Immune hope for chemotherapy patients

Monash University Monash University scientist, Professor Richard Boyd has identified a group of cells that help to rebuild the immune system following chemotherapy. Professor Boyd and Dr Daniel Gray from Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories have found that mesenchymal cells are involved in restoring a damaged thymus by supporting the growth of surrounding cells. The thymus is a major engine room of the immune system, producing T lymphocytes which are needed for defence against infections. Their results have been published in the latest edition of The Journal of Immunology. Chemotherapy, necessary to kill off cancerous cells, also severely depletes the immune system and injures the thymus, affecting a cancer patient's recovery rate and level of immunity. The thymus recovers in children, but rarely if at all in adults, severely compromising the ability to fight infections and potentially help ward off the return of the cancer. Although other researchers have examined the role of mesenchymal cells, Professor Boyd's group is the first to discover how these cells behave once the thymus has been damaged by treatments such as chemotherapy. "We now know that mesenchymal cells act as 'immune conductors' in the thymus," Professor Boyd said. "They reduce the inflammation caused by chemotherapy in surrounding cells." In response to chemotherapy, the mesenchymal cells increase their production of several growth factors (proteins) which help stimulate other cells to begin rebuilding the thymus. "The research has not only shown us how the cells operate, but also how they work together. Understanding how this organ behaves, has implications for enhancing the recovery rate of a damaged thymus which we hope will increase cancer recovery rates," Professor Boyd said. Professor Boyd, together with Professors Alan Trounson, Claude Bernard and Ban Hok Toh, currently hold a newly awarded program grant from the National Health and Medical Research Centre which combines stem cell therapies with rebuilding the thymus to treat autoimmune diseases. Their research combines an integrated picture of immunology and stem cells. The program grant investigates how the cells create, maintain and repair the thymus. The team will also look at how cells within the thymus and bone marrow behave through different stages of chemotherapy and work to develop therapeutics to improve recovery times.

Alcohol cleans up blood infections

University of Otago A research nurse specialist completing her Masters in Health Sciences at the University of Otago, Christchurch has shown that using ethanol as a ‘disinfectant’ in intravenous catheters (plastic tubes fixed into patients’ veins for weeks or months in order to give drugs or blood) reduces blood stream infection rates in immune-suppressed patients. Joanne Sanders has demonstrated for the first time that by using diluted ethanol (pharmaceutical grade alcohol), catheter-associated infection rates (CABSI) in patients having chemotherapy are four times lower compared to conventional methods. “What really surprised us when we analysed the results was not that the patients with ethanol-lock catheters had fewer infections, but that the difference was so significant. “ “Only 9 per cent of patients administered ethanol developed infections in the blood, but in contrast four times as many, 37 per cent, of those who were given the placebo saline solution, developed bloodstream infections. Patients with infections have to be treated with antibiotics, or have the catheter removed and a new one put in; much more problematic in anyone who has had their immune systems suppressed.” The research, which was supervised by Drs Alan Pithie and Peter Ganly at Christchurch Hospital, looked at two groups of patients. 34 had ethanol locked into their central venous chest catheters for two hours every day to prevent infection, while 30 were given conventional treatment using a saline solution. “It’s a very exciting result although in a relatively small sample of 64 patients,”she says. “However it’s generated a lot of interest both here and overseas as bloodstream infections can be life-threatening for patients who’ve been immuno-suppressed during chemotherapy for leukaemia, or those having a bone marrow transplant.” Joanne says the ethanol seems to work well because it attacks all bacteria which have lodged in the biofilm on the inside of the catheter - unlike conventional antibiotics which only kill certain bacteria and have nowhere near the wide ranging hit rate of ethanol. The big plus is that it’s cheap, at about $4 per patient per day; much cheaper than trying to deal with infections in seriously ill patients. This is the first study ever to demonstrate that ethanol can prevent catheter- associated blood infection, and the results have produced interest in the USA and Australia. Joanne expects further replication studies to be carried out. This study has been published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy and was funded by the Canterbury District Health Board.

