Cancer News: Mesothelioma

• New exception to a decades-old rule about RNA splicing uncovered
  There are always exceptions to a rule, even one that has prevailed for more than three decades, as demonstrated by a new study on RNA splicing, a cellular editing process. The rule-flaunting exception uncovered by the study concerns the way in which a newly produced RNA molecule is cut and pasted at precise locations called splice sites before being translated into protein.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 19:31:31 EDT
  
  

• Ancient history of circumarctic peoples illuminated
  Scientists have discovered new information about the migration patterns of the first humans to settle the Americas. The studies identify the historical relationships among various groups of Native American and First Nations peoples and present the first clear evidence of the genetic impact of the groups' cultural practices.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 19:31:31 EDT
  
  

• Phase I clinical trial shows drug shrinks melanoma brain metastases
  An experimental drug targeting a common mutation in melanoma successfully shrank tumors that spread to the brain in nine out of 10 patients in part of an international phase I clinical trial report.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 19:31:31 EDT
  
  

• Bioinformatics: We can learn a lot from other species
  Researchers have confirmed the long-held belief that studying the genes we share with other animals is useful. The study shows how bioinformatics makes it possible to test the fundamental principles on which life science is built.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 19:29:29 EDT
  
  

• Giant galaxy-packed filament revealed
  Astronomers have discovered a giant, galaxy-packed filament ablaze with billions of new stars. The filament is the first structure of its kind spied in a critical era of cosmic buildup when colossal collections of galaxies called superclusters began to take shape. The glowing galactic bridge offers astronomers a unique opportunity to explore how galaxies evolve and merge to form superclusters.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 14:36:36 EDT
  
  

• Slew of rare DNA changes following population explosion may hold clues to common diseases
  Scientists have taken a first step toward understanding how rare genetic differences among people contribute to leading chronic illnesses. One-letter DNA code changes occur frequently in human genomes, but each variant is usually found in only a few individuals. This phenomenon is consistent with the population explosion of the past 5,000 years. Studying the evolution of rare genetic variants and their health impact is critical as low cost, rapid sequencing enters clinical use. Such information would help doctors interpret personal genomes.
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• Religion is a potent force for cooperation and conflict, research shows
  Across history and cultures, religion increases trust within groups but also may increase conflict with other groups, according to a new analysis.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 14:36:36 EDT
  
  

• Babies' susceptibility to colds linked to immune response at birth
  Innate differences in immunity can be detected at birth, according to new research. And babies with a better innate response to viruses have fewer respiratory illnesses in the first year of life.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 14:35:35 EDT
  
  

• In chemical reactions, water adds speed without heat
  Scientists have discovered how adding trace amounts of water can tremendously speed up chemical reactions -— such as hydrogenation and hydrogenolysis —- in which hydrogen is one of the reactants, or starting materials.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 14:35:35 EDT
  
  

• Forest diversity from Canada to the sub-tropics influenced by family proximity
  How species diversity is maintained is a fundamental question in biology. Biologists have shown for the first time that diversity is influenced on a spatial scale of unparalleled scope, in part, by how well tree seedlings survive under their own parents.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 14:35:35 EDT
  
  

• Prosthetic retina offers simple solution for restoring sight
  A device which could restore sight to patients with one of the most common causes of blindness in the developed world is being developed.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:21:21 EDT
  
  

• Suspicion resides in two regions of the brain: Our baseline level of distrust is distinct and separable from our inborn lie detector
  Scientists have found that suspicion resides in two distinct regions of the brain: the amygdala, which plays a central role in processing fear and emotional memories, and the parahippocampal gyrus, which is associated with declarative memory and the recognition of scenes.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:21:21 EDT
  
  

• New technique reveals unseen information in DNA code
  Scientists have used a new technique to map 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) and 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) in DNA from human and mouse embryonic stem cells, revealing new information about their patterns of distribution. These studies have revealed that these DNA modifications play major roles in fundamental life processes such as cell differentiation, cancer and brain function.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:20:20 EDT
  
  

• When you eat matters, not just what you eat
  When it comes to weight gain, when you eat might be at least as important as what you eat. When mice on a high-fat diet are restricted to eating for eight hours per day, they eat just as much as those who can eat around the clock, yet they are protected against obesity and other metabolic ills, the new study shows.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:20:20 EDT
  
  

• Pain relief through distraction: It's not all in your head
  Mental distractions make pain easier to take, and those pain-relieving effects aren't just in your head, according to a new report.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:20:20 EDT
  
  

