Scientists confirm blood test could track Alzheimer's disease
The protein is called neurofilament light. It spills out of damaged and dying nerve cells, into the cerebrospinal fluid and then travels from there into the bloodstream. Previous studies have already demonstrated that blood levels of neurofilament light are higher in people with diseases, such as Alzheimer's, that destroy nerve cells and tissue in the brain. However, few of these have been long-term investigations. Read the full article HERE
Mapping Route to Recurrence in Breast Cancer Cells
For many women who thought they had beaten breast cancer, the news that it has roared back years later comes as an especially cruel diagnosis with no clear answers for why or how it recurs.
Now a team of Duke Cancer Institute researchers has filled in some critically unknown details that could lead to potential strategies to halt the process.
Experimenting in mice, the researchers tracked a series of events that enable a small reservoir of treatment-resistant cancer cells
After the Diagnosis: A Guide to Alzheimer’s Disease
The most common cause of dementia in the U.S., Alzheimer’s disease afflicts an estimated 5.8 million Americans, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and that number is only projected to grow. A difficult diagnosis for any individual and their loved ones, the progressive brain disorder “slowly destroys memory and thinking skills and eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks,” the National Institute on Aging notes. Read the full article HERE
Study: 23andMe gene test might falsely reassure some people of breast cancer risk
Since 2010, 23andMe has charged people to test themselves for potentially harmful gene mutations, such as those in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, which, when mutated, can dramatically increase a person’s risk for developing breast or ovarian cancer. But while 23andMe can screen for the three most well-known BRCA mutations, the test is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration to test for the remaining 1,000-plus BRCA mutations. This presents a problem: As many as 94 percen
Mayo doctors in La Crosse call breast cancer screening tool an early success
Doctors at Mayo-Franciscan in La Crosse say a new, cutting-edge breast cancer screening tool is already paying major dividends. Mayo is one year into a study of local patients who have received molecular breast imaging, which uses a radioactive tracer and specialized camera to detect breast cancer, and which could increase the rate of detection by more than 250%, doctors say. Read the full article HERE
Eyes reveal early Alzheimer's disease
Scientists detected these vascular changes in the human eye non-invasively, with an infrared camera and without the need for dyes or expensive MRI scanners. The back of the eye is optically accessible to a new type of technology (OCT angiography) that can quantify capillary changes in great detail and with unparalleled resolution, making the eye an ideal mirror for what is going on in the brain. Read the full article HERE
Stony Brook team has breakthrough in 'triple-negative' breast cancer research
Medical scientists have discovered a gene underlying one of the most lethal forms of breast cancer, and at the same time are proposing a way to block its activity, paving the way to successful treatment for a type of cancer that is tough to treat. Lori Chan and her team at Stony Brook University have been studying a form of breast cancer known as “triple negative,” a designation that means three key markers are missing on tumor cells. These markers are the targets of medicati
Northwestern to Study New Alzheimer’s Disease Drug
More than 5 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease, including 230,000 in Illinois. By 2050, that number is projected to rise to nearly 14 million Americans, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. There is no cure for the neurodegenerative condition, symptoms of which include memory loss, difficulty completing daily tasks and challenges in planning or solving problems. Many clinical trials are focused on prevention or disease-modifying therapies, which tend t
