Scientists Managed To Create Engineered Cancer-Killing T-Cells That Target Melanoma

Scientists from University of California – Los Angeles have managed to determine stem cell to differentiate into a type of�engineered T-cells that target�cancer�cells in human model patients suffering from melanoma. These�cancer killing T-cells could hep about 40 percent of�Caucasian patients�that are�experiencing this awful disease.

Previous studies have demonstrated that human stem cells�can be determined to differentiate after genetic alteration, into�melanoma fighting�T-cells in mouse models.

Jeroma Zack, senior�author and his team now tried to�prove that�engineered T-cells have the ability to attack�cancer cells�in a relevant model�of human disease – melanoma�. The researchers discovered that the engineered�cells have functioned as designed, attacking cancer cells.�The study was published��in the online edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal.

Every�cell in the human body posses its own type of antigens,�and for this study researchers used a cloned�T-cell receptor that binds with a particular�melanoma cancer cell antigen. Afterwards, they modified the blood stem cells�by inserting in their nucleus genes�that code the T-cell receptor�using a viral vector. The genes are incorporated in the stem cells DNA enabling them to be�able to differentiate into cancer-fighting cells only when needed. The best part� is that only a small part of the engineered stem cell can differentiate into�specific cancer fighting�T-cells when they sense the presence of the melanoma antigen. These type of genetically modified stem cells can remain dormant in the blood periphery and only start to replicate when melanoma antigen stimulates them.

During the research, the engineered blood stem cells were injected into a human thymus ( the body’s site of T-cell differentiation) and then implanted in mice. This approach made possible studying the human�immune system response to cancer using a living model. After 6 weeks, the genetically modified stem cells differentiate into specific melanoma�T-cells that started to attack�the desired�cancerous cells.�Furthermore, the mice were implanted two different types of melanoma, one with the specific antigen that stimulates the genetically modified T-cells to differentiate and one melanoma type that did not. The genetically modified cells�were attracted only by the cancer type that expressed the specific antigen; the control tumor remained untouched.

Engineered T-Cell

The study was conducted on nine mice, in four subjects the melanomas that presented the expression of the specific antigen were completely disposed. In the remaining five mice, a significant decrease of tumor size was noticed.

The results are quite promising as scientists now hope to be able to genetically modify stem cells to differentiate into engineered T-cells that coud fight different types of cancers like breast cancer or prostate cancer. The the downside is that their function is not a long-term one and more and more engineered T-cells need to be produced to sustain this kind of immune response. One possible solution would be engineering both the peripheral T-cells�and the blood�stem cells lines�to differentiate into this king of cancer seeking�T-cells.

Smiling Is An Inherited Behavior That Begins In The Womb

British researchers�discovered�that the mechanism responsible for�smiling develops�in the�intrauterine life. Scientists reached this conclusion after studying two babies, using sophisticated techniques to view the fetus in the womb.

The�Study�conducted at the�University of Durham provides evidence that laughter and smiles are an, which is activated only in response to environmental stimuli.

In humans, facial movements occur in the first 10 weeks after birth, following that, with time, become increasingly complex.

Researchers used an ultrasound device to�record�two babies facial expression�in their mothers wombs. Analyzing the facial movements, from the 30th week of life,�specialists could identify specific expressions such as�laughter and crying. Four weeks later, less than a month before birth,� recognizable expressions were already�easy to identify. In these circumstances,�researchers�stated�that, when smiling, babies do not imitate a behavioral�movement observed in others, it is a manifestation of an independent action which was not learned but inherited.

Smiling Baby Ultrasound

Although researchers now support the idea that the smile is an�inherited behavior, they have not�established a�clear scientific�explanation yet.

One potential explanation could be related to the functioning of the nervous system. Scientifically speaking, the smile is one characteristic of higher primates facial expressions. Although chimpanzees have the same number of pairs of facial muscles like the humans, 23 to be more exact, there is�one�key difference. Of the six pairs of muscles responsible for�laughing, the�risorius muscle pair, which lifts the�corners of�the mouth, is specific to humans.

Another theory�that�could that be valid claims that smile is “pre-programmed” to all�people. All humans smile. Some people who suffer from mental disorders may smile or laugh for no reason, and this type of spasmodic smile appears more like a reflex than a social�emotions signal. However, normally, smile is a universal expression of joy, in all cultures.

