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Posts with tag university
Posted Sep 10th 2007 6:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Research, Smoking, Daily news, Thought for the Day
You should think about protecting your pets from secondhand smoke. According to researchers at Oklahoma State University, secondhand smoke has been determined cancer-causing for household pets, such as dogs, cats, and birds
"There have been a number of scientific papers recently that have reported the significant health threat secondhand smoke poses to pets," says Dr. Carolynn MacAllister, an Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension Service veterinarian. "Secondhand smoke has been associated with oral cancer and lymphoma in cats, lung and nasal cancer in dogs,
as well as lung cancer in birds."
The news about smoking just keeps getting worse and worse. When we will get the hint?
Posted Sep 3rd 2007 6:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Diets, Cancer prevention foods, Thought for the Day
Now I advise everyone to take all food-related recommendations with a grain of salt, because what first may appear healthy may not be in the long run -- and what is once deemed unhealthy may one day turn into a health food, like coffee.
Now, here's something new to think about:
It turns out the average mushroom may have healing powers. A new study out of Tufts University found that white button mushrooms help boost the body's natural immunity against tumors and viruses.
Source:
Woman's Day, September 12, 2007
Posted Jul 6th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Kidney Cancer, Exercise, Sports
More than 90 Penn State football players will compete on July 13 in an event where they plan to tackle kidney cancer. Well, maybe they won't literally tackle kidney cancer -- wouldn't that be nice -- but by raising awareness and funding, they'll surely make a difference.
The strength and conditioning event, called
Lift For Life, will benefit the
Kidney Cancer Association for the fifth year in a row. In past years, it's generated more than $148,000. In the 2005-06 year alone, $60,000 was raised for this rare disease.
Lift For Life challenges the mental and physical endurance of student-athletes and consists of 11 exercises. Think traditional bench and leg presses and the less conventional giant tire flip and iron cross and you've got an idea of what will take place in just one week.
Continue reading Penn State football players tackle kidney cancer
Posted May 25th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Stem Cell, Research, Daily news
I love it when I find research coming straight from the halls of the very hospital where I received my breast cancer treatment. It reminds me that I'm in good hands, that University of Florida researchers are on the cusp of breaking through the mysteries of cancer, that I may one day be the lucky recipient of cutting-edge discoveries, like this:
University of Florida researchers report in a paper to be published in the August issue of
Stem Cells that bone marrow stem cells attracted to the site of cancerous growths often take on the appearance of the malignant cells surrounding them. While these cells look like cancer, though, they may not act like cancer. They have the same skin, says lead study author Dr. Chris Cogle. But the question is: do they have the same guts?
"Our results indicate these cells act as developmental mimics; they come in and look like the surrounding neoplastic tissue, but they aren't actually the seed of cancer," said Cogle who is affiliated with the cancer center I've called home for more than two years.
Continue reading Stem cells may look, but not act, like cancer
Posted May 8th 2007 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Pancreatic Cancer, Research, Daily news
New research may one one day help in the diagnosis and prognosis of the nation's number four cancer killer of men and number five cancer killer of women. The killer: pancreatic cancer.
Findings from an Ohio State University study show pancreatic cancer cells may leave signs in gene-related molecules called microRNAs.
Published in
The Journal of the American Medical Association, this study examined pancreatic tissue from 65 people with the disease and 42 people with chronic inflammation of the pancreas, called chronic pancreatitis.
Continue reading Molecule pattern may serve as pancreatic cancer marker
Posted Apr 25th 2007 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Celebrity cancer diagnosis, Daily news, Celebrity news, Movies
Movie critic Roger Ebert expects to be back to work at his annual festival for overlooked movies this week. It will be his first public appearance since having cancer surgery last summer -- and while some say his appearance may attract the gossip papers, Ebert says, "So what?"
Ebert, 64, will be seen at the ninth annual Overlooked Film Festival, beginning today at the University of Urbana-Champaign, wearing a gauze bandage around his neck. And his mouth will be seen to droop, he says.
