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Category: health – Page 3

Chemotherapeutic drugs: Cell death- and resistance-related signaling pathways. Are they really as smart as the tumor cells?

Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled cell proliferation, invasion, and check-point evasion of abnormal cells that are mostly nonfunctional. Cancer can arise due to diet insufficiencies, inherited mutations, and tobacco consumption, to say the least [1, 2]. Cancer’s incident is increasing due to the sedentary lifestyle, overpopulated, polluted megacities, and individuals’ growing desire for consuming processed foods containing preservatives additives [3], [4], [5]. Since cancers might not manifest symptoms in their early onset, it would be difficult or even improbable to treat them when they are diagnosed in their late stage. By and large, tumors are composed of two main parts, including the proliferating cells and stroma, which contains connective tissue and blood supply [6]. Chemotherapy has been among our best options against malignancies.

Chemotherapy is defined by the administration of numerous drugs and chemicals either alone or in combination to kill the cancer cells. Chemotherapeutic drugs kill cancer cells or control their progression all over the patient’s body, while radiation-and surgery-based treatments are directed to a particular site. Cure, control, and palliation are the three objectives of chemotherapies. Killing cancer cells by implementing chemotherapy drugs means “Cure”, whereas “Control” defines the situation that full remission seems far-fetched; therefore, the objective of the therapy would be to decrease the tumor size or to diminish the growth rate and angiogenesis. Palliation aims to alleviate the pain, symptoms, and medical conditions arisen due to cancer. It is mostly accomplished when cancer is in the advanced stages and cannot be eradicated; therefore, our aim would be to improve the quality of life.

The chemotherapy prescription approaches rely on various elements, including the cancer’s type, the cancer’s stage, the patient’s age, the patient’s general health status, the other concurrent health issues, and the history of receiving chemotherapies. Since chemotherapeutic drugs cannot distinguish normal cells against cancerous cells, the prescribed dosage is the other crucial aspect toward achieving the best possible response. The administration dosage depends on the patient’s weight, body surface area, age, nutrition status, history of radiation therapy, and blood cell count. Besides, a suitable drug administration schedule might help obtain the most efficient anti-cancer activity and minimum side effects [7, 8].

Genetic sequencing has aided in the discovery of novel mutations in inborn errors of immunity, but their clinical relevance often remains unclear

In this Research Article, Marcus Altfeld & team identify a TLR8 gene mutation causing immune overactivation and inflammation in two siblings, linking genetic change to immune system dysfunction and disease: Immunology.

14 Hamburg Center for Translational Immunology;

15 German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), partner site Hamburg; and.

16 Institute of Medical Microbiology, Virology and Hygiene, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

Insufficient Sleep in Adolescents and the Need for System Changes

💬 Editor’s Note by JAMA Editorial Fellow Randi Bates and JAMA Deputy Editor Tracy Lieu: Adolescents face increasing rates of insufficient sleep, driven by early school start times and digital media use, undermining cognitive and mental health.

Insufficient sleep is one of the most common health risks in adolescents and is associated with worse cognitive performance and academic achievement, as well as depression, other mental health conditions, and physical concerns. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommend adolescents aged 13 to 18 years sleep for 8 to 10 hours each night.1 Yet, studies have found that adequate sleep eludes most adolescents.2

In this issue of JAMA, Bommersbach and colleagues report worsening trends in insufficient sleep duration among US high school students based on an analysis of the national Youth Risk Behavior Survey.3 Insufficient sleep increased from 68.9% in 2007 to 76.8% in 2023, largely from increases in very short sleep durations of less than or equal to 5 hours per night. This trend was observed in all demographic groups and was generally consistent across subgroups characterized by behavioral risk factors.

These sweeping patterns suggest that structural and environmental factors may be driving increases in insufficient sleep at the population level. Although some studies have focused on changing individual behavior to increase sleep, such interventions may have limitations in adolescents whose self-regulatory and decision-making abilities are still maturing. Additionally, adolescents may lack sufficient agency to overcome school or social system barriers that limit sleep.

Abstract: In the 1960’s, megamitochondria in hepatocytes were identified in injured liver tissue

Here, Wen-Xing Ding find alterations in mitochondrial dynamics and the accumulation of large mitochondria contribute to liver tumor development in mice: https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI194441 # MASH

The EM image shows liver cells with megamitochondria (arrows) from mice lacking liver-specific dynamin-related protein 1 (Dnm1).

1Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA.

2Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences and.

3Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Gut bacteria can sense their environment and it’s key to your health

Your gut bacteria are chemical detectives—sniffing out nutrients and even feeding each other to keep your microbiome thriving. Your gut is home to trillions of bacteria that constantly “sense” their surroundings to survive and thrive. New research shows that beneficial gut microbes, especially common Clostridia bacteria, can detect a surprisingly wide range of chemical signals produced during digestion, including byproducts of fats, proteins, sugars, and even DNA. These microbes use specialized sensors to move toward valuable nutrients, with lactate and formate standing out as especially important fuel sources.

