A. A Novel Cancer Treatment Takes a Big Step
Narrator:
This is Science Today. For the first
time, a virus that's been engineered to selectively
kill cancer cells, is advancing to a clinical trial
known as Phase 3, which determines whether or not
the treatment can be used in clinical practice.
Dr. Frank McCormick, who directs the University
of California, San Francisco Cancer Center, developed
the virus being used, which is called Onyx-015.
McCormick:
It's
definitely been clear for quite a long time that
viruses do have some preference with replicating
in cancer cells and that people have tried before,
way back, to do this kind of thing. But this is
the first specifically engineered virus that's gone
this far.
Narrator:
Onyx-015 is an adenovirus, one of the causes of
the common cold. But it lacks a specific gene that
neutralizes a tumor suppressive protein called p53,
which is also sensitive to viral attack in normal
cells. But cancer cells, for the most part, lack
functional p53.
McCormick:
By taking out the gene that neutralizes p53, we've
made a virus that can only grow in cells that don't
have any p53. The results we've attained so far
are encouraging and promising, but we haven't formally
begun to prove that this is having a clinical benefit.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
B.
Dietary Supplements Alone Can Not Prevent Disease
Narrator:
This
is Science Today. A recent survey has found that
more older Americans, the population most at risk
of cancer, are taking dietary supplements as a cancer
prevention, rather than eating more cancer-protective
foods. Dr. Cheryl Rock of the University of California,
San Diego, says many people seem to equate nutrition
and prevention with vitamin and mineral supplements.
Rock:
It's important to note that the bulk
of the evidence that has linked some possible protective
effect has not been through supplements, it's actually
been through dietary choices. And it underscores
how there is so much in food that we are only just
beginning to identify and understand in terms of
its cancer prevention potential. So, it's the whole
package of what you eat, rather than prescribing
a particular supplement.
Narrator:
In the older population, there's
a tendency to not want to spend a lot of time cooking.
But Rock says that's not necessary.
Rock:
If you have some frozen vegetables
that can easily be popped in the microwave and ready
to eat in seven minutes, it can make the difference
between doing it and not.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
C.
Why One Concussion in Young Athletes Increases Risk
of Another
Narrator:
This is Science Today. It's been found that college
and high school football players, who have suffered
from one concussion, are three times more likely
to suffer from another, compared to players who
have never experienced head trauma. Dr. Martin Holland,
a professor of neurosurgery at the University of
California, San Francisco says previous studies
found more than half of high school football players
returned to the game the same day as a loss of consciousness.
Holland:
We have to educate trainers, educate
coaches, educate parents and educate the players
themselves in terms of somebody should realize,
"look, I've just got my bell rung, I'm gonna stay
out of the next couple of games."
Narrator:The
new study was conducted by researchers at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Holland says
it confirms previous theories that one concussion
increases the chances of getting a second one, which
can lead to second impact syndrome.
Holland:
The recovery after the second injury is longer.
That's one of the reasons why we don't want to let
athletes go back too soon, because this is well
established, especially in the younger populations.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
D.
The Simple Truth about Scientific Studies
Narrator:
This is Science Today. It's not uncommon
for the findings of a scientific study to be later
contradicted by a follow-up. In fact Dr. Andrew
Avins, an epidemiologist at the University of California,
San Francisco, says that's just how science works.
Avins:
Everybody who does this kind of work
knows that we're always at risk for finding things
that may not be true. That's just the reality of
this kind of work and we know that our results have
to be confirmed by other scientists and that frequently,
because of these chance effects they're not confirmed.
Narrator:
When it comes to matters that could affect our
health, Avins says this can be very frustrating
not just for the public, but also for doctors and
clinicians.
Avins:
Because we don't get nice pat, simple answers. But
the fact is the human body is an enormously complex
organism and it is very resistant to providing very
neat, pat answers.
Narrator:
In his own work, Avins has come up with contradictory
findings to another study that had suggested trigylceride
levels in men can predict heart disease.
Avins:
So
I understand the frustration of individuals and
clinicians who are trying to make sense out of this,
but the reality is, these aren't simple matters.
Narrator:
For
Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
E.
A More Efficient Way to Inspect Bridges
Narrator:
This is Science Today. This is Science
Today. A revolutionary way to inspect bridge decks
has been developed by researchers at the Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory. Each year, highway
inspectors shut down bridge lanes to conduct tedious
visual and sound inspection of the decks. But Lab
physicist Jose Hernandez says they've created the
HERMES bridge inspector to do the job more efficiently.
Hernandez:
It's this moving, high-speed machine that can give
you a picture of what's inside of the deck without
having to shut down the traffic or remove the asphalt.
It's a trailer that was meant to be pulled by a
truck or some other vehicle and on the rear of the
trailer we have an array with sixty-four antennas.
Narrator:
These are hooked up to 64 radar sensors pioneered
at the Lab that can penetrate the concrete and give
inspectors a view of the bridge deck that's similar
to a cat scan.
Hernandez:
It's really a first prototype, it's a research tool.
The federal highway administration is currently
testing it throughout the country, trying to assess
the capabilities and limitations.
Narrator:
For Science Today, I'm Larissa Branin.
