BreakThrough Digest Medical News

Recent Posts

• Researchers show how viruses evolve, and in some cases, become deadly
• Radiation plus chemotherapy provides long-term positive results for head and neck cancer patients
• Mayo Clinic finds mild cognitive impairment is common, affects men most
• A leukemia drug kills cancerous T-cells while sparing normal immunity
• Cocoa could prevent intestinal pathologies such as colon cancer
• Scientists report first step in strategy for cell replacement therapy in Parkinson’s disease
• Researchers develop gene therapy that could correct a common form of blindness
• Compounds in mate tea induce death in colon cancer cells

Researchers show how viruses evolve, and in some cases, become deadly

In the current issue of Science, researchers at Michigan State University demonstrate how a new virus evolves, which sheds light on how easy it can be for diseases to gain dangerous mutations.

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Radiation plus chemotherapy provides long-term positive results for head and neck cancer patients

A select subgroup of advanced head and neck cancer patients treated with radiation therapy plus the chemotherapy drug cisplatin had more positive outcomes than patients treated with radiation therapy alone and continued to show positive results 10 years post-treatment, according to a study presented at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium, sponsored by AHNS, ASCO, ASTRO and SNM.

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Mayo Clinic finds mild cognitive impairment is common, affects men most

Researchers involved in the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging reported today that more than 6 percent of Americans age 70 to 89 develop mild cognitive impairment (MCI) every year. Also, the condition appears to affect men and those who only have a high school education more than women and those who have completed some higher education. People with MCI are at the stage between suffering the normal forgetfulness associated with aging and developing dementia, such as that caused by Alzheimer’s disease.

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A leukemia drug kills cancerous T-cells while sparing normal immunity

MA—Leukemic cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (L-CTCL) is a leukemia arising from T-cells, a type of white blood cell. This cancer can involve the skin and other organs, and patients often die within three years.

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Cocoa could prevent intestinal pathologies such as colon cancer

A new study on living animals has shown for the first time that eating cocoa (the raw material in chocolate) can help to prevent intestinal complaints linked to oxidative stress, including colon carcinogenesis onset caused by chemical substances.

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Scientists report first step in strategy for cell replacement therapy in Parkinson’s disease

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) are a promising avenue for cell replacement therapy in neurologic diseases. For example, mouse and human iPSCs have been used to generate dopaminergic (DA) neurons that improve symptoms in rat Parkinson’s disease models. Reporting in the current issue of the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease, a group of scientists from Japan evaluated the growth, differentiation, and function of human-derived iPSC-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in a primate model, elucidating their therapeutic potential.

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