http://www.physorg.com/ en-us Physorg.com internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Researchers have long suspected that overweight people tend to have large fat deposits in their pancreases, but they've been unable to confirm or calculate how much fat resides there because of the organ's location. http://www.physorg.com/news172819152.html Medicine & Health Tue, 22 Sep 2009 06:40:02 EST news172819152 Fibrosis is a key feature of chronic pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. The extensive deposition of extracellular matrix proteins fosters the development of an exocrine and endocrine organ insufficiency, and accelerates progression of the tumour. Pancreatic stellate cells (PSC) are the principal effector cells in pancreatic fibrosis. They are activated by profibrogenic mediators, which include, for example, cytokines and ethanol metabolites. So far, there are no therapies available to interfere with fibrogenesis in the diseased organ. http://www.physorg.com/news172397446.html Medicine & Health Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:12:01 EST news172397446 The intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms (IPMN) can evolve through all biological stages, from slight dysplasia to carcinoma. As one of the few surgically curable pancreatic tumors, accurate preoperative prediction of malignancy remains one of the major issues in the optimal treatment of IPMNs, and it also influences the outcome of the resection. http://www.physorg.com/news172311550.html Medicine & Health Wed, 16 Sep 2009 09:30:01 EST news172311550 By investigating a rare and severe form of diabetes in children, University of Iowa researchers have discovered a new molecular mechanism that regulates specialized pancreatic cells and insulin secretion. The mechanism involves a protein called ankyrin, which UI researchers previously linked to potentially fatal human heart arrhythmias. http://www.physorg.com/news171634645.html Medicine & Health Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:17:54 EST news171634645 A molecular signature that helps account for the aggressive behavior of a variety of cancers such as pancreatic, breast and melanoma may also predict the likelihood of successful treatment with a particular anti-cancer drug. The finding, which could lead to a personalized approach to treatment for a variety of solid tumors that are currently resistant to therapies, will be published September 6 in the advance online edition of Nature Medicine. http://www.physorg.com/news171462152.html Medicine & Health Sun, 06 Sep 2009 13:23:38 EST news171462152 Regardless of risk factors linked to pancreatic cancer, such as smoking and body mass index (BMI), blacks experienced higher rates of pancreatic cancer death than whites. http://www.physorg.com/news171031591.html Medicine & Health Tue, 01 Sep 2009 14:00:01 EST news171031591 Do patients choose where to get their care based on how long it takes to them to get there? Researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center have recently documented a growing trend in the centralization of cancer surgery -more patients seeking care at high volume centers, which are generally located in metropolitan areas. While trends like this should improve patient outcomes, a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology shows that there are still a good number of patients who will not travel a long distance to get their care. http://www.physorg.com/news170960897.html Medicine & Health Mon, 31 Aug 2009 18:40:04 EST news170960897 A multidisciplinary team led by Carnegie Mellon University computer scientist Edmund M. Clarke has received a five-year, $10 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Expeditions in Computing program to create revolutionary computational tools that will advance science on a broad array of fronts, from discovering new cancer treatments to designing safer aircraft. http://www.physorg.com/news169890411.html Technology Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:00:04 EST news169890411 Mad cow disease is caused by the accumulation of an abnormal protein, the prion, in the brain of an affected patient. Outside of the brain, very little is known about prions. Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, researchers have, for the first time, identified the prion as a biomarker for pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers in humans; the five year survival rate is less than 10 percent. http://www.physorg.com/news169751882.html Medicine & Health Mon, 17 Aug 2009 22:50:01 EST news169751882 Attention all smokeless tobacco users! It's time to banish the comforting notion that snuff and chewing tobacco are safe because they don't burn and produce inhalable smoke like cigarettes. A study that looked beyond the well-researched tobacco hazards, nitrosamines and nicotine, has discovered a single pinch -- the amount in a portion -- of smokeless tobacco exposes the user to the same amount of another group of dangerous chemicals as the smoke of five cigarettes. http://www.physorg.com/news169644304.html Chemistry Sun, 16 Aug 2009 12:40:01 EST news169644304 A new diagnostic tool developed by Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) scientists has shown promising results when used with patients of pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest forms of cancer due to the difficulty of diagnosing it in its early stages. The method, which studies carbohydrate structures in the bloodstream, could lead to the development of blood tests that can detect cancer more effectively. http://www.physorg.com/news168526022.html Medicine & Health Mon, 03 Aug 2009 14:00:02 EST news168526022 Taking the most commonly-prescribed anti-diabetic drug, metformin, reduces an individual's risk of developing pancreatic cancer by 62 percent, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, published in the Aug. 1 issue of Gastroenterology. http://www.physorg.com/news168324813.html Medicine & Health Sat, 01 Aug 2009 09:00:01 EST news168324813 Smoking has once again been implicated in the development of advanced cancer. Exposure to nicotine by way of cigarette smoking may increase the likelihood that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma will become metastatic, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. Their study was published in the August edition of the journal Surgery. http://www.physorg.com/news167922110.html Medicine & Health Mon, 27 Jul 2009 14:30:02 EST news167922110 Scientists have identified a master regulator gene for early embryonic development of the pancreas and other organs, putting researchers closer to coaxing stem cells into pancreatic cells as a possible cure for type1 diabetes. http://www.physorg.com/news167311578.