Compound in breast milk fights harmful bacteria

A compound in human breast milk fights infections by harmful bacteria while allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive, according to researchers. Human breast milk has more than 200 times the amount of glycerol monolaurate (GML) than is found in cows' milk. Infant formula has none. Future research will determine if GML could be a beneficial additive to cow's milk and infant formula.

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'Wild idea' opens possible new frontier for preventing ovarian cancer

A laboratory study offers a new hypothesis about how ovarian cancer forms and suggests how it might be prevented. The study is the first to show that the natural stiffening of the ovaries called fibrosis occurs with age. It also suggests that the diabetes drug metformin may be able to halt this process.

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Innovative pancreatic cancer treatment may rev up immune system

A research team reports that combining a type of radiation therapy with immunotherapy not only cures pancreatic cancer in mice, but appears to reprogram the immune system to create an 'immune memory' in the same way that a vaccine keeps the flu away. The result is that the combination treatment also destroyed pancreatic cells that had spread to the liver, a common site for metastatic disease.

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Mapping normal breast development to better understand cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers, and some forms rank among the most difficult to treat. Its various types and involvement of many different cells makes targeting such tumors difficult. Now, researchers have used a state-of-the-art technology to profile each cell during normal breast development in order to understand what goes wrong in cancer.

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