The�study is also�supported by Darwin’s theories. He noted that in�children�that are�born deaf and blind, smile appears as an expression of joy and happiness and not as a�product�of learning.

�Erectile Dysfunction Linked To Multiple Medication Use, According To New Study

Erectile dysfunction�was linked to�multidrug therapy, according to a study published in the online�British Journal Of Urology International.

The study was conducted on a group of 37,712 men from Southern California and concluded that more severe erectile dysfunction cases were diagnosed in men on various multidrug therapies.

The followed therapies and drug use information (one year period between 2002 -2003) were obtained from the records of diverse pharmacies. From the 37,712 men surveyed, 20 percent were diagnosed with moderate or severe erectile dysfunction. Besides multiple drug use, �erectile dysfunction was also correlated with advanced age, high cholesterol levels, obesity, high glucose levels, hypertension depression�and smoking habits.

The study results indicate that�current�patient�therapies and possible side effects�should be reviewed�also taking erectile dysfunction into account. When appropriate, changing the drugs or dose should be also considered by the attending physician.

Erectile dysfunction prevalence increased in all age�groups with the number of�drugs used.

• 0 � 2 drugs used��������������� 16,126 men��������������������� 15.9%�men with moderate�erectile dysfunction
• 3 – 5� drugs used����������������10,046 men���������������������19.7% �men with moderate erectile dysfunction
• 6 – 9� drugs used���������������� 6,870 men�����������������������25.5% �men with moderate erectile dysfunction
• >10� �drugs used����������������� 4,670 men�����������������������30.9%�men with moderate erectile dysfunction

Multidrug Therapy

Erectile�dysfunction association was�more common�in antihypertensive medication use, medication which can interfere with testosterone pathways and psychogenic medication. More than 57 per cent of men that were included in the study were taking more than 3 medications.�Multidrug�therapy was more common in older men (53 per cent of men aged 50-59 years were on three or more drugs). About 73 per cent�of men had a body mass index greater than 35 kg/m2 and also used more than three medications, 25 per cent of the men surveyed used ten or more than ten medications.

Researchers found that 57 percent of men in the study took more than three medications. Use of multiple medications was the greatest among older age groups, with 53 percent of men ages 50 to 59 years taking at least three medications and 66 percent men ages 60 to 70 taking at least three medications. Seventy-three percent of the men who used more than three medications had a BMI greater than 35 kg/m2 (obese). Twenty-five percent of the men used at least 10 medications.

Erectile dysfunction is a condition�that affects more and more men�in the�US and around the word. About 35 per cent of men aged over 60 suffer from one form or another of erectile dysfunction.

Malignant Melanoma Successfully Treated With Sidenafil (Viagra)

One of the tumor side�effects�is chronic�inflammation which in turn can “numb” the immune system preventing it from attacking tumoral cells. A new study conducted by scientists from The German Research Center�on mice , demonstrated that individuals with�melanoma�that were treated with sidenafil (Viagra), lived twice�as long as�untreated cancerous mice.

In the first�phase the�body immune system reacts and gets into action in case of almost any cancer type, but not necessarily for the patient’s own good. There are�two main types of immune system�response according to Dr. Viktor Umansky, imunologist at University Medical Center Mannheim.�The immune system kicks into action and�starts targeting tumor cells but on the other hand, almost each tumor type determines a chronic�inflammatory response that numbs the specific anti-cancer immunity.

During the inflammatory immune response, specialized immune cells after migrating in the tumoral area start secreting molecules of characteristic immune mediators. The aim of this study was to diminish chronic inflammatory response process thus helping the immune system�to�fight cancer more effectively.

Dr. Umansky observed how the chronic inflammation process occurs in�case of malignant melanoma. Genetically modified mice that develop a similar type of melanoma like humans were used for this study. The researchers found interleukin 1 beta, and interferon gamma, in the tumor environment and lymph nodes of cancerous mice. These molecules attract MDSC (myeloid-derived suppressor cells) that can inhibit T cells, the body’s main�weapon used for fighting cancer.

But what is the exact mechanism�through which myeloid-derived suppressor cells inhibit T cells? The researchers�harvested T cells from a healthy mouse spleen and exposed them to myeloid-derived suppressor cell in a culture dish. The T cells stopped from growing and reproducing and reduced the production of an important mediator.

