A study by Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers found activation of pathways involved in cell death, inflammation, and systemic damage in smokers. The analysis revealed hallmarks of liver, heart, and kidney toxicity in healthy patients, paving the way for new blood tests to assess tobacco product harm.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found no conclusive evidence linking joint complaints to inflammatory arthritis or autoimmune disease in women taking aromatase inhibitors. However, they suggest encouraging women to continue taking the medication despite joint pain.
A new Georgetown University Medical Center study found that up to 40% of scleroderma patients will not be correctly diagnosed using a commercial screening test. The researchers evaluated over 200 scleroderma patients and found that the test failed to identify patients with specific antibodies, highlighting the need for alternative test...
A national study conducted by the National Cancer Institute found that CT scanning can reduce lung cancer deaths by 20% in former and current heavy smokers. The study, which involved over 53,000 participants, compared low-dose helical CT with standard chest X-ray screening.
Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center found that robotic radiosurgery improved symptoms in patients with hilar lung tumors, reducing pain and improving breathing. However, the treatment did not show a significant impact on overall survival rates.
A new study found higher progression-free survival rates for HPV-positive head and neck cancer patients treated with cetuximab and intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). Patients showed a 100% one-year progression-free survival rate compared to 31% for those without HPV.
Researchers are conducting a phase II clinical trial using reovirus, a common virus that causes mild symptoms, to target and kill specific tumor cells with KRAS or EGFR mutations. The goal is to exploit the virus's ability to replicate in cancer cells while minimizing harm to healthy cells.
Researchers have made a breakthrough in Ewing's sarcoma treatment with the discovery of a novel small molecule that blocks key protein interactions. The $4.37 million NCI grant will fund preclinical toxicology studies to accelerate the development process.
Researchers found that blind individuals use specialized modules in the visual cortex to process spatial location, analysis of space, patterns, and motion. This neural plasticity enables them to refine their sense of sound and touch, exceeding sighted people's abilities.
Georgetown University School of Medicine family medicine physician Susan Okie provides an overview of changes made by the FDA under Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. The FDA has adopted a more proactive approach to its public health mission, and is working to address growing pains within the agency.
Researchers found that vitamin D supplementation reduced the development of endometrial cancer in obese mice by 60%, compared to those not treated with the supplement. The study suggests that vitamin D may offer a simple way to reduce endometrial cancer risk for women, particularly those who are overweight or obese.
Researchers found that genes in a signaling network, not just individual molecules, contribute to resistance. Most genes were not mutated, but rather altered their function to evade treatment. The study's findings highlight the need for new therapeutic approaches targeting the complex interactions within cancer cell networks.
A commentary calls for a new funding model with strategic priorities to ensure America's position as a world leader in biomedical research. The current system has not evolved to keep pace with science, leading to stagnation in discoveries and innovation.
The Georgetown-Howard Universities Center for Clinical & Translational Science will support 109 positions and collaborate with multiple institutions to develop novel translational methodologies in drug discovery and genome-environment interactions. The partnership aims to address health disparities and improve prevention, diagnosis, an...
The authors propose a new paradigm for breast cancer screening, shifting focus from mammography to more effective early detection methods. Behavioral interventions appear to have limited impact on repeat screening rates, and media attention highlights the flaws of current technologies.
Researchers propose a testable model of human tinnitus suggesting that the brain's limbic system, which normally blocks sound sensations sent from non-real sources, is compromised in people with tinnitus. This could lead to new therapeutic approaches by restoring the feedback loop and eliminating phantom sounds.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found that no new medical strategies exist to prevent or treat fetal alcohol syndrome, a disorder caused by alcohol exposure during pregnancy. Despite ongoing research, sensitive diagnostic tools are lacking, and more investigation is needed into biomarkers and prevention programs.
The study found a 19 percent decrease in common infections among children who drank DanActive, with specific reductions in gastrointestinal and upper respiratory tract infections. However, the reduction did not result in fewer missed school days or activities.
Researchers found that minor adjustments to estrogen receptor alpha and p53 genes can lead to precancerous changes in breast tissue. Testing healthy women for these gene variations may help predict future breast cancer risk.
Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center identify a potential new combination therapy to increase or 'rescue' sensitivity to fulvestrant in ER+ breast cancers. The study found that the cytokine IFNγ appears to increase IRF1 expression, leading to increased apoptosis of cancer cells.
A new WHI analysis found an association between breast density changes and increased breast cancer risk in women taking estrogen plus progestin therapy. Researchers used mammograms from over 150,000 women, including those with invasive breast cancer, to determine that a decline in mammographic density was linked to lower cancer risk.
A Georgetown University Medical Center research team is developing new smoking cessation drugs based on an unconventional theory about nicotine addiction. The theory suggests that nicotine addiction results from smokers trying to maintain the increased number of brain nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in a desensitized state.
Researchers from Georgetown University Medical Center are studying multiple ways to address treatment-resistant breast cancers. A third approach involves triggering vulnerable cells to respond to existing treatments, while another study focuses on targeting orphan nuclear receptors to prevent resistance.
Researchers found that high levels of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-β1) in breast cells may indicate atypical hyperplasia, a potentially precancerous condition. The study suggests that TGF-β1 could be part of a panel of genes and proteins used to identify women at risk of developing breast cancer.
