http://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Toxins produced by plants and bacteria pose a significant threat to humans, as emphasized by the recent effects of cucumber-borne Shiga toxin in Germany. Now, new research published on July 21st by the Cell Press journal Developmental Cell provides a clearer view of the combination of similar and divergent strategies that different toxins use to invade a human host cell. http://phys.org/news230481826.html Biology Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:44:11 EST news230481826 The association between tobacco smoke and cancer deaths — beyond lung cancer deaths — has been strengthened by a recent study from a UC Davis researcher, suggesting that increased tobacco control efforts could save more lives than previously estimated. http://phys.org/news151770432.html Medicine & Health Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:30:40 EST news151770432 Disparities in survival among black patients diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer are not seen when patients are recommended appropriate treatment, according to a report in the January issue of Archives of Surgery, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. http://phys.org/news151609530.html Medicine & Health Mon, 19 Jan 2009 17:47:50 EST news151609530 Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Colorado Denver have discovered a gene that is associated with improved survival among patients with acute lung injury. Acute lung injury (ALI) is often caused by a respiratory infection and results in low oxygen levels in the blood, and fluid in the lungs. It is one of the most vexing problems for intensive care units, afflicting almost 200,000 people in the United States each year, and killing 40 percent of them. http://phys.org/news151318330.html Medicine & Health Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:52:10 EST news151318330 Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated that a recently discovered class of molecule called microRNA (miRNAs), regulate the gene expression changes in airway cells that occur with smoking and lung cancer. These findings, which appear in the on-line early edition of journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, may lead to a new, relatively non-invasive biomarker for smoking-related lung diseases. http://phys.org/news151076573.html Biology Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:42:53 EST news151076573 Modern microscopy technology has allowed two scorpion biologists, Carsten Kamenz of the Humboldt University in Berlin and Lorenzo Prendini of the American Museum of Natural History, to study and document what is nearly invisible. Looking at tiny morphological features like the sculpting of the hair-like outgrowths on lamellae—structures that fold like the leaves of a book and give the scorpion respiratory system its name, the book lung—Kamenz and Prendini found a wealth of new variation that gives insight into the evolutionary relationships among scorpions. Their research, recently published in the Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History, presents their raw data as an illustrated atlas of the book lungs of all major lineages of scorpions. http://phys.org/news150984224.html Biology Mon, 12 Jan 2009 12:03:44 EST news150984224 About 1100 people each year die in the UK from lung cancer related to indoor radon, but current government protection policies focus mainly on the small number of homes with high radon levels and neglect the 95% of radon related deaths caused by lower levels of radon, according to a study published on bmj.com today. http://phys.org/news150541340.html Medicine & Health Wed, 07 Jan 2009 09:02:20 EST news150541340 Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) can improve survival in patients with heart damage — even those in their 70s — according to research reported in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. http://phys.org/news150482825.html Medicine & Health Tue, 06 Jan 2009 16:47:05 EST news150482825 Cancer and cell biology experts at the University of Cincinnati (UC) have identified a new tumor suppressor that may help scientists develop more targeted drug therapies to combat lung cancer. http://phys.org/news150389078.html Medicine & Health Mon, 05 Jan 2009 14:44:38 EST news150389078 A research team from the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine has identified a protein produced by cancerous lung epithelial cells that enhances metastasis by stimulating the activity of inflammatory cells. Their findings, to be published in the January 1 issue of the journal Nature, explain how advanced cancer cells usurp components of the host innate immune system to generate an inflammatory microenvironment hospitable for the metastatic spread of lung cancer. The discovery could lead to a therapy to limit metastasis of this most common lethal form of cancer. http://phys.org/news149951977.html Medicine & Health Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:19:37 EST news149951977 While examining patterns of DNA modification in lung cancer, a team of international researchers has discovered what they say is a surprising new mechanism. They say that "silencing" of a single gene in lung cancer led to a general impairment in genome-wide changes in cells, contributing to cancer development and progression. http://phys.org/news149924210.html Medicine & Health Wed, 31 Dec 2008 05:36:50 EST news149924210 New research in an animal model suggests that a diet high in inorganic phosphates, which are found in a variety of processed foods including meats, cheeses, beverages, and bakery products, might speed growth of lung cancer tumors and may even contribute to the development of those tumors in individuals predisposed to the disease. http://phys.org/news149749680.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Dec 2008 05:08:00 EST news149749680 Individuals with particular variants of certain genes involved in metabolizing the most potent carcinogen found in cigarette smoke have an increased risk of developing lung cancer. That is the conclusion of a new study published in the February 1, 2009 issue of Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society. The study's results may help shed light on how lung cancer develops and could have important implications for preventing smoking-related cancers. http://phys.org/news149142605.html Medicine & Health Mon, 22 Dec 2008 04:30:05 EST news149142605 Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have determined that a mutation in a gene known for its role in defending the lungs against invading pathogens is responsible for some inherited cases of a lethal lung disease affecting older adults. The same mutation may also be associated with lung cancer, the researchers said. http://phys.org/news148917858.