This is all because of Ebert's tracheostomy -- it opens an airway through an incision in his windpipe, rendering him speechless -- that resulted from his June 16 surgery to remove a cancerous growth on his salivary gland and a subsequent July 1 surgery to repair a burst blood vessel close to the same site.
On Tuesday, Ebert shared that his cancer began in his salivary gland but then spread to his lower right jaw. As a result, part of his mandible was removed and two surgeries were necessary to reconstruct the area. Both surgeries were unsuccessful, however, and led to unanticipated bleeding.
"The doctors now plan an approach that does not involve the risk of unplanned bleeding," Ebert, a film critic for the Chicago Sun-Times since 1967, says. "If all goes well, my speech will be restored."
This cancer survivor, who says we spend too much time hiding illness and is proud to be back in the spotlight, has also co-hosted the Ebert & Roeper television show with fellow Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper since 2000. Film critics and filmmakers have been filling in for Ebert during his recovery.
Posted Apr 24th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Research, Daily news, Thought for the Day
I never thought I'd hear this one -- that women whose tonsils were removed during childhood may be at increased risk of developing pre-menopausal breast cancer. But sure enough, that's what researchers at the University of Buffalo are reporting.
Think about this:
Researchers say the association between tonsillectomies and breast cancer may be related to the loss of protective function when tonsils are removed. Also, tonsils can be markers for infection in childhood. Some infections cause inflammation which can contribute to cancer. When the tonsils are gone, markers are gone.
Other studies have linked tonsillectomies with an increased risk of Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia, and breast and prostate cancers. This study, reported at the 100th annual meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research, confirms the breast cancer connection -- but further study is still necessary.Posted Apr 19th 2007 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Drug, Lung Cancer, Research, Daily news
More and more media reports are mentioning the potential merits of marijuana. The most recent headlines say the active ingredient in the drug cuts tumor growth in common lung cancers in half and greatly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread.
Researchers at Harvard University tested marijuana's main ingredient, delta-tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, in both lab and mouse studies and say their experiments are the first to show THC inhibits the growth of cancer.
Researchers are not certain why THC inhibits tumor growth, but it could be that the substance activates molecules that arrest the cell cycle. THC may also interfere with angiogenesis and vascularization, which promotes cancer growth.
There is a long way to go in the study of THC. Yet "the beauty of this study is that we are showing that a substance of abuse, if used prudently, may offer a new road to therapy against lung cancer," says Anju Preet, Ph.D., a researcher in the Division of Experimental Medicine.
Posted Apr 17th 2007 11:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Research, Stress Reduction, Exercise, Daily news
Surely, everyone can benefit in some way from yoga. Women with breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast, however, may benefit greatly from a tailored program featuring gentle yoga postures, breathing exercises, and meditation.
The great benefits: less pain and fatigue and more vigor, relaxation, and acceptance," says Dr. James W. Carson from Duke University Medical Center and lead of a study published in the
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.
Carson says women with advanced breast cancer need effective methods for curbing cancer-related symptoms.
The pilot study included 13 women who attended yoga classes once per week for eight weeks. The women, with an average age of 59 and with diagnoses occurring an average of seven years earlier, were helped significantly. They felt more invigorated and gained a greater sense of acceptance. They also found they felt better not only on the day they practiced yoga but the next day too.
This study offers the first, small-scale evidence for yoga's potential benefits for women with limited life expectancy.
Posted Apr 14th 2007 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Research, Stress Reduction, Daily news
Way to go Wake Forest University scientists -- for adding to the body of evidence connecting stress to illness and for reporting before anyone else that the stress hormone epinephrine causes changes in prostate and breast cancer cells that may make them resistant to death.
Emotional stress contributes not only to the development of cancer, says lead researcher
George Kulik, D.V.M., Ph.D, but it also reduces the effectiveness of cancer treatments.
Previous research shows levels of epinephrine, produced by the adrenal glands, are sharply increased during stressful situations and can stay elevated during long-term stress and depression.During this study, published in the on-line Journal of Biological Chemistry, Kulik and colleagues found that a protein called BAD -- the cause of cell death -- becomes inactive when cancer cells are exposed to epinephrine.
