News - Week 2 - 2009
Acute gastric injury due to
high-dose analgesics?
Analgesics, NSAIDs and acetaminophen, are commonly used for the relief of fever,
headaches, and other minor aches and pains. The gastrointestinal side effects of NSAIDs
are well documented and acetaminophen is accepted to be a safe drug for the
gastrointestinal system. Acute effects of short-term, especially high-dose NSAID and
acetaminophen use have not been studied adequately. A research article to be published on
November 21 , 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The
research team led by Dr. Soylu and her colleagues from Bakirkoy Dr. Sadi Konuk and Dr.
Lutfi Kirdar Kartal Research and Training Hospitals in Istanbul investigated the
gastrointestinal side effects of high dose acetaminophen and NSAIDs. Acetaminophen and
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are widely used analgesics alone or in combination
with other drugs with or without prescription. Acetaminophen is sometimes grouped with
NSAIDs; however, it is not an NSAID. Gastrointestinal side effects of NSAIDs at
therapeutic doses are well documented. However, acetaminophen is accepted to be free of
gastrointestinal side effects at therapeutic doses. The study group consisted of 50
patients admitted to the emergency department with high dose analgesic ingestion with
suicidal intent. Thirty patients with or without mild complaints of dyspepsia were
selected as the control group. The study results indicated that gastric lesions were
similar between the groups. Thus, acetaminophen is not free of gastrointestinal side
effects at high doses. Dr. Soylu states that this paper is one of the first to document
the endoscopic acute gastric damage caused by acute high-dose acetaminophen, but there
still remain several questions to be answered. Gastrointestinal side effects of NSAIDs
appear within therapeutic doses, but the gastrointestinal side effects of acetaminophen
within therapeutic doses still remain to be investigated.
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article here
A new screening test for chronic
abdominal pain
Evaluation of chronic abdominal pain of luminal etiology is a challenging problem for the
primary care physicians and gastroenterologists. The exact localization of lesion to
either small or large bowel remains an elusive identity in many subjects. In tropical
countries, where most of the population is of low socioeconomic status, one needs an
imaging modality which screens small and large bowel lesions simultaneously at a
reasonable cost with good sensitivity and specificity. Small bowel evaluation by BMFT and
colonic evaluation by double contrast barium enema (DCBE) are the standard norms but doing
them separately adds cost as well as discomfort to the patient. Pneumocolon has been
combined with BMFT in previous studies for evaluation of ileocecal lesions but not as a
screening modality for both small and large bowel simultaneously.
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article here
May hepatic granulomas be part of
the histological spectrum of chronic hepatitis C?
While older large series of patients with hepatic granulomas have found sarcoidosis and
tuberculosis to be the most common causes of hepatic granulomas, recent works have noted
some patients with chronic hepatic C and hepatic granulomas and no other obvious
associations. Today, patients that undergo liver biopsy often have chronic hepatitis C
that is being staged prior to possible anti viral therapy. The age of HIV and
immunosuppression for organ transplants has also made opportunistic infections associated
with hepatic granulomas more likely. A research article to be published on November 7,
2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology addresses this question. The research team
led by Ned Snyder from the University of Texas medical branch report a retrospective study
of over 4 000 liver biopsies as well as a prospective study of 240 patients with chronic
hepatitis C undergoing routine liver biopsies. They found that the most common association
for hepatic granulomas was chronic hepatitis C. In the prospective study of patients with
stable hepatitis C, almost 1% had hepatic granulomas.
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article here
What are protective effects of
anti-ricin A-chain aptamer?
Ricin, a lectin from the castor bean plant Ricinus communis is considered one of the most
potent plant toxins. Ricin poisoning can cause severe tissue damage and inflammation and
can result in death. Most accidental exposures occur by ingestion of the seeds of castor
beans whereby the toxin is released after the seed coat is damaged. The ingested toxin
causes severe gastrointestinal damage with symptoms and death due to multiorgan failure or
cardiovascular collapse. Authors investigated the therapeutic potential of an RNA ligand
(aptamer) specific for the catalytic ricin A-chain (RTA), the protective effects of a
31-nucleotide RNA aptamer (31RA), which formed a high affinity complex with RTA, against
ricin-induced toxicity in cell-based luciferase translation and cell cytotoxicity assays
were evaluated.
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article here
Transcendental meditation reduces
ADHD symptoms among students
The Transcendental Meditation technique may be an effective and safe non-pharmaceutical
aid for treating ADHD, according to a promising new study published this month in the
peer-reviewed online journal Current Issues in Education.The pilot study followed a group
of middle school students with ADHD who were meditating twice a day in school. After three
months, researchers found over 50 percent reduction in stress and anxiety and improvements
in ADHD symptoms.
View full article here
Facial expressions of emotion are
innate, not learned, says new study
Facial expressions of emotion are hardwired into our genes, according to a study published
today in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. The research suggests that
facial expressions of emotion are innate rather than a product of cultural learning. The
study is the first of its kind to demonstrate that sighted and blind individuals use the
same facial expressions, producing the same facial muscle movements in response to
specific emotional stimuli. The study also provides new insight into how humans manage
emotional displays according to social context, suggesting that the ability to regulate
emotional expressions is not learned through observation. San Francisco State University
Psychology Professor David Matsumoto compared the facial expressions of sighted and blind
judo athletes at the 2004 Summer Olympics and Paralympic Games. More than 4,800
photographs were captured and analyzed, including images of athletes from 23 countries.
View full article here
Cystic fibrosis patients'
self-assessment of health can predict prognosis
Adult Cystic Fibrosis patients can provide important information that helps to predict
their prognosis, according to research that asked 223 adult CF patients to assess their
own health and well-being. "We wished to see whether patients themselves had
clinically relevant insight to their disease, and we found that they did," said lead
author of the study, Janice Abbott, Ph.D., of the University of Central Lancashire in
England. The study was published in the first issue for January of the American Thoracic
Society's American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Prof. Abbott and
colleagues administered 223 CF patients the cystic fibrosis health-related quality of life
questionnaire (or CFQoL), a validated self-assessment tool, then followed them for 10
years. Patient outcomes were analyzed with respect to their initial self-assessment of
their quality of life. After controlling for demographic factors and the severity of the
disease, researchers found that several domains of patient-reported quality of life can
help to predict mortality. The most important aspects were perceived physical functioning
and the presence of pain. Specifically, patients reporting a lower quality of life were
more likely to die sooner than those who perceived their quality of life to be higher.
"The most surprising result was the importance of patient-reported pain in predicting
survival in cystic-fibrosis," wrote Dr. Abbott. "This work provides credibility
for the use of patient-reported measures in clinical trials in CF, as it provides evidence
that patient-reported outcomes can predict mortality."
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Hebrew University scientists
succeed through stem cell therapy in reversing brain birth defects
Scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have succeeded in reversing brain birth
defects in animal models, using stem cells to replace defective brain cells. The work of
Prof. Joseph Yanai and his associates at the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School was
presented at the Tel Aviv Stem Cells Conference last spring and is expected to be
presented and published nest year at the seventh annual meeting of the International
Society for Stem Cell Research in Barcelona, Spain.Involved in the project with Prof.
Yanai are Prof. Tamir Ben-Hur, head of the Department of Neurology at the Hebrew
University-Hadassah Medical School, and his group, as well as Prof. Ted Slotkin at Duke
University in North Carolina, where Prof. Yanai is an adjunct professor.
View full article here
Third-hand smoke - Another reason
to quit smoking
Need another reason to add "Quit Smoking" to your New Year's resolutions list?
How about the fact that even if you choose to smoke outside of your home or only smoke in
your home when your children are not there – thinking that you're keeping them away
from second-hand smoke – you're still exposing them to toxins? In the January issue
of Pediatrics, researchers at MassGeneral Hospital for Children (MGHfC) and colleagues
across the country describe how tobacco smoke contamination lingers even after a cigarette
is extinguished – a phenomenon they define as "third-hand" smoke. Their
study is the first to examine adult attitudes about the health risks to children of
third-hand smoke and how those beliefs may relate to rules about smoking in their homes.
"When you smoke – anyplace – toxic particulate matter from tobacco smoke
gets into your hair and clothing," says lead study author, Jonathan Winickoff, MD,
MPH, assistant director of the MGHfC Center for Child and Adolescent Health Policy.
"When you come into contact with your baby, even if you're not smoking at the time,
she comes in contact with those toxins. And if you breastfeed, the toxins will transfer to
your baby in your breastmilk." Winickoff notes that nursing a baby if you're a smoker
is still preferable to bottle-feeding, however. Particulate matter from tobacco smoke has
been proven toxic. According to the National Toxicology Program, these 250 poisonous
gases, chemicals, and metals include hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, butane, ammonia,
toluene (found in paint thinners), arsenic, lead, chromium (used to make steel), cadmium
(used to make batteries), and polonium-210 (highly radioactive carcinogen). Eleven of the
compounds are classified as Group 1 carcinogens, the most dangerous. Small children are
especially susceptible to third-hand smoke exposure because they can inhale near, crawl
and play on, or touch and mouth contaminated surfaces. Third-hand smoke can remain indoors
even long after the smoking has stopped. Similar to low-level lead exposure, low levels of
tobacco particulates have been associated with cognitive deficits among children, and the
higher the exposure level, the lower the reading score. These findings underscore the
possibility that even extremely low levels of these compounds may be neurotoxic and,
according to the researchers, justify restricting all smoking in indoor areas inhabited by
children.
View full article here
Thiamine 'reverses kidney damage'
Doses of vitamin B1 (thiamine) can reverse early kidney disease in people with type 2
diabetes, research shows.
View full
article here
2 proteins in cardiovascular system
pose a double whammy in Alzheimer’s
A new study has identified two proteins that cause patients with Alzheimer’s disease
to face the double whammy of a lessened blood flow in the brain and reduced rate of
brain’s ability to remove amyloid beta. The researchers behind the study have
revealed that the two proteins work in tandem in the brain’s blood vessels.
View full article here
The FDA Is Killing Crohn's Patients
Right now there are millions of individuals whose lives are directly dependent on the rate
at which new drugs come to market. I'm one of them. I'm fighting for my life.
View full article here
Cancer vaccine kicks up controversy
in India
An advertising blitz launched by a multinational drug firm to promote its high profile but
controversial cancer vaccine has left Indian households confused and health workers
worried.
View full article here
Boek - Brandon's Window
My grandson Brandon was diagnosed and evaluated with autism at the age of 17 months. This
documentary depicts the end result of a 4 month culmination of reversing Brandon’s
autism “naturally.” Brandon’s window of opportunity opened at the age of 5
years, four months, and we followed his progress until the age of 5 years, 9 months. On
September 2 & 3, 2008, I was invited to share Brandon’s story on the most
comprehensive and cutting-edge health show on radio today [WGUN]—”To Your Health
with Dr. Chris Greene regarding ‘Autism’ (feat. Laurie Ledbetter/Representative
for Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride (‘Gut and Psychology Syndrome’) and Stuart
Tomc/National Educator and Spokesperson for Nordic Naturals).
View full article
here
Amalgaamtoxiciteit neutraliseren en
elimineren
Hoe kan het lichaam zich op een natuurlijke wijze ontdoen van het kwik of amalgaam en hoe
kan de orthomoleculaire geneeskunde dit proces activeren ?
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article here
The Truth About Vitamin D Toxicity
Is vitamin D toxic? Not if we take the same amount nature intended when we go out in the
sun. Vieth R. Vitamin D supplementation, 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration, and safety. Am
J Clin Nutr. 1999;69:842–56. Vieth attempted to dispel unwarranted fears in medical
community of physiological doses of vitamin D in 1999 with his exhaustive and well-written
review.
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full article here
Changes in nitric oxide level and
superoxide dismutase activity during antimanic treatment
This study for the first time showed the possible role of NO on sleep and the generation
of delusions in the pathophysiology of BD. In the light of literature, induced glutamate
pathway might be responsible for delusions in BD. The results of this research need
further investigation to understand the oxidative vs antioxidative process in BD.
View full article here
Dormant cancer cells rely on
cellular self-cannibalization to survive
A single tumor-suppressing gene is a key to understanding, and perhaps killing, dormant
ovarian cancer cells that persist after initial treatment only to reawaken years later,
researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the December
Journal of Clinical Investigation. The team found that expression of a gene called ARHI
acts as a switch for autophagy, or self-cannibalization, in ovarian cancer cells. Often a
mechanism for cancer cell death, in this case "self-eating" acts as a survival
mechanism for dormant cancer cells. "Prolonged autophagy is lethal to cancer cells,
but a little autophagy can help dormant cancer cells survive, possibly by avoiding
starvation," said senior author Robert Bast, M.D., vice president for translational
research at M. D. Anderson. "Dormant cells are a major problem in ovarian cancer,
breast cancer and other malignancies," Bast said. "We often see ovarian cancer
removed, leaving no remaining sign of disease. After two or three years, the cancer grows
back. If any remaining cancer cells had continued to grow normally, the disease should
have returned in weeks or months.
View full article here
Expectant brains help predict
anxiety treatment success
A network of emotion-regulating brain regions implicated in the pathological worry that
can grip patients with anxiety disorders may also be useful for predicting the benefits of
treatment. A new study appearing online Jan. 2 reports that high levels of brain activity
in an emotional center called the amygdala reflect patients' hypersensitivity to
anticipation of adverse events. At the same time, high activity in a regulatory region
known as the anterior cingulate cortex is associated with a positive clinical response to
a common antidepressant medication. The study will appear in an upcoming issue of the
American Journal of Psychiatry. For individuals with anxiety disorders, the anticipation
of a bad outcome can be worse than the outcome itself, says Jack Nitschke, assistant
professor and clinical psychologist at the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of
Medicine and Public Health and lead author of the new study. Some individuals spend so
much time worrying about getting into a negative situation or having a panic attack, he
says, that the condition becomes debilitating. "In an extreme situation, they might
not even leave their home," he says.
View full article here
Scientists isolate genes that made
1918 flu lethal
By mixing and matching a contemporary flu virus with the "Spanish flu" — a
virus that killed between 20 and 50 million people 90 years ago in history's most
devastating outbreak of infectious disease — researchers have identified a set of
three genes that helped underpin the extraordinary virulence of the 1918 virus.
View full article here
Genetic variation may lead to early
cardiovascular disease
Researchers from Duke University Medical Center have identified a variation in a
particular gene that increases susceptibility to early coronary artery disease. For years,
scientists have known that the devastating, early-onset form of the disease was inherited,
but they knew little about the gene(s) responsible until now. The results are published
January 2 in the open-access journal PLoS Genetics. In a previous study, a region on
chromosome 7 was linked to coronary artery disease (CAD). More recently, the researchers
focused on identifying the gene in this region that confers risk of early-onset CAD and
identified it as the neuropeptide Y (NPY) gene. NPY is one of the most plentiful and
important proteins in the body and is a neurotransmitter related to the control of
appetite and feeding behavior, among other functions. The current research, led by Svati
Shah and Elizabeth Hauser, found evidence for six related variations in the NPY gene that
show evidence of transmission from generation to generation and association across a
population of early-onset CAD patients.
View full
article here
Molecular imaging enables earlier,
individualized treatment of thyroid cancer
In a study to determine the diagnostic value of molecular imaging in nodal staging of
patients with thyroid cancer, researchers were able for the first time to accurately
distinguish between cancerous cells in regional lymph nodes and normal residual thyroid
tissue directly after surgery. Researchers from the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg,
Germany, reported in an article in the January issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine on
the results of a study using a hybrid single photon emission computed tomography-computed
tomography (SPECT-CT) camera to determine and locate the spread of cancer cells to nearby
lymph nodes. According to the researchers, the demonstration or exclusion of cancer spread
(metastasis) in regional lymph nodes plays a major role in treating the disease since all
patients with lymph node metastases are considered to be at high risk for recurrence.
Currently, patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) who have had their thyroid
removed are treated with radioactive iodine, which effectively zeros in on and kills any
remaining cancerous thyroid cells. Because one of the functions of the thyroid gland is to
absorb iodine from the blood, radioiodine is taken up by any thyroid tissue not removed by
surgery, including cancerous cells spreading to other body parts, such as lymph nodes. In
addition to emitting electrons that destroy the tissue harboring the radionuclide,
radioactive iodine emits photons suitable for imaging.
