Atrial fibrillation patient website launched by ESC
A website for patients with atrial fibrillation has been launched by the European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The AFib Matters website, goes live at EHRA EUROPACE 2013, which is being held 23-26 June in Athens, Greece. Atrial fibrillation is the most common cardiac rhythm disorder, affecting 1.5-2% of the general population in the developed world (1). Over 6 million Europeans currently suffer from atrial fibrillation, and it is estimated that the prevalence will at least double in the next 50 years as the population ages (2).
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New way to improve antibiotic production
An antibiotic has been found to stimulate its own production. The findings, to be published in PNAS, could make it easier to scale up antibiotic production for commercialisation. Scientists Dr Emma Sherwood and Professor Mervyn Bibb from the John Innes Centre were able to use their discovery of how the antibiotic is naturally produced to markedly increase the level of production. "We have shown for the first time that an antibiotic with clinical potential can act as signalling molecule to trigger its own synthesis," said Professor Bibb.
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2013 ESH/ESC Guidelines for the management of arterial hypertension
Lifestyle factors, lack of awareness by both patients and physicians, hesitancy in initiating and intensifying drug treatment, and healthcare structural deficiencies are amongst the reasons for the increasing problem of high blood pressure in Europe, according to new joint Guidelines issued today by the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) and the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The Guidelines, which recommend several significant changes to hypertension treatment, are launched* today at the European Society of Hypertension congress in Milan, Italy, with simultaneous online publication in the peer-reviewed journals Journal of Hypertension, the European Heart Journal, and Blood Pressure.
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Substances from African medicinal plants could help stop tumor growth
African medicinal plants contain chemicals that may be able to stop the spread of cancer cells. This is the conclusion of researchers following laboratory experiments conducted at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). The plant materials will now undergo further analysis in order to evaluate their therapeutic potential. "The active substances present in African medicinal plants may be capable of killing off tumor cells that are resistant to more than one drug. They thus represent an excellent starting point for the development of new therapeutic treatments for cancers that do not respond to conventional chemotherapy regimens," explained Professor Thomas Efferth of the Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biochemistry - Therapeutic Life Sciences at Mainz University.
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Spanish researchers writing in cell describe the 9 hallmarks of aging
For some species, living twice as long in good health depends on no more than a few genes. When this fact was revealed by studies on worms three decades ago, it ushered in a golden age of ageing studies that has delivered numerous results, but also sown some confusion. The prestigious journal Cell is now publishing an exhaustive review of the subject that aims to set things straight and "serve as a framework for future studies." All the molecular indicators of ageing in mammals - the nine signatures that mark the advance of time - are set out in its pages. And the authors also indicate which can be acted upon in order to prolong life, while debunking a few myths like the belief that antioxidants can delay aging.
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Intomics enters €5.2M personalised cancer diagnostic project
The project will optimize treatment of cancer patients based on the cancers’ individual genetic fingerprint. Intomics will use its leading biomedical data analysis capabilities to help choose the right treatment from cancer-derived genetic information. The project receives €3.0M in financial support from The Danish National Advanced Technology Foundation. Two cancer patients may respond very differently to the same treatment if their genetic cancer fingerprints differ. Mutations in genes participating in key cancer pathways and mechanisms may impact whether a given patient responds well to a treatment or not.
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Unraveling tumor growth one stem cell at a time
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have discovered that a single mutation in a leukemia-associated gene reduces the ability of blood stem cells to make more blood stem cells, but leaves their progeny daughter cells unaffected. Their findings have relevance to all cancers that are suspected to have a stem cell origin as they advance our understanding of how single stem cells are subverted to cause tumors. Published this week in PLOS Biology, the study by Professor Tony Green and his team at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research is the first to isolate highly purified single stem cells and study their individual responses to a mutation that can predispose individuals to a human malignancy.
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