cells

parasites cause radical changes to the structure of the blood cells, hijacking them to produce scores of offspring that go on to infect other cells

"It's like remodeling a house so you can live in it and raise a family," said researcher Professor Alan Cowman from the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

His group's research will be published this week in the journal Cell.

When the team disrupted just one of the genes, they showed that the infected cells no longer stuck to the walls of blood vessels

"It really is a big step in understanding the parasite itself,"