Tag Archives: development

No apparent link between sleep apnea and cancer: Large study

Studies have postulated that obstructive sleep apnea may be linked to cancer because of low levels of oxygen in the blood. “There is a need for a sufficiently large cohort study with a long enough follow-up to allow for the potential development of cancer that adjusts for important potential confounders, examines common cancer subtypes and has a rigorous assessment of both obstructive sleep apnea and cancer,” writes Dr. Tetyana Kendzerska, Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Women’s College Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont., with coauthors. To understand whether obstructive sleep apnea is associated with cancer development, researchers undertook a study of 10 149 patients with the disorder who underwent a sleep study between 1994 and 2010. …

Same cancer, different time zone: Cancer cells each grow at different speeds, study shows — ScienceDaily

In fact, depending on the tumor cell, they grow at dramatically different speeds, according to a study led by Nicholas Navin, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Genetics at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. The study findings may have important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer…

Combatting drug resistance for melanoma patients

Scientists have made significant strides identifying important molecules that contribute to melanoma growth and metastases, such as the proteins BRAF and MEK. Therapeutic agents that target these molecules have shown promise in the clinic, and many patients have significant reductions in tumor growth and tumor burden. “While targeted therapy drugs, such as BRAF and MEK inhibitors, have been associated with impressive responses in melanoma patients, most patients will eventually fail therapy,” said Keiran Smalley, Ph.D., associate member of the Cancer Biology and Evolution Program at Moffitt. Tumors can develop different resistance mechanisms and adapt to targeted agents in order to survive and continue to grow. …

Sunscreens do not fully protect against the development of melanoma, mouse study suggests

The study demonstrates that sunscreen, even with a sun protection factor (SPF) 50, may not fully protect against the development of melanoma. According to the researcher at the UMH Berta López Sánchez-Laorden, sunscreen protects against immediate radiation damage including sunburn, but the radiation can still penetrate and damage the DNA of cells and cause cancer. Through the use of genetically modified mice particularly susceptible to melanoma, the researcher discovered that ultraviolet light causes mutations in the DNA of melanocytes in a gene called p53. …

Mechanism that clears excess of protein linked with Type 2 diabetes

What causes this accumulation of IAPP in pancreatic beta cells of people with diabetes has remained a mystery. But a team of researchers from the Larry L. Hillblom Islet Research Center led by Dr. Peter Butler, professor of medicine at UCLA, may have found an answer in autophagy, a process that clears damaged and toxic proteins from cell. …

Scientists engineer nanoparticles to prevent bone cancer, strengthen bones

The study is published the week of June 30, 2014 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. “Bone is a favorable microenvironment for the growth of cancer cells that migrate from tumors in distant organs of the body, such as breast, prostate and blood, during disease progression,” said Archana Swami, PhD, BWH Laboratory of Nanomedicine and Biomaterials, co-lead study author. …

Synthetic triterpenoids show promise in preventing colitis-associated colon cancer

The molecules, known as synthetic triterpenoids, appear to achieve their positive effect in two ways. First, they impede inflammation, often a flashpoint that contributes to the development of colon cancer. Second, they increase 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), a gene product that is known at high levels to protect against colon cancer. …

Variations in key gene predict cancer patients’ risk for radiation-induced toxicity — ScienceDaily

The current results are based on a genome-wide association study, a type of study in which researchers examine numerous genetic variants to see if any of them are associated with a certain type of complication, which could sometimes emerge years after treatment was completed. “Our findings, which were replicated in two additional patient groups, represent a significant step towards developing personalized treatment plans for prostate cancer patients,” said Barry S. …