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The Fine Line between Breast Cancer and Normal Tissues

Oct 17, 2014

3195

Statistics reveal that up to 40% patients who undergo breast cancer surgery have to undergo additional surgeries because surgeons often fail to recognize and remove all the cancerous tissues in the first operation. The good news here is that a recent research at the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have successfully developed and tested a tool that could aid surgeons significantly in differentiating between cancerous breast tissues from normal tissues. This will reduce the chances of having to perform repeat operations.

Breast Cancer

This research was published online in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences on 22^nd September 2014.

Breast cancer spreads in stages. There are a number of factors that are taken into consideration for staging breast cancer, like the size of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread to the lymph glands or whether the cancer has metastasized to other parts of the body. There are tests and scans that are carried out to confirm the stage of the cancer and it will give some vital information to the cancer specialist about the best way to treat the cancer. In case breast surgery is recommended then the newly developed tool could be of great help.

This tool is named DESI (Desorption Electro Spray Ionization) mass spectrometry imaging. It works by turning molecules into ions which are the electrically charged versions of themselves. This way the mass of the molecules can be determined. Once the analysis of the mass of the ions is done, the contents of a tissue sample can be identified.

The tool actually sprays a microscopic stream of charged solvent onto the tissue surface. This way it gathers information about its molecular makeup. It then produces a color-coded image which distinctly reveals the nature and concentration of tumor cells.

In order to conduct this study, the researchers used the DESI mass spectrometry imaging and analyzed the amount of fatty acid substances called lipids within breast tissues. A total number of 61 samples were collected from 14 breast cancer patients who had undergone mastectomy. A high tech software program was used to categorize the breast cancer tumors. This way they could differentiate between health tissues and cancerous tissues.

The study revealed that several fatty acids like the oleic acid, etc., were more abundant in the breast in comparison with normal tissues. The results of the study were also confirmed using traditional pathology methods to test for accuracy.

Nathalie Agar, PhD, director of the Surgical Molecular Imaging Laboratory, BWH Departments of Neurosurgery and Radiology, senior study author said that the findings demonstrate that classification of cancerous and normal breast tissues using DESI mass spectrometry imaging is feasible. The results will help to move forward in improving this new method so that surgeons can use it to rapidly detect residual cancer tissues during breast cancer surgery. Since, the cancer cells can be detected all at once through this method, it is will definitely help in decreasing the need for multiple operations. Nathalie Agar, who also is affiliated with the Department of Cancer Biology at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, also said that researchers plan to continue to work toward validating the identified biomarkers like the fatty acid substances so that tumor margin information can be provided during breast cancer surgery.

Brigham and Women's Hospital also plans to use the tool in the near future to test its performance in its Advanced Multimodality Image Guided Operating (AMIGO) suite. It is hoped that it will definitely help in detecting breast cancer margins during surgery.

References

https://www.site.co.uk/Fine-line-between-breast-cancer-normal-tissues

https://lockerdome.com/6301844049758273/7001317390418964

Vitamin E Intake Vital During the First ‘1000 Days’ Of Life

Oct 14, 2014

3760

There has been a lack of consensus among researchers about the adequate amount of vitamin E�a person should ideally take. A recent analysis suggests that adequate level of this essential micronutrient is definitely important throughout life but is especially critical in the first 1000 days of life that starts from conception. Vitamin E is important for neurologic and brain development that happens during that period and cannot be made up later in life. It is critical for those who are very young, for the elderly and for women who are pregnant or are planning pregnancy.

Vitamin E is one of those essential micronutrients that is often difficult to obtain through diet alone. Even in developed countries like the United States only a tiny fraction of people are consuming dietary vitamin E in adequate quantity. Maret Traber, a professor in the College of Public Health and Human Sciences at Oregon State University, principal investigator with the Linus Pauling Institute and national expert on vitamin E says that often false alarms are raised by some critics about excessive vitamin E intake. However, the fact is vitamin E intake in most people's diet is not sufficient. Traber says that there are many people who say that vitamin E deficiency never occur. That is not true. In fact, deficiency of Vitamin E is occurring in the United States and around the world at an alarming frequency. Since, the results of the same are less obvious, they often go unnoticed. Vitamin E deficiency can have a big impact on the nervous system, brain development and immunity.

