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Steroids help reverse rapid bone loss tied to rib fractures
Feb. 5, 2013 New research in animals triggered by a combination of serendipity and counterintuitive thinking could point the way to treating fractures caused by rapid bone loss in people, including patients with metastatic cancers. A series of studies at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that steroid drugs, known for inducing bone loss with prolonged use, actually help suppress a molecule that’s key to the rapid bone loss process.
Quantum dots deliver vitamin D to tumors for possible inflammatory breast cancer treatment
Feb. 1, 2013 The shortened daylight of a Maine winter may make for long, dark nights — but it has shone a light on a novel experimental approach to fighting inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), an especially deadly form of breast cancer. The new approach enlists the active form of Vitamin D3, called calcitriol, which is delivered therapeutically by quantum dots
Genetically modified tobacco plants produce antibodies to treat rabies
Feb. 1, 2013 Smoking tobacco might be bad for your health, but a genetically altered version of the plant might provide a relatively inexpensive cure for the deadly rabies virus. In a new research report appearing in The FASEB Journal , scientists produced a monoclonal antibody in transgenic tobacco plants that was shown to neutralize the rabies virus.
Bioelectric signals can be used to detect early cancer
Feb. 1, 2013 Biologists at Tufts University School of Arts and Sciences have discovered a bioelectric signal that can identify cells that are likely to develop into tumors
Engineered oncolytic herpes virus inhibits ovarian and breast cancer metastases
Jan. 31, 2013 A genetically reprogrammed Herpes simplex virus (HSV) can cure metastatic diffusion of human cancer cells in the abdomen of laboratory mice, according to a new study published January 31 in the Open Access journal PLOS Pathogens
Sorting out stroking sensations: Biologists find individual neurons in skin that react to massage
Jan. 30, 2013 The skin is a human being’s largest sensory organ, helping to distinguish between a pleasant contact, like a caress, and a negative sensation, like a pinch or a burn
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