Monthly Archives:: August 2012

Human melanoma stem cells identified

Posted by & filed under Health Sciences.

Cancer stem cells are defined by three abilities: differentiation, self-renewal and their ability to seed a tumor. These stem cells resist chemotherapy and many researchers posit their role in relapse. A new study shows that melanoma cells with these abilities are marked by the enzyme ALDH, and imagines new therapies to target high-ALDH cells, potentially weeding the body of these most dangerous cancer creators.

Study helps pancreatic cancer patients make hard choices

Posted by & filed under Health Sciences.

Researchers have examined SEER data on 25,476 pancreatic cancer patients, correlating days spent on medical care with disease stage, type of treatment and survival time. The first of its kind, the study is intended to provide physicians and patients with vital information needed to maximize quality of life for people with pancreatic cancer.

Advantage flu virus: Scientists discover one of the ways the influenza virus disarms host cells

Posted by & filed under Health Sciences.

Scientists have discovered one of the ways the influenza virus disarms our natural defense system. The virus decreases the production of key immune regulating proteins in human cells that help fight the invader. The virus does this by turning on the microRNAs -- little snippets of RNA -- that regulate these proteins. The researchers are among the first to show the influenza virus can change the expression of microRNA to control immune responses in human lung cells.

Field guide to the Epstein-Barr virus charts viral paths toward cancer

Posted by & filed under Health Sciences.

Researchers have published the first annotated atlas of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome, providing the best look yet at how EBV interacts with human genes and proteins. EBV, which is thought to be responsible for one percent of all human cancers -- including B cell lymphomas, gastric carcinomas, and nasopharyngeal carcinomas -- establishes a latent infection in nearly 100 percent of infected adult humans.
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