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:50:01 EST news167311578 Every year, 42,000 Americans are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Few live very long, and less than 5% are still alive five years after diagnosis. http://www.physorg.com/news167310392.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:30:01 EST news167310392 Prognosis of pancreatic cancer is poor. Recently, it has been clarified that the grade of tumor angiogenesis is a useful prognostic marker in human cancer, including pancreatic cancer. To establish the grade of tumor angiogenesis by non-invasive imaging may be important clinically. However, there are only a few such reports on pancreatic cancer. http://www.physorg.com/news166968779.html Medicine & Health Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:17:44 EST news166968779 Pancreatitis is often a fatal condition, in which the pancreas digests itself and surrounding tissue. Scientists have previously found that alcohol can trigger the condition by combining with fatty acids in the pancreas, which leads to an excessive release of stored calcium ions. Once calcium ions enter cell fluid in the pancreas it activates digestive enzymes and damages the cells. http://www.physorg.com/news165489834.html Medicine & Health Mon, 29 Jun 2009 10:40:03 EST news165489834 High intake of dietary fats from red meat and dairy products was associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, according to a new study published online June 26 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news165255064.html Medicine & Health Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:11:34 EST news165255064 In reviewing the weight history of pancreatic cancer patients across their life spans, researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center have determined that a high body mass index in early adulthood may play a significant role in an individual developing the disease at an earlier age. http://www.physorg.com/news164994503.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:49:15 EST news164994503 Pancreatic cancer is a devastating disease with poor prognosis. This warrants the development of novel therapies including gene therapy. However, clinical studies have demonstrated poor efficacy of adenoviral gene therapy because of the absence of adenoviral binding sites on pancreatic cancer cells such as the coxsackie and adenovirus receptor (CAR). Circumventing CAR-mediated entry therefore seems a promising option to improve adenoviral entry into pancreatic cancer cells and to enhance the efficacy of adenoviral vectors. http://www.physorg.com/news164977499.html Medicine & Health Tue, 23 Jun 2009 12:06:32 EST news164977499 A set of expert consensus-based, quality-of-care indicators identified considerable variability in the quality of pancreatic cancer care among hospitals and may be used to evaluate and identify areas for improvement, according to a new study in the June 9 online issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. http://www.physorg.com/news163822485.html Medicine & Health Wed, 10 Jun 2009 03:15:36 EST news163822485 A protein related to aggressive cancers can actually improve the efficacy of gemcitabine at treating pancreatic cancer, according to a Priority Report in Cancer Research, published by researchers at Thomas Jefferson University. http://www.physorg.com/news163331753.html Medicine & Health Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:56:19 EST news163331753 Pancreatic cancer and bile duct cancer are difficult to diagnose and often fatal because they are discovered in the advanced stages of the disease. Researchers have developed new tests that double the ability to detect bile duct and pancreatic cancers, according to a Mayo Clinic study published in the June issue of Gastroenterology. http://www.physorg.com/news163061370.html Medicine & Health Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:49:53 EST news163061370 A drug widely used to treat Type 2 diabetes may have unintended effects on the pancreas that could lead to a form of low-grade pancreatitis in some patients and a greater risk of pancreatic cancer in long-term users, UCLA researchers have found. http://www.physorg.com/news160326333.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 16:05:54 EST news160326333 After surgery to remove the head of the pancreas, invagination of the pancreas into the small intestine resulted in a lower rate of pancreatic fistula, according to researchers at the Jefferson Pancreas, Biliary and Related Cancer Center. The research was published in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. It was performed as a randomized trial - the gold standard for studies. http://www.physorg.com/news160311885.html Medicine & Health Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:05:22 EST news160311885 Meat cooked at high temperatures to the point of burning and charring may increase the risk of pancreatic cancer, according to data presented at the American Association for Cancer Research 100th Annual Meeting 2009. http://www.physorg.com/news159559671.html Medicine & Health Tue, 21 Apr 2009 19:08:35 EST news159559671 A combination of two targeted therapies packs a powerful punch to kill pancreatic cancer cells in the laboratory, Mayo Clinic cancer researchers report. With further testing of these drugs that are from classes of pharmaceuticals already used in patients, the Mayo research may lead to new treatment opportunities for patients with pancreatic cancer, which is extremely difficult to treat. http://www.physorg.com/news159439961.html Medicine & Health Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:53:09 EST news159439961 An herb recently found to kill pancreatic cancer cells also appears to inhibit development of pancreatic cancer as a result of its anti-inflammatory properties, according to researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson. The data were presented at the AACR 100th Annual Meeting 2009 in Denver. http://www.physorg.com/news159371846.html Medicine & Health Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:58:19 EST news159371846 Finally some promising news about pancreatic cancer, one of the most fatal cancers, due to the difficulties of early detection and the lack of effective therapies: Johns Hopkins University pathologist Akhilesh Pandey has identified an epidermal growth factor receptor aberrantly active in approximately a third of the 250 human pancreatic cancers studied. http://www.physorg.com/news159370670.html Biology Sun, 19 Apr 2009 14:38:20 EST news159370670 Researchers at Amgen are testing a fully human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the activity of insulin-like growth factors (IGF-1 and IGF-2) and appears to reduce pancreatic cancer cells in early testing, according to a report in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. http://www.physorg.com/news158936367.html Medicine & Health Tue, 14 Apr 2009 14:00:10 EST news158936367