The New Era of Informed Consent

2016-04-25 15:19 (0 comments)

jama.jamanetwork.com:

The New Era of Informed Consent - Getting to a Reasonable-Patient Standard Through Shared Decision Making.

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Estrogen, progesterone, and cancer

2015-03-20 12:35 (0 comments)

raypeat.com:

Estrogen, progesterone, and cancer: Conflicts of interest in regulation and product promotion.

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Wrangling Retrotransposons

2015-03-20 12:20 (0 comments)

the-scientist.com:

These mobile genetic elements can wreak havoc on the genome. Researchers are now trying to understand how such activity contributes to the aging process.

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Scientists Discover Gene Mutation Common in a Class of Ovarian Cancers

2010-09-08 10:48 (0 comments)

hhmi.org:

Discovery Provides Strong Link between Genetics and Epigenetics of Cancer

A study of aggressive ovarian tumors has revealed a new class of major cancer-driving mutations. Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) researchers found that most of the clear cell ovarian carcinoma samples they studied carried a gene mutation that alters the epigenetics of cells.

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Use the Common Cold Virus to Target and Disrupt Cancer Cells?

2010-08-26 15:01 (0 comments)

sciencedaily.com:

A novel mechanism used by adenovirus to sidestep the cell's suicide program, could go a long way to explain how tumor suppressor genes are silenced in tumor cells and pave the way for a new type of targeted cancer therapy, report researchers at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in the Aug. 26, 2010 issue of Nature.

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Inflammation in Carcinogenesis

2010-06-24 12:12 (0 comments)

sciencedirect.com:

Although inflammation is primarily a homeostatic response of tissues to damage by infectious, physical, or chemical agents, its persistence in a chronic form generates a profoundly modified environment that favors the occurrence of transformed cells and their progression to malignant cancer. Chronic inflammation is one of the hallmarks of most solid tumors and is a precursor condition in a wide range of pathologies including cancers of the colon, esophagus, stomach, or bladder.

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Vitamin D Deficiency as a Risk Factor for Multiple Sclerosis

2010-06-15 11:52 (0 comments)

rndsystems.com:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune neurological disorder that affects over 2 million people worldwide. Onset of the disease is thought to occur following exposure of genetically predisposed individuals to an unknown environmental trigger that activates myelin-specific T cells. These cells cross the blood-brain barrier to trigger an inflammatory attack that demyelinates axons in the central nervous system. Polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor are among the genetic variations that increase the risk of MS. The incidence of MS is also elevated in northern climates, where vitamin D deficiency is common. Since exposure of the skin to ultraviolet light aids in the conversion of inactive vitamin D to the active form, the short days, low UV intensity, and lack of exposed skin common to winter months, decrease the amount of active VitD3 that can be produced. Although the correlation between VitD3 deficiency and MS is intriguing, we are only now beginning to understand the biology that may explain this connection. In both human MS and in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), the mouse model of the disease, VitD3 can influence specialized populations of cells that may play a critical role in protection against the disease. VitD3 promotes the formation of tolerogenic or “semi-mature” dendritic cells (DCs). These DCs induce the development of CD25–FoxP3+/–IL-10++ Tr1 cells, a subset of regulatory T cells (Treg), and downregulate the production of Th1 inflammatory cells. A pair of interacting co-inhibitory proteins, B7-H1 (also known as PD-L1) and PD-1, appear to be critical molecules in this process.

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Bestätigung der Virushypothese und Immunschwäche als Krankmacher (PubMed, Raltegravir, XMRV)

2010-04-01 02:01 (0 comments)

PubMed:

Raltegravir is a potent inhibitor of XMRV, a virus implicated in prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Xenotropic murine leukemia-related retrovirus (XMRV) is a recently discovered retrovirus that has been linked to human prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Both diseases affect a large fraction of the world population, with prostate cancer affecting one in six men, and CFS affecting an estimated 0.4 to 1% of the population.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Forty-five compounds, including twenty-eight drugs approved for use in humans, were evaluated against XMRV replication in vitro. We found that the retroviral integrase inhibitor, raltegravir, was potent and selective against XMRV at submicromolar concentrations, in MCF-7 and LNCaP cells, a breast cancer and prostate cancer cell line, respectively. Another integrase inhibitor, L-000870812, and two nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, zidovudine (ZDV), and tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) also inhibited XMRV replication. When combined, these drugs displayed mostly synergistic effects against this virus, suggesting that combination therapy may delay or prevent the selection of resistant viruses.

CONCLUSIONS: If XMRV proves to be a causal factor in prostate cancer or CFS, these discoveries may allow for rational design of clinical trials.

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Vitamin C restores healthy aging in a mouse model for Werner syndrome

2010-01-09 16:26 (0 comments)

www.fasebj.org:

Werner syndrome (WS) is a premature aging disorder caused bymutations in a RecQ-like DNA helicase. Mice lacking the helicasedomain of the WRN homologue exhibit many phenotypic featuresof WS, including a prooxidant status and a shorter mean lifespan compared to wild-type animals. Here, we show that Wrn mutantmice also develop premature liver sinusoidal endothelial defenestrationalong with inflammation and metabolic syndrome. Vitamin C supplementationrescued the shorter mean life span of Wrn mutant mice and reversedseveral age-related abnormalities in adipose tissues and liverendothelial defenestration, genomic integrity, and inflammatorystatus. At the molecular level, phosphorylation of age-relatedstress markers like Akt kinase-specific substrates and the transcriptionfactor NF- ${kappa}$ B, as well as protein kinase C ${delta}$ and Hif-1 ${alpha}$ transcriptionfactor levels, which are increased in the liver of Wrn mutants,were normalized by vitamin C. Vitamin C also increased the transcriptionalregulator of lipid metabolism PPAR ${alpha}$ . Finally, microarray andgene set enrichment analyses on liver tissues revealed thatvitamin C decreased genes normally up-regulated in human WSfibroblasts and cancers, and it increased genes involved intissue injury response and adipocyte dedifferentiation in obesemice. Vitamin C did not have such effect on wild-type mice.These results indicate that vitamin C supplementation couldbe beneficial for patients with WS.

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Vitamin C Enhances the Generation of Mouse and Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

2010-01-09 16:21 (0 comments)

www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/:

Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) by defined factors. However, the low efficiency and slow kinetics of the reprogramming process have hampered progress with this technology. Here we report that a natural compound, vitamin C (Vc), enhances iPSC generation from both mouse and human somatic cells. Vc acts at least in part by alleviating cell senescence, a recently identified roadblock for reprogramming. In addition, Vc accelerates gene expression changes and promotes the transition of pre-iPSC colonies to a fully reprogrammed state. Our results therefore highlight a straightforward method for improving the speed and efficiency of iPSC generation and provide additional insights into the mechanistic basis of the reprogramming process.

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Arnold Hilgers Institute

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The New Era of Informed Consent

Estrogen, progesterone, and cancer

Wrangling Retrotransposons

News - Science

The New Era of Informed Consent

Estrogen, progesterone, and cancer

Wrangling Retrotransposons

Scientists Discover Gene Mutation Common in a Class of Ovarian Cancers

Use the Common Cold Virus to Target and Disrupt Cancer Cells?

Inflammation in Carcinogenesis

Vitamin D Deficiency as a Risk Factor for Multiple Sclerosis

Bestätigung der Virushypothese und Immunschwäche als Krankmacher (PubMed, Raltegravir, XMRV)

Raltegravir is a potent inhibitor of XMRV, a virus implicated in prostate cancer and chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract

Vitamin C restores healthy aging in a mouse model for Werner syndrome

Vitamin C Enhances the Generation of Mouse and Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells