Curing Death by Curing Aging

Researchers to figure out tricky viruses, adapt for gene therapy

Monday, November 09, 2009 00:00 MST

Montana State University has a new grant to tap into the talent that viruses have for invading cells and seizing control.

Does green tea prevent cancer? Evidence continues to brew, but questions remain

Monday, November 09, 2009 00:00 MST

Although scientists are reluctant to officially endorse green tea as a cancer prevention method, evidence continues to grow about its protective effects, including results of a new study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, which suggests some reduction in oral cancer.

New research suggests how low doses of radiation can cause heart disease and stroke

Sunday, November 08, 2009 00:00 MST

A mathematical model constructed by researchers at Imperial College London predicts the risk of cardiovascular disease (heart attacks, stroke) associated with low background levels of radiation. The model shows that the risk would vary almost in proportion with dose. Results, published Oct. 23 in the open-access journal PLoS Computational Biology, are consistent with risk levels reported in previous studies involving nuclear workers.

Children who often drink full-fat milk weigh less

Sunday, November 08, 2009 00:00 MST

Eight-year-old children who drink full-fat milk every day have a lower BMI than those who seldom drink milk. This is not the case for children who often drink medium-fat or low-fat milk. This is one conclusion of a thesis presented at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Cholesterol and cancer: Answers and some new questions

Saturday, November 07, 2009 00:00 MST

A pair of studies in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention lay to rest the decades-long concern that lower total cholesterol may lead to cancer, and in fact lower cholesterol may reduce the risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

A 'spoonful of sugar' makes the worms' life span go down

Friday, November 06, 2009 00:00 MST

If worms are any indication, all the sugar in your diet could spell much more than obesity and type 2 diabetes. Researchers reporting in the November issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, say it might also be taking years off your life.

Study shows neural stem cells in mice affected by gene associated with longevity

Friday, November 06, 2009 00:00 MST

A gene associated with longevity in roundworms and humans has been shown to affect the function of stem cells that generate new neurons in the adult brain, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The study in mice suggests that the gene may play an important role in maintaining cognitive function during aging.

Researchers' findings bring hope for possible Parkinson's disease cure

Thursday, November 05, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers at Iowa State University have found an essential key to possibly cure Parkinson's disease and are looking for others.Anumantha Kanthasamy has been working to understand the complex mechanisms of the disease for more than a decade and thinks he has found hope for the cure.

Experimental agent reduces breast cancer metastasis to bone

Thursday, November 05, 2009 00:00 MST

New research finds that a protein called ROCK is over-expressed in metastatic breast cancer and that inhibiting ROCK significantly reduces metastasis to bone. The in vitro and in vivo study suggests that ROCK may be a drug therapy target for breast cancer metastasis.

Scientists discover influenza's Achilles heel: Antioxidants

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 00:00 MST

As the nation copes with a shortage of vaccines for H1N1 influenza, a team of Alabama researchers have raised hopes that they have found an Achilles' heel for all strains of the flu -- antioxidants. In an article appearing in the November 2009 print issue of the FASEB Journal they show that antioxidants -- the same substances found in plant-based foods -- might hold the key in preventing the flu virus from wreaking havoc on our lungs.

Scientists report major advance in human antibody therapy against deadly Nipah virus

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 00:00 MST

A collaborative research team from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Australian Animal Health Laboratory and National Cancer Institute, a component of the National Institutes of Health, reports a major step forward in the development of an effective therapy against two deadly viruses, Nipah virus and the related Hendra virus.

Whooping cough immunity lasts longer than previously thought

Wednesday, November 04, 2009 00:00 MST

Immunity to whooping cough lasts at least 30 years on average, much longer than previously thought, according to a new study by researchers based at the University of Michigan and the University of New Mexico. Details are published Oct. 30 in the open-access journal PLoS Pathogens.

HIV tamed by designer 'leash'

Tuesday, November 03, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers have shown how an antiviral protein produced by the immune system, dubbed tetherin, tames HIV and other viruses by literally putting them on a leash, to prevent their escape from infected cells. The insights reported in the October 30th issue of the journal Cell, a Cell Press publication, allowed the research team to design a completely artificial protein -- one that did not resemble native tetherin in its sequence at all -- that could nonetheless put a similar stop to the virus.

2-pronged protein attack could be source of SARS virulence

Tuesday, November 03, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers have uncovered what they believe could be the major factor contributing to the SARS virus' virulence: the pathogen's use of a single viral protein to weaken host cell defenses by launching a "two-pronged" attack on cellular protein-synthesis machinery.

Researchers show efficacy of gene therapy in mouse models of Huntington's disease

Tuesday, November 03, 2009 00:00 MST

Researchers at the California Institute of Technology have shown that a highly specific intrabody (an antibody fragment that works against a target inside a cell) is capable of stalling the development of Huntington's disease in a variety of mouse models. "Gene therapy in these models successfully attenuated the symptoms of Huntington's disease and increased life span," notes Paul Patterson, the Anne P. and Benjamin F. Biaggini Professor of Biological Sciences.