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full article here
Antioxidants offer pain relief in
patients with chronic pancreatitis
Antioxidant supplementation was found to be effective in relieving pain and reducing
levels of oxidative stress in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP), reports a new study
in Gastroenterology. CP is a progressive inflammatory disease of the pancreas in which
patients experience abdominal pain (in early stage) and diabetes and maldigestion (in late
stage). Pain is the major problem in 90 percent of patients with CP and currently, there
is no effective medical therapy for pain relief. Gastroenterology is the official journal
of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) Institute.
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Toxicity mechanism identified for
Parkinson's disease
Neurologists have observed for decades that Lewy bodies, clumps of aggregated proteins
inside cells, appear in the brains of patients with Parkinson's disease and other
neurodegenerative diseases. The presence of Lewy bodies suggests underlying problems in
protein recycling and waste disposal, leading to the puzzle -ow does disrupting those
processes kill brain cells? One possible answer - by breaking a survival circuit called
MEF2D. Researchers at Emory University School of Medicine have discovered that MEF2D is
sensitive to the main component of Lewy bodies, a protein called alpha-synuclein. In cell
cultures and animal models of Parkinson's, an accumulation of alpha-synuclein interferes
with the cell's recycling of MEF2D, leading to cell death. MEF2D is especially abundant in
the brains of people with Parkinson's, the researchers found.
View full article here
USC dentist links Fosomax-type
drugs to jaw necrosis
Researchers at the University Of Southern California, School Of Dentistry release results
of clinical data that links oral bisphosphonates to increased jaw necrosis. The study is
among the first to acknowledge that even short-term use of common oral osteoporosis drugs
may leave the jaw vulnerable to devastating necrosis, according to the report appearing in
the January 1 Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA). Osteoporosis currently
affects 10 million Americans. Fosomax is the most widely prescribed oral bisphosphonate,
ranking as the 21st most prescribed drug on the market since 2006, according to a 2007
report released by IMS Health.
View full article here
Smokers with stroke in the family 6
times more likely to have stroke too
A new study shows that people who are smokers and have a family history of brain aneurysm
appear to be significantly more likely to suffer a stroke from a brain aneurysm
themselves. The research is published in the December 31, 2008, online issue of
Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology and will appear in
the January 6, 2009, print issue of Neurology®. The type of stroke, called subarachnoid
hemorrhage, is one of the bleeding types of stroke and is deadly in about 35 to 40 percent
of people. In the study, scientists looked at 339 people who suffered a stroke from a
brain aneurysm and 1,016 people who had not had a stroke due to an aneurysm. Current
smokers made up half of the group that had a stroke. The other half had never smoked or
had smoked in the past.
View full article here
Sleep Disorder May Be Early Sign of
Dementia or Parkinson’s Disease
People with a sleep disorder that causes them to kick or cry out during their sleep may be
at greater risk of developing dementia or Parkinson’s disease, according to a study
published in the December 24, 2008, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of
the American Academy of Neurology. The sleep disorder is called REM sleep behavior
disorder. People with the disorder do not have the normal lack of muscle tone that occurs
during REM sleep, often known as the dream stage of sleep. Instead, they have excessive
muscle activity such as punching, kicking, or crying out, essentially acting out their
dreams.
View full article here
The prevalence of gluten-sensitive
enteropathy in iron-deficient anemia patients
Gluten sensitive enteropathy (GSE) is an autoimmune enteropathy due to food gluten
intolerance in genetically predisposed people. While GSE was thought to be a rare disease
in the past and was believed to be essentially a disease of Europeans, recent screening
studies showed that GSE is one of the most frequent genetically based diseases occured
worldwide. Iron deficiency anemia could be a sole manifestation of GSE, and it might
result in the delayed diagnosis of GSE, resulting in complications.A research team led by
Prof. Reza Malekzadeh studied the prevalence of gluten sensitive enteropathy (GSE) in a
large group of patients with iron deficiency anemia (IDA) of obscure origin. Their
findings will be published on December 28, 2008 in the World Journal of Gastroenterology.
In this prospective study, 4120 patients with IDA were enrolled in this study.
Anti-endomysial antibody (EMA) and tissue transglutaminase antibody (tTG) levels were
evaluated and duodenal biopsies were taken and scored according to the Marsh
classification. The diagnosis of GSE was based on a positive serological test and abnormal
duodenal histology. Gluten free diet (GFD) was advised for all the GSE patients.
