New Treatment Found to Reduce Vision Loss from Central Retinal Vein Occlusion

Scientists have found the first long-term, effective treatment to improve vision and reduce vision loss that is caused by the blockage of large veins in the eye. The eye of a person with CRVO gets damaged because a blood clot slows or stops circulation in a large vein within the eye's light-sensitive retinal tissue. Reduced retinal circulation may lead to a new blood vessel growth and blood vessel leakages, resulting in retinal tissue swelling. It is a common cause of vision loss from CRVO. The treatment of eye injections containing corticosteroid medication is what scientists have been focused on in their research. The research was part of a clinical trial supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI) at the National Institutes of Health.

The study that is responsible for this discovery is The Standard Care vs. Corticosteroid for Retinal Vein Occlusion (SCORE) Study, conducted at 84 clinic sites. They found that eye injections of a corticosteroid medication could reduce vision loss related to the blockage of major blood vessels within the eye, a condition known as central retinal occlusion (CRVO). Patients who were treated with the corticosteroid injections were five times more likely to gain vision after one year than patients who were under observation.

Michael S. Ip, M.D., an associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and chair of the SCORE Study summed up the significance of the discovery saying, "These are extremely compelling results because a large, longer-term clinical trial has never before showed that patients with central retinal vein occlusion could experience a visual improvement with treatment."

Vein occlusion is estimated to be the second most common condition affecting blood vessels in the retina. There is currently no treatment that exists for central retinal vein occlusion.

But now, there is a proven and effective way to treat CRVO. However some ophthalmologists have treated patients with eye injections of an anti-inflammatory corticosteroid called triamcinolone, but its effectiveness had not been tested in a clinical trial. The SCORE Study was the first study that compared the safety and effectiveness of standard care observing with two different dosages of triamcinolone. The dosages that have been considered safe and effective are 1mg and 4mg.

I found this article interesting because I have a friend who has vision problems. It's possible that similar treatment methods could be utilized to treat certain problems of the eye. If there have been advances made in treating deteriorating vision problems and is not just able to stop the progression of the condition, but actually improve vision,t hen it will not be long until they find a treatment for other similar conditions of the eye.

I found this article at http://www.nih.gov/news/health/sep2009/nei-14a.htm

-Keifer Geers

Calcium Scans May Be Effective Screening Tool For Heart Disease

A new non-invasive test is the newest screening for identifying heart disease patients who have a risk for heart problems including heart attacks. A scan of the arteries for calcium can be done without having to include many more tests which increases costs for the patient and the insurance company. This scan is performed by detecting plaque in the coronary arteries. It was stated that these scans are not currently covered by private insurance companies because of concerns of low levels of the disease causing non-needed tests to be run and increase in costs. "Over half of patients who suffer heart attacks have no warning that they have heart disease until the heart attack occurs. If we knew the patients were at risk, current treatments could prevent the majority of these unnecessary events. We had to address the concerns about unnecessary testing and costs related to this potentially lifesaving procedure," said Daniel S. Berman, M.D., the study's principal investigator and chief of Cardiac Imaging at Cedars-Sinai's S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center in Los Angeles. This makes much more sense because preventing any further problems early would mean less cost and health problems in the future.

This practice was tested on research patients for five years, tracking levels and change in calcium scores. Most people scored very low scores, which coincided to the relationship between coronary artery calcium scores and subsequent cardiac events. Although, some patients scored high and were given life saving, not to mention heart attack preventative, medical attention.

Recent evidence has shown that the screening in this manner is a better prognosis that the Framingham Risk Score, which is the traditional way of assessing risk based on blood pressure and blood testing.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165709.php

A Possible Cure for Color Blindness

Color blindness is a condition often caused by a genetic disorder occurring on the X chromosome in which the pigments in certain nerve cells in the retina are not able to decipher the different wavelengths of light entering the eye. The cells in which this process takes place are called the cones. In a normal human retina, there are two different types of cells that detect light: cones and rods. Subsequently, there are three different types of cones, each containing a different pigment. When the pigments absorb light, the cone is activated and one is able to see the section of the color spectrum corresponding to the pigment in that cone. Each cone has a different spectrum of absorption and the light absorbed into the cells is determined by wavelength of the light.

In the study, the scientists used two color blind monkeys that had been trained to react with a touch screen monitor and react when various patterns were placed on the screen. When certain hues of green and red were displayed, the monkeys could not detect a difference between the green, grey, and red dots, and did not receive their grape juice.

