Firefly chemical lights up tumors
Fireflies will light the way for cancer research at the Ohio State University Medical Center.
Scientists will use luciferase, the enzyme that makes lightning bugs glow, to track cancer growth in test animals.
“This new technology literally lets us see into a live animal and watch how tumors grow over time,” said Dr. Thomas Rosol, a cancer researcher at the OSU Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Researchers will take the gene that makes luciferase from the chromosome of a firefly and implant it into cancer cells that they will study in an animal.
The pattern and intensity of the light will tell researchers whether the cancer treatments are working within minutes, Rosol said. In the past, scientists had to wait until tumors had about 100 million cells before they could be seen; with the new technology tumors are visible when they have a few hundred cells, he said.
“This way is so much faster and cheaper than traditional technology,” Rosol said.
MRI ready to help detect cancer early
Magnetic Resonance Imaging is helping doctors catch some cancers that other procedures miss, according to a report from cbsnews.com.
MRI has detected evidence of cancer in women when mammograms and ultrasounds were clear of cancer, doctors said.
“I think it’s very encouraging for women who are at high risk because it gives them an additional weapon where breast cancer can be detected early and treated early,” said Dr. Elizabeth Morris of Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
MRI will not replace mammograms, but rather be another tool women can use, she said. Some drawbacks for the procedure include cost and false-positive results.
Pimple drug may affect pregnancies
An effective acne drug may result in severe-birth defects, according to a report from cbsnews.com.
The drug, Accutane, is a ‘pregnancy category-X’ – the most dangerous class of drug for developing babies, said dermatologist Dr. Barney Kenet.
Accutane interferes with the placenta, harming fetal development. It often cause abnormalities to the brain and face, however most pregnancies do not make it to full term, Kenet said.
“It’s just like any medication,” he said. “It needs to be used with caution, with education of the patient.”
Manufacturers suggest two forms of contraception for women using Accutane.
Concussions linked to depression
Concussions may increase the risk of clinical depression, according to The Associated Press.
A study of retired football players shows those who have suffered three to four concussions are twice as likely to suffer from depression. The risk is three times greater when the person has had five or more.
Memory problems can be lingering effects of a concussion. Doctors also fear the injury may make a person prone to neurological disease later in life.
The report estimates that 1.1 million people suffer concussions each year.
-compiled by Suzanne Cervenka