In the end the cancerous mice were administered sidenafil.�The drug is�better known as Viagra and�managed to improve experimental animal’s immune system in earlier studies. Twice more mice that were administered sindenafil were alive after seven weeks than untreated fellow individuals. T cells proliferation and mediator production was normal in all mice that were administered sindenafil. The conclusion is that Viagra can suppress the chronic inflammation process in cancerous mice and inhibits the myeloid-derived suppressor cells.

Sindenafil Melanoma

The research team approach is somehow different as it addresses mice with similar melanoma course as it is�encountered in humans according to Viktor Umansky. The next step would be repeating the results in patients suffering from melanoma.

Scientists Targeted New DNA Cancer Cell Repair Enzyme With Amazing Results

By suppressing a key�repair enzyme from the DNA, named APE1, scientists were able to neutalize cancer cells that contain damaged�BRCA�genes, according to�a new�study�presented at the NCRI Cancer Conference held in Liverpool today.

Scientists from the Nottingham University have sintetized small molecules that can suppress the APE1 gene. In their study, they tested the suppressing capabilities�of these molecules on�the enzyme that repairs damaged DNA molecules in the breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and�cervical cancer cells�that contain faulty BRCA1 and BRCA2�tumor suppressor genes.

The BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are responsible for controlling a major DNA repair mechanism and cells that poses damaged BRCA genes present an altered repair mechanism. This abnormality leads to damaged cells accumulation and multiplication considered to be a major risk for developing�breast and�ovarian�cancer.

BRCA 1

Badly damaged BRCA genes�cause cellular death, and suppressing APE1 gene in those particular BRCA fauly cells�kills “two birds with one stone”, leading to cancerous cell apoptosis (cellular death). This particular approach is already used by a new class of medication named PARP inhibitors. These drugs block another key enzyme in DNA repair, named PARP that acts similar to APE1. This research concluded that APE1 can be another drug targed as PARP.

Doctor Srinivasa Madhusudan, study leader�has stated that this is the first evidence that can link the�APE1 gene�to a future�personalized cancer�treatment.�Not only that these new kind of drugs could kill breast and cervical cancer cells, but they could also help boost the radiotherapy and chemotherapy better�treatment results in other various types of cancers.

Professor Steve Jackson also stated that killing cancer cells targeting two main repair mechanism si a very�important way of approach�regarding the�treatment of�the disease.

This particular study results may lead in the future to better and more specific drugs, with fewer harmful side effects, that can kill cancer cells and�protect healthy ones.�It also brings fresh hopes for patients that�fail to respond�to conventional cancer treatments.

Statistically , up to ten per cent of all breast cancer ceases have as a cause damaged BRCA genes, and new treatment options for this group of patients could help nearly 4,8000 woman who�are diangosed with�breast cancer in�the UK alone�each ear.

Nowadays there are few treatment options for this particular�type of breast cancer, and this�potential new�treatment could lead to�an amazing improved prognosis for these patients.

Study – Modest Alcohol Consumption Linked To Breast Cancer Increased Risk

It is well-known that large amounts of alcohol increase the breast cancer risk�in women, but what about a modest quantity of alcohol? A modest quantity of alcohol in women is�considered to be�less than 1 drink per day, that means less than 7 drinks per week. In U.S. a drink means 350 ml of beer, 150 ml of wine and 40-44 ml of spirits. It�is rather�easil to calculate the amount of pure alcohol in each kind of alcoholic beverage. For example a beer that has 500 ml with a 5 g of pure alcohol, in�100 ml, has a�total�of 25 g of pure alcohol.

An observational study led by Dr. Chen and colleagues from Brigham, Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School examined the “cumulative average consumption” of alcohol, in over 100.000 women, followed over 28 years. The researchers�found that there was a 15% increase risk of breast cancer�after drinking 5 – 9,9 g of pure alcohol per day ( 3-6 drinks per week), a 22%�breast cancer�risk increase when�drinking 10 � 19,9 g of pure alcohol per day ( 6-12 drinks per week) and�a 51%�breast cancer�increase risk�when drinking more than 30 g of pure alcohol per day. They also evaluated if the breast cancer risk is linked to a special kind of alcohol, like wine, beer or liquor, but they did not find any semnificative�differences.

Alcohol And Breast Cancer Risk

In an editorial accompanying�his study, Dr. Narod S. suggested that alcohol is related to hormone replacement therapy, which is a well-known carcinogen: “Alcohol…appears similar to hormone therapy in that lifetime risk exposure also is associated with annual risk”. So how can alcohol influence estrogen levels? Studies performed in premenopausal and postmenopausal women found that a moderate intake of alcohol can raise the circulating estrogen levels.

