LSUHSC research finds protein that protects cancer cells from chemo and radiation therapy

Summary: Dr. Daitoku Sakamuro of LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans and the LSUHSC identified a protein that enables the activation of a DNA-repair enzyme that protects cancer cells from tremendous harm casued by chemo and radiation therapy. The protein c-MYC oncoprotein, can promote almost all human cancers and discovering the cancer treatment resistance may lead to many lives being saved. Researchers also propose that analyzing the levels of c-MYC and BIN1 also serve as a valuable prognostic marker to determine if a cancer responds to an aggressive dose of therapeutic agents. Cancer accounts for 25% of deaths in the US with an estimated 569,490 cancer deaths to be expected las year. Dr. Sakamuro add, " our study will determine how we can re-sensitize maligent cancer cells to conventional DNA-damaging therapeutic agents and how we can minimize unnecessary side effects associated with cytotoxic chemo and radiation therapy.
Opinion: I think the research that Dr. Sakamuri is doing is a really good thing. My granfather had cancer and altough it was detcted early and it didnt do any severe damage, he nor anyone else should have to go through the pain of dealing with cancer or have to see a family member go through it. Its amazing how far we have come in life to keep discovering new vaccines, medicines, and treatments to the illnesses we have today. The fact that a quarter of the deaths in the US are from cancer is pretty scary. Hopefully we'll reach a point where no one has to worry about any type of cancer.

http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/03/24/lsuhsc_research_finds_protein_that_protects_cancer_cells_from_chemo_and_radiation_therapy.html

                                                                                                                                    bianca brailey

At the University of Montreal and McGill University, scientists have discovered a cellular bilingualism. This means that one neuron, has two functions (two types of communicating messages). That action is known as contramission. There are two types of time scales, slow and fast. This neuron has both. This finding, could help explain other diseases, such as, Parkinson's, depression, and schizophrenia.

I personally do not think that bilingualism is a disease. It is just simply learning another language. It is the same as learning different maths or sciences. To me, this seems like a far stretch for this finding. Although, it is neat that scientists are able to come to this conclusion, by looking at DNA.

Who felt it not, smelt it not

New studies show that people who feel no pain due to genetic inability, also cannot detect odors. The nerves that uncover pain rely on the same protein as those concerning smells to deliver the information to the brain. Three people who posses the inability to feel pain participated in the recent study. Researchers found that they were unaware that they could not smell anything since birth. This has been an important discovery by linking that smell and pain by sharing same delivery of information to the brain.

I think this is very interesting because I too would never make the connection between the the link discovered. It makes me wonder what else could be connected that scientists have not uncovered yet. Hopefully this knowledge can be used to our advantage. If we can find other links as well, a new door of opportunity might be opened for further research. One day maybe this information could be used to help study diseases or other disorders.

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/71582/title/Who_felt_it_not%2C_smelt_it_not

A Safer, More Effective Morphine... Coming Soon?

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110324153508.htm

A orphan drug originally used for HIV patients during their treatments has been found, by the researches at Indiana University School or Medicine, to short-circuit the process that results in additional sensitivity and pain from opioid use. Morphine, the gold standard for controlling moderate to severe pain, has given side effects such as reduced respiration, constipation, itching and addiction. Patients also develop a tolerance to morphine which can lead to a complicated spiral disorder. At first opiods were used to relieve pain following surgery, from cancer and at the end of life, but today opiods are used nationally for painful conditions like osteoarthritis and back pain. Morphine may hurt people instead of helping them, this new drug claims to produce a "new pain" to contradict the other pain.

I think these researchers are doing a great thing. Using a substance for morphine could help many people. Sometimes it seems morphine only hurts patients because of the side effects and risks of addiction or increasing the dose. If the researchers succeed they will help many patients feel no pain with out worrying of the side effects or later problems. If this "new yet improved morphine" does not cause more pain by inducing inflammatory responses in the body like morphine does then the medical world will have a great, safer medicine in there hands.

-Holley Hurst

Cruise Ship Infection

My current event is on the outbreak of gastroenteritis on a cruise ship of 2009. It talks about ways to prevent it from spreading. They now discourage sick people from boarding their ship. This disease is also very contagious; even from skin-to-skin contact. It's also spreadable through the air if fumes are breathed in.

My opinion on this is half and half. It is a good thing that they have ways of preventing outbreaks on a ship. The bad side to this is that they have nowhere to put sick passengers besides the nurse office, and then she gets sick. This disease kills about 21 million annually (serious killer). Thanks for reading :)



http://www.biologynews.net/archives/2011/03/23/cruise_ship_norovirus_outbreak_highlights_how_infections_spread.html

Self-Strengthening Nanocomposite

The researchers at Rice University have created some kind of material gets gets stronger from repetitive use. This can be compared to how muscles get stronger after work outs. Pulickel Ajayan is a professor at Rice University has created this material. He got this idea from the complex nanostructures and polymers in engineered nanocomposite materials. Brent Carey, a graduate, discovered that more stress mean it gets stronger. He used dynamic mechanical analysis and found that 3.5 million compression made the material 12% stronger.

This is very interesting and useful. The world of science has grew a lot and many new things have been made. This is one of those things that can make the world a better place. A material that can make it self stronger is just amazing. There are so many things that can be used for. I hope this project works successfully and make a difference in the world.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110323141854.htm

Fish Know to Avoid the Spear

Marine biologists have discovered that in some area where fish are hunted with spear guns they are more wary and they keep away from swimmers. They have observed that these fish are ussually from the areas arround devloped countries. In developing countries, fisshing has stayed at the traditional line and rod method where in other areas they fish with spears, rods and even net to catch a large amount of fish. Scientist measured the fly speed-the speed it takes a fish to swim away- by measurind how fast it took the fish to swim away just by seeing the diver. The fish from developing countries ussually reacted much slower because there arn't ussualy much under water diver hunting for fish.

Opinion

These fish are used to living in parts where there is a lot of fishing, ussually, in highly domesticated and over populated areas. It's curious how as soon as a diver enters the water, the fish quickly swims to the protected area of the water where fishing is prohibited. Unlike in other areas where fish are caught for the days meal, in these areas a very lare amount of fish is caught for exporting to different countries and to be canned or sold in grocery stores. These animnals have adapted to their environment instaed of apandoning a place where they are aware of prepadors, and in this case it's us humans. Even though they have adapteed to their environment these areashave and will always have a smaller ammont of fish than other parts of the water.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110321134724.htm