The the monkeys in the study "lacked a gene called 'L opsin' that codes for the red-sensitive cone. The same gene defect causes most cases of red-green colour blindness in humans." Over a period of time, the scientists were able restore full vision in the monkeys "by injecting a virus modified to contain the L opsin gene into the retina."

The progress of the monkeys' vision was monitored closely over the following 24 weeks and there was significant improvement. After the 24 week period, the monkeys were readily able to distinguish between the three differently colored dots.

That being said, I find it quite interesting that it is possible to reverse a genetic disorder by injecting a virus into a person with the intent of restoring full cell functionality. This would make sense since viruses imbed their DNA into the DNA of the host cell, forever mutating it to contain the same genetic information and replicating that mutated DNA over and over again.

While people with color blindness are able to live life with relatively small inhibition due to their disability, it would be beneficial for the population affected by color blindness. Almost 1 in 10 males is affected with some sort of color blindness, but only 0.5% of females is affected. This is due to the fact that females have two XX chromosomes, while males only have one. Because of this, if there is any type of colorblind mutation on the male's X chromosome, he will have some sort of color blindness.

Hopefully, in the near future, scientists will get permission to begin using this treatment on human subjects, as the adeno-associtated virus used to inject the mutant L opsin gene into the cell has no known adverse effect on humans.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/science/medicine/article6837392.ece

New Micromachined Cantilever Quickly Detects Disease Markers

When doctors now test patients for disease markers such as prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein that can signal early prostate cancer, they often rely on an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, or ELISA test. But researchers at the University of California at Berkeley and Oak Ridge National Laboratories have created a new type of assay that they say may prove as sensitive and less expensive. The group, which describes their work in this month's issue of Nature Biotechnolgy, produced a micromachined cantilever�essentially a tiny diving board�that bends in response to protein markers at levels 20 times lower than what is needed for diagnostic purposes.

"This [device] offers the possibility of a common platform for high-throughput detection of proteins, DNA and/or RNA, in areas ranging from disease diagnosis to drug discovery," Arun Majumdar, a mechanical engineering professor at Berkeley, says. "This could lead to fast screening and molecular profiling for many diseases and a possible cancer chip for detecting cancer."

The researchers fashion the cantilevers�which measure about 50 microns wide, 200 microns long and half a micron thick�from silicon nitride using methods developed to create microprocessors. They then coat each cantilever with antibodies or single-strand DNA for genetic tests. When matching proteins or DNA bind to the coatings, the lever bends downward. A laser measures this movement, the extent of which gives some indication of how much protein or DNA has attached to the lever.

In addition to its ability to gauge amounts, the device has other advantages over current methods: it can look for multiple markers in a single reaction and does not require the use of fluorescent tags. But according to Oak Ridge researcher Thomas Thundat, who first published the foundation of the idea in 1994, "the primary advantage of the microcantilever method originates from its sensitivity, based on the ability to detect cantilever motion with subnanometer precision, as well as the ease with which it may be fabricated into a multielement sensor array. No other sensor technology offers such versatility."


This article is interesting to me because it is a safer and more efficient way of looking for disease. Since this method does not use fluorescent tags, it seems that it would therefore be safer to put into a human body. The efficiency of finding the precursors to diseases is also much greater which would lead to better analysis of what is really going on in a patient’s body. It was quoted that a cancer chip is a possibility which to me means this technology could lead to other monitoring devices to not only detect a disease before it possible happens but, also monitor how effective specific treatment options are in an individual. In return to finding the most effective treatment option, the treatment could then be enhanced to make it cheaper and more applicable.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=new-micromachined-cantile

You Put What Where? The Advent of Autotransplantation

Normally when you go in for an organ transplant, you expect your organ to be taken out and replaced by someone else's organ right? Not if you are having an autotransplant done. An autotransplant, an uncommon and even more unheard of surgery, is a surgery in which your organ is taken out, modified somehow and replaced back into your body. Take your parathyroid for example. If your parathyroid becomes hyperplastic(large and swollen) it excretes too much parathyroid hormone (PTH) and must be removed. Excess levels of PTH increases the amount of calcium in your cells and can lead to kidney stones and bone fractures among other things. It is therefore necessary to have it removed. Normally your parathyroid gland would be to, through surgery remove only the swollen glands. However, this can be dangerous as there are many nerves surrounding the area. Instead, in an autotransplant, the parathyroid is completely removed then a healthy portion is reinserted...in your elbow. This avoids the complex surgical procedures around your neck. As useful as autotransplants are however, they are limited. Only endrocrine organs like your pancreas or your parathyroid can be used. Because these organs release hormones into the bloodstream it doesn't matter where you put them so long as they have access to the bloodstream. I found topic interesting because it ties into the creed that our generation is preaching: conservation. By reusing your own organs in a slightly different manner, we are decreasing the amount of organs that need to be donated and saving the precious donated organs for patients that cannot use the autotransplant method.

