Liquid biopsy technology to improve prostate cancer treatment
Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and the fifth leading cause of death from cancer in men worldwide, according to 2012 numbers. While several viable treatment options for prostate cancer exist, many men affected with prostate cancer will not respond to…
Frequency of alpha brain waves could be used to assess a person’s predisposition to pain
The frequency of alpha brain waves can be used as a measure of an individual’s vulnerability to developing and experiencing pain, researchers have discovered. The personal experience of pain is highly variable among individuals, even in instances where the underlying injury is assessed to…
In laboratory, scientist turns off chemo pain
Researchers describe their success in an animal model in turning off the excruciating pain that often accompanies a colorectal cancer drug. Daniela Salvemini, Ph.D., professor of pharmacology and physiology at SLU, studies pain pathways, the series of interactions between molecular-level components that lead to pain…
Is knee pain linked to depression?
According to researchers, knee osteoarthritis affects some 55 percent of people over age 40 in Japan. A research team recently published a study examining the effects of knee pain on depression since, until now, few studies have focused on how knee pain and impaired knee…
Home genetic tests should be interpreted by experts
Results from at-home genetic tests are not always accurate. A new study now shows that up to 40 percent of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic tests provide incorrect readings in the raw data. Direct-to-consumer genetic tests (DTC) are available for the public to purchase and are often…
Being hungry shuts off perception of chronic pain
Finding food is a necessary survival skill, but so is avoiding pain. Research using mice showed that being hungry activates a neural pathway that inhibits the perception of and response to chronic pain. The findings offer up new targets for treating pain. According to research…
Protein nutrition for cells and organisms: Can we use it to treat diseases?
A review article highlights opportunities and challenges in using amino acid transporters as drug targets. The article provides an overview of methods used to identify new inhibitors for amino acid transporters and outlines cell and organ function where these can be used to modulate, prevent…
Proteins reveal new mechanisms in prostate cancer
A study used protein profiling to find new prostate cancer mechanisms that are not shown by aberrations at the genomic level. Several new potential biomarkers of prostate cancer were also found. Genes that affect prostate cancer evolution have been studied for a long time. However,…
Antibiotics could be key to relieving chronic bladder pain
Antibiotics can successfully help rid a patient of chronic urinary tract infection symptoms, according to a new clinical study. The research highlights the growing concern of many practitioners that the tests they rely on to diagnose urinary tract infections are inadequate. Up to 1.4 million…
Rheumatoid arthritis meets precision medicine
Scientists are bringing precision medicine to rheumatoid arthritis for the first time by using genetic profiling of joint tissue to see which drugs will work for which patients, reports a new multi-site study. In the near future, patients won’t have to waste time and be…