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Dec 2008 14:04:18 EST news148917858 For the first time in the world, transplant surgeons at Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network used a new technique to repair an injured donor lung that was unsuitable for transplant, and then successfully transplanted it into a patient. The use of this technique could significantly expand the lung donor organ pool and improve outcomes after transplantation. http://phys.org/news148912131.html Medicine & Health Fri, 19 Dec 2008 12:28:51 EST news148912131 A simple, effective and low-cost method of preventing lung disease – and therefore death – in newborn children is not being practiced widely enough in South-East Asian hospitals, according to a major international study involving the University of Adelaide, Australia. http://phys.org/news148735805.html Medicine & Health Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:30:05 EST news148735805 Scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) have identified a potential new avenue for altering lung development in the embryo which may help to improve the outcome for very premature babies. The researchers at Cardiff University, in collaboration with those at the Saban Research Institute at Los Angeles Children's Hospital, have discovered a key player in early lung development which is a potential drug target for treating very premature babies with small, immature lungs. http://phys.org/news148488402.html Medicine & Health Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:46:42 EST news148488402 There are no clear benefits to using long-acting beta2-agonists (LABAs) for treatment of asthma in children, a new study concludes. In an overview of recent Cochrane reviews, Child Health Field researchers report that there is currently insufficient evidence to suggest the drugs, which are recommended to relieve the symptoms of asthma, offer any additional benefit to conventional preventative medications. http://phys.org/news148103953.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:59:13 EST news148103953 (PhysOrg.com) -- A novel, high-resolution fluorescence imaging system may be used to detect lung cancer at early stages. According to a report recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from Northeastern University and the Technical University of Munich have developed a way to use near-infrared light in molecular imaging to peer deep into the body's diseased cells and tissues. http://phys.org/news147974248.html Medicine & Health Mon, 08 Dec 2008 15:57:28 EST news147974248 Early detection of lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF), combined with aggressive treatment in infants, may be the key to controlling the progression of the disease, according to a recent study. New research shows that contrary to previous scientific opinion, progressive lung damage in CF patients can begin as early as infancy even though lung function shortly after diagnosis is normal. http://phys.org/news147696629.html Medicine & Health Fri, 05 Dec 2008 10:50:29 EST news147696629 (PhysOrg.com) -- A study led by researchers at The University of Nottingham has identified a gene that protects the body from lung cancer. http://phys.org/news147444853.html Medicine & Health Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:54:13 EST news147444853 A new report from the nation's leading cancer organizations shows that, for the first time since the report was first issued in 1998, both incidence and death rates for all cancers combined are decreasing for both men and women, driven largely by declines in some of the most common types of cancer. The report notes that, although the decreases in overall cancer incidence and death rates are encouraging, large state and regional differences in lung cancer trends among women underscore the need to strengthen many state tobacco control programs. The findings come from the "Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer, 1975-2005, Featuring Trends in Lung Cancer, Tobacco Use and Tobacco Control", online Nov. 25, 2008, and appearing in the Dec. 2, 2008, Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://phys.org/news146849658.html Medicine & Health Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:34:18 EST news146849658 Scientists have identified a gene critical to lung maturation in newborns and the production of surfactant, which lines lung tissues and prevents the lungs from collapsing. http://phys.org/news146766227.html Medicine & Health Mon, 24 Nov 2008 16:23:47 EST news146766227 Gefitinib, also known as Iressa, the once-promising targeted therapy for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, has proven as effective as chemotherapy as a second-line therapy for the disease with far fewer side effects, according to an international Phase III clinical trial, led by researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. http://phys.org/news146472603.html Medicine & Health Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:50:03 EST news146472603 (PhysOrg.com) -- Using an array of nanotube devices, each coated with a different organic material, researchers at the Israel Institute of Technology have developed diagnostic system that may be able to diagnose lung cancer simply by sampling a patient’s breath. The results of this study, which was led by Hossam Haick, Ph.D., appear in the journal Nano Letters. http://phys.org/news146418330.html Nanotechnology Thu, 20 Nov 2008 15:45:30 EST news146418330 The cancer preventive properties of broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables appear to work specifically in smokers, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research. http://phys.org/news146242301.html Medicine & Health Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:51:41 EST news146242301 Canadian researchers are trying to answer why some smokers develop lung cancer while others remain disease free, despite similar lifestyle changes. http://phys.org/news146140117.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:28:37 EST news146140117 Patients treated for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer who receive chemotherapy and proton beam therapy have fewer instances of bone marrow toxicity than patients who receive the standard treatment of intensity-modulated radiation (IMRT) and concurrent chemotherapy, according to researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. http://phys.org/news145808497.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 14:21:37 EST news145808497 The four drug-combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel, with the targeted therapies bevacizumab (Avastin) and cetuximab (Erbitux), is safe and may improve survival for patients with advanced lung cancer, according to a cooperative group study led by The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. http://phys.org/news145800320.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:05:20 EST news145800320 The combination of traditional chemotherapy agents with targeted therapies called monoclonal antibodies showed no safety concerns and improved survival in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer according to a study presented at the 2008 Chicago Multidisciplinary Symposium in Thoracic Oncology. http://phys.org/news145800276.html Medicine & Health Thu, 13 Nov 2008 12:04:36 EST news145800276