http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/26/health/research/26exer.html?_r=1
January 26, 2010
VITAL SIGNS
By RONI CARYN RABIN
Older women who did an hour or two of strength training exercises each week had improved cognitive function a year later, scoring higher on tests of the brain processes responsible for planning and executing tasks, a new study has found.
Researchers in British Columbia randomly assigned 155 women ages 65 to 75 either to strength training with dumbbells and weight machines once or twice a week, or to a comparison group doing balance and toning exercises.
A year later, the women who did strength training had improved their performance on tests of so-called executive function by 10.9 percent to 12.6 percent, while those assigned to balance and toning exercises experienced a slight deterioration — 0.5 percent. The improvements in the strength training group included an enhanced ability to make decisions, resolve conflicts and focus on subjects without being distracted by competing stimuli.
Older women are generally less likely than others to do strength training, even though it can promote bone health and counteract muscle loss, said Teresa Liu-Ambrose, a researcher at the Center for Hip Health and Mobility at Vancouver General Hospital and the lead author of the paper, which appears in the Jan. 25 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Blocking Rogue Gene Could Stop Spread of Cancer, New Research Suggests
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110124073903.htm
ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2011) — Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have discovered a rogue gene involved in the spread of cancer in the body. By blocking the gene, they believe, cancer could be stopped in its tracks.
Published in the journal Oncogene, the discovery is a breakthrough in our understanding of how cancer spreads. It is hoped the research will lead to new drugs that halt the critical late stage of the disease when cancer cells spread to other parts of the body.
The culprit gene -- known as WWP2 -- is an enzymic bonding agent found inside cancer cells. It attacks and breaks down a natural inhibitor in the body which normally prevents cancer cells spreading. The UEA team found that by blocking WWP2, levels of the natural inhibitor are boosted and the cancer cells remain dormant.If a drug was developed that deactivated WWP2, conventional therapies and surgery could be used on primary tumours, with no risk of the disease taking hold elsewhere.
Lead author Andrew Chantry, of UEA's School of Biological Sciences, said the discovery could lead to the development of a new generation of drugs within the next decade that could be used to stop the aggressive spread of most forms of the disease, including breast, brain, colon and skin cancer.
"The late-stages of cancer involve a process known as metastasis -- a critical phase in the progression of the disease that cannot currently be treated or prevented," said Dr Chantry.
"The challenge now is to identify a potent drug that will get inside cancer cells and destroy the activity of the rogue gene. This is a difficult but not impossible task, made easier by the deeper understanding of the biological processes revealed in this study."
The research was funded by UK-based charity the Association of International Cancer Research (AICR), with additional support from the Big C Charity and the British Skin Foundation.
Dr Mark Matfield, scientific co-ordinator of AICR, said: "This is a very exciting new discovery and a perfect example of the way that basic research into cancer can open up ways to develop new ways to treat cancer."
The initial discovery was made while researchers were studying a group of natural cancer cell inhibitors called 'Smads'.
Dr Surinder Soond, who spearheaded the experimental work in the laboratory, said: "This is a very novel and exciting approach to treating cancer and the spread of tumours which holds great potential."
ScienceDaily (Jan. 24, 2011) — Scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) have discovered a rogue gene involved in the spread of cancer in the body. By blocking the gene, they believe, cancer could be stopped in its tracks.
Published in the journal Oncogene, the discovery is a breakthrough in our understanding of how cancer spreads. It is hoped the research will lead to new drugs that halt the critical late stage of the disease when cancer cells spread to other parts of the body.
The culprit gene -- known as WWP2 -- is an enzymic bonding agent found inside cancer cells. It attacks and breaks down a natural inhibitor in the body which normally prevents cancer cells spreading. The UEA team found that by blocking WWP2, levels of the natural inhibitor are boosted and the cancer cells remain dormant.If a drug was developed that deactivated WWP2, conventional therapies and surgery could be used on primary tumours, with no risk of the disease taking hold elsewhere.
Lead author Andrew Chantry, of UEA's School of Biological Sciences, said the discovery could lead to the development of a new generation of drugs within the next decade that could be used to stop the aggressive spread of most forms of the disease, including breast, brain, colon and skin cancer.
"The late-stages of cancer involve a process known as metastasis -- a critical phase in the progression of the disease that cannot currently be treated or prevented," said Dr Chantry.
"The challenge now is to identify a potent drug that will get inside cancer cells and destroy the activity of the rogue gene. This is a difficult but not impossible task, made easier by the deeper understanding of the biological processes revealed in this study."
The research was funded by UK-based charity the Association of International Cancer Research (AICR), with additional support from the Big C Charity and the British Skin Foundation.
Dr Mark Matfield, scientific co-ordinator of AICR, said: "This is a very exciting new discovery and a perfect example of the way that basic research into cancer can open up ways to develop new ways to treat cancer."
The initial discovery was made while researchers were studying a group of natural cancer cell inhibitors called 'Smads'.
Dr Surinder Soond, who spearheaded the experimental work in the laboratory, said: "This is a very novel and exciting approach to treating cancer and the spread of tumours which holds great potential."
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