Researchers have identified three new targets for potential treatment of Ewing's sarcoma, a genetic exchange between chromosomes that results in a fused gene. Additionally, two small molecules have been found to prevent or treat the spread of osteosarcoma, a very aggressive cancer.
A new study suggests that high estrogen levels in men may increase their risk of developing prostate cancer. However, the researchers also found that certain estrogen metabolites may offer a protective benefit against prostate cancer development.
Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center found that a high-fat diet during pregnancy increases breast cancer risk not only in daughters but also in their female and male offspring's daughters. The study suggests that pregnant mothers should eat well-balanced diets to potentially reduce the risk of breast cancer in...
Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Center have identified molecular markers on breast tumors that can predict which cancers will metastasize to the lymph node system. These markers, found in both breast cancer cells and sentinel lymph nodes removed from patients, may help reduce false negative rates in sentinel node biopsy.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center discovered that morphine protects rat neurons against HIV toxicity, a finding that might help design new neuroprotective therapies. Morphine inhibited HIV protein gp120 and induced production of CCL5, which suppresses HIV infection.
A new drug, PD-0332991, has been found to effectively block the growth of glioblastoma cells in laboratory tests and animal studies. The agent targets specific molecules that drive cell division in cancer cells, offering a potential new treatment option for this deadly form of brain cancer.
Researchers at Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center are working on a five-year $7.5 million grant to understand the role of the estrogen receptor in breast cells, aiming to develop more advanced and targeted therapies for ER+ breast cancer cases. The project involves collaborative research with Virginia Tech and Fox Chase Cancer Center.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found that female sex chromosomes, not just hormones, help regulate blood pressure. Male mice with female sex chromosomes experience hypertension seen in postmenopausal women.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center discover a compound found in feverfew may block pro-survival signals in breast cancer cells resistant to tamoxifen. This finding provides insight into the biological roots of resistance and tests a novel way to overcome it.
A new investigational agent YC137 was found to restore sensitivity of breast cancer cells to treatment by fulvestrant, a commonly used drug for estrogen-receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer. The study suggests that using an agent that can hit multiple Bcl2 proteins will be more effective in overcoming tumor resistance.
Researchers at Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center report a significant advance in personalized medicine using a new chip that examines hundreds of genetic mutations. The chip, called DMET, could replace highly-specialized and labor-intensive genotyping tools, accelerating cancer research and treatment.
A new study presents a promising approach to re-sensitize breast cancer to standard therapy after it becomes resistant. The treatment combination of an aromatase inhibitor and sorafenib shows encouraging responses in 20% of post-menopausal women with metastatic breast cancer, offering a potential new treatment option.
Research from the CISNET network finds that biennial screening reduces breast cancer mortality by 16.5% and false-positive rates by half, while minimizing unnecessary biopsies and anxiety.
African Americans are less likely to receive kidney/pancreas transplants than similar patients in other racial groups, despite increased Medicare coverage. Physician bias may be a contributing factor, with doctors assuming African Americans have type 2 diabetes when they may actually qualify for type 1 diabetes.
A new treatment option has been discovered for patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer who are not candidates for surgery. Radical stereotactic radiosurgery performed with CyberKnife leads to a 100% overall survival rate in patients with good lung function, according to a recent study.
Researchers found that multiple sessions of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) result in less brain swelling compared to a single high-dose treatment. This innovative approach offers good tumor control with fewer side effects and less time than conventional therapy.
Researchers found that two brain structures, the deep layers of superior colliculus and amygdala, interact to regulate emotional responses. Activation of one structure can lead to defensive behaviors, while inhibition of the other reveals a complex interaction between the two.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found that a tailored approach to physical therapy can restore a wider variety of functions in rats with spinal cord injuries. After four weeks of training on a robotic device, trained animals had shorter stride lengths and improved walking performance compared to non-trained animals.
Researchers found that young animals treated with commonly-prescribed mood, pain, and epilepsy drugs developed behavioral abnormalities in adulthood. The study suggests these drugs may predispose to psychiatric disorders later in life.
Using electrophysiological recording techniques, researchers found neurons tuned to fundamental frequencies and harmonic sounds in awake monkeys. This discovery sheds light on the neural mechanisms of music processing and its potential therapeutic benefits for patients with severe neurological disorders.
Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center found that a growth factor implicated in mental retardation disorders regulates dendritic spine development and spatial learning. Increasing the transport of this growth factor may be a way to treat these conditions.
Researchers found that antiepileptic drugs administered during brain development increase schizophrenia-like behaviors in animal models. In humans, having a history of seizures is a significant risk factor for developing schizophrenia.
High concentrations of glutamate activate the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 (mGlu1 receptors), which become protective against toxic effects. This finding may lead to rational drug design for therapeutic approaches to protect against excitotoxic brain damage following injury and neurodegenerative diseases.
Researchers have found elevated levels of gamma-synuclein in depressed animals and humans, highlighting its role in regulating neurotransmitters. The study may provide new therapeutic targets for treating depression, which currently has limited effective treatments.
Research at Georgetown University Medical Center found that APP plays a critical role in brain development, connection of synapses, and dendritic spine development. Overproducing APP can lead to Abeta plaques and cognitive decline, highlighting the importance of maintaining balance in APP protein expression.
Researchers found that increased calcium current density occurs before seizure onset, and remains elevated during seizure susceptibility periods.