Medical Portal

The group of the American scientists has managed to create a microchip, which can determine in blood the smallest fragments which have come off a primary cancer tumor and have got in a bloodstream (circulating malignant cells).
The novelty is a silicon chip as a plastic card in size with antibodies on its surface. These antibodies can determine protein contained in the majority of cancer tumors.

During the movement of blood along the chip, its surface draws malignant cells like glue. Therefore the microchip can find out one thousand malignant cells in 60 billion blood cells.

The new device has already been tested on blood samples of 68 patients with metastases from cancer of lung, prostate, breast, pancreas and large intestine. And, as scientists declare, they have managed to find out circulating malignant cells in 115 of 116 tested samples.

It is necessary to note, that circulating malignant cells in blood can lead to development of metastases outside the sick organ. These particles are fragile and rare, and are badly determined with the help of existing methods. Therefore scientists believe that the new technology can be used for diagnostics of cancer diseases, and also for the control of treatment’s efficiency.

Israeli company Arbel Medical has invented a new technology which, as it is hoped, will be shortly used for treatment of tumors and other benign and malignant neoplasms without surgical intervention.

Device IceSense is based on a method of cryotherapy which uses an extreme cold for destruction of affected tissues.

Founders of IceSense say that cryotherapy is easier than usual surgical operation. Besides, a patient recovers more quickly after it.

This method has less risk to leave in an organism cancer cells and does not leave scars at all.

IceSense is small on the size, therefore it can be used in local clinics. It also will save place in operating-rooms.

On December, 4 Chinese mass-media has informed about a unique case of recovery from HIV after 6 years after contamination.

According to the press, the terrible diagnosis has been put for the first time in 2001 and then it has been proved to be true during repeated analyses in 2003. However this July the result of the next test for HIV unexpectedly appeared negative. Since then the patient has visited four clinics and medical centers where traces of a human immunodeficiency virus also have not been found. The Chinese experts cannot explain this fact and are going to conduct a number of additional researches.

If everything will prove to be true, Ven Tsunchen will be the second person in the world, who has overcome the HIV. The first similar case has taken place with 25-years-old Scot Andrew Stimson. In August, 2002 he has received HIV-positive result. 14 months later the test appeared to be negative. He said: “I just daily took vitamins to be healthy and try to prevent development of high-grade AIDS”.

Experts-physicians, participants of campaigns against AIDS and activists of gay-movement say that if it is the truth, this phenomenon can have potential favorable consequences for millions of HIV-positive people.

Scientists from the British Institute of child’s health and the Italian University of Modena and Rejio Emily during research have found out a gene which determines risk of cancer development.

In research took part about 400 patients with a colon cancer, brain-growth or a chronic blood cancer.

In a result it has been established, that two variants of B-MYB gene were met at healthy people twice more often, than at oncological patients. Hence, scientists have drawn a conclusion, that carriers of two variants of this gene are less often ill with oncological diseases.

According to the last data, occurrence of anticancer variants of B-MYB gene varies in various ethnic groups: in particular, their carriers are 40 % of Italians, 50 % of natives from Africa and only 10 % of white Americans.

Researchers believe that new opening will help to create new methods of struggle against cancer.

The American scientists from California Pacific Medical Center, who conducted experiments on cellular lines, came to a conclusion that the substance CBD, contained in marihuana, prevents dissemination of breast cancer.

Scientists headed by Sean MacAlister have conducted a research and found out that with CBD’s help it is possible to block activity of a gene Id-1, which is responsible for distribution of cancer cells throughout an organism.

Scientists believe that blocking of gene Id-1 can be good alternative to chemotherapy as it has no side-effects. Besides, this substance does not have psychoactive action; therefore its application is ideal for the medical purposes.

However researchers warn that smoking marihuana to get rid or prevent cancer won’t help, as in such a way it is almost impossible to reach effective concentration of CBD.

WebMD informs that nicotinic dependence vaccine, created by Nabi Biopharmaceuticals, has successfully passed clinical trials.

The preparation appeared to be effective enough as vaccine NicVAX is based on stimulation of antibodies development, which binds molecules of nicotine in blood. Nicotine, as it is, can not overcome hematoencephalic barrier and penetrate into brain tissues that makes smoking less attractive.

In the research, conducted in nine medical centers in various cities of USA, participated about three hundred smokers who for six months have been given four or five injections of this vaccine (one group) or placebo (the second group).

During this treatment and in the following 6 months participants of an experiment were constantly observed by physicians. For this period gave up smoking 16 % from the group, which was given big dozes of a vaccine, 14 more % of volunteers, who were given lower dozes of vaccine, and only 6 % from the control group, who took placebo.

In the nearest future American scientists are going to conduct more tests to reveal side-effects.

Group of researchers from the Royal University in Belfast and university of Leeds has created a new material - biological cement which will facilitate a life to patients with heavy fractures and traumas of a backbone.

The new biological material, according to founders, is able to heal and restore an organism of the patient as a whole. Besides it, new cement will facilitate work of surgeons, and all other doctors too, as operations will be easier and faster, and time for recovery and cost of treatment will decrease.

According to one of the founders, this cement can be delivered to a place of fracture with the help of a simple injection, at that the biological material on its properties is close to the chemical compounds present in a bone tissue of the person.

In the nearest future the team of scientists plans to develop other materials, which are maximum close on their properties to natural. Besides it, developers want to add biological agents to cement, which will promote healing of fractures by an organism.

Turkish scientists for the first time in the world have created a medicine which stops any bleeding within several minutes.

The medication, which becomes irreplaceable means for treatment of hemophilia, also became the first local medicine, licensed by Turkish Ministry of Health.

The unique medicine is created on the basis of a mix of various plants: nettles, licorice, thyme, and grapevine. It, as it is informed, can be applied for treatment of other serious illnesses, in particular diabetes.

The recipe of medication for hemophilia Turkish physicians have developed on the basis of the ancient formula. They are going to tell in detail about the opening in British medical magazine International British Journal.

The group of British scientists has declared to have found a way to create eyes and their separate elements under laboratory conditions, informs Science Centric.

During the scientifically set experiment, researchers used 8-cellular frog embryo into which they have added the molecules named ectoenzymes (usually located on an external membrane of various cells).

Scientists have taken only three ectoenzyme molecules, trying to find out how each of them splits adenosine triphosphate, nucleotide which serves as an accumulator and energy carrier.

As a result of experiment scientists have found out that one ectoenzyme named E-NTPDase2, quickly transforming adenosine triphosphate in adenosine diphosphate (ADP), influences development of tadpole’s eyes. And if to inject ectoenzyme into cells of a germ, it forms an eye. But what is the most interesting – an eye can be formed not only in area of a head, but also in other parts, for example, in area of a belly and even a tail.

The group of scientists from the South-Korean University Honnam has managed to create the microscopic robot which can clear walls of arteries and veins of the person.

The robot is a small crab with six paws. Such structure of a body allows it to move free on a channel of a person’s vessel with a speed of 55 meters in a week.

Experts inform that the robot gets in a vessel of the person through a usual injection. It feeds on the energy from sugar chemical processing contained in blood of the person, that provides its full autonomy.

The robot is well trained by experts and if, for example, it meets atheromatosis plaque inside a vessel, it starts to secrete chemical substance which will dissolve pathological formation and will help to restore a lumen of an artery and strengthen its walls.

There is also a minus of the given invention - experts have not thought up how to deceive the immune system of the patient, which can perceive the robot as an alien body and destroy it before it will start to carry out its medical function.