Human Breast Cancer Hit For Six: Key Role For Six1 In Tumor Development And Metastasis
from Science Daily
Heide Ford and colleagues, at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, have provided new insight into breast cancer development using mouse models and analysis of human cells, implicating the protein Six1 as central to this process, according to research published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. More    

WHO Warns of Severe Form of Swine Flu
from Reuters
Doctors are reporting a severe form of swine flu that goes straight to the lungs, causing severe illness in otherwise healthy young people and requiring expensive hospital treatment, the World Health Organization said. Some countries are reporting that as many as 15 percent of patients infected with the new H1N1 pandemic virus need hospital care, further straining already overburdened healthcare systems, WHO said in an update on the pandemic. More    

Mechanism of Neuroblastoma Differentiation Identified
from Oncology Nursing News
Fibroblast growth factor-2 induces the differentiation of neuroblastoma cells by inducing growth arrest, affecting the epithelium to mesenchyme transition and suppressing a key regulator, according to a study in the September issue of Endocrinology. More    

Sanger-Led Team Refines Human DNA Mutation Rate Estimates
from GenomeWeb Daily News
British and Chinese researchers reported that they have refined the estimates for human DNA mutation rates. The team, led by investigators at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, used a combination of high-throughput and Sanger sequencing to hone in on base substitutions in the same Y chromosome sequence from two distantly related men. More    

Pleural Fluid Mesothelin May Help Diagnose Mesothelioma
from Medscape Medical News
Pleural fluid mesothelin is a helpful adjunct to cytology examination in patients with an undiagnosed pleural effusion, according to the results of a study reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. More    

Lack of Patient Access Limits Promising Cell Therapy
from The Arizona Republic
Among the many decisions that parents face before the birth of their child is a potentially critical one: whether to preserve their infant's umbilical-cord blood on the chance that he or she will need it someday to treat a serious illness. Parents can pay thousands of dollars to privately store their newborn's umbilical-cord blood or they can donate the blood to a public bank for free. Nine out of 10 new parents do neither, which means their children's umbilical cords are discarded as medical waste. More    

Blueberry Virus Strikes Michigan Research Center
from The Associated Press via Google
The bloom could be off Michigan's $124 million per year blueberry industry after two destructive viruses infected bushes in three locations. Particularly upsetting to scientists is where one of the outbreaks occurred — Michigan State University's agricultural research station in southwestern Michigan. An outbreak of blueberry shock is forcing scientists to destroy plants that represent two decades and millions of dollars of research. More    

Revealing the Anti-Diabetic Effects of Sodium Tungstate
from Medscape Medical News
The molecular mechanisms of tungstate activity in diabetes have been uncovered. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Genomics have identified the pathways through which sodium tungstate improves pancreatic function and beta cell proliferation. More