• Untangling the development of breast cancer: Evolution of 21 breast cancers
  The team created a catalogue of all the mutations in the genomes of the 21 breast cancer genomes. They identified entirely new mutational processes that drive breast cancer development, including one remarkable process defined by localized regions of hypermutation found in most of the breast cancers. This phenomenon has never been seen before. They also found that, once many mutations have accumulated in a cell, the cell then diverges into different subgroups, one of which is destined to become the aggressive, dominant, breast cancer tumor. These findings have implications for our understanding of how breast cancers develop over the decades before diagnosis in adults.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:19:19 EDT
  
  

• Extended daily fasting overrides harmful effects of a high-fat diet: Study may offer drug-free intervention to prevent obesity and diabetes
  It turns out that when we eat may be as important as what we eat. Scientists have found that regular eating times and extending the daily fasting period may override the adverse health effects of a high-fat diet and prevent obesity, diabetes and liver disease in mice.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:17:17 EDT
  
  

• Training the brain could help reduce pain
  Training the brain to reduce pain could be a promising approach for treating phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome, according to s neuroscience researcher.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:17:17 EDT
  
  

• Risk Factor Management Helps Prevent Migraine Attacks
  The latest genetic and biological research shows that migraine is a neurological, not vascular, disorder and both acute and preventive treatments being developed target peripheral and central nervous systems, according to a prominent migraine expert.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:16:16 EDT
  
  

• RNA modification influences thousands of genes: Revolutionizes understanding of gene expression
  Over the past decade, research in the field of epigenetics has revealed that chemically modified bases are abundant components of the human genome and has forced us to abandon the notion we've had since high school genetics that DNA consists of only four bases.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:16:16 EDT
  
  

• Ancient giant turtle fossil was size of Smart car
  Picture a turtle the size of a Smart car, with a shell large enough to double as a kiddie pool. Paleontologists have found just such a specimen -- the fossilized remains of a 60-million-year-old South American giant that lived in what is now Colombia.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 13:16:16 EDT
  
  

• Parents are happier people: Parents experience greater happiness and meaning in life than nonparents, psychologists find
  Contrary to recent scholarship and popular belief, parents experience greater levels of happiness and meaning in life than people without children, according to researchers. Parents also are happier during the day when they are caring for their children than during their other daily activities, the researchers found in a series of studies conducted in the United States and Canada.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 11:54:54 EDT
  
  

• Fighting bacteria’s strength in numbers
  Scientists have opened the way for more accurate research into new ways to fight dangerous bacterial infections by proving a long-held theory about how bacteria communicate with each other.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 11:53:53 EDT
  
  

• 1,000 years of climate data confirms Australia's warming
  In the first study of its kind in Australasia, scientists have used 27 natural climate records to create the first large-scale temperature reconstruction for the region over the last 1,000 years.
    Thu, 17 May 2012 11:14:14 EDT
  
  

• Hormone-depleting drug shows promise against localized high-risk prostate tumors
  Researchers have demonstrated that a hormone-depleting drug approved for the treatment of metastatic prostate cancer can help eliminate or nearly eliminate tumors in many patients with aggressive cancers that have yet to spread beyond the prostate, according to a new clinical study.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 19:56:56 EDT
  
  

• Not all 'good cholesterol' is 'good': Raising HDL not a sure route to countering heart disease
  Medical researchers explored naturally occurring genetic variations in humans to test the connection between HDL levels and heart attack. By studying the genes of roughly 170,000 individuals, the team discovered that, when examined together, the 15 HDL-raising variants they tested do not reduce the risk of heart attack.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 19:55:55 EDT
  
  

• Phase I study of temsirolimus, capecitabine appears safe; positive survival trend seen
  A Phase I clinical trial examining the safety of combining temsirolimus and capecitabine in advanced malignancies suggests the two agents can be given safely to patients. In addition researchers conducting the study in cancer patients whose tumors have resisted multiple treatments say the combination demonstrates "promising evidence" of disease control and should be studied in a Phase II trial.
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• Study combines lapatinib with cetuximab to overcome resistance in EGFR-driven tumors, new research suggests
  Targeted therapies have been studied for years, but recent laboratory research is providing robust clues about drugs that might work better in combination, particularly in treating cancers that have become resistant to therapy. That kind of information is behind a novel clinical trial that combines cetuximab and lapatinib.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 19:55:55 EDT
  
  

• Bats: A good immune system ensures success in reproduction
  Anyone who is healthy has more enthusiasm for reproduction. The same is true even for bats. Male bats with a good immune system are more successful in being selected by females during mate choice and reproduction than their ailing counterparts.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 19:54:54 EDT
  
  