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2009-02/you-want-put-what-where

ADHD Drug Effectiveness on College Students

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is a neurobehavioral developmental disorder. The specific cause of ADHD is not yet known. There are numerous known factors which may contribute to ADHD such as genetics, diet, and environment. The most common symptoms of ADHD are inability to pay attention, hyperactivity, becoming easily bored with a task after a few minutes, difficulty processing information quickly and impulsivity. ADHD is one of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in young children. This disorder is not one that only occurs in children but one that can also occur in adults.

The effectiveness of ADHD medication has been extensively researched in children but has very little information of the effectiveness in adults and college students. For this reason the Researchers at the University of Rhode Island and Lehigh University have started a study on the effectiveness of Vyvanse in college students with ADHD.

In this study of the effectiveness of Vyvanse will be tested on twenty-five college students diagnosed with ADHD. The students will undergo 5 stages of testing. In the first stage the students will set a baseline by not taking any medication. In the following stages a placebo and three different levels of medication will be administered to the students. The study will measure changes in attentiveness and social functioning of the students.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165130.php

I found this article very interesting because I know multiple people, including myself, that are prescribed attention deficit medication and are college students. I feel that more research about adult ADHD needs to be done since the main focus of research is on children. This is why it is good to see that researchers are beginning to focus on adult ADHD now. I find that Adderall has greatly helped my ability to focus while I study so the results of this study will be very interesting to see.

Andrew Ritchey VTPP 434-502

New clues about the biochemistry of aging muscle tissue

Researchers at the University of California, Berkley, have discovered new clues about what makes muscle less supple and regenerative in old age. The team identified low levels of mitogen-actived protein kinase (MAPK) as responsible for old muscle’s degradation and have been able to reverse these changes in tissue cultures by artificially activating MAPK.

In the first part of the study, the researchers wanted to study the physiological differences between old and young muscle tissue. 15 subjects aged 21-24 and 15 aged 68-74 were selected for the study. First, a muscle biopsy was taken from the quadriceps at the beginning of the study. Next, the subjects had their leg immobilized by a cast for two weeks in order to simulate muscle atrophy, and a second biopsy was taken. Finally, the two groups underwent four weeks of exercise training to regain muscle function, and a third biopsy was taken..

It was found that adult stem cell activity (necessary for muscle repair) was only half as much in the old subjects as the young subjects. Additionally, the old subjects experienced greater amounts of atrophy and did not reclaim much of their previous muscle mass. The first conclusion is that it is important for the elderly to stay active, for extended periods of muscle disuse may irreparably damage the muscle.

The team decided to look into the biochemistry of the muscle tissues to explore the mechanisms behind this degradation. Previous research has established that adult muscle stem cells have a “Notch” receptor that triggers growth - good. However the cells have another receptor for TGF-beta protein that starts a biochemical pathway that ultimately stops the cell’s division – not good. Aging in mice is associated with higher levels of TGF-beta.

The study discovered that mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), an enzyme important for organ development, is a Notch regulator. The amount of MAPK in tissues from the old subjects was very low, so the Notch receptors on adult stem cells were not being activated, inhibiting the ability of the adult stem cells to repair the tissue. Interestingly, when the researchers artificially activated MAPK in a culture of old tissue, the regenerative ability of the old muscle was increased. Similarly, when they inactivatived MAPK in the young tissue, the tissue lost much of its regenerative ability.

The implication is that either the NOTCH or the MAPK pathways would make good therapeutic targets to combat muscle degradation in old age or degenerative muscle disorders.

I found this article interesting because it offers the first hints of an explanation of why muscles seem to "wear out" over time. The heart is a muscle, so perhaps a similar pathway governs the heart's gradual decline in old age. A few of my relatives have died because their hearts just "wore out," with blood flow and circulation slowly but inexorably dropping over the course of several years. This article provides an explanation for this phenomenon and offers hope that one day, maybe not within my lifetime, natural muscle atrophy will be reversible.