The best dietary sources of Vitamin E include nuts, seeds, spinach, sun flower oil and wheat germ. Unfortunately, these sources do not rank high in an average American's diet. People are health conscious and who make the effort to eat a proper diet consume enough vitamin E. But, the trends in the general population show that an estimated 96 % women and about 90% men do not consume 15 milligrams of Vitamin E per day, which is the minimum recommended amount.

Some of the recent findings about Vitamin E outlined by Traber as stated in a review of multiple studies published in Advances in Nutrition, include the importance of vitamin E during fetal development and in the first years of life; the relation between vitamin E intake and dementia later in life; and the shortcoming of evaluating vitamin E levels through blood samples alone. The findings reveal:

–�� Insufficient vitamin E intake is associated with increased chances of infection, anemia, and poor results during pregnancy for both the child and the mother.

–�� In case the deficiency is very high, it can lead to neurological disorders and muscles detoriation in children.

–�� Vitamin E has a big role to play in the early development of the nervous system in the embryos.

–�� Higher vitamin E concentration is associated with improved cognitive function in two year old kids.

–�� Measuring vitamin E levels via blood sample alone is not reliable as vitamin E level in the blood rise with age as lipid levels also rise. But, that doesn't indicate if the tissues and organs are getting enough of it.

–�� Vitamin E intake cannot prevent the occurrence of Alzheimer's disease, but it has shown to slow down in progression.

–�� One of the critical fatty acids � DHA is protected by Vitamin E. People with high DHA concentration have a 47% less chance of developing dementia.

–�� People who eat a balanced diet to get adequate levels of vitamins B, C, D and E are known to have larger brain size and higher cognitive function.

Traber recommends Vitamin E supplement for all people with at least the estimated average requirement, especially for the infants, pregnant women and the elderly.

References

https://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2014/sep/vitamin-e-intake-critical-during-%E2%80%9C-first-1000-days%E2%80%9D

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140915083901.htm

Research Study Analyzes the Best Exercise for Obese Youths

Oct 13, 2014

4650

The rapid rise of obesity in children and youths in the recent years is a big cause of concern.� Obesity is among one of those diseases that is easy to recognize but, is quite difficult to treat. A combination of lifestyle changes, diet as well as exercise is recommended to combat it. Overweight children are likely to grow into overweight adults, unless they seriously do something about it. The concern about obesity in children and teens is more because obesity can lead to various health problems in later life in the concerned individual. Such health problem include heart disease, type 2 diabetes, asthma, sleep apnea, etc. Obese people also suffer from a lack of confidence.

Dr. Ron Sigal of the University of Calgary’s Institute for Public Health and Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta said that obesity is an epidemic among youth. He added that adolescents who are overweight are typically advised to exercise more, but there is limited evidence on what type of exercise is best in order to lose fat. 80% of overweight youth generally continue to be obese as adults and that adversely affects the quality of their lives and also leads to chronic disease problems.

In order to fight obesity in an effective manner, various researches are going on. In a study that is published by the JAMA pediatrics recently, it is revealed that the best exercise program to fight the epidemic of teen obesity is a combination of aerobic exercise and resistance training. This study known as HEARTY (The Healthy Eating Aerobic and Resistance Training in Youth) was led by researchers at the University of Calgary and the University of Ottawa. It involved 304 overweight teens from the Ottawa/Gatineau area between the ages of 14 to 18. Each of them was given the same 4 week diet counselling that would help them to eat healthy and lose weight. They were then randomly placed in four different groups. The first group was made to perform resistance training that involved weight machines and they also did some free weights. The second group performed only aerobic exercise on treadmills, stationary bikes and elliptical machines. The third group was made to do a combination of aerobic and resistance training while the last group did not perform any exercise.

The study revealed that each type of exercise reduced body fat significantly as compared to the diet only group. Those youths who did at least 70% of the exercise prescribed to them did register a significant weight loss. However, the best results were from the group who did a combination of aerobic and resistance exercise.

Dr. Glen Kenny, co-principal researcher of the University of Ottawa said, “Remarkably, among participants who completed at least 70 per cent of the prescribed exercise sessions, waist circumference decreased close to seven centimeters in those randomized to combined aerobic plus resistance exercise, versus about four centimeters in those randomized to do just one type of exercise, with no change in those randomized to diet alone.”

