Stopping cell migration may help block fibrosis and the spread of cancer

[Helen Dodson] Discoveries by a Yale-led team of scientists could lead the way for development of new therapies for treating fibrosis and tumor metastasis. The researchers have both uncovered a signaling pathway that promotes cell migration in certain forms of pulmonary fibrosis, a deadly lung disease, and developed a drug treatment that may block the cancer cell migration. The study appears in the Advance Online Publication of Nature Cell Biology. 21 May 2012 00:52

Heavy drinking raises oral cancer risk

Heavy alcohol consumption is more damaging than cigarette smoking as far as the development of oral cancer is concerned, according to a Pretoria academic. 18 May 2012 11:36

Sugar can make you dumb, US scientists warn

WASHINGTON, USA: Eating too much sugar can eat away at your brainpower, according to US scientists who published a study on Tuesday, 15 May 2012, showing how a steady diet of high-fructose corn syrup sapped lab rats' memories. 16 May 2012 15:31

Don't lose sleep over weight, scientists say

PARIS, FRANCE: A lack of sleep could make you fat, scientists said on Thursday, 10 May 2012. Not getting enough shut-eye may inhibit a hormone which controls hunger satisfaction and boost an appetite-stimulating hormone, said a paper presented to the European Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France. 11 May 2012 16:54

Research reveals link between red hair gene and rare birthmarks

New research, using data from Children of the 90s (ALSPAC) at the University of Bristol, has identified that the gene causing red hair (MC1R) is more common in children with Congenital Melanocytic Naevi (CMN), a rare form of birthmark. The research was carried out at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and the UCL Institute of Child Health. 10 May 2012 16:10

Research yields new clues to how brain cancer cells migrate and invade

Johns Hopkins researchers have discovered that a protein that transports sodium, potassium and chloride may hold clues to how glioblastoma, the most common and deadliest type of brain cancer, moves and invades nearby healthy brain tissue. 10 May 2012 15:50

Deep brain stimulation may hold promise for mild Alzheimer's Disease

A study on a handful of people with suspected mild Alzheimer's disease (AD) suggests that a device that sends continuous electrical impulses to specific "memory" regions of the brain appears to increase neuronal activity. Results of the study using deep brain stimulation, a therapy already used in some patients with Parkinson's disease and depression, may offer hope for at least some with AD, an intractable disease with no cure. 9 May 2012 15:43

SA slips in rankings of world's best places to be a mother

Save the Children's 13th State of the World's Mothers report states that South Africa has slipped from a ranking of 19 in 2011 to a ranking of 33 in 2012, on a listing of about 80 less developed countries around the world - showing that South Africa is no longer such a great place to become a mother. 8 May 2012 13:05

Trial launched into curry chemical's cancer-fighting properties

Compounds found in curry are being investigated as a way of improving drug response in patients with advanced bowel cancer in a new study launched today, 7 May 2012. 7 May 2012 16:13

People fail to list persistent cough as a lung cancer warning

UK: An astounding lack of public awareness about lung cancer has been revealed in a Cancer Research UK study, published Monday, 30 April 2012. 30 Apr 2012 16:27

SA's first oestrogen metabolism gene test available

Local molecular biotechnology firm, DNAlysis Biotechnology announced the availability of South Africa's first oestrogen metabolism gene test last week, 18 April 2012. The test will identify 12 gene variations involved in oestrogen metabolism and detoxification in women, a significant contribution in the prevention of breast cancer. 23 Apr 2012 17:43

Adding chemo to radiotherapy halves risk of deadly bladder cancer returning

Bladder cancer patients given low doses of chemotherapy combined with radiotherapy were nearly 50% less likely to relapse with the most lethal form of the disease compared to those given radiotherapy alone, a major trial funded by Cancer Research UK showed Wednesday, 18 April 2012. 20 Apr 2012 16:21

New medication offers hope to patients with frequent, uncontrollable seizures

A new type of anti-epilepsy medication that selectively targets proteins in the brain that control excitability may significantly reduce seizure frequency in people whose recurrent seizures have been resistant to even the latest medications, new Johns Hopkins-led research suggests. 20 Apr 2012 15:53

Post-menopause cancer risk linked to seaweed: study

TOKYO, JAPAN: A Japanese study Wednesday, 11 April 2012, said regular seaweed consumption among post-menopausal women heightened their risk of developing thyroid cancer, linking it to iodine in the macrobiotic food. 13 Apr 2012 15:06