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Mar 31, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- GRAPE COMPONENTS INHIBIT ENZYME KEY TO CANCER
Some newly identified components in grapes work together to inhibit an enzyme crucial to the proliferation of cancer cells, say Illinois researchers. Mary Ann Lila of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign used advanced molecular tools on grape-cell cultures to identify which flavonoids in grapes and red wine are most responsible for anti-cancer qualities. The study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, details a dozen newly discovered constituents in grape-cell culture extracts and how some of them work synergistically against an enzyme -- DNA topoisomerase II -- necessary for the spread of cancer.
DRUG TRIAL TO PREVENT BREAST CANCER
The ExCel research study, a U.S. and Canadian clinical trial, is evaluating using an aromatase inhibitor in the prevention of breast cancer. Exemestane is part of a class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors that suppresses estrogen production, a key component in the development of some types of breast cancer. Coordinated by the National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group, the ExCel research study will examine the potential benefit of exemestane and its ability to prevent breast cancer in women who are at increased risk for the disease. Exemestane could provide women with an alternative option to tamoxifen, the only drug approved by the U.S. government for prevention of breast cancer.
OFFER SOME CARE TO CAREGIVERS
Those caring for someone seriously or chronically ill have a challenging and demanding job with few breaks, according to Dallas researchers. "Caregivers need your help," says Dr. Elizabeth Paulk of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Parkland Health & Hospital System. "If you don't know what to say, just be there and do something -- good intentions don't count. Illness brings many problems, but it also provides opportunities for closeness and emotional and spiritual growth." Paulk advises making a meal, asking how the caregiver is doing and being open to the answer, giving gifts or gestures the recipient would be comfortable with, and always asking first, "How can I help?"
NEW TECHNIQUE HELPS AVOID AMPUTATIONS
A new surgical technique to relieve nerve compression may help diabetic patients avoid lower-leg amputations, says a Chicago-area foot and ankle surgeon. Kent R. DiNucci says foot and ankle surgeons are pioneering an approach to relieve pressure on nerves in diabetic feet that cause patients to lose feeling and develop serious foot ulcers. "It's a new way of looking at the old problem of diabetic neuropathy," DiNucci told the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons Annual Scientific Conference. "Most nerve problems in the lower extremities are considered to be neuropathy in diabetic patients, however, they can be described as carpal tunnel syndrome of the feet because the nerves swell and are compressed by surrounding ligaments."
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(EDITORS: For more information on GRAPE COMPONENTS contact Jim Barlow at 217-333-5802 or jebarlow@uiuc.edu. For CARGIVING, Staishy Bostick Siem at 214-648-3404.)
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