All the participants in the exercise program were asked to train 4 times a week for 22 weeks at community based facilities. The changes that occurred in the body were periodically measured using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machines. Since, aerobic exercises such as cycling or jogging can be challenging for overweight people, resistance training is more attractive as gains in strength come much more quickly than gains in aerobic fitness.

Researchers working on this study are hopeful that this study will help in combating childhood and teenage obesity effectively and will help in designing a consistent, long-term strategy on dealing with the problem.

References

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140922180017.htm

https://www.ucalgary.ca/utoday/issue/2014-09-23/research-study-analyzes-best-exercise-obese-youths

New Drug Discovered that Blocks Gene Driving Cancer Growth

Oct 13, 2014

3284

The fight against cancer is on. With all the researches that are going on in the area we are finding newer ways of combating it. Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center talks about the newly discovered novel drug that could help us in combating cancer. This drug is representative of a class of new drugs, which is active against a major driver of cancer metastasis. The major driver of cancer metastasis we are talking about is Ral. It can drive tumor growth and metastasis several forms of cancer like pancreatic, prostate, lung, colon and bladder. However, the drug that could block is not available. In order to deal with the activation of the Ral protein, a new approach was used.

There are several ways of dealing with a problem. You could deal with it head on and you could find a hack. Dan explains it using a simple example � if you want to keep an alligator from biting you, you can tie its mouth. Or you can put a stick in its mouth so that it keeps its mouth open. Dan says they applied the second technique. They carried a study using sophisticated computer model to examine the structure of the inactive form of Ral protein. In particular they were looking for the changes in its structure when its molecule became active. Studies revealed that inactive Ral has a cavity that disappears when it comes active.� Dan and team recognized it as the mouth and now they needed to find the stick.

Using the computer, they tried to fit in 500,000 compounds in this cavity of which only 88 seem to fit and might possibly prevent its activation. In the next step, the researchers applied their findings to human cancer cells. They treated them with these compounds to see which of them resulted in reduction of Ral activation. There were a handful of compounds that significantly reduced Ral activation in lung cancer cells. Further tests were carried on the said compounds that evaluated their abilities to reduce the growth of human cancer cells. Thus they found RBC8, which was the most effective molecule in that regard. The team further refined their research and synthesized derivatives of RBC8. They then compared these derivatives to the parent molecule, and found that a compound labeled as BQU57 was quite effective.

The next step in the research process was to test the same in human lung cancer models in mice. The crucial thing to find out here was whether the BQU57 would work the same way as it did in the prior experiment. The good news is the not only the BQU57 entered tumor tissue, the drug was effective in slowing down its growth. Analysis revealed that BQU57 had indeed stopped the activation of Ral in treated tumors.

Dan Theodorescu said that these compounds do need further optimization. They have to characterize these agents for toxicity in various animal species and also need to determine their optimal route of delivery, such as oral or intravenous. Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, professor of Urology and Pharmacology, director of the University of Colorado Cancer Center and the study’s senior author have led a multidisciplinary team of investigators from the University of Colorado, Indiana University, the University of Virginia and Yale University. He concluded that they see this work as a valuable first step in the development of a new class of therapeutic agents directed at Ral. Their approach could in principle help in discovering drugs for other proteins driving human disease as well.

References

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-09-drug-blocks-gene-cancer-growth.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140914150747.htm

Classroom Intervention Helps Shy Kids Learn

Oct 13, 2014

4411

If your child is the shy one in his class, this recent study would interest you. A program that is intended to help teachers modify their interactions with students as per their child’s temperament can effectively help shy children and make them more engaged in their class work. This will in turn help in improving their math and critical thinking skills.

It is seen that children who are shy are often at the risk of poor academic achievements. This study led by NYU's Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, offers an evidence based intervention to help shy children. The same was published in the Journal of School Psychology.

There are some characteristic traits that are found in shy children; they are anxious, socially withdrawn, fearful and isolated. When in a classroom, they are unlikely to call for the attention of teachers or be engaged with other classmates. As a result, they often face difficulty in school and teachers may perceive them to be less intelligent or poor in academic skills as compared to their smarter and more outgoing peers.

