Lawrence LeBlond for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online Invasive bladder cancer (IBC), a malignant disease that currently affects more than 375,000 people worldwide, has been found to be caused by a single type of cell in the lining of the bladder, according to researchers with the Stanford University School of Medicine. The researchers say this is the first study to pinpoint the normal cell type that can give rise to IBC. It is also the first study to show that most bladder cancers and their precancerous lesions arise from just one cell, which could also explain why many bladder cancers recur after therapy. Weve learned that, at an intermediate stage during cancer progression, a single cancer stem cell and its progeny can quickly and completely replace the entire bladder lining, Philip Beachy, PhD, professor of biochemistry and of developmental biology, said in a statement. All of these cells have already taken several steps along the path to becoming an aggressive tumor. Thus, even when invasive carcinomas are successfully removed through surgery, this corrupted lining remains in place and has a high probability of progression. Beachy and colleagues found that while cancer stem cells and the precancerous lesions they form express an … Continue reading →

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 21-Apr-2014 Contact: Lee-Ann Donegan leeann.donegan@uphs.upenn.edu 215-349-5660 University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (PHILADELPHIA) Despite decades of common use for surgeries of all kinds, the precise mechanism through which general anesthesia works on the body remains a mystery. This may come as a surprise to the millions of Americans who receive inhaled general anesthesia each year. New research led by the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania investigated the common anesthetic sevoflurane and found that it binds at multiple key cell membrane protein locations that may contribute to the induction of the anesthetic response. Their findings will appear online in PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science). Previous studies have suggested that inhaled general anesthetics such as sevoflurane might work by inactivating sodium channels, specialized protein conduits that open in response to stimuli, like voltage changes, and allow sodium ions to cross the cell membranes of nerve cells. Despite the physiological importance of sodium channels and their possible role as general anesthetic targets, little is known about interaction sites or the mechanism of action. Penn's Roderic Eckenhoff, MD, vice chair for Research and the Austin Lamont Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care leads a … Continue reading →