Pulling Together Increases Your Pain Threshold

In the study, published September 16 in the Royal Society journalBiology Letters, researchers from the University of Oxford’s Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology found the pain threshold of 12 rowers from the Oxford Boat Race squad was greater after group training than after individual training.

They conclude that acting as a group and in close synchrony seems to ‘ramp up’ pain thresholds. The underlying endorphin release may be the mechanism that underpins communal-bonding effects that emerge from activities like religious rituals and dancing.

Each of the 12 rowers participated in four separate tests. They were asked to row continuously for 45 minutes in a virtual boat in the gym (as in normal training), in an exercise carried out in two teams of six and then in a separate session as individuals, unobserved by other team members. After each of the sessions, the researchers measured their pain threshold by how long they could stand an inflated blood pressure cuff on the arm.

The study found there was a significant increase in the rowers’ pain threshold following exercise in both individual and group sessions (a well established response to exercise of any kind). However, after the group training there was a significantly larger increase as compared with training carried out individually.

Since close synchrony is the key to successful competition-class racing, these results suggest that doing a synchronised activity as a group increases the endorphin rush that we get from physical exertion. The study says that since endorphins help to create a sense of bonhomie and positive effect, this effect may underlie the experience of warmth and belonging that we have when we do activities like dancing, sports, religious rituals and other forms of communal exercise together.

Professor Robin Dunbar, Head of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology at Oxford University, said: ‘Previous research suggests that synchronised physical activity such as laughter, music and many religious activities makes people happier and is part of the bonding process. We also know that physical exercise creates a natural high through the release of endorphins. What this study shows us is that synchrony alone seems to ramp up the production of endorphins so as to heighten the effect when we do these activities in groups.’

Lead author Dr Emma Cohen, from the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, said: ‘The results suggest that endorphin release is significantly greater in group training than in individual training even when power output, or physical exertion, remains constant. The exact features of group activity that generate this effect are unknown, but this study contributes to a growing body of evidence suggesting that synchronised, coordinated physical activity may be responsible.’

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090927150348.htm

I found this article very interesting in the fact that has to do with psychological effects on the body's performance. The article basically concluded that one's pain threshold can increased due to the release of endorphins, chemicals produced in the pituitary gland and released into the body when under stress or excitement. The idea that the rowers were working together as a team game them more drive and determination, thus releasing more of this chemical into their body. This is a fascinating fact of physiology because it demonstrates how dynamic the human body is. Not only is strength and power harnessed from simple muscle fibers, but psychological factors such as communion and working as a team can cause a great deal of influence.

-Amol Patel

Researchers Find That Young Adults May Outgrow Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, causes the individual to have extreme shifts in mood and energy. He or she will experience a phase of depression followed by a phase of ephoria or extreme happiness. This can cause interference with the individual's ability to function normally. Traditionally, biopolar disorder has been considered a lifelong disorder. However, researchers at the University of Missouri have found evidence that may prove the contrary.

Using two large, national studies, they found that bipolar disorder is most often diagnosed in early adulthood. However, though 5.5 to 6.2 percent of the population between the ages of 18 and 24 suffer from the disorder, only about 3 percent of the population 29 years old or older suffer from it. This suggests that about half of young adults with bipolar disorder may be able to outgrow it by the time they reach thirty.

Kenneth J. Sher, one of the coauthors of this study, says that this may be caused by the fact that individuals within the 18 to 24 age group experience many significant life changes, which may influence the onset and course of the disorder. By the time they reach their mid-twenties, however, life is more stable, and they have adjusted to these changes. Additionally, the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain that controls personality, intelligence, and reactions to social situations, doesn't fully develop until about the age of twenty-five. Sher also says that this may play a biological role in the lessening of bipolar disorder with age, as other researchers have found similar results for young adults with alcohol or substance abuse disorders.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165712.php

I liked this article because I find neurological health particularly fascinating. The brain really is one of the body's "final frontiers" for researchers and engineers. There is still so much that we have yet to discover about how the brain and neurological health work. Additionally, I know several people who suffer from bipolar disorder, one of whom is only a few years younger than I am. I find it interesting that she may eventially be able to outgrow her disorder.

Social Isolation Worsens Cancer, Mouse Study Suggests

Social Isolation Worsens Cancer, Mouse Study Suggests

Six years ago, research began when cancer specialist, Suzanne D. Conzen, MD, and biobehavioral psychologist Martha McClintock, PhD, joined forces to study together. Their study: "result of social isolation in aging, to study behavior and cancer in a mouse model". These mice were genetically predisposed to develop breast cancer and raised them in different environments. One was a group, and the other isolated. In the same amount of time, the isolated mice seemed to grow larger breast cancer tumors. They also developed a disrupted stress hormone response.

