Scientists have found a mutation in stem cell genes, which they claim could be linked to development of leukaemia and other cancers. An international team, led by Peter Papathanasiou of The Australian National University, has completed a three-year screening project to find the genes that control development and turnover of stem cells. Stem cells can grow into any other kind of cell in the body, making them a hot area of research to find new treatments for diseases and injuries. In fact, a major finding of the new study is the discovery of a novel DNA mutation in the c-Myb gene which has been previously linked to a number of different cancer types, the ‘Blood’ journal reported. “We’ve shown that blood stem cells with this genetic mutation behave the same way as those present in human bone marrow diseases, including diseases that can evolve into leukaemia,” said Dr Papathanasiou. Added team member Prof Andrew Perkins from Queensland University: “By understanding more about the genetic blueprint of these kinds of disorders, we can start to develop new ways of targeting diseases. Currently, there is no treatment for this group of blood diseases, but discovery of this mutation provides new avenues for investigation.”
Socialising is good for health — in fact, it may even help fight cancer, says a new study. An international team has carried out the study and found that socialising with others aid in fight against cancer as the stress of interaction causes tumours to shrink and even go into remission. Cancer patients who change their lifestyle to keep company with more people could see substantial improvements in their condition, says the study. According to researchers, the findings challenge accepted wisdom that stress is damaging to health, indicating that a manageable level of stress can help the body fight disease, ‘The Daily Telegraph‘ reported. Matthew During of The Ohio State University, who led the experiments on mice, said that the results had substantial implications for how people with cancer should live after diagnosis. Doctors should pay more attention to living conditions of their patients, rather than relying on traditional clinical treatments like surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. He was quoted as saying, “The goal isn’t to minimise stress, but to live a richer life, socially and physically. You want to be challenged. “Traditionally working on the area of lifestyle and the brain has been a ‘soft area’. This paper really suggests if we look at people more in terms of their perceptions of disease, their social interactions and environment, we could realise a profound influence on cancer.”
In what could be called a major breakthrough, scientists claim to have developed a “screening test” which takes just five minutes to detect bowel cancer and also reduces the risk of developing the disease substantially.
The new test, which involves the quick removal of growths with the potential to turn cancerous, has been devised following a 16-year-old study, ‘The Lancet’ reported.
The study of more than 170,000 volunteers aged between 55 and 64 suggested that the examination of the lower colon and rectum reduced deaths by 43 per cent.
In the study group examined, incidence of bowel cancer fell by a third. A quarter of the volunteers in the study underwent a sigmoidoscopy, where a camera mounted on a thin, flexible tube, known as a FlexiScope, was inserted about a third of the way into the bowel.
According to the scientists, most bowel cancers stem from polyps or symptomless growths in the rectum and colon and where these were found, they were removed in a safe and pain- free procedure.
“Our study shows for the first time that we could dramatically reduce incidence of bowel cancer and the number of people dying from the disease by using this one-off test. “No other bowel cancer screening technique has ever been shown to prevent the disease,” ‘The Times’ quoted Wendy Atkin of Imperial College London, who led the study, as saying.
Going on a diet could increase the risk of developing potentially deadly conditions such as heart disease, diabetes and cancer, a study has found.
The study revealed that those who controlled their calorie intake produced higher levels of the harmful stress hormone cortisol and exposure to the hormone actually made some dieters put on weight, reports dailymail.co.uk.
Dieting could actually damage mental health too as many suffered increased psychological stress when they were constantly forced to count calories and monitor what they ate.
“Regardless of their success or failure (in losing weight), if future studies show that dieting increases stress and cortisol, doctors may need to rethink recommending it to their patients to improve health,” the researchers said.
“Chronic stress, in addition to promoting weight gain, has been linked with coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Dieting might potentially add to this stress burden and its consequences would best not be ignored,” they added.
The study, by California University in San Francisco and Minnesota University, looked at 121 women who were put on a standard three-week diet of 1,200 calories a day – around half a woman’s recommended daily amount of 2,000 calories.
Each patient was asked to provide a saliva sample before and after the study to test for cortisol levels. The results showed a significant increase in the amount of the hormone after three weeks on the programme