ScienceDaily: Health & Medicine News

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• More complete picture of kidney cancer: Cancer subtypes distinguished and promising new drug targets suggested
• Breast cancer survivors benefit from practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction
• Brain's connective cells are much more than glue: Glia cells also regulate learning and memory
• New clues as to why some older people may be losing their memory
• Alzheimer's: Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking
• Targeted therapy extends progression-free survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer
• Gene identified in increasing pancreatic cancer risk
• New findings about the prion protein and its interaction with the immune system
• President Obama and leading GOP presidential candidate support health research
• New synthetic molecules treat autoimmune disease in mice
• Genetic cause of thyroid cancer discovered
• Promising treatments for blood cancers
• Cell membrane proteins could provide targets for broader vaccines
• DNA mismatch repair happens only during a brief window of opportunity
• Hips that function better and last longer
• Vitamin therapy can still reduce stroke, researchers contend

More complete picture of kidney cancer: Cancer subtypes distinguished and promising new drug targets suggested Posted: 29 Dec 2011 05:30 PM PST Scientists are providing a foundation for a more complete understanding of distinct kidney cancer subtypes, which could pave the way for better treatments.

Breast cancer survivors benefit from practicing mindfulness-based stress reduction Posted: 29 Dec 2011 05:30 PM PST Women recently diagnosed with breast cancer have higher survival rates than those diagnosed in previous decades, according to new research. However, survivors continue to face health challenges after their treatments end. Previous research reports as many as 50 percent of breast cancer survivors are depressed. Now, researchers say a meditation technique can help breast cancer survivors improve their emotional and physical well-being.

Brain's connective cells are much more than glue: Glia cells also regulate learning and memory Posted: 29 Dec 2011 10:13 AM PST New research indicates that glia cells are "the brain's supervisors." By regulating the synapses, they control the transfer of information between neurons, affecting how the brain processes information. This new finding could be critical for technologies based on brain networks, as well as provide a new avenue for research into disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.

New clues as to why some older people may be losing their memory Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:20 AM PST New research links 'silent strokes,' or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults to memory loss in the elderly.

Alzheimer's: Diet patterns may keep brain from shrinking Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:20 AM PST People with diets high in several vitamins or in omega 3 fatty acids are less likely to have the brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer's disease than people whose diets are not high in those nutrients, according to a new study.

Targeted therapy extends progression-free survival of patients with advanced ovarian cancer Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:18 AM PST Targeted drugs, which block or disrupt particular molecules involved in the growth of tumors, have been shown to be effective treatments against many types of cancer. A new Phase 3 clinical trial has shown that a targeted therapy called bevacizumab (Avastin) effectively delayed the progression of advanced ovarian cancer. Patients with newly diagnosed advanced ovarian cancer now typically undergo surgery and chemotherapy, but the new research suggests an additional avenue of treatment.

Gene identified in increasing pancreatic cancer risk Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:18 AM PST Mutations in the ATM gene may increase the hereditary risk for pancreatic cancer, according to new research.

New findings about the prion protein and its interaction with the immune system Posted: 29 Dec 2011 06:16 AM PST Scrapie is a neurodegenerative disease which can function as a model for other diseases caused by an accumulation of proteins resulting in tissue malformations (proteinpathies), such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Many questions regarding these diseases still remain unanswered. A new study has uncovered a number of factors relating to the uptake of the prion protein (PrPSc) associated with the development of this disease and how this protein interacts with the immune cells in the intestines.

President Obama and leading GOP presidential candidate support health research Posted: 27 Dec 2011 11:26 AM PST President Obama and Republican Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich commented on important health research and prevention issues. Among the highlights: both Obama and Gingrich agree that research to improve health and prevent disease is part of the solution to rising health care costs, and boosting investment in medical research creates jobs that benefit a wide variety of industries. Their positions on embryonic stem cell research differ.

New synthetic molecules treat autoimmune disease in mice Posted: 25 Dec 2011 11:43 AM PST Weizmann Institute scientists "trick" the body into blocking an enzyme that is active in autoimmune disease and cancer.

Genetic cause of thyroid cancer discovered Posted: 23 Dec 2011 07:19 AM PST Researchers have discovered three genes that increase the risk of thyroid cancer, which is has the largest incidence increase in cancers among both men and women.

Promising treatments for blood cancers Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST Researchers recently presented results from 31 major studies of blood-related cancers -- leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

Cell membrane proteins could provide targets for broader vaccines Posted: 22 Dec 2011 12:20 PM PST Vaccines with broader reach might be made by stimulating specialized immune cells to recognize foreign cell membrane proteins that are shared across bacterial species, say researchers. The approach could be particularly beneficial in preventing infection by multi-drug resistant organisms.

DNA mismatch repair happens only during a brief window of opportunity Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST In eukaryotes-the group of organisms that include humans –- a key to survival is the ability of certain proteins to quickly and accurately repair genetic errors that occur when DNA is replicated to make new cells. Researchers have solved part of the mystery of how these proteins do their job, a process called DNA mismatch repair.

Hips that function better and last longer Posted: 22 Dec 2011 11:24 AM PST Engineers and physicians have made a surprising discovery that offers a target for designing new materials for hip implants that are less susceptible to the joint's normal wear and tear. The team found that graphitic carbon is a key element in a lubricating layer that forms on metal-on-metal hip implants. The lubricant is more similar to the lubrication of a combustion engine than that of a natural joint.

Vitamin therapy can still reduce stroke, researchers contend Posted: 21 Dec 2011 11:07 AM PST Medical researchers argue that vitamin therapy still has a role to play in reducing stroke.

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