http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Stem cells are different from all other cells in our body because they retain the remarkable genetic plasticity to self-renew indefinitely as well as develop into cell types with more specialized functions. However, this remarkable self-renewal capacity comes with a price, as stem cells can become seeds of cancer. Identifying genetic programs that maintain self-renewing capabilities therefore is a vital step in understanding the errors that derail a normal stem cell, sending it on a path to become a cancer stem cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-surface-marker-scientists-fish-mammary.html Cancer Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:40:01 EST news284915810 Proposed cancer therapeutic drugs based on blocking the catalytic activities of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which profoundly remodel the environment surrounding a breast cell, have performed poorly in clinical trials. In mouse studies of MMP14, an enzyme that is often highly expressed in breast cancer, Berkeley Lab researchers have found a possible clue as to why. If confirmed for other MMPs, the finding could point the way to new strategies for future MMP-based cancer therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-clue-clinical-trial-failures-mmp.html Cancer Tue, 12 Feb 2013 08:09:36 EST news279878956 The DNA mutations that accumulate over time as women age are not the sole contributor to the higher frequency of breast cancer in women over 50, Mark LaBarge, PhD, a researcher at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) reported on Dec. 17 in a presentation at the American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting in San Francisco. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-progenitor-cell-population-breast-overlooked.html Cancer Mon, 17 Dec 2012 13:00:09 EST news274961056 The hormone prolactin is produced by the pituitary gland in the brain and then travels via the bloodstream to cells throughout the body, where it exerts multiple reproductive and metabolic effects, most notably on the breast where it is the master regulator of lactation. In recent years researchers have found that prolactin is also produced by some tissues outside the brain, however little is known about the functions of extra-pituitary prolactin or how its production is regulated in these tissues. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-insights-pituitary-hormone-brain-implications.html Genetics Mon, 01 Oct 2012 03:29:39 EST news268280802 A new study finds that fetal exposure to the plastic additive bisphenol A, or BPA, alters mammary gland development in primates. The finding adds to the evidence that the chemical can be causing health problems in humans and bolsters concerns about it contributing to breast cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-bisphenol-mammary-gland-monkeys.html Medical research Mon, 07 May 2012 15:00:15 EST news255606290 Studies by researchers at Dominican University of California show that breast cancer cells become increasingly aggressive the longer they are exposed to small concentrations of cadmium, a heavy metal commonly found in cosmetics, food, water and air particles. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-link-common-environmental-contaminant-rapid.html Cancer Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:00:09 EST news254397657 A recent study accepted for publication in Molecular Endocrinology, a journal of The Endocrine Society, found that perinatal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of bisphenol A (BPA) alters long-term hormone response and breast development in mice that may increase the propensity to develop cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-bpa-exposure-utero-predisposition-breast.html Health Mon, 03 Oct 2011 08:21:12 EST news236848863 A review published online June 22 ahead of print in the peer-reviewed journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP) reports the conclusions of an international workshop on ways to improve chemicals safety testing for effects on the breast. The studies reviewed by workshop scientists indicate that chemical exposures during critical periods of development may influence breast growth, ability to breastfeed, and cancer risk. The scientists recommend that future chemical testing evaluate effects on the breast after prenatal and early-life exposure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-scientists-safety-chemicals-prenatal-exposures.html Health Wed, 22 Jun 2011 04:26:32 EST news227935573