Strategy for Creating Actively Programmed Anti-Cancer Molecules Unveiled
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The new study, which was published July 5 in an advanced, online edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, achieved a significant enhancement of the treatment of metastatic breast cancer in animal models. The study showed the new hybrid compound remained in circulation for a week. In comparison, the small molecule drug was cleared in a matter of minutes.
“Although the study focused specifically on breast cancer, these new findings could have broad application in the treatment of a number of other cancers, potentially increasing the efficacy of a number of existing or undeveloped small molecule therapies,” said Subhash C. Sinha, Ph.D., associate professor in the Scripps Research Department of Molecular Biology and the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, who led the research with Scripps Research President Richard A. Lerner, M.D., Lita Annenberg Hazen Professor of Immunochemistry, Cecil H. and Ida M. Green Chair in Chemistry, and a member of the Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology.
In the study, the scientists created what is known as a “chemically programmed antibody” by using small cell-targeting molecules and a non-targeting catalytic monoclonal aldolase antibody in a novel self-assembly strategy.
Calcium may help women keep weight in check
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Getting plenty of calcium might help fight middle-aged spread, a new study shows.
Women in their 50s who took in more than 500 milligrams of calcium daily in supplements gained 4 pounds less over 10 years than women who didn’t use supplements, Dr. Alejandro J. Gonzalez of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and colleagues found.
But Gonzalez told Reuters Health it would be “going out on a limb” to recommend calcium as a weight maintenance aid based on his study. Randomized clinical trials are necessary to determine whether calcium really is responsible for limiting weight gain, he added.
Aspirin use not seen linked to stroke severity
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When a stroke occurs, its severity does not seem to be related to whether the patient had be taking aspirin previously or not, according to a large, international study.
“Several reports have suggested that patients who have (a) stroke while taking aspirin have less severe strokes than those not on such pretreatment, whereas others have suggested either no effect or an increase of stroke severity,” Dr. Stefano Ricci, of UOCD Neurologia e Ictus, Perugia, Italy, and colleagues write in the medical journal Stroke.
To investigate further, they examined the effects of previous aspirin use on the severity of stroke in patients who were enrolled in the International Stroke Trial, which tested the benefits of different treatments after a stroke.
Chinese twin dies after separation surgery
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An 11-month-old Chinese girl who doctors separated from her conjoined twin sister died on Monday, but her sibling was stable though still critical, state media reported.
Hu Jingxuan was the weaker of the conjoined twins separated by surgeons in Shanghai last week. But Hu failed to overcome the operation and died of organ failure, Xinhua news agency reported.
The girls underwent almost 13 hours of surgery on Thursday under the care of 70 doctors and nurses working in shifts.
Which inflammatory markers predict the appearance of a stroke?
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Patients that have suffered from a stroke have a higher risk of a similar event happening and, in consequence, greater possibilities of dying.
For the first time, 52 hospitals in Spain, three of which (Basurto; Cruces and Bidasoa) in the Basque country, are participating in a study to determine if certain concrete inflammation markers can be linked to the appearance of a new stroke or other vascular events such as myocardiac arrest. The M?ICO study was presented at the IV International Meeting on Isquemic Ictus.
The study included patients from different Autonomous Communities and that had suffered a stroke one to three months previously. By means of periodical controls, a number of inflammation markers found in the plasma (interleucines, metalloproteases, fibronectines) were studied over a period of a year. “We know that that there are certain inflammation markers that can contribute to patients suffering from new strokes or other vascular events such as heart attack. In fact, those who have chronic mouth infections or inflammatory processes have a greater risk of repeating these illnesses”, explains doctor José Castillo, coordinator of the M?ICO project.
Drug-resistant E. coli likely started in poultry
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The food-contaminating bug E. coli—which can cause diarrhea, urinary tract infections and more severe illness in humans—appears to be developing resistance to antibiotics called fluoroquinolones in chickens, a study shows.
The problem is arising largely because of antibiotic treatment of the animals, which forces the microbes to mutate and become resistant. Food-borne resistant E. coli can then be transmitted to humans.
Action to interrupt the transmission of resistant bacteria from animals to humans may become necessary, the researchers say. Such measures could include “limiting antimicrobial use in food animals, adopting more hygienic food-processing and distribution practices, irradiating food, and improving kitchen hygiene.”
Only fraction of bird flu aid pledges received
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Only a fraction of the nearly $1.9 billion pledged by international donors in January to help the developing world prepare for a bird flu pandemic has been paid out so far, the United Nations said on Monday.
