http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. A team of researchers led by A. K. Rajasekaran, PhD, Director of the Nemours Center for Childhood Cancer Research, has shown that a key protein involved in cell function and regulation is stopped by a substance present in cigarette smoke. Their work is published online in the American Journal of Physiology - Lung Cell and Molecular Physiology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-uncover-evidence-cancer-causing-agent-gaseous.html Medical research Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:05:54 EST news251550346 Oncologists who treat patients with pancreatic cancer may be one step closer to understanding why gemcitabine, the only currently available treatment, works in some cases but not in others, according to a paper in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-combination-therapy-gemcitabine.html Cancer Tue, 28 Feb 2012 10:29:39 EST news249647368 Scientists have developed a unique compound that in laboratory tests blocks inflammation-causing molecules in blood cells known to fuel ailments like cancer and cardiovascular disease without causing harmful toxicity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-class-compounds-disease-fueling-inflammation-lab.html Medical research Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:56:05 EST news249224158 Nearly 12,000 people will die of head and neck cancer in the United States this year and worldwide cases will exceed half a million. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-grape-seed-neck-cancer-cells.html Cancer Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:39:06 EST news246879534 It's rubbed on the skin to reduce signs of aging and consumed by athletes to improve endurance but scientists now have the first evidence of one of vitamin E's normal body functions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-scientists-innate-function-vitamin.html Medical research Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:55:30 EST news243604509 (Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine have found in an animal model of acute lung injury a molecular mechanism that allows cells of the immune system to reduce tissue damage from inflammation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-cells-limit-inflammation-lung-injury.html Medical research Wed, 14 Dec 2011 08:10:04 EST news243069658 A component of garlic oil may help release protective compounds to the heart after heart attack, during cardiac surgery, or as a treatment for heart failure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-garlic-oil-component-treatment-heart.html Cardiology Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:43:29 EST news240658984 Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have identified hepcidin, a hormone that regulates iron levels in the body, as a potential target for treating atherosclerosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-hormone-iron-atherosclerosis-treatment.html Cardiology Wed, 16 Nov 2011 09:42:15 EST news240658928 Current thinking about Parkinson's disease is that it's a disorder of mitochondria, the energy-producing organelles inside cells, causing neurons in the brain's substantia nigra to die or become impaired. A study from Children's Hospital Boston now shows that genetic mutations causing a hereditary form of Parkinson's disease cause mitochondria to run amok inside the cell, leaving the cell without a brake to stop them. Findings appear in the November 11 issue of Cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-neurons-die-parkinson-disease.html Medical research Thu, 10 Nov 2011 14:32:20 EST news240157693 It has long been known that cancer cells use nutrients differently than normal cells. In recent years, the rapidly reemerging field of cancer metabolism has shed new light on the ways that cancers use glucose to grow and thrive, demonstrating that manipulation of an enzyme called PKM2 is important to this metabolic process. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-role-pkm2-cancer-cells-survive.html Cancer Thu, 03 Nov 2011 14:04:38 EST news239547858 Researchers have identified a potential drug therapy for a premature ageing disease that affects children causing them to age up to eight times as fast as the usual rate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-cellular-premature-aging.html Genetics Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:56:33 EST news239428573 Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine researchers have discovered that the infiltration of white blood cells into an expectant mother's blood vessels may explain high blood pressure in pregnancy. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-high-blood-pressure-pregnancy.html Obstetrics & gynaecology Mon, 31 Oct 2011 14:38:56 EST news239290730 In an experiment on rats, European researchers have proved that eating strawberries reduces the harm that alcohol can cause to the stomach mucous membrane. Published in the open access journal Plos One, the study may contribute to improving the treatment of stomach ulcers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-strawberries-stomach-alcohol.html Other Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:18:23 EST news238760291 Cardiologists who perform heart operations using x-ray guided catheters are exposed to ionising radiation at levels two to three times higher per year than those experienced by radiologists. Now, new research has found the first evidence that these constant, high levels of exposure cause changes at cell level that might represent the body's way of protecting itself against the harmful effects of radiation. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-physicians-exposure-prompt-cellular-body.html Other Wed, 24 Aug 2011 04:10:24 EST news233376865 Researchers at the Joslin Diabetes Center have shown that an enzyme found in the mitochondria of cells is decreased in the skeletal muscle of those with diabetes, a finding that could lead to the development of drugs to boost the activity of this enzyme in an effort to fight the disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-treatment-diabetes-prediabetes.html Medical research Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:25:48 EST news233245537 The first step in defending against a hostile attack is identifying the enemy. It's how a healthy immune system mounts a response to invading pathogens. In the case of certain fungi, however, the attacking cells may be so cleverly disguised that they're able to slip past our cellular guardians undetected and wreak havoc through infection. Such infections are a rising source of morbidity and mortality in healthy individuals, as well as in patients suffering from chronic diseases, such as cancer or AIDS. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-protein-unmasks-pathogenic-fungi-immune.html Medical research Mon, 08 Aug 2011 15:00:01 EST news232030433 There is a reason exercise becomes more difficult with age. A report in the August Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, ties the weakness of aging to leaky calcium channels inside muscle cells. But there is some good news: the researchers say a drug already in Phase II clinical trials for the treatment of heart failure might plug those leaks. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-weakness-aging-tied-leaky-muscles.html Medical research Tue, 02 Aug 2011 12:21:32 EST news231506441 Some compounds found in grapes help to protect skin cells from the sun's ultraviolet radiation, according to a study by researchers from the University of Barcelona and the CSIC (Spanish National Research Council). The study supports the use of grapes or grape derivatives in sun protection products. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-grapes-ultraviolet.html Health Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:30:43 EST news231154235 Scientists now understand more about why being exposed to nicotine while you were a fetus will increase your risk of developing cardiovascular disease as an adult. "We have found distinct links between cigarette smoking or even using nicotine patches or gum and the long-term harm for the child," says Dr. DaLiao Xiao, a scientist who works at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine in California. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-maternal-nicotine-cardiovascular-disease-life.html Health Thu, 21 Jul 2011 03:43:21 EST news230438586 (Medical Xpress) -- In a new study, Yale University researchers have identified a pathway by which reactive oxygen species (ROS) molecules, which are usually implicated in the aging process due to their damage to DNA, can also act as cellular signaling molecules that extend lifespan. The study, which provides insights into the underlying mechanisms of the ROS signaling process, is published in the June issue of Cell Metabolism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-blamed-aging-ros-molecules-life.html Medical research Wed, 08 Jun 2011 05:16:41 EST news226728970 New information has come to light explaining how injured skin cells and touch-sensing nerve fibers coordinate their regeneration during wound healing. UCLA researchers Sandra Rieger and Alvaro Sagasti found that a chemical signal released by wounded skin cells promotes the regeneration of sensory fibers, thus helping to ensure that touch sensation is restored to healing skin. They discovered that the reactive oxygen species hydrogen peroxide, which is found at high concentrations at wounds, is a key component of this signal. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-power-hydrogen-peroxide.html Medical research Tue, 24 May 2011 17:47:20 EST news225478022 No one knows the cause of most cases of Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative disorders. But researchers have found that certain factors are consistently associated with these debilitating conditions. One is DNA damage by reactive oxygen species, highly destructive molecules usually formed as a byproduct of cellular respiration. Another is the presence of excessive levels of copper and iron in regions of the brain associated with the particular disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-high-iron-copper-block-brain-cell.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 20 May 2011 12:59:29 EST news225115143 Bitter cumin is used extensively in traditional medicine to treat a range of diseases from vitiligo to hyperglycemia. It is considered to be antiparasitic and antimicrobial and science has backed up claims of its use to reduce fever or as a painkiller. New research published in BioMedCentral's open access journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine shows that this humble spice also contains high levels of antioxidants. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-traditional-remedy-bitter-cumin-great.html Health Fri, 20 May 2011 02:37:37 EST news225077828 (Medical Xpress) -- The gut may need bacteria to provide a little bit of oxidative stress to stay healthy, new research suggests. Probiotic bacteria promote healing of the intestinal lining in mice by inducing the production of reactive oxygen species, researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have shown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-beneficial-bacteria-intestinal-injury-reactive.html Medical research Tue, 10 May 2011 15:07:00 EST news224258764