During an ice climbing trip to the Canadian Rockies last Christmas, two young researchers from the University of Washington, Drs. Michael Schmitt and Jesse Salk, talked about a simple but powerful idea to get better results when looking at cancer cells. If they could reduce the error rate in DNA sequencing, then researchers could better pinpoint which cells are mutating. (more…)
Radiation delivered in high doses with pinpoint precision is becoming a useful tool for some patients who are otherwise running out of options.
Roy Decker, MD, PhD, keeps a photograph in his desk drawer of a woman in her 80s with the horse she still loves to ride. It’s a testament to life after lung cancer. (more…)
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — By analyzing the genes of bacteria, University of Florida researchers have moved a step closer to pinpointing how two brain disorders common in small-breed dogs occur.
The researchers found that the bacteria, known as Mycoplasma canis, invade dog’s cells and suppress their immune system responses. (more…)
With all of the information floating around regarding the bird flu epidemic it can be hard to discern what you should really be concerned about and what is nothing more than a rumor. Here are five myths regarding the bird flu that aren’t as factual as they first may seem:
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A small African mammal with an unusual ability to regrow damaged tissues could inspire new research in regenerative medicine, a University of Florida study finds. (more…)
Are you looking for the best way to reduce your weight? But the very first question which arises in the mind of people who are overweight is how to get motivated to lose weight? There is no magic wand which can reduce you in a couple of seconds. It is all mind game which keeps you motivated and forces you to reduce your size. (more…)
Watch out, acne. Doctors soon may have a new weapon against zits: a harmless virus living on our skin that naturally seeks out and kills the bacteria that cause pimples. (more…)
Pancreatic cancer is highly lethal and difficult to detect early. In a new study, researchers report that people who had high levels of antibodies for an infectious oral bacterium turned out to have double the risk for developing the cancer. High antibody levels for harmless oral bacteria, meanwhile, predicted a reduced pancreatic cancer risk.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A new study finds significant associations between antibodies for multiple oral bacteria and the risk of pancreatic cancer, adding support for the emerging idea that the ostensibly distant medical conditions are related.
The study of blood samples from more than 800 European adults, published in the journal Gut, found that high antibody levels for one of the more infectious periodontal bacterium strains of Porphyromonas gingivalis were associated with a two-fold risk for pancreatic cancer. Meanwhile, study subjects with high levels of antibodies for some kinds of harmless “commensal” oral bacteria were associated with a 45-percent lower risk of pancreatic cancer. (more…)
