ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 3, 1997 TAG: 9704030062
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-7 EDITION: METRO
Breast cancer cells' chemical `switch' found
NEW YORK - Scientists say they have identified a chemical switch that signals breast cancer cells to reproduce wildly, a finding that suggests a promising line of attack against the disease.
The switch, called MAP kinase, normally acts only briefly to tell a cell to divide, but a new study found that cells taken from breast cancer tissue contain five to 20 times the normal amount of the substance.
With such an overabundance, the substance appears to be giving a constant order to divide, causing the wildly reproducing cells seen in cancer, said researcher Craig Malbon of the State University of New York at Stony Brook.
Malbon, whose study appears in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, said the switch can be shut off in test-tube experiments, but it's not yet known whether that strategy would work in patients.
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
Restrictions tightened on shark fishing
WASHINGTON - The federal government put tight restrictions Wednesday on shark fishing, saying overfishing is jeopardizing the survival of some species.
``Atlantic shark populations are at a precarious state, and fishing pressure needs to be reduced,'' said Rebecca Lent, a senior official of the National Marine Fisheries Service, which imposed the new fishing quotas.
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
FAA orders inspections of Boeing 767 flaps
WASHINGTON - The Federal Aviation Administration, acting after a wing flap ripped off a Boeing 767, on Wednesday ordered operators of the aircraft to inspect all takeoff and landing flaps for defects.
The agency told operators of the aircraft to check the titanium bolts that hold the flaps to the wings within the next 15 days.
The order is the result of an incident last week in which a 20-foot section of a flap tore loose from the wing of a Delta jet preparing to land at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
Epilepsy drug Lamictal may cause fatal rashes
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. - Glaxo Wellcome's epilepsy drug Lamictal can cause potentially fatal rashes, the company warns in a new label and a letter sent to 360,000 doctors and health care professionals.
``Rare deaths have been reported, but their numbers are too few to permit a precise estimate of the rate,'' says the new warning on Lamictal's label.
London-based Glaxo Wellcome, whose U.S. headquarters are in Research Triangle Park, developed the warning with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, The News & Observer of Raleigh reported Wednesday.
The label and the warning letters sent March 22-23 advise doctors to discontinue use of the drug ``at the first sign of rash, unless the rash is clearly not drug-related.''
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
Capitol police force votes on union representation
WASHINGTON - The police force responsible for guarding the U.S. Capitol finished voting Wednesday in the first election among Capitol Hill employees to choose union representation.
According to unofficial results, Capitol Police narrowly favored the Teamsters over two other organizations seeking to represent them, the Fraternal Order of Police and the International Union of Police Associations.
A runoff will be held since no group captured a majority. The election was the result of legislation passed two years ago that makes members of Congress subject to the same labor laws as other employers.
-ASSOCIATED PRESS
LENGTH: Medium: 73 linesby CNB