Mar
15
Time on Cancer
March 15, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Time: Cancer. ‘While more people die of heart disease in the U.S. than cancer, cancer is still one of the most feared diagnoses a person can receive. There are good reasons for this. Cancer’s ability to cause pain is notorious and some of the treatments used to fight the disease can themselves make you very [...]
Jan
20
On the Road to an Antitumor Vaccine
January 20, 2008 | Leave a Comment
Polymeric Nanoparticles for Tumor Vaccines. ‘The quest for an effective antitumor vaccine has received a boost from the results of work aimed at developing a nanoparticle that delivers tumor antigens to the immune system cells that trigger antibody production. The results of this effort, led by Shinsaku Nakagawa, Ph.D., and Naoki Okada, Ph.D., of Osaka [...]
Dec
26
More Testosterone Poisoning: ‘Humour Comes From Testosterone’
December 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Humour ‘comes from testosterone’. ‘Men are naturally more comedic than women because of the male hormone testosterone, an expert claims.
Men make more gags than women and their jokes tend to be more aggressive, Professor Sam Shuster, of Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, says.
The unicycling doctor observed how the genders reacted to his “amusing” hobby. Women [...]
Dec
23
Identifying Tumors with Gold Nanoparticles and ScFv Peptides
December 23, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Gold nanoparticle probes may allow earlier cancer detection. ‘Using tiny gold particles embedded with dyes, researchers have shown that they can identify tumors under the skin of a living animal. These tools may allow doctors to detect and diagnose cancer earlier and less invasively
Studded with antibody fragments called ScFv peptides that bind cancer cells, the [...]
Oct
29
Bad News for Biofuels: Five-Year Moratorium Proposed
October 29, 2007 | 2 Comments
BBC News: Biofuels ‘crime against humanity’. ‘A United Nations expert has condemned the growing use of crops to produce biofuels as a replacement for petrol as a crime against humanity. The UN special rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, said he feared biofuels would bring more hunger. The growth in the production of [...]
Sep
28
Lab-on-a-Chip to Detect H5N1
September 28, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Made in Singapore Lab-on-a-chip Device to Transform Field Testing for Avian Flu Virus (PDF). ‘Researchers at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) and Genome Institute of Singapore (GIS) have successfully developed a miniaturized device that can be used to detect the highly pathogenic avian flu (H5N1) virus. [...]
Aug
19
Call for Public Comments: Prioritization of Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials
August 19, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Prioritization of Environmental, Health, and Safety Research Needs for Engineered Nanoscale Materials (PDF). The National Nanotechnology Coordination Office (NNCO), on behalf of the Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology (NSET) Subcommittee of the Committee on Technology, National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), is requesting public comments on the newly released document Prioritization of Environmental, Health, and [...]
Aug
1
Coffee and Exercise May Help Prevent Skin Cancer
August 1, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Caffeine and Exercise Can Team Up to Prevent Skin Cancer. ‘Regular exercise and little or no caffeine has become a popular lifestyle choice for many Americans. But a new Rutgers study has found that it may not be the best formula for preventing sun-induced skin damage that could lead to cancer. Low to moderate amounts [...]
Jul
10
Fantastic Discovery: Orlistat (Xenical® or Alli®) Can Kill Cancer Cells
July 10, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Discovery about Obesity Drug Helping Scientists Develop New Cancer Treatments. Based on their surprising discovery that an obesity drug can kill cancer cells, scientists at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have made a new finding about the drug’s effects and are working to design more potent cancer treatments.
Published online in Nature Structural and Molecular [...]
Jul
9
HIFU for Prostate Cancer Treatment
July 9, 2007 | Leave a Comment
HIFU stands for High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound. Ultrasound is a form of energy that can pass through skin, muscle, fat and other soft tissues. Low-intensity ultrasound waves (used for diagnostic imaging) have no biologic effect on cells or tissues.
High-intensity ultrasound energy focused on a small target volume raises the tissue temperature high enough to destroy it. [...]
Jun
26
Integrated Microfluidic Platform for Oral Diagnostics (IMPOD): A Lab-On-A-Chip to Analyze Saliva
June 26, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Saliva-Based Diagnostic Tools on the Horizon. ‘Imagine this scenario at a dental checkup in your future: After settling you in the examination chair and fastening a paper bib around your neck, the dental assistant draws a sample of your saliva with a sterile pipette. Then, while your dentist performs your oral exam and the hygienist [...]
Jun
18
Luminescent Nanoparticles as Cancer Imaging Probes
June 18, 2007 | Leave a Comment
Persistently Bright Nanoparticle Images Tumors. ‘In a new take on use of luminescent nanoparticles as cancer imaging probes, a team of investigators from several research institutes in Paris, France, has developed new metal-containing nanoparticles that emit light for several hours after they are initially excited. The researchers have demonstrated that once these nanoparticles are excited, [...]