Sandee McClowry, a professor in NYU Steinhardt's Department of Applied Psychology and a senior author of the study said that the needs of shy children are important but, the irony is that they are often overlooked. Children with behavioral problem get more attention rather than shy children, who are just sitting in a corner quietly.� The key to addressing such issues in children is to engage them without overwhelming them.

INSIGHTS, an intervention designed to help teachers and parents match environmental demands with an individual's personality. This program recognizes shyness as one of the four temperaments that need to be addressed. The good thing about this program is that this program provides a framework for appreciating and supporting differences in kids, rather than trying to change them. The participants in this program, helps to recognize four temperaments namely – shy, social and eager to try, industrious, and high maintenance.

For this study, the researchers evaluated whether the program supports the academic development of kids like critical thinking, math and language skills, particularly of children from urban, low-income schools. As many as 350 children and their parents from 22 different elementary schools were followed during kindergarten and across the transition into first grade. Half of the schools participating in the program were randomly put to INSIGHTS and the other half, participated in a supplemental after-school reading program.

The transition from kindergarten to first grade is a big shift for kids. The classes are more structured and teacher-student ratio is higher. The research observed the high-risk kids, especially the changes that occur in them after they are out of school. It is seen in past studies that their skills decline when they are out of school. By providing them with extra support, they hope to maintain the skills of such students even after the summer break.

Erin O’Connor, an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at NYU Steinhardt and the study’s lead author said that the aim of their study is to support the creation of an environment that makes shy children feel safe and respected in order to support their development. It is imperative that our understanding of such children is reframed because most shy children do not come out of their shell on their own.

Teachers and parents who participated in the INSIGHTS program, over the course of 10 weeks learned to recognize the differences in children and learn ways to help and support them as per their needs. Also, children who participated in the classroom activities showed improvement in academic skills, especially the shy ones. Shy children also showed significant growth in critical thinking skills and stability in math skills. However, the researchers observed that there was no gains in language, arts skills among shy kids from this program, while those participating in after-school reading program showed improvements in that area.

References

https://telezkope.com/Health/Health/3046962/classroom-intervention-helps-shy-kids-learn

https://jerseytribune.com/2014/09/22/classroom-intervention-helps-shy-kids-learn/

Western Diet Leads to Poorer Performance

Oct 12, 2014

3722

In recent years it is seen there has been a�rise in the cases of obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, etc., in the western countries. The rise in such incidences suggests that such problems have now reached epic levels and the side effects of the same are clearly visible in the young generation. A recent study reveals that the side effects of consuming takeaway food that consists of red processed meat, soft drinks, refined and fried food are not limited to these problems alone. It can significantly affect a person's score in cognitive tasks.

The study shows that higher intake of western diet has resulted in diminished cognitive performance at age 17. Today more and more people are becoming aware of dangers of a western diet. The thing is such diets are high in calorie dense foods which are often low on nutrients. A person who has a high intake of such foods that are characterized by saturated fats, sodium and refined carbohydrates, is at the highest risk of developing health complications. It is also noted that people with a western diet typically have a low intake of nutrients rich food like vegetables, fruit and whole grains.
In this new study, researchers found that participants who have a western diet typically characterized by high intakes of takeaway food, red and processed meat, fried and refined food and soft drinks had a low score lower in cognitive tasks. In particular, it was seen that cognitive tasks which involves reaction time/psychomotor function, visual attention, learning and memory were affected.

The researched revealed that high intake of chips and crisps were significantly associated with longer reaction times on detection tasks. Similar tests were also carried out on their peers who had a higher intake of fruits and leafy vegetables. It was seen that they fared better in cognitive performance. Lead researcher Dr. Anett Nyaradi stated that the likely reason for the same may be the micronutrient content in fruits and vegetables. Folate which is abundant in green leafy vegetables is known to enhance cognitive development.

This study was led by UWA and the Telethon Kids Institute and involved 602 members of the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Each of the people participating in the study filled out a food frequency questionnaire at age 14 then underwent a battery of cognitive tasks three years later.

What makes this study by Dr. Nyaradi’s different from previous studies is that it examines diet as a whole, unlike previous studies which focussed on single nutrients.