Fighting chemotherapy fatigue

Queensland University of Technology It's often far from what they feel like doing, but women who do mild aerobic exercise during chemotherapy for breast cancer report significantly less fatigue. Queensland University of Technology nursing researcher Professor Patsy Yates, from the Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovations, said the debilitating fatigue that accompanied chemotherapy treatment could be reduced by giving patients techniques to self manage their tiredness. "It is not just physical fatigue that women receiving chemotherapy report," Professor Yates said. "Women also describe emotional fatigue and can feel so tired they cannot imagine getting out of bed the next day, as well as cognitive fatigue such as not being able to concentrate on usual day to day activities such as reading." Professor Yates said it was almost counterintuitive for women undergoing chemotherapy to exercise. "We found the two key techniques that helped women to manage fatigue were to do light exercise, such as walking, and to pace themselves so they they had energy to do the things they enjoy. "Chemotherapy patients tend to rest because they feel unwell and tired but rest alone is not beneficial - it seems to set up a vicious cycle: the less active you are the less energy you have for daily life." Professor Yates studied 109 Queensland and Victorian women starting chemotherapy for stages I or II breast cancer. The women were divided into a group who received three 10 to 20-minute sessions on managing fatigue and a control group who received general education about living with cancer. The study found that the women in the control group consistently had an increase of at least 50 percent in reported fatigue compared with those who received the self management information. "The study shows even a small amount of discussion about what can be done to manage fatigue can be helpful," Dr Yates said. "We are not sure why exercise works but it could be because it keeps your body conditioned so the effort to do other things is less." Professor Yates said further research would look at how to incorporate the fatigue-fighting message into routine clinical practice.

Chemotherapy:

Chemotherapy is made up of two words "Chemo" and "Therapy". Chemo means use of chemicals and therapy means treatment. Chemotherapy is a way of treating cancer by using chemicals which kills cancerous cells. Cancer is the disease which is characterized by out-of-control cell growth. These damaged cells divide uncontrollably to form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors which interfere with the digestive,nervous and circulatory systems. Chemotherapy is a systematic treatment of cancer, in which drug enters through the blood stream,travels throughout the body and destroys the cancerous cells. Chemotherapeutic drugs are chemically designed to target the cancer cells. Cancer can affect all age groups and Patients of any age can be treated with chemotherapy. For chemotherapy, patients can visit hospital or to a doctor but sometimes patients has to stay in hospital for the treatment. Patients may experience some side effects of chemotherapy such as hair loss, fatigue etc but side effects usually disappears at the end of treatment.

Read more on chemotherapy - www.chemohelp.info

Embryo protein explains cancer

A compound produced by a pregnant lizard may provide important information on the origins and treatment of cancer in humans, according to zoologist Bridget Murphy from the University of Sydney, who discovered the protein, which is pivotal to the development of the lizard placenta.

“Our egg-laying ancestors probably never got cancer, but things changed when we started having live young. Embryos need an extensive network of blood vessels to allow them to grow. So do tumours. I found that the three-toed skink, which gives birth to live young, uses a particularly powerful protein to encourage the growth of blood vessels. The only other place where this protein has been found is in pre-cancerous cells grown in the laboratory,” she says.

Future research on unlocking the secrets of how the protein works might well provide the basis of new therapies for cancer, and to promote wound healing or the regeneration of blood vessels in patients with heart disease. Bridget’s work is being presented for the first time in public through Fresh Science, a communication boot camp for early career scientists held at the Melbourne Museum. She was one of 16 winners from across Australia.

The protein belongs to a group known as vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGFs) which help to produce blood vessels in the uterus during pregnancy. Bridget became interested in the group as part of a study of the evolutionary origins of live birth.

“Both tumours and embryos must develop an extensive network of blood vessels which bring in oxygen and nutrients to allow them to grow,” Bridget says. “And they both must avoid rejection by hiding from the immune system of their host. In fact, many researchers think that cancers have hijacked the molecular machinery that originally evolved to allow embryonic development.

“It may be that animals that give birth to live young, such as humans and some lizards, have an increased susceptibility to cancer.”

Using techniques to measure which of the VEGF genes were present and active in lizards, Bridget discovered the first known natural source of VEGF111 in the three-toed skink (Saiphos equalis), a shy Australian lizard which lives underground.

Bridget Murphy is one of 16 early-career scientists presenting their research to the public for the first time thanks to Fresh Science, a national program sponsored by the Australian Government.

Stem cell gene linked to cancer

Australian researchers have uncovered a new mutation in stem cells that may be linked to the development of leukaemia, breast and colon cancer.

A team led by Dr Peter Papathanasiou from The John Curtin School of Medical Research at The Australian National University and Associate Professor Andrew Perkins from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Queensland have completed a three-year screening project to find the genes that control the development and turnover of stem cells. Stem cells can grow into any other kind of cell in the body, making them a hot area of research to find new treatments for diseases and injuries.

A major finding of the new study was the discovery of a novel DNA mutation in the c-Myb gene. This gene has been previously linked to a number of different cancer types.

