Life Sciences & Biotechnology Update articles from November 2000

Life Sciences & Biotechnology Update archives from November 2000

DOD's ANTHRAX-VACCINE IMMUNIZATION PROGRAM.
November 1, 2000... This (DOD) report presents a program overview of the DOD's anthrax-vaccine immunization program. Its partial contents include: Threat and Response; Program Responsibilities; Force Immunization Status; AVA Stockpile/Phase II Delay; Vaccine...

INDUSTRY GUIDANCE IN THE MANUFACTURE AND CLINICAL EVALUATION OF IN SITU TESTS TO DETECT NUCLEIC ACID SEQUENCES IN TYPES 1 AND 2 HIV.
November 1, 2000... This (FDA) document outlines some of the major regulatory and scientific issues concerning gene-based tests for HIV-1 and HIV-2. The presented considerations may also be applicable to tests for other transfusion-transmitted viruses, including...

CRUCIAL RESEARCH DIRECTIONS FOR DEFEATING PROSTATE CANCER.
November 1, 2000... This (National Cancer Institute (NCI)) report addresses crucial directions of research for defeating prostate cancer. The NCI supports a wide range of basic clinical and population-based research projects, to elucidate the causes and biology...

HEALTH OF GULF WAR VETERANS: RELATIONSHIP TO EXPOSURE TO STRESS.
November 1, 2000... This (Duke University) report addresses a study of the relationships of stress exposures to health in Gulf War veterans. It uses 10,000 Operation Desert Shield/Storm (ODS/S) veterans (including 5,000 females) and a national probability-based...

GULF WAR UNDERSTANDING OF THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF DEPLETED URANIUM IS EVOLVING, BUT SAFETY TRAINING IS NEEDED.
November 1, 2000... In view of the controversy about a possible connection between depleted uranium exposure and Gulf War illnesses, (GAO) addresses the following: (1) What is the scientific understanding about health effects from exposure to depleted uranium?...

INVESTIGATION OF POTENTIAL MECHANISMS OF NEUROPROTECTION FOLLOWING TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY.
November 1, 2000... The long-term objective of this (University of Kentucky) study is to improve functional outcomes following traumatic brain injury (TBI), by investigating potential mechanisms of neuroprotection. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has a...

REVERSING MITOCHONDRIAL DAMAGE CAUSED BY ENVIRONMENTAL NEUROTOXINS: IMPLICATIONS FOR PARKINSON'S DISEASE.
November 1, 2000... The basic premise of this (Mount Sinai School of Medicine) research is that the turnover of dopamine (DA) or other monoamines, by monoamine oxidase (MAO), can place an oxidative stress on electron transport and respiration of mitochondria. In...

MIGRAINE HEADACHES: CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW IN MIGRAINEURS DURING HEADACHE, HEADACHE-FREE, AND TREATMENT PERIODS.
November 1, 2000... The pathophysiology of migraine remains poorly understood. Sumatriptan has been reported to increase flow velocities in large cerebral arteries, consistent with a vasoconstrictive effect. This (Buffalo Institute for Medical Research) report...

EFFECT OF DEHYDROEPIANDROSTERONE (DHEA) ON THE BONES OF YOUNG ADULTS.
November 1, 2000... This (Brigham and Women's Hospital) work concerns the effect of DHEA on bone in young adults. Peak bone mass is achieved during young adulthood, accompanying marked rises in gonadal and adrenal steroids (e.g., dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate,...

METHYLATION OF SELECT TUMOR-SUPPRESSOR GENES IN SPORADIC BREAST CANCER.
November 1, 2000... This (Duke University) paper concerns the methylation of select tumor-suppressor genes in sporadic breast cancer. The hereditary breast cancer susceptibility genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, are likely to be tumor- suppressor genes. It is through...

NOVEL SCREENING METHOD FOR SUPPRESSORS OF BREAST-TUMOR CELL GROWTH.
November 1, 2000... This (Beth Israel Medical Center) research is developing a novel degenerate cyclic peptide library selection method to identify potential peptide antagonists of the ErbB2 receptor, tyrosine kinase. Since the aberrant activation of the ErbB2...

GERMLINE MUTATIONS OF THE ATAXIA-TELANGIECTASIA GENE (ATM) AS A RISK FACTOR FOR RADIATION-ASSOCIATED BREAST CANCER.
November 1, 2000... This (Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research) work involves Ataxia-Telangiectasia (AT), which is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by neurologic and other abnormalities as well as an approximately 100-fold increase in cancer...

GENES THAT MEDIATE CHEMO-SENSITIVITY IN HUMAN MAMMARY CELLS.
November 1, 2000... This (Allegheny University) report addresses a working hypothesis that the loss of function of a number of diverse checkpoint molecules will lead to the proliferation of chemo-resistant tumor cells. Besides the p53 pathway, relatively little...

ROLE OF SUPPRESSOR Rsu-1 IN THE REGULATION OF Ras SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION IN BREAST CANCER CELLS.
November 1, 2000... Epidermal growth factor (EGF) family of ligands bind to a number of related receptors and stimulate mitogenesis in mammary cells. Signal transduction downstream of the EGF family of receptors involves activation of the GTPase Ras and its...

ROLE OF THE PHYSICIAN'S GENDER IN BREAST-CANCER CARE.
November 1, 2000... The primary aim of this (Boston University) study is to investigate how physician gender influences care for breast cancer patients. Secondly, it examines the independent and joint influences of: physician geographic location, race,...

CHEMOTHERAPY OF BREAST CANCER: EXPLOITING bcl-2.
November 1, 2000... In neural crest cells, bcl-2 overexpression results in altered handling of glutathione, and consequent increased cellular reducing potential. This change potentiates the induction of apoptosis by enediyne prodrugs in neural crest tumor cells....