Dr. Nyaradi opined that several factors can be at play in this diet-related decline in cognitive skills. These factors also include the high level of omega-6 fatty acids in fried foods and red meat. For the best functioning of metabolic pathways the ideal ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids is 1:1, but in the western diet it can shift to a ratio as high as 1:20 or 1:25. Dr. Nayadri also added that a high intake of saturated fat and simple carbohydrates is linked to the impairment in the functioning of hippocampus – the brain structure that is centrally involved in learning and memory. It increases its volume during adolescence. This phase in a person's life is critical for brain development. It is very likely that a poor diet during this period has a significant effect on the cognitive development of a person. The findings of this study have important implications for future health promotion programs and health policies.

The study also involved Curtin University, the Health Department of WA and WZB Berlin Social Research Centre, Germany.

References

https://www.sciencewa.net.au/topics/health-a-medicine/item/3075-western-diet-leads-to-poorer-performance

https://sensibledietzone.com/Diet/Review/Compare/Weight/Loss/western-diet-leads-to-poorer-performance

Brief Intervention May Prevent Increased Risk of Depression in Teens

Oct 10, 2014

3699

A new study published in the in Clinical Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, states that educating teens about the changes that can happen in one's personality, can help them in warding off depressive symptoms. Such symptoms are quite common when a child transits into high school and can be prevented via a low cost, one-time intervention.

�

David Scott Yeager of the University of Texas at Austin states that these finding are important, because only few interventions are known that have successfully helped in fighting off depressive symptoms among high schoolers. However, one should remember that these interventions does not work like magic and may not help everyone in the same degree. In order to make them more effective, further testing is necessary. �Adolescence is a challenging period is many ways � it is marked by puberty, a lot of changes happen in the friendship networks and status hierarchy. Studies says that a number of cases of lifelong depression start during this phase.

It is surprising that a short exposure to a message can help kids during a vital transition in their life � the first few weeks of high school. Of course, it doesn't solve every problem that a child could be experiencing. But, it can help significantly. Prevention is always better than curing and treating later � it doesn't just save you money, but it also paves way for avoiding suffering.

Yeager explored a scenario when teens are excluded or bullied. She said that teens think that it can be because they are not liked by others or maybe they are looked upon as losers. We need to find out if teaching teens that people do change can reduce such thoughts and if it can prevent the symptoms of depression. To carry out their study, Yeager and graduate student co-author Adriana Sum Miu of Emory University did a longitudinal intervention study with around 600 ninth graders across three different high schools.

At the beginning of the school year, the participating students were randomly assigned in the treatment intervention. They were not made aware of the group assignment. In fact, both the activities took place during a normal class period and needed only paper or a computer.

Students that were assigned to the treatment intervention were given a passage to read. It described how individuals’ personalities change over time. It explained that being bullied is not a result of a fixed, personal deficiency, and in fact, not all bullies essentially “bad” people. Following this passage was an article about brain plasticity and endorsements from older students. When the students finished reading the material, they were asked to write what they just read in their own words, so that the same can be shared with future ninth graders.

Students who were in the control group were given a passage that focused on the changes that happen in a trait not related to personality: athletic ability to read.

A follow-up was help 9 months later and it revealed that clinically significant depressive symptoms rose among students in the control group by around 39%. However, students who learnt about the changes that happen in a person did not show such increase in depressive symptoms. On further analysis of data it was clear that intervention mainly affected depressive symptoms of negative mood, feelings of ineffectiveness, and low self-esteem.

The findings of these studies are promising because they require only a small amount of time and effort. But, the results it can offer can be really helpful in helping teens transit through a challenging phase of life. However, Yeager cautions that these results can raise many new questions like if it will work equally well for all students, which symptoms are affected most and which ones are least affected? Will such an intervention work even in freshman year? The answers to the same can only be found through more research.

References

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/news/releases/brief-intervention-may-prevent-increased-risk-of-depression-in-teens.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140922091221.htm

Obesity and Stress Pack a Double Hit for Health

Oct 10, 2014

7466

There has been a significant rise in the cases of obesity in the developed world. There is a certain behaviors like increased portion size, sedentary lifestyle with almost no physical activity, etc., that promote obesity. For years, scientists and researchers have known that there is a connection between stress and obesity and recent researchers have found evidence that supports the connection. There are certain biochemical reactions that explain the connection. The sooner doctors are able to understand them in details; they will be able to address the problem of obesity that is burgeoning in the developed world.

