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Tipping the balance between senescence, proliferation

In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Abdul Mondal and colleagues at the National Cancer Institute evaluated the expression of these two p53 isoforms in T lymphocytes from healthy donors and donors with lung cancer. In healthy patients, the authors observed an age dependent accumulation of senescent cells and that these cells had an increase in p53β compared to Δ133p53. In lung tumor-associated cells, there was a higher level of the Δ133p53 isoform. …

Plant oil suppresses viability of human prostate cancer cells

"This line of work dates back to the 1980s when the University of Wisconsin groups led by Drs. Charles Elson and Michael Gould discovered the anti-tumor activity of monoterpenes and soon after, sesqui- and di-terpenes." said Dr. Huanbiao Mo, senior author and professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences. These compounds, widely present in fruits, vegetables and grains, were found to be much more effective in suppressing the growth of tumor cells than that of normal cells. …

Hormones impact stress, memories, understanding social cues

Today’s new findings show that: Maternal stress can reduce levels of a chemical in the placenta that influences many other functions, such as development in mice. Additionally, the chemical could serve as a biomarker for maternal stress, a known risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and schizophrenia Estrogen replacement therapy in post-menopausal women may help prevent stress-related memory loss Other recent findings discussed show that: Tamoxifen, a drug used to treat breast cancer, may protect against cognitive loss in post-menopausal women Estrogens, commonly thought of as a female reproductive hormone, are produced in the brains of males and females. …

Scientists decipher how the immune system induces liver damage during hepatitis

A study published today in the online edition of The Journal of Clinical Investigation, and carried out by Erwin Wagner’s team, Director of the BBVA Foundation-CNIO Cancer Cell Biology Programme and holder of an ERC Advanced Grant, shows how the immune system ‘attacks’ liver cells during hepatitis by using the AP-1 gene JunB. Latifa Bakiri, one of the study’s authors and a researcher in Wagner’s laboratory details: "The activation of the JunB/AP-1 gene in a subset of immune cells, called NK cells, increases the production of interferon-gamma that attacks liver cells while the organ is suffering from hepatitis." With this discovery, the study’s authors propose a new mechanism by which AP-1 acts as a double-edged sword in the liver: it’s a first line of defence against viruses that cause the disease, but also encourages liver damage depending on the diet or genetics of the patient. …

Long term results of trial for patients with liver metastases from colorectal cancer

Prof. Bernard Nordlinger of the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Ambroise Paré, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université de Versailles, Boulogne- Billancourt, France, and member of the EORTC Gastrointestinal Tract Cancer Group says, "Surgery is currently the only potentially curative treatment for resectable liver metastases, yet only 15-20% of patients with hepatic metastases are initially eligible for a radical surgical treatment. Furthermore, less than one half of patients who do receive such treatment achieve 5-year survival after resection. This is likely due to the presence of residual disease, so it is thought that adjuvant chemotherapy could help these patients." EORTC intergroup trial 40983 recruited 364 patients between the ages of 18-80 years with colorectal cancer and up to four liver metastases. …

Prognostic value of baseline survival determined for 11 types of cancer

Dr. Andrew Bottomley, EORTC Headquarters Associate Director says, "This study utilized a single standardized and validated patient self-assessment tool, the EORTC Core Quality of Life Questionnaire, or the QLQ-C30 for short. We selected thirty EORTC randomized controlled trials which involved eleven different cancer sites for this study. …

U. S. citizenship linked to whether foreign-born non-citizens receive mammograms, cancer tests

According to the research, foreign-born female non-citizens living in the U.S. for less than five years have 69 percent lower odds of being screened for colorectal cancer within the previous five years and foreign-born non-citizens who have lived in the U.S. for at least five years have 24 percent lower odds, compared to U.S born citizens. Additionally, foreign-born non-citizens have significantly lower odds of receiving breast and cervical cancer screening…

Interaction between two leukemia drugs explained

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a form of blood cancer based on a genetic disorder that leads to the overproduction of white blood cells. Ninety-five percent of affected patients can be treated successfully with the Novartis drug imatinib, also known as Gleevec®. Imatinib is an inhibitor that blocks the ATP-binding site of the tyrosine kinase Abl in affected blood cells, thereby suppressing their overactivity. Consequently, the pathological overproduction of leucocytes is stopped and the blood count normalizes…

Leadership void, not lack of money, slows efforts to address cervical cancer

"We focus on cervical cancer because it is likely the ‘low-hanging fruit’ opportunity to beat a cancer in this generation," said Beth Meyerson, a health policy expert at the IU School of Public Health-Bloomington. "We have the tools of HPV vaccination, screening and treatment; but uninsured women and women of color experience huge health disparities. This is the signal that we have a health system problem." Meyerson and her research colleagues conducted interviews with 15 professionals working in programs involving cervical cancer. …