Because of such a measurable difference in the mammary gland tumor (breast cancer), the researchers focused their attention on "how the chronic social environment affected the biology of cancer growth", and they wanted to find molecular consequences of the stressful environment. Metabolic pathway genes, which are expected to favor increased tumor growth, were studied over time. It was found that there were altered expression levels in the isolated mice.

Some of their findings also support previously done epidemiologic studies. Social isolation does, in fact, increase the mortality of chronic diseases while social support improves the outcomes of cancer patients.


I found this article extremely interesting because there have been a few cases of cancer in my family. My uncle survived lymphoma surrounding his intestines after he had surgery to remove twenty two feet of his gut along with the cancer. Everyday, my cousins, my mom or my dad, were there to support him and keep him alive. He was very close to death, but by the grace of God, my families support kept him here. I do agree that we need the support to live and to fight chronic diseases like cancer. There's no way I would be able to do it on my own.


http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090929133115.htm

Ultra-tiny 'bees' target tumors

In the fight against cancer, new delivery systems for the latest treatments are being explored; one of the latest of which is “nanobees.” Not of the insect world, nanobees are actually tiny particles, less than ten times the diameter of a red blood cell, which carry treatment against cancer cells. These particular nanoparticles carry a synthesized version of the toxin known as melittin which is found in bees, hence the name nanobees.
"Melittin, which would otherwise result in substantial destruction of your red blood cells and other normal tissues if it were delivered intravenously alone, is completely safe when it's on a nanoparticle," said Dr. Samuel Wickline, director of the Siteman Center of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. Unlike previously approved cancer treatments, nanobees are engineered to travel directly to the tumor cells. Blood vessels surrounding the tumor produce a particular protein for which the nanobees have a chemical affinity. Such a delivery system allows for efficient delivery of a large dose of treatment without as many side effects.
To help ensure these tiny particles make it to the targeted cells, they are coated with polyethylene glycol to keep white blood cells, called macrophages, from “eating” them. Nanobees are only one of the latest innovations of nano-sized engineering in the medical field. And although a lot of new research is ongoing with nanotechnology, the particles themselves are not new but their limits of application are unknown.
I find this article of interest because it pursues a different view of the fight against cancer. I have had to watch three people go through chemotherapy and I hope to never have to watch it again. Usually it seems as though if you always hear of a new drug which kills the cancer and hopefully harms less of the healthy cells. But with this technology, healthy cells do not come in contact with the drug used to fight the cancer cells. Plus it’s just cool that scientist can manipulate something that small.


http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/18/nanotech.cancer.nano.tumors/

The Memory Hacker

Researchers at USC have recently been working on a chip that emits electrical signals to communicate with the brain. These signals that serve as an interface between natural brain cells and essentially a mini computer, that is the chip, lead the prospect of restoring damaged areas of the brain through artificial brain cell-like chips. Although there is still a vast vacuum in our understanding of the brain, this chip not only serves as a means for treating damaged cells, but it could potentially help in the research to better understand the nature and function of our brain. Such knowledge could simultaneously take away and add to the mystique of our brain being able to use chemistry and electrical impulses to have the emergent properties of cognition among other abilities. Unfortunately the device is still a ways off from human use and it faces problems such as being able to communicate bidirectionally and avoid harming brain cells. Furthermore, the chip is small in scope, with it modeling neurons on the scale of thousands to tens of thousands of cells which is small compared to the hundred billion cells in the brain.

In addition to the question of the affect that the chip has on the life of the neurons on the brain, the device also raises the question of its implications and accuracy in recreating memory. Could it recreate a false memory or change the personality to some extent through the associations and fundamentally the wiring of the neurons in the brain? The answer to this question is important to determine before it is used to treat neurological diseases or disorders such as alzheimers, dementia, or in any way repair demage to the brain through such things as trauma or stroke. With further advancements in this topic, it also begs the question of the ethics and wisdom of creating unnatural human abilities. Experimenting with the brain and cognitive abilities is analogous to playing with fire. Unfortunately there are few consensus agreements to what is acceptable and desirable. Nevertheless, the mere prospect of being of able to create artificial devices that mimic neurons in some form or fashion is exciting for what the future may hold. The subject of neurology and more specifically neurophsychology is particularly interesting to me since it seems like an unexplored frontier in biomedical engineering and biology in general. It's impact is also underestimated in my opinion since it is harder to grasp the problem and see a solution than other areas such as the cardiovascular system where problems can usually be seen and ideally fixed with imaging and some form of surgery. Rarely are emergent properties more evident than in the neurons in the brain. Furthermore, the argument can be made that the well-being of any organism is directly related to the well-being of the nervous system. We are constantly improving our ability to address health problems, but although we may extend the lifespan of people, I believe that we in healthcare and in the nation are not addressing well enough the quality of life aspect. What better way is there to improve the quality of life than to focus on our brain and its connections to the rest of the body and the ability that it gives us to think, reason, and make decisions.