The gut microbiome, also called the gut flora, plays a vital role in human health. This enormous and constantly changing community of microorganisms is shaped by countless chemical exchanges, both among the microbes themselves and between microbes and the human body. For these interactions to work, gut bacteria must be able to detect nutrients and chemical signals around them. Despite their importance, scientists still know relatively little about the full range of signals that bacterial receptors can recognize.

A key question remains. Which chemical signals matter most to beneficial gut bacteria?

Enhancement of Patient-Centered Lung Cancer Screening: The MyLungHealth Randomized Clinical Trial

The MyLungHealth randomized trial found that digital tools improved eligibility assessment and CT ordering for LungCancer screening, but gains in scan completion were limited.

Question Does adding a patient-facing, electronic health record (EHR)–integrated tool to a clinician-facing clinical decision support system improve the identification and ordering of lung cancer screening?

Findings In this randomized clinical trial of 31 303 adults aged 50 to 79 years with uncertain or documented eligibility for lung cancer screening, the EHR-integrated tool significantly increased the identification of screening-eligible patients and the ordering of low-dose computed tomography lung cancer screening.

Meaning Combining patient-facing and clinician-facing decision support in primary care may enhance lung cancer screening by improving eligibility identification and computed tomography scan ordering.

Liquid Crystal Monomers Released from LCD Displays Accumulate in Endangered Marine Cetaceans Triggering Health Concerns

Liquid crystal monomers (LCMs), critical substances of liquid crystal displays in consumer electronics, are persistent pollutants, posing potential threats to marine ecosystems. Despite their bioaccumulative potential, their occurrence and possible biological impacts on marine megafauna remain understudied. We investigated LCM occurrence in Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins (Sousa chinensis) and finless porpoises (Neophocaena phocaenoides) collected from the South China Sea (2007–2021) and assessed their toxicity through in vitro assays using established dolphin cell lines. By employing robust source-tracing methodologies, we provide the first evidence that LCMs from household electronics and coastal e-waste accumulate in cetacean tissues, including blubber, muscle, and, critically, brain tissues, demonstrating blood–brain barrier penetration, a previously undocumented phenomenon of LCMs in mammalian wildlife. The temporal trend of LCM burden in porpoise blubber is correlated with shifts in global liquid crystal display production. Transcriptomic profiling revealed LCM-induced DNA damage, cell cycle arrest, and impaired cell division in cetacean cells. These findings suggest that LCMs may pose potential risks to the nervous system and other organs of marine mammals, warranting further investigation into their toxicological effects and possible implications for human health. By bridging critical gaps among everyday electronics, LCM contamination, and marine conservation, this study highlights the need for urgent regulatory actions and improved e-waste governance to mitigate ecological and public health risks.

Study suggests protein made in the liver is a key factor in men’s bone health

New research suggests the liver plays a previously unrecognized role in bone health, but only in males. A McGill University-led study published in Matrix Biology found that a protein made in the liver helps regulate bone growth in male mice, but not in females. The findings may help explain why men with liver disease are more likely to experience bone loss.

The protein, known as plasma fibronectin, is naturally present in blood at higher levels in men than in women, declines when the liver is damaged and builds up in bone to modulate bone formation. This suggests men rely more heavily on the protein to maintain bone strength than do women.

“About 60% of osteoporosis cases in men are secondary to other underlying health conditions,” said senior author Mari Tuulia Kaartinen, Associate Professor in McGill’s Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences. “Our findings suggest this protein may be one of the biological links connecting liver disease to bone loss.”

Got milk? how T cells shape lactation and beyond

Lactation supports babies’ immune health and reduces the risk of breast cancer for the mother.

TrendsInImmunology.

Lactation is increasingly recognized as an immune-regulated process. Immune cells shape mammary gland development, coordinate tissue remodeling, and aid in milk production with lasting consequences for maternal health. Here, we summarize recent advances on the roles and dynamics of T cells in the mammary gland during lactation and beyond.

Jumping DNA Sequences Drive Early Tumor Growth

New research reveals that LINE-1 retrotransposons don’t just nudge genes, they also trigger massive structural upheavals early in cancer development.

Read about the findings.

Where there’s a bountiful host, there are parasites ready to take advantage of the resources. This holds true even at microscopic levels. Lying within human DNA are repetitive elements called LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons that promote their own propagation at the cost of the host organism’s health.1 These genetic parasites create copies of themselves that then get inserted at new locations within the genome. Until recently, scientists thought that the activity of L1s mostly resulted in local alterations to genes.

Now, in a new study published in Science, researchers have demonstrated that L1s can trigger dramatic structural changes in DNA, resulting in cancer-causing mutations.2 These findings, which shed light on the intricate relationship between cancer evolution and the genome, could lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for different cancers.

“Cancer genomes are more influenced by these jumping fragments of DNA parasites than we previously thought,” said José Tubio, a molecular biologist at the University of Santiago de Compostela, in a statement.

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