View full
article here
Grape-seed extract kills laboratory
leukemia cells, proving value of natural compounds
An extract from grape seeds forces laboratory leukemia cells to commit cell suicide,
according to researchers from the University of Kentucky. They found that within 24 hours,
76 percent of leukemia cells had died after being exposed to the extract. The
investigators, who report their findings in the January 1, 2009, issue of Clinical Cancer
Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, also teased apart the
cell signaling pathway associated with use of grape seed extract that led to cell death,
or apoptosis. They found that the extract activates JNK, a protein that regulates the
apoptotic pathway.While grape seed extract has shown activity in a number of laboratory
cancer cell lines, including skin, breast, colon, lung, stomach and prostate cancers, no
one had tested the extract in hematological cancers nor had the precise mechanism for
activity been revealed. "These results could have implications for the incorporation
of agents such as grape seed extract into prevention or treatment of hematological
malignancies and possibly other cancers," said the study's lead author, Xianglin Shi,
Ph.D., professor in the Graduate Center for Toxicology at the University of Kentucky.
View
full article here
Researchers at Columbia University
Medical Center link blood sugar to normal cognitive aging
Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important
strategy for preserving cognitive health, suggests a study published by researchers at
Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC). The study appeared in the December issue of
Annals of Neurology. Senior moments, also dubbed by New York Times Op-Ed columnist David
Brooks as being "hippocampically challenged," are a normal part of aging. Such
lapses in memory, according to this new research, could be blamed, at least in part, on
rising blood glucose levels as we age. The findings suggest that exercising to improve
blood sugar levels could be a way for some people to stave off the normal cognitive
decline that comes with age. "This is news even for people without diabetes since
blood glucose levels tend to rise as we grow older. Whether through physical exercise,
diet or drugs, our research suggests that improving glucose metabolism could help some of
us avert the cognitive slide that occurs in many of us as we age," reported lead
investigator Scott A. Small, M.D., associate professor of neurology in the Sergievsky
Center and in the Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's Disease and the Aging Brain
at Columbia University Medical Center.
View full article here
Risk takers, drug abusers driven by
decreased ability to process dopamine
For risk-takers and impulsive people, New Year's resolutions often include being more
careful, spending more frugally and cutting back on dangerous behavior, such as drug use.
But new research from Vanderbilt finds that these individuals--labeled as novelty seekers
by psychologists--face an uphill battle in keeping their New Year's resolutions due to the
way their brains process dopamine. The research reveals that novelty seekers have less of
a particular type of dopamine receptor, which may lead them to seek out novel and exciting
experiences--such as spending lavishly, taking risks and partying like there's no
tomorrow. The neurotransmitter dopamine is produced by a select group of cells in the
brain. These dopamine-producing cells have receptors called autoreceptors that help limit
dopamine release when these cells are stimulated.
View full article here
Young Blood Fights Cancer
“New blood” can revitalize a company or a sports team. Recent research by Tel
Aviv University finds that young blood does a body good as well, especially when it comes
to fighting cancer. The TAU researchers, led by Prof. Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu from the
Department of Psychology’s Neuroimmunology Research Unit, discovered that a
transfusion of “young” blood — blood which has been stored for less than 9
days — increased the odds of survival in animals challenged with two types of cancer.
This finding, reported in the journal Anesthesiology, may solve an age-old mystery as to
why some blood transfusions during cancer-related surgeries may lead to an increased
recurrence of cancer and others do not.
View full article here
Study Links Molecule To Muscle
Maturation, Muscle Cancer
Researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center have discovered that
a molecule implicated in leukemia and lung cancer is also important in muscle repair and
in a muscle cancer that strikes mainly children. The study shows that immature muscle
cells require the molecule, called miR-29, to become mature, and that the molecule is
nearly missing in cells from rhabdomyosarcoma, a cancer caused by the proliferation of
immature muscle cells. Cells from human rhabdomyosarcoma tumors showed levels of the
molecule that were 10 percent or less of those in normal muscle cells. Artificially
raising the level of the molecule in the cancer cells cut their growth by half and caused
them to begin maturing, slowing down tumor growth.
View full article here
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