http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2007-04/memory-hacker

Researchers Find Drug That Reverses Resistance to Chemotherapy in Pancreatic Cancer

Researchers have shown that inhibiting TAK-1, an enzyme which is activated by a regulatory protein called Transforming Growth Factor beta (TGFbeta) in pancreatic cancer, could make pancreatic cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy possibly leading to a new drug for treatment. According to Dr. Davide Melisi of the National Cancer Institute in Italy, "Pancreatic cancer is an incurable malignancy, resistant to every anti-cancer treatment. Targeting TAK-1 could be a strategy to revert this resistance, increasing the the efficacy of chemotherapy."


To test this new discovery, Dr. Melisi along with his colleagues developed a drug that inhibited TAK-1 and tested the activity of the TAK-1 inhibitor on its own and combined it with 3 other anti-cancer drugs on mice. When combined with anti-cancer drugs, doses up to 70 times lower than with the anti-cancer drugs by themselves were used to target the same number of cancer cells and had a profound effect such as reducing the tumour volume, extending mice survival, and lowering the toxicity levels. In this study, the median average survival for the control, gemcitabine (common anti-cancer drug) on its own, TAK-1 inhibitor, and the combination of the TAK-1 and gemcitabine yielded 68, 82,87, 122 days respectively.


I found this article very interesting and exciting because this could lead to the breakthrough that scientists have been looking for for a long time because once pancreatic cancer has mestastized, it is very difficult to treat and the survival rate is low. Knowing that scientists have located and could possibly target TAK-1 in making chemotherapy more effective just shows how far the medical and scientific world has come and that we are at the very edge of a cure to this cancer. Being an RHEN major, this article gives more of an insight of the advances towards the treatment as well as another solution to cure pancreatic cancer.


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165293.php

Imager That Identifies, Locates Individual Cancer Cells,

Imager That Identifies, Locates Individual Cancer Cells, Built By Case Western Reserve University Scientist

Dave Wilson was dissatisfied with blurry, low-sensitivity optical images of diseased tissues. So, four years ago he set out to create a better imager.

Now, Wilson, a professor of biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve University, can identify a single cancer cell in preclinical imaging studies. And he can pinpoint exactly where the cell is located in a three-dimensional image.

Called cryo-imaging, the system enables Wilson and collaborators to identify single molecules, count the number of cells in an organ, compare a normal heart to an abnormal heart and more. The incredibly detailed images can show the effectiveness of different drug therapies, gene therapies and cellular therapies in preclinical testing, Wilson said.

The cryo-imaging system literally disassembles real tissue layer by layer then reassembles the details into a cyber model.

"You can't meet this resolution from outside the body," Wilson said.

In a paper published in the Annals of Biomedical Engineering, Wilson and co-authors describe cryo-imaging and the extensive software they wrote to enable them to zero in on single cells.

The images are in color, which provides more detail than the gray scale used in other devices, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging, he said.

In this specific model, the software assembled images of the internal organs, showing the location of individual metastatic cancer cells in the adrenal gland.

If you're only interested in the central nervous system, the vascular system or something less than a complete specimen, the imager has the capability of giving you exactly what you want, Wilson said. As the computer assembles the images, it sends text message updates to researchers.

James Basilion, an associate professor of radiology and biomedical engineering at Case Western Reserve, did not work on Wilson's imager but has seen the results.

"This device provides superb resolution and sensitivity to identify fluorogenic compounds or cells virtually anywhere within a specimen," Basilion said. "No longer do we need to 'guess' which cells are taking up agents from radiological biodistribution studies. We now can visualize them."

Wilson launched his research with a Third Frontier grant from the state of Ohio. As he made progress, he was funded with about $1.5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health. He has founded a start-up company, called BioInVision Inc., in Mayfield Village, Ohio, to commercialize the imaging system.