This particular�study reveals the risks of a so-called normal consumption of alcoholic beverages and the cumulative average alcohol intake risks�over a long period of time.

So what can women do about it? Should they�stop drinking any kind of alcohol? Every woman makes her own decision�regarding consumption of alcoholic beverages, but looking at the cumulative alcohol intake and the risk of breast cancer, can they cheat?

It recommended to have�a drinking strategy� , for example during holidays if they have more drinks, the rest of the time they should consider having less drinks or no drinks at all. Everybody knows that a cup of red wine�each day protects against cardiovascular diseases, but this aspect�must be put in balance with�the breast cancer risk. Dr. Chen recommends to limit consumption to a few drinks per week or less�.

Axing Molecular Zombies May Slow Aging Process, According To New Study

Cells that�enter senescence and�stop�dividing, still remain in the body without any function, secreting aging�related diseases molecules, according to a new�study�published online in the Science Magazine. Finding a way to eliminate these “dormant” cells may be the key of finding new�anti-aging treatments as well as preventing many aging related�diseases.

Latent cells act like�as a poison source�and kill everything around them,� says�James Kirkland, physiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. These senescent�cells interfere with normal cells, and lead to pathological biological processes involved in the development of many aged related diseases such as cataracts, muscle mass loss, skin aging, cerebral degeneration, suggested Kirkland in Nature�science journal.

Skin Aging

After exposure to different mutagens like U.V rays for example, the cell DNA gets damaged and the cell reacts by entering�a senescent�state. This is a protective mechanism against DNA abnormalities perpetuation that can lead to different abnormalities of multiplication and cancer. The other key role is played by the immune system that recognises these senescent cells and tries to remove them as quick as possible.

Along with�aging, the immune system weakens�and fails to remove these cellular�zombies. The result is�body senescent�cells buildup leading to�harmful effects.

These senecent�cells won’t divide but don’t�die either. Senescent�cells may be compared with walking dead, although they have a very active metabolism and the molecules secreted can�severely damage and destroy other normal surrounding tissue.

Sensecent cells are not a new thing, as scientists discovered them nearly 60 years ago, but this study provides the first real proof that a link between senescence and aging exists.

The study conducted on mice,�concentrated on a gene that is activated in cells�that enter senescence but�is not present in normal body�cells. The scientists�then tempered with a gene named P16ink4A, in a special bread of very fast aging mice, making the gene product�to react with a certain drug that causes cellular�death rather than senescence. The drug was then administered�to�some mice and their body manged to eliminate all dormant cells, presenting�less aged-related diseases�than mice that have not received the wonder drug. The conclusion of the study was that dormant cells can be linked to an increased ageing process and by removing them, a partial�rejuvenation cure can be achieved.

Kirkland and his team haven’t found the secret of eternal life yet, but their discovery links for the first time senescent�cells with the aging process. The next step, will probably�be testing senescent cells effects on humans that age at a natural rate according to Kirkland

Hair Care Professionals Can Screen For Skin Cancer Lesions

The skin is a layer of protection of the whole body, but in the same time it is very sensitive to UV radiation, radiation�that can cause skin lesions, including�skin cancer. People with blond hair and white skin�are more likely to develop skin moles, but not everybody is�aware�regarding their risks�as over time�they may progress to severe�skin lesions. One of the most feared type of�skin cancer is melanoma.

But what happens to a lesion that can be hardly seen or detected like one on the back, neck or one in the scalp area?

Those lesions can be seen more often by people involved in the so-called beauty industry� like barbers, hairdresser professionals, make-up artists, massage therapists, etc. But do they recognize those lesions and if they recognize them do they inform their client about them?

Dr. Bailey E. from Boston – Brigham and Women's Hospital conducted a study that evaluated hairdressers ability to recognize various skin lesions, like changes�in dimension, color, any itching or bleeding, also if they inform their clients regarding methods of skin protection like skin lotions with UV factor or other methods of skin protection like wearing caps, hats etc.

The study also evaluated if the hair care professionals�discuss�with their clients about skin changes�and hair health.

Hair Care Professional

The results of the study indicate that� hair professionals are familiar to skin cancer lesions and look for lesions of� the scalp, neck, faces when they do their work and more than 85 % recommend a visit to a dermatologist for a suspicious mole or if they changes over time.

