Cancer Research

It's not what you take but the way that you take it that can produce different results in women who take hormone replacement therapy (HRT), according to new research on the association between HRT and heart attacks, published the European Heart Journal [1] today. The study is the largest to look at the effects of HRT since the Women's Health Initiative trial was stopped early after finding that HRT increased the risk of women developing a range of conditions including breast cancer and thromboembolism. The research is an observational study of 698,098 healthy Danish women, aged 51-69, who…

A new method of treatment could mean a dramatic difference in the way we look at and treat lung cancer. Developed over the past decade, a team of researchers at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) in Pittsburgh has developed a new technique using a mesh of radioactive 'seeds' that is generating significant results. According to the American Cancer Society (ACS) lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths for both men and women. Deaths from lung cancer exceed those from breast, prostate and colon cancers combined. In 2008 the ACS estimates 162,000 lung cancer deaths in the United States.…

TORONTO, September 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Comprehensive Care International (CCI), is pleased to announce the appointment of Anthony DiCaita, CMA, CHE, MBA, MPA, as Project Director for the Children's Cancer Hospital (CCH) 57357 project in Cairo, Egypt. Mr. DiCaita is a strategic planner with over 20 years of healthcare experience in financial planning, project management, process improvement, operational planning, and risk management. In his new role Mr. DiCaita will develop and drive all aspects of the CCH 57357 project including strategy and day-to-day management, while ensuring success in the…

GENEVA, Switzerland, September 29 /PRNewswire/ -- - Award Highlights Successful Global HR Approach During Company Integration Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today that it has won the prestigious "Human Capital Leadership Award" 2008 for "Strategic HR Leadership" by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The division's Human Resources (HR) department was recognized for its critical leadership role during the integration of the former Serono with the Merck Ethicals pharmaceuticals division, and in driving the organization's performance and…

Smell is one of the most complex and least-understood senses. Humans have a vast olfactory system that includes close to 400 functional genes, more than are dedicated to any other function. Animals such as dogs and mice have around 1,000 functional olfactory receptor genes. MIT biological engineers have found a way to mass-produce smell receptors in the laboratory, an advance that paves the way for "artificial noses" to be created and used in a variety of settings. The work could also allow scientists to unlock the mystery of how the sense of smell can recognize a seemingly infinite range of…

A protein required for the earliest steps in embryonic development also plays a key role in solidifying fear memories in the brains of adult animals, scientists have revealed. An apparent "hub" for changes in the connections between brain cells, beta-catenin could be a potential target for drugs to enhance or interfere with memory formation. The protein beta-catenin acts like a Velcro strap, fastening cells' internal skeletons to proteins on their external membranes that connect them with other cells. In species ranging from flies to frogs to mice, it also can transmit early signals that…

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that individuals who carry a specific form of the gene PNPLA3 have more fat in their livers and a greater risk of developing liver inflammation. They also found that Hispanics are more likely to carry the gene variant responsible for higher liver-fat content than African-Americans and Caucasians. The new findings, published in Nature Genetics, provide a gene-based explanation for the results of a 2004 UT Southwestern-led study that determined that the propensity to develop nonalcoholic fatty liver disease differs among ethnic groups,…

We have many great anti-tumor drugs that can do a fantastic job destroying the molecular insides of tumor cells. There is, however, a major catch: tumors have a nasty habit of become drug resistant. Such is the case with the breast cancer chemotherapeutic agent docetaxel. This drug can be effective at stopping breast cancer, but unfortunately many tumors are docetaxel-resistant. 50% of breast cancer patients receiving their initial course of chemotherapy are resistant to docetaxel, and it gets worse for patients who have already had chemotherapy - 70-80% of patients who have already received…

GENEVA, Switzerland, September 26 /PRNewswire/ -- - CHMP Issued Positive Opinion Recommending Marketing Authorization of Kuvan(R) for the Treatment of hyperphenylalaninemia in Patients With phenylketonuria or BH4 Deficiency Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany, announced today that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP), the scientific committee of the European Medicines Agency (EMEA), issued a positive opinion for Kuvan(R) (sapropterin dihydrochloride) as an oral treatment for hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA) in patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) or…

REHOVOT, Israel and JERSEY CITY, New Jersey, September 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Rosetta Genomics Ltd (Nasdaq:ROSG), a leader in the development of microRNA-based diagnostics, announced today its management will present at the Maxim Group Growth Conference in New York City on Tuesday, October 7, 2008. The conference will be held at the Grand Hyatt New York Hotel. About MicroRNA MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are recently discovered, naturally occurring, small RNAs that act as master regulators and have the potential to form the basis for a new class of diagnostics and therapeutics. Since many diseases are…