ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Reduced intensity regimen prior to marrow transplant better for older leukemia patients, study suggests
• Steroid hormone receptor prefers working alone to shut off immune system genes
• New stem cell research, transplant strategies show promise to improve outcomes, reduce complications
• Brain study shows why some people are more in tune with what they want
• Scientists target DNA repair to eradicate leukemia stem cells
• Novel therapeutic agents provide hope for patients with hard-to-treat blood disorders
• Bugs without borders: Researchers track the emergence and global spread of healthcare associated Clostridium difficile
• Hypergiant star amazes for 30 years
• Pre-clinical data suggests Angiocidin effective against leukemia
• More than a third of high-risk leukemia patients respond to experimental new drug
• New drug cuts risk of deadly transplant side effect in half
• Secrets of gentle touch revealed
• Studies challenge standards to improve treatment outcomes for patients with clotting disorders

Reduced intensity regimen prior to marrow transplant better for older leukemia patients, study suggests Posted: 09 Dec 2012 01:56 PM PST A new study shows that preparing older acute myeloid leukemia patients for bone marrow transplants with a reduced intensity conditioning regimen appears to be associated with higher rates of disease-free survival relative to the more typical treatments usually given to such patients.

Steroid hormone receptor prefers working alone to shut off immune system genes Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST Researchers have obtained a detailed molecular picture that shows how glucocorticoid hormones shut off key immune system genes. The finding could help guide drug discovery efforts aimed at finding new anti-inflammatory drugs with fewer side effects.

New stem cell research, transplant strategies show promise to improve outcomes, reduce complications Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST New studies of stem cell biology and transplant approaches illustrate how the use of advanced modeling techniques is optimizing stem cells to treat patients with blood disorders, as well as the potential of enhanced treatment strategies to improve the success rate of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for these patients.

Brain study shows why some people are more in tune with what they want Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST Researchers have discovered how the brain assesses confidence in its decisions. The findings explain why some people have better insight into their choices than others.

Scientists target DNA repair to eradicate leukemia stem cells Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST Despite treatment with imatinib, which targets chronic myeloid leukemia, some patients may be at risk for relapse because of leukemia stem cells that are resistant to treatment, accumulating additional genetic errors, and leading to disease progression. Researchers have shown they can block leukemia stem cell repair by targeting a protein that cells depend on to fix genetic mistakes. The findings may lead to a new strategy to overcome drug resistance.

Novel therapeutic agents provide hope for patients with hard-to-treat blood disorders Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:26 PM PST Encouraging safety and efficacy data on novel and emerging therapies signal an important step forward in the development of treatment strategies for patients with hard-to-treat leukemia, myeloma, and myelofibrosis.

Bugs without borders: Researchers track the emergence and global spread of healthcare associated Clostridium difficile Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:25 PM PST Researchers show that the global epidemic of Clostridium difficile 027/NAP1/BI in the early to mid-2000s was caused by the spread of two different but highly related strains of the bacterium rather than one as was previously thought. The spread and persistence of both epidemics were driven by the acquisition of resistance to a frontline antibiotic.

Hypergiant star amazes for 30 years Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:25 PM PST Astronomers have published the results of a 30-year study of an extraordinary hypergiant star. They have found that the surface temperature of the super-luminous star HR 8752 increased by about 3000 degrees in less than three decades, while it went through an extremely rare stage called the 'Yellow Evolutionary Void'. The discovery marks an important step closer to unraveling the evolution of the most massive stars.

Pre-clinical data suggests Angiocidin effective against leukemia Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:25 PM PST Angiocidin, a novel tumor-inhibiting protein, has shown in vitro and in vivo effectiveness against acute myeloid leukemia cells in pre-clinical experiments.

More than a third of high-risk leukemia patients respond to experimental new drug Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:25 PM PST A new drug for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) marked by a specific type of genetic mutation has shown surprising promise in a Phase II clinical trial. In more than a third of participants, the leukemia was completely cleared from the bone marrow, and as a result, many of these patients were able to undergo potentially curative bone marrow transplants, according to investigators. Many of the participants who did well with the new drug, quizartinib or AC220, had failed to respond to prior therapies.

New drug cuts risk of deadly transplant side effect in half Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:25 PM PST A new class of drugs reduced the risk of patients contracting a serious and often deadly side effect of lifesaving bone marrow transplant treatments, according to a new study.

Secrets of gentle touch revealed Posted: 09 Dec 2012 12:25 PM PST Stroke the soft body of a newborn fruit fly larva ever-so-gently with a freshly plucked eyelash, and it will respond to the tickle by altering its movement —- an observation that has helped scientists uncover the molecular basis of gentle touch, one of the most fundamental but least well understood of our senses.

Studies challenge standards to improve treatment outcomes for patients with clotting disorders Posted: 08 Dec 2012 01:06 PM PST New studies examined current treatment standards for patients with clotting disorders in an effort to improve outcomes. The studies evaluate long-held treatment standards and whether modifications in intensity and duration of therapy may offer equally effective outcomes while reducing toxicities and relapse rates.

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