The authors of this study concluded that “Future research should focus on creating a program that provides hair professionals with expert training and effective health communication tools to become confident and skilled� skin cancer educators”.

Such educational programs could improve hairdressers abilities of recognition of�skin lesions in areas that are not available for the�client’s sight and by recommending early visits to specialists they�can help�lowering morbidity and mortality rates, especially in melanomas cases.

Most important people should learn to protect their skin and those who have moles that change their characteristics over a period of time should consider visiting a specialist.

Oral Contraceptives May Improve Symptoms Of Rheumatoid Arthritis

A team of researchers from United Kingdom revealed by a study, that oral contraceptives improve symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis in some women. This study may add another piece in the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis, because the researchers believe that the female hormones play a important role in determining the time of the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.

With this study, the British researchers, observed that women who had used oral contraceptives before and at the time of the onset of the disease, had better functional outcomes than those who had not used the drugs and the women who used the oral contraceptives after the onset of rheumatoid arthritis had better outcomes, but only if they had a moderate or severe disability.

In this study were included a number of� 928 patients with recent-onset of rheumatoid� arthritis and the purpose was to examine the relationship between the use of oral contraceptives and functional outcome of rheumatoid arthritis. The study included 663 women who had not used oral contraceptives after they were diagnosed with the disease and during follow-up controls, and 265 women who had used oral contraceptives after they were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

The group of women who used oral contraceptives before the onset of rheumatoid arthritis had significantly better functional outcomes during the follow-up examination than the group of patients who had not used oral contraceptives before the onset of the symptoms. Furthermore, women who were taking oral contraceptives at a baseline had better functional outcomes than women who were not taking oral contraceptives at a baseline but who had previously done so.

Women with rheumatoid arthritis and with moderate or severe functional disability who used oral contraceptives during the follow-up period had better functional outcomes compared with similar patients who did not use oral contraceptives. The authors conclude that the use of oral contraceptives is generally associated with a beneficial functional outcome in rheumatoid arthritis and the use of this drugs before the appearance of the symptoms seems to have the most consistent benefit.

The researchers said that it is surprising that the use of oral contraceptives before the occurrence of the symptoms may have a benefit on functional outcomes many years later and it is interesting to think what might be the mechanisms underlying the association between the use of oral contraceptives and rheumatoid arthritis. The authors of the study also observed that the use of oral contraceptives and also the use of higher dosages of estrogens, are improving the rheumatoid arthritis symptoms, but not as� much as regular medication for rheumatoid arthritis, such as methotrexate.

�New Genetic Mutation Increases The Risk For Ovarian Cancer

A team of researchers from the United Kingdom, discovered a new genetic mutation which is increasing the risk for ovarian cancer. In the general population, 1 in 70 women is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The newly discovered gene was name RAD51D and its mutation increases the risk to develop ovarian cancer by 1 in 11 chances.

The risk conferred by this mutation is lower than the risk conferred by the mutation of� BRCA genes, which were discovered in the 1990s. A women with a BRCA1 mutation had a 5 in 10 chance of developing ovarian cancer, and a woman carrying a BRCA2 mutation has a 2 in 10 chance.

Ovary Cancer

The mutation of BRCA� gene also increase the risk for developing breast cancer, but the mutation RAD51D gene was not linked to an increased risk for developing� breast cancer, it seems that is increasing only the risk for ovarian cancer. A very important fact of this new gene mutation is that this gene mutation it was found in women who tested negative for BRCA mutations.

Discovery of the mutation of BRCA gene can lead to genetic tests and to surgical interventions like ovary removal (oophorectomy) and breast removal. The discovery of� this new it may follow a similar path. The British researchers estimate that a test for the RAD51D mutation will be available in a few years.

The British researchers also showed that the cells with the mutation of RAD51D gene are very sensitive to the treatment with a PARP inhibitor, because 90% of these cells died after the exposure to this medications, compared with only 10% of cells with good functioning RAD51D gene. However, this laboratory finding needs to be first tested in clinical trials.

PARP inhibitors (iniparib and olaparib) were designed to target cancers which are caused by mutation in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes and have already shown some good results in the treatment of breast and ovarian cancer.

Ovary Cancer

This preclinical studies are suggesting that PARP inhibitors are having a favorable impact in women with advanced forms of ovarian cancer or with metastasis, women who are also having this new genetic mutation, and may have a clinical benefit if they are following the administration of this new class of antineoplastic agents.