A new study by the Brandeis University states that people who are overweight are at a greater risk of stress-related diseases like type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and also cancer. When a person is under psychological stress, it can trigger biological responses in their body that are similar to the effects of illness or injury, including inflammation. When we get injured, inflammation is a necessary step for the healing process. But, inflammation that is caused due to stress can be a major contributor of chronic and life-threatening diseases.

In a research paper that was recently published in Brain, Behavior and Immunity, Brandeis researchers made the observation that stress-induced inflammation is significantly higher in overweight and obese individuals in comparison of individuals who have healthy weight.

Nicolas Rohleder, psychology professor and the study’s principal investigator, stated that it has been known for quite a while that overweight and obese individuals have chronic and low grade inflammation. But, what is interesting to note that when you add stress to the mix, the hazard is almost double.

The paper was co-authored by graduate student Christine McInnis, with fellow doctoral candidates Danielle Gianferante, Luke Hanlin, and Xuejie Chen, as well as co-investigators Myriam Thoma, Juliana Breines, and Suzi Hong.

For this study, the inflammation levels due to interleukin-6 (IL-6), an inflammatory agent linked to stress, were measured in normal-weight and overweight individuals. The participants were made to undergo two psychological stress tests. The normal-weight and overweight individuals were classified after taking into account various factors like body mass index (BMI) and body fat percentage. Individuals who had a BMI of 25 or higher were classified as overweight.

On the first day of testing, it was noted that lean and overweight individuals reacted similarly to stress, despite the fact that overweight participants had a higher starting levels of IL-6. The second day test results were however different. �On 2^nd day, the IL-6 levels of overweight participants nearly doubled, while the levels of lean participants remained the same as on the first day.

An important observation made by McInnis and Rohleder was that relationship between BMI and IL-6 levels was linear�the higher the BMI, even among lean individuals, the higher was the IL-6. McInnis said that it showed that every percentage point of body fat increases the risk of inflammation.

When people are stressed they tend to eat inappropriately which results in unnecessary weight gain that in turn causes more stress. About 2/3^rd of Americans are overweight and the obesity rate worldwide is doubling since 1980. �It is very crucial to understand the health risk associated with obesity and with this research we are a step closer to understanding the same.

References

https://www.brandeis.edu/now/2014/september/stress-and-obesity.html

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140922130747.htm

Immune Link to Stress Could Help in Treating Depression

Oct 8, 2014

3272

Given the hectic lifestyle that people are embracing these days, stress has become a part and parcel of life. Our modern lifestyle is full of demands and deadlines, so much so that we don't even realize when we start suffering from chronic stress. There is a complex relationship between stress, our mind and our body's reaction to stress. In small doses, stress is not at all a bad thing; in fact it can help us in performing under pressure. But, when your body is always on red alert, it eventually pays the price.

The onset of clinical depression can be triggered due to various reasons. Some people develop depression due to a stressful event in their life � like a job loss, death of a beloved, end of a relationship, etc. Since, the number of people suffering from clinical depression is on the rise, there has been a need to more research in the area. A new research at the University of Adelaide has been exploring new links to find ways for improving treatments of severe clinical depression.

While the treatments we have today have proved effective for many; however statistics reveal that the current treatments for major depressive disorder (MDD) have proved effective for only 1 in 7 people. So, it is likely that some vital points linked to the underlying causes of depression are missed out and have so far gone untreated. These facts have been published in a paper published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, a team based in the University’s School of Medical Sciences.

A thorough review of the previous studies that have been conducted by the researchers and they have come to the conclusion that toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), the protein well known for its role in immunology, called could open up new avenues and be vital to understanding the disease in a better way.

JiaJun (“JJ”) Liu, co-author and PhD student in Physiology at the University of Adelaide, said that the medications that are prescribed to patients suffering from depression currently are insufficient and fail to provide any real benefit. In fact, only one in seven patients are said to have shown any significant improvements. Our current lifestyles put a lot of burden on individuals, families and society. That is why depression is so common place these days. The importance of new insights into the condition, new medication and new treatment procedures cannot be emphasized enough.

