Tiny molecules that help cells regulate which proteins they make might one day help doctors predict which liver-cancer patients are likely to live longer than others, new research suggests.Researchers compared levels of molecules called microRNA in tumor cells and adjacent nontumor cells from liver-cancer patients, most of whom also had hepatitis and cirrhosis.

The Center for Science Writings at Stevens Institute of Technology presents, “Big Fat Lies: The Truth about Diet, Exercise and Obesity” on Wednesday, February 6. At the event, Gary Taubes, an award-winning writer for Science, the New York Times Magazine and other publications, will discuss his controversial new bestseller, Good Calories, Bad Calories. Taubes’ book argues that much of what we have been told about the relationship between body weight, diet and exercise is wrong.

If a diseased heart is too weak to maintain an adequate flow of blood through the arteries, a mechanical pump can share the workload, allowing the heart to rest and recover. Researchers conduct tests on the pump’s software to ensure that it functions safely at all times.If the heart has been weakened by an infarct or disease, it is often no longer able to provide the body with an adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood.

Patients with locally advanced laryngopharyngeal cancers who receive radical chemoradiation have significantly better voice outcomes during the 12 months following treatment when compared with patients who have undergone a total laryngectomy and surgical voice restoration, according to a study in the February 1 issue of the International Journal for Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, the official journal of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology.

A protein found in the common human virus cytomegalovirus (CMV) appears to be a key factor in making brain tumors more aggressive and faster spreading. That’s the finding of a new study in the journal Cancer Research.

Two new analyses of observational data presented at Community Oncology Conference reported a significantly lower proportion of patients receiving transfusions when erythropoiesis- stimulating agents (ESAs) treatment was initiated at hemoglobin (Hb) levels between 10 to 11 grams per deciliter (g/dL) of blood compared with patients having Hb levels less than 10 g/dL prior to ESA treatment. In addition, wide variability in hemoglobin levels prior to transfusion was reported.

The word is out: women are at risk for heart disease, just like men. In fact, roughly twice as many women in this country will die of heart disease, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases than from all forms of cancer combined, including breast cancer, according to the American Heart Association. Risk factors for heart disease and stroke have long been identified.

As a leader in cardiovascular treatment and the exclusive Bay Area “hometown” partner for the national “Go Red for Women” program, Abbott (http://www.abbott.com) is partnering with the American Heart Association (AHA) to raise awareness about heart disease, the leading cause of death for women in America.

Diuretics appear to show similar or better results for treating hypertension in patients with metabolic syndromes, when compared with calcium-channel blockers, alpha-blockers, or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. In a report in the January 28 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA/Archives journal, the latter appeared to offer no advantage in improving the clinical outcome.

A European survey has issued preliminary results which show flu virus resistance to oseltamivir (Tamiflu). Some samples of the A (H1N1) virus, a human flu virus which is spreading in Europe this winter, is resistant to Tamiflu, a well-known antiviral drug.