Source:
Kevin Mayhood
Case Western Reserve University

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165553.php


This article intrigued me because of it directly addresses my choice to pursue radiological health engineering. When I would shadow my father at the hospital and view the MRIs and CAT scans I always wondered why te images couldn't be in color and more detailed. This device, non-evasively can track whether the cancer drugs are doing its job and to what extent. The fact that the device is non-evasive is important due to the fact that the patient can leave almost immediately after the scan and the doctor can continue practicing on other patients and will receive a text message when done (which I thought was pretty cool). The device is also very precise, it not only shows the section of the organ that the drug is affecting, it can show the individual cell.

Key to Turning off Cancer Stem Cells

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have found that the oncogene PKCiota is essential for the production of lung cancer stem cells. An oncogene is a gene that cancer cells use to grow, and in this case it allows stem cells to be created. These self-renewing stem cells create other cells that make up tumors in the lung. PKCiota was found to be directly involved in the initial steps of cancer stem cell development, and therefore indirectly leads to the production of cancer cells that create tumors. Scientists found that a certain agent, Aurothiomalate, dramatically decreases the growth of these stem cells that are, unfortunately, resistant to chemotherapy. For any lung cancer treatment to be effective, it has to disrupt the stem cells, which require PKCiota in order to develop.

An oncogene known as Kras is believed to change regular lung stem cells into cancer stem cells in mice, leading to lung cancer. When scientists inactivated the PKCiota gene, Kras could not cause expansion and growth of lung stem cells, which is what initiates tumor formation.

This experiment demonstrated that PKCiota is necessary in order for lung tumors to form. Aurothiomalate was found to target PKCiota and is currently being tested in patients in its phase I trial. It has had significant inhibitory effects on tumors dependent on both Kras and PKCiota. There are many cancers that are believed to be dependent on either Kras or PKCiota to grow, and Aurothiomalate seems to be a drug that could effectively target the cancer stem cells and stop the growth of tumors. A phase II human trial is expected to combine this agent with other agents that are targeted at other things involved in the growth of cancer tumors, which would make Aurothiomalate even more effective. The hope is that these discoveries will lead to a better, more effective, way to treat not only lung cancer, but other cancers as well!

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/163378.php

Erditux Helps Treat Advanced Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading killer among the different types of cancer. It takes the lives of 160,000 Americans each year. 80% of theses people die from a type of lung cancer called non-small-cell lung cancer. 4 out of 10 people diagnosed with non-small-cell lung cancer are already at an advanced stage where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Only 2% of these patients live longer than five years past their diagnosis.

Erditux, when combined with chemotherapy, increases the chances of life for patients with non-small-cell lung cancer. Erditux is a monoclonal antibody that blocks the effects of a protein called epidermal growth factor that causes tumor growth. Erditux stunts the growth of the tumors by blocking this protein. Researchers found that patients who took Erditux in addition to their regular chemotherapy lived an average of five weeks longer and were 10% more likely to be alive and cancer free after three years then those that were not given the drug. In addition, the tumors of the patients who received Erditux were 48% more likely to shrink.

In class we have discussed different ways that pharmacists can design drugs to interfere with biological processes. Erditux interferes with the growth of non-small-cell tumors by blocking the protein epidermal growth factor. I took interest to this article because my granddad passed away from non-small-cell lung cancer. Through out his battle with cancer he participated in a variety of experimental procedures. Any promising new treatment for this disease excites me because I want the best care possible for every other family with a member who has non-small-cell lung cancer.

http://www.webmd.com/lung-cancer/news/20090924/erbitux-helps-treat-advanced-lung-cancer

Nanoparticles Explored for Preventing Cell Damage

Several years ago, researchers at the University of Central Florida developed nanoparticles of a chemical known as cerium oxide (CeO2). Cerium oxide has commonly been used in ceramics, catalysts, and fuels cells, but in its nanomolecular form, it is biocompatible and shows promise in medical applications.

Researchers have seen strong supportive evidence that cerium oxide is a great antioxidant. Antioxidants reduce the amount of oxidative stress that the body experiences; oxidative stress has been linked to numerous age-related conditions ranging from arthritis to macular degeneration. There are two key characteristics that make nanocrystalline cerium oxide (nanoceria) special when compared to other antioxidants. The first of which is that it acts as a catalyst in that it has small pores that function as activation site to convert harmful reactive oxygen species into less harmful compounds in the body. By definition, a catalyst is not used up when the reaction takes place, so it is likely that people who choose to use this antioxidant may not need to use it repetitively as with most antioxidants today (this quality has not been proven yet). The other key characteristic of nanoceria is that it has been shown to have a strong impact on prevention of blinding diseases, primarily macular degeneration. Scientists treated mice that had retinal defects, similar to those found in macular degeneration patients, with nanoceria, and the results showed that 85% of the damage to the retina was prevented. Nanoceria also show potential for use in cancer treatment, although the research to back this hypothesis is still early in its development.