Ms. Liu further adds that for years scientists have known that chronic stress leads to ill health, and�the immune system of our body�has a direct connection with several psychosomatic illnesses. However, stress is one of those areas that have been very difficult to study because one cannot pinpoint for sure what it does in the body. It is seen that patients suffering from severe depression suffer from the breakdown of their immune system. Again, it is also seen that a decrease in depressive symptoms can help in the normalization of this immunology. So, it is likely that the changes that take place in the�immune system�are playing a major role in patients’ condition of depression.

In her review of literature that examines human brain as an immune organ, Ms. Liu observes that there is a clear role for TLR4 and its control of hormones in the body, all of which results in chronic stress that gradually paves way for depression. She adds that the immune-brain-hormone systems are in constant communication. When stress or major depressive disorder occurs, all three systems can become dysfunctional in patients. In order to solve the puzzle of finding the right targets for treatment, we have to understand and untangle these multi-layered relationships.

More research is needed to understand the relationship between TLR4 and depression. However, timing and location of TLR4 activation seems to be important.

References

https://www.biosciencetechnology.com/news/2014/09/immune-link-stress-could-help-treat-depression

https://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news73324.html

Novel Molecule That Induces Cancer-Killing Protein Identified By New Study

Oct 8, 2014

3428

Even after several years of research that has gone into finding a permanent cure to cancer, a final solution to the problem is yet to be seen. Cancer has baffled researchers for long and continues to do so even do. Even though our fight against cancer has gone from strength to strength, there is a lot about it that remains a mystery.

In a recent study that was conducted in the University of Kentucky, researchers have got some breakthrough that could help in finding a treatment to cancer. They have identified a novel molecule which has been named Arylquin 1 as a potent inducer of Par-4 secretion from normal cells. Actually, Par-4 is a protein that acts as a tumor suppressor and is known to have the power to kill cancer cells without harming any normal cells in the body. The normal cells in the human body do secrete a small amount of Par-4 on their own, but that amount is quite tiny and is not enough to kill cancer cells. It is noted that if the secretion of Par-4 is suppressed, the tumor growth is enhanced.

For this study that was published in The Nature Chemical Biology experiments were carried out in lab cultures and animal models. It revealed that low levels of Arylquin 1 induced Par-4 secretion without causing harm to the producer cells. The researchers also found that Par 4 is bound to a protein called vimentin which has a role to play in tumor metastasis. Arylquin 1 works by binding to vimentin; it displaces the Par-4 for secretion � so, it is likely that it can also be useful for inhibiting the spread of cancer.

Researchers believe that these finding can have a very strong implication for the development of future cancer treatment. Focus is now on the development of Arylquin 1 in the form of a drug that could inhibit both primary and metastatic tumors.

Finding a cure for cancer has been difficult because there is no scan or test that can effectively detect a cancer cell. In fact, a group of cancerous cells can remain dormant for years and can easily go undetected. These undetected cells have the chance to form tumors. When these tumors and cells spread in the body, the cancer is said to have metastasized. The irony is cancer is mostly detected after it has spread in the body which makes it even difficult to treat it.

Since, there has not been any breakthrough in finding a way to detect cancer cells early; stress is being given to finding a way to treat the cancer cells. Cancer therapies such as�radiation�and chemotherapy primarily target and kill cancerous cells in the midst of division. But, the problem often remains as some cancerous cells lie dormant for long periods of time and survive several rounds of treatment. That’s why we often hear that cancer can come back years after the treatment.

Vivek Rangnekar, UK professor and Alfred Cohen Chair in Oncology Research in the Department of Radiation Medicine, says that – “We found that Par-4 is inactivated by pro-metastasis proteins such as vimentin, which implies that by using small molecule drugs that target metastasis proteins, we may be able to both inhibit the spread of cancer while also releasing the�tumor suppressor – Par-4 – to then induce the death of the cancerous cells.”

Rangnekar also serves as the Associate Director for the UK Markey Cancer Center. He had initially discovered the Par-4 gene in 1994. Today, he is working closely with UK medicinal chemist David Watt and a multidisciplinary team across the UK campus and is working on developing secretagogues that can cause elevated secretion of Par-4 for the inhibition of primary and metastatic tumors.

This study was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, the National Center for Research Resources and the UK Center for Clinical and Translational Science.

References

https://uknow.uky.edu/content/uk-study-identifies-molecule-induces-cancer-killing-protein

https://www.counselheal.com/articles/11226/20140908/researcher-identify-molecule-induces-cancer-killing-protein.htm

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