• The Rhine is five million years older than first thought: Age of the river corrected based on fossils
  Scientists have examined the age of the Rhine based on fossils. They have discovered that the river is five million years older than previously believed.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 19:54:54 EDT
  
  

• Damaged connections in Phineas Gage's brain: Famous 1848 case of man who survived accident has modern parallel
  In 1848, Phineas Gage survived an accident that drove an iron rod through his head. Researchers, for the first time, used images of Gage’s skull combined with modern-day brain images to suggest there was extensive damage to the white matter “pathways” that connected various regions of his brain.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 19:54:54 EDT
  
  

• Children with cancer have complete responses in a COG phase 1 trial: Pills zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers
  A pill designed to zero in on abnormal genes that drive specific cancers has produced encouraging early results in children with an uncommon but aggressive type of lymphoma, as well as in children with a rare form of neuroblastoma.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 19:54:54 EDT
  
  

• NASA survey counts potentially hazardous asteroids
  Observations from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) have led to the best assessment yet of our solar system's population of potentially hazardous asteroids. The results reveal new information about their total numbers, origins and the possible dangers they may pose.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 18:06:06 EDT
  
  

• Biologists produce potential malarial vaccine from algae
  Biologists have succeeded in engineering algae to produce potential candidates for a vaccine that would prevent transmission of the parasite that causes malaria.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 17:44:44 EDT
  
  

• Clergy can fight HIV on faith-friendly terms
  In the United States, where blacks bear a disproportionate burden of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, black religious institutions could help turn the tide. In a new study based on dozens of interviews and focus groups with 38 of Philadelphia's most influential black religious leaders, physicians and public health researchers find that traditional barriers to preaching about HIV prevention could give way to faith-friendly messages about getting tested and staying on treatment.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 17:42:42 EDT
  
  

• Head impacts in contact sports may reduce learning in college athletes
  A new study suggests that head impacts experienced during contact sports such as football and hockey may worsen some college athletes’ ability to acquire new information.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 17:37:37 EDT
  
  

• New advice on medication disposal: Trash beats take-back, new study suggests
  Returning extra medicine to the pharmacy for disposal might not be worth the extra time, money or greenhouse gas emissions, according to a study that is the first to look at the net effects of so-called take-back programs.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:25:25 EDT
  
  

• Trusting Tiger Woods: How do facial cues affect preference and trust?
  People respond to facial cues and this affects their level of trust, according to a new study that looks at the way consumers react to morphed photo images.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:25:25 EDT
  
  

• Why do consumers dislike corporate brands that get too familiar?
  Although it is tempting to use the word "we" to make consumers feel like part of the family, people react negatively when brands overstep their boundaries, according to a new study.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:25:25 EDT
  
  

• You are what you eat: Why do male consumers avoid vegetarian options?
  Why are men generally more reluctant to try vegetarian products? According to a new study consumers are influenced by a strong association of meat with masculinity.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:25:25 EDT
  
  

• When does planning interfere with achieving our goals?
  It seems really simple: If you want to achieve something, set a goal and then make specific plans to implement it. But according to a new study consumers get overwhelmed while juggling multiple goals.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:24:24 EDT
  
  

• Children with rare, incurable brain disease improve after gene therapy
  Taiwanese doctors have restored some movement in four children bedridden with a rare, life-threatening neurological disease using gene transfer. The first-in-humans achievement may also be helpful for more common diseases such as Parkinson's.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:24:24 EDT
  
  

• Nine new breast cancer risk genes: Landscape of cancer genes and mutational processes in breast cancer complicated
  Researchers have described nine new genes that drive the development of breast cancer. This takes the tally of all genes associated with breast cancer development to 40.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:23:23 EDT
  
  

• Want to avoid erectile dysfunction following prostate cancer surgery? Find an experienced, gentle surgeon
  A new study suggests that men undergoing robotic-assisted surgery for prostate cancer should look for a doctor who has performed at least 1,000 surgeries and who actively seeks to improve and enhance his surgical skills to help ensure a successful post-surgery recovery of erectile function.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:22:22 EDT
  
  

• Listening to chickens could improve poultry production
  Listening to squawks and other chicken "vocalizations" using digital signal processing techniques may help farmers better manage growing conditions, contributing to both healthier birds and more productive poultry operations.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 15:22:22 EDT
  
  

• NASA lends Galaxy Evolution Explorer to Caltech
  NASA is lending the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) to the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, where the spacecraft will continue its exploration of the cosmos. In a first-of-a-kind move for NASA, a Space Act Agreement was signed May 14 so the university soon can resume spacecraft operations and data management for the mission using private funds.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:30:30 EDT
  
  