In a joint report with the World Bank, the U.N. bird flu coordinator David Nabarro said donor countries had allocated $1.15 billion for bird flu aid from their budgets by the end of April, but had transferred just $331 million to recipients.
Although the virus affects mostly wild birds, experts fear it may change into a form that can be easily transmitted among humans, sweeping the world and killing millions within weeks or months.
Women students unaware of lifestyle links to cancer
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Most female students are unaware that lifestyle factors can influence their risk of developing breast cancer, according to a survey released on Monday.
A poll of more than 10,000 students in 23 countries showed more than half knew heredity was a risk factor. But less than five percent realised that eating and drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough exercise also had an impact.
“It is very worrying that information about being overweight, having a high alcohol intake and taking little exercise has simply not been effectively communicated to young women in any of the countries we surveyed,” Professor Jane Wardle, of the charity Cancer Research UK, who headed the research team, said.
Volunteer work may be good for seniors’ health
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Retirees who do volunteer work in schools may help not only children but their own health as well, a study suggests.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that older adults who served as mentors and tutors in their local elementary schools became more physically active in their daily lives.
Those who were sedentary before joining the volunteer program, called Experience Corps, more than doubled their physical activity levels during the school year, according to findings published online by the Journal of Urban Health.
Community-wide program gets residents exercising
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A program designed to boost physical activity levels in a low-income, multi-ethnic community did just that, and led to real health benefits for residents.
Compared with a “control” community, fewer participants in the get-fit community gained weight and many lost weight, reducing their risk of type 2 diabetes—which largely results from obesity. Residents in the intervention community also saw improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels.
Dr. Anne Karen Jenum, at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health in Oslo, and colleagues tested their program over three years in a low-income, urban district in Norway with high rates of heart disease, obesity and physical inactivity.
Discovery of gene mutation gives hope for Down syndrome and Alzheimer’s victims
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Researchers in the U.S. have discovered a gene mutation that shrivels brain cells which they suspect is responsible for the mental retardation seen in Down syndrome.
The believe the discovery may offer ways to interfere with or even reverse the mental deterioration often seen as people with Down syndrome get older and may also be applicable to patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. William Mobley, a neurologist with the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital in California, the senior author of the research, says the reducing the expression of the gene turns down its activity.
Whooping cough endemic among UK children
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Whooping cough may be endemic among young children in Britain where nearly 40 percent of youngsters who visit their family doctor with a persistent cough have evidence of the infection, researchers reported Friday.
After studying 172 children who had been treated for a cough lasting more than two weeks, they found that 64 showed signs of whooping cough although nearly 86 percent had been immunized against the illness.
“Previous research in several countries has shown that pertussis is an endemic disease among adolescents and adults,” said Anthony Harnden of Oxford University.
Tuberculosis Must be Tackled Among Socially Excluded Groups
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Tuberculosis can infect anyone, but predominantly affects the poor, write Alistair Story and colleagues. In London, where over 40% of all cases in the UK in 2004 were reported, rates of tuberculosis have more than doubled since 1987 and are now the highest among homeless people, problem drug users, people living with HIV, prisoners and new entrants, particularly those from countries experiencing chronic civil conflict.
Recently published guidance from the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) recommends chest x-ray screening for homeless people and entry screening for prisoners. Mobile x-ray units targeted at high risk groups are also being evaluated in London.
The guidance also suggests hospital admission for homeless people and those with clear socioeconomic need, allocation of a named key worker for all patients, and risk assessment to identify those patients unlikely to adhere to treatment.
Jailed Italian Mafia boss to have in-vitro baby
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An Italian judge has ruled that a Mafia boss serving a life sentence for murder should be allowed to father a baby through artificial insemination—and the public health service should pay for it.
In a case that is certain to stir controversy, the judge accepted the request by Salvino Madonia, who was convicted for the high-profile 1991 murder of a businessman who had refused to pay an extortion fee to the Mafia.
Madonia, 50, is detained in a high-security prison and is not allowed to meet his family, including his 32-year old wife Mariangela, in private.
Poor in England more likely than rich to die in 50s
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The poorest in England are over 10 times more likely to die in their 50s than richer people despite receiving similar healthcare, researchers said.
Obesity and smoking, two of the leading causes of preventable death, are more common in lower economic groups but Professor Michael Marmot of University College London said psychological factors and social position can also have an effect on health.
“There is an intricate relationship between wealth and health,” said Marmot, the principal investigator of the English Longitudinal Study on Aging (ELSA).
