Humans have a brand new organ
Scientists in Ireland have classified a brand-new organ inside human body, one that has been hiding in plain sight in our digestive system, proving the anatomic description laid down over 100 years of anatomy as incorrect. Researchers hope that the reclassification will aid better understanding and treatment of abdominal and digestive diseases. The mesentery, which connects the intestine to the abdomen, had for hundreds of years been considered a fragmented structure made up of multiple separate parts. However, new research by J Calvin Coffey, Professor of Surgery at University of limerick in Ireland, describes the mesentery as one, continuous structure. In a review published in The lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Coffey outlined the evidence for categorising the mesentery as an organ. “In the paper, which has been peer reviewed and assessed, we are now saying we have an organ in the body which has not been acknowledged as such to date,” Coffey said.
New vaccine against breast cancer
An experimental vaccine is safe and effectively stimulates the immune system leading to regression of early-stage breast cancer, show results of a clinical trial. Researchers created the vaccine from immune cells called dendritic cells that are harvested from each individual patient to create a personalised vaccine. The immune cell vaccine targets the HER2 protein on breast cancer cells. The HER2 protein is overexpressed in 20-25 per cent of all breast cancer tumors and is associated with aggressive disease and poor prognosis. Researchers had previously shown that immune cells are less able to recognise and target cancer cells that express HER2 as breast cancer progresses into an advanced stage.
Alcohol abuse ups heart condition risk
A new study says that alcohol abuse increases the risk of atrial fibrillation, heart attack and congestive heart failure, as much as other well-established risk factors such as high BP, diabetes, smoking and obesity. The study has been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Despite advances in prevention and treatments, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women in the US. Reducing alcohol abuse might result in meaningful reductions of heart disease, according to the researchers. “We found that even if you have no underlying risk factors, abuse of alcohol still increases the risk of these heart conditions,” said lead researcher Gregory M Marcus. Researchers analysed data from a database of all California residents ages 21 and older who received ambulatory surgery, emergency or inpatient medical care in California between 2005 and 2009.