HEREDITARY BREAST CANCER (HBC): MUTATIONS WITHIN BRCA1 AND BRCA2 WITH PHENOTYPIC RESPONSES.
November 1, 2000... This (Creighton University) study involves 57 hereditary breast/ovarian cancer families with an identified BRCA1 or BRCA2 genetic mutation, from a total of about 107 breast cancer patients' slides and tissue blocks, which have been retrieved...

DEVELOPMENT OF A COMPUTER-ASSISTED VISUAL-SEARCH MAMMOGRAPHY TRAINING TOOL.
November 1, 2000... The primary goal of this (University of Pennsylvania) project is to develop a computer-assisted visual-search (CAVS) mammography training tool that will improve the perceptual and cognitive skills of trainees, leading to mammographic...

PROMOTOR REGIONS THAT DETERMINE OVER-EXPRESSION OF METALLOPROTEINASE GENES IN BREAST CANCER.
November 1, 2000... This report from Australia (Royal Prince Alfred Hospital) identifies the molecular basis for the abnormal destruction of extracellular matrix that accompanies breast cancer. This is being addressed primarily by identifying the control...

INACTIVATORS FOR MATRIX METALLOPROTEASES INVOLVED IN METASTASIS OF BREAST CANCER.
November 1, 2000... This (Wayne State University) research addresses matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), which are endopeptidases having a diverse set of physiological and pathological functions. Two of these proteases, MMP-2 and MMP-9, also known as gelatinases A...

ROLE OF SEPRASE/FAPalpha AND FGF-BP2 IN BREAST CANCER.
November 1, 2000... This (Georgetown University) work addresses the role of Seprase/FAPalpha and FGF-BP2 in breast cancer. Seprase/FAPalpha, a cell surface serine-type gelatinase with Mr 170, is thought to be involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. However,...

STRUCTURAL STUDIES OF THE pRB TUMOR SUPPRESSOR COMPLEXED WITH HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS E7 PROTEINS IN BREAST CANCER.
November 1, 2000... Since viral oncoproteins are expected to compete with, and imitate, interactions that pRB has with cyclin DI, understanding the high-affinity pRB-viral oncoprotein complexes will provide tremendous insight into the specific interactions...

CATHEPSIN D, A METASTATIC POTENTIAL MARKER FOR BREAST CANCER, MAY REGULATE THE MITOGENIC ACTIVITY OF FIBROBLAST GROWTH FACTOR-1 (FGF-1).
November 1, 2000... Fibroblast Growth Factor-1 (FGF-1) is a potent mitogen and angiogenic factor found in both normal and malignant tissues. FGF-1 mediates its diverse biological effects by binding to, and activation of, its high-affinity tyrosine kinase...

NOVEL MECHANISMS OF MAMMARY ONCOGENESIS BY THE HUMAN ADENOVIRUS TYPE 9 (Ad9).
November 1, 2000... This (Baylor College of Medicine) report concerns novel mechanisms of mammary oncogenesis by the human adenovirus type 9 (Ad9). The adenovirus E4 region- encoded open-reading frame 1 (9ORF1) transforming protein is the major oncogenic...

INVERSE TECHNIQUE FOR ESTIMATING THE ULTRASOUND FIELD DURING CHEST WALL AND BREAST HYPERTHERMIA.
November 1, 2000... The goal of this (University of Utah) research is to develop a clinical system for improved numerical modeling of ultrasound propagation through breast tissue and the post-mastectomy chest wall, for use in patient treatment planning of...

PREVENTING ERRORS WHEN USING MEDICAL PRODUCTS.
November 1, 2000... This (Center for Devices and Radiological Health) VHS video is a teleconference that will help healthcare professionals to identify, understand, prevent, and resolve errors related to the use of medical products. Using a case study format, a...

DISEASE REPORT OF FOREIGN ANIMALS.
November 1, 2000... This (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) report concerns foreign animal diseases. Its contents include: Emergency Programs Activities; FAD Update; FAD Review of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy; Vesicular Stomatitis Virus Outbreak,...

HANDBOOK OF CHILD PSYCHOLOGY.
November 1, 2000... This extensive 4-volume handbook of child psychology (by author William Damon) is a definitive resource, encyclopedia, and research review guide containing comprehensive coverage by top experts in the field. It brings an international field...

GAMMA IRRADIATION OF BLOOD AND BLOOD COMPONENTS: GUIDANCE FOR INDUSTRY ON THE PREVAILING INDUSTRY STANDARD.
November 1, 2000... This (FDA) document provides Food and Drug Administration acceptable criteria for the gamma irradiation of blood and blood components for transfusion. FDA believes that the procedures recommended in this document reflect practices currently...

EPIDEMIOLOGICAL TRENDS IN DRUG ABUSE.
November 1, 2000... This (National Institute on Drug Abuse) document presents highlights and an executive summary of a conference on epidemiologic trends in drug abuse (1999, Los Angeles, CA). The conference was sponsored by the Community Epidemiology Work Group...

GUIDE FOR PRIMARY-CARE PROVIDERS ON THE IDENTIFICATION AND INTERVENTION FOR AT-RISK DRINKING OF WOMEN OF CHILDBEARING AGE.
November 1, 2000... This (NIH) guide provides clinicians with office-based screening and intervention protocols to reduce drinking in women of childbearing age, and to prevent maternal alcohol use during the perinatal period. Protocols are also provided for the...

HER-2/neu AND BREAST CANCER.
November 1, 2000... HER-2/neu is a potent oncogene that predicts poor outcome when overexpressed in ovarian cancer. The SKOV-3 ovarian carcinoma cell line, one of the only models for HER2-driven ovarian cancer, expresses a major uncharacterized 8 kb alternative...