Blood stem cells longevity mechanism discovered

Mechanism Behind Blood Stem Cells’ Longevity Discovered – The blood stem cells that live in bone marrow are at the top of a complex family tree. Such stem cells split and divide down various pathways that ultimately produce red cells, white cells and platelets. These “daughter” cells must be produced at a rate of about one million per second to constantly replenish the body’s blood supply.

Nanodiamonds may improve effectiveness of breast cancer treatment

UCLA researchers find nanodiamonds could improve effectiveness of breast cancer treatment – Recently, doctors have begun to categorize breast cancers into four main groups according to the genetic makeup of the cancer cells. Which category a cancer falls into generally determines the best method of treatment.

Cancer mortality rates higher in men than women

Cancer mortality rates are higher in men than women – Overall cancer mortality rates are higher for men than women in the United States. Men are more likely to die from cancer than women. For many cancers, men have poorer survival than women but the differences are slight, and this is due to the greater frequency of cancer diagnosis, rather than poorer survival once the cancer occurs.

International clinical trial tests targeted drug for melanoma skin cancer

International clinical trial tests targeted drug for melanoma — Rush University Medical Center enrolls first US patient – Rush University Medical Center has just enrolled the first U.S. patient in an international clinical trial testing a novel drug to treat certain kinds of melanoma, a deadly skin cancer that in its advanced stages currently has few effective treatments.

Beta amyloid protein spurs formation of Alzheimer’s plaques

Scientists identify protein that spurs formation of Alzheimer’s plaques – In Alzheimer’s disease, the problem is beta-amyloid, a protein that accumulates in the brain and causes nerve cells to weaken and die. Drugs designed to eliminate plaques made of beta-amyloid have a fatal problem: they need to enter the brain and remove the plaques without attacking healthy brain cells.

Cancer deaths continue to drop in US

Cancer deaths continue to drop in USA – The continued drop in overall cancer mortality rates over the last 20 years has averted more than three-quarters of a million (767,000) cancer deaths according to a new report from the American Cancer Society.

Acupuncture’s molecular effects pinned down

Acupuncture’s molecular effects pinned down — New insights spur effort to boost treatment’s impact significantly – Scientists have taken another important step toward understanding just how sticking needles into the body can ease pain. In a paper published online May_30 in Nature Neuroscience, a team at the University of Rochester Medical Center identifies the molecule adenosine as a central player in parlaying some of the effects of acupuncture in the body.

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