This is huge for patients and researchers.
"It may be important for patients who have increased responses to stress to learn to manage the effects," said Kulik. "And, the results point to the possibility of developing an intervention to block the effects of epinephrine."Posted Apr 13th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Diets, Daily news, Thought for the Day
Daily consumption of red meat increases the risk of breast cancer. Daily consumption of red meat doesn't increase the risk of breast cancer. Ahhh. Which one is it?
In a
previous post, I cited research that supported the increased risk. And now I've come across something new.
Think about this:
A nutritionist from New Zealand is disputing research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, claiming that women who ate more than100g of meat each day had the highest risk of developing breast cancer.
Jim Mann, a professor in human nutrition and medicine at Otago University, says the study failed to consider other factors which may increase the risk of breast cancer. And he assures women it's still safe to eat about 80g of red meat a day.
Posted Apr 12th 2007 11:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Breast Cancer, Research, Daily news
Red meat makes headlines -- again -- due to new research indicating it increases a woman's chances of developing breast cancer. I've heard this before. Maybe that's because it's becoming pretty conclusive.
Findings are most significant for post-menopausal women because these are the women with the highest rates of consumption -- about one portion of red meat per day. This daily doses puts them at a 56 percent greater risk than women who eat no red meat.
Researchers at the University of Leeds followed the eating habits and health of more than 35,000 women over the past seven years to gather their data, published in the
British Journal of Cancer.
Posted Apr 5th 2007 11:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Prostate Cancer, Thyroid Cancer, Daily news, Sports
Denver Nuggets coach George Karl missed his team's match-up against the Lakers Tuesday night so he could spend some quality time with his son, Coby, who had surgery for the removal of cancerous lymph nodes on Monday.
Coby Karl, 23, spent seven hours in surgery. It was his second surgery in 13 months -- he had his thyroid removed last year after he was diagnosed with
a treatable form of cancer called papillary carcinoma. Chemotherapy followed the first surgery to kill off any remaining cancer cells.All reports indicate both Karls are doing fine and Coach Karl, who has been surviving prostate cancer since 2005, was back to his coaching duties last night. His team took on the Sacramento Kings -- and won.
Coby Karl is taking it easy for now. He just recently finished his final season with Boise State University where he led the Broncos with 14.8 points per game. He's still a great athlete, but right now, his health comes first.
"He's a young kid, he's a promising basketball player," Lakers coach Phil Jackson said. "The most important thing is his health."
Posted Apr 5th 2007 9:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Ovarian Cancer, Research, Daily news, Thought for the Day
Ovarian cancer is difficult to detect. There are no great screening tests to pick up on its presence in the body, and by the time symptoms appear, the disease has often progressed into an advanced stage. But a ray of light has recently emerged in the study of ovarian cancer -- and it could help in the prevention and early detection of this deadly disease.
Think about this, from the April 2007 issue of
Woman's Day magazine:Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine have identified a simple checklist of six symptoms associated with an increased risk of the disease and three of them -- if they occur at least 12 times per month and are present for less than one year -- were present 57 percent of the time in a study of women with early-stage disease.
And the three symptoms are: abdominal and pelvic pain, bloating and difficulty eating, and feeling full quickly.
If you experience these problems, especially if they are frequent or new, contact your doctor because identifying ovarian cancer quickly is key. In its early stages, the cure rate is 90 percent. But for advanced cancer, it's only 20 percent.
Posted Apr 4th 2007 10:00AM by Jacki Donaldson
Filed under: Skin Cancer, Research, Daily news
A new study shows men are three times more likely to develop certain types of skin cancer than women. But it doesn't have as much to do with sun exposure as we might think.
According to researchers at Ohio State University, gender differences put men at greater risk for non-melanoma skin cancers than their female counterparts.
Researchers tested the effects of UVB rays on mice and found male mice developed tumors earlier. The tumors were also larger and more aggressive than those found in female mice.
The study, published in the April 1 issue of
Cancer Research, indicates it could be the higher levels of antioxidants females have in their skin that allow them to fight off tumors better
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