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Scientists target DNA repair to eradicate leukemia stem cells
Dec. 9, 2012 Despite treatment with imatinib, a successful drug that targets chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a deadly type of cancer, some patients may continue to be at risk for relapse because a tiny pool of stem cells is resistant to treatment and may even accumulate additional genetic aberrations, eventually leading to disease progression and relapse. These leukemia stem cells are full of genetic errors, loaded with potentially lethal breaks in DNA, and are in a state of constant self-repair
Another muscular dystrophy mystery solved; Scientists inch closer to a therapy for patients
ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2012) Approximately 250,000 people in the United States suffer from muscular dystrophy, which occurs when damaged muscle tissue is replaced with fibrous, bony or fatty tissue and loses function. Three years ago, University of Missouri scientists found a molecular compound that is vital to curing the disease, but they didn’t know how to make the compound bind to the muscle cells.
Another muscular dystrophy mystery solved; Scientists inch closer to a therapy for patients
ScienceDaily (Dec. 7, 2012) Approximately 250,000 people in the United States suffer from muscular dystrophy, which occurs when damaged muscle tissue is replaced with fibrous, bony or fatty tissue and loses function
Key events early in process of cellular aging defined
ScienceDaily (Nov. 21, 2012) For the first time, scientists at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have defined key events that take place early in the process of cellular aging. Together the discoveries, made through a series of experiments in yeast, bring unprecedented clarity to the complex cascade of events that comprise the aging process and pave the way to understanding how genetics and environmental factors like diet interact to influence lifespan, aging and age-related diseases such as cancer and neurodegenerative disorders
Probiotic worm treatment may improve symptoms of colitis by restoring gut bacteria to healthy state
ScienceDaily (Nov. 15, 2012) A new study on monkeys with chronic diarrhea that were treated by microscopic parasite worm (helminth) eggs has provided insights on how this form of therapy may heal the intestine. This condition in monkeys is similar to the inflammatory bowel diseases that affects up to 1.4 million Americans.
Cigarette smoke boosts virulence in Staphylococcus aureus
ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2012) Exposure to cigarette smoke has long been associated with increased frequency of respiratory infections — which are harder to treat in smoke-exposed people than in those who lack such exposures. Now Ritwij Kulkarni of Columbia University, New York, NY, and colleagues show that cigarette smoke actually boosts virulence of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria.
Norovirus disinfection: How much is enough?
ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2012) A variety of institutions and governments have developed “commonsense-based” disinfection guidelines to control norovirus contamination, but now, for the first time, a Dutch team has come up with science-based guidelines. The research is published in the November 2012 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology .
Antibiotics disrupt gut flora in infants: Recovery still incomplete after eight weeks
ScienceDaily (Nov. 8, 2012) Eight weeks after antibiotic treatment of infants, the diversity of gastrointestinal flora remained diminished, although the number of individual bacteria was back to normal, according to a paper in the November 2012 issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy . Additionally, the potentially disease-causing Proteobacteria were now the dominant population in the treated infants
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