“We’ve shown that blood stem cells with this genetic mutation behave the same way as those present in human bone marrow diseases, including diseases that can evolve into leukaemia,” said Dr Papathanasiou, who is also affiliated with the Australian Phenomics Facility at ANU.

“By understanding more about the genetic blueprint of these kinds of disorders, we can start to develop new ways of targeting diseases,” Dr Perkins said. “Currently, there is no treatment for this group of blood diseases, but the discovery of this mutation provides new avenues for investigation.”

As a result of the screening project, the researchers have also identified five other abnormal blood stem cell profiles, adding to understanding of the genetic diversity of blood cells. The project has also led to a better understanding of how blood cells develop and how this process becomes corrupted.

“Given that the same genes that operate in stem cells also function in cancer cells – albeit with genetic mutation – this research also has potential implications for regenerative medicine, by understanding how to stimulate the growth of new blood cells,” Dr Papathanasiou said.

The project was the first in the world to mutate the mammalian genome in a specific search for novel genetic regulators of stem cells.

The work was made possible by grants from the National Health & Medical Research Council, the Leukaemia Foundation, and by the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy to establish the Australian Phenomics Network.

ayurveda helps cancer cure

Over almost hundred years scientists have been trying very hard to know the reasons and treatment for a mercy called cancer which is incurable and fatal unless detected in its early stage. According to the mordernization and scientist it is right time that we explore the remedies described in other medical systems, especially Ayurveda.
Unlike other medical treatments ayurveda focuses on finding the root cause of the desease. As like cancer is caused when certain genes get damaged in the body and as a result, is unable to check a proliferation of its own cells. ayurveda describes that eveyone is born with a unique nature and personality. In order to maintain good health, it is important to maintain this “original” prakriti or nature.however a natural balance is maintainted between physical,spiritual and mental level within the body. A disturbance in the state of natural balance leads to damages in the natural set of body even at the minute level including the genes.

Modern life often violates principles of natural living. According to Ayurveda cancer happens due to the impurity in blood . This impurity is caused through Smoking, chewing tobacco, breathing in chemical fumes or eating foods and fruits that have been heavily processed with chemical during cultivation also aggravate dosha in the body.

Purifying or cleansing the blood and blocked channels with herbal formulae and non-invasive techniques are the main treatments for cancer .In addition to the regular cleansing treatment, in the Ayurvedic rasayana or strengthening and rejuvenating therapy is quite beneficial. Although cancer is a difficult disease, Ayurveda can offer a lot of support and comfort to the patients through its natural treatments.

Cancer shot has added benefit

The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, which has been available since mid-2007 to all females between 12 and 26 years, gives protection against four strains of HPV, two of which cause genital warts.

A study carried out by UNSW’s National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research (NCHECR) found the vaccine has had a population-level impact on rates of genital wart infections.

The number of women aged under 27 resident in Australia who were diagnosed with genital warts had declined by 60 percent since 2007, the researchers found

There was no decline in warts among older women or among men who have sex with men – groups which were not eligible for the government-funded vaccination.

The researchers pooled data from eight sexual health clinics Australia-wide, covering 110,000 new patients in the period 2004 to 2009.

About 6,000 new cases of genital warts were detected and analysis revealed a 60 per cent drop-off among women aged under 27.

Heterosexual men experienced a smaller but significant decline of just over 30 percent, probably due to “herd immunity” stemming from the vaccination of their sexual partners, the researchers said.

“Genital warts are distressing to the patient, as well as being difficult and expensive to treat,” said the head of the Sexual Health Program at NECHECR and the study’s principal investigator, Professor Basil Donovan.

“While we knew from clinical trials that the vaccine was highly effective, Australia is the first country in the world to document a major benefit for the population as a whole,” he said.

The findings have been presented this week at the International HPV Conference in Montreal.

chemotherapy help

Normally the cells of human body grow and die in a controlled way. Some times cells grow uncontrollably and form tumor inside the patients body which can cause death of the patient, the uncontrolled growth of the cells is known as cancer. Chemotherapy is the way of dealing cancer with the help of some chemicals by killing cancerous cells. The drugs used are also known as antineoplastic drugs. These drugs are also used in combination. The first modern chemotherapeutic agent was discovered by Paul Ehrlich's in 1909 that was arsphenamine, an arsenic compound. It provides systematic treatment since the drug entering through the blood stream travels throughout the body and kills cancer cells.Chemotherapeutic drugs are chemically designed to target cells that are dividing and growing rapidly. Once they reach the cancer cells, they act to retard their growth, eventually resulting in their destruction.