I found this article interesting for a couple of reasons. I have been interested in nanotechnology for years now, and I am always excited to hear about a new application for it that I didn’t know about before. Also, my grandma had macular degeneration to the point that she had effectively lost her vision in one eye. Had this technology been developed at the onset of her macular degeneration, it is possible that its progression could have halted shortly after it was initially detected.

http://www.nsf.gov/discoveries/disc_summ.jsp?cntn_id=115085&org=NSF

People With Normal Cholesterol May Benefit From Statins

New research reveals that statin cholesterol drugs may be beneficial to people who don't have high cholesterol. Statin drugs are defined as drugs that "lower cholesterol by limiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which is the rate-limiting" metabolic process in synthesis of cholesterol. In addition to lowering bad cholesterol levels, statin drugs can help block receptors in the liver, resulting in clearing of low density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad kind of cholesterol, from the blood. With so many beneficial properties associated with statin drugs, it is easy to see how they could benefit even people with normal cholesterol levels.

The research in the article focuses on a clinical trial where patients presented with low to normal cholesterol levels but slightly to highly elevated C-reactive protein levels. C-reactive protein is a protein that characteristically marks inflammation. At the moment, it is not routine to even test for C-reactive protein in patients with high cholesterol or other risk factors for heart disease. Based on this article's findings, it is arguable that this protein should be monitored in high risk patients.

The study was led by Dr. Paul Ridker of Brigham and Women's hospital in Boston. The statin drug used for the trial was AstraZeneca's Crestor, also known as rosuvastatin. Their findings were that Crestor "slashed deaths, heart attacks, strokes and artery-clearing procedures in apparently healthy patients." The team looked at the number of patients that over a five year period would have a major cardiac problem prevented from taking the drug. Their findings indicated that 20 of their patients would have a problem prevented, as opposed to 44 out of the same number of patients that were high cholesterol patients on the drug.

"This study suggests that many patients outside our current treatment guidelines could benefit substantially from statin therapy," said Ridker in an interview. Based on this article, it appears that statin drug therpay would be beneficial to a larger number of people who currently would not be put on the drug. The reason that I found this article interesting is because it seems that the situation where a drug could apply to more people than it is currently used for seems like it could be quite common in medicine. Obviously more research would need to be done and the side effects of statin drugs would need to be weighed against the benefits, but at the bare minimum, C-reactive protein levels should be monitored in patients who are at risk for heart disease.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,554166,00.html?sPage=fnc/health/cholesterol

David Szafron

Short-term Stress Has Positive Effects

Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that short-term stress may not be all bad. They have done studies in mice that show that short-term stress can actually be helpful in that it boosts the immune system and protects against one type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. Short-term stress is different from chronic stress, which actually weakens the immune system and strengthens the chance of getting diseases.

The researchers studied 30 laboratory rats for ten weeks and exposed them to cancer-causing ultraviolent lights. Prior to their expose, some were put through certain stressful events, such as being confined to a small space. These mice were compared with another set of mice that did not engage in stressful events. The research showed that although both sets of mice eventually formed tumors, those that underwent stress prior to exposure had fewer tumors and developed them at a slower rate. These results can be explained by the mice that underwent stress had higher levels of immune-activating genes than the control group.

This phenomenon is due to the fact that the body’s natural response to harmful activity is to prepare for the inevitable danger about to take place. When the mice underwent stress, their body automatically boosted their immunity. With this heightened immunity, the mice were able to protect themselves from the harmful light. Using the knowledge researchers have on the relationship between stress and immune activity, they believe that if they can perfect the dynamic of this relationship that they will be able to use this as a means of therapy in the future.

I think this article is very intriguing because something most people believe to be bad could have positive effects on your body. It is important to note that this is involved with short-term stress, not long-tem stress which can have harmful effects. The fight-or-flight response is an example of short-term stress that gets your adrenaline going and your immune system boosted in dangerous situations.

Link (Short-term Stress Enhances Anti-tumor Activity in Mice): http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090921134650.htm

Robin Terry

VTPP 434-502