• Can consumers 'fit in' yet remain unique?
  Most consumers want to fit in while still asserting their individuality -- and they balance these conflicting desires when choosing products, according to a new study.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:01 EDT
  
  

• Potential new drugs for fox tapeworm infection in humans
  Scientists are reporting development and testing of a new series of drugs that could finally stop the fox tapeworm -- which causes a rare but life-threatening disease in humans -- dead in its tracks. The report shows that specific organometallic substances that help combat cancer are also the surprising best new hope for a treatment against tapeworm infection.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:01 EDT
  
  

• Health experts narrow the hunt for Ebola
  Response efforts to outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever in Africa can benefit from a standardized sampling strategy that focuses on the carcasses of gorillas, chimpanzees and other species known to succumb to the virus, according to wildlife health experts.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:01 EDT
  
  

• Sumatra faces yet another risk: Major volcanic eruptions
  The early April earthquake of magnitude 8.6 that shook Sumatra was a grim reminder of the devastating earthquakes and tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people in 2004 and 2005. Now a new study shows that the residents of that region are at risk from yet another potentially deadly natural phenomenon -- major volcanic eruptions.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:01 EDT
  
  

• Three-telescope interferometry allows astrophysicists to observe how black holes are fueled
  By combining the light of three powerful infrared telescopes, scientists have observed the active accretion phase of a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy tens of millions of light years away, a method that has yielded an unprecedented amount of data for such observations. The resolution at which they were able to observe this highly luminescent active galactic nucleus has given them direct confirmation of how mass accretes onto black holes in centers of galaxies.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:01:01 EDT
  
  

• Graphite enters different states of matter in ultrafast experiment
  For the first time, scientists have seen an X-ray-irradiated mineral go to two different states of matter in about 40 femtoseconds. Scientists heated graphite to induce a transition from solid to liquid and to warm-dense plasma.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT
  
  

• Alzheimer's gene causes brain's blood vessels to leak toxins and die
  ApoE4, a well-known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease triggers a cascade of signaling that ultimately results in leaky blood vessels in the brain, allowing toxic substances to pour into brain tissue in large amounts, scientists report.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT
  
  

• Colorful butterflies increase their odds of survival by sharing traits
  Bright black-and-red butterflies that flit across the sunlit edges of Amazonian rain forests are natural hedonists, and it does them good, according to new genetic data.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT
  
  

• Human genes transplanted into zebrafish: Helps identify genes related to autism, schizophrenia and obesity
  Researchers have transplanted a set of human genes into a zebrafish and then used it to identify genes responsible for head size at birth. This finding also is related to some cases of autism and possibly schizophrenia and childhood obesity.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT
  
  

• New clues on how ApoE4 affects Alzheimer's risk
  Common variants of the ApoE gene are strongly associated with the risk of developing late-onset Alzheimer's disease, but the gene's role in the disease has been unclear. Now, researchers have found that in mice, having the most risky variant of ApoE damages the blood vessels that feed the brain.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT
  
  

• Humanmade pollutants may be driving Earth's tropical belt expansion: May impact large-scale atmospheric circulation
  Black carbon aerosols and tropospheric ozone, both humanmade pollutants emitted predominantly in the Northern Hemisphere's low- to mid-latitudes, are most likely pushing the boundary of the tropics further poleward in that hemisphere, new research shows. While stratospheric ozone depletion has already been shown to be the primary driver of the expansion of the tropics in the Southern Hemisphere, the researchers are the first to report that black carbon and tropospheric ozone are the most likely primary drivers of the tropical expansion observed in the Northern Hemisphere.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT
  
  

• Paralyzed individuals use thought-controlled robotic arm to reach and grasp
  In an ongoing clinical trial, a paralyzed woman was able to reach for and sip from a drink on her own -- for the first time in nearly 15 years -- by using her thoughts to direct a robotic arm. The trial, funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, is evaluating the safety and feasibility of an investigational device called the BrainGate neural interface system, which is intended to put robotics and other assistive technology under the brain's control.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT
  
  

• People with paralysis control robotic arms to reach and grasp using brain computer interface
  Two people with tetraplegia were able to reach for and grasp objects in three-dimensional space with robotic arms that they controlled directly with brain activity. They used the BrainGate neural interface system, an investigational device currently being studied under an IDE. One participant used the system to serve herself coffee for the first time since becoming paralyzed nearly 15 years ago.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 14:00:00 EDT
  
  

• Internet usage patterns may signify depression
  In a new study analyzing Internet usage among college students, researchers have found that students who show signs of depression tend to use the Internet differently than those who show no symptoms of depression.
    Wed, 16 May 2012 13:55:55 EDT