Penn study suggests test for tumor suppressor p53 is needed to prescreen patients for blood cancer drugs

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine have determined a way to pre-screen cancer patients to see if they are suitable candidates for proteasome inhibitors, a promising class of anti-cancer drugs. They propose to test for p53, a well-known tumor-suppressor protein that is broken down by cellular machinery called proteasomes. This study appears online in the journal Blood, in advance of print publication in June 2007. more  

Personalized diets may offer relief to advanced cancer patients

It is well known that cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy often experience nausea and loss of appetite. But until now, few researchers have looked into why this happens and what can be done to ensure that cancer patients maintain a healthy diet during treatment. more

When your brain talks, your muscles don’t always listen

Have your neurons been shouting at your muscles again? It happens, you know. more  

Dry Eye Syndrome affects quality of life for nearly 5 million in the US

As a clinical diagnosis, Dry Eye Syndrome (DES) may not appear to be a major health issue, but in a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers found that DES had a significant impact on quality of life. With an estimated prevalence of 7.8% of women and 4.7% of men over 50, it affects 4.8 million people in the United States. Although some risk factors have been identified, the cause of DES is still largely unknown. more

Diabetes, depression together increase risk for heart patients  

Having both depression and type 2 diabetes increases the risk of death for heart patients. Each factor had been known to increase the risk of heart disease deaths by itself, but together they’re even more deadly. more

Penn study finds inhaled anesthetics accelerate the appearance of brain plaque in animals  

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine have discovered that common inhaled anesthetics increase the number of amyloid plaques in the brains of animals, which might accelerate the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Roderic Eckenhoff, MD, Vice Chair of Research in the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Anesthesia and Critical Care, and his co-authors, report their findings in the March 7th online edition of Neurobiology of Aging. more

Older mothers more likely than younger mothers to deliver by Caesarean

Researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health have found that older mothers with normal, full-term pregnancies—particularly first-time older mothers—were more likely to undergo Caesarean delivery than